I finally finished American Gods.


Sometime earlier this year, or maybe it was in December because I have a hard time keeping track, I started reading the book American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I had read one other Neil Gaiman book prior to starting this one (I went through Neverwhere so fast...), but I could almost sense that there would be something a bit more epic about American Gods. I had a "my body is ready" moment (which was really like "my mind is ready"), and so I started to read it on my Kindle (which I named Kindle Cumberbatch for shits and giggles).

What ensued was a game of teasing my book, in which I would read for extensive lengths of time, only to put the book down for weeks. Then, I would pick it up again for a few minutes, put it down, pick it up for a few minutes, then put it down again. The length of time between each reading session steadily grew, and I found myself so close to the end the other day that I decided it was time to finally finish it. I have had so many books piled up in my "to read" list, anyway.

You know that feeling you get when you finally finish a book? I suppose it's different for everyone, but for me it's this enormous sense of satisfaction, like I actually accomplished something, even if it wasn't something that I created. (Though if you want to get philosophical, you could say that it's something the author completes only once someone else has read it.)

Well, I unfortunately did not feel accomplished. I felt like I had taken way too long. American Gods is by no means what I would consider to be light reading, and taking frequent and long breaks kind of left me in the dust in terms of understanding a lot of the context in the story. If you ever plan on reading this book, I highly recommend that you do not put it down for as long as I did. I do plan on re-reading it, but I want to tackle some of the other books that have been on my reading list first.

Have you ever had an experience like this while reading a book? One that took a long time to get through?

Comments

  1. That is The Hobbit for me! I started American Gods, but I've been reading the Boundless Book Club reads!

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    1. Lol, I remember trying to read The Lord of The Rings back when I was a teenager and I couldn't get past the first chapter. I was thinking about revisiting it, though. I've never read The Hobbit!

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  2. It took me FOREVER to finish American Gods, too! And I'm a pretty big Neil Gaiman fan... Well, I'm a bigger fan of his short stories and smaller novellas after have reading American Gods. While it was a great read and interesting concept, it felt like it lagged on in order to fill up space at times whereas Neverwhere or Anansi Boys are like the perfect length. Iunno, just my two cents, haha.

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    1. Thanks for commenting, Stephanie! I totally agree - it felt like a few parts lagged on. Though when it didn't have those lag times, it was certainly great. A few of the scenes had my heart thumping, in a good way.

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  3. I have about three books that I am trying to finish that I have been working on for about two years now. o_0 I blame school for the most part, it was so hard to find any spare time to read anything but my textbooks. But now that I have been out of school I'm not sure what my excuse is. I definitely feel you on the confusion aspect, I have had to re-read so many chapters because I take such long breaks between reading! I want to get into a better routine, where I dedicate a portion of my evening to reading.

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    1. Haha, I can totally relate. I am currently in History of Western Art class, and I have to read my textbook every night (which I have been terrible about as of late). I think maybe you can start by reading a few pages a day then working yourself up to a chapter - if you want to! That's how I got back into reading.

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  4. This has been my experience with Lolita and A Feast For Crows thus far. I pick them up every now and then and read for what feels like forever, then put it down for weeks. It always seems to happen to me with books that have rich plots.

    American Gods is a great book, though. Hope your re-read goes better.

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    1. Lolita is on my "to read" list!
      Thanks, I hope the re-read goes better, too! :)

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  5. My dad is a huge fan of his work! I definitely know that feeling when you finish a book...sometimes I just have to sit and think about the trauma I've just suffered at the hands of a paperback! Some stories just hit you hard! :)

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  6. I have to get really drawn in a book otherwise.. I do exactly like that! I usually forget what has happened lol I really want to start reading again.. especially Neil Gaiman!

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