Publishing works either anonymously or under a pseudonym has been a tradition in the Gothic literary genre since its very creation. Such deception might be done for a variety of reasons. Early works of Gothic literature often tried to pass themselves off as something older—long-buried ancient manuscripts newly discovered and translated by an enterprising soul—to both increase their mystique and shield the author’s reputation from critiques of this untested new style. As Gothic novels became increasingly popular with female authors, many of them adopted male pen names or left their name off entirely to avoid the stigma of their gender. Today, pseudonyms give authors the opportunity to depart from their usual genres, to step away from their existing fame, or simply to add to the fun. Continue reading Anonymity and Pseudonyms in Gothic Literature
When the dead start to rise on the battlefield at Gettysburg, the American Civil War is taken in a whole new direction. This is the premise of Justina Ireland’s unique new zombie tale, Dread Nation. This book has been on my radar since the beginning of the year, so as soon as it came out last month, I hopped on the waiting list to get the audiobook from the library. I love the idea of combining zombie horror with alternative history. Add in a badass teenage heroine who takes on zombies and institutionalized racism alike with her sharp-edged sickles, and I’m 100% sold! 
Sometimes fact is more horrifying than fiction. This is the philosophy behind true crime, a genre that seeks to present nonfiction accounts of real-world crimes in a style accessible and entertaining to the average reader. The genre has been a hot topic lately, after a new suspect was arrested last week for the crimes of the Golden State Killer, just months after Michelle McNamara’s true crime book on the subject, I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, hit the New York Times bestseller list. But can true crime books really help solve cold cases? The inventor of the genre seemed to think so. 
Zélie is a Reaper, the first one in eleven years. But with the power of death, can she really bring magic back to life? Find out in Tomi Adeyemi’s debut novel Children of Blood and Bone, the first book in the Legacy of Orïsha trilogy. The buzz around this new African-inspired YA fantasy novel has been taking over Twitter since well before the book’s release last month—so much so that I already had it on my radar when writing my list of 
It’s about time I wrote a post solely centered on the very first Gothic novel. I’m aiming for this to be the first in a new series of posts, much like my 
Is there life after death? This question has plagued humanity from its very beginnings, leading many people to find answers through philosophy, faith, or religion. But what if you could finally get a definitive answer through science? In Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife, Mary Roach explores the various historical figures and modern scientists who have tried to solve this age-old mystery and searches for some answers of her own. Spook is the second in her monosyllable series of science/humor books, and came on the heels of Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers,