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Adventures in Breathing

About a week ago, my husband woke me up and said, “You may as well get dressed. We’re going to the emergency room. You’re breathing like you do when you have pneumonia.” I don’t recall the time. Perhaps midnight or shortly thereafter. I was, indeed, having trouble catching my breath. I’ve had pneumonia maybe eightContinue reading “Adventures in Breathing”

Review of “A Fever in the Heartland” by Timothy Egan

The Stuff: This is a nonfiction book about the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s in the Midwest. Their traditional center of power was the South, the states of the former Confederacy. Most of the events it covers transpire from roughly 1921 to 1925, reflecting a rapid rise and a even moreContinue reading “Review of “A Fever in the Heartland” by Timothy Egan”

Review of “The Willows” by Algernon Blackwood

31) “The Willows” by Algernon Blackwood Plot: The narrator and his friend, known only as the Swede, take a canoe trip along the Danube. They plan to ride the river from its source in the Black Forest to the Black Sea. The narrator and the Swede have made similar trips in the past, but asContinue reading “Review of “The Willows” by Algernon Blackwood”

Review of “The White People” by Arthur Machen Halloween Countdown

30) “The White People” by Arthur Machen Plot: This novelette opens with a debate between two friends, Ambrose and Cotgrave, on the nature of sin. According to Ambrose, true Sin is rare and has more in common with the sanctified than the mundane. A murder is a terrible thing, but it is not true Sin.Continue reading “Review of “The White People” by Arthur Machen Halloween Countdown”

Review of “The Upper Berth” by F. Marion Crawford Halloween Countdown

29) The Upper Berth by F. Marion Crawford Plot:This is a club story, that is, framed as a tale told by a member of a gentlemen’s club. (In the nineteenth century, it meant a private place where men hung out, smoked and drank. It didn’t mean the present-day sense where men hang out smoke, drinkContinue reading “Review of “The Upper Berth” by F. Marion Crawford Halloween Countdown”

Review of “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allen Poe Halloween Countdown

28) The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe Plot:The narrator confesses to being nervous by nature, but he is not insane. His nervousness has increased his senses, not dulled them. His hearing is especially keen. What first led him to do what he did? He doesn’t know. He loved the old man. The old manContinue reading “Review of “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allen Poe Halloween Countdown”

Review of “The Striding Place” by Gertrude Atherton Halloween Countdown

27) The Striding Place by Gertrude Atherton Plot: Weigall, “continental and detached,” has tired of grouse shooting. He finds the company at his host’s estate boring and the women “a dull lot.” What’s really bothering him is that his friend, Wyatt Gifford, a guest on a neighboring estate, has been missing for two days. ThisContinue reading “Review of “The Striding Place” by Gertrude Atherton Halloween Countdown”

Review of “The Shadows on the Wall” by Mary E. Wilkins Halloween Countdown

26) The Shadows on the Wall by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman Plot:“Henry had words with Edward in the study the night before Edward died,” Caroline Glynn tells her sisters. Caroline and her two sisters, Rebecca Ann and Mrs. Stephen Brigham, are preparing for the funeral of their youngest brother, Edward, who lies in the house.Continue reading “Review of “The Shadows on the Wall” by Mary E. Wilkins Halloween Countdown”

Review of “Lazarus” by Leonid Andreyev Halloween Countdown

25) “Lazarus” by Leonid Andreyev Plot:According to the Bible story, Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha were friends of Jesus. Lazarus died and was buried while Jesus was in another town. He returned to find Mary and Martha in mourning, asked someone to roll the stone away from Lazarus’ tomb, and brought him backContinue reading “Review of “Lazarus” by Leonid Andreyev Halloween Countdown”

Review of “Out of the Deep” by Walter de la Mare Halloween Countdown

24) “Out of the Deep” by Walter de la Mare Plot: Jimmie’s Uncle Timothy has left him the house he grew up in as a neglected and unwanted child. After exhausting all alternatives, Jimmie moves in. He has no happy memories of living there. Relegated to an attic room without heat or light, he wasContinue reading “Review of “Out of the Deep” by Walter de la Mare Halloween Countdown”