Review: The World of Lore: Monstrous Creatures by Aaron Mahnke

The World of Lore: Monstrous Creatures by Aaron Mahnke

Release Date: October 2017

Publisher: Del Ray Books

Type: Adult

Pages: 299

Series: The World of Lore

Summary: They live in shadows--deep in the forest, late in the night, in the dark recesses of our minds. They're spoken of in stories and superstitions, relics of an unenlightened age, old wives' tales, passed down through generations. Yet no matter how wary and jaded we have become, as individuals or as a society, a part of us remains vulnerable to them: werewolves and wendigos, poltergeists and vampires, angry elves and vengeful spirits.

In this beautifully illustrated volume, the host of the hit podcast Lore serves as a guide on a fascinating journey through the history of these terrifying creatures, exploring not only the legends but what they tell us about ourselves. Aaron Mahnke invites us to the desolate Pine Barrens of New Jersey, where the notorious winged, red-eyed Jersey Devil dwells. He delves into harrowing accounts of cannibalism--some officially documented, others the stuff of speculation . . . perhaps. He visits the dimly lit rooms where seances take place, the European villages where gremlins make mischief, even Key West, Florida, home of a haunted doll named Robert.

In a world of "emotional vampires" and "zombie malls," the monsters of folklore have become both a part of our language and a part of our collective psyche. Whether these beasts and bogeymen are real or just a reflection of our primal fears, we know, on some level, that not every mystery has been explained and that the unknown still holds the power to strike fear deep in our hearts and souls. As Aaron Mahnke reminds us, sometimes the truth is even scarier than the lore.

My Review:

One of my friends told me to listen to the Lore Podcast for a spooky time! Anyone who has read my blog for a long period of time will notice that I love spooky paranormal type books and The World of Lore is right up my alley! This book is a companion to Aaron Mahnke's amazing podcast. It contains a lot of the podcast episode scripts plus a few extra stories!

My favorite thing about Lore is that they are real stories. Mahnke did not make these up. He has done his research and these are all real folklore and the history behind them! Mahnke is one of the best storytellers I have ever encountered. He talks to you, he tells you the story instead of just relating it. He uses colloquial language and yet remains lyrical. While he knows he is writing for a wide range of people he is also able to make it seem as if he is writing just for a single reader, just for you. He is funny at times, but never cheaply, he takes his work seriously as you can tell how important these truths are to him. And the stories, most importantly, always gives me chills down my spine. He pauses in all the right places to maximize, for lack of better term, the spookiness factor. Mahnke doesn't just tell you these spooky stories though, he touches on why these stories are important to us and why they resonate with readers.

I couldn't pick just one favorite tale as I like all of them, but there are some that stand out. Some of the stories are ones that I was already familiar with such as the one about Robert the Doll (“Unboxed”) and the gremlins (“Tampered”). But most stories I had never heard of such as the Beast of Bray Road (“Trees and Shadows”), John McMillian's grave site (“Dinner at the Afterglow”), and the Phelps' Haunting (“Passing Notes”). All of these stories stick out in my head because each of these, to me, were some of the creepiest!

This review is for the book, but to be honest I recommend listening to the podcast more as I think Mahnke's readings of these stories enhance their spookiness factor exponentially. I do encourage you to check out this book, though if you already love the podcast or if you prefer to read your stories. Personally, I plan on getting my own copy as soon as I can because I do adore the podcast, but also because it is great to have a hardcopy to reference. Also, because of the crazy macabre artwork by M.S. Corely! I think this artwork enhances Mahnke's words. It takes the place of the cadence of Mahnke's voice and adds that missing factor!

The entire World of Lore is incredible and I was excited to find out that Monstrous Creatures is only the first collection that Mahnke is planning! I for one cannot wait to read Wicked Mortals and Dreadful Places (out this May and October respectively)! I hope that these books bring a lot of attention to the podcast as well so that Aaron Mahnke can continue telling us these amazing, true, and spooky tales!

~Laura! 

Review: Victoria the Queen by Julia Baird

Victoria: The Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire by Julia Baird

Release Date: November 22^nd, 2016

Publisher: Random House

Type: Adult Non-Fiction Biography

Pages: 752

Summary: Drawing on previously unpublished papers, Victoria: The Queen is a new portrait of the real woman behind the myth—a story of love and heartbreak, of devotion and grief, of strength and resilience.

Fifth in line to the throne at the time of her birth, Victoria was an ordinary woman thrust into an extraordinary role. As a girl, she defied her mother’s meddling and an adviser’s bullying, forging an iron will of her own. As a teenage queen, she eagerly grasped the crown and relished the freedom it brought her. At twenty years old, she fell passionately in love with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, eventually giving birth to nine children. She loved sex and delighted in power. She was outspoken with her ministers, overstepping boundaries and asserting her opinions. After the death of her adored Albert, she began a controversial, intimate relationship with her servant John Brown. She survived eight assassination attempts over the course of her lifetime. And as science, technology, and democracy were dramatically reshaping the world, Victoria was a symbol of steadfastness and security—queen of a quarter of the world’s population at the height of the British Empire’s reach.

Drawing on sources that include revelations about Victoria’s relationship with John Brown, Julia Baird brings to life the story of a woman who struggled with so many of the things we do today: balancing work and family, raising children, navigating marital strife, losing parents, combating anxiety and self-doubt, finding an identity, searching for meaning.

My Review:

This book came highly recommended to me by a coworker. She said that the writing was very readable for a biography and that she wished the author had written more books. I can't agree more! Julia Baird did an amazing thing with Victoria the Queen. I had previously seen the movie Young Victoria and I had seen the Doctor Who episode “Tooth and Claw” that featured am elderly Victoria. One featured a young, driven, mischievous woman who was a abused as a child yet was still fierce, laughed easily, and fell in love completely. I could not connect that woman with the old, grieving woman who was “not amused.” What had happened to completely change her? I knew it dealt with Albert's death but I didn't know how.

Baird's tome, because any other word won't do a book of this magnitude justice, is rich in details. The sheer amount of research that she had to do to create this masterpiece blows my mind. I also live that she has new information that had never been published widely before. Victoria is a queen who has been misconstrued for years. Baird cleared up a lot of these notions. She was given full access to everything. During her research she found some of the important things such as Victoria's relationship with John Brown that hadn't been published before. Baird published everything she could to complete Victoria's story despite the Royal archivists advising her not to. I think that because of this new information and the tasteful way Baird handled Victoria's entire life the biography was incredibly readable. In fact, I forgot that it wasn't a historical novel at times and it was hard to put down.

Victoria led a magnificent life. A life that, unlike most, has distinct sections: childhood, teenage queen, life with Albert, life without him, life with Brown, and finally life without him. Each part of her life was equally important and fascinating. I was most interested in her life with and without Albert because I knew that she considered her time with him the most important of her life. Before marrying Albert, Victoria was insistent that she did not need a husband that, she was perfectly capable of managing the country all by herself. I admired that a woman dug her heels in and refused to do anything she didn't want to because she knew she was the most powerful woman in the world. She used that power to her advantage all of the time from keeping Lord Melbourne in office to marrying who she deemed worthy. All that changed when she married Albert though.

Baird paints a mixed picture of Albert. An extraordinary intellect who wanted power not just to have it but to use it to help the British people. At times I loved what he was trying to do for his adopted country but I was also annoyed that he just kept trying to take over the sovereign. His ambition was too much for his place at times, but his ethic and moral code was admirable. While Victoria was pregnant she went from not allowing him anywhere near anything to do with her work to basically handing everything over to him. During this period and for years after his death she insisted that he was the one who kept the country going because she simply couldn't due to being a woman. No, she allowed him to do it because she believed he was better than she. In the years following his death she belittled herself to make Albert seem larger than life and I don't believe it. Victoria was extraordinary in her own right. After decades without Albert, Victoria found her way back to being that headstrong young Queen. From talking to her troops to consoling fellow widows, she was an active monarch who had a hand in all things.

Baird's biography went into details about the good and the bad. She addressed rumors and misconceptions, she treated everything with the same critical non-biased eye that one expects from a great biography. At over 700 pages long (this includes the notes and introduction, the bibliography and index) it took me quite a while to read. As such, I found myself thinking about Victoria and her time often. Even if you only have the slightest interest in Victoria this biography is worth a read. 

~Laura!

Review:Some Book-Hunting Adventures: A Diversion by R.S. Garnett

Some Book-Hunting Adventures: A Diversion by R.S. Garnett

Release Date: 1931

Publisher: William Blackwood & Sons Ltd.

Pages: 318

Source: Library (but I wish to buy it soon!)

Summary: R.S. Garnett was asked to write stories about how he came to own some of the books in his collection.

Review: 

I was in the stacks of my library, doing my job, when the title of this book caught my eye and I knew I had to read it. I kind of feel like no one else has read this book, mostly because I had to create its Goodreads page myself, but also because even though it is from the 30’s it is in great condition. I really like the idea of me being the only person to discover this book among the millions of books on our tiers. It also gave me an idea for a new feature on this blog that I will tell you all about at a later date.

            This book is a collection of stories about how Garnett came to own some of his books. Some he bought for himself, some were given to him by various people, and some came to him in strange ways indeed. This book was surprisingly readable. What I mean to say is that it seems that this book was written like a very long letter to the man who asked him about his adventures. Indeed, sometimes I lost track of what was happening because of the inside jokes between Garnett and this man in a monkey hut to whom he dedicated the book to. And yet, despite, maybe even because of this intimacy I adored this book.

            Some of the later tales in the book did not interest me, but the earlier ones caught my imagination and wouldn’t let go. His first Book Hunting Adventure is of a book he found in a small shop with a pretty girl. So pretty in fact that he forgot to pay for his find and when he went back the next day to right his wrong the shop and the girl had disappeared entirely. Then there is the adventure where he gained Trelawny’s “Recollections of the Last Days of Shelley and Byron” because of an act of kindness to a favorite bookseller who was out on his luck. Garnett tells humorous tales of how he gained a series of books by setting up a practical joke on his wife to countless encounters with odd booksellers and patrons alike. He even tells of his adventures that involve the meeting of a couple very strange poets. R.S. Garnett came by his books in such fantastic ways that it almost seems a fantasy.

Then perhaps my favorite is the tale of his cousin, the Guv’nor and the fishing trip. They talked of the books they enjoyed and the next morning the Guv’nor had sent along some of the books as well as a bag of Roman snails including, “one specially large snail, which I called ‘Dunstan,’ [that] I retained as a pet for several years. He knew me well, and was in every respect, for a snail, an intellectual monster.” (22). Throughout each tale there are witty one liners and great observations of the human character, as well as the whimsy of fortune that guides a booklover to attain his beloved books that made me love this book. If you can find it, I encourage you to read these “Adventures.”

~Laura!

My Favorite Stories to Read in October!

October is one of my favorite months because it gives me an excuse to read scary stories. I decided to make a list of stories that have scared me as well as entertained me in the past. 

Jade Green by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

 Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake 

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

 The Mediator series by Meg Cabot

 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving 

Past Midnight series by Mara Purnhagen

 The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs 

The Scary Stories Treasury by Alvin Schwartz 

Collected Works of Edgar Allan Poe 

And finally read some of the ghost stories of your local area, your state, or even your country! 

~Laura!

Review: This Star Won’t Go Out by Esther Earl

This Star Won’t Go Out by Esther Earl

Release Date: January 28^th, 2014

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile

Pages: 431

Source: Preordered during the Project for Awesome 2013

Summary (goodreads.com): A collection of the journals, fiction, letters, and sketches of the late Esther Grace Earl, who passed away in 2010 at the age of 16. Photographs and essays by family and friends will help to tell Esther’s story along with an introduction by award-winning author John Green who dedicated his #1 bestselling novel The Fault in Our Stars to her.

My Review:

I have so much to say and I know none of my words will come close to what Esther’s words deserve. I am kicking myself for not taking notes while reading this particular book. I had so many things to say and yet now in front of this blank document none of them will come to me.

I pre-ordered my copy the moment I learned that Esther’s parents were putting together this collection. It has taken me most of the year to read it to no fault of the book or author but because I needed the courage and strength to read Esther’s words. I never knew Esther, most people who love her and this book haven’t either, but that hardly matters. Esther Earl will be in the hearts of every nerdfighter and reader of this book for as long as they are alive to remember it.

I learned a lot about Esther from this book. I learned a lot about myself and the world around me as well. Esther, though I never met her, has taught me lessons. One of the most important things that came from reading this book was actually not to deify people. Esther seemed to be afraid that with all the attention she was getting near the end of her life because of her friendship with John Green that people would think that she was special and she didn’t feel like she deserved that because she didn’t think she was. She didn’t think she was because she had cancer and she was dealing with it. It was this thinking that, to me, makes Esther special in her own way. Esther wasn’t perfect but she was one of a kind special.

My favorite part about this is actually Esther’s unfinished story, Anderaddon. It is about these creatures called Ebitillies (cousins of hedgehogs) and Ebitties (beaver-like creatures). The draft focuses on Docknel the king of Anderaddon who is trying to solve a riddle. This story is amazing. Esther had such an ear for dialogue and accents! I don’t think I will ever find a story that I long for more of. She had promise and although she didn’t get to finish this story she has become a successful author through This Star Won’t Go Out. Here’s praying that Esther is continuing to write up in Heaven because I will definitely be searching for the rest of Anderaddon when I arrive.

I should also add that I am really quite surprised and pleased with the format of this book as well. For a publishing company to put this much effort into a memoir of a young girl is heartwarming. This Star Won’t Go Out is huge and heavy and colorful and wonderful. Every page is in color, it is color coordinated according to the section and who is writing. It has so many wonderful family photos, photos of the famous Make-A-Wish sleepover, of Catitude chats, of Esther, of her drawings. There are copies of her actual journals so the reader can see her handwriting and she how much love she put into every letter. I am so glad that the physical book is worthy of Esther. 

Read This Star Won’t Go Out.

Read it, cry, and remember.

Read it and listen to Harry and the Potters.

Read it and tell your family and friends you love them.

Read it and then make someone else read it.

Read it and go buy a wristband to support TSWGO.

Read it and remember Esther.

Read it and DFTBA. 

~Laura!

My Ideal Bookshelf

I got the idea for this post from the book, My Ideal Bookshelf. It asks readers to think about the books that shaped their lives. Each contributor writes a few paragraphs about why the books they chose mean so much to them. The writing is accompanied by amazing drawings of the spines of the books. I cannot do that. I tried and failed so instead I took a photo of them. 

I had to think about this for months. Finally, I decided on these 6 (I count HP as one) because without them I wouldn't be me. I decided to keep my reasons short because it seems more powerful, if that makes sense. 

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

P&P was the first “classic” I ever read. I love everything about it.

84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

84CCR is everything I want in life.

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

Before I read 13LBE I never wanted to travel.

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Inkheart's main plot is that characters come out of books; it is my imagination in book form. 

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

TFIOS is the only book that has simultaneously made me laugh and cry hysterically in the same sentence.

Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling

Harry Potter is the reason I am the person I am today.

~Laura!

Review: Rare Finds: A Guide to Book Collecting by David and Natalie Bauman

Rare Finds: A Guide to Book Collecting by David and Natalie Bauman

Release Date: June 2007

Publisher: Bauman Rare Books

Age Group: Adult Non-Fiction

Pages: 106

Source: Borrowed from Library

Summary (goodreads.com): Rare Finds is a friendly, wide-ranging introduction to the world of rare book collecting. It is intended for those with a budding interest in this exciting field rather than simply professional booksellers and librarians. The guide contains an easy-to-use Glossary as well as sections devoted to Frequently Asked Questions, Book Production, and Format. Lavishly illustrated, it includes chapters on all major collecting areas.

My Review:

I think this is a must have for book collectors and people who might not collect but still love books. I borrowed this from the library and found it so useful that I’m going to buy my own copy. It’s a good introduction to the terms used by book collectors. It offers several categories that are popular among collectors, ranging from Americana to Music and everything in between. I was most interested in the Children’s and regular Literature categories. It has photos of the most prized first editions in the world, many of which I have had the honor of seeing and in some cases holding (for more on this see here). It’s a surreal feeling reading a book about the rarest books in the world and knowing that you’ve actually held it and leafed through its pages and are one of the few in the book world who have had that privilege. 

~Laura!

Review: The Smithsonian Book of Books by Michael Olmert

The Smithsonian Book of Books by Michael Olmert

Release Date: 1992

Publisher: Smithsonian

Age Group: Adult Non-Fiction

Pages: 320

Source: Borrowed from the Library

Summary (goodreads.com): Through more than 300 glorious illustrations from library collections around the globe, you'll discover a wealth of book lore in these pages and gain a new appreciation for the role of books in human society, from our earliest attempts at writing and recording information to the newest electronic books; from sumptuous illuminated and bejeweled medieval manuscripts to Gutenberg and the invention of movable type; from the diverse arts and crafts of bookmaking to the building of magnificent libraries for housing treasured volumes; from the ancient epic of Gilgamesh to the plays of Shakespeare and the tales of Beatrix Potter; and from the earliest illustrated books to revolutionary science texts.

My Review:

This might be the best book in print today. It is completely fascinating. If you have even the slightest interest in the history of books this is a must read. I think this would have been a great text for my history of the printed book class. It has a chapter on everything from ancient scrolls to the medieval codex, the invention of movable type to modern typography, from bookbinding to paper making, from Shakespeare to Children’s literature, and literally everything in between. Seriously, I cannot praise this book enough! The chapters are extremely informative, but not in a way that overwhelms the reader. Almost every single page has a photo, illustration, or engraving with a background under it. There is just so much in this Book of Books that to fully appreciate it has taken me 3 months. The only reason it didn’t take me longer is that I finally had to give it back to the library or they’d have had to start fining me (I will be buying a copy of this to study as soon as I can)! 

~Laura!

Review: Haunted Buffalo: Ghosts of the Queen City by Dwayne Claud and Cassidy O’Connor

Haunted Buffalo: Ghosts of the Queen City by Dwayne Claud and Cassidy O’Connor

Release Date: August 2008

Publisher: History Press

Age Group: Adult (Non-fiction)

Pages: 128

Source: Borrowed from Mom who received it as a Christmas gift.

Summary (goodreads.com): Grab pen and paper, a flashlight and a camera and prepare to embark upon the haunted adventure of a lifetime using this comprehensive guide to some of Buffalo's spookiest sites. Avid ghost hunter and paranormal investigator Dwayne Claud and researcher Cassidy O'Connor entertain readers with stories of the city's most acclaimed spooks and spirits, such as Tanya, the five-year-old that can be spotted bouncing on guest beds at the Grand Island Holiday Inn. The book includes twisted tales from the Buffalo Psychiatric Center, as well as stories of roaming spirits at Frontier House- a hotel frequented by figures such as Mark Twain and President McKinley. This gripping collection of ghostly tales is sure to thrill anyone fascinated by the unknown.

My Review:

First of all, right off the bat, I need to get something off my chest: there are people called proof readers and they should be utilized. In a book that is only 128 pages there should not be a handful of typos. A couple misplaced punctuation marks are fine but when a book is published with words missing letters, names spelled wrong and one case of a name being accidentally substituted for another so it looks as if the ghost is the one hearing the haunting there is a serious problem that cannot be ignored. That being said, I enjoyed this book as much as I could.

I decided to read Haunted Buffalo because I live in Buffalo and I’ve always believed in the paranormal, ghosts especially. It starts out with a history of Buffalo which was incredibly interesting, and then moved into the ghost stories. Each “story” was a brief summary of the history of the place and then a quick explanation of the haunting and/or the investigation that found the most evidence, not exactly the “twisted” or “ghostly” tales that were promised in the summary, but overall the stories were interesting and worth reading. From a historical stand point I have to give Haunted Buffalo a lot of props for not adding the famous tales with no historical evidence backing them. Especially, the tale from Old Fort Niagara. They did not add its famous claim to fame: the headless ghost whose head is in the well (which despite having no historical background is still a great story). It was interesting to read stories about places I pass every day, like City Hall, the Central Terminal, and the Buffalo Psychiatric Center. The story about the last one in particular had me itching to explore the old Asylum seeing as its right next to my school. Too bad I would probably get arrested if I tried to set foot in there.

The book is nicely organized into chapters that divide each haunting into their location such as “Ghosts at Work,” “Historic Haunts,” and “‘Spirited’ Theatres” which makes it easy to navigate. Added at the end there is even a handy glossary of terms and a list of paranormal researchers in the WNY area. I fully plan on checking out some of the sights listed in Haunted Buffalo with my mom this summer! 

~Laura!