October 2013

  • Hauntings and Visitations

    Here are a few eerie diversions to creep you out this week!             In Toby Barlow’s Babayaga, an ageless Russian witch, or babyaga, in post-world War II Paris, charms a detective who is mixed up in a CIA plot involving Nazis and, strangely, the babayagas. Barlow weaves folklore, humor and history in an… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Romancing the Ghost

    Tomorrow is Halloween, which makes this the perfect time to talk about the spookier side of romance. Halloween is the perfect time to fall in love with a ghost! Or for your romance to get a little ghostly assistance. Or, sad but oh, so romantic, to get that one last chance to say goodbye, with… Continue reading

  • Learning on the right side of the brain

    Autumn’s overstuffed backpacks and pencil cases always trigger feelings of expectation and excitement. And although school bells and hall passes may be a distant memory, it’s never too late to learn something new. I’ve always wanted to be able to draw but any attempts inevitably led to frustration and doodles that a second grader would… Continue reading

  • Movie Mondays: Terrifying Television

    Last week’s Movie Mondays column highlighted three recent supernatural thrillers. This week, we’re taking a look at three creepy, sinister TV series to watch under our dark, rainy skies this fall. Continue reading

  • What to read while you wait for Morrissey’s Autobiography

    I want the one I can’t have, and it’s driving me mad. . . No doubt countless American fans of Morrissey are singing those lyrics to Penguin Books right now. The publisher released the singer’s autobiography last Thursday under its Classics imprint. . . in the UK only. It went straight to number 1 on… Continue reading

  • What I Made: Cute & cuddly children’s toys

                      Although I have no children of my own (and don’t plan to), I really enjoy knitting for babies and toddlers. The projects are quick and totally adorable, and parents really appreciate these one-of-a-kind handmade gifts. Recently, I’ve gotten into knitting and sewing toys for my friend’s… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Riding Off Into the Sunset

    There’s just something romantic about the idea of riding off into the sunset, isn’t there? Maybe that’s part of the reason why romances set in the contemporary west are still just as popular as stories of how the west was won (or lost). Or maybe it’s all about the cowboys… Linda Lael Miller is one… Continue reading

  • Mysterious powers and New Mythologies

    Did you miss me? I’ve been reading. Here are some paranormal goodies for cozy autumn nights. Blythewood by Carol Goodman Avaline Hall survives. I was going to say what she survives, but there are so many things: grief, the mystery of her mother’s past, hard work and humiliation and the terrors of the Triangle Factory… Continue reading

  • Movie Mondays: Supernatural Thrillers

    Looking for a new horror film for Halloween and beyond? Here are three supernatural thrillers that rely on dread, thrills and scares rather than explicit blood and gore. The Conjuring (2013) follows real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga), who are called to examine the strange goings-on in an old farmhouse bought… Continue reading

  • Catch a Tiger by its Tale

    An absolutely gripping true story that reads like a mystery is John Vaillant’s award-winning science book called The Tiger:  A True Story of Vengeance and Survival.  The story is set in the frigid Maritime Territory of Russia, where an Amur (Siberian) Tiger killed three hunters in 1997.  The reader is transported to the tiger’s natural… Continue reading

  • Slightly Gruesome Historical Fiction

    The Hangman’s Daughter Series I picked up The Hangman’s Daughter by Oliver Pötzsch because I liked the cover art and the font used for the title. Yes, sometimes, I judge books by their covers but this time it worked out really well for me. Although the book is great, with an imaginative plot, intriguing characters… Continue reading

  • Seattle Rep’s ‘Bo-Nita’ — Books, music and DVDs to go beyond the theatre

    We’re excited about the Seattle Repertory Theatre’s production of local playwright Elizabeth Heffron’s “Bo-Nita,” opening later this week. Life’s not easy for Bo-Nita. It never is for a 13-year-old, but especially one who winds up with a dead, semi-ex-stepfather on her bedroom floor. With humor, pathos, and a dash of Midwest magic realism, “Bo-Nita” follows the… Continue reading

  • What do GMO labels, petition signatures and excise taxes have in common?

    They are all initiative measures on the 2013 ballot. If you are a registered Washington State voter, you will be asked to weigh in on each of these soon. The election is only three weeks away, do you feel informed and ready? The Washington Secretary of State’s Online Voters’ Guide is a great official source… Continue reading

  • Electronic Resources for Mobile Technology Users

     Do you own a smartphone or tablet computer? If so, you are part of a growing segment of American adults who utilize mobile technology. According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, as of May 2013, 56% of American adults have a smartphone and 34% own a tablet computer. Whether you use an Android… Continue reading

  • Romantic Wednesdays: Paranormal New Orleans

    If you’ve ever walked the streets of New Orleans, you recognize that there is something beautiful and decadent and just plain eerie about the place. New Orleans is a city where you can feel the past walk beside you; its history creeps in between the cracks of its sidewalks and seeps along the alleyways of… Continue reading

  • Do It Yourself Harmonica

    All my life I wanted to play harmonica. So many songs come to mind that grab me.  There’s On the Road Again by Canned Heat or maybe Boom Boom by John Lee Hooker and Rollin’ and Tumblin’ by Cream too. I could try to pay for lessons, but could I also learn harmonica by myself? When… Continue reading

  • Movie Mondays: Hispanic Heritage Month

    September 15 – October 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month. To celebrate, here are some notable Hispanic DVDs released this year. Bless Me, Ultima (2013) is a film adaptation of the classic and controversial young adult novel by Rudolfo Anaya set in New Mexico during World War II. Antonio (Luke Ganalon) is a boy who… Continue reading

  • Science Fiction Fridays: 5 frightfully great books to start your October off right

    The Necromancer’s House by Christopher Buehlman After an irreverent wizard inadvertently kills the wrong man, he finds himself stalked by an unrelenting terror that won’t stop until everything and everyone loves is in ruins. The book starts out like a typical urban fantasy, with humor, myths and quips that wouldn’t be out of place in… Continue reading