Category: Books

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

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Probably one of the creepiest books I've ever read, and that's saying something, because I love ghost stories. The Haunting of Hill House is effective because it doesn't actually show any ghosts, there are no murderers chasing anyone, no demons possessing souls, no vampires sucking blood, no monsters under the bed. There is just the … Continue reading The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

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I didn't read this book until just a few months ago, and I could kick myself for not having devoured it sooner. Such a marvelous universe, this alternate world of circuses and magic and love. It actually put me in mind of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, in that sense of whimsical magic and a … Continue reading The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Heroines of the Medieval World by Sharon Bennett Connolly

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I think I've mentioned my lack of enthusiasm for most non-fiction books before. However, I discovered Sharon Bennett Connolly's amazing blog, History, The Interesting Bits, a few years ago, and her subsequent book, Heroines of the Medieval World, so hooked me into her writing that I immediately ordered the book and was sucked into the … Continue reading Heroines of the Medieval World by Sharon Bennett Connolly

Sexy Sunday! Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters

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DISCLAIMER! The following post contains explicit sexual language and profanity. You've been warned! Welcome to the second installation of Sexy Sunday, my monthly collaboration with fellow blogger The Bookworm Drinketh, in which we read a book infamous for its sex scene or scenes; she writes a review and does her usual cocktail-to-go-with, and I write … Continue reading Sexy Sunday! Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters

The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruíz Zafón

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My game plan is to blog all of Carlos Ruíz Zafón's quartet of books featuring The Cemetery of Forgotten Books in Barcelona, which is also one of my favorite cities in the world, before September, which is when the fourth and final installment of this amazing series ends. I previously blogged the first book in the … Continue reading The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruíz Zafón

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

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Very much a fairy tale for adults, Neverwhere tells the story of Richard Mayhew, a London commuter who stops to help a young woman lying bleeding on the sidewalk one night, and finds himself in the alternate universe of London Underground. The parallels with Alice in Wonderland are fairly obvious - falling into an underground … Continue reading Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

The Tuscan Child by Rhys Bowen

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I didn't actually intend to blog this book, not that it wasn't enjoyable but because I had actually forgotten I had it on my bookshelves. As fortune would have it, I found some late-summer squash blossoms at my nearby grower's market yesterday morning, along with many other garden goodies. Anyway, back to the book. Set in … Continue reading The Tuscan Child by Rhys Bowen

Beauty by Robin McKinley

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As I've shared before, I am a sucker for fairy tales. Whether it's the Grimm Brothers, Hans Christian Andersen, Charles Perrault, Angela Carter, Italo Calvino, Neil Gaiman, Gregory Maguire, or Robin McKinley, the tales of kings, queens, princesses, trolls, talking animals, enchanted castles, and beasts have fascinated me since I was a little girl. But … Continue reading Beauty by Robin McKinley

The Sea, the Sea by Iris Murdoch

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Though an interesting read, it was also occasionally difficult to continue The Sea, The Sea, so convoluted are the mental musings of Charles Arrowby, the main character. I never fully connected to him or any other character, though the setting - an isolated house on a cliff overlooking the ocean - sounds appropriately Gothic and … Continue reading The Sea, the Sea by Iris Murdoch

The Book of Unholy Mischief by Elle Newmark

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Any book set in Venice is always moved to the top of my reading list. And of course, any book set in Venice about cooking and food is going to have the most special place in my heart. The Book of Unholy Mischief definitely takes the cake here! Luciano is the narrator, a young boy who … Continue reading The Book of Unholy Mischief by Elle Newmark