OK, I’ll admit it, I was attracted to this book because of its cover and title. The two things we’re not supposed to use as criteria for judging a book. (Spoiler Alert: It worked out.)

Once I got a few pages into the story, the style seemed very familiar, and I realized that I had read two of the author’s earlier novels, Scritch Scratch and The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street. See my reviews of those books here and here.

I guess in some measure that makes me a fan of Lindsay Currie, but I’d prefer that you consider me to be an accidentally frequent reader. But, I will say, this is the most enjoyable of her books so far. That’s partly due to the protagonist being less angst-ridden, and that the author hasn’t forcibly tried to slip in slightly-off Chicago references.

The present volume under discussion is The Mystery of Locked Rooms.

You can get a copy of it at the Amazon, but I acquired mine at the local Barnes & Noble. In this story, young Sarah and her two friends are nerdy escape room enthusiasts, who basically turn professional in an attempt to win a pile of money for Sarah’s needy family. Together, they face an onerous puzzle quest in a somewhat dangerous abandoned house in the far suburbs.

The writing is snappy, the relationships far less annoying than in her other books, and the challenges that the team faces are interesting. As the cover indicates this is “Book One,” so it’s safe to say that the group remains together to face more obstacles in future novels. (It remains to be seen if I will accidentally buy the next one, too.)

It was a fun read, and I decided to pass it on via a Little Free Library, but not before marking up some pages to offer future readers a secret message to decode. I guess you could say I was more than inspired by the story.

Are you wondering why I am reading a children’s book? (The publishers says it’s for “ages 8 and up”. I’m certainly “up.”) If this puzzles you, see my review of Why You Should Read Children’s Books, Even Though You Are So Old and Wise.

Subtitled “A Brief History of the Aphorism,” this 2005 book by James Geary caught my eye because its cover art says “Guessing is more fun than knowing.” This speaks to my belief about magic, puzzles, and Google, so I bought a copy thinking it might be a nice collection of small insights.

And it sort of was, but it turns out the word “history” in the title is significant. The book begins with the author describing his lifelong obsession with aphorisms, which I completely appreciate and admire. I smiled in recognition when he described how the “Quotable Quotes” section of his parent’s Reader’s Digest fed his appetite.

Geary observes that the best aphorisms are slightly oracular, which is an insight I hadn’t considered before. He also writes that they are not the warm and fuzzy phrases found in greeting cards. “They are much more brusque, confrontational, and acerbic.” In my favorite section of the book, he lays out the Five Laws of Aphorisms, which further refined my appreciation of the form.

He also describes visiting the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory in San Francisco. That’s one of my favorite shops in the city, but I didn’t know that one could have cookies made with your very own fortunes! An option I must explore further. (If you’ve ever dined with me at a Chinese restaurant, you have no doubt endured my rant about lame fortunes in the cookies.)

Once I finished the first section of the book, my enjoyment of it took on a downward trend. Geary organizes it by the authors of aphorisms, and for my taste, includes too much history of each individual. The first one is Jesus, followed by others such as Baltasar Gracian, Spinoza, Schopenhauer, Twain, and many more.

On the plus side, he provides many great examples. Some of my favorite include:

• There are certain mistakes we enjoy so much we are always willing to repeat them.
• Short prayers penetrate heaven.
• One can only become a philosopher, not be one. As soon as one thinks one is a philosopher, one stops becoming one.
• God builds the temple in the heart on the ruins of churches and religions.
• It is difficult to begin without borrowing.

So, while I enjoyed spending time with this book, if you’re the type who wants to know about the person behind the insights, you’ll like it even more than I did. I bought my copy from the Amazon.

I have been publishing my own work since 1980, so this book caught my eye. I’ve read countless books written from the author’s perspective, and many more written by publishers, but there aren’t a lot from booksellers. For a mere ten dollars, getting to learn from people who are in the trenches every day is definitely worthwhile.

That said, there is also plenty here to gleam regarding all areas of the business.

Some contributors offer a fascinating history of zines and self-publishing, while others discuss the practicality of distribution and what works at retail.

One of the best chapters is by Liz Mason, manager at the venerable Quimby’s in Chicago. (Where, ahem, you can find many of my current publications.) She describes how the store manages its massive consignment operation, which is not only interesting, but will also likely leave you sympathetic to their operations.

In today’s world, sadly, “commercial” and “bigger is better” tends to cast aspersions towards those whose passion leads them to take on the role of both writer and publisher. But historically, this is precisely how it was done. Even if you’re not so inclined yourself, this book will provide entertaining insight into this world.

I got my copy at Quimby’s (duh) but you can also obtain it from HalfLettter Press

This 2024 book by Amanda Montell is subtitled “Notes on Modern Irrationality.” I hesitated to buy a self-help book, but as someone with a professional interest in magical thinking, I took a chance. (As I discovered it’s not quite self-help anyway, but I don’t know what other genre I’d assign it to.)

I’m glad I ignored my first impression, as I enjoyed this book, and except for one serious flaw, it’s a great summary of cognitive biases and internal dialog. Briefly, I recommend it!

But since I’ve mentioned it, let’s address that flaw. Honestly, if the rest of the book wasn’t so good, I’d have stopped reading when I came to it. In the chapter about “overconfidence,” Montell is highly critical of Silicon Valley, but lacks the understanding of how technical breakthroughs are achieved. She also makes the bizarre and utterly incorrect assertion that when Jobs introduced the iPhone, it wasn’t capable of doing what he claimed (and demonstrated).

But a positive trait of the book is the interesting footnotes and endnotes that allow the reader to follow-up on the author’s citations. (Well, except for that iPhone statement, for which there is no citation because it’s bullshit.) Most books in the pop culture science-y category (I guess I do know what the genre is!) don’t bother with useful references. (See Scarcity Brain, for example.) Bravo, Montell.

All total, I made about 90 notations while reading, so what follows is just a small sample of things that stood out for me:

• Performative online personas are rewarded more than genuine artistic vision.
• Addiction and criminality are more strongly connected with celebrity worship than calcium intake with bone mass, or lead exposure with children’s IQs.
• “When the modern mind is starved of its nourishment, sometimes it tries to nurse in uncanny places where no milk can be found.”
• People look to others to figure out whom they, themselves, are. By elementary school, girls have already learned to compare themselves only to peers they consider superior. Boys, to those they believe inferior.
• Online, people who talk negatively — even if what they are posting is demonstrably false — are seen as more confident and get more engagement. Thus, they are algorithmically encouraged to carry on.
• All that’s left of the “good old days” are their highest-quality products, and thus, that’s all we’ll ever see.
• A “contronym” is a word that has two contradictory meanings. (Such as “bad.”)
• “Next time we have a question, let's hold out for as long as we humanly can before googling the answer. It’ll be erotic. Like edging before a climax. It's quite nice, I am learning, just to wonder indefinitely. To never have certain answers. To sit down, be humble, and not even dare to know.”

There are far too many other interesting tidbits for me to list here. The Age of Magical Overthinking is compelling, well-written, and very timely for the post-COVID, MAGA timeline in which we are all trapped. If you’re not sure that it’s for you, at least give the Kindle or Apple Books sample a try. I bought my copy at Writer’s Block, but naturally, you can find it at the Amazon too.

What could I possibly say about a Stephen King novel that hasn’t already been said? Particularly, when the book was published 19 years ago! Well, buckle up, because if you overlooked this book all those years ago, you missed a true gem.

The Colorado Kid is not your typical King book. It’s a mystery novel, it’s noire-ish, and it features a knock-out conclusion. I’m not going to offer any spoilers, but it’s the end that made me fall deeply in love with this book.

It’s an ending that has been controversial, and I’ve certainly seen other people online complain about it, but I think it’s a rare masterpiece of mystery writing. The prelude to the ending (as in, the story that sets it up) is good and interesting and entertaining, but it pales in comparison to the conclusion.

And I know some of you reading this are also mystery entertainers. If that’s you, read this book immediately. It has nothing to do with conjuring, but the lessons it teaches about mystery and not knowing are invaluable.

I’ve previously written about the book’s publisher, Hard Case Crime. As this was one of their early books, it’s one that turned me on to their catalog, which has been going strong ever since. Anything they release is worthy of your consideration.

Read it now, thank me later.

Published in 1970, this is the most contemporary book in my Dark Shadows collection. It’s lucky number thirteen in the series (of 32) so I have a long way to go if I choose to continue.

The title of the book is a bit of a puzzle to me — aren’t all ghosts mysterious? Nonetheless, the adjective was used several times in the story, so I guess my opinion was not shared by the author or editor.

As I have skipped a couple of volumes, I’m left wondering what happened to Victoria Winters, who is not only no longer in the house, she’s not even mentioned. Clearly, I missed some significant events.

In fact, there aren’t many Collins family members mentioned at all. This is definitely not a good place to begin reading the series; it would give a false impression of its gestalt.

Another thing that stood out to me is the more traditional vampire lore that’s reflected in this volume. And I do mean reflected, as a key moment occurs when Barnabas can’t be seen in a mirror.

I am pleased that the “wan drinking game” I proposed earlier would still be playable with this book. Cheers!

The writing continues to pull me in, and I found myself laughing out loud at the observation that “our own hippies wear clothes of ancient style,” in defense of Barnabas’ manner of dress. How 1970!

I’ll continue avoiding spoilers, but will note that the book sets up a fantastic treasure to be found in a future volume (I presume).

The underlying theme of this eighth volume (1969) in the Dark Shadows series is the futility of trying to change the person you love. (Or, perhaps, just that women try to change men.) It may be that the incessant meddling that Barnabas endures is the “demon” of the title.

Another theme is that of Second Sight. In the story, we learn that both dogs and horses possess the ability, as does, ironically, a one-eyed man.

We also learn about ghostly flowers, that can be smelled, but not seen.

Physically, this book likely has a higher word count than the others I have read. It would explain the denser formatting, and maybe even the typographical mistakes such as repeated lines and even, surprisingly, a line printed entirely upside down. How did these mistakes make it into print? Was a demon at play?

Aside from the obligatory use of “dark shadows” as an adjective — which I continue to appreciate — this story brilliantly features a deaf-mute manservant. Barnabas must have felt very secure having an assistant who would have few employment prospects elsewhere, and also couldn’t well communicate the things he witnessed.

And, yes, the raw material for a “wan” drinking game is still very much present. Bottoms up!

I think one of the reasons I enjoyed this volume so much is that it’s a narrative, not a mystery to be solved. (I enjoy reading mystery novels, but don’t try to solve them.)

The ending of this volume is very poignant and presumably sets up a future story line. (No spoilers!)

This 2024 book by Peter McIndoe and Conner Gaydos is subtitled “The True Story of Mass Avian Murder and the Largest Surveillance Campaign in US History.”

Nothing makes me giggle more than seeing some dude holding up a “Birds Aren’t Real” sign at nearly every protest and sporting event. It tickles me even more than the “John 3:16” nutters. So when I found this book on the closeout rack at Barnes & Noble, I couldn’t resist buying it.

Have you ever watched a comedian who has a very finely constructed long joke that you really appreciate? At the payoff you think “wow that was really nicely done.” You can see where they’re coming from, and they obviously spent a lot of work refining it. You really appreciate the bit, but, what you don’t do, is laugh. That’s pretty much what this book was for me.

As I learned by studying at the Second City, good satire doesn’t overly rely on a wink-wink-nudge-nudge. Which this book leans into too heavily. Also, as I learned from Discordianism, not being able to tell if it’s meant as a joke is key to a good psychosocial-conspiracy.

For me, the authors made a terrible mistake in the early pages. A key moment in their historical timeline relies on events that occur at a Waffle House in Boise, Idaho.

But there is no Waffle House in Boise, Idaho. You see, as a magician, I am careful to avoid asserting evidence that can be easily, and concretely, refuted. If they had written “a waffle house,” that would not have blown apart my suspension of disbelief. How unfortunate.

That aside, there are many fun and compelling things about the book:

• The discussion of a hummingbird drone and the JFK assassination
• The description of online research as “YouTube videos of men yelling at their phones inside of trucks”
• The revelation that bird poop is a synthetic tracking liquid applied by drone birds to help surveil people
• The reason that ”birds” perch on power lines is to recharge their batteries. This is also the secret reason why many communities have not replaced overhead lines with safer, more reliable underground power.

My hat’s off to the authors, and overall this book is a fine accomplishment. I have been spoiled by the tighter, funnier, and more convincing shaggy dog tales proffered by the Discordians, and even the Church of the SubGenius. If you’d like to learn more about the Bird Truthers movement, pick up a copy at Amazon. However, if you want a real mindfck, go for The Illuminatus Trilogy instead.

23 Skidoo!

This is the third book I’ve read in the series of novels by Marilyn Ross that are based on the Dark Shadows TV show. However, there are a few books between this one and the others I’ve read, and the gap might explain some of the changes that I encountered.

The setting of the book is 1968. (It was published in 1969.) The other books aren’t specific about their time.

In this book, the house is now known as “Collinwood,” which is almost certainly an attempt to match the television show, even though tho these books are not part of that universe.

No spoilers, but in this book Barnabas is living in a pub room (not in the Old House), and the story features a Spiritualist Medium which really adds a nice occult element. We also learn that Barnabas can only feed on females, which justifies the many romances interweaving through the series.

This time, I didn’t notice any Hitchockian references to “dark shadows” in the story, but I am beginning to think that a drinking game based on the author using “wan” would be killer.

You can find a copy of this book at Amazon, of course, but wouldn’t it be more fun to let fate decide if you’re fortunate enough to encounter it in a used bookstore?

This is the second book in a series based on the Dark Shadows gothic daytime soap opera. (Also see my review of the first book.) The first printing was in 1966.

This novel introduces several new characters and locations, which reflects Victoria Winters getting settled into Collinsport, but also gives the author a richer palette from which to tell the stories. Those characters who were introduced in the first book, but not necessary to the present story, are said to be, conveniently, away on summer vacation.

The titular character spends most of the book attracting suitors who are surprisingly quick to fall in love with her. (Spoiler: she reciprocates with only one of them.) As these situations unfolded, I found myself concerned that I had been tricked into reading a romance novel! But with the strong supernatural elements of the story, it is only my ignorance of the “gothic” genre that fooled me.

The earliest editions of this book, of which my copy is apparently one, feature a photo of Barnabas Collins on the cover, but he doesn’t appear in the story. Later editions, such as this one listed on Amazon, show a more story-accurate depiction.

I’m beginning to notice some quirks of the author, such as a heavy use of the adjective “wan.” It appears so frequently that it could almost become a Dark Shadows drinking game. Of a more charming note, she (perhaps “they” is a better pronoun) also sneaks in a sly use of the phrase “dark shadows,” as a delightful Easter egg.

A favorite passage in defense of paranormal studies:

“Life offered mysteries on all sides and there were not always mundane answers to explain them. All through the history of mankind there had been witness to the reality of a spirit world. History and folklore were filled with references to demons, witches, and ghosts. Could all this evidence be ignored and put down merely as superstition? Or was there another dimension generally not admitted except among those close in the same circle, discussed in hushed tones privately, denied in public and yet so apparent as to have endured down through the centuries?”

I enjoyed this book. It was a fun read, with the careful wording that I’m coming to expect from the series. As I approached the end, I was concerned that too many plot points would be left unresolved — perhaps for use in future novels — but the conclusion moved along at a brisk pace (unlike some earlier parts of the story) and it left me satisfied.