Book Review: The Big Book of Victorian Mysteries edited by Otto Penzler While stories that could be considered “mysteries” in some sense have existed as long as writing, and perhaps a bit before, the short story mystery came into its own during the lifetime of Queen Victoria (1837-1901). This volume collects forty-nine notable stories from… Continue reading Book Review: The Big Book of Victorian Mysteries
Tag: weddings
Movie Review: The Searchers (1956)
Movie Review: The Searchers (1956) directed by John Ford Texas, 1868: Ethan Edwards (John Wayne) finally returns to his childhood home, three years after the end of the American Civil War. He evades questions about where he’s been, though he was emphatically not in California. Ethan gets reacquainted with his brother Aaron’s family: wife Martha, eldest… Continue reading Movie Review: The Searchers (1956)
Webtoon Review: Inside Job
Webtoon Review: Inside Job The world is not as it appears on the surface. Strange beings exist just out of sight. The reptoids are in favor of global warming. Chemtrails really do have psychoactive properties. And a secret conspiracy controls the world. Kind of. Turns out the world is hard to control properly, and the… Continue reading Webtoon Review: Inside Job
Movie Review: Mamma Mia! The Movie
Movie Review: Mamma Mia! The Movie (2008) directed by Phyllida Lloyd Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) has long wondered who her father was. Her mother Donna (Meryl Streep) has always been evasive on the question, having made a life for herself running a tourist villa on the small Greek island they call home. But while Sophie is preparing… Continue reading Movie Review: Mamma Mia! The Movie
Book Review: The Caballero
Book Review: The Caballero by Johnston McCulley Don Fernando Venagas is close to the top of the social pecking order in Spanish California, and he knows it. He is, after all, a wealthy caballero of the pure aristocratic blood, skilled with both horse and sword. As such, he thinks little of those below his status.… Continue reading Book Review: The Caballero
Movie Review: White Zombie
Movie Review: White Zombie (1932) directed by Victor Halperin Madeleine Short has come to Haiti to join her fiance Neil Parker. On the ship over, she met plantation owner Charles Beaumont, who shortly became her very good friend. Mr. Beaumont offers his fancy mansion as the site of the young couple’s wedding, and is so taken… Continue reading Movie Review: White Zombie
Book Review: Hope of Ages Past
Book Review: Hope of Ages Past by Bruce Gardner In 1618, accountant’s son Peter Erhart and military advisor’s son Hans Mannheim witness an outrage in Prague, Bohemia. The two Catholic governors of this Holy Roman Empire province are tossed from a tower by their Lutheran colleagues. Hans has a moment of panic, and temporarily flees. Peter finds Hans and his kindness manages to… Continue reading Book Review: Hope of Ages Past
Book Review: Fresh Eyes on Famous Bible Sayings
Book Review: Fresh Eyes on Famous Bible Sayings by Doug Newton Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through a Goodreads Giveaway to facilitate the writing of this review. No other compensation was offered or requested. One of the things about living in a “culturally Christian” nation like the United States is that a… Continue reading Book Review: Fresh Eyes on Famous Bible Sayings
Manga Review: Showa: A History of Japan 1953-1989
Manga Review: Showa: A History of Japan 1953-1989 by Shigeru Mizuki This is the final volume of Shigeru Mizuki’s history of Japan and his personal life during the Showa Era. It mixes events that affected the entire country with stories of his struggles as a man and an artist. As noted in the introduction by… Continue reading Manga Review: Showa: A History of Japan 1953-1989
Comic Book Review: Essential Defenders Vol. 6
Comic Book Review: Essential Defenders Vol. 6 written (mostly) by J.M. DeMatteis, Pencils by Don Perlin The Defenders are one of Marvel Comics’ more oddball teams, beginning with a line-up of Doctor Strange, Hulk, Silver Surfer and the Sub-Mariner, four of Marvel’s most powerful characters who did not belong to other teams. After a couple… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Essential Defenders Vol. 6