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

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 Dead House by Billy O’Callaghan

What I found fascinating about The Dead House is the fact that it's narrated in first person by a character who is not the focus of the story, but whose own story is as much a part of the overall arc as the main character. Mike is an art dealer and his best friend is … Continue reading The Dead House by Billy O’Callaghan

The Face by Dean Koontz

I've been reading Dean Koontz's books since I was in 7th grade and came across one in the school library at St. Michael's Catholic School, and devoured it in three hours. I was hooked from then on, though his books are definitely hit-or-miss. His style has evolved  over the years, from the straightforward horror of … Continue reading The Face by Dean Koontz

Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes

I was lucky enough to have inherited my dad's version of this marvelous treasure of a book, Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, and which has notes in his handwriting, making it even more precious. My undergraduate degree was in Spanish, and as part of my graduation requirements, I had to read Part II … Continue reading Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes