Blogs about: Barrys Picks
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Best Ghost Stories of J. S. LeFanu
Last fall, I wrote about M. R. James who many consider the master of the English ghost story. The other contestant for that title is the Irish writer Joseph Sheridan LeFanu. Born two generations earli… more →
Blogging for a Good Book
Best Ghost Stories of J. S. LeFanu
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Barry wrote 1 month ago: Last fall, I wrote about M. R. James who many consider the master of the English ghost story. The ot … more →
The Turn of the Screw, by Henry James
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Barry wrote 1 month ago: As I mentioned yesterday, in England ghost stories are common fare for the Christmas season. In tha … more →
Stalking Ivory, by Suzanne Arruda
Barry wrote 5 months ago: To finish out the week, we’ll look at one more historical mystery series that should be better … more →
Murder Duet, by Batya Gur
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Barry wrote 6 months ago: Israeli crime novelist Batya Gur, who died far too young in 2005, was a writer of rare skill in deve … more →
Lead So I Can Follow, by Harold Adams
Barry wrote 6 months ago: Times are tough now, and lots of folks are suffering through economic problems. In his Carl Wilcox s … more →
Detective Inspector Huss, by Helene Tursten
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Barry wrote 6 months ago: For clear and lyrical writing, a unique setting, and fascinating characters, it is hard to beat Swed … more →
Grave Goods, by Ariana Franklin
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Barry wrote 6 months ago: Many readers of series fiction hope that over the course of the stories the characters will grow and … more →
Young Men and Fire, By Norman Maclean
Barry wrote 10 months ago: Warmth is fine, but fire like any natural element can easily get out of control. Norman Maclean … more →
A Suitable Boy, by Vikram Seth
Barry wrote 10 months ago: If you are looking for a book in which to luxuriate while the cold winter winds blow, Vikram Seth … more →
Dark Fire, by C. J. Sansom
Barry wrote 10 months ago: OK, this one perhaps stretches my theme for this week. It is not really set in a warm climate, Engla … more →
Heaven's Prisoners, by James Lee Burke
Barry wrote 10 months ago: No one captures the sultry, humid feel of New Orleans quite like James Lee Burke does in his Dave Ro … more →
The Last Kashmiri Rose, by Barbara Cleverly
Barry wrote 10 months ago: It is cold right now in Williamsburg (though not as bad as it is elsewhere), and as I get older I fi … more →
Pitch Perfect, by Mickey Rapkin
Barry wrote 10 months ago: Other than a brief career in the St. James church choir at the age of 10 or so, I have never been pa … more →
Musicophilia, by Oliver Sacks
Barry wrote 10 months ago: Oliver Sacks is one of the foremost writers on the human brain and particularly on its dysfunctions. … more →
Deaf Sentence, by David Lodge
Barry wrote 10 months ago: If you enjoy sharp-witted and sometimes dark-edged novels about academia, you probably are familiar … more →
The Quiet Girl, by Peter Høeg
Barry wrote 10 months ago: Peter Høeg’s The Quiet Girl is one of the most interesting and complex books that I have recen … more →
Tigana, by Guy Gavriel Kay
Barry wrote 11 months ago: Since 1984 I have been keeping a list of all the books I have read each year. It can be interesting … more →
Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea, by Gary Kinder
Barry wrote 11 months ago: It is not uncommon for me to be working in the stacks with a library user on a reference or reading … more →
The Country of the Pointed Firs, and Other Stories, by Sarah Orne Jewett
Barry wrote 11 months ago: One thing that I look for while out in the stacks is minor works written in the early twentieth cent … more →
