Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Patton Oswalt: By the Book (NYT)

Finally from us tonight - and for the year - the New York Times has published an interview with actor and comedian Patton Oswalt. Oswalt has praised the work of John Bellairs in the past and does so again in this December 31 article when recalling some of his favorite childhood books:

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Cat Rambo: You Should Read This

Fantasy and science fiction author Cat Rambo shared some thoughts recently in one of her You Should Read This posts about John Bellairs, specifically what she feels makes The Face in the Frost so special:

Friday, December 26, 2014

That Thou Shalt Like An Airy Spirit Go

Last year we celebrated forty years of The House with a Clock in its Walls by highlighting some of the people, places, and things that John mentioned in the text, including this about celebrated John Dee:
After moving into his uncle’s house Lewis Barnavelt spends time going through a lot of books, including one whose frontispiece is an engraving of this person raising the spirit of a dead woman [The House with a Clock in its Walls; 67-8].

Monday, December 22, 2014

Interview From Beyond the Grave

Last month John Bellairs joined the likes of A.A. Milne, Frank L. Baum, and J.D. Salinger and other authors as being one of Young Adult Mag's Interviews from Beyond the Grave:

Sunday, December 21, 2014

Researching the PMLA Again

Not too long ago we found ourselves with access to JSTOR and we thought, on a whim, we might finally nail down the long-running PMLA question.

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Interview: Justin Glanville

We were both surprised and excited to read comments last year from Justin Glanville praising the work of John Bellairs and his ability to create a sense of place. Glanville and fellow world-builder Christine Borne are the founders and creative force behind the series, Welcome to Munchen, Minnesota! And it’s pronounced as if you were munchin’. We corresponded with Justin earlier this year about writing with a sense of place in mind, as well as to expand on his previous comments highlighting Duston Heights, Hoosac, and New Zebedee. As has been said: location, location, location!

Monday, December 15, 2014

Where's There: Winnekenni Castle

(The fourth in a series about places or things John Bellairs didn't write about in towns where he lived.)

For the final installment in this series we're going back to Duston Heights. And Haverhill. And castles.