Wonder, Horror, Mystery

Wonder, Horror, Mystery
Author: Morgan Meis
Publisher: punctum books
Total Pages: 371
Release: 2021-12-22
Genre: Art
ISBN: 1685710085

Wonder, Horror, Mystery is a dialogue between two friends, both notable arts critics, that takes the form of a series of letters about movies and religion. One of the friends, J.M. Tyree, is a film critic, creative writer, and agnostic, while the other, Morgan Meis, is a philosophy PhD, art critic, and practicing Catholic. The question of cinema is raised here in a spirit of friendly friction that binds the personal with the critical and the spiritual. What is film? What's it for? What does it do? Why do we so intensely love or hate films that dare to broach the subjects of the divine and the diabolical? These questions stimulate further thoughts about life, meaning, philosophy, absurdity, friendship, tragedy, humor, death, and God. The letters focus on three filmmakers who challenged secular assumptions in the late 20th century and early 21st century through various modes of cinematic re-enchantment: Terrence Malick, Lars von Trier, and Krzysztof Kieślowski. The book works backwards in time, giving intensive analysis to Malick's To The Wonder (2012), Von Trier's Antichrist (2009), and Kieślowski's Dekalog (1988), respectively, in each of the book's three sections. Meis and Tyree discuss the filmmakers and films as well as related ideas about philosophy, theology, and film theory in an accessible but illuminating way. The discussion ranges from the shamelessly intellectual to the embarrassingly personal. Spoiler alert: No conclusions are reached either about God or the movies. Nonetheless, it is a fun ride.

The Wonder

The Wonder
Author: Emma Donoghue
Publisher: Little, Brown
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2016-09-20
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0316393886

Now a Netflix film starring Florence Pugh: In this “old-school page turner” (Stephen King, New York Times Book Review) by the bestselling author of Room, an English nurse is brought to a small Irish village to observe what appears to be a miracle—a girl said to have survived without food for months—and soon finds herself fighting to save the child's life. Tourists flock to the cabin of eleven-year-old Anna O'Donnell, who believes herself to be living off manna from heaven, and a journalist is sent to cover the sensation. Lib Wright, a veteran of Florence Nightingale's Crimean campaign, is hired to keep watch over the girl. Written with all the propulsive tension that made Room a huge bestseller, The Wonder works beautifully on many levels -- a tale of two strangers who transform each other's lives, a powerful psychological thriller, and a story of love pitted against evil. Acclaim for The Wonder: "Deliciously gothic.... Dark and vivid, with complicated characters, this is a novel that lodges itself deep" (USA Today, 3/4 stars) "Heartbreaking and transcendent"(New York Times) "A fable as lean and discomfiting as Anna's dwindling body.... Donoghue keeps us riveted" (Chicago Tribune) "Donoghue poses powerful questions about faith and belief" (Newsday)

One Hit Wonder (Prequel)

One Hit Wonder (Prequel)
Author: Kristi Rose
Publisher: KAC/Vintage Housewife Books
Total Pages: 136
Release: 2023-08-28
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1944513299

For fans of Janet Evanovich and Stephanie Bond, USA Today Bestselling author Kristi Rose brings you a reluctant private investigator in this feel good, twisty, laugh out loud mystery. Sometimes it's not opportunity knocking, it's trouble. On the night of Samantha True’s first job as a forensic photographer she learns three things: Crime scenes are messy. Especially when you throw up on them. She may not be cut out for this. When the police drag her to a second investigation, she’s just as baffled by the crime scene as they are. Why is the school lunch lady, Miss Trina, chained to a pole? Is this somehow connected to the robberies taking place all over Wind River? Samantha might not be cut out for photographing blood-covered crime scenes, but being the daughter of the town newspaper man, she has plenty of investigating intuition. Besides, this is her hometown, and she’s not about to let it become ravaged by crime. As the locals rally to help Miss Trina, Samantha begins her poking around and uncovers sinister dealings, causing her to question everything–and everyone–she knows. Her small town is full of shadowy secrets. And she might be happier staying in the dark. A laugh-out-loud mystery that will keep you guessing and quickly turning the pages. One Hit Wonder offers the just right reader escape, but fair warning, this book leaves readers wanting more. Warning: May cause spontaneous laughter. This mystery offers witty banter, characters you'll want to be friends with, and is a perfect escape to the Pacific Northwest. Laughing out loud in public may cause curious glances from strangers. This book doesn't haven't to be read in the series order and takes place 10 years prior to ALL BETS ARE OFF. Keywords: Cozy mystery, small town mystery, amateur sleuth, private investigator.

The Book of Hidden Wonders

The Book of Hidden Wonders
Author: Polly Crosby
Publisher: Harlequin
Total Pages:
Release: 2020-09-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1488058962

A charming, deeply imaginative debut novel about a young girl who is immortalized in her father’s illustrated books containing clues to their family secrets. Romilly Kemp and her eccentric painter father have happy but sheltered lives in a ramshackle mansion in the English countryside. When her father finds fame with a series of children’s books starring Romilly as the main character, everything changes: exotic foods appear on the table, her father appears on TV and strangers appear at their door, convinced the books will lead them to a precious prize. But as time passes, Romilly’s father becomes increasingly suspicious of the outside world until, before her eyes, he begins to disappear within himself. She returns to his illustrations, looking for a way to connect with her ailing father, and finds a series of clues he’s left just for her. This treasure hunt doesn’t lead her to gold or jewels, but something worth far more—a shocking secret that is crucial to understanding her family. Written with tremendous heart and charisma, The Book of Hidden Wonders is an unforgettable story about growing up, facing mortality and discovering the hidden wonders that make us who we are.

The Wonder That Is You

The Wonder That Is You
Author: Glenys Nellist
Publisher: Zonderkidz
Total Pages: 36
Release: 2019-07-23
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0310766575

Every parent dreams of embracing their new child. When that dream comes true, it’s as if all of creation rejoices with them. Celebrate a new arrival with this heartwarming picture book, The Wonder That Is You by bestselling author Glenys Nellist. The Wonder That Is You is: Not only a perfect gift for new babies, but also a precious story to read aloud with big brothers and sisters in anticipation of the new arrival A heartwarming way to tell your children, godchildren, or grandchildren of any age how special they are and how much that are loved A soothing bedtime book that will have your little ones falling fast asleep in your loving arms It felt as if the world stood still The day my dream came true, And all creation paused to see The wonder that is you. The Wonder That Is You is perfect gift for baby showers, baptisms, adoptions, birthdays, or any time you want to tell your little one how much they are loved.

Necroscope II: Wamphyri!

Necroscope II: Wamphyri!
Author: Brian Lumley
Publisher: Hachette UK
Total Pages: 326
Release: 2013-03-18
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 057508779X

Things in the ground, thinking their thoughts . . . . . . Thoughts they can express only through Harry Keogh, NECROSCOPE. For that's Harry's talent, and his burden: he reads the thoughts of the dead in their graves - and the thoughts of the UNdead! Except . . . the undead are thinking thoughts that are totally-unthinkable! Yulian Bodescue's mother fainted at the tomb of Thibor Ferenczy, vampire. Corrupt from birth, now Yulian feels a strange compulsion: to discover his real father and spread his works abroad. Only Harry Keogh, prisoner of the metaphysical Mobius Continuum, can stop him. Harry's other big problem is this: HE DOESN'T HAVE A BODY!

The Invited

The Invited
Author: Jennifer McMahon
Publisher: Anchor
Total Pages: 368
Release: 2019-04-30
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0385541392

A chilling ghost story with a twist: the New York Times bestselling author of The Winter People returns to the woods of Vermont to tell the story of a husband and wife who don't simply move into a haunted house--they build one . . . In a quest for a simpler life, Helen and Nate have abandoned the comforts of suburbia to take up residence on forty-four acres of rural land where they will begin the ultimate, aspirational do-it-yourself project: building the house of their dreams. When they discover that this beautiful property has a dark and violent past, Helen, a former history teacher, becomes consumed by the local legend of Hattie Breckenridge, a woman who lived and died there a century ago. With her passion for artifacts, Helen finds special materials to incorporate into the house--a beam from an old schoolroom, bricks from a mill, a mantel from a farmhouse--objects that draw her deeper into the story of Hattie and her descendants, three generations of Breckenridge women, each of whom died suspiciously. As the building project progresses, the house will become a place of menace and unfinished business: a new home, now haunted, that beckons its owners and their neighbors toward unimaginable danger.

The Shadows

The Shadows
Author: Alex North
Publisher: Celadon Books
Total Pages: 293
Release: 2020-07-07
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1250318025

"This is absorbing, headlong reading, a play on classic horror with an inventiveness of its own... As with all the best illusions, you are left feeling not tricked, but full of wonder." – The New York Times The haunting new thriller from Alex North, author of the New York Times bestseller The Whisper Man You knew a teenager like Charlie Crabtree. A dark imagination, a sinister smile--always on the outside of the group. Some part of you suspected he might be capable of doing something awful. Twenty-five years ago, Crabtree did just that, committing a murder so shocking that it’s attracted that strange kind of infamy that only exists on the darkest corners of the internet--and inspired more than one copycat. Paul Adams remembers the case all too well: Crabtree--and his victim--were Paul’s friends. Paul has slowly put his life back together. But now his mother, old and suffering from dementia, has taken a turn for the worse. Though every inch of him resists, it is time to come home. It's not long before things start to go wrong. Paul learns that Detective Amanda Beck is investigating another copycat that has struck in the nearby town of Featherbank. His mother is distressed, insistent that there's something in the house. And someone is following him. Which reminds him of the most unsettling thing about that awful day twenty-five years ago. It wasn't just the murder. It was the fact that afterward, Charlie Crabtree was never seen again...

Blood Will Out

Blood Will Out
Author: Jo Treggiari
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 245
Release: 2018-06-05
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 0735262969

Silence of the Lambs for young adults -- Blood Will Out is a gripping YA thriller readers won't be able to put down. Ari Sullivan is alive--for now. She wakes at the bottom of a cistern, confused, injured and alone, with only the shadowy recollection of a low-pitched voice and a gloved hand. No one can hear her screams. And the person who put her there is coming back. The killer is planning a gruesome masterpiece, a fairytale tableau of innocence and blood, meticulously designed. Until now, Ari was happy to spend her days pining for handsome, recent-arrival Stroud Bellows, fantasizing about their two-point-four-kids-future together. Safe in her small hometown of Dempsey Hollow. But now her community has turned very dangerous -- and Ari may not be the only intended victim. Told in alternating perspectives of predator and prey, Blood Will Out is a gripping and terrifying read.