Chapter Fifteen: Better Than Running at Night

Better Than Running at Night, by Hillary Frank, was a random and fortuitous find.  I was really in the mood for some good young adult fiction, and I thought I'd glance at the Bard library's "juvenile browsing" section, which is pretty limited.  Tucked in between bigger books, this little paperback caught my eye as much for its small size as for its colorful cover.  Reading the back of the cover, I was intrigued to find it's about college students, which in my experience is pretty unusual for a children's book or a book for adults.  (When was the last time you read a good novel about college students?  The last time I did was two years ago, roughly.  If you have read any good novels about college students, leave me a comment!  I'd be pleased to check it out.)
Anyway, as for the book itself, I really enjoyed it.  Rather than being divided into chapters, it's in fairly short sections with good titles and even little drawings (which is nice, since the narrator-protagonist is studying drawing at an art college).  I really liked the main character; I could relate to her, and she wasn't written too melodramatically.  She is a reasonable person while being an interesting character, and moreover she's a strong female protagonist, which is always great.  Of course she has her share of problems, but she doesn't whine about them.  And she's got her quirks, to add some spice to the story.  I'm not sure if I would actually think of this as a young adult novel; it's a bit hard to classify, but I heartily recommend it.

Chapter Fourteen: American Gods

Neil Gaiman's American Gods is a book I've been meaning to read for months, ever since Gaiman came to Bard and did a reading of a short piece he was still working on.  Many of my fellow reading-attendees were shocked and dismayed to hear that I hadn't read American Gods, so I dedicate this post to them (they know who they are, unless they've forgotten...).  I am definitely glad that I finally got around to reading this book, although (unlike other Gaiman books I've read) I can't see myself reading it again, at least not any time in the near future. It was a really interesting read, and it definitely kept my attention--I liked the main character and the supporting characters, the mythology was interesting, and the U.S. geography was fun--but on the whole this novel was a little too dark and intense, and Gaiman's characteristic humor was a little too sparse, to become one of my absolute favorites. Still, I would certainly recommend reading American Gods, especially if you're a fan of mystery or suspense. (Although there are elements of fantasy or sci-fi, it felt more like magical realism to me, and I wouldn't recommend it if someone said they were looking for a good fantasy or sci-fi read.)