• Book Reviews

    The Clockmaker’s Daughter

    The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton My rating: 1 of 5 stars I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.Kate Morton used to be one of my all-time favourite authors. During the time I was reading her first three books, I was not to be disturbed. I was enchanted and pulled into her skilled way of storytelling. Sadly, with her fourth book, The Secret Keeper, I began to notice a change in her writing style. This continued with The Lake House and now with her most recent publication The Clockmaker’s Daughter. I missed her old way of telling a rich story…

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  • Book Reviews

    Rime of the Ancient Mariner

    Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge My rating: 4 of 5 stars A required reading for my zombie/vampire seminar, this was my second time reading this poem; however, I can’t remember when or where I had first come across it. I can vaguely remember someone in a class-setting talking about the mariner and facilitating some sort of discussion, but the details elude me, which really bothers me.Anyway, I think I have always preferred Coleridge to Shelley or Byron. I appreciate his skill for creating an eerie mood in his poems that is just perfect for what he is trying to accomplish.The poem itself isn’t my favourite, but…

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  • Book Reviews

    The Death of Halpin Frayser

    The Death of Halpin Frayser by Ambrose Bierce My rating: 4 of 5 stars Another required reading for my zombie/vampire seminar.For some reason this story reminded me of the movie “The Labyrinth” with David Bowie. It could be because I had recently watched it and it was still fresh in my memory, but I assume it had something to do with the dream like sequence in the story. It’s that almost fantastic and otherworldly always reminds me a bit of classic 80’s fantasy movies. Although, this story had quite a bit of blood in it, so I would suggest not reading it whilst eating.The writing was quite nonchalant with a…

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  • Book Reviews

    It

    It by Stephen King My rating: 3 of 5 stars ***********Warning: Contains Spoilers************** I feel like I have accomplished a rite of passage by finishing Stephen King’s It. I did it! It took me over a year to do so, with long breaks in between reading it, but I can honestly say that I have read it from beginning to end. I must apologize for this unusual review, which will contain spoilers. Normally, I refrain from discussing a book and strictly stick to only providing an opinion on it, but I pretty much spent a year of my life reading it, so much happens in it and it is so…

  • Book Reviews

    The Castle of Otranto

    The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole My rating: 4 of 5 stars This was my first assigned reading for my Zombie/Vampire in literature graduate seminar and half the time I was chuckling and the other half I could feel goosebumps rising up my arms.The prince reminded me of the Queen of Hearts from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, constantly shouting “off with their heads”, while the other characters only took him half seriously and dealt with the conflicts in the story.The story in itself was rather spooky with perfectly placed eerie details, including the general feel of knights and chivalry and the Gothic atmosphere.Overall, widely considered the first English Gothic…

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  • Book Reviews

    Uncle Scrooge and Donald Duck: The Richest Duck in the World

    Uncle Scrooge and Donald Duck: The Richest Duck in the World by Don Rosa My rating: 5 of 5 stars A great conclusion to the narration of Uncle Scrooge’s life story. It was funny. It was sad. It contained adventure and intrigue. I appreciated and marvelled over the art work especially in this volume, which focused even more in the fine details in the background that gave a little extra dose of humour.

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