“What the writings in this book demonstrate is the variety and inventiveness of strategies, genres, and other textual devices developed to talk about same-sex desire.” – Chris White, Nineteenth-Century Writings on Homosexuality: A Sourcebook I ACQUIRED this bright yellow beauty during one of my many “book hunts” at the World’s Biggest Book Store—sadly, no longer […]
“He had long yellow teeth, a wide face, sunken eyes, pupils as dark as the twist of a man’s intestines.” – Steven Price, By Gaslight STEVEN Price’s By Gaslight is a sprawling, atmospheric historical fiction novel that immerses readers in the thick, sooty fog of London in 1885. It delves deep into the hidden chambers of […]
“I prefer the society of one faithful person to an association of rapid talkers, who more than anything else seek admiration from one another.” ― Matthew Pearl, The Dante Club The Dante Club marks Matthew Pearl’s debut novel, and it’s impressive. The craftsmanship displayed here is akin to that of a seasoned author. Each page […]
Talbot Finch: “The queer community has suffered far too many tragic endings in literature and film as it is, and it’s important, I think, to be reminded that misery isn’t our birthright.” I’d like to welcome Talbot Finch to the BLOG. Talbot is a skilled and imaginative queer author and artist residing in the southeastern […]
“And books, they offer one hope that a whole universe might open up from between the covers, and falling into that universe, one is saved.” – Anne Rice AT THE beginning of 2023, I made a New Year’s Resolution to read more. Specifically, I wanted to choose reading over watching TV in my downtime. I’m […]
“Nathan felt a chill in the air and an irrepressible feeling of dread. He clambered to his feet and found his way to the bedside table. He grabbed the matchbox from the drawer, and with trembling fingers, struggled to light the candle he kept close by. The footsteps were nearly there.” – Talbot Finch, Violet […]
“And for what it’s worth, I don’t find anything about you repulsive. On the contrary, I can’t remember meeting a more wonderful person.” – Talbot Finch, The Housekeeper THE NINETEENTH century, particularly the later half, has always captivated me; I’m a sucker for a good Victorian novel—or in this case, a novelette. While the Gothic literature of the […]
BRAM STOKER’S Dracula is a late nineteenth-century gothic novel—or horror if it pleases you—that’s intrigued me for decades, or “oceans of time,” as Count Dracula would say. Dracula, the work itself, is akin to the vampire’s esoteric, complex, and polymorphic state. There are numerous ways to deconstruct this book to uncover and interpret multiple meanings and […]
