So this was a totally bizarre, engrossing and freaky ride of a book. I haven't read anything in quite awhile that literally hooked me from the first sentence and didn't let go. I actually checked it out at the library and got three overdue notices because I wanted to read it slowly and savor it, … Continue reading Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
Tag: Books
Talking To The Dead by Helen Dunmore
Helen Dunmore has such a lush style of writing that you often don't notice she's sucking you into a maelstrom of subtle discord until it's too late. Talking to the Dead is the first book by her I'd ever read and her literary style is absolutely amazing, combining the understated unease of family dynamics with … Continue reading Talking To The Dead by Helen Dunmore
Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding
I suppose this book would fall under the category "chick-lit" which I generally loathe. However, I read Bridget Jones's Diary years ago and remember laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes, and the film version with Renee Zellwegger, was similarly hilarious and heart-felt. It's still as funny today and I found myself snickering … Continue reading Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding
Cooking With Fernet-Branca by James Hamilton-Paterson
This book is hilariously funny, riffing satirically on those chick-lit memoirs from the early 2000s in which a heroine ends up living abroad, usually Italy or France, renovates a house, learns to cook, falls in love, and finds herself, though not necessarily in that order. The book Under The Tuscan Sun is referenced often, but … Continue reading Cooking With Fernet-Branca by James Hamilton-Paterson
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
I didn't actually read this book when I was a kid, but since it's ostensibly a kid's book that weirded me out having read it as an adult, I think it fits snugly into my own Halloween canon this year. Coraline is just plain creepy. It hits a nerve for any kid, me included, who … Continue reading Coraline by Neil Gaiman
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
Well, I had to, didn't I? It's October. What other book could I possibly blog about other than The Exorcist, that classic tale of demonic possession, faith, and terror? I'd never read the book, though I've seen the movie many times, especially in October. The film hasn't lost its shock value, though it's not as … Continue reading The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Apparently I missed National Hobbit Day, which was on Sunday, September 22. Well, hell! Who knew this was a thing? Me, it would seem. Anyway, three days later, I present this lovely blog post in homage to my favorite fictional fantasy foodies! Who, I ask you, doesn't love The Lord of the Rings trilogy, whether … Continue reading The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Ode to Tomatoes (A Poem) by Pablo Neruda
I don't know about you, but I've never been big on poetry. The rhythm and meters necessary to appropriately read poems just bog me down. I love hearing poetry read by someone who understands how it should be enunciated, but when I try to read poetry, either in my head or out loud, I sound … Continue reading Ode to Tomatoes (A Poem) by Pablo Neruda
The Godfather by Mario Puzo
I'm a bore on the topic of books vs. films, as I've been told many times, and I'd have to agree. Don't get me started on whether the film version is better than the book, because I will wax poetic for a good hour or two about the merits of the book and how the … Continue reading The Godfather by Mario Puzo
The Lost Book of the Grail by Charlie Lovett
I admit to having been a Grail fan since I read Le Morte d'Arthur many years ago. The romance of the Arthurian legend combined with the mysticism of the Cup of Christ is the ultimate story, isn't it? King Arthur courting Guinevere, Sir Lancelot falling in love with Guinevere and his relationship with Elaine, Arthur's … Continue reading The Lost Book of the Grail by Charlie Lovett









