The House with a Cook in its Kitchen

Longtime readers of John Bellairs no doubt have their favorite scenes and some may even have favorite scenes that include food. How many times, for example, did Johnny scurry over to Professor Childermass's house with plans to discuss or decipher a clue only to be deterred as attention turned to cakes, candies, or tortes? What made Mrs. Zimmermann's chocolate chip cookies so popular? What makes a proper snake year sherry?

Hapy Birthday, John Bellairs

We're celebrating John Bellairs's 81st birthday this year -- and eighty years since his first birthday party:

Survey: Your Favorite Marilyn Fitschen Artwork in #FaceInTheFrost

Marilyn Fitschen, artist and illustrator - and one of John Bellairs's oldest friends - created 12 full page illustrations for The Face in the Frost.  In celebration of its 50th anniversary this year, we want to know which one is your favorite.

Celebrating the 'Year Of #Pompeii'

This opening paragraph in Forbes recently caught our eye:

New excavations have been ongoing at Pompeii for a few years, largely related to conservation work and other attempts to protect the UNESCO world heritage site from both looters and the environment, but 2018 has produced dozens of visually striking artifacts and skeletons that suggest 2018 was the 'Year of Pompeii.'

The ancient town is best remembered for being destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD - some 19-hundred years ago. Some of the archaeological interests that surfaced this year include:

#HouseWithAClock Film Reviews (XVII)

Film reviews: The House with a Clock in it Walls

#HouseWithAClock Film Reviews (XVI)

Film reviews: The House with a Clock in it Walls

#HouseWithAClock Film Reviews (XV)

Film reviews: The House with a Clock in it Walls

#HouseWithAClock Film Reviews (XIV)

Film reviews: The House with a Clock in it Walls

#HouseWithAClock Film Reviews (XIII)

Film reviews: The House with a Clock in it Walls

#HouseWithAClock Film Reviews (XII)

Film reviews: The House with a Clock in it Walls

Litany of Saint Fidgeta (rev.)

 As you prepare (or wait) for the film, keep Saint Fidgeta on your mind:

• From the wandering wonder we suffer while waiting in long lines ... sweet Fidgeta, deliver us.
• From the pandering previews that preoccupy our time ... sweet Fidgeta, deliver us.
• From the "Let's Go Out to the Lobby"-like earworm playing incessantly in your head ... sweet Fidgeta, deliver us.
• From the feeling during the film we will see our noses and it will make us cross-eyed ... sweet Fidgeta, deliver us.

#HouseWithAClock Film Reviews (XI)

Film reviews: The House with a Clock in it Walls

Inside One Of Hollywood's Most Famous Wurlitzer Pipe Organs

LAist writer Tim Greiving writes about the Wurlitzer Pipe Organ that shaped The Sound of Music and The House with a Clock in its Walls:

#HouseWithAClock Film Reviews (X)

Film reviews: The House with a Clock in it Walls

#HouseWithAClock Film Reviews (IX)

Film reviews: The House with a Clock in it Walls