Frankenstein’s Berry Bites—A Gothic Cookbook Recipe Test

As you may remember, a few weeks ago I hosted a guest post by Ella Buchan, one of the co-authors of A Gothic Cookbook, on the role of food in Gothic literature. A Gothic Cookbook, by Ella Buchan and Alessandra Pino, with illustrations by Lee Henry, is currently in development and being crowdfunded on Unbound (read to the end of this post for a discount code you can use on your pledge!). The book will feature dozens of illustrated recipes inspired by thirteen different works of classic and contemporary Gothic literature. Recently, the creators were kind enough to give me a sneak-peek at one of their recipes to try it out for myself and share with all of you!

Illustration of Berry Bite Squares from A Gothic Cookbook

Continue reading Frankenstein’s Berry Bites—A Gothic Cookbook Recipe Test

Review of John Eyre—Monsters in the Attic

How many times can one Gothic novel be retold? If that novel is Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre—a story that spawned other great classics like Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca and served as a blueprint for the entire genre of mid-century Gothic romance pulps—I think its generative capabilities are endless. One of the latest authors to put her own spin on Jane Eyre  is Mimi Matthews, with John Eyre: A Tale of Darkness and Shadow, coming out tomorrow, July 20. From the title, you might guess that this is a gender-swapped retelling, but it’s actually much more than that: John Eyre uses the familiar beats of Brontë’s classic (along with elements from a few other Gothic novels) to tell an entirely different story. I am thrilled to have been invited to participate in the official blog tour for this book’s release, because I need more friends to geek out about this charming and clever reimagining with! Continue reading Review of John Eyre—Monsters in the Attic

Review of The Black Moth–Of Highwaymen and Dandies

“A black moth amongst the gaily-hued butterflies…” A dashingly gothic villain steals the show in Georgette Heyer’s classic 1921 novel The Black Moth. Around this time last year, Sam Hirst and the rest of the good folks at Romancing the Gothic introduced me to Georgette Heyer, a woman widely celebrated as the mother of the modern Regency romance genre, yet whom I had somehow never heard of before. After getting a first taste of her writing with The Quiet Gentleman, I knew I would want to dive back into Heyer’s prodigious oeuvre. I decided to start with her debut novel The Black Moth.  Continue reading Review of The Black Moth–Of Highwaymen and Dandies

Review of The Bone Way–Sapphic Orpheus and Eurydice

Could you brave the depths of the underworld to rescue your lost love? That is Teagan’s goal in Holly J. Underhill’s debut novella The Bone Way. Released just last week from one of my favorite indies Nyx Publishing, The Bone Way is loosely a sapphic, witchy retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth with a fairy-tale twist.  Continue reading Review of The Bone Way–Sapphic Orpheus and Eurydice

A Gothic Cookbook Guest Post: Supper and the Supernatural

Gothic literature-loving foodies, you’re in luck! A talented team is putting together A Gothic Cookbook, which explores the role that food plays in classic and contemporary Gothic texts and allows you to bring the spirit of your favorite Gothic settings to life in your own kitchen. This gorgeously illustrated cookbook will feature over sixty recipes inspired by thirteen different Gothic texts. The cookbook is currently being crowdfunded on Unbound, so if you want to get your hands on a copy be sure to support the campaign! In the meantime, check out this guest post by one of the cookbook’s creators. Below, Ella Buchan, co-author of A Gothic Cookbook with Alessandra Pino, talks about how food is the most underrated character in Gothic literature:

Working cover for A Gothic Cookbook
Working cover for A Gothic Cookbook

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Review of Deathless Divide–Mad Scientists and Monstrosity

When zombies take the East Coast, it’s time to strike out for the West. Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland, which came out early last year, is the sequel to Dread Nation, a captivating alternate history that imagines a world where the Civil War was derailed by the rise of the restless dead and young Black girls are trained in combat to fend off the oncoming hordes. If you enjoyed the first book, you don’t want to miss this thrilling conclusion to the duology. Continue reading Review of Deathless Divide–Mad Scientists and Monstrosity

Time Immemorial Out Now on Scribd!

Some of you may not know this, but not only do I review books, I also edit them! Lately I have been working together with an author whose books have been central to this blog from its inception: Leanna Renee Hieber. Leanna’s debut YA novel, Darker Still, was the first book to ever be reviewed on The Gothic Library, back in June 2015. Since then, Leanna has written several guest posts for the blog and I’ve reviewed a dozen of her other novels. Spending so much time in deep analysis of her stories laid the perfect groundwork for our editorial relationship.

Time Immemorial cover

And now the first book we’ve worked on together is out there in the world! Time Immemorial: A Dark Nest Adventure is a science-fiction novella centering on the character of Elizabeth Marlowe, whose consciousness is spit between lifetimes in four different eras. As Elizabeth timeslips from Druidic Britain to a spacefaring future, she discovers a dangerous enemy set on eradicating all those with psychic powers. As the subtitle suggests, Time Immemorial is a companion story to Leanna’s Dark Nest Chronicles, though you don’t need to have read any of the prior books to jump into this one. You may also recognize the character of Lizzie Marlowe as the Visitor, who makes several appearances in The Eterna Files. But if—despite my constant rambling—you haven’t yet read any of Leanna’s books, this is a great place to jump right in. Time Immemorial is the first in a trilogy and is available now in ebook and audiobook format on Scribd. I particularly recommend the audiobook, as it is narrated by the author, herself!

If you’re unfamiliar with Scribd, it is a book subscription platform where you can get unlimited access to ebooks and audiobooks for $10 per month. And even better, if you don’t have a subscription yet you can get a 30-day free trial. The site contains a wide variety of books from major publishers, along with user-uploaded content and and original works published through their own independent presses like Bryant Street Publishing. So hop on now and check out Time Immemorial. I hope you enjoy!

 

 

Classics: The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner

The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner coverThough a bit more obscure than the classics I usually discuss here, The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner (1824) by James Hogg is an iconic work of Scottish Gothic that mixes elements of religious and political satire with truly harrowing depictions of demonic forces. I recently read this novel as part of the Romancing the Gothic book club, and am much indebted to Dr. Sam Hirst for walking us through the theological and political context behind the story. Continue reading Classics: The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner

Review of Ninth House–Dark Academia and Ghosts

Ninth House coverWhen the wealthy elite have access to unlimited magic, someone needs to keep them in line…. Alex Stern dives into the dark world of parties, privilege, and paranormal dealings in Leigh Bardugo’s debut fantasy novel for adults, Ninth House. This book caught my attention back when it came out in 2019 along with a slew of other books with gorgeous, snaky covers. It took a while to make it to the top of my TBR pile, but the wait was worth it. Ninth House is definitely one of my favorite reads so far this year. Continue reading Review of Ninth House–Dark Academia and Ghosts

#MonstrousMayChallenge Recap

If you follow this blog on Twitter (@gothic_library), you may have seen my daily tweets participating in the #MonstrousMayChallenge. The #MonstrousMayChallenge is a series of creative prompts created by Johannes Evans (@JohannesTEvans on Twitter) that approach the theme of monsters from a different angle for each day in May. [Please note: Johannes’s Twitter account and the content he produces is designated as 18+ and contains mature content. Some of the tweets by others under the hashtag may, as well.] You can find Johannes’s master thread detailing the prompts here. These prompts are primarily aimed at artists and fiction writers, and if you peruse the #MonstrousMayChallenge hashtag on Twitter, you’ll find everything from tweetfic to short stories, essays, and excerpts from works-in-progress, alongside sketches, comics, and digital art. Since I, alas, lack these creative talents, I decided to put my own spin on the Monstrous May prompts. 


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