Promoting Lewis Barnavelt?

Okay, we don’t know what this is – we aren’t sure we really want to – but it seems to be promoting the Lewis Barnavelt series, albeit the editions published in Brazil. Enjoy?

The Face...at 40

We would do all Bellairsdom a great disservice if we did not acknowledge that this year is the fortieth anniversary of The Face in the Frost. It is still the first (and the only compleat) book to feature the wizards Prospero and Roger Bacon who live in a strange land known only as the Southern Kingdom. And what a book it is.  Bellairs actually composed a lot of the book in another kingdom – the United Kingdom...England – in his years after teaching at Shimer College. How far along in Prospero's tale Bellairs was before he arrived in England is uncertain but the ambiance there surely inspired him – note the similarities of local flavor found in the Gorgon's head in Bath and Somerset's Five Dials Inn to some of the encounters in Face.

And just in time for the big Four-Oh is the release of a sequel (okay, part of a sequel) called The Dolphin Cross.

That said, in celebration of this fantastic fortieth anniversary we ask you what’s your favorite moment from the book? What passage kept you up at all hours of the night? Are there any memories that still stand out long after the book has returned to the shelf?

Share your remembrances here or at the John Bellairs Experience.

Shelf Life: September 2

Something about the (other) Cronin House
Some comments on the Cronin House of Marshall...and some bit of history on the Cronin House in Hayward, California. There’s no relation between the two aside from the name but the one out west sounded as if it had an interesting history, too. (Here are some pictures of the place, too.)

The Cronin House of Marshall is still for sale it seems, based on some pictures.

Eyes of the Killer Robot
No, not the book...but the (we think) Washington D.C.-based band has surfaced again. Yes, the band we mentioned a few years ago popped up again and so this all but confirms they’re still out there...still going strong. (Band members, feel free to reply with the story of how the band got their name.) For the record, Anthony Monday was the name of another band (I believe Canadian) that we heard about a few years ago; we have an MP3 of one of their songs in our collection of Bellairs-related audio.

An interview with Dan Poblocki
Poblocki is the author of The Stone Child and confesses to being a fan of Mr. Bellairs:

I loved the John Bellairs mysteries when I was a kid. I read them over and over. My aim for The Stone Child was to create a story that someone would want to revisit, not only as a child, but as an adult. I'll still pick up a John Bellairs book every now and again. They're spooky, but the characters are so endearing, I love spending time with them.

You can visit Dan’s website or read a review of his first book, The Stone Child.

46th Annual Historic Home Tour

The Marshall, Michigan Home Tour is in its 46th year of offering exquisite private homes and businesses for public viewing and enjoyment. The tour will feature vintage homes and historic museums covering diverse specialties such as unusual architecture, antique home furnishings, and more. The Home Tour was voted the Best Home Tour by the readers of AAA's Michigan Living magazine.

• Saturday, September 12, 9:00 to 5:00
• Sunday, September 13, 10:00 to 5:00
  

For more information, including associated costs, please contact the Marshall Historical Society or Chamber of Commerce.

Elsewhere...Laura Martone shares some comments on the tour and some of the historical residences in Marshall, and Historical Ken discusses some of the other tours around Michigan.

Some pictures of Marshall courtesy Scott Diussa and David Bowser.