Category Archives: 2010

Readathon: The Castle of Otranto, by Horace Walpole

Manfred is desperate for his only son to wed and carry the family lineage down in the Castle of Otranto. There is a prophecy that says that the Castle will return to its rightful owner when that owner is “too … Continue reading

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Readathon: Amphigory Also, by Edward Gorey

This is the third collection of Gorey’s graphic short stories that I’ve read, and I actually think it might be the best of the three. I split it up a couple stories at a time all day during the Readathon … Continue reading

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The Thin Man, by Dashiell Hammett

This is my third read by Hammett and probably my favorite. It’s a perfect detective story. I never suspected the actual criminal beforehand, despite having seen the movie a few years back (it’s also equally funny). (Shows how much I … Continue reading

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Gothic Charm School, by Jillian Venters

Gothic Charm School is a nonfiction book about goth culture and manners. Jillian Venters, aka “the Lady of the Manners,” takes us through a ton of different aspects of what it means (and doesn’t mean) to be a goth. For … Continue reading

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Jamaica Inn, by Daphne du Maurier

When Mary Yellan’s parents die, she must move up north to the moorlands to live with her Aunt Patience and Uncle Joss at Jamaica Inn. When she gets there, though, she finds that her aunt is no longer the happy … Continue reading

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Queer Questions Straight Talk, by Abby Dees

Queer Questions Straight Talk is subtitled “108 frank & provocative questions it’s OK to ask your lesbian, gay or bisexual loved one.” That pretty much sums up what this book is about. There is some introductory material and then the … Continue reading

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Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie

My second Christie was just as fun as my first and it balanced out in terms of which book was better. This had less info-dump at the end than And Then There Were None, but it also relied more heavily … Continue reading

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The Monk, by Matthew Gregory Lewis

I hardly know what to say about this book, it was such a trip. It was like a 1700s gothic Harlequin romance adventure thriller allegory! Every gothic element you can think of was in the book, excepting the whole vampire/zombie/werewolf … Continue reading

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My Name is Memory, by Ann Brashares

I keep trying these books about love through multiple lives, but just like with Reincarnation last year, this was not what I was looking for. It was too young, the topics too shallowly-touched on, the plot too predictable. I probably … Continue reading

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We Have Always Lived in the Castle, by Shirley Jackson

I don’t want to say anything at all about the plot of this book and give stuff away. I made the mistake of reading the back of my book when I was a short way into it. At the time, … Continue reading

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