This book is often considered Shirley Jacksons masterpiece and once you read it, it’s easy to see why. This book follows 18 year old Merricat Blackwood, who lives with her sister Constance, uncle Julian, and cat Jonas. They live a peaceful life away from the public ever since Constance was acquitted for the murder of the rest of the Blackwood family. Their peaceful life is threatened by the arrival of cousin Charles, who seems more interested in the family’s wealth than their wellbeing. This book perfectly highlights Shirley Jacksons talent in writing about solitude, paranoia, and the everyday

For anyone in the mood for something spooky, The Haunting of Hill House is a must read. One of the original haunted house novels, it’s been cited as inspiration for many horror authors, such as Stephen King, Paul Tremblay, and Grady Hendrix. The story follows a group of young and eccentric characters who are invited to investigate the apparent haunting of a mansion. From page one, the reader is hooked by the beautiful and chilling use of language. This book can be spooky, intriguing, and at times even funny. Yet more than exploring just a haunted house, this book explores the human psyche and

This is a book for anybody interested in the entertainment industry, human relationships, or just plain gossip. Valley of the Dolls was the bestselling book of 1966, and while this may not be the most intellectual book you’ll ever read, it sure is a lot of fun. The story follows three women – Anne, Neely, and Jennifer – as they try to make their way in the entertainment industry between the 1940’s and the 1960’s. Susann really highlights the highs and lows of this lifestyle, and truly makes us feel for the characters. I read this book last summer and found it to be a perfect light, summer read

I picked up this book on a whim from Deansgrange library, intrigued by the enigmatic cover. The story is quite simple – it follows the life of Mrs. Bridge, the matriarch of an upper-middle class family. Throughout the book we get a window into family life, including the changes and difficulties that it presents. I found this to be a particularly powerful book, showing the joys and miseries that can come with married life, and particularly the impact that this had on women in the early 20th century. It reads almost as a tragedy, to see an intelligent and freethinking woman, silenced by the

This autobiography isn’t just for music lovers, but anyone interested in a beautiful story of love and friendship. Overall the book follows Patti Smith’s move to New York and her rise to stardom, but more importantly it focuses on her friendship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. Just Kids is a candid and raw look at a very different, but equally important type of love. It’s also a wonderful ode to the rise of rock music, and life in New York during the 60’s and 70’s. I first read this book years ago, have read it several times since, and I’m sure I will read it plenty more times in the

Set during the height of the Pacific campaign during WW2 Norman Mailer's debut semi-autobiographical 1948 war novel describes the invasion of the fictional Japanese held island of Anopopei through the eyes of General Cumming who commands a n Infantry Division, his aide Lieutenant Hearn with whom the General has a strained love/hate relationship and the men of a tight knit recon platoon led by the psychopathic Texan Sergeant Croft. His men include Red, a headstrong loner, Wilson, a loveable buffoon, Roth and Goldstein, a secular and observant Jew respectively who are both victims of casual

Though marketed under Travel Atlases and Maps, Brilliant Maps is so much more than that. It’s a smorgasbord of world historical, geographical, cultural and political data and infographics, with many established facts and lesser known and obscure details. It is humourous, scary and at times, sombre viewing. The maps give as much information on the human and economic life of a country as its physical geography.

There are the fun facts to be found in the Culture and Customs sections: Heavy metal bands per 100,000 people, Who drives on the wrong side of the road? Countries that don't have any

Accidentally Wes Anderson is a coffee table photography book inspired by the cinematic style of American movie director, Wes Anderson. Those who are familiar with Anderson’s movies, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Darjeeling Limited, etc., will instantly recognize the similarity of these chosen images in the book with the director’s very distinctive cinematographic visuals.

The author of the book, Wally Koval, is a serious devotee of Anderson’s work and is part of a very committed cult following. In tribute to Anderson, he set up an Instagram account in 2017 of the same

Prior to reading this memoir, my scant knowledge of the Rastafari movement in Jamaica was made up of Bob Marley, whose reggae music gave the illusion of a chilled-out vibe and of Marley himself a symbol of peace, love and unity. I was also of the understanding that Rastafari is what largely defines Jamaica as a country.

However, Safiya Sinclair’s personal experience of Rastafari culture and tradition in How to say Babylon, blows that misconception out of the water. Safiya grew up in a draconian Rastafarian household. Her father, a strong exponent of the more militant sect of Rastafari, adheres

This beautiful and gentle novel chronicles the life of a young Japanese man, Tomura, who discovers the joy of sound and music through his training and work as a Piano Tuner. It is a story for the senses, bringing the reader on a sensory experience through the world of musical sound. It also explores the theme of finding one’s vocation in life and pursing that passion through the various challenges and obstacles along the way.

We are first introduced to Tomura as a seventeen-year-old in high school, where one day, he is asked to direct a Piano Tuner to the piano in the school gymnasium. He has