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 Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare

Ah Hamlet, the tragic and doomed Prince of Denmark, whose family puts the "fun" in dysfunctional. What I always liked about Hamlet is that his twisted family dynamic makes my own family look rather normal in comparison. Or maybe it goes to show that we all have messed-up family dynamics, and sometimes, as in Hamlet's … Continue reading The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare

Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier

Thanks to AL for the photography. Don't you love a story told from an unexpected viewpoint, or from a character who has traditionally been portrayed in a certain way? It gives a much-needed shift in perspective, I think. Seeing things in only one way is both boring and limiting. It's good to expand your worldview … Continue reading Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier

Grimm Tales by Phillip Pullman

Thanks to TB for the photography - and the duck tureen! I think I've mentioned this previously, but I'm a sucker for fairy tales. I still have the picture books from my childhood that transported me to magical kingdoms of princesses who dance their slippers to pieces every night, poisoned apples that send one to … Continue reading Grimm Tales by Phillip Pullman