Tag Archives: Reading

The 2015 moldy oldie(s): Midwich Cuckoos of the Damned

Posted on December 1, 2015 by Brian Bixby

Every Halloween I dust off a long-forgotten supernatural horror story to read and review. It’s been a busy November, which is why I’m only getting to writing up my review of 2015’s selection today.  This year’s “moldy oldie” is the … Continue reading →

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Planet of the . . . absurd

Posted on August 5, 2015 by Brian Bixby

Who knew that the author of Planet of the Apes (1963) was a Frenchman who was also author of The Bridge Over the River Kwai (1952)? Pierre Boulle (1912-1994) had a sense of the absurd which led him to depict men and apes … Continue reading →

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Review: Rachel Urquhart, The Visionist

Posted on January 28, 2015 by Brian Bixby

Writing a novel about the Shakers forces a serious novelist to have to make several choices, some of which will shape the story, others of which can detrimentally affect the story. To her credit, most of Rachel Urquhart’s choices in The … Continue reading →

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Review: Violet Hunt, (More) Tales of the Uneasy (1911, 1925)

Posted on November 17, 2014 by Brian Bixby

Every year at Halloween, I dig up a “moldy oldy,” a generally forgotten book of supernatural fiction to read. This year, for a change, I tackled a pair of short stories collections: Tales of the Uneasy (1911) and More Tales … Continue reading →

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Review: Women ghost story writers of the Victorian Age

Posted on October 7, 2014 by Brian Bixby

Ever since the Women’s Lib movement of the 1960s, editors have produced endless anthologies of stories written exclusively by women to prove that women can write as well as men, and to bring undeservedly obscure female authors to our attention. … Continue reading →

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The middle of the year

Posted on June 30, 2014 by Brian Bixby

Tomorrow is July 1, 2014. Summer officially began with the equinox on June 21. Midsummer Night, June 23, I sometimes sit back with a good drink and read Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I have to admit I didn’t do it … Continue reading →

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How did the reading habits of your parents affect you?

Posted on June 16, 2014 by Brian Bixby

My parents were both firm advocates of education and voracious readers. My father liked the books he grew up with, and history books, while my mother was more inclined to British murder mysteries and American paperback novels. Initially, this affected … Continue reading →

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Review: Russell Kirk, Ancestral Shadows

Posted on May 12, 2014 by Brian Bixby

There are devils that lead to your downfall, and there are devils that make you extend yourself. My reader Judy of Janthina Images is of the latter kind. Knowing that my personal politics are a bit left, she sent me … Continue reading →

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Hangsaman by Shirley Jackson

Posted on April 13, 2014 by Brian Bixby

There seems to be a rule that “popular” writers are disdained by critics, if not in their lifetime then shortly after they die. After a few decades, if they’re lucky, some influential critics says, in effect, “Although I’m not supposed … Continue reading →

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Alchemists of alchemy: Principe and Jonson

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Brian Bixby

Everything you know about alchemy is wrong. Well, not everything. Yes, some alchemists tried to discover the Philosophers’ Stone, which could turn base metal into gold and guarantee long life and health. Sort of like going to Vegas. In his … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Reading fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments