No one who had ever seen Catherine Morland in her infancy, would have supposed her born to be a heroine. I was thrilled when Adam announced that he was planning to reinstate his Austen in August reading event. I have reread all my Austen's multiple times, of course, but I have more than one edition … Continue reading The Annotated Northanger Abbey | Jane Austen & David M. Shapard #CCspin
Jamaica Inn was my latest CC spin choice. I also realised recently that I would be able to join in Heavenali's Daphne Du Maurier reading week too, provided I got my review done on time. So here we go!My Du Maurier journey began many, many years ago when I read Rebecca, undoubtedly her most famous novel. … Continue reading Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier
Reading Frankenstein for the first time was a curious thing. We all think we know the story. At least, I thought I did. I was expecting a slock-horror story full of scary, lurking, creeping monster moments with lots of people screaming and fleeing his terrible claws. I didn't get this. I also hadn't appreciated that … Continue reading Frankenstein | Mary Shelley
The Classics Club Gothic Book Tag coincides with the clubs #CCdare challenge for October to read a classic book that scares you, thrills you or challenges you somehow. I've been reading Mary Shelley's Frankenstein for the very first time, in tandem with a bio by Charlotte Gordon about Shelley and her mother Mary Wollstonecraft, Romantic … Continue reading Gothic Book Tag
Who knew that when I decided to join in Marg @Books in Bloom's #Frankenfest as my #CCdare choice for October, that I would be opening up a can of worms simply by reading the Preface! I'm reading the 1999 Wordsworth Classics edition that includes the original 1817 Preface by Percy Bysshe Shelley as well as … Continue reading Frankenstein | Mary Shelley – The Preface
My intention this year was to read through my handful of Iris Murdoch books with Liz @Adventures in Reading for her #IMreadalong. She's reading all of them, one a month, in chronological order. I only have to slot in five books, but so far I've been woeful at sticking to her schedule. Fortunately Liz has … Continue reading The Unicorn by Iris Murdoch
For Angela Carter Week I've been reading my way through her short story collection, The Bloody Chamber.I've already reviewed the title story, The Bloody Chamber and the three cat stories. This post is dedicated to the remaining stories in the collection.The Erl-King was an unusual story based on a German folk story that I was … Continue reading Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber – the rest!
The Courtship of Mr Lyon and The Tiger's Bride are the next two tales in Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber anthology. These two are based on the fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast.I was a little let down, but only a little, after the heady, gothic delights of The Bloody Chamber. They seemed less … Continue reading Angela Carter – the cat stories.
The Bloody Chamber is the main story in Angela Carter's short story collection, of the same name, first published in 1979.It turned out to be a tremendous way for me to start off Angela Carter Week. The general consensus seems to be that it is one of her most perfectly constructed tales. Full of evocative … Continue reading The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter
I'm excited!Caroline from Beauty Is A Sleeping Cat is co-hosting Angela Carter Week withDelia from Postcards From Asia .Caroline has a fabulous post (link above) highlighting all of Carter's books while Delia has a list of all the participants (link above). For me half the fun of a readalong is meeting new bloggers and becoming reacquainted with … Continue reading Angela Carter Week Begins
Well, this is a lovely little find.Caroline @Beauty Is A Sleeping Cat and Delia @Postcards From Asia are co-hosting an Angela Carter month on their blogs.I have a copy of The Bloody Chamber which I've been meaning to read for simply ages.(Actually, I started reading it years ago but for some reason I didn't finish it.)It will … Continue reading Angela Carter Week 8 – 15th June 2014
My Cousin Rachel was my lucky number #4 for the latest Classics Club Spin. It's a book I've been wanting to read ever since 2007, when I read my first Du Maurier, Mary Ann, whilst travelling around the UK. It was love at first sight. After a recent run of factual, matter-of-fact books, I was … Continue reading My Cousin Rachel | Daphne Du Maurier
As most of you know by now, vampire/werewolf literature is not really my thing. But every now and again I feel obligated to give one a go. I tried Twilight three years ago when B14 was reading it. I read 6 or 7 chapters. I could see the appeal during the set-up stage, but by the … Continue reading The Highgate Vampire | Asa Bailey
I reluctantly picked up Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick. It's black and red cover with a looming dracula-like figure hiding a knife behind it's back, did not really look like my kind of book. But I wanted to read something by Marcus Sedgwick as I had heard good things about him. Midwinterblood turned out to be a "don't … Continue reading Midwinterblood | Marcus Sedgwick
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