On complex main characters, trauma expression, and misunderstandings Holden Caulfield has been making the rounds again. Originally published in 1951, J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye maintains an unsavory status. While it is no longer banned with as much frequency as its early days — from 1961 to 1982 it…

A Phenomenon, A Grift, And How Lies Turned One Family’s World Upside Down In the double-edged sword of book sales, they say not to judge a book by its cover, all the while making the effort to put forth the kind of cover designed to reach out and speak directly…

When comfort and terror bleed together. Horror is always at its best for me when it sneaks up on you. The dread in the back of your mind that builds and lingers until its hands are firmly wrapped around you, cutting off your sense of safety. Horror novellas are uniquely…

On stories, ghosts, and life Stories have always had a unique kind of power. Folktales in particular are some of the strongest, comfortably occupying the space between creating new worlds and allowing us a deeper understanding of our own. …

Exploring the intersections between myth and reality, and how they shape our understanding. Do you believe in ghosts? That there is some lingering part of ourselves and our loved ones that stays behind after they’ve left this earthly plane for one the rest of us can only wonder about? Do…

Can you hear the sound of the singing? There’s nothing better than a revenge story, to me, at the best of times. As we sit here on the cusp and in the midst of newly unprecedented fresh hells, it’s beginning to feel like every revenge tale I read is only…

[Book Review]: Catriona Ward’s Little Eve Reading Catriona Ward is always a richly Gothic, intimate experience. You can’t quite trust the walls around you, but neither can you resist the pull. Little Eve, her latest to hit the US, is no exception. Within its pages is the kind of depth…

Twisting the classics into new life No one weaves an atmosphere quite like Silvia Moreno-Garcia. At once lavish and dark, her ability to paint the dark underbelly of romance is spellbinding. …

When history won’t stay silent. I have, admittedly, not read as much true crime as I’ve watched. I tend to take great care in choosing the things I read and for whatever reason, true crime books feel much more intimate than other forms of media to an almost intimidating degree…