Here we are with the final chapter of 2020's Spooky Film Recommendations. I intended these to be "ghost-free" horror, but a few ghosts wormed their way in despite my best efforts. The films are listed in the order that I viewed them. As always, all synopses are from...
Ah, my very favorite category of horror -- Ghosts and Hauntings! Strangely enough, I struggled to find good options this year. Had several false starts before I decided to share these five films with you. (All synopses from imdb.com) Doctor Sleep (2019) -- Rated R...
Each of the following films has been featured on one or more "Feminist Horror Film" lists. What does "Feminist Horror" even mean? I'm using the term for films featuring female protagonists with agency who don't need a man to rescue them or explain anything. For...
As I've said before, if you crave 500 jump scares per film, you will be disappointed by my recommendations. For more context on this, check out Chris Stuckmann’s YouTube video, The Problem with Horror Movies Today. This year we begin with CLASSIC HORROR, and I...
Hey! Don't forget to check out the GIVEAWAY at the end of this post. When the Covid lockdown began, I craved comfort books. (See my recommendations here.) Lately, however, that old familiar yearning for Gothic horror has me in its grip. What a gluttony of horror...
My last blog post (written THREE MONTHS ago, yikes) was about Emily Dickinson, and today--once again--it is Miss Emily who inspires me. A NEW BOOK: From the publisher: An engaging, intimate portrait of Emily Dickinson, one of America’s greatest and most-mythologized...
There's a new picture book about Emily Dickinson and it is marvelous. (Thank you, Best of Books in Edmond, OK, for shipping it so quickly!) This book written by Jennifer Berne and illustrated by Becca Stadtlander is beautiful, inspirational, and quite poignant--I...
Happy Wednesday! If you've been yearning for a comfort read, I have three recommendations. And TEA. The Bookshop on the Corner, by Jenny Colgan Determined to make a new life for herself, Nina moves to a sleepy village many miles away. There she buys a van and...
Even if you're healthy and safe at home, you may be losing your mind right about now. I've put together a list of things (in no particular order) that might brighten your mood during this surreal quarantine from the rest of humanity. -- First of all, complete your...
After a long drought, I finally found a book that captivated me, kept me glued to the pages until the end, and only took two days to read because I could hardly bear to put it down. Goodreads synopsis: In a quest for a simpler life, Helen and Nate abandon the comforts...
This past week I visited Dallas for the Highland Park Literary Festival. The festival volunteers always put on a great event, and the highlight for me was spending time with the HPHS students who signed up for my presentation, "How to Build a Horror Hero" (a companion...
ALERT: there's a GIVEAWAY at the end of this post! The other day I was making a mental list of the most romantic novels I've ever read. "This needs to be a blog post!" I thought. Interestingly enough, on this blog I only have ONE previous post related to Valentine's...
I've made it my mission--when visiting an interesting city, I will find the best tea rooms AND explore the independent bookstores, and then I'll share my findings with you. My recent post on a lovely Philadelphia tea room is here. Today it's all about the book stores!...
Every January my husband has a meeting in Philadelphia, and I join him when I can. This time I was intent on having tea in the Mary Cassatt Tea Room at the Rittenhouse Hotel, and I was thoroughly delighted when Steve said he'd like to join me. We booked for Wednesday...
Last week Steve had a conference at the Arizona Biltmore, and I was happy to tag along. The Biltmore is famous for its architecture, beautiful grounds, celebrity guests, and . . . afternoon tea! The hotel has a fascinating history and offers cozy elegance along with...
