The Spider’s Sons

The Spider’s Sons was originally published on One-elevenbooks

#1117 Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

#1117 Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman was originally published on One-elevenbooks

#989 The Day I Swapped my Dad for Two Goldfish by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean

The Day I Swapped my Dad for Two Goldfish by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean

One day a child gets an offer he doesn’t want to refuse. He is offered two goldfish, but he doesn’t want to trade his action figures or any of that for the goldfish. He finally decides he does have something to trade–his dad. So he swaps his dad for the goldfish, but when his mother gets home, she’s not happy at all about this whole thing. So he has to go track down the kid he traded his dad to, but that kid had already traded the dad to someone else. In turn the next kid had traded the dad for something else.

This goes on for a while, until the boy finally finds his dad and figures his dad is a pretty good dad after all and he shouldn’t have traded him for two goldfish.

What I liked

This was rather short, but it was be Neil Gaiman, so I kind of had to read it.

This story is built on cascading actions, which is a thing in children’s tales or nursery rhymes. Actually, you might even say it’s like completing a string of side quests. One action, ends up leading to another action, which leads to other actions. It’s all very the-old-woman-who-swallowed-the-fly.

In truth, this is how real life works. Our actions, no matter how small, have consequences. While these types of stories are outlandish, they do help us come to realize that our actions have subsequent effects.

Sure, someone could trade their dad, but their mother isn’t going to be happy about it and they might miss their dad, nor will their dad stay at the place he was left.

What I didn’t like

This was a fun story.

Overall

Actions have consequences, especially if you trade your dad for two goldfish.

Weigh In

Is there something you would swap a parent for?

Was there a specific series of consequences that made you more careful of your actions in the future?

#989 The Day I Swapped my Dad for Two Goldfish by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean was originally published on One-elevenbooks

#877 Nothing O’Clock by Neil Gaiman

Nothing O’Clock by Neil Gaiman

The Doctor and Amy Pond have been off on an adventure in the TARDIS and are coming back to England, but something is strange. There are no people. Where did everyone go? Amy hears a strange message. They’ve all died out. This sends Amy and the Doctor on a trip back in time to figure out why.

Back in 1984 a strange person in an animal mask showed up and offered a man way more money than his house was worth. The man and his family move into a hotel. It turns out everyone has been offered lots of money.

Amy and the Doctor figure out what they’re up against. They must not answer the question, “What time is it?”

What I liked

This was delightfully weird and fun. I love Doctor Who and Neil Gaiman, so this book combined two really great things.

Time travel stories are fascinating. Knowing that your life could be completely different if some obscure past event was changed is both fascinating and terrifying, one wrong thing and you wouldn’t exist.

The idea that someone could just buy up the Earth is also fascinating. Could it ever be possible?

What I didn’t like

This is a bit scary. Just think about humanity essentially going extinct because someone bought their land and moved them where the land could not support many people.

Overall

What time is it?

Weigh in

What do you think about someone buying up b the Earth?

Would you travel in time if you could?

#877 Nothing O’Clock by Neil Gaiman was originally published on One-elevenbooks

#785 The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer

The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer

You may know Amanda Palmer as a music artist who plays the piano and sings about all sorts of things in life. You may know her as Neil Gaiman’s wife. If you didn’t know who she was, that’s who she is, but there’s more to Amanda that being a recording artist and wife.

Amanda grew up in a house with a mother who was a computer programmer, which was actually a novelty during Amanda’s childhood. Female programmers were few and far between. Amanda learned how to play the piano. She made friends with a neighbor man. This friendship ultimately lasted her entire life. She started touring and she started making CDs.

Along the way, she had to learn how to ask people for help. Sometimes she needed a place to sleep, or supplies for a concert, or money to put out a new CD, or a keyboard, or props, or just whatever. Amanda learned that if you asked, people were generally willing to help, or to provide.

Later on, Amanda struck up a friendship with Neil Gaiman, of all things. There were a strange mutual attraction, which lasted through a relationship or two, but ultimately Neil and Amanda ended up together, despite their age difference of sixteen years. There were several periods of time that Amanda needed money to pay her employees and Neil offered to help, but Amanda felt weird about it. Meanwhile, her friend Anthony, the neighbor man, was going through cancer treatments, which turned Amanda’s life upside down. Amanda didn’t know why she was having such a hard time taking money from Neil, but she did learn how to accept help when she needed it.

What I liked

I like this idea of asking. Just put it out there. Ask the universe for something and see what happens. I know it can be very difficult to ask for help or ask people anything, for that matter, but sometimes it’s better if we do. I feel like this is a lesson I could take to heart a little more.

I like Amanda. I knew of her through my boyfriend, who listens to her music. I had no idea who she was. I loosely remembered that Neil Gaiman had gotten married, but didn’t equate his wife’s name with anybody in particular. I admire Neil. It stands to reason that anybody Neil associates with is pretty neat.

What I didn’t like

I get where Amanda is coming from with the money thing, although, I think for different reasons than Amanda has. Amanda doesn’t like having her husband give her money for things because she considers herself independent and a feminist; I don’t like taking money from people because I’m afraid they’re going to hold it over my head as a power move. That’s one of the things that sucks about having been in a mentally abusive relationship–it’s difficult to trust people afterwards, even though you want to. You’re scared that every person is going to behave that way.

Maybe one day I can be ok with taking money from people too, just like Amanda.

Overall

Can you guys share my site with all your friends and tell them how awesome I am? I thought I’d ask.

Weigh In

Do you find you have trouble asking people for things?

Would you like to be friends with Neil Gaiman?

#785 The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer was originally published on One-elevenbooks