A Cineaste’s Bookshelf
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Best reads of 2021
Some were books to be reviewed, some were stumbled upon at the library, some were glaring at my from the stacks in my library and I finally melted under the pressure. These are my favorite reads of the year.Read More »
REVIEW: The Woman They Could Not Silence
Being restrained and told you are insane, when you are perfectly well, is one of the more terrifying fears. Dozens of movies and novels use this premise as their kernel of horror. For some, the terror is real. In 1860, Elizabeth Packard was institutionalized against her will. Her logical intelligence and extreme perseverance were her only tools. She used her time effectively.Read More »
REVIEW: A Surprise for Christmas
Whoever says crime and Christmas don't go together is just wrong. Editor Martin Edwards has put together a delightful selection of Yuletide crime stories, cheerful enough to put any reader into the holiday spirit. Read More »
REVIEW: The Corpse in the Waxworks
Carr's writing shines brightest when he's describing the seedy underground of Paris in the 1930s. Dark cobblestone alleys, worn doors with skeleton keys, smoky jazz clubs, mansions from a past age.Read More »
Books for November
Here are some new and forthcoming books to look for, with a preview of some full reviews to come from me later in the month.Read More »
REVIEW: The Summoning
A grief vampire. A hoaxer. A snake oil salesman. People claiming to be mediums have a number of epithets, especially ones who target the mourning. But then she begins to notice some of her readings are frighteningly accurate.Read More »
Books for Late Summer
A collection of new, recent, and upcoming books that didn't wow me enough to write full reviews, but were still interesting enough to share with other readers.Read More »
REVIEW: Maiden Voyages
In this historic nonfiction, Siân Evans highlights the role of women on the transatlantic ships, particularly in the years between the wars. Evans chooses a few specific figures to represent the various job that made travel by ship possible for women. Read More »
REVIEW: The Dead Letter
With mistaken identities, missing inheritances, mysterious disappearances, I cannot get enough of Victorian sensation novels. The Dead Letter can be counted as the first American detective novel.Read More »
REVIEW: Couple Found Slain
Mikita Brottman's deep dive into this suburban true crime goes beyond the 'whodunit', and even the 'whydunit' aspect. Instead, she focuses on the aftermath from the point of view of the murderer. Read More »
REVIEW: The Reason for the Darkness of the Night
The book is primarily a biography, but views its subject through the lens of science and writing efforts. Clear lines are drawn between Poe's life events, the scientific community's academic conversation, and Poe's literary output. From "Sonnet-To Science" to this cosmological treatise Eureka, Poe diligently worked to bring the ethereal nature of poetry and the tangible study of sciences.Read More »
REVIEW: The Madhouse at the End of the Earth
In 1897, Belgian explorer Adrian de Gerlache set out to map the the vast expanse of the mysterious continent of Antarctica. Their mission becomes one of merely surviving the long unforgiving months of Antarctic night. Read More »
Books for June
There seem to be a bumper crop of true crime primers and guides this summer. Grab these for some edifying and informative reads. Crack open one of these on the beach and it might even convince people to leave you alone...Read More »
REVIEW: The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley
As far as I am concerned, Natasha Pulley can do no wrong. I have loved every one of her books and this is no exception. She has an ability to make the fantastical seem not only realistic, but casually so. In her world, time travel and parallel universes are perfectly reasonable.Read More »
REVIEW: The Artful Dickens
Literary critic John Mullan investigates and analyzes the writing tricks of Dickens through a series of essays in The Artful Dickens. The essays are a fresh take on beloved writings and bring new enjoyment to old favorites.Read More »