Category: List

Ghostly Animals in Gothic Literature

It’s officially spooky season! Now that it’s October, everyone’s got ghosts and ghouls on the mind. Of course, most of my Halloween décor is up all year round, including this delightful art print of spectral kitties by Heather Franzen Rutten. Staring at it the other day got me thinking: Do animals have ghosts? There’s been plenty of philosophical and religious debate on the subject (often hinging on whether animals have souls), but if we turn to Gothic literature, the answer is a resounding “yes!” Below are a few of my favorite stories that feature spectral animals:

Art print of a small black cat and three ghost cats playing on a large pumpkin
“Halloween Reunion” by Heather Franzen Rutten

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Back to School Reading List, Part 2

“Back to School” doesn’t look quite the same this year. Whether you’re attending virtually, in person, hybrid, or still waiting on your school administrators to figure that out, things are sure to be rather chaotic as we try to navigate this new reality of educating during a pandemic. I figured I would try to reintroduce a little normalcy to this fall season by bringing back my old tradition of putting together a mini-syllabus of classic Gothic works for the start of the school year. In my initial Back to School Reading List, I highlighted a few Gothic novels you’re most likely to come across in class. I followed that post up with a Short Story Edition, Drama Edition, and Poetry Edition of the reading list. Today, I’m returning to novels to spotlight a few more classics that didn’t make it into the initial post: Continue reading Back to School Reading List, Part 2

Books I’m Excited for in 2020

It’s a new year and you know what that means—new books! With 2019 over, it’s time to start planning out my fresh reads for 2020. There are so many great books releasing this year that I had a hard time narrowing it down to a simple list. But here are a few of the books that I’m most excited about adding to my TBR pile: Continue reading Books I’m Excited for in 2020

Snakes in Gothic Literature

As reminders of our baser animal nature and the wild power of the natural world, animals frequently play an important role in Gothic literature. I have previously written posts on the roles of cats and dogs. Now I want to focus on one animal that had been particularly feared throughout history: snakes. Associated with deception, temptation, and sin, snakes make powerful symbols of abstract evil, in addition to the connotations they already hold as genuine objects of fear in the real world. Below are a few classic works that derive their horror from deadly snakes or serpents:

photo of red snake
(Photo by Jan Kopřiva on Unsplash)

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Iconic Ghosts from Gothic Literature

As Halloween approaches, the veil between this word and the next grows thinner and, according to legend, the spirits of the dead can more easily come into contact with the living. These days, we tend to focus less on communing with our dead ancestors and more on dressing in costume, watching horror films, and telling ghost stories. But either way, we’ve still got ghosts on the brain. And what better way to celebrate ghosts than by seeking out some shining examples from Gothic literature? For the purposes of this post, I’ve limited myself to only ghosts that are fairly unambiguous supernatural apparitions of dead humans, though the Gothic genre contains a multitude of spirits that range from literal to metaphoric or imagined to everything in between. Below are five of the most memorable ghosts that appear in Gothic literature: Continue reading Iconic Ghosts from Gothic Literature

Slytherin Season: Celebrating Snaky Book Covers!

Recently, there has been a growing trend of book covers adorned with slithering snakes. Just within the last few months, we’ve seen them on the gorgeous covers of Shelby Mahurin’s debut, Serpent & Dove, and Pierce Brown’s latest addition to the Red Rising Saga, Dark Age. The trend is especially prominent among young adult fantasy titles, but it seems to be spreading to other markets and genres, as well. And I have to say, as a Slytherin, I am 100 percent on board with this! Continue reading Slytherin Season: Celebrating Snaky Book Covers!

Persephone Myth Retellings

Spring has sprung! It is now April, and that means it’s time to exchange the dreary cold of winter for flowers, spring rains, and sunshine (at least here in my part of the world)! In honor of the changing of the seasons, I want to highlight some books that give a fresh spin on the spookiest of spring goddesses: Persephone. According to Greek legend, Persephone is the daughter of the harvest goddess Demeter. One day while she was out gathering flowers, Persephone was abducted by Hades, the god of the dead, and taken down to the underworld. While in Hades’ realm, Persphone ate six pomegranate seeds, which obligate her to return to Hades for six months out of the year before returning to her mother. When her daughter is away, Demeter mourns and neglects the earth, but when they’re together, they make flowers bloom and plant life grow. This myth serves to explain why vegetation flourishes for half year but becomes dead and barren in the winter. Persephone is a fascinating and paradoxical character, serving both as a maidenly goddess of spring and as the queen of the underworld. Below are a few of my favorite books that incorporate the myth of Persephone in unique ways: Continue reading Persephone Myth Retellings

Haunted Libraries of the Eastern United States

Libraries are wonderful places where people from all backgrounds can access knowledge, entertainment, resources, and community without spending a dime. They’re also, as it turns out, popular homes for the restless dead. Library hauntings don’t always look like that dramatic scene from the Ghostbusters movie, but many librarians and patrons have reported hearing noises, feeling chills, and seeing apparitions. I suppose if I have to come back and haunt a particular location, spending eternity wandering the stacks does have a certain appeal. Below are a few of my favorite stories of haunted libraries up and down the Eastern United States. Why this region, specifically? There were just too many hauntings to choose from, so I decided to limit myself to the area I’m most familiar with for now. Perhaps I’ll turn this post into a series! If you know of other libraries with a resident ghost that you’d like to see featured, feel free to submit suggestions in the comments. Continue reading Haunted Libraries of the Eastern United States

Apps for Reading

Like many avid readers, I was once very resistant to combining technology with reading. Nothing really beats the feel of a physical book in your hands and the joy of seeing your favorites all lined up on a shelf. But as I’ve gotten older and busier, sometimes lugging a physical book around with me isn’t always practical. If I’m going out for the night and want to read a quick chapter on the subway, I might not be carrying a bag that can fit a book or even my Kindle. But one thing I do always have is my phone! There are a bunch of different apps that you can use to read on your smartphone. Here are a few of my favorites: Continue reading Apps for Reading

Books I’m Excited for in 2019

New year, new books! It’s time to continue my annual tradition of taking stock of books being released in the coming year. What better way to spend New Year’s Eve than refining my TBR pile? Here are a few of the books that I am most excited for: Continue reading Books I’m Excited for in 2019