Memoriam: John Updike

American author John Updike (1932-2009) has died; he was 76. His well-known works included the Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom series (Rabbit Run, 1960), Bech, a Book (1970), The Witches of Eastwick (1984), Terrorist (2006), and the Pulitzer Prize winners Rabbit Is Rich (1981) and Rabbit at Rest (1991). He also contributed well over 800 pieces of writing to The New Yorker magazine. A native of Pennsylvania, Updike later lived and wrote in his adopted Massachusetts.

Report the Features of the Octagon House

We received word a few weeks ago the Winterborn House in Marshall is for sale. Actually, it’s the Pendleton-Alexander House and here’s the scoop:

Goth-y Gorey Goodness

by Soozcat (Jan. 10, 2009)
(originally published at laundryfaerie.blogspot.com)

Enquirer: Input Sought for Marketing Marshall

We linked to a recent story about a possible historic district in Marshall; today, a story from the Enquirer about ways to better market Marshall:

Review: Figure "Sending Shivers Down My Spine"

Book review: The Figure in the Shadows

Whoever Removes These Things Does So at Her Own Peril....

Jenny had “heard some good things about John Bellairs” but when she tried one of his books, she didn’t finish it because she wasn’t in love with it. But now, as Jenny says, “if you like John Bellairs, you may profit from my guilt.”

Haverhill And The Squirrel's Hoard

The ComicBookResources site featured Comic Book Legends Revealed #188 recently and included this bit of about another of Haverhill's inspirations involving a shirt emblazoned with an S:

Comic Legend: There is no explanation for the S that Jughead wears on his shirt.

The Metal From the Stars

Some fans are writing some fan fiction, including this piece by David Hines called The Metal From the Stars:

Gotham Book Mart Holdings Are Given to Penn

The Gotham Book Mart was a famous midtown Manhattan bookstore and cultural landmark that operated from 1920 to 2007.  News of its priceless artifacts was noted by Sewell Chan in the January 2 New York Times: