Odd And The Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman and Illustrated by Chris Riddell. Book Covers As Art. #BookCoversAsWorksOfArt

A thrilling, wintry Nordic epic from the magical combination of author Neil Gaiman and illustrator Chris Riddell, weaving a tale of legend, magic and adventure which will grip and enchant readers from beginning to end.

When a fatherless young Viking boy meets a fox, an eagle and a bear in the woods, his destiny begins to change. These are no ordinary creatures but the mighty Gods Loki, Odin and Thor – who have been trapped in animal form by evil Frost Giants and driven out of Asgard, the City of the Gods. Now our hero must reclaim Thor’s hammer, outwit the Frost Giants and release the Gods .
From two multi-award-winning creators at the height of their powers comes this rich and layered tale of courage, humour and breathtaking adventure. Lavishly produced and packed with Chris Riddell’s spellbinding illustrations, this is a spectacular and magical gift.

I picked this version of this book for July, not just for the cover, but the art work throughout it. Chris Riddell is a illustrator of immense talent and this story was made for me, by the art work that brought it to life.

I spent hours pouring over each page, probably more time than I actually spent reading the story itself. Don’t get me wrong, the tale within it’s pages, is magical and beautifully written. I felt drawn into the Nordic legends by Gaiman’s reimaging of the story, but add Riddell’s extraordinary illustrations and you have a book which is a true thing of beauty and I could stare at each one over and over.

This book will be one that will always remain on my bookshelf and I actively look out for any  with Riddell’s name on the cover. Put his illustrations together with Neil Gaiman’s story telling and you have for me the perfect partnership.

You can order the author’s books from Amazon and Waterstones or why not speak to your local indie, many of whom are still posting out books. They are the stalwarts of the book industry and they need our support more than ever!erfect partnership. I bought my copy of this book from Mr B’s Emporium in Bath.

Illustrator

Chris Riddell is an accomplished graphic artist who has illustrated many acclaimed books for children and has won the Unesco Award, has twice won the Kate Greenaway medal and has been shortlisted for the Kurt Maschler Award. He is also the acclaimed political cartoonist for the Guardian and the Observer. Together with Paul Stewart, he is the creator of the hugely successful Edge Chronicles, Barnaby Grimes, and the award-winning Far-Flung Adventures.

Author

Neil Gaiman is a tour de force of creative talent. He is the bestselling author of Coraline and Stardust, both of which are major motion films. Neil also co-wrote the script for Beowulf starring Anthony Hopkins and Angeline Jolie. He is the creator/writer of the award-winning Sandman comic series and has written several books for children. His latest title, The Graveyard Book, won the Teenage Booktrust Prize 2009. Neil has been immortalised in song by Tori Amos, and is a songwriter himself. His official website now has more than one million unique visitors each month, and his online journal is syndicated to thousands of blog readers every day.

 

 

 

My Wonderful Reading Year – June 2020 #MyWonderfulReadingYear #Reading #Books

Welcome to a series of posts that chart my wonderful reading year, 2020. I don’t have the time to review all the books I read and wanted I way to celebrate each one. So I’m going to do a monthly post of all the wonderful books I’ve reading that month. Short snappy reviews, simple comments about why I enjoyed them so much.
It is a scary world out there at the moment and my reading is suffering, but I keeping it up and hoping my reading mojo doesn’t disappear totally.
Sending Cwtches to all those that need one.
So welcome to my celebration of my reading in June 2020.

I started off this month with the children’s book Felix The Fox and His Awesome Odd Socks by Katie Dodd.  A gentle and yet powerful story about accepting what makes us different and celebrating diversity.

After this came The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman. A magical and thrilling read, full of tales of adversity and triumph. Very much as the book above does, it shows difference is a thing of beauty and that allowing it to be mocked and exploited demeans us.

My first non-fiction read in June was Slatehead – The Ascent of Britain’s Slate-Climbing by Peter Goulding. It is a fascinating look of how the slate mines in Wales have become the centre of a community of climbers.

Following on Slatehead was Station Eleven by Emily St.John Mandel! Powerful story, very moving in places, but did I enjoy it? I can’t say I did, not because it is a bad book, far from it, it’s brilliantly written, but it was just too close to current events for me and I struggled with it, simply for personal reasons.

Then came the thriller Safe by S K Barnett, clever, thrilling and a cracking read.

I Know The Truth by M A Comely was a fast and enjoyable read. Just what I needed currently.

Next came the brilliant and yet terrifying The Waiting Rooms by Eve Smith. A story that given our current situation particularly resonates now.

It was another Orenda Books title I read next, Blood Red City by Ron Reynolds. I love discovering new authors to me and after reading this superb thriller, I am a confirmed fan of this author!

The Paper Bracelet by Rachael English was a very enjoyable and moving story around the homes for single mothers in Ireland and the forced adoption of their children.

Well that was my reading month for June 2020. Where the world still seems a scary place, but chinks of light give us cause for hope and where books are still my safe place to be.

Welcome July, I wonder what reading wonders you will bring my way?