I just finished thoroughly enjoying listening to Neil Gaiman read “The Ocean at the End of the Lane” to me.  Of note, whenever I get a Neil Gaiman book, I actually choose to have him read it to me.  His voice and lyrical writing are so lovely, I just want to drown in them.  I then convince myself to listen and walk the dog, to listen and weed, to listen and fold laundry…. In other words, having Neil Gaiman read you a story makes pleasant chores fabulous.

The Ocean at the end of the Lane is what I call a small/big story.  That is, the actual story is simple and spans a short time in a young boy’s life.  It’s lyrical, a bit frightening, and touched with magic (as are all things that Neil writes about).  It’s also far more transcendent than it pretends to be – there’s no real ego or pretentiousness in the book or the story, yet it contains a layer of pretty deep talk about the nature of the world.

If you haven’t gotten it it yet, do.  And if you have any love at all for audio books, choose that format.