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Meta
Category Archives: Book Reviews
Nocturnal House: Still Life, by Michael Montoure
It’s a warm summer night, the clear light of a full moon shining through an open window. The whisper of a breeze brings the scents of moss and night-blooming flowers, which mingle pleasantly with the perfumes of candles and old books. At the edge of your vision you spy a flutter of movement — a bat? Or the ghostly gesture of something reaching past you to select a book from the shelves? Welcome back to the Nocturnal House.
Still Life by Michael Montoure was one of my favorite new books of 2013. It’s a story of vampiric transformation, where the hazy romantic trappings that cushion many vampire tales are peeled away, exposing the bare viscera and bones of loneliness, need, and the bloodsucking truths (both metaphorical and shockingly physical) of relationships that have turned toxic. Continue reading
Posted in Book Reviews, Nocturnal House
Tagged book reviews, Michael Montoure, nocturnal house, Still Life, vampires
4 Comments
Nocturnal House: Interview With The Vampire: Claudia’s Story
The setting: a dimly lit room, with a wingback chair upholstered in black and white striped fabric, next to it a small table holding a silver tea pot and a delicate china cup with a pattern of black lace and roses painted on it. The silence is broken by the sound of a door creaking open, and the Lady of the Manners walks into view, carrying a candelabra full of flickering candles. Even though she is wearing a floor-length, high-collared, and extravagantly ruffled white Victorian-style nightgown, her black eyeliner and burgundy lipstick are impeccable.
Goodness, it has been ages since I’ve visited the Nocturnal House, hasn’t it? It was so quiet and peaceful in the crypt that I must have dozed off for ”¦ much longer than I had planned. But no matter, I’ve returned to the library of vampire books just in time for Halloween to talk about one of my favorite books of the past year: Interview With The Vampire: Claudia’s Story, adapted and illustrated by Ashley Marie Witter. Continue reading
Posted in Book Reviews, Nocturnal House
13 Comments
Nocturnal House: Wicked As They Come and God Save The Queen
Hello Snarklings, and welcome back to the Nocturnal House! I know, I know, it’s been a long time between visits. But to make it up to you, I’m talking about two different vampire books! As Wicked As They Come by Delilah L. Dawson, and God Save The Queen by Kate Locke.
First, a disclaimer to get out of the way: both of these books were sent to me for review. But I would not be burbling about them here if I didn’t like them, and oh, I liked them very much. Continue reading
Posted in Book Reviews, Nocturnal House, Reviews
Tagged God Save The Queen, nocturnal house, steampunk, vampires, Wicked As They Come
23 Comments
The Holiday Gift Guide!
Hello Snarklings! Yes, here it is, the enormous Gothic Charm School holiday gift guide! Full of clicky-links to gothy artisans and small businesses that have simply oodles and oodles of interesting things for sale. The Lady of the Manners is very aware that just about everyone is dealing with tightened budgets right now, but wants to encourage all of you who are doing holiday gift shopping to show your support for independent sellers and stores. Continue reading
Nocturnal House: Vampire Kisses
Happy Halloween, Snarklings! For this visit to the Nocturnal House, I’ve decided to take a break from the usual sort of gruesome and terrifying vampires I prefer to read about, and instead, in the spirit of trick-or-treating, indulge in a sweet and spooky treat.
Now, I read a lot of YA vampire books. (I read a lot of vampire books, period.) But the various YA takes on vampire fiction fascinate me, in part because the YA books often have a bit more plot going on than some of the “grown-up” market vampire novels. Probably because YA authors don’t have the easy narrative drive of vampire sex scenes.
(An aside: hey, I’m all for well-written vampire smut! WELL-WRITTEN being the key words there. There are certain authors who rely a bit too heavily on sex scenes, with the end result being kind of boring, and there is nothing sadder in a vampire novel than tedious, yawn-inducing smut.)
Anyway! YA vampire books! There are a couple of series I read which cause me to eagerly wait for the newest volume to be released. My very favorite series has earned a place on my comfort reading shelf, and the first book of the series is one I indulge in when I need cheering up. Continue reading
Posted in Book Reviews, Nocturnal House
Tagged nocturnal house, sweet and spooky, vampires, YA books
81 Comments
Nocturnal House: ‘Salem’s Lot
Welcome back to The Nocturnal House, Snarklings! Before I start talking about the book I’ve chosen for this post, let me go check the windows, find one of my antique rosaries, and perhaps turn on a few more lamps. Why? Because this visit to The Nocturnal House is about a vampire book that honestly does scare me. Even though I’ve been re-reading it for years, it scares me enough that I won’t read it after dark. (Well, I shouldn’t read it after dark, but sometimes my desire to be involved in the story overrides my common sense, and then The Husband has to gently remind me to stop freaking myself out and go read something else. Continue reading
Posted in Book Reviews, General, Nocturnal House
Tagged 'salem's lot, books, nocturnal house, scary, Stephen King, vampire books, vampires
27 Comments
The Nocturnal House: Dracula
Welcome to The Nocturnal House, Snarklings! It seemed like the best thing to call the new section of Gothic Charm School wherein the Lady of the Manners talks informally about books, because over the years, the Lady of the Manners has stayed up far, far too late into the night, reading vampire books.
Yes, vampire books.You see, I read a lot of vampire books. Well, lots of books in general, but a vast amount of my personal library are about the fanged children of the night. Continue reading
Posted in Book Reviews, General, Nocturnal House
Tagged book reviews, dracula, nocturnal house, vampires
63 Comments
Of Book Recommendations, Depression, And What Is In Your Purse.
Hello Snarklings! This installment of Gothic Charm School is another mixed selection of things, with book recommendations, helpful information from other readers, a question about depression, and some musings on what essentials should be in one’s handbag or backpack? Continue reading
Of Book Reviews Concerning Gothic Fantasy, and of Disapproving Parents
Hello Snarklings! The Lady of the Manners apologizes for not posting anything for a bit, but would like to make it up to you all with a book review and replies to a reader letter.
(“Waitaminute”, the perceptive among you might be thinking, “At the end of the last lesson, she said she was going to review a book, and answer reader mail! How is this making it up to all of us?” You would be absolutely correct. But the Lady of the Manners isn’t able to bring all of you cupcakes or bat cookies, and so begs you to accept her heartfelt apologies.)
So, book reviews! The charming people at Immanion Press sent the Lady of the Manners a copy of Tourniquet: Tales from the Renegade City, by Kim Lakin-Smith. The Lady of the Manners is very thankful that they did, because it is a marvelous book. A dark urban fantasy, it imagines a world where a wildly successful Gothic Rock band called Origin devotes themselves to creating a Mecca for those of a dark and flamboyant temperament. An entire city populated by various stripes of subcultures, all held together by the magic of Belief and consensual reality. Oh yes, Snarklings; the denizens of Renegade City have recreated themselves into their dreams and nightmares, and divided into tribes. But Roses, the lead singer of Origin, is dead. Signs of turmoil and decay are creeping around the edges of the tribes, and Druid, Roses’ brother, finally drags himself out of his self-imposed reclusive ways to try and find some answers.
Now, the Lady of the Manners feels she must state very clearly that Tourniquet: Tales from the Renegade City may not be to every-one’s tastes. The writing is lush and overblown, if not verging on lurid and over the top in some sections. If you are a reader that does not want to wallow in descriptive and purple prose, the Lady of the Manners regretfully must tell you that this is not a book you would enjoy. However, if, like the Lady of the Manners, you are a fan of authors such as Tanith Lee, Storm Constantine, and Ray Bradbury, then Tourniquet is for you. Continue reading
Posted in Book Reviews, Growing Pains
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Of Book Reviews Concerning Vampire People, with an Addendum Concerning Sex and Gossip
Yes, Snarklings, this episode of Gothic Charm School is a book review. A review for a book that the Lady of the Manners thinks is wonderful, but in case some of you aren’t interested in books or book reviews (and if that’s the case, the Lady of the Manners feels very sad for you), the Lady of the Manners does also answer some mail from readers afterward.
So. Remember in the last installment of Gothic Charm School, when the Lady of the Manners mentioned her friend Allyson Beatrice, author of Will the Vampire People Please Leave the Lobby? Why yes, that was foreshadowing, because that is indeed the book the Lady of the Manners has been exclaiming delightedly about, to anyone who will hold still for even a few seconds. Will the Vampire People Please Leave the Lobby? (From Sourcebooks, Inc.) is a collection of essays about what life is like on the Internet; specifically, what life is like on the Internet and what sort of friendships and connections can made in fandom. Continue reading
Posted in Book Reviews, Love & Romance
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