Totally not what I expected. Now that I have finished it, I find it very interesting to compare perception with expectation with current 'reality' with 1955 'reality'. As Vladimir Nabokov himself says, 'reality' is "...one of the few words that mean nothing without quotes."

Yes, Bunnicula!! Sometimes you just need to hang out with a sweet old friend. But don't judge a book by its target audience. Rereading Bunnicula as an adult gave me a few grins I missed the first time around as well as reminding me of some classic horror novels I need to dust off and revisit. All I can say is that I'd like to hang out with the Monroe family, share a cup of coffee and great conversation. 

As addicted as I am to all things Victorian, I was as intrigued as I was leery of a story that combined Jack the Ripper and Joseph Merrick (the Elephant Man). A quick fact check through my brain proved the timeline possible and by the end of the book I was glad to see how the author, Matthew J. Kirby, paid proper respect to it. Everything he created was totally plausible (as long as you are accepting of a little supernatural business...which was also very Victorian). The setting and characters were well presented and easily imagined in the reader's mind. There were some tense scenes (also easily imagined in detail) but since I am fond of the dark and creepy, the subject matter did not disturb me. Some readers should consider themselves cautioned. ;-)

To spoil or not to spoil.... 
I'll try to not.

On one hand I really enjoyed Lauren Owen's The Quick. Set in the late Victorian era, Lauren paints a beautifully detailed picture of the lonely life of James and Charlotte Norbury, two children left to their own devices due to a widowed father (traveling too much) and rotating governesses with too many other things to keep up with in the too large, too creepy estate.  Eventually the father dies, the children grow up, and life turns into a new normal. James goes off to London to become a man of letters... or a playwright, whatever works. Then... 

Before I get into what a lovely storyteller Elizabeth Gilbert is, let me say it has NOT been since March that I've read a book. Trust me!! But sometimes, what I'm busy reading is not just for entertainment. I read a lot for research when preparing for a lecture (which is also entertaining, yes, but there is an additional motive). I recently read an absolutely adorable Victorian play titled The Woman of the World by Lady Clara Cavendish while preparing for a recent Naughty Women, Lovely Tea presentation. And I read a ton of articles researching a couple of naughty Victorian women. I've looked through a dozen Victorian fashion books to work out my latest costume (then spent a bajillion hours actually sewing the costume). So by the time I finally get around to reading for the entertainment of it, it's usually 10:00 at night, I'm in bed, I get about 3 pages in and my eyelids start drooping. Sigh. There are also some books that I read that I don't post about because I really didn't care for them. Not that they were badly written (well, not all of them) but they just didn't grab me. I'd rather write about books that I truly enjoyed than to use up space for a picture of a book cover and me writing "Meh" about it.
ANYWAY!! As I said, Elizabeth Gilbert is a wonderful storyteller. Alma Whittaker is such a realistic character, even though the book is set in the 1800s, any modern woman could totally relate to her. All of the characters are rich, easily visualized, and as is the mark of any good book, they are all now my friends and are lingering. Love!

I bought this book at a used book store. Because it was by Clive Barker, duh!! I didn't know anything about it other than (obviously) Clive Barker wrote it.
I read it.
No spoilers. So I'll just say, "Mr. Jakabok Botch, where's my house on a hill?!"