I do love a good detective novel. Anyone who has taken a peek at my library knows that I love mysteries. I’ve got a full set of Nero Wolfe novels (including the cookbook), a full set of Spenser novels, and a smattering of other interesting detectives as well. But what to do since Archie and Mr. Wolfe won’t be coming… Read more
I want to buy Pagan Kennedy a beer and maybe a pizza; you just know that she’s got fabulous stories to tell. She covers quite a range of subjects in The Dangerous Joy of Dr. Sex and Other True Stories. Most of these people aren’t famous, most of them are a little nuts, all of them are fascinating in their… Read more
I have a certain fascination with old buildings, run-down hotels, abandoned factories. There are dozens of websites that show me I am not alone in this. (Check out Opacity: Urban Ruins for some fabulous photos.) So the idea of infiltrating a famous old hotel, closed up since the 1960’s, was really intriguing. Sadly, the book just didn’t live up to… Read more
This book is the fastest 600 pages I’ve ever read. I received the book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewer program and I have to admit that I was a little intimidated by its size. I am not a speed reader. I tend to dawdle – I re-read passages, linger over good descriptions and generally take my sweet time – but… Read more
I often get book recommendations from friends – we all do, I suppose. You generally know whose taste in books is in line with your own and you sort the recs out that way. In the case of Haruki Murakami, my reading friends are at different ends of the spectrum. On the one hand, a friend with excellent taste (but… Read more
I hate the cold. I really, really, really hate to be cold. Still, I have always loved tales of exploration and adventure, and I have several books about the exploration of the Arctic Circle in my library. The Terror combines a bit of history and a bit of mystery with excellent descriptions of the frozen north and a little Eskimo… Read more
This is the best thing I’ve read from Stephen King in years. Nothing he’s written since The Green Mile kept me as consistently interested and engaged. (Cell was close, but possibly because I liked the idea of all those folks walking along, jabbering on their phones, being slaughtered in one fell swoop; I’m mean that way.) The early King books… Read more
I love Angela Carter’s writing. The stories in this collection are full of atmosphere – dark and moody, sensual, sometimes playful. Here, she takes an assortment of fairy tales and reworks them with a ‘sexier’ and more ‘feminist’ slant. If you know your fairy tales, that might be very effective. Personally, I thought her retelling of Puss-in-Boots was adorable, but… Read more
In the introduction to this book, Christopher Golden says of the author: Joe Hill is one stealthy bastard. Indeed he is. This is a nice assortment of stories – some obviously horror, some strange and disturbing, some rather sweet. The title piece read more like a love story than a ghost story. “Best New Horror” makes me think a bit… Read more
I read this book on a flight between Cleveland and Minneapolis, where I frequently travel on business. I had finished my previous book while waiting to board and opened this one while waiting to taxi – since the first scene takes place on an airplane, it seemed a good omen. Ruth Reichl spent 6 years as the restaurant critic for… Read more