The Epicure’s Lament by Kate Christensen

I love a good unreliable narrator as much as the next avid bookworm. My favorite will always be the criminally charming, self-aware yet clueless Tom Ripley, anti-hero of Patricia Highsmith's classic novel The Talented Mr. Ripley, which I blogged about awhile back. However, in The Epicure's Lament, Hugo Whittier is not only unreliable, he is … Continue reading The Epicure’s Lament by Kate Christensen

Butter by Asako Yuzuki

I think in most cultures, women are expected to be a certain way, even if it isn't consciously expressed or even consciously thought. The concept of women being the gentler, kinder sex, that women are soft, feminine, sweet, motherly, domestic goddesses whose ultimate life goal should be marriage and children, is as strong today as … Continue reading Butter by Asako Yuzuki

Hell House by Richard Matheson

A group of ghost hunters walk into a haunted house. Sounds like the opening of a joke, for my money, but it's not. Instead, it's the premise for one of the weirdest, creepiest, horniest and silliest (in the sense of the ending, that is) haunted house books I've ever read, and that's saying something because … Continue reading Hell House by Richard Matheson

Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon by Jorge Amado

The connection between food and sex is one I looked at in one of my very first blog posts, which you can read here if you're so inclined. That connection is one of the major threads in this book, as well. In 1925 South America, Gabriela is a young woman from a terribly poor background … Continue reading Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon by Jorge Amado

House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig

Fairy tales are probably my favorite genre of book in the world, though like all my other favorites, I am very picky about which ones I read. The prose has to be quality and the elements of each individual story must be present, though I love it when they are presented in a new and … Continue reading House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig

Possession by A.S. Byatt

For some reason, I've been feeling rather depressed lately. It comes on occasionally, and I try to overcome it with the comforts of reading, cooking, venturing out to new places, or writing. In poring over my library to find something that hopefully will help shake me out of my low spirits, I came across Possession, … Continue reading Possession by A.S. Byatt

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

Food in Films – Beetlejuice

Well, it's that time of year again, the high holy season of horror, darkness and goth - October! My personal favorite time of year, when I can indulge my love of all things dark and deathly. I can wear black from head to toe and no one bats an eye. I can watch all the … Continue reading Food in Films – Beetlejuice

Don’t Look Now by Daphne DuMaurier

Having had a long-time love affair with the books of Daphne DuMaurier, I was especially pleased to find a compilation of stories that included Don't Look Now. The story, set in Venice, which is my favorite city on earth, combines creepy supernatural elements with the gorgeous backdrop of La Serennissima. The basic story is a … Continue reading Don’t Look Now by Daphne DuMaurier

Sexy Sunday! Exit to Eden by Anne Rampling (Anne Rice)

WARNING: THIS BLOG POST CONTAINS VERY EXPLICIT SEXUAL REFERENCES AND LANGUAGE! LUCKY YOU! So Nicole at The Bookworm Drinketh and I are doin' the sexy again.......no, not like that, you perverts! We're revitalizing our blog collaboration Sexy Sunday, where we read a book notorious for its sex scenes, she blogs it in conjunction with a … Continue reading Sexy Sunday! Exit to Eden by Anne Rampling (Anne Rice)