RenoVous

  It's not what I'm currently reading, but it's the topic that reminded me we haven't had a Book Club this month! Ian Fleming died on this day, 1964. Dr. No was written in 1958, and his first Bond book, Casino Royale , was written in 1953. The final book released, after his death, was The Man with the Golden Gun.  His publisher then released a collection of short stories that would make up later Bond movies, Octopussy and the Living Daylights. I've only read the one in photo, and it was enjoyable. ** As for what I'm actually reading, I started a book recommended by my aunt and my sister, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. I'm in the early stages, but it's setting an interesting stage. What are you reading??

  From the collection, A Warning to the Curious, I finished this story yesterday. And it actually spooked me. The ones before it were subtle hauntings, told as stories heard from someone else, of some perceived curse or disruption of a spirit. But this one contained a true horror trying to hide itself within a ghost story. I still shudder to think of it. So what have you been reading?

  Released fully in 1922, James Joyce's Ulysses  takes place in a single day - June 16, 1904. It is considered one of the greatest and most influential books in the English language, and it is especially celebrated in Dublin. I have a cousin Molly Bloom, her mother's a big fan, and a few years ago they were in Ireland for this day.  They attended a reading and had lunch at the Davy Byrnes pub. In the book, Leopold Bloom has a Gorgonzola sandwich and a glass of burgundy there. Ulysses has been on banned lists for being "obscene."  In fact, there was a trial in the United States when a literary magazine, The Little Review, published a chapter in April 1920.  The New York Society for the Suppression of Vice filed charges against the editors under the Comstock Act of 1873, which made it illegal to send obscene materials through the US Mail. The episode did include Leopold masturbating on the beach.  Sexual inner monologues are throughout the book, as well as d...

 I'm reading a collection, anyway. A Warning to the Curious . Mine is not the original (1925) edition though, and some of the stories are different. "The Haunted Doll's House" is missing, for one thing. "Canon Alberic's Scrap-book" was originally included in Ghost Stories of Antiquary, published in 1904. My version was released in 1987, and seems to be a combined collection. A complete set would have all 34 ghost stories. Collected What have you been reading??

  One of the most famous books in English literature was released on this day in 1897. While it has inspired numerous movies and vampire lore in general, it wasn't the first. Carmilla  came out in 1872, and heavily influenced later Gothic vampire fiction.  It may be that a female antagonist was less appealing to early film adaptations, but it's also noted that Stoker's "monster-hunting plot" was better for the stage and screen.  There's also some history that predates all of this, that of Vlad the Impaler. Vlad II joined the Order of the Dragon in 1431 and took the name Dracul.  His son, Vlad III, would then take the name Dracula, or son of the dragon. Bran Castle has become the tourist destination for the look that inspired Stoker, but his real home was Poenari Castle. Despite the fact that Stoker did not invent the name Dracula, his wife pursued copyright protections against the studio making Nosferatu.   They changed the vampire's name to Count Orlock, ...

  Final thoughts on Much Ado About Nothing . For establishing the "enemies to lovers" rom-com trope, there wasn't much actual romance....Benedick and Beatrice clearly have a rapport, but they admit in the end that there's no love.  Pushed together and willing to accept each other, really.  And then there's Hero, resigned to whomever apparently. But it was funny.  Dogberry is definitely the comedic relief amidst the bit of drama.   "I am a wise fellow and, which is more, an officer and, which is more, a householder and, which is more, as pretty a piece of flesh as any in Messina." I would have liked more closure with Don John.  I know he's a bitter bastard and wanted to cause trouble for his brother, but Hero didn't deserve that, and I'm curious what his punishment would be.  Claudio's footman, perhaps. *** So now I'm onto the next read, maybe this Stephen King I picked up - or, yesterday Guy de Maupassant came up again.  He's writ...

  Much Ado About Nothing This has been a fun one.  I didn't read much on vacation, but I've made it into Act 4. I thought it was funny how much emphasis was on Don John, the bastard.   In station and behavior, though, turns out.  What he does to Hero just to piss his brother off....  While Claudio could probably fall in love equally fast with any other beautiful woman. I like the more joyous prank of getting Benedick and Beatrice together, and it's a believable match. But I love this line when she was disavowing marriage: "Adam's sons are my brethren; and truly, I hold it a sin to match in my kindred." Certainly witty, and dare I say, feminist?  It speaks to an equality, a rejection of subservience. And I appreciate that Benedick acknowledges his own hypocrisy as he falls for Beatrice: "When I said I would die a bachelor, I did not think I should live till I were married." Ha. Share your thoughts if you're reading along or have read before!!

 I actually didn't take a picture of this one before I returned it, so this is from another  blog . I've read a lot of types of horror and murder, but this was a first, in a slasher sense.  It's clear while reading that this was going to be a movie, and I was impressed with how well an entire scene was captured in the pages. It was a quick read, and I've come to find out there are two more in the series. Not sure what I'll start next though - and now's a good time to mention I will be on vacation all next week.  Hubby's starting a new job soon so we decided to go while we can, not knowing if he'll be able to take much time come September this year. Looking forward to reading on the beach.  ;-) And what have you been reading??

  I picked this up from a used bookstore sale because the cover was interesting.   And I like a good haunting. I don't always like journal entries as a narrative, but I can feel it building up to something. *** Today is the birthday of Douglas Adams, author of the superb,  A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I read the complete series back in 2020, and I definitely recommend. In addition to those novels (which includes a short story), he also wrote Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency  and The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul .  He co-wrote a short story with Monty Python's Graham Chapman, which was based on a skit. "The Private Life of Genghis Khan" So what are you reading?

  The library is calling, I need to finish The Absinthe Forger. I've learned some interesting bits of history in this, how absinthe rose in popularity following the phylloxera plague that decimated French vineyards. American rootstock was more immune, and was grafted onto French vines in order to save the industry. And it was that industry that later demonized absinthe, to reclaim the market. I was also reminded of a painting that my Nana had in her living room. L'Absinthe by Degas. "The absinthe stare" of many a drinker back in the day. It was popular among artists of the time, and apparently a cache of old bottles were found which had labels drawn by various artists, such as Kirchner. So what are you reading??

Camping was a perfect setting to start on this book, and I'm nearly done already. I had also started  The Absinthe Forger  after finishing Here One Moment  but that's not something that sucks you in like Larsson does.  I can't even say for sure that I'll finish before I have to return it to the library. But the author has given some background on himself, a freelance writer who has done articles for The New York Times , Wall Street Journal, and Food & Vine.   I see he's written another book called, Why Beer Matters.   He's lived abroad in Prague for many years, so I'm sure he's had some good ones. Evan Rail What have you been reading??

  My agenda! I'm midway through Here One Moment.   I'm not exactly loving it, but I'm curious enough to keep going. I found The Absinthe Forger at the library -  A True Story of Deception, Betrayal, and the World's Most Dangerous Spirit.  Sounds intriguing! And then, since the library did not have Book 3 of the Millennium Trilogy, I bought a copy from the second-hand store.  I'll see if I can donate it when I'm done. So what are you reading?

  After finishing up those Poe readings from Halloween, I picked up something random again. Here One Moment I'm not all that far into it though, still in the setting things up stage. *** It is National Book Award Week but the winner won't be announced until November 19th. Nominees In the UK, the Booker Prize has just been awarded to David Szalay for Flesh. NPR So what have you got going this month?

  I was able to finish The Pit and the Pendulum  and I've started The Fall of the House of Usher . I'm no longer entirely sure I have actually read this, I believe I was just vaguely familiar with the tale. I added a fourth to read, but I'm not sure I'll make it. Ligeia  is one I've never even heard of. *** In other Halloween spirit, we did our pumpkins last night.  I have to show off the face my nephew drew. Boo!

  My sister is joining me again, this time for some spooky season Poe. We're going with: The Cask of Amontillado The Fall of the House of Usher The Pit and the Pendulum The first I've never read, the second a long time ago, and the third....I'm not entirely sure. The Girl Who Played With Fire  certainly had some elements of horror.  The real life sex trafficking kind, failures of government systems to protect its citizens.... Will you read-along, or do you have something else for the holiday?

I finished this one up just after we got back from vacation.  Here I was reading along the creek in the forest. Remember I mentioned this series in an  Author Spotlight . I picked up the second book from the library and I'm already closing in on half way through. Which is good, because I was thinking of a read-along for Halloween. So Book Club may see you later this month!  ;-) What have you been reading?  

  I finished this over the weekend, but it wasn't quite the Haunting of Bly Manor  I had been set to expect. It's much more complicated and confusing than that. For one thing, we have an unreliable narrator - her information is limited, colored by her own emotions and biases. And the ending sure lacks any real closure. This was something short to pass some in between time, for September I haven't decided yet - more ghost stories, or a psychological thriller, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. What have you been reading?

  After finishing Bruce Campbell's autobiography, I wasn't sure which direction I wanted to go in, so I started something unfamiliar. Amsterdam  by Ian McEwan. It was in the mystery bundle I got from the Friends of Washoe County library sale, and it says it was a Booker Prize Winner in 1998. So far, it's engaging enough.  Just a story of two old friends, really. What have you been reading??

 As I mentioned last month, I started Bruce Campbell's autobiography, If Chins Could Kill. He writes comically, which I expected, making a normal Michigan childhood sound entertaining. And now we're getting to the making of Evil Dead , learning behind the scenes magic and mayhem. The cabin was found in Morristown, Tennessee. They had to do some interior work, including digging out the basement area for particular scenes. That hole, and a chimney, is about all that remains today.  Filming alone caused a bit of damage. There's also some background in the book regarding the car, dubbed "The Classic," a 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88.  Sam Raimi has included this in nearly every film he's ever directed. So what are you reading?

  Born on this day in 1928, Maurice Sendak revolutionized children's picture books. His parents were Jewish Polish immigrants, and his childhood was affected by the deaths of many family members in the Holocaust. He was 12 when he decided to become an illustrator, inspired by Fantasia.   In 1947, he was published in Atomics for the Millions,  a textbook written by his high school Physics teacher.  He would continue to illustrate for other authors throughout the 50's. In 1963, Where the Wild Things Are  was released and praised as, "the most distinguished American picture book for children."  Even in 2012 it was voted number one picture book. The book was the first in a trilogy, followed by In the Night Kitchen and Outside Over There,  the latter of which came out in 1981.  The series is meant to represent psychological development from toddler to pre-school to pre-adolescent. In 1996, Sendak received the National Medal of Arts.