A Cineaste’s Bookshelf
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An Unexpected Death by Mikita Brottman
One of the Belvedere's residents is going through her normal daily routine when she notices a "missing" poster outside of her building. Unlike most of us, she becomes intrigued by the disappearance. Then, when his body is found on the roof of her hotel, she becomes obsessed.Read More »
Happy birthday, Sherlock
January 6 has come to be known as Sherlock Holmes's birthday. Considering Holmes's line of work, the "Epiphany" is as fitting a day as any other.Read More »
Top Ten Tuesday: Season's Readings
Some books just beg to be read by the fire or with a snow-filled window nearby. Here are a few of my favorite winter reads.Read More »
Havana at 500
2019 marks the 500th anniversary of the founding of Havana, Cuba. Here are three books to read in honor of the quincentennial. Read More »
Clean Sweep
Every once in awhile I do a 'clean sweep' of my digital books with a brief round-up. Just because they didn't strike my fancy, doesn't mean someone else might not be interested.Read More »
Top Ten Tuesday: Thankful
Books and reading are such an important, and joyful, part of my life. I'm grateful for many things literary-related.Read More »
Top Ten Tuesday: Reading Life Changes
Normally I prefer to write about specific books but this topic caught my eye. My reading habits are something I hadn't really thought about in awhile.Read More »
Books for Fall
Fall is the busiest time of year for new book releases. It can be overwhelming, even for those of us who follow these sorts of things. Here is a list of what is new and coming soon.Read More »
The Wonders by John Woolf
As scientific thinking and exploration took hold of the Victorian imagination, and the public sphere, there was a genuine sense of wonder around those who defied understanding.Read More »
THE LIFE AND AFTERLIFE OF HARRY HOUDINI
An unconventional biography of an unconventional character. Rather than focus on timelines or family trees, Posnanski tries to get at Houdini as a legend, as an historical figure.Read More »
What are you reading?
So many anticipated titles are released in the fall, which means lots of reading to catch up on for the next few months. Here is what I am working on this week.Read More »
Edgar Allan Poe and the Jewel of Peru
One frigid Philadelphia morning, Mr. Poe receives an odd parcel. It's the third such strange box from an unknown sender. Poe calls upon his friend, and ornithologist Father Keane to help him decipher the meaning of the taxidermied birds, feathers, moss and plants. The clues seem to suggest a sort of warning and very quickly their sender is revealed.Read More »
Books to watch for in 2019
The main reason I love writing about books is that I get a sneak preview of what's coming. Remember when you were a kid and you got the giant catalog from JC Penney or Montgomery Ward and you would go through it and dream about your Christmas presents? Getting a publisher catalog and sifting through titles is a lot like that. And the fall / winter release season is always the biggest time of the year in book publishing. This week's Top Ten Tuesday is a preview of some of the books I can't wait to read, coming out in the second half of 2019.Read More »
THE SNAKES by Sadie Jones
The roadtrip begins with a stop at Bea's brother's in Burgundy. Always the schlub of the family, he has been set up as the proprietor of a sagging bed-and-breakfast. In a constant state of (dis)repair, it would seem that Alex has spent more time pretending there have been guests than fixing the place up. The younger generation then prepares for a visit from the parents with dread.Read More »
THE POISON THREAD by Laura Purcell
Channelling the likes of Alias Grace and The Unseeing, The Poison Thread tells a terrifying tale of confinement and madness. Dorothea Truelove, a perfectly saccharine name for the Victorian charity do-gooder, is a adherent to the study of phrenology. She visits Ruth Butterham, a teenaged seamstress, in Oakgate Prison and begins to suspect there is more to the girl's story.Read More »