Call it bragging, a cry for notoriety on a message board, or plain pathetic, but...

I bought American Gods while looking for something new. The story alone would have been sufficient, but my personal connection to the story made it even better.

My grandfather was a prominent figure in Cherryvale, KS for many years. He was given the Bender hammers for safe keeping and stored them under his bed for MANY years. He fought for the local historical museum and finally helped get it established. They are now, or at least they were a few years ago, on display.

My cousin and I used to sneak up there when we were alone in the house and look at them. We grabbed them by the handle once just to say we did. It is relatively amazing to me that few people in the region know about the Benders, and then I am reading a reference to them in a book I grabbed somewhat at random.

I am happy to say that I have since read Neverwhere and Good Omens and enjoyed them greatly. I look forward to reading Anansi Boys.