For October 1: Plot:Old Masson became the caretaker of one of Salem’s oldest and most neglected cemeteries after the former caretaker inexplicably disappeared. Generations ago, abnormally large rats migrated up to the burial ground from the wharves. Masson decided they had to go, but the usual measures failed. Every so often, the gravediggers uncover theirContinue reading “Review of “The Graveyard Rats” by Henry Kuttner: Halloween Countdown”
Tag Archives: book review
Review of “Reunion: A Story: A Novella” by Alex Diaz-Granados
Full disclosure: author Alex Diaz-Granados and I have been net buddies for (is it possible?) nearly twenty years, first becoming acquainted at the now-defunct site Epinions, lo, these many years ago. Plot:Jim Garraty’s dream of becoming a history professor at a prestigious university has come true. He has some well-regarded publications under his belt andContinue reading “Review of “Reunion: A Story: A Novella” by Alex Diaz-Granados”
Review of “After the Forest” by Kell Woods
The Stuff: Hänsel and Gretal have grown up and now live in the Black Forest at the close of The Thirty Years War. Rumors abound of Greta’s childhood doings with the old crone in the woods—did she really push that old woman into the oven?—but, for the most part, the villagers accept her. She bakesContinue reading “Review of “After the Forest” by Kell Woods”
Review of “Harbour Street” by Ann Cleeves
Plot: Detective Joe Ashworth is on the Metro, bringing his daughter Jessie home from a school program. The train is crowded because of the holidays. Joe noticed a couple necking. A well-dressed elderly lady boards, and Joe wonders why someone with money didn’t take a taxi. Bad weather stops the train, and the passengers exitContinue reading “Review of “Harbour Street” by Ann Cleeves”
Review of “How to Sell a Haunted House” by Grady Hendrix
This New York Times Bestseller by horror writer Grady Hendrix mixes horror, grief, and family trauma with camp. According to my exhaustive—or exhausting—reading of reviews on Goodreads, most people either love it or think it’s the stupidest thing they’ve ever read. I fall somewhere between. Plot:Louise Joyner returns home to Charleston after her parents dieContinue reading “Review of “How to Sell a Haunted House” by Grady Hendrix”
Review of “The Last Word: The New York Times Book of Obituaries and Farewells A Celebration of Unusual Lives” Edited by Marvin Siegel
The Stuff: This book is a collection of approximately 90 obituaries and write-ups from the New York Times Magazine. The focus is on interesting lives, regardless of whether the person was famous or lived an everyday life. Not all are saints. One is a reputed gangster, whom one acquaintance referred to as “a nice man.”Continue reading “Review of “The Last Word: The New York Times Book of Obituaries and Farewells A Celebration of Unusual Lives” Edited by Marvin Siegel”
Review of “Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life” by Anne Lamott
The Stuff: This book consists of short, interrelated essays and anecdotes on writing and being a writer—being a human—grouped around larger themes. The parts are 1) Writing, 2) The Writing Frame of Mind, 3) Help Along the Way, 4) Publication and Other Reasons to Write, and 5) The Last Class. One of the essays inContinue reading “Review of “Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life” by Anne Lamott”
Review of “In the Devil’s Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692”
The Stuff:Author Mary Beth Norton, Professor Emerita at Cornell University, writes that the Salem witch crisis took place in the midst of another crisis—the devastation of the First and Second Indian Wars (King Philip’s War) of the late seventeenth century, which wreaked havoc. Traumatized refugees fled south. While the “afflicted” people spoke of the devilContinue reading “Review of “In the Devil’s Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692””
Review of “The Lady with the Gun Asks the Questions: The Ultimate Miss Phryne Fisher Story Collection”
The Stuff: This is a collection of short stories involving Miss Phryne Fisher, an Australian lady detective of the 1920s. She is independent, knowledgeable, wealthy, and liberated. This contains seventeen Miss Phryne Fisher murder mystery short stories. IMselddomHO, the short form doesn’t let the mysteries develop as well as the novel. Not all the storiesContinue reading “Review of “The Lady with the Gun Asks the Questions: The Ultimate Miss Phryne Fisher Story Collection””
Review of “Papyrus: The Invention of Books in the Ancient World” by Irene Vallejo
The Stuff: In her preface, author Irene Vallejo asks: “Why did books first appear? What is the secret history of efforts to reproduce or destroy them? What was lost along the way, and what was saved? Why have some of them become classics? How much has succumbed to the jaws of time, the talons ofContinue reading “Review of “Papyrus: The Invention of Books in the Ancient World” by Irene Vallejo”
Reviews of Old and New Stories. Mostly Old 