My wife and I are unapologetic book lovers. Every birthday, anniversary, or major holiday involves an exchange of books. While browsing the shelves of Kinokuniya, a Japanese bookstore, I happened upon The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa. A novel told from the point of view of a cat? The perfect gift. Continue reading
Although I’m deep into a research project, I still find myself reading during my leisure time. I just can’t keep away from printed matter. As the weather improves and the days grow longer, I hope to spend many hours with a book in hand. Preferably outside.
Every October, I celebrate the Halloween season by reading a collection or two of ghost stories. I fell in love with such tales during my childhood.
Recently, I happened upon an excellent documentary on the author H.P. Lovecraft. In this film, John Carpenter, famous for directing Halloween and other genre classics, recollected first encountering the writings of Lovecraft. Carpenter’s father gave him a copy of Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural, an anthology containing several Lovecraft stories. Continue reading
While recently browsing in Little City Books, my favorite bookstore on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River, I happened across When the English Fall by David Williams. The book was marked as a 2017 indie favorite. Trusting the curatorial instincts of the staff, I bought the novel.
I’m happy that I did.
In early March, I attended a reading by Helene Stapinski at WORD in Jersey City, New Jersey. Due to the (correctly) predicted blizzard, I briefly considered heading straight home after work. I was glad that I didn’t.
