Luxx's Haunted Halls

Happy new year, everyone!

Every new year I list the books I've read, and include here a brief description of "Major Events" to help me put my reading in perspective. While I feel bad about being MIA around here in the latter half of 2014, looking at my list of major events makes me feel a little bit better.

I'm fairly certain I missed books last year. This year, I have two resolutions: to log everything as I finish it, and to read at least one pleasure book a month during semesters.

The List of Links
Biblio Beau, the second home for all my reviews

Books Read in 2014 (96 Books. Major Events: First two semesters of PhD coursework; published three papers, two reviews, spoke at two conferences, and organized two conference panels; taught at two schools simultaneously and did my first (and last) stint in a writing center.)
Books Read in 2013 (87 Books. Major Events: Published two papers!)
Books Read in 2012 (81 Books. Major Events: New - additional - Teaching Position, Moving, Surgery)
Books Read in 2011 (101 Books. Major Events: Birth of Third Monster, Poor health and a death in the family)
Books Read in 2010 (100 Books. Major Event: Second Adjunct Position Obtained)
Books Read in 2009 (145 Books. Major Event: Birth of Second Monster)
Books Read in 2008 (61 Books. Major Events: Birth of First Monster, First Adjunct Position Obtained)
Books Read in 2007 (85 Books. Major Event: Finished my MA in English Lit)

Books Read in 2015

1. Jason by Laurell K. Hamilton. Paranormal Romance. 1.6.14. **1/2
2. How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny. Mystery. 1.9.15. *****
3. Tales of the Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong. Urban Fantasy. 1.12.15. ***
4. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty. Memoir. 1.25.15. ***
5. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey. Fiction 1.30.15. *****

6. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. Fiction. 2.1015. *****
7. Who Could That Be at This Hour? by Lemony Snicket. YA. 2.13.15. ****

8. Dead Heat by Patricia Briggs. Urban Fantasy. 3.5.15. ****
9. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Gothic. 3.9.15. *****
10. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore. Graphic Novel. 3.13.15. ***
11. The Wind Done Gone by Alice Randall. Appropriative Novel. 3.21.15
12. Reality Hunger by David Shields. Nonfiction. 3.22.15
13. Prudence by Gail Carriger. Steampunk. 3.28.15. ***.5

14. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. Fantasy. 4.2.15. *****
15. Beowulf trans. by Seamus Heaney. 4.12.15. *****
16. The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells. Scientific Romance. 4.19.15. ****
17. All the Copyright course readings.
18. 1005+ pages of student essays.
19. Master of O by Ernest Greene. BDSM. 4.2015. ***

20. Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton. Vampires. 5.7.15.
21. The Laughing Corpse by Laurell K. Hamilton. Vampires. 5.10.15.
22. Joker bu Brian Azzarello, ill. by Lee Bermejo. Comicbook. 5.11.15. ****
23. Circus of the Damned by Laurell K. Hamilton. Vampires. 5.13.15.
24. Bloody Bones by Laurell K. Hamilton. Vampires. 5.19.15.
25. The Killing Dance by Laurell K. Hamilton. Vampires. 5.25.15
26. The Princess in Black by Shannon Hale. Children's chapter book. 5.26.15. ****

27. Otherworldly Nights by Kelley Armstrong. Urban Fantasy. 6.1.15. ***
28. A Little Night Murder by Nancy Martin. Cozy Mystery. 6.3.15. ***1/2
29. Burnt Offerings by Laurell K. Hamilton. Vampires. 6.2015.
30. Obsidian Butterfly by Laurell K. Hamilton. Vampires. 6.19.15.
31. Catwoman Volume 1: The Game by Judd Winick and Guillem March. Comic. 6.20.15. ***
32. Catwoman Volume 2: Dollhouse by Judd Winick and Guillem March. Comic. 6.20.15. ****
33. Gotham City Sirens: Union by Paul Dini and Guillem March. Comic. 6.20.15. Rubbish.
34. Batman: Heart of Hush by Paul Dini, Dustin Nguyen, and Derek Fridolfs. Comic. 6.24.15. ***1/2
35. The Girl with the Iron Touch by Kady Cross. Teen Romance Steampunk. 6.25.15. ***

36. Shifting Shadows by Patricia Briggs. Urban Fantasy; Short Stories. 7.9.15. ***
37. Medievalisms by Pugh and Weisl. Cultural Studies. 7.10.15.
38. Soranus' Gynecology Trans. by Owsei Temkin. Gynecology. 8.2015. *****
39. INventing the Middle Ages by Norman F. Cantor. Cultural Studies. 7.2015. ***
40. The Shock of Medievalism by Kathleen Biddick. Cultural Studies. 7.2015. ****
41. How Soon is Now? by Carolyn Dinshaw. Cultural Studies. 7. 2015. ****

42. Murder on Fifth Avenue by Victoria Thompson. Cozy Mystery. 8. 2015. ***
43. Murder in Chelsea by Victoria Thompson. Cozy Mystery. 8.2015. ***
44. Murder in Murray Hill by Victoria Thompson. Cozy Mystery. 8.2015. *****
45. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Vol 2 by Alan Moore. Comic. 8.13.2015. ***
46. The Replacement by Brena Yovanoff. Fantasy. 8.17.15. ***1/2
47. The Killing Joke by Alan Moore. Comics. 8.18.2015. ****1/2
48. Horns by Joe Hill. Horror. 8.20.15. ****
51. The Coldest Girl in Cold Town by Holly Black. YA Vampire Romance. 8.2015. **

49. The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner by James Hogg. Gothic. 9.1.2015 ****
50. Uncle Silas by Sheridan Le Fanu. Gothic. 9.9.15. *****
52. The Lifted Veil by George Eliot. Gothic. 9.16.15. ***
53. Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu. 9.16.15. *****
54. Narcissus in Chains by Laurell K. Hamilton. 9.21.15. ***
55. Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. Gothic. 9.22.15. *****
56. She by H. Rider Haggard. Gothic. 9.2015. ***

57. Cerulean Sins by Laurell K. Hamilton. Urban Fantasy. 10.2.15. ***
58. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Gothic. 10.7.15. *****
59. The Cultural Politics of Emotion by Sara Ahmed. Affect Theory. 10.2015. ****
60. The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells. Gothic. 10.14.15. *****
61. Dracula by Bram Stoker. Gothic. 10.21.15. *****
62. The Beetle by Richard Marsh. Gothic. 10.28.15. *****

63. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. Gothic. 11.4.15. ****
64. Fun Home by Alison Bechdel. Comic Memoir. 11.10.15. *****
65. Othello by William Shakespeare. Drama. 11.10.15. *****
66. Manners & Mutiny by Gail Carriger. Steampunk YA. 11.14.15. ****1/2
67. Incubus Dreams by Laruell K. Hamilton. Vampire. 11.2015. ***

68. Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett. Theatre of the Absurd. 12.3.2015. *****
69. Micah by Laurell K. Hamilton. Vampires. 12.4.15. **1/2
70. The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin. Horror. 12.15.15. *****
71. The Harlequin by Laurell K. Hamilton. Vampires. 12.27.15. **
72. Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin. Horror. 12.28.15. ****
73. Breed by Chase Novak. Horror. 12.30.15. ****
74. Pirates Past Noon by Mary Pope Osborne. Early Chapter Book 12.9.15.
75. Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare. Drama. 11.2015. ***** (forgot to add to original review list)

1.
Title: Jason
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Impulse buy
Date Completed: January 6, 2015
Rating: **1/2

Oh, the angst! Oh, the melodrama! Oh, the whining! It should be surprising how un-sexy a book about joyful (intended) sex can be, but this books is so conflicted and political and introspective (while remaining shallow) that no amount of fantasy can save it. I'm so disappointed that this wasn't the fun romp I thought it would be.

I'm finally getting around to Penny's How the Light Gets In; I read half of it this afternoon, when I should have been preparing a conference paper (which I'm delivering tomorrow morning). Work started back today, and my own classes start next week. I feel like the fall just ended, and now the spring insanity is here already!

Thankfully, though, I'm down to a single job (teaching four classes), and I will work at home two days a week. Perhaps I'll manage to be mommy again this semester...

Welcome back!

Hi, Luxx!! Good to see you!

Thanks, guys!

2.
Title: How the Light Gets In
Author: Louise Penny
Genre: Mystery
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Pre-order, late read
Date Completed: January 9, 2015
Rating: *****

How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny is narrative perfection. Penny's writing is quietly elegant, building suspense with few gimmicks, and allowing characters to drive the story without overburdening the story with indulgent introspection, or unnecessary action sequences. Here, Gamache works through three mysteries, two of which are intimately connected, and all of which drive the detective back to the Utpoia of Three Pines. I'm afraid to say anything more for fear of spoiling the story for any who hasn't gotten to it yet, so I will simply say that Penny again meets - and exceeds - the high standards I now have for her work.

Hi Luxx!

I read the first 10 Hamilton books, but needed to take a break. I know it has been said before, but they seemed to take a turn for the worse! I do plan to get back to the series. Although your 2 1/2 star rating does not bode well.

I am also working my way through Inspector Gamache. Those are really enjoyable.

Best of luck in "fun" this semester. It looks like you are off to a good start.

You are back!! Nice to see you. Course you have already read two books and I am struggling to find time to read, so now I don't like you so much after all. ; ) Hope 2015 is a great year for you and yours. I look forward to following the books and little "monster" antics.

Hi Jayde. I'm one of the few who didn't take issue with the turn in Blake - it was different, but most were still fun romps, which is all I expect. I don't think Jason is a major, regular book; Afflicted wasn't bad, and the next one could either be really interesting or completely terrible.

It's great to see you, Berly! I have to fit things in before my coursework starts. I'm actually reading another Gail Carriger right now, which is a great distraction. ;)

One of my courses this semester is on Copyright, and I'm really looking forward to it.

3.
Title: Tales of the Otherworld
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Vacation Purchase
Date Completed: January 12, 2015
Rating: ***

I've read this book before; as a matter of fact, I've purchased this book before, as a hardback. I'm not sure whether my slip in memory is telling of my own frazzled state, or the quality of the stories. Ultimately, though, I do not regret purchasing it in two separate formats, as Armstrong promises that all proceeds will benefit a Canadian literacy charity. In the end, I'd say it's a great mistake for a lazy winter afternoon.

Some mistakes are worth repeating! : )

Glad you could make it for another year on LT! :)

10 - They are! Especially when proceeds go to charity.

11 - Thanks! I'll never be able to keep up even as much as I used to, but I'm happy to keep one foot in the pool, for times I can jump in.

4.
Title: Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory
Author: Caitlin Doughty
Genre: Memoir
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Purchased on colleague rec
Date Completed: January 25, 2015
Rating: ***

As most of my review is critical, I think I should start by stating simply that I enjoyed most of this book.

Caitlin Doughty has an agenda made blatantly clear from the beginning, not unlike Jessica Mitford, whose efforts Doughty both applauds and condemns. Well informed of the funerary practices of cultures other than the sanitized American standard, Doughty preaches for a new understanding of death and corpse disposal - one that recognizes that "natural" is not formaldehyde and grease paint, but skin slippage and face rot.

Responses to Doughty's book will likely hinge on one's own beliefs. Not unfamiliar with the industry, thanks to other similar popular texts, and the cultural histories she cites, thanks to a curiosity Doughty would find sympathetic, I found int he text what I hoped -anecdotes of the industry. However, I would not be surprised if her heavy criticism and lack of sympathy would alienate some readers. She does, to a great extent, lecture the American public for their failures. While I can appreciate her efforts and her arguments, and found a great sense of realism and peace in her narratives, I fear her rhetoric will ultimately prove unsuccessful.

Then again, an Oprah stooge loved it, so maybe I'm the one off-base. For those with morbid curiosity, dig in - it's not a bad ride.

5.
Title: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Author: Ken Kesey
Genre: Fiction
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: January 30, 2015
Rating: *****

I've been using One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in my freshman classes for quite some time now, and today I am reflecting on the changes to my approach and personal analysis as I read the book every year (if not twice a year). At first I began with character analysis, looking at the saturation of detail and the roles f minor characters in shaping the larger narrative. Then, my focus shifted to the unreliable narrator, and how readers can parse the "truth" through some close reading and critical thinking. Most recently I shifted to varying definitions of "madness" and the institutional arguments o the text. This semester, though, I've come to some of my favorite arguments yet.

I began our reading by considering the unreliable narrator, and the role of madness. But I argued that the narrator isn't most unreliable for his hallucinations and paranoia, but rather for his personal prejudices - that Bromden himself expresses critical opinions of other marginalized groups, and why he might do so. Most productive, though, was a study of masculinity, and the archetypes Kesey includes on the ward - we identified "types," thought about the implications of those types, and looked closely at type-deviation to find arguments and responses to archetypes. This shifted the discussion to McMurphy's role as "savior" on the ward, and whether he internalizes and accepts this designation, or if it's against his type - if the patients, and the audience, cast him as a hero, when he has no intention of behaving heroically. Finally, we wrapped today with a reconsideration of Nurse Ratched. Though I've come to no conclusion, I had students consider the evidence against her supposed villainy, including the narrow lens of her narrators (Bromden, Harding, and McMurphy), the admittedly-fallacious histories they construct for her, her actual job on the ward, and her resources in her role. I never suggest she's a good person, but I pointed to several passages that allow us to question whether she i the maniacal tyrant some of the characters would have audiences believe.

It made for some great questions, a good deal of resistance, and testing of the analytical waters. Next week we'll move into multimedia comparative analysis (film and comic), and then on to a comparison with Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle. I think we've hit our grove.

Wow! Sounds like you do a great job in your class!! Lucky kids you have.

I have never read One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, believe it or not, Luxx. I will have to get to it some time! (when I am not in school)

Stasia, I feel your pain! Well, school isn't really a pain, but my TBR pile has grown exponentially, with both things I want to read for pure pleasure, and things I want to/feel I should read for school. It'll be there when you get around to it.

Berly, I hope they think so! We'll see, when they turn in their papers on madness.

6.
Title: We Have Always Lived in the Castle
Author: Shirley Jackson
Genre: Fiction
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: February 10, 2015
Rating: *****

My favorite of Jackson's fiction, We Have Always Lived in the Castle is fascinating for its endgame: leading readers through the process of local-legend-building, from the perspective of the legends. It is fascinating to see the different in perspective, and to consider the story from a broader history. During class discussions we discussed the complication of another untrustworthy narrator, where our sympathies lie - and why it's complicated - and attempted to armchair-diagnose the Blackwood family. Many students came to tell me how much they actually enjoyed the reading, so we can call this one a win.

7.
Title: Who Could That Be at This Hour?: All the Wrong Questions Book 1
Author: Lemony Snicket
Genre: YA
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Gifted to First Born, from us
Date Completed: February 13, 2015
Rating: ****

Like his picture books, what I found most appealing about Lemony Snicket's first All the Wrong Questions book were his vocabulary lessons, which are both ludicrous and well=integrated into the text (ludicrous as in unbelievable, but perfectly presented as part of the story). Lemony Snicket the character is appealing, as are most of the children and the librarian. This is a great take on a mystery for very young readers, as questions are constantly posed, and the conclusion answers most, but not all - providing both satisfaction and further enticement to read the series. While m guys are still trying to figure out this whole "chapter book" thing, and wandered around their rooms during story time, they were always able to tell me what was going on in the story, and asked plenty of their own questions at the end of each chapter. I certainly do not regret buying the first two at once.

Awesome reads! :)

I used to love reading Lemony Snicket with my kids when they were young. I miss them. How are you? Where are you? Missing you. : )

First Born has started requesting the second book in the series, so I'm pleased as punch.

As predicted, I have zero time for social media - and very little for pleasure reading. We are busy prepping our rental unit for new tenants, classes have been hectic, work is unrelenting, and I'm scrambling to find time to make my birthday dress. But we are happy and healthy, and finally buying a house, so life feels pretty grand.

Today is a snow day, so my preorder of the latest Alpha Omega came at just the right moment!

8.
Title: Dead Heat
Author: Patricia Briggs
Genre: Urban Fantasy?
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Pre-Order
Date Completed: March 5, 2015
Rating: ****

The fourth book in the Alpha Omega series finds Anna and Charles traveling to warmer climes, and getting wrapped up in both personal drama and fae-hunting. The personal conflict felt by Charles as he visits old friends is far more compelling than anything between he and his wife, which is a bit of a shame; their resolution is tertiary to everything else in the book, which makes it ultimately disappointing. However, the action of the story is what I would expect from a Briggs werewolf story, and the active plot is thus far more satisfying. Briggs opens too many doors to write completely, but I can't rate it too low, since it kept my attention enough to read it in a single sitting.

Now to wait for the next Mercy Thompson book (Fire Touched) ... which isn't due out until Spring 2016. Darn.

9.
Title:The Picture of Dorian Grey
Author: Oscar Wilde
Genre: Gothic
Medium: Norton Critical Paperback
Acquisition:
Date Completed: March 9, 2015
Rating: *****

The Picture of Dorian Grey is my favorite novel, and each time I read Wilde's longest work I find something new to cherish, question, and consider. This time I again brought the novel to my classroom, with similar mixed results as previous attempts. I focused on the establishment of identity and character - how each character creates a self, and Wilde's relation to his three principal characters - and whether or not readers should condemn Dorian's vanity (his face, after all, is very clearly his only value). I'm not sure I'll use it again in the future, because anything less than perfect enthusiasm is disappointing.

10.
Title: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Author: Alan Moore
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition:
Date Completed: March 13, 2015
Rating: ***

I suppose the best I can say is that I didn't dislike the book as much as I did during my first reading. Focusing on intended audience and multimedia literacy, we compared characterization from the comic and the original source material. I held on to the fact that the text establishes literature as a savior of mankind (although it's also the villain), but ultimately it's not a text I favor.

Hi Luxx! Good luck with the mayhem of life. : ) I just finished Fair Game and Night Broken. Both rereads for me, but I enjoyed them just as much this time round. I have never read The Picture of Dorian Grey, but you obviously love it, so on to my list it goes!

It's a gem! I love so much about that book - I hope you enjoy it

11.
Title: The Wind Done Gone
Author: Alice Randall
Genre: Appropriative Novel
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: For class
Date Completed: March 21, 2015
Rating:

12.
Title: Reality Hunger
Author: David Shields
Genre: Nonfiction
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: For class
Date Completed: March 22, 2015
Rating:

Um. You can't suck me in if you don't give ratings.... : )

Oh Berly, you've been so patient with me! There are no ratings or reviews for these two because they were school reads, and I didn't find either incredibly compelling. I read them through a particular lens, and neither hated nor liked them.

13.
Title: Prudence
Author: Gail Carriger
Genre: Steampunk
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: March 28, 2015
Rating: ***.5

I miss The Parasol Protectorate, and so was very happy to hear about the famous daughter, Prudence Akeldama. She is much like Carriger readers would expect from previous books, but it's much more fantasy and less Victorian - Prudence spends a great deal of time nude, given her abilities. Social decorum is arbitrarily addressed, and I missed more of an attempt at polite society, which is certainly not the world in which Prudence finds herself here. Regardless, it was a fun fantasy romp through an almost-19th-century-India, and I'll certainly follow the series if it develops as it has begun.

14.
Title: The Hobbit
Author: J.R.R. Tolkien
Genre: Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Teaching
Date Completed: April 2, 2015
Rating: *****

Each spring I teach a unit on heroes and heroism, comparing the legends of The Hobbit and Beowulf. Though most students know the latter more than the former, and are surprised with the juvenile nature of the former (given the film franchise), the unit as a whole always goes over very well.

15.
Title: Beowulf
Author: trans. Seamus Heaney
Genre: Poetry
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Teaching
Date Completed: April 12, 2015
Rating: *****

In "Monsters and Critics," Professor Tolkien shares an allegory of a tower: he describes a man building a tower from old building materials from an ancient structure. Others come and knock the tower down to look for clues related to the original structure, and all wonder why the man would build "a nonsensical tower ... But, from the top of the tower, the man had been able to look out upon the sea" (not a direct quote, but close wording). I read excerpts from Tolkien's famous lecture as we moved into Beowulf, and used this to frame our initial responses to the poem - as a tower that allows us to see the sea, or as an art artifact worth reading for the sake of itself. We also compare the most recent film version, and consider the role of film as the new orators sharing "great" myths.

16.
Title: The Island of Doctor Moreau
Author: H.G. Wells
Genre: Scientific Romance
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Teaching
Date Completed: April 19, 2015
Rating: *****

My edition of Moreau includes a wonderful introduction by Margaret Atwood, called "Ten Ways of Looking at The Island of Doctor Moreau," to which I add an eleventh - that of narrative gaps. Atwood's "Ten Ways" presents a great starting point to help unfamiliar readers approach a genre, and lead to informed responses, since students can rely on Atwood's descriptions. This time I used a different discussion topic, and considered Moreau's monstrous/villainous traits for the Victorian audience, as compared to the traits, actions, and ideas that would be identified by contemporary audiences. It was a productive conversation, and students determined that Moreau is actually more monstrous today than he may even have been in the nineteenth-century.

Loving you last three reads!! And I want to be in your class with the Hobbit/Beowulf discussion! I think you must be the coolest teacher ever. Seriously.

>22 London_StJ: last time you put up Dorian Gray I was so enamoured that I purchased a copy, stat! I still love it, but maybe not as much as you :)

I read Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney when I had surgery on my foot last year ...the year before?, and I was really happy with that too, even if I would have benefitted from some tutelage.

28 - I think the key to a fun classroom is teaching what you love, or at least something in which you can find some interest. As general courses I can't always focus on what I like best, but I always manage to get excited about *something*.

29 - Great to see you around! I'm a total fan girl when it comes to Wilde, so I wouldn't expect most to love it as much as I. I delivered paper in November defending Grendel's mother (naming her one of the more honorable characters in the poem). It was good fun, although I an not an Anglo-Saxon scholar!

I'm wrapping up my week of summer break. I've managed to paint half of the new house, and I'm wrestling the garden into shape. I could whine and complain about a few, er, choices made by the previous owners, but I've decided to stop: I have a house, and it's quickly becoming our home, and we are very happy here.

Next week I start Statistics (ah!) and Representations of Women in Bollywood (woohoo!); at least I won't be grading 100 papers while I'm at it!

17.
Title: Copyright
Author: Dozens
Genre: Mostly nonfiction; academic
Medium: PDFs
Acquisition: Required Course Reading
Date Completed: April 2015
Rating:

I'm adding this as a book, because it consumed most of my semester. I didn't manage to finish all of the reading, and I still managed to read well over 120 pages a week for this single course. This felt like a great deal, given the extensive reading and writing for my other course, and all of my grading, although I know there are plenty (probably in my program!) who would laugh at me for saying so.

18.
Title: Student Essays
Author: Dozens
Genre: Academic
Medium: PDFs
Acquisition: Due dates!
Date completed: May 7, 2015
Page Read: 1005+

19.
Title: Master of O
Author: Ernest Greene
Genre: BDSM
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: April 2015
Rating: ***

According to the forward of his 764-page erotica novel, Ernest Greene situates Master of O as an answer to his disappointment with Pauline Reage's Story of O (which I have not read nor heard of). I came across Greene's work as a recommendation for a "real" Fifty Shades of Grey (which I've also never read), and given the hype of the latter thought I would see what constitutes such reality. Several points of the book made me uncomfortable, which was an interesting experience for me, and not something to be discounted - I like to push myself out of my reading comfort zone now and again, and Greene's novel offered me such an opportunity. I can't say I liked it from an entertainment perspective, but I finished it, and it has a lot to offer in terms of genre and audience expectations and the place of subcultures in popular culture.

One great critique is the ridiculous socio-economic divide demonstrated: the unbelievable wealth of the characters. Of course, it's fantasy, but as said in a quote I can't attribute, "if this had taken place in a trailer park, it'd be an episode of CSI." Which is an interesting debate to consider itself.

20.
Title: Guilty Pleasures
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Vampires
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Forever ago
Date Completed: May 7, 2015
Rating:

I've always intended to reread the entire series prior to the release of the next series installment, but I've never managed it. I'm trying again, as I enjoy turning off and tuning out for a bit of the summer. It's interesting to reread early books, given the recent turns of the series. I know the debate is hot between vintage and contemporary Anita Blake fans, and I don't really want to get into it anymore, other than to say I'm personally glad she's loosened up.

21.
Title: The Laughing Corpse
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Vampires
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Forever ago
Date Completed: May 10, 2015
Rating:

22.
Title: Joker
Author: Brian Azzarello
Genre: Comicbook
Medium: Hardcover
Acquisition:
Date Completed: May 11, 2015
Rating: ****

Lee Bermejo's artwork is absolutely stunning, and really made this book for me - especially the portraiture of the titular character. The texture and depth of the visuals continue the rhetoric of Azzarello's story, weaving a familiar but intriguing story. One scene of the book was named one of the most outrageous Joker moments which would never make it into film, and so I decided to seek out the book as a whole. I was not disappointed, although my gender studies curiosity is raised by the consistent and nearly-complete silence of the handful of female characters, including Harley (who is named, incorrectly is seems, as the inspiration for Joker's Outrageous Act).

23.
Title: Circus of the Damned
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Vampires
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Forever ago
Date Completed: May 13, 2015
Rating:

Oh, wow! Cool reads. :) Master of O looks particularly good to me; and I'm glad you're having fun rereading Laurel K. Hamilton's books. I just recently started Bloody Bones for a horror challenge, so fingers crossed I'll finish it this month.

Master of O is definitely worth a look.

I started Lunatic Cafe last night, and hope to get through as many as possible before the June release of the next book. I hope you enjoy Bloody Bones!

24.
Title: Bloody Bones
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Vampires
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Forever ago
Date Completed: May 19, 2015
Rating:

What strikes me most in my series re-reading is how deeply, deeply flawed Anita is. Her anger will be a long topic of conversation later in the series, but in these early books her racism and closed-mindedness is really front-and-center.

25.
Title: The Killing Dance
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Vampires
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Forever ago
Date Completed: May 25, 2015
Rating:

I've survived my first week of summer classes, which means 3 chapters of statistics, and a handful of articles, are added to whatever I manage to log for a week. I made my first library-reserve run of the summer today, and came out with a hefty load of graphic novels, nonfiction, fiction, and grins.

>34 London_StJ: I love your "Forever ago" acquisition date for both Anita Blake books. ;) And congrats on surviving your first week of summer classes! Even better, congrats on getting some good books from the library. :)

Heh, it's about as accurate as I can get - they're old trade paperbacks from when I first started the series.

And thanks! I've finished the first third of stats with an A, which is astounding, as far as I'm concerned. Now to hang onto that grade..

The day of your post was actually my tenth wedding anniversary; I spent it in class, discussing "Parineeta." Not quite what I originally had in mind. BUT we made up for it by returning to NYC, and seeing "Something Rotten," which was absolutely delightful. Shakespeare as an egotistical rock star is right up my alley.

26.
Title: The Princess in Black
Author: Shannon Hale
Genre: Children's
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: May 26, 2015
Rating: ****

The Princess in Black hit my radar after a friend posted an article by the author on social media, in which Hale decried the gendering of children's books. While on a book tour Hale occasionally found herself in an auditorium of only girls, only to find out later that administrators only allowed girls to attend the readings, assuming that princesses = girl books, and boys shouldn't/wouldn't be interested. Sadly, there was one story of a single boy who was given special permission to attend, but stayed back out of embarrassment. Sympathetic to her gender-neutral arguments for her book, and knowing my own guys would love a monster-fighting ninja princess, I grabbed one of the titles on my last trip. Intended for very early readers, The Princess in Black offers short, well-illustrated "chapters" organized much like longer chapter books, with enough action and just enough detail to keep readers interested. We read the whole thing in a single sitting, and Middle Child begged to sleep with the book, and the next day proclaimed that he woke up early just so he could "read" it again before school (he can't yet read, but it won't be long!). All three said they loved the story, and have asked for it more than once. Monster-fighting and ninjas are anyone's game, and Hale does deliver a story that will delight (nearly) all.

On a related note, First Born gave me a dose of gender studies not too long ago: I was attending a bridal shower which was limited to only women. First Born asked to attend with me, and I had to explain, "it's just for ladies."
"Mommy, there's no such thing as 'girl' things and 'boy' things" he argued. Well played, little man. I told him it wasn't my choice, unfortunately, but that he was entirely correct. I'm so proud. It's amazing how much of a fight gender normativity is, even at this age, though.

27.
Title: Otherworld Nights
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: June 1, 2015
Rating: ***

28.
Title: A Little Night Murder
Author: Nancy Martin
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: June 3, 2015
Rating: ***1/2

The Blackbird Sisters Mysteries is a series I'm happy to borrow from the library, but not one I would purchase for myself. Like others before, there is a delightful swirl of fancy clothes and society gatherings, with a suspicious death in close proximity. And also like others before, there is questionable character development, and questionable choices, but so goes any cozy mystery. In this episode, a very pregnant Nora is more focused on hiding Lexie, released from prison, and investigating theatre-related deaths than either her society column or the questionable movements of her intended, with a final twist worthy of an arched eyebrow. In the end, though, it's the same good fun - and great clothes - as before, and I'll happily move on to see what madcap adventures she finds herself in as a new mother.

Just passing through and catching up. : ) Good on your little man!

>36 London_StJ: It's a little belated, but Happy 10th Anniversary! :) I'm glad you guys had a good time in NYC.

The Princess in Black has been on my radar for awhile; it looks like a ton of fun! Thanks for sharing the tour stories from Shannon Hale. That is truly sad we still separate people by gender. :(

38 - I agree. But, something good has come from it - it put Hale on my radar, and introduced the boys to a new (positive) story! The gender lines are a hard battle, even as young as my guys are.

29. Burnt Offerings
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Vampires
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Forever ago
Date Completed: June, 2015
Rating:

30.
Title: Obsidian Butterfly
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Vampires
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Forever ago
Date Completed: June 19, 2015
Rating:

Reading some of these books for the third time, I'm noticing paragraph-level errors with increasing frequency - not grammatical errors, but narrative errors. Actions repeat or contradict, Anita will do something and then pointedly not-do-that-thing, etc. I find it interesting both that these glaring errors make it through editing, and that I apparently glossed over them in my own first readings.

That said, I really enjoy Edward books - he's a great balance to the supernatural characters, and stories involving Edward seem to be much better developed. Onward with my series re-read.

31.
Title: Catwoman Volume 1: The Game
Author: Judd Winick and Guillem March
Genre: Comic
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: June 20, 2015
Rating: ***

Although I have not yet researched it specifically, I know there is static over Judd Winick and Guillem March's New 52 revamping of Catwoman: that she is oversexualized to a ridiculous degree (as opposed to the oversexualization of before? Like I said, I haven't read the specific arguments yet). The "look" of the book is compelling, with a level of ridiculousness that keeps it from functioning well - for example, Selena Kyle jumping from her window after having time to collect her pet cats, but not pull one shoulder of her jumpsuit on, so she's in full Catwoman gear with one breast barred in a purple bra. While her actual physique seems to draw on the traditions of the genre, however they are not being challenged in criticism, I'm not yet sure what to make of these particular moments. This Catwoman both is and isn't the one I've read before, and from what I've seen in this first volume, I don't value Winick's protagonist over Brubaker's.

32.
Title: Catwoman Volume 2: Dollhouse
Author: Judd Winick and Guillem March
Genre: Comic
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: June 20, 2015
Rating: ****

The second volume of the New 52 is a bit more even, but I've given it a higher rating really for the introduction of a terrifying and fascinating villain: Dollhouse. That's a story I'd love to see developed.

33.
Title: Gothan City Sirens: Union
Author: Paul Dini and Guilem March
Genre: Comic
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: June 20, 2015
Rating: **

Rubbish.

34.
Title: Batman: Heart of Hush
Author: Paul Dini, Dustin Nguyen, and Derek Fridolfs
Genre: Comic
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: June 24, 2015
Rating: ***1/2

An interesting twist of events, and a rather disturbing image that will likely influence how I see Selena Kyle for some time to come. Comparing these last two book by Dini, it seems that he isn't weak as a comics author, but he is potentially weak as a writer of women in comics. More samples would be needed to say so definitively, of course.

35.
Title: The Girl With the Iron Touch
Author: Kady Cross
Genre: Teen romance/steampunk
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: June 25, 2015
Rating: ***

The Girl with the Iron Touch, or "Why is he being an ass?" with a side of kidnapping and a quick dash of physical conflict. The third in the Steampunk series finds the usual cast of characters back on home turf, and wrestling with the same personal tensions as the previous works. The angst of these relationships continue through Emily's kidnapping and the attempts at a rescue, which is probably the most believable and human point in the plot - life as a whole doesn't stop when something bad happens. It's an easy read, but has very little development throughout, and the conclusion was a bit too easy for my taste. Good for a library read, but not one I'll remember in a year.

36.
Title: Shifting Shadows
Author: Patricia Briggs
Genre: Urban Fantasy; Short Stories
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: July 9, 2015
Rating: ***

I did not enjoy the short stories as much as I do the novels, but it was great to see the first Alpha/Omega.

37.
Title: Medievalisms
Author: Pugh and Weisl
Genre: Cultural Studies
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Coursework
Date Completed: July 10, 2015
Rating: ****

Readable, informative, and interesting, although this is only a survey of ideas and not an in-depth analysis. It was a great way to start the class, and put us in the right mindset.

Adding that last one to my wishlist - looks interesting!

I haven't read Shifting Shadows yet, but I love her work, so I will have to keep an eye out for that one. I just read Night Brokenand Fair Game. : )

I just reordered the next one. I'm horribly ahead of it, but that makes for a nice surprise when it shows up on my doorstep.

38.
Title: Soranus' Gynecology
Author: Trans. Owsei Temkin
Genre: Gynecology
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Coursework
Date Completed: August 2015
Rating: *****

I'm not joking when I say that this may be my new favorite book. From the introduction I wrote for my coursework: "The introduction to Owsei Temkin’s English translation of Soranus’ Gynecology names the second century Greek author as “one of the most learned, critical, and lucid authors of antiquity,” and his gynecological text as “the most important” (xxiii), which Temkin claims “represented ancient gynecological and obstetrical practice at its height” (xxv). As a whole, the material seeks to disseminate knowledge of female reproductive health, beginning with a description of the primary and secondary sexual characteristics unique to women, and including advice on breastfeeding, menopause, and even early development of children. Among the goals of Gynecology is an attempt to clarify superstition and fallacious medical knowledge, such as when Soranus discredits Diocles’ assertion that “there are also what are called suckers, tentacles, and antennae in the cavity of the uterus which are protuberances similar to breasts … in order that the embryo may acquire the habit of sucking the nipples of the breast,” by definitively stating that such observations “are proven wrong by dissection” (13)."

The tone, practices, knowledge and belief all make this a fascinating text, but hilariously comical and outright terrifying. It is quite literally a page turner for anyone marginally interested in maternity studies, motherhood in general, or ancient culture. I was thrilled to work with the text in my own research, and continue to do so whenever I am able.

39.
Title: Inventing the Middle Ages
Author: Norman F. Cantor
Genre: Cultural Studies
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Coursework
Date Completed: July 2015
Rating: ***

Cantor's text is a bestiary of medievalism, offering synopses of major medievalist texts, and (often salacious) biographies of the scholars themselves. Cantor misses a great opportunity in the style of his book, as the poignancy of the latter is often glossed over and left to the reader, when it could be much better directed in order to forward the argument of the text. However, the argument that the person matters in the scholarship is well made, and interesting.

40.
Title: The Shock of Medievalism
Author: Kathleen Biddick
Genre: Cultural Studies
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Coursework
Date Completed: July 2015
Rating: ****

With chapter titles such as "The Devil's Anal Eye," it's clear that Biddick's Shock of Medivalism is attempting to do just that - shock. The major impetus of her essay collection is the acknowledgement of what's missing in medievalist studies, and a desire to redress these shortcomings. Taking a queer lens, Biddick looks to the missing and the othered (such as women and Jews), and demonstrates the value of revisiting old discourses. Not everyone in the course appreciated Biddick's style, but I found her theses to be intriguing, and am guilty of "shock" in my own work.

41.
Title: How Soon is Now?
Author: Carolyn Dinshaw
Genre: Cultural Studies
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Coursework
Date Completed: July 2015
Rating: ****

Dinshaw's text is not unlike Biddick's, in that she is attempting to identifies the holes in medievalist studies, and adopts a queer lens through which to explore them. Also like Biddick, Dinshaw is interested in the other, which she defines through a unique definition of "amateur" scholarship. This definition offers some difficulty throughout the text, as the "amateur" cited is often a professional, if not firmly grounded in the academy. The amateur medievalist is overly romanticized, and a more grounded reading could likely produce even stronger results. Most interesting for me was Dinshaw's reading of the anxiety of origins - where we come from, and how we come to find our place in scholarship.

I have never before taken a class in which we are asked to read whole scholarly texts. I greatly appreciated the experience, even for texts of which I am less fond.

Coursework complete for the summer, I had a few days of vacation to turn to purely-pleasure reads.

Once upon a time I abandoned Victoria Thompson's Gaslight Mystery series for its heavy-handed criticism of queer figures. But some time has passed, and I decided to give it another try. As a whole, many characters and representations remain problematic, but a few raised eyebrows does not interrupt the plot, and is indeed far less problematic than some of the romance novels I've read as of late.

Recognizing that I was no longer hauling around medievlaist texts, my partner asked me what I was reading while we were on the beach. "A mystery" I answered.
"A cozy mystery?"
"Yes. It's about a midwife who solves murders in nineteenth-century New York." {To be fair, I don't know when I last saw Mrs. Brandt deliver a baby...}
"I'm so happy for you!"

42.
Title: Murder on Fifth Avenue
Author: Victoria Thompson
Genre: Mystery
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: August 2015
Rating: ***

43.
Title: Murder in Chelsea
Author: Victoria Thompson
Genre: Mystery
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: August 2015
Rating: ***

44.
Title: Murder in Murray Hill
Author: Victoria Thompson
Genre: Mystery
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: August 2015
Rating: ***

The reading list for my Gothic fiction course was just published, and I couldn't be more excited!

Books I've read
The Beetle (in part)
Uncle Silas (I don't remember this one, though I read it for an MA class)

Books I've read and loved
The Picture of Dorian Gray ! ! ! ! !
The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner
Carmilla

Books I've read and loved and written about
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Dracula

Books I've read and loved and taught
The Island of Doctor Moreau

Books I'm looking forward to reading
Hauntings and Other Fantastic Tales
The Turn of the Screw
She
The Lifted Veil and Brother Jacob

45.
Title: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Vol 2
Author: Alan Moore
Genre: Comic
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: August 13, 2015
Rating: ***

Anticipating some future research, I've been advised to read Alan Moore's Victorian-esque work. I taught the first volume of LXG last semester, and ultimately I found that I don't appreciate Moore's interpretation of Gothic characters. The second volume is slightly better, as some explanations are given for present representations (Mina, Hyde), but ultimately the books are flat with slap-in-the-face allusions. I have From Hell and Lost Girls on my shelf, and I have hopes that they'll prove more interesting.

46.
Title: The Replacement
Author: Brena Yovanoff
Genre: Fantasy
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: August 17, 2015
Rating: ***1/2

The spine of my library book has a sticker that says "Scary." I found the title on a list of books "scarier than any movie." I was intrigued, and looking for something nice and spooky, so I went for it. What I found was not a work of horror at all, but a dark fairy tale. This is not to say that Yovanoff's book is bad, but rather that my impressions have been colored by false advertising, and so while I found the book readable and pleasantly entertaining, I am ultimately unsatisfied. The story is situated in a small town which has been mysteriously (and ominously?) helped and hindered by a supernatural presence, which exacts its payment in a forcible (yet highly traditional) way. A boy uniquely involved in both sides of this exchange steps in with a new perspective, and predictable conflict ensues.

The most legitimately frightening (i.e. disturbing) narrative is a local legend of discrimination, and scapegoating. This book would appeal to anyone drawn to "traditional" fairy stories, which represent not plump godmothers but baby-snatchers and things-that-aren't-quite dead, but not one looking for a more traditional horror or ghost story.

47.
Title: The Killing Joke
Author: Alan Moore
Genre: Comics
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: August 18, 2015
Rating: ****1/2

Continuing research, which is very Alan Moore-heavy at the moment. However, as a fan of Batman (or, more accurately, the villains of the Batman universe), I found The Killing Joke much more compelling than others I've read of late. Having escaped from the Asylum, Joker buys an old amusement park, to use for the expected nafarious purposes. The book is dark and violent and culture, as I would expect from more modern Batman, and the at is strong. The afterward of the book expresses anxiety over offering an origin story for The Joker, whose reality is always to be suspect, but then turns around and suggests that even this origin is untrustworthy -that it, too, could be a manifestation of Joker's madness. I found a great deal of material which would be very useful for my dissertation work, so I have a feeling I'll be returning to this in the future.

48.
Title: Horns
Author: Joe Hill
Genre: Horror
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: August 20, 2015
Rating: ****

Horns is a complicated and interesting narrative about the distinction between the perceived self and reality, and the ways in which people invent narratives to explain the lives and events going on around them. The novel opens a year after Ig's girlfriend Merrin has been murdered, and though he's never been charged, Ig still carries the reputation of a "sex murderer" in his small town in New Hampshire. With Merrin dies all the joy that Ig ever found in life, and the budding horns which appear on his head one hungover morning are just another example of the emotional difficulties he faces. When Ig seeks help for his new condition he instead hears secrets, and quickly learns to use the influence of his horns to his own advantage, eventually discovering what really happened to Merrin, and the whole truth of the last night they spent together. The novel is far from perfect, but I appreciated its philosophical treatment of religion, considering without ever really preaching, and offering some explanations and still ore interpretations. Characters believe, and ultimately the story is not about faith or religion, but rather a deeper kind of truth - the complexity of humans, and the masks we wear everyday. There are moments I absolutely hated (overly-grandiose, or downright useless), but as a whole I appreciated the build, and found the conclusion perfectly satisfactory. This is certainly one I'd recommend.

Class readings have started, and oh, what a joy! My work semester is off to a solid start, and my classes are proving engaging (which is no surprise, considering one of my two classes is Victorian Gothic. I swoon!). I have little time for casual reads, but given my familiarity with the reading list of one class I'm sure it'll be easier than previous semesters. Reaching 75 books, though? Chances are slim.

49.
Title: The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner
Author: James Hogg
Genre: Gothic
Medium: Broadview Paperback
Acquisition: Victorian Gothic
Date Completed: September 1, 2015
Rating: ****

I first read Hogg about a decade ago, for an IS in Gothic literature. I wasn't as invested then as I am now, so my memory of the novel was poor, and this reading was as if the first, with the exception of an understanding of Gil-Martin. I found the text engaging, and class discussion went swimmingly.

50.
Title: Uncle Silas
Author: Sheridan Le Fanu
Genre: Gothic
Medium: Broadview Paperback
Acquisition: Victorian Gothic
Date Completed: September 9, 2015
Rating: *****

This absolute classic should be read immediately by anyone with even a passing interest in traditional Gothic fiction. Le Fanu is a leader of the genre, and his psychological thriller of a horror sets the tone for much that is to come.

I won't write at length about these books, since I already have for class, but I will say that I'm only growing more excited for the rest of the semester.

>50 London_StJ: I'm glad you're in some fun classes and that you're able to read books you love! :) Whether or not you reach 75... meh, don't worry about the numbers. Just enjoy what you're reading! :)

I am indeed! Except for this one I forgot to record before...

51.
Title: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown
Author: Holly Black
Genre: YA Vampire Romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Free download
Date Completed: August 2015
Rating: **

Holly Black's The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is unremarkable and flat - so much so that I had forgotten I finished it several weeks ago. In the swollen genre of vampire romances, Black's lackluster narrative of quarantine and ancient-vampire-falling-for-American-teen adds nothing, and is thoroughly forgettable in its lack of originality and largely two-dimensional characters. It's as silly as the title suggests, and certainly had no place on the list of "Books Scarier than Any Movie," where I found the citation (along with Horns and The Replacement, above). In the end, it serves to prove one thing: no list on the internet is to be trusted.

Now I'm off to read a much better vampire story - "Carmilla" is on the syllabus for Wednesday's class!

Looks like I'll avoid that one like the plague... :)

Your course list looks amazing! How fun is that going to be?! And I will avoid your latest book....Can't all be winners.

Ha! It's probably not worth your valuable time, but I see that my reading is int he minority here on LT.

52.
Title: The Lifted Veil
Author: George Eliot
Genre: Gothic
Medium: Penguin Classics
Acquisition: Victorian Gothic
Date Completed: September 16, 2015
Rating: ***

George Eliot is highly regarded for her skill as a realist novelist, and so her place in a gothic lit course is at first curious. The Lifted Veil, though, shows that even Eliot's foray into the uncanny is grounded in her realist talents. In class tonight my colleagues and I agreed that the protagonist does not necessary possess the powers he professes, but rather manifests his beliefs out of his own desperation to prove himself special, unique, and more extraordinary than his brother (to the surprise of our instructor!). In the end, the story is far more grounded in science and reality, and I would argue is more engaging than a reading of the supernatural (especially in light of much stronger supernatural narratives).

53
Title: Carmilla
Author: J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Genre: Gothic
Medium: Broadview
Acquisition: Victorian Gothic
Date Completed: September 16, 2015
Rating: *****

Oh my, how I love Le Fanu's novella, and the complicated and awkward relationship of Laura and Carmilla. Most of my thoughts are directed towards my term paper, but I wanted to remark on the original illustrations, included in this edition. David Henry Friston and Michael Fitzgerald provide the original artwork, with wildly differing styles - the later seemingly inspired by the Romantics, and the former marketing for the salacious. The visual rhetoric is charged and curious and worthy of its own in-depth consideration.

"Carmilla" is an essential read for anyone invested in vampire mythology and the narrative history of the character.

A five-star! Nice. I think I will have to find that one for a perfect October read. You aren't the Haunted Halls for nothing! ; )

I like it that way! It was a class read, but one I've read several times before. Jekyll and Hyde is up next, which is one I know well, and also enjoy.

54.
Title: Narcissus in Chains
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Too long to remember
Date Completed: September 21, 2015
Rating: ***

I managed to sneak in a junky read, so I jumped back into my in-order Anita Blake resolution. Anita is trying to lead the pack of wereleopards she left alpha-less, but riding in on her white hose leads to a series of Unfortunate Events, culminating in bodies on the ground and in her bed, solutions founds and problems complicated. This installment introduces Micah into the mix, and those with Issues continue to have Issues. Narcissus in Chains wasn't nearly as engaging the second (or was it third?) time around, but I'm also neck-deep in great research, so it may be hard to compete. My favorite character is the titular werehyena, although he/she makes only the briefest of appearances. A hermaphroditic lycanthrope who presents male and dresses femininely? How could I resist?!

55.
Title: Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Author: Robert Louis Stevenson
Genre: Gothic
Medium: Broadview
Acquisition: Victorian Gothic
Date Completed: September 22, 2015
Rating: *****

I'm not including a cover photo because a) the Broadview I read isn't available, and b) I'm slightly bothered by the use of the article "the," which Stevenson does not use in his original.

Stevenson's tale of a person divided comes to him in two feverish dreams, and is hastily scrawled while the author is confined to his bed. The first version he wrote, however, is lost to the ages; Stevenson's wife criticized the early draft, saying he "missed it completely." His stepson describes Stevenson's fury, during which he threw the entire manuscript into the fire. The second draft of the narrative is much better received, called a work of genius by the same stepson, and is popularly published in 1886. Stevenson didn't care much for its popularity, assuming it mean it wasn't a very good work after all, although he wrote in a letter to a critic friend that he did enjoy the income of publishing successfully.

Three years ago I included this novella in a reading of alternative maternity, and a year ago I taught it as part of a course on "missing" stories. Class conversation was lively and thoughtful, and I left my own re-reading struck by how amoral Dr. Jekyll remains throughout the text, and found a renewed consideration of inheritance to be very useful to my earlier thesis.

56.
Title: She
Author: H. Rider Haggard
Genre: Gothic
Medium: Broadview
Acquisition: Victorian Gothic
Date Completed: September , 2015
Rating: ***

H. Rider Haggard's She is awkward prose saturated in brooding and claustrophobic descriptions of surroundings. Though the adventure gothic is initially popular (selling 20,000 copies in its first month), I found it difficult to invest myself in the narrative, and often grew frustrated. The consideration of Victorian death culture, exemplified by the burning of mummies for light, of course caught my interest, but these fleeting moments of grotesque horror are not enough for me to rate this novel highly for enjoyment. It's certainly worth reading for a better consideration of the breadth of the genre, and can incite interesting discussion, but isn't one I'd pick up again for personal enjoyment. I was so excited to read this tale, and was sorely disappointed.

As usual, Broadview wins for useful editions, and fantastic covers.

57.
Title: Cerulean Sins
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Too long to remember
Date Completed: October 2 2015
Rating: ***

Although the trajectory is a long one, Cerulean Sins may well be the tipping point at which Anita Blake books become less about police consulting, vampire slaying, and zombie-raising, and more about metaphysical sex and the psychology of supernaturals. The court case of this volume is peripheral, and arguably useless; it's an opportunity to keep favorite characters (Zebronski) active, while offering little by way of development or interest; the conclusion is itself gratuitous. I've long offered the terms "vintage Blakers" and "progressive Blakers" to distinguish between two fan bases of the series - those who prefer the police-consultant-Blake, and those who enjoy the sexual narratives - and my current re-reading of the series has challenged my own camp. While I don't mind the evolution of the series, I find that the plot lines are more careless and less neat when the focus becomes the ardeur over Blake's professional escapades. I also have no patience for the excessively "emo" characters which accompany the later. Add in inconsistency - for example, Anita realizing that Musette is not Master enough to tell if she's lying, and then her later insistence that Asher is in trouble because Musette can sense a lie - and the novel is not nearly as satisfying as I found it the first time.

58.
Title: The Picture of Dorian Gray
Author: Oscar Wilde
Genre: Gothic
Medium: Broadview
Acquisition: Victorian Gothic
Date Completed: October 7, 2015
Rating: *****

59.
Title: Cultural Politics of Emotion
Author: Sara Ahmed
Genre: Affect Theory
Medium: Papeback
Acquisition: Theories of Culture
Date Completed: October 2015
Rating: ****

60.
Title: The Island of Doctor Moreau
Author: H. G. Wells
Genre: Gothic
Medium: Broadview
Acquisition: Victorian Gothic
Date Completed: October 14, 2015
Rating: *****

61.
Title: Dracula
Author: Bram Stoker
Genre: Gothic
Medium: Broadview
Acquisition: Victorian Gothic
Date Completed: October 21, 2015
Rating: *****

For my course I completed a reading of masculinities in the novel, questioning the roles of men and identifying the threat of Dracula. I read some great secondary sources, and pushed my readings of the novel forward beyond my previous scholarship; it was a very useful exercise.

62.
Title: The Beetle
Author: Richard Marsh
Genre: Gothic
Medium: Broadview
Acquisition: Victorian Gothic
Date Completed: October 28, 2015
Rating: *****

This atmospheric, threatening, and engaging story, told from four points of view, was actually more popular than Dracula at the time, and its horror well-translates to the modern reader. I devoured the text and its complexities, and can't wait to read its problematic representations for my term paper. The question of why this fell out of favor is unanswered; fans of the gothic should seek this out at once!

63.
Title: The Turn of the Screw
Author: Henry James
Genre: Gothic
Medium: Broadview
Acquisition: Victorian Gothic
Date Completed: November 4, 2015
Rating: ****

The Turn of the Screw is a typical Victorian ghost story, featuring an isolated and abandoned governess and her two mysterious charges. Though my professor challenged my reading, I maintain that the children are themselves the most threatening figures in the story, and find that this reading is far more engaging.

64.
Title: Fun Home
Author: Alison Bechdel
Genre: Comic Memoir
Medium: Broadview
Acquisition: Victorian Gothic
Date Completed: November 10, 2015
Rating: *****

This was my second reading of Bechel's graphic memoir, after approximately nine years, this time for a class on affect theory. Bechdel's illustrations and voice are compelling, and her struggle with her father's suicide and the development of her personal identity will engage the reader from the very beginning. For class, we are framing our conversation through Jose Munoz's "disidentification," with great success.

65.
Title: Othello
Author: Shakespeare
Genre: Drama
Medium: Folger
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: November 10, 2015
Rating: *****

Man, those are some great reads. What a great course!!! Totally jealous. : )

Book #63
I think that professors secretly love it when students present a differing opinion to their own. It's certainly a great conversation topic! I was flummoxed by The Turn of the Screw, it's certainly not my genre, nor my time zone for reading.mbut I love the idea of rereads with different aspects of it in mind...

63> Both the gothic course and the affect course were amazing. I'm working on my term papers now, and it's both exciting and terrifying. I gave a smashing paper on Fun Home a couple of weeks ago for Affect, and I don't think I'm going to be able to meet it.

64> I agree - it's one of the things I like best about teaching. The most exciting time is when a student comes up with something that's just so darn smart, that I've never thought of before. It's wonderful!

66.
Title: Manners and Mutiny
Author: Gail Carriger
Genre: Steampunk YA
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Preorder
Date Completed: November 14, 2015
Rating: ****1/2

Manners and Mutiny is the final installment of Carriger's Finishing School series, which works backwards from Parasol Protectorate to develop the history of some familiar faces. The plot is consistent with the rest of the series, and actually develops characters from the beginning, which I appreciate. As a whole I didn't find it to be the most thrilling, but it did follow through with much that was promised, and for that I appreciated it. A clean finish.

67.
Title: Incubus Dreams
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Ancient History
Date Completed: November 2015
Rating: ***

It's been interesting reading this series straight through for the first time, in fairly close order (not back to back, because teaching and grade school, but certainly closer than before). I'm tempted to say that Incubus Dreams is the book that signals the full shift of Anita Blake from profession to personal; earlier texts introduce some kind of balance between Anita's jobs as an animator and consultant, but in Incubus Dreams that balance is nearly gone - it's almost entirely personal. This is significant because one would thing serial killer vampires coming to time would register more on her professional level, but even the vampire side is marginalized for sex scenes. I maintain that I don't have a preference for the two sides - I accept the development for what it is - but the moral grandstanding and angst can be a bit difficult to swallow when reading them so close together.

I like Nathaniel.

Also, in the course of research I came across an academic chapter on Anita Blake called "Sleeping With the Enemy." Fun. Perhaps I'll read it, when my real research is through.

68.
Title: Waiting for Godot
Author: Samuel Beckett
Genre: Theatre of the Absurd
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work Text
Date Completed: December 3, 2015
Rating: *****

I love Waiting for Godot, and all of its wonderful potential and confusion and mess and dirt and philosophy. I love twisting and turning and trying on new ideas, and I love the discussions that come from my students. This semester I taught Godot (briefly) through the framework of the "politics of waiting," asking my students to read this account of a production at San Quentin (pages 19-21), this great article on historically significant productions, and Rich Cluchey's interiew. We ended on a high note.

69.
Title: Micah
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Ancient History
Date Completed: December 4, 2015
Rating: **1/2

Micah is a brief hiccup of a novel which barely accomplishes one thing - finally sharing the story of Micah's infection. It's fairly useless, and could have been much better shared in a longer narrative. It was literally over before I knew it - I went from saying, "I'm nearly done, so I'm just going to finish before bed" to "Oh, that's it" in about two breaths. In the end, it's not such a bad thing, since I was only picking up a book to take a one-evening break from research and grading, and I easily got through the whole thing. Onwards through the series; once I'm done with Anita I intend to read all of Discworld in order, which is something else I've never done.

70.
Title: The Stepford Wives
Author: Ira Levin
Genre: Horror (Yes, I say horror)
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: End-of-semester treat
Date Completed: December 15, 2015
Rating: *****

The plot of Ira Levin's suburban novel is so well known that its title has become lexicon - "Stepford" alludes to an eerie kind of perfection and conformity that implies a lack of personhood or deep thought. This is precisely what Levin creates in his novel about a young family moving from the city to the suburbs, and finding that their previously-motivated female neighbors have all adopted the mien of a "housefrau" (Levin's word) over their earlier ambitions.

Films do not do Levin's novel justice; the original narrative has a simple and concise elegance that the 2004 rendition, for example, has no hope of reaching. It tries to do too much, give too many answers, be too progressive, when Levin did it all so much better. There's not much more I can say without spoiling a few things, so I'll simply say that I highly recommend it.

71.
Title: The Harlequin
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Disappointment
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Goodness knows when
Date Completed: December 27, 2015
Rating: **

"I don't do women" said Sylvie. Sylvie Baker. The werewolf. The lesbian werewolf. The lesbian werewolf whose rape is registered as all the more horrific for her sexual identity, and whose lesbian partner is also recognized in the series.

After-the-fact, I remembered having a very big problem with this narrative slip the first time I read it, and it seems all the more careless and sophomoric in the rereading. Laurell K. Hamilton is certainly not the first best-selling author to suffer from continuity errors, nor will she be the last. I have a difficult time accepting errors in defining characteristics, however, especially when the protagonist is herself so bigoted against said-characteristic (Anita is an admitted homophobe at this point in the series).

It also occurred to me this time around that the narrative must be extraordinarily dull for anyone standing outside of Anita's inner dialogue; the action, exposition, and development all take place almost exclusively in Anita's head, or through mind-to-mind communication between a few characters. From the outside it must look like a lot of mute posturing, staring off into space, and then sudden explosions of physical violence and/or Anita screaming.

I've never minded the developing sex, and prefer an active Anita to her prudish early self, but at this point in the series I can understand why so many long-time fans gave up on her. I won't, because I know better things are coming, but this mid-series lull isn't making it easy to carry through with my plan of reading everything in order, for once.

72.
Title: Rosemary's Baby
Author: Ira Levin
Genre: Horror
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: End-of-semester treat
Date Completed: December 28, 2015
Rating: *****

Rosemary's Baby, written seven years before Stepford Wives, shows that Levin's claim to subtle horror is no accident, and his simplistic style and even pacing belie the potential for emotional impact. Like many others, I came to Rosemary's Baby through the Mia Farrow film, so the conclusion was well known to me when I began the story; blissfully, I have forgotten nearly everything else, so I lose no pleasure in the reading. I envy those who are not familiar with the plots for their ability to approach Levin cold, taking what he has to say without the lens flare of Hollywood production.

At its core, Rosemary's Baby seems like a rehearsal for Stepford Wives, utilizing the same cultural politics as motivation for a resoundingly creepy tale. Though relying on the supernatural instead of the mysterious ad potentially scientific, Rosemary's Baby carries the same flavor, and the same potential for alarm. Levin wants his readers to question those they know best and trust most, which is where his true horror lies. Again, highly recommend. What a treat.

An interesting tidbit:
Mr. Levin was less pleased, however, at the tide of popular Satanism his work appeared to unleash.

“I feel guilty that ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ led to ‘The Exorcist,’ ‘The Omen,’” he told The Los Angeles Times in 2002. “A whole generation has been exposed, has more belief in Satan. I don’t believe in Satan. And I feel that the strong fundamentalism we have would not be as strong if there hadn’t been so many of these books.”

“Of course,” Mr. Levin added, “I didn’t send back any of the royalty checks.”
-The New York Times

Part of me wants to end there - short of 75, but with a really great read.

73.
Title: Breed
Author: Chase Novak
Genre: Horror
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Conference colleague rec
Date Completed: December 30, 2015
Rating: ****

When a fellow panelist discovered I was the one who put together two panels on Monstrous Maternity, her first reaction was to suggest this book. It's taken me a couple of years to get around to it, but boy, I'm glad I did.

The premise is a familiar (first-world?) problem: fertility. Specifically, the narrative follows a high-powered, old-money New York couple as their struggle to produced the paternally-desired heir drives them to the extreme treatments offered by an Eastern European doctor, who happens to have an astounding success rate. Their initial experiences are shady enough to be cringe-worthy, and the tone of the early chapters is wonderfully ominous, with strong pacing. Immediately after the treatments the couple begins behaving strangely, but they get what they paid for when they have twins (...) five months later. The second half of the novel rediscovers the family ten years later, and explores the side effects of those strange fertility treatments.

The critique of fertility treatments and genetic manipulation is heady stuff, and unabashedly critical; the relationships and cultural institutions that spur the narrative are complex and contentious, giving space for consideration to impetuses both big and small. That said Novak doesn't go to great lengths to drive home social messages, and I'd think the novel could well be enjoyed for the slow creep of a horror it is, without becoming beleaguered by politics.

When I described the plot to my partner, a little more explicitly than here, since I didn't have to worry about spoilers, he responded, "You know why he wrote that book, right? To have it made into a movie." Perhaps - it'd make a really great flick. But it's a pretty good read on its own, and one I'd recommend to readers of modern horror.

74.
Title: Pirates Past Noon
Author: Mary Pope Osborne
Genre: Early Chapter Book
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: It's the 7-year-old's
Date Completed: December 9, 2015
Rating:

First-Born was far more prepared for a trip to the dentist than I, so I borrowed his initiative and his chapter book during his cleaning. I don't know that I've ever read such an early chapter book before, and I think I'd like to try to get him into something with a little more thought, but it's a neat (and very very very brief) introduction to different places and times, and he likes them well enough.

Fall Semester: Endless articles; 296 student essays (3-6 pages each) plus student classwork/prewriting

Charlie's very into the Magic Tree House books, too. There will be substance later on - I'm just happy that he's practicing his reading skills at this point...

I agree! I won't discourage B from reading anything, but I hope to entice him with other books. I thought the illustrated Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone would be a good start - a good chapter book with plenty of pretty pictures to make it a bit less intimidating.