A Cineaste’s Bookshelf
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Books for September
The grasshopper’s horn, and far-off, high in the maples, / The wheel of a locust leisurely grinding the silence / Under a moon waning and worn, broken, / Tired with summer. ~ September Midnight, Sara TeasdaleRead More »
REVIEW: THE REAL LOLITA
Perhaps there was something about knowing the horrible crime had been committed, was already out in the real world, that he wasn't inventing it, that allowed Nabokov to finally put his novel into a cohesive form.Read More »
REVIEW: PRAIRIE FIRES
Caroline Fraser's Pulitzer Prize-winning biography expands on the Little House universe by filling in the gaps in Laura Ingalls Wilder's semi-autobiographical novels. Read More »
Books for August
Summer, do your worst! / Light your tinsel moon, and call on / Your performing stars to fall on / Headlong through your paper sky. ~ Dorothy ParkerRead More »
ACCENT: UNDER A DARK SKY
The desire to know whodunit keeps the reader coming back, but the overall story isn't one that will stick with the reader for its depth or even wild cleverness. It is simply a solid suspense novel -- and sometimes that's what you want to read.Read More »
TOP TEN TUESDAY: Short and sweet
Short stories and novellas can get lost in the shadow of epic novels and great works of biography, but the compact storytelling form can pack a wallop. Aside from my standbys Poe, Maupassant and Conan Doyle, these are some of my favorite stories and novellas.Read More »
TOP TEN TUESDAY: Best books of the year (so far)
We've tracked our way halfway around the sun. The days are already getting shorter, rather than longer. Soon we will be throwing on sweaters and drinking hot cocoa. Here are some of my favorite books from this year, so far.Read More »
ACCENT: CITY OF DEVILS
This is a sparkling history of a brief time in a No Man's Land, and the bright people who burned fiercely, and all too quickly. Read More »
It's Monday - June 18
A delightful biography of a nonsense artist and a collection of funny essays from a traveling journalist. What are you reading this week? Read More »
REVIEW: CONAN DOYLE FOR THE DEFENSE
Conan Doyle trained as a doctor, was a medical officer on Arctic and African voyages, brought downhill skiing to Switzerland, and investigated spiritualism and fairies. He also cleared the names of two wrongfully convicted men.Read More »
REVIEW: DEAR MRS. BIRD
Emmy has been hired to help sort reader letters for the advice columnist Mrs. Bird. A gruff, old-fashioned woman, she refuses to answer anything that references the "unpleasantness," so Emmy begins to write her own replies.Read More »
It's Monday - June 11
As we launch into summer, I'm trying to get a handle on my reading (and review) list for the next couple of months. I know -- a largely futile task. Here is a look at what I am reading now.Read More »
REVIEW: Colonial Horrors
Early American cemeteries with grinning skull tombstones. Wood beam buildings with low ceilings. Early winter nights buffeted against gaping brick hearths. Old maple trees that creak in the wind.Read More »
Books for June
In May, I took a little vacation and did a bit of traveling, which resulted in a bit less reading than usual for me. Having returned back to reality -- and an already very hot and muggy hometown -- I'm reorganizing the TBR pile for summer. Here's a look at what I'm reading this month.Read More »
Top Ten Tuesday: Leaving for other worlds
This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic is bookish worlds we'd want to live in, or at least visit. Since I have spent most of my life imagining other worlds, this should be a cinch.Read More »