This book traces the rise of sci-fi and fantasy movies between the late 70s and 1982, when 8 iconic films in that genre hit theaters in the same summer. It‘s about movie trends and creative egos clashing with the bottom line. Lots of insights on movies like Alien, Star Trek 1 and 2, The Road Warrior, E.T., The Thing, and Poltergeist. Very good writing and very interesting. If you like movies, you‘ll like this book. Five stars

If you think that Donald Trump is the first elected official to support fascism, you should read this book. In the years leading up to US involvement in WW 2, an extensive German propaganda network had been set up here in America to discourage the US from supporting Britain in her fight against the Nazis. Many members of Congress aided this effort, much like MAGA legislators today support Trump. Excellent expose. Five stars.

I read this book after I read Newshawks in Berlin. Hitlerland is, of course, Nazi Germany. This book shows us a picture of the rise of Adolph Hitler as seen through the eyes of various Americans living and working in Berlin. Some thought Hitler wasn‘t dangerous and his movement wouldn‘t last, especially after he was arrested and sent to prison. Quite an informative book if history is your interest. Five stars

Written by a reporter who covered the disappearance, this book relates the story of a student at Indiana University who went missing in 2011. By the end of the book, there are still too many unanswered questions and the three male students who were the last to see her look guilty as hell. Her body has never been found. Her family is still tormented by her loss. A very sad and all too familiar story.

This non-fiction book is about the presence of the Associated Press (AP) in Berlin prior to and during WW 2. As soon as Hitler took power and the Nazi propaganda machine started working, legitimate, truthful reporting became scarce. Nazi censors dictated what stories were sent out and what they could contain. This was also true for photos. AP stayed in Berlin until the US entered the war. This book will make you think about freedom.

A true cautionary tale about how the internet allows people with selfish motives to victimize others. Although most of this story happens in 2011, the perpetrator is still free today and perhaps still doing the same things they did back then. The book is a real page turner and quick reading. The agenda of this emotional vampire will repel you, as will their attitude once they‘re caught. Five stars.

Another collection of stories by Tremblay. This one includes background on each story as far as when it was written and for what publication. The final story is a novella in free verse with all characters being animals. At first I wasn‘t that excited about reading it, but it drew me in and I really enjoyed it. Four stars.

Did a group of indigenous men attack and force a group of Chinese gold miners over a cliff in 1800s Washington? Or was it white settlers dressed as Native Americans? Or maybe it didn‘t happen at all. This book is an excellent account of a deep dive into a rumored massacre, local history and xenophobia in the American West. One clear fact emerges: white settlers were often horrible humans.

Somehow this author arrived in my consciousness and I looked at what he‘s written. This collection of short stories was pretty good and I plan to read another collection soon. He seems to tend toward dystopian themes where the cause is never known. I haven‘t read any of his novels so can‘t comment on those. His work falls in the horror genre so if that‘s your thing, check him out.

Did you know that there was flooding in California over the winter of 1861-62 that turned the Central Valley into a lake? Or did you know that Lisbon was destroyed in 1755 by an earthquake and fire? These are just two of the big natural disasters recounted in this book. Earth is a dangerous place, even in our modern age, but prediction isn‘t possible. Next best thing is preparation. Quite interesting and very scary.

Every year many Americans go missing and are never seen again. Also every year, human remains are found but may never be identified. This book follows the process used to find out the identity of one Jane Doe. It details the many steps taken by various professionals to finally pin down who this woman was and when she went missing and where. People interested in criminal forensics will like this book. Four stars.

Calvin Trillin has spent his life as a journalist, both on newspapers and magazines. I really enjoyed this book and I learned a lot. Trillin has a stealthy sense of humor but he also has the reporter‘s eye for detail. So not only was I treated to a lengthy account of the rise of imaginary film critic Joe Bob Briggs, I was also moved by Trillin‘s account of the civil rights movement. Wonderful writing. Five stars.

In this book, the author travels to places where cryptids live. Places like northern California in search of Sasquatch or Japan to find the Hibagon or Loch Ness to try to spot Nessie. While the book is entertaining, monsters are scant and each chapter is mostly about the vagaries of travel in foreign countries. That said, there are some very funny encounters with the locals along the way. Four stars.

Dark tourism is the exact opposite of normal tourism. The author here prefers this kind of travel, though most people shun it. He grew up in Beirut so is familiar with life in the middle of chaos. In this book he tells us about his trips to such places as Iran (for the skiing), Chernobyl, North Korea, Cambodia and Beirut. He even discovered that Osama bin Laden was a student at his old school. Entertaining and affecting. Four stars

An engaging collection of short stories edited by Joyce Carol Oates. The common thread is the genre of horror known as body horror. Any collection that has work by both Margaret Atwood and Joyce Carol Oates is automatically five stars.

This book was recommended by a guy on YouTube who debunks flat Earth believers. I never would‘ve known about it otherwise because the author is British and I‘d never heard of him. Dom Joly is a comedian and writer and decided to travel to various places where conspiracy theories have begun, like Roswell, Colorado, Texas and Fogo Island in Canada. Interesting and fun. And no, the Earth isn‘t flat.

The author of this book traveled to many different countries in order to speak with and interview people with unusual brain disorders. Like Sharon, whose world sometimes shifts and leaves her totally disoriented to the point where she gets lost. Or Graham, who was convinced he was dead. Or Joel, a doctor who feels the emotions of those around him and even physical sensations. The brain is a fascinating organ. Five stars.

This is a book about the flat Earth movement. The first few chapters cover the originator of this belief and those who followed in his footsteps, up to the present day. As the book goes on, the author explains how this movement has also embraced a lot of other conspiracy theories and how conspiracy theories in general are enlarged on and spread via social media like Facebook, X, Instagram and chat rooms aimed at the gullible. Five stars.

The author is a Professor of American Studies at a university in Germany and though the book is only 163 pages long, it was a bit hard to get through. There are a lot of conspiracy theories out there: JFK‘s death, 9/11, and most recently Covid-19. The author explains how theories start and evolve over time, and why people buy into them. Some can be dangerous, as we know. All are improbable. Four stars

This book is a two-fer. You get a synopsis of a movie plus a detailed account of the criminal and the crimes that inspired the film. Starting with “M”, made in 1931, the book includes movies such as “Psycho”, “The Exorcist”, “The Silence of the Lambs”, “Scream”, and “Poltergeist”, to name a few. If you like scary movies, you might enjoy this book.

The wicked boy was a 13 year old lower class youngster who killed his mother in 1895 in London, England. An outrageous crime that gripped the local populace and furnished the local tabloids with an opportunity to rail against penny dreadful reading material, the boy was soon convicted but sent to Broadmoor asylum for the criminally insane. An excellent book and more than just true crime, it‘s a tale of redemption. Five stars

This is a non-fiction retelling of what happened when an English housewife suddenly began experiencing poltergeist activity in her home. This happened at a time when mediums and seances were popular in the UK and just prior to the first stirrings of WW 2. A prominent psychic investigator decided to look into the case. Lots of clever deception with Freudian overtones makes an interesting study of human nature. Four stars

If you are interested in forensics or crime, this is an interesting and informative read. The author worked as a medico-legal investigator in NYC. This job entailed making the initial determination as to cause of death whenever a body was found. Was cause of death natural, homicide, or suicide? Be aware that vivid descriptive writing may be upsetting to those with weak stomachs. Five stars.

This is quite an interesting book. It‘s non-fiction and was written by a man who traveled to the area in British Columbia known as the Great Bear Rainforest. He went there to talk to people who have seen Sasquatch, hoping, of course, to see one himself. But the book is about more than that, it‘s also a glimpse into the lives of the First Nation tribes who live there. Wonderful writing.

A friend gave me this book for Christmas and I enjoyed it immensely. Written by an American who moved to the UK to teach in a college there, it‘s interesting and funny. I‘m an Anglophile and have visited England twice and I love the peculiarities of British English. If you like any aspect of British culture, I think you would enjoy this book.

This is an interesting little book. Basically it‘s just an alphabetical listing of movies and TV shows that have set their stories in the Pacific Northwest. Each movie has a short synopsis and critique and mentions locations included in the movie. Two sections cover Seattle and Washington State, and Portland and Oregon. If you‘re a movie buff it‘s fun and informative. Short but fulfills its purpose.

Lucia is married to Ray. Both are artists, but Ray‘s star is fading. Lucia has always had to coddle Ray‘s fragile ego and put her career aside. This novel is about family dynamics and how narcissism affects everyone in the orbit of a narcissist. The author is British and the book is very good, but I found the ending to be rather disappointing. Still I give it five stars.

Although this is a novel, it calls itself a true crime story. The premise is that a 16 year old girl goes missing and a reality show producer swoops into town to cover the story. It‘s all too plausible that this could happen and how it affects the townspeople and the investigation rings true. Lots of twists in the story and tragedy too. If you read true crime, you might like this. Very telling about human nature.

This book was interesting. I live in Washington so the material was relevant to me. I learned a lot about local history, especially about Seattle, while reading this. It would be an excellent reference for anyone looking to explore haunted locations. A listing of cities and towns in Washington and the places that are haunted in each will guide the ghost hunters to a paranormal encounter, perhaps. Lots of photos too.

Another book of short stories by Oates. I think a good word to describe her stories is ‘unsettling‘. She doesn‘t seem to be writing conventional horror, her aim seems to be showing us the everyday weirdness and creepiness that exists in the world. Glimpses of the hidden facets of people‘s lives and personalities. These stories leave an impression on the reader that is often just as jarring as the horror of monsters. Five stars
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I haven‘t read any short stories by Oates and only one novel by her. She‘s quite prolific and is one of the most well known authors in the country. The stories here are unusual, I might even say creepy, but very good. I suppose they might fit into that genre of psychological horror, and many of her other collections land there too, if the titles are anything to go by. Highly recommend, five stars.

I‘m a huge Kate Atkinson fan, so of course I put this book of short stories on hold at the library as soon as I saw that it was coming out. I was not disappointed, it‘s a wonderful book. The stories are interconnected and full of twists and surprises. Naturally the writing is terrific. Atkinson never fails to please. If you‘ve never read any of her books, try this one just for fun. Five big stars.

We‘ve all seen ads on the internet or TV that push dubious ‘alternative‘ cures for every malady under the sun. This non-fiction book uses the quackery of seven people to illustrate their claims of having the ‘one true cure‘ and how their claims affected some of the people who believed their lies. The book is humorous at times, but it really is a cautionary tale about desperation, gullibility, and greed. Highly recommended.

I don‘t read a lot of fiction but I really enjoyed this book. It‘s been around awhile, came out in the 90s, when it was apparently a best seller. Set in a small liberal arts college in Vermont, it‘s the story of a small group of friends whose lives change forever after a local man is accidentally killed. Wonderful writing and interesting characters and an ending that jolts. A psychological thriller and a page turner. Five stars.

This is a book containing four novellas and all the stories revolve around a book. I‘ve never read anything by this author, but he does seem to have quite a list of novels that have been published. Just based on these four stories I would surmise that his specialty is psychological horror and he does a passable job of it. If you‘re a horror fan you might like to check this out.

True crime. This is an up to the minute account of the case of Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell, two Mormon fringe extremists who killed her two kids, her husband and his wife. It all began with Chad‘s supposed near death experience followed by his insipid books making him a prepper favorite. He had his own little cult going. It‘s a story that will anger you and appall you. It‘s also the kind of story that‘s common in the Mormon church.

The little gray bastards are aliens. According to Jordan Hofer, these big-eyed ETs have been abducting humans for thousands of years and mean us harm. They also kill us. Sorry, but I have a hard time buying into this theory and this book. He gives no attributions for his claims and there are no footnotes in the entire book. In fact, I thought it was parody for a few chapters. If they‘re so nasty, why not just subdue us and take over?

Godfrey wrote a lot of books about cryptids and this is one of them. Most of the accounts in this book deal with people seeing upright canids resembling what we think of as werewolves. The author was once a newspaper reporter and thus very thorough in her investigations. She even had sightings of her own. Most people will dismiss this book as myth, but the world is full of mysteries like these. Five stars

This is a book about a man who loved to manipulate others. It‘s quite a convoluted story but very interesting. His manipulations impacted lives in myriad ways, none of them good. Very well written and researched. If the internet didn‘t exist, he would have never been able to commit his crimes. Google the title and you can see what this guy looks like. Five stars.

If you are interested in the evolution of motion pictures, then this is a book you will want to read. It‘s called the oral history because each chapter consists of comments and remarks made by Hollywood notables, taken from interviews done by the American Film Institute. There are names here you will know and many you won‘t know, but all these people are part of the history of film in Hollywood. Five huge stars.

Just an okay mystery. The author seems to have blatantly stolen the writing style of the late Robert B. Parker, who wrote the Spenser series. Entertaining but derivative. Full of mayhem and Russian gangsters. Three stars.

Ultimately this book is about human consciousness and how creative people receive inspiration. The premise is that consciousness is non-local and universal. So consciousness is like a limitless network that can be utilized by anyone who is able to quiet the left brain chatter and allow the right brain to access it. Of course this flies in the face of accepted science and is rejected by materialists. Perhaps God is an alien. Five stars.

Death comes for us all, but what if death is not the end? This book is the result of what was learned during experiments conducted in the late 90s by a scientist at the University of Arizona. Five mediums agreed to participate and do readings for sitters they could not see and who could only respond with yes or no. The results were amazing and seem to affirm that human consciousness survives body death and they long to communicate with us.

This is quite an interesting book. Written by a female professor of religious studies at UNC, it touches on parallels between religion and UFO encounters. The book also discusses how humans process visual material, what consciousness is and how it works, and how technology impacts our lives. Are some humans in touch with alien consciousness? Have you ever had thoughts or ideas you knew were not your own? Give this book a go. Five stars

The author of this book is a retired senior Army officer and Ph.D. The book covers a wide range of phenomena that fall under the radar of scientific investigation and are generally dismissed by mainstream scientists. Ghost activity, UFOs, remote viewing, ESP, and psychic healing are just a few of the subjects he writes about. Though the book has some editing mistakes, it‘s fairly well written. Four stars.

Some of you may be familiar with Val McDermid as an author of mysteries. This book, however, is non-fiction and very interesting. Because McDermid lives in Scotland, most of the examples she relates about crimes are from the UK, so I learned a lot about investigative methods used there. If you have any curiosity about the various branches of forensics, you will enjoy this book. Five stars.

If you‘ve ever read any books on the UFO phenomenon, then you‘re probably familiar with the men in black. This book shares various theories about who or what the men in black may be. The list includes tulpas, tricksters, vampires, time travelers, and demons. The author, Nick Redfern, is a longtime investigator of paranormal subjects and he‘s done his homework. Quite interesting. Four stars

Aurora is the name of the suburb in Colorado where James Holmes opened fire inside a movie theater in 2012, killing 12 people and injuring 70 more. This book relates the story behind the attack as told by a female psychiatrist who briefly treated Holmes just prior to the incident. It‘s a harrowing account of an appalling crime but crimes like this are all too common in our country now. Four stars.

I have read many, many books about paranormal subjects over the years and this is the first time an author has theorized that everything paranormal originates from the same source. He calls it a spectrum. So ghosts, cryptids, UFOs, aliens and other examples of high strangeness are produced along this spectrum. It‘s an interesting approach. The section on peculiar visits is the best, very eerie. Worth a read.

I liked this book more than I thought I would. The title is a little dramatic and the cover art is too, but the author makes some good observations about this unknown creature and his credibility is good since he‘s a Sasquatch seeker in his home state of Ohio. He includes a few photos which purport to show Sasquatches in a forest setting, but the quality of these is very poor and probably should‘ve been left out. Four stars.