The Curse of the Blue Figurine by John Bellairs has been quite a marvelous experience for one of my age to read. Right from the beginning you cannot but just help imagining the scenario as if you were Johnny Dixon himself. Bellairs creates very thorough and thought-out characters, most significantly Professor Childermass. At first, the professor just seems like an average grumpy old man Read more…
Guy de Maupassant: Ironically Disturbing Henri Rene Albert Guy de Maupassant was a prolific French writer of the mid-to-late 1800s writing some 300 short stories, six novels, three travelogues, and one volume of verse (a book of poetry). He published his first story, “Boule de Suif” or “Ball of Fat” in 1880 and it is Read more…
A Two In One Day “It’s going to be a white Christmas!” exclaimed Annie’s little sister. Annie Stone and her family, which consisted of her parents, her older brother, her two younger twin sisters and her baby brother, had just moved from Florida to Michigan. “Yes, our first white Christmas!” said Mrs. Stone. Outside their Read more…
The Letter, the Witch, and the Ring Review and Summary – SPOILER ALERT! DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU HAVE READ THE SCRUMPTIOUS THRILLER FOR YOURSELF! The Letter, the Witch, and the Ring is a novel by John Bellairs that takes you on the incredible journey of none other than Lewis Barnavelt’s friend, Rose Rita. Read more…
A practical joke is a trick played on someone to make them look foolish and to amuse others. This idea is explored by Guy de Maupassant in his stories, “A Normandy Joke” and “An Uncomfortable Bed.” In “A Normandy Joke,” it starts off with a wedding procession, the bridegroom being a wealthy sportsman by the Read more…
