Being a fan of anything paranormal, I quite enjoyed Maledicus: The Investigative Paranormal Society, although there were some pretty gruesome parts, too. (And I admit that I was too damn hungry to pause for my usual book-and-food photo, so I improvised and did one with a glass of the wine I used in the recipe … Continue reading Maledicus: The Investigative Paranormal Society by Charles French
Category: Books
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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









