Any of you planning to celebrate All Hallow’s Read this year?

According to Neil Gaiman, there aren’t enough “book giving” occasions.  And really, other than giving every high school, college, and even kindergarten graduate a copy of Oh the Places You’ll Go, what other book-giving occasions can you think of?

So Neil is attempting to start a new holiday tradition, All Hallow’s Read.  You can get the specifics from the official site, but the idea is basically to give friends and family members scary books during the month of October.  I personally think it’s a fabulous idea, because it celebrates the idea of holidays as a time to share stories, recite old family folklore and legends, and honor tradition.

Neil thoughtfully provides book suggestions and printable extras like bookmarks and gift tags.

And by the way, if you aren’t reading Neil’s blog, you are missing out on some interesting posts, and more importantly (to me) some lyrical writing.  I don’t always agree with what he says, or even really care about his topics, but his prose is so well-crafted that it’s soothing to my soul to read it.

And if you haven’t visited Mouse Circus to watch/listen to Neil reading his Newbery-winning The Graveyard Book in its entirety, well then, what are you waiting for?  The man reads every bit as well as he writes!  Lots of other nice Gaiman stuff there, too.

Finally, to round out what has turned into an all-things-Neil-Gaiman post, you can hear him on this week’s edition of This American Life (I love this podcast!) in a program titled Adventure.