Movie Review: A Fistful of Dollars

Time for the showdown!

Movie Review: A Fistful of Dollars (1964) directed by Sergio Leone San Miguel, a village near the Rio Bravo in northeast Mexico, is an unhappy place. There are more widows than wives, and the only man making an honest living is Piripero the coffin maker (Joseph Egger). The trouble is that there is not just one… Continue reading Movie Review: A Fistful of Dollars

Manga Review: Kitaro the Vampire Slayer

Manga Review: Kitaro the Vampire Slayer by Shigeru Mizuki It’s time for another volume of stories about the yokai boy named Kitaro! As you might guess, there are vampires this time. “The Vampire Eryt” is a long tale involving a mop-topped bloodsucker with a guitar, visually inspired by the Beatles. Even though his playing can… Continue reading Manga Review: Kitaro the Vampire Slayer

Book Review: The Beast with Five Fingers

Book Review: The Beast with Five Fingers by W.F. Harvey W.F. Harvey (1885-1937) was born in Yorkshire, of Quaker family, and became a doctor. However, his health was poor and he was often unable to practice, so he wrote short stories on the side, many of them falling generally into the “weird” category. This volume… Continue reading Book Review: The Beast with Five Fingers

Book Review: We Have Always Lived In the Castle

Book Review: We Have Always Lived In the Castle by Shirley Jackson No one except Merrikat goes up the back path to the Blackwood house any more. Not since the murders. And that’s just the way Mary Katherine Blackwood likes it. And even she would not go through the gate except that someone has to shop for groceries once a week. Uncle Julian is… Continue reading Book Review: We Have Always Lived In the Castle

Book Review: The Mysterious Affair at Styles

Book Review: The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie World War One rages in Europe, but for Captain Arthur Hastings, the fighting is over.   Recovering from battle wounds, Hastings is at loose ends until invited to the country manor of his old acquaintance John Cavendish.  Styles Court has changed a bit since Hastings’ childhood… Continue reading Book Review: The Mysterious Affair at Styles

Book Review: The Invisible Man

Book Review: The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells The sleepy village of Iping doesn’t get many visitors in the middle of winter, so when Mrs. Hall gets a new customer (and one that pays on time!) for her boarding house, it’s not polite to look a gift horse in the mouth.  It’s true the guest… Continue reading Book Review: The Invisible Man

Book Review: Twice Told Tales

Book Review: Twice Told Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) is one of the great American writers; his The Scarlet Letter is studied in many schools across this land.  But it took him quite a while to reach that status.  After crushingly disappointing sales for his first novel, Fanshawe, Hawthorne spent a dozen years in poverty,… Continue reading Book Review: Twice Told Tales