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Tag: fiction in cemeteries

The Graveyard Book Readalong: Conclusion

The Graveyard Book Readalong: Conclusion

In her commencement speech to the Barnard class of 2010, Meryl Streep said, “There is only change, and resistance to it and then more change” (Graduation Wisdom). If you think about it, that word “commencement” is so cool because your first thought at such a moment is of graduation or end. For me, Meryl Streep’s thoughts encapsulate the theme of change–at the end of Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book and at the beginning of Bod’s coming life. The narrator sets…

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The Graveyard Book Readalong Part Two

The Graveyard Book Readalong Part Two

We meet again for our discussion of Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book readalong hosted by Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings. Are we having fun? I am! Today we’re checking out chapters 4-6. Of these, “The Witch’s Headstone” is my unequivocal favorite. It is here, against all manner of warnings from his elders about the evils of the dead in Potter’s Field, that Bod meets a wistful witch. Of course, we all want our children to obey us without question, but…

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Mountain View Cemetery Stroll

Mountain View Cemetery Stroll

Carl over at Stainless Steel Droppings has invitedĀ readers to post thoughts and images of cemeteries as part of The Graveyard Book readalong. For me, an assignment right up Mausoleum Alley. The following is inspired by theĀ  renowned Victorian landmark, Mountain View Cemetery , and I updated this piece with additional photos. Let us go then, you and I, when ghosts and ghouls patrol the sky… Pause on the threshold of Mountain View Cemetery, but do not distract yourself with the…

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Ghost Novel Review: The Graveyard Book Part One

Ghost Novel Review: The Graveyard Book Part One

Today we begin our three part discussion of The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman as part of Carl’s group read over at Stainless Steel Droppings. The book opens with a visit from a knife-wielding Jack who kills a family minus one toddler. Said toddler wanders into a cemetery where he is quickly adopted by kind-hearted nonliving beings (aka ghosts) and one crusty undead curmudgeon with a soft center. In an effort to keep the child safe from knife-wielding Jack, the…

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