I have been into thrillers lately … Murder on The Orient Express, by Agatha Christie, 1934 I had to re-read this classic Agatha Christie novel after recently seeing the Kenneth Branagh movie version. I have always been a huge fan of David Suchet and his version of Christie’s most famous detective, Hercule Poirot. I was initially horrified at the promotional photos of Branagh’s take on the inimitable Belgian’s famous ‘stache, but I actually enjoyed his lively take on the character. Maybe some of that enthusiasm […]
Down the Rabbit Hole with Ira Levin
My latest writing project is of a spooky nature, so I thought I might get a little inspiration from one of my favorite horror movies, Rosemary’s Baby. It didn’t disappoint and holds up after many viewings. Mia Farrow is having a tough trimester in Rosemary’s Baby After the umpteenth time of watching poor Mia Farrow find out what was really behind her linen closet, I got to wondering about the source material. A trip to the library resulted in a bag full of Ira Levin thrillers: Rosemary’s […]
Spring and Summer Reads: Horror and Autobiography
I have been so busy the past few months with my own book and now assorted hurricanes, that I didn’t have a chance to post reviews of all of the books I have been reading. The first bunch is a combination of horror and autobiography, which pretty much sums up my interests of late. Anyone have a good horror autobiography to recommend? In the meantime, here are a few titles from my recent reading list: The Men in My Life: A Memoir of Love and […]
As Spooky As Ever: We Have Always Lived in the Castle
We Have Always Lived in the Castle is an amazing, unsettling book. It is a tale told by a fanciful and unreliable but fascinating narrator, Mary Katherine Blackwood, or Merricat, as her older sister Constance calls her. Merricat and Constance and their Uncle Julian and Merricat’s cat Jonas live in Blackwood House, on top of the hill overlooking a small and small-minded village. The author Shirley Jackson was a master of the macabre and creepy. Her short story “The Lottery” continues to haunt schoolchildren every year, […]
Where No Star Trek Fan May Have Gone Before …
There are so many branches to the Star Trek universe: novelizations, movies, re-boot film series, animated series, magazines, television series, toys, games, etc. that even the most dedicated fan, Trekkie or Trekker might have trouble keeping up. … Star Trek’s popularity and influence was not limited to the United States. The show may have been cancelled in 1969, but the next year in England, before the series had even premiered on British television, a series of comic strips appeared in weekly television magazines. Star Trek: The Classic UK Comics, […]
The Big Little Lies That We Tell …
I just finished watching the HBO series Big Little Lies and, I’m sure, like many others, didn’t want it to end. The slow, almost hypnotic pace of the direction by Jean-Marc Vallée in producer and writer David E. Kelley’s adaptation of Liane Moriarty’s book eased viewers into the complicated lives of the mothers of first graders in an affluent suburb of Monterey, California. I quickly scooped up the book and was not disappointed by its southern Australian setting. The characters are the same: the charismatic, rapid-fire and funny Maddie, […]
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