And book number two wasn't even ON the bookstack.
On a whim, I borrowed a book from my son in law, the Princess's hubby, on New Year's Eve. With my kids all being huge Marvel geeks, and kinda pulling me along with them (I've even been into the Spiderverse already), I thought it might be a good idea to read some of the lore that plays into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (the MCU, to the savvy). Neil Gaiman is a name that is familiar to me, although I honestly haven't read any of his other works. And it is interesting that his introduction to the Norse mythology was...Marvel Comics. He, quite simply, is recording Norse mythology in a modern voice, after searching and researching and reading and studying what there was available.
The characters really aren't like the MCU representations, but that's ok. They felt, well, more Norse. More mythic. I felt very much like I felt after reading the adventures of El-ahrairah from Watership Down....stories told over and over, with a little spice added or different emphasis made by each teller of the tale. Some were funny, some were gruesome, some were somber. Ragnarok is shattering and heartbreaking but there is hope.
It was an easy read; the language is not high blown or archaic. If you're determined that the MCU version is not to be disturbed this won't work for you...but the roots of Thor's MCU story are clearly here.
And, to folks who might not understand why I'm talking about Norse Mythology in a Bible Study Blog...well, it does interest me to see the difference between the gods venerated by other cultures and the God of the Judeo-Christian world. Just my personal quirk, I guess. And it was the second book of the year.
My general reading had fallen way, way off. Well, my Bible reading did, too, although not as badly. I was at least somewhat intentional about Bible reading. So...here's to 2019 and reading again.
And now I can return the book to its owner. That's important, y'all. Always return the book.
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