Book #181 – The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Well, now that I’ve read about a couple vampires, a monster or two, and a haunted hotel, how about some Neil Gaiman? After all, his story about evil witches chasing a fallen star made last year’s list. And really, so many horror stories end up in graveyards at some point: Night of the Living Dead, The Omen, Pet Semetary… It’s a Wonderful Life. (What do you mean that isn’t a horror story? Have you seen Pottersville? That’s terrifying.) In this case, the story begins and ends at the graveyard gates and gives voices to those that are no longer among the living.

The book was published in the United Kingdom in September of 2008, but what really made me think the book belonged on this year’s Halloween list was that it became available in the United States on October 31, 2008. I would have been in my freshman year of college at the time, and sadly, in a bit of a reading slump, which may explain how it escaped my noticed until now. However, it certainly didn’t escape the notice of the literary world, winning both the Newberry Medal and the Hugo Award that year. It’s also been docked for a movie since 2009, but has seen a massive shift in studios and directors since then, so no idea if that will ever come to fruition.