Done.

I have already mentioned the Literary Lethargy that has gripped me, but to truly understand how I feel about 'American Gods' I have to expand on it a little. For 12 years I worked in the book industry, working my way from part-time bookseller all the way to buyer and event coordinator. Books are in my blood, it was not uncommon for me to read 2 or 3 in a week.
In January 2008, I left the book world for a job in the entertainment industry. It was a tough transition, and one that was not entirely in my hands. Because of that, I had a very difficult time reading. I would read in fits and starts, in many cases, abandoning books halfway through(which is something I had never done). It was incredibly depressing, and a barometer for how I perceived the rest of my life.
About a month ago, David and I were talking on the phone about the fact that we liked to read but had no one to discuss the books with. David suggested this book club and we chose 'American Gods' as the first book. I was extremely excited and picked up my copy about a week later.
I had read 'American Gods' when it was first released in 2001, but had not committed very much of it to memory. Diving into it was like reading it for the first time. 'Gods' tells the story of Shadow, who after serving a stint in prison is employed my the mysterious Mr. Wednesday. Wednesday has this otherworldly quality from the moment he appears (literally...literally, ha!) and it soon becomes apparent that Wednesday is the human manifestation of a Norse god. Shadow becomes his errand boy as they travel the country recruiting other Old World gods to wage war against the New Gods (Media, Technology, Industry) in a battle that promises to dictate the future of religion.
The above description of the plot is deceptively simple. The story is so much more than that. Gaiman's writing is intricate without being inaccessible. Threads and asides are introduced seemingly at random, only to pop up later as very important aspects of the story. For a while, I wondered if Gaiman was actually responsible for the tv show 'Lost,' not JJ Abrams. The Queen of Sheba is now a prostitute in LA? How's that for clever?
Characters are one important aspect of the story: without someone to sympathize with, it's tough for the reader to care about the story. Gaiman gives us that in spades. However, another very important aspect is the setting. Wednesday and Shadow travel the length and breadth of the United States, but never have I been so enchanted with the locales: The House on the Rock, in Wisconsin; Rock City, Georgia; an undertaker's home in Chicago; The geographical center of the USA near Lebanon, Kansas. I found myself shutting the book and googling these places. Many of them are actual places. I feel a road trip coming on!!!
Between the story, the characters and the setting, I was completely immersed, in ways I hadn't been in so long. It felt so good to be totally taken in like that, it seriously warmed my heart.
There were only a couple of problems I had: I would like to have seen the Greek Pantheon represented in the story. Almost everyone else was. I suppose Gaiman did that intentionally, as the public is most familiar with them. It did give other cultures a chance to shine. Still a throwaway mention of Athena would have been nice.
Another issue was the epilogue and the afterword. The one problem most people had with the film adaptation of 'The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King' was the endless procession of endings. 'Gods' started to feel like that. I am sure there could have been a better way to integrate the endings into the actual story wrap up.

I am already looking forward to the next book. Thank you David and Neil Gaiman for bringing me back to Literary Life.