"American Gods" - second time around

Recently I joined a book club on Goodreads called "She Geeks." It is a book club for ladies who like comic books, fantasy, and books (I'm in!), and I am so excited. The book for this month is "American Gods," one I tried to read about a year ago and hated. I'm going to give it another shot with hopes that the help from the club to understand references with which I am unfamiliar will help me appreciate it more.

So far, so good. I understand that Shadow was in jail, and is now released. His wife died unexpectedly and he's not sure what to do next. A mysterious, unnamed character keeps showing up out I the blue... And that's it so far.

I rarely try again with books I don't like once the decision is made to let them go. Feels appropriate to give a second chance to "American Gods" in the month of an election. In a hyperbolic sense, we have all dedicated so much time to learning about two people we already knew so much about. We watched so many campaign ads, laughed at so many terrible, accidental comments, and debated with our friends and families about what is right for three hundred million people we have never met. Politicians aren't gods, of course sometimes it seems we get caught up in their lives and forget that.

Wish me luck with this adventure in mythology with Neil Gaiman. I'll let you know how it goes.

Geology of Middle Earth

When I was an undergrad, I took a required Geology course.  The professor told me that he was impressed with my passion for maps, and asked whether I might be interested in switching majors.   At the time, I was not.  Little did I know, geologists also make maps of incredible places like Middle Earth and Oz.

Had I known then what I know now, perhaps I would have made a super fast skip and a jump in the change of major.

Source: Facebook

Source: Oz Central