Books - Fill your head!

 

The Heroine's Journey by Maureen Murdock - This is a counter to Joseph Campbell's  A Heroes Journey bringing to light the choices of women in the patriarchal society. Understanding the roles and relationships of women and stressing the structural limitations of a male run world Murdock brings a feminist eye on how to recognize and navigate from a heroines perspective.

Ghost Eaters by Clay Mcloud Chapman - A couple good ideas in this and I was looking for a new take on ghosts. In this books world the only afterlife is one of haunting no heaven for you. It also speaks of the emptiness and nothingness of death. In the end the way too one the nose allegory for addiction cycles Iwas a bit underwhelming.

Madhouse at the End of the Earth by Julian Sancton - A wonderful book tangentally connected to our least favorite King Leopold II of Belguim. It is the story of the first ship to survive the antartic winter. Well written and engrossing a truly amazing true story.

It's amazing to me that Rachel Maddow has a writing voice that is 100% her television storytelling voice. I find it a bit casual for the historical subject matter in this book, but that said Maddow tells a good story. This is the story of an extravigant Nazi propaganda campaign in the 1930s with the aim to geep the United States out of WWII until all our allies were already defeated. She shares the complex web of Americans both Nazi supporters and dupes including National Senators and Representatives executed plans to in effect overthrow our government. Almost no one was at the time held accountable in these plots and the recent Republican connivences to end our democracy is amazingly mirroring the plots of the past, which add some gravitas to the book.

Every few year listening to the master work is a valuable thing. Poe the horror legend is a wonderful writer and each time I return to him I am newly impressed by the brilliance that he possesses.

House of Psychotic Women - Pretty amazing book of personal life story, that also speaks to the films that frame ones life. I really enjoyed it. "HOUSE OF PSYCHOTIC WOMEN is an examination of these characters through a daringly personal autobiographical lens. Anecdotes and memories interweave with film history, criticism, trivia and confrontational imagery to create a reflective personal history and examination of female madness, both onscreen and off."

The New England Grimpendium: A Guide to Macbre and Ghastly sites by J.W. Ocker: SO much fun pretending there is something other than reality, ghosts, cryptids, strange sightings all in an easy to read book.

The Monstrous Femine: Film and Feminism, Psychoanalysis by Barbara Creed - A classic everyone should read at least once.

In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeanette by Hampton Sides: Another artic/antartic early 1900s adventure in history when everyone want to be the first to explore the unknown parts of the world. Great Story.

The End is Always Near: Apocalyptic Moments from the Bronze Age to Nuclear Near Misses by Dan Carlin - a bit muddled but acceptable look into our uncertain history

The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty - Different from the film is meaningful ways. I lean torwards the film but this was a good read.

Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson - The story of the early 1900s hurricane that destroyed Galveston TX great read.