Category: Nonfiction

ARC Review: Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror by Ashley Cullins

August 19, 2025

“What makes Scream so relatable is that the killer, though initially masked and anonymous, is not some monster. It is someone you know who is deeply betraying you in a very traumatic and violent way.” This book is a love letter to the Scream franchise and its impact on the horror genre. Ashley Cullins provides … More ARC Review: Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror by Ashley Cullins

Review: Trail of the Lost: The Relentless Search to Bring Home the Missing Hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail by Andrea Lankford

August 16, 2025

While I live in the Appalachian mountains and spend a lot of time wandering the woods, I have never considered spending months hiking the Appalachian Trail or the Pacific Crest Trail. I have always been conscious of the dangers of hiking/wandering the woods and usually am pretty prepared, but that is only for a few … More Review: Trail of the Lost: The Relentless Search to Bring Home the Missing Hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail by Andrea Lankford

Review: Black Coal and Red Bandanas: An Illustrated History of the West Virginia Mine Wars by Paul Buhle and Raymond Tyler

July 26, 2025

Title: Black Coal and Red Bandanas: An Illustrated History of the West Virginia Mine Wars Author: Paul Buhle and Raymond Tyler Illustrator: Summer McClinton Pages: 137 “There is never peace in West Virginia because there is never justice.”  Mother Jones This was a beautifully illustrated history of the West Virginia mine wars. I really loved … More Review: Black Coal and Red Bandanas: An Illustrated History of the West Virginia Mine Wars by Paul Buhle and Raymond Tyler

Review: Faithful Unto Death: Pet Cemeteries, Animal Graves, and Eternal Devotion by Paul Koudounaris

July 19, 2025

“The love the animals gave will never be forgotten.” This was a beautifully written book about the love people hold for their pets and how we deal with their deaths. Paul Koudounaris photographs and research into pet cemeteries really shows a whole new side of love and grief that most people don’t think about.  The … More Review: Faithful Unto Death: Pet Cemeteries, Animal Graves, and Eternal Devotion by Paul Koudounaris

Review: The Lady From the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick by Mallory O’Mera

July 12, 2025

“The beauty of Milicent’s life and work was, like that of many other women, purposefully hidden to rob her of her power and her influence.” This biography/memoir discussed the life and hidden legacy of the Creature from the Black Lagoon designer Milicent Patrick. Milicent created one of the most iconic movie monsters and the last … More Review: The Lady From the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick by Mallory O’Mera

Review: The Devil Is Here in These Hills: West Virginia’s Coal Miners and Their Battle for Freedom by James Green

June 20, 2025

“God does not walk in these hills…The devil is here in these hills, and the devil is greed.” General Charles D. Elliott As a West Virginian, I will admit I only recently learned about the mine wars.  About four years ago my work created an exhibit and presentation about it be mine wars and it … More Review: The Devil Is Here in These Hills: West Virginia’s Coal Miners and Their Battle for Freedom by James Green

Review: It Ended Badly: Thirteen of the Worst Breakups in History by Jennifer Wright

June 3, 2025

TW: Discussion of murder, slavery, matricide, forced transitioning, rape; racism; disablism and ableism, mainly to those with dwarfism (Ch. 5); eugenics; pedophilia; miscarriages; abortions;  This book takes you through thirteen of the worst breakups in history. Like Wright’s other books, this was an enjoyable look at a specific topic in history. This book covers many … More Review: It Ended Badly: Thirteen of the Worst Breakups in History by Jennifer Wright

ARC Review: Whack Job: A History of Axe Murder by Rachel McCarthy James

May 12, 2025

While this book has an interesting topic, it didn’t end up being exactly what I expected. When you think of axe murders, you think of people like Lizzie Borden (Ch. 9),  the Axeman of New Orleans, or maybe if you are a true crime buff, Elifasi Msomi  (The Axe Killer). Instead this book is a … More ARC Review: Whack Job: A History of Axe Murder by Rachel McCarthy James

Review: Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection by John Green

April 14, 2025

“One estimate…maintains that TB has killed around one in seven people who ever lived.” Tuberculosis is something that I knew was a thing that killed a lot of people but I didn’t realize it was still so rampant and that it is still killing on such a wide scale. Green does a great job at … More Review: Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection by John Green

Review: Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation by Kristin Kobes Du Mez

April 11, 2025

This book is hard to rate because Du Mez has clearly done her research but I do think some of the content was a bit repetitive, especially with the repetitive discussions of men and women’s place in society. As a non religious person, this book really helped me to understand the current political environment and … More Review: Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation by Kristin Kobes Du Mez

ARC Review: Story of a Murder: The Wives, the Mistress, and Dr. Crippen by Hallie Rubenhold

March 31, 2025

“No murderer should ever be the guardian of their victim’s story, and yet this is the role that Hawley Harvey Crippen has always held.” Hallie Rubenhold, author of The Five,  is back and this time deep diving into the North London Cellar Murder. This is a case that I had never heard of before picking … More ARC Review: Story of a Murder: The Wives, the Mistress, and Dr. Crippen by Hallie Rubenhold

Review: The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel

February 25, 2025

This was a fascinating look at the life and crimes of master thief Stéphane Breitwieser. Breitwieser and his girlfriend, Anna-Catherine Kleinklaus, carried out more than two hundred heists over eight years and stole more than three hundred objects. This book goes over his life, his many heists, and his eventual capture and imprisonment.  I remember … More Review: The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel