Book Review: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin On Alice Island, off the coast of Massachusetts, there is a bookstore, Island Books. It isn’t doing so well right now. Owner A.J. Fikry was never the most sociable of people, and he’s gotten downright surly since the death of his wife Nic. Sales… Continue reading Book Review: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
Tag: marital infidelity
Book Review: The Mysterious Affair at Styles
Book Review: The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie World War One rages in Europe, but for Captain Arthur Hastings, the fighting is over. Recovering from battle wounds, Hastings is at loose ends until invited to the country manor of his old acquaintance John Cavendish. Styles Court has changed a bit since Hastings’ childhood… Continue reading Book Review: The Mysterious Affair at Styles
Comic Book Review: The Complete Voodoo Volume 1
Comic Book Review: The Complete Voodoo Volume 1 Edited by Craig Yoe EC was not the only publisher putting out lurid horror comics during the brief period between the post-World War Two decline of superhero books and the installation of the Comics Code. Others quickly followed in their footsteps. Robert Farrell was one of those… Continue reading Comic Book Review: The Complete Voodoo Volume 1
Comic Book Review: The Building
Comic Book Review: The Building by Will Eisner This is a ghost story. In New York City, a brand new building has risen where another one stood for eighty years. But not all remnants of the old building’s history are gone. Today, four people from the past appear, their tales entwined with this site. Will… Continue reading Comic Book Review: The Building
Book Review: Sex with Kings
Book Review: Sex with Kings by Eleanor Herman One of the advantages of being a king is that the rules don’t apply to you the same way as they do to commoners. For centuries in Europe, this also extended to tolerance of extramarital affairs, to the point that many kings had maitresse-en-titre, the “official mistress.” This… Continue reading Book Review: Sex with Kings
Magazine Review: Detective Fiction Weekly April 8 1939
Magazine Review: Detective Fiction Weekly April 8 1939 (Formerly Flynn’s) by various Detective Fiction Weekly started publication in 1924 as “Flynn’s”, after its first editor, William J. Flynn, who had previously been director of the Bureau of Investigation before it became the FBI. It ran regularly under various titles until 1942, when it became a… Continue reading Magazine Review: Detective Fiction Weekly April 8 1939
Book Review: A Man Lay Dead
Book Review: A Man Lay Dead by Ngaio Marsh Sir Hubert Handesley’s weekend entertainments are to die for, so young reporter Nigel Bathgate has been told. And now, thanks to his well-to-do older cousin Charles Rankin, Nigel will have the chance to participate in one himself. The game is “Murders”, which should be jolly good… Continue reading Book Review: A Man Lay Dead
Book Review: The Book of Van Vogt
Book Review: The Book of Van Vogt by A.E. van Vogt In 1972, DAW Books was a brand new publishing company started by noted speculative fiction editor Donald A. Wollheim. Its mission statement was to publish quality science fiction books that had not previously appeared in paperback. (As opposed to reprinting old books with a… Continue reading Book Review: The Book of Van Vogt
Book Review: King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
Book Review: King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table by Martin J. Dougherty The Arthurian mythos is a familiar one to just about everyone in some form or another. But unless you’re a scholar of the subject, you might not know where all the pieces came from and how they got put together.… Continue reading Book Review: King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
Book Review: Kings & Queens of Great Britain: A Very Peculiar History
Book Review: Kings & Queens of Great Britain: A Very Peculiar History by Antony Mason For about 12 centuries, the English have been ruled by monarchs, and eventually this form of government spread to all of the British Empire. That’s a lot of history, and many kings and queens to take account of. This small… Continue reading Book Review: Kings & Queens of Great Britain: A Very Peculiar History