A Flair For Baroque Description And Gothic Horror

Will Duquette penned some thoughts about reading The Face in the Frost years ago, and only reading - and learning about - Bellairs's later novels.  He shared his thought about the omnibus edition of The Best of John Bellairs and seemingly still prefers The Face in the Frost.

Unexplained Noises are Best Left Unexplained

by the Chronicler of Mare Caelorum (Oct. 16, 2006)

(Originally published at thousandbookchronicle.blogspot.com)

Review: Spell "As Creepy As It Was When I Was Eleven Years Old"

Book review: The Spell of the Sorcerer's Skull

Book Alert: The House Where Nobody Lived

The High Street wizards are coming back to you! Today!

After a three-year hiatus, Brad Strickland returns as author of the newest spooky adventure of John Bellairs's Lewis Barnavelt and Rose Rita Pottinger. The House Where Nobody Lived is the eleventh book in the long-running and popular Barnavelt series, centering on the strange Hawaii House of New Zebedee, Michigan.

Welcome back, Lewis - and a tip of the hat to Brad, too!

Chicago and the Places of His Dwelling

The second in an occasional series about where John Bellairs lived during his time in Chicago.

We've already touched upon Bellairs's first residence, the International House (or I-House) at the University of Chicago. He left at the end of the spring 1961 term and where he went after this is a bit hard to pinpoint.  There are a few gaps in the timeline and, for all we know, he may have returned to the I-House for a semester or two.

Review: Curse "Successfully Creates...the Evocative World Of Fifties Childhood"

Book review: The Curse of the Blue Figurine

Gorey Talks, Moves

One thing led to another recently and the end result was watching the old, eerie extended animated openings of the PBS program, Mystery! The original version's vignettes set the tone but it's the newer, expanded version trying to tell a story we've always liked.  Even though we don't quite get the story.  And that's the point.  However, from these works of Edward Gorey it was but a quick jump to something just as startling: clips of Edward Gorey himself, talking, from the forthcoming documentary project.

Ahoy, Long John Bellairs!

In honor of National Talk Like a Pirate Day we bring forth an exciting account of this roarin’ tale of the sea from one Long John Bellairs, that of Ye Cabin with a Timepiece in Thee Walls.

2006 Living History Portrayal Walk

Oakridge Cemetery, one of the oldest continuously operated cemeteries in Michigan, is home again this year to the annual Living History Portrayal Walk. This guided walking tour will feature actors portraying seven significant persons from Marshall's past at each of those individual's gravesites. The event will take place rain or shine so participants are encouraged to bring flashlights, wear comfortable walking shoes, and carry an umbrella.

When: October 14, 2005
Time: 7:00 pm

For more information, please contact the Marshall Chamber of Commerce.

Review: Curse "An Excellent Volume For A Child And Adult To Share, Especially On A Grim, Stormy Evening"

Book review: The Curse of the Blue Figurine

Moments of Clarity, Ambiguity

Maybe it's the fact we've been doing this for years and all our research is taking its toll. Maybe it’s the expectation of trying to top ourselves year after year. Do we subconsciously associate mundane items and events thrown at us by life, misconstrue them, and then try to find some veiled Bellairsian reference or influence? 

Maybe we need a rest.

Time Capsule: 1992

August, 1992: 14 years ago this August, John's last book was published a year after his untimely death. The Mansion in the Mist, with a working title of The Mansion at the End of the World, is the fourth, and as of this writing, the final book in the Anthony Monday series.

Anthony, Miss Eells and her brother, Emerson, endure a jolting ride in an old wooden chest and find a sinister world whose inhabitants are...planning...heh...we won't spoil it for you. Let's just say it involves a guy named Marius Ambrose and some of his friends.

Dedicated Words Which Writers Use

One of the first things we did when setting out to find people with memories of John when we began this project was identifying those individuals that played such an important part of his life that he dedicated his books to them. Who were they? Old friends from college? Family members? Other authors? People he’d met in since moving to Massachusetts? To cut to the chase...well...yes, some of all of the above.

43rd Annual Historic Home Tour

The Marshall, Michigan Home Tour is in its fifth decade of offering exquisite private homes and businesses for public viewing and enjoyment. The tour will feature eight vintage homes and will include five historic museums covering diverse specialties such as unusual architecture, antique home furnishings, Civil War memorabilia, and a restored antique post office. To close out the tour's sixteen structures will be three businesses from Marshall's well-maintained historic business district. Marshall's Home Tour was voted the Best Home Tour by the readers of AAA's Michigan Living magazine.

Of special interest to fans of John Bellairs is the inclusion of the G.AR. Hall (402 East Michigan Avenue) and Honolulu House Museum (107 North Kalamazoo Avenue) in this year's tour.

When: September 9-10, 2005
Time: Saturday 9:00 to 5:00, Sunday 10:00 to 5:00

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

Review: Mansion "Not The Author’s Best Effort, Although True Fans Will Be Forgiving"

Book review: The Mansion in the Mist