Posts tagged ‘book review’
On the outskirts of West Chester, PA is an unsurpassed emporium of used books, Baldwin’s Book Barn.
The store, located in an actual barn, is a rambling five-floor store of used books, almost exclusively hard cover editions. A booklover could easily get lost for hours of enjoyment. Name a subject and you will find shelves of books covering that topic.
The reason I mention this bookstore is that I have two short stories which take place in this store. One of which has been recently published for the second time.
Back to my love of this store.
I am intrigued by old books, and this is the place to find a trove of them. I own a few old volumes. My oldest is a book of English history published in 1794. I enjoy holding such a book, letting my mind drift to the era it represents. Considering what life was like and who was alive when that book was published.
On a recent visit I purchased a book entitled Minnesota in the Civil and Indian Wars, 1861-1865 published in 1890. I find value in owning a book published shortly after the event or era no matter what the subject.
An example of this interest is an eight-volume set, not purchased at Baldwin’s, titled The Story of the Great War. The first volume is copyrighted 1916. So, this set of books was not only written shortly after the event but during the event.
This is a true example of current events.
Here is a link to the store.
Baldwin’s Book Barn – Rare, Used, Out of Print, Antiquarian Books, Giclée prints, Ephemera, Antiques, Maps
July 10, 2024 at 3:51 pm
DOOMED BY PROGRESS
Due to technical difficulties, I will need to postpone my posting of The Ultimate Experiment. So for now, I will begin posting my short story, Doomed by progress.
David and Lisa studied the scene around them, a scene they knew they would soon join. A decreasing number of people walked the area. The lack of trees offered an unobstructed view of great distance, a view of horror beyond description, an unbroken tableau of man’s folly.
In their cozy home in the state of Iowa, David sat reading the evening paper. And shouted to Lisa, “They’re at it again. We’re all doomed because of Global Warming which has morphed into Climate Change. Can’t these ‘experts’ at least settle on a name for something that doesn’t exist?”
Cooking dinner, Lisa listened to Dave’s rant, but did not reply. They were of different minds as to what was happening to our atmosphere, and she knew starting an argument was useless. Dave’s view on Climate Change was based on what he was fed by his favorite news station. Lisa’s was based on the science she read. The signs were there but many paid no attention to the reality of the situation. For those, life was easy and comfortable.
David, 32, a CPA was moderately handsome of average height and weight put little value in scientific investigations. “You’ve got to look at whose paying for the study,” he would say. Let me say one word and tell you me how much we should believe studies. Coffee.”
Lisa, four years younger than David, was a high school science teacher. Petite, with blond hair and stunning blue eyes. She was a knockout. Unlike David she put value in scientific investigation, especially those following Climate Change. But she knew there was no point in arguing this subject with her husband.
June 10, 2024 at 5:42 pm
This story was published by Necrology Shorts in January 2010.
THE HORROR AT LAKE HARMONY
It began with an innocent trip to Baldwin’s Book Barn, a store which sold old and rare books. Baldwin’s was located in a rambling five-story barn. Set in the bucolic Pennsylvania countryside, it was my favorite haunt. I was in love with books, the older the better. I enjoyed breathing in the smell of old print and paper and wondered at the people who once owned these old tomes. My favorite time to visit was on a spring night when the customers were few. The store manager opened the barn doors to the surrounding fields, creating a natural setting for the store’s many books stacked in old orange crates. One pleasant spring night I parked in the gravel parking lot. I made my way up the rickety stairs, being sure to bend low so I wouldn’t tear my scalp on the low doorframes.
On the second floor, I walked past a door that was always locked, the door to the rare book room. A faint glow emanating from beneath the door had caught my attention, and then it was gone. My eyes traveled to the edge of the door. It was slightly ajar, a fact that had escaped my attention until that glow caught my eye. I entered and found beautiful leather bound volumes with gold leaf. I wandered among the shelves in the room filled with books I could never afford.
Off in a corner I noticed a slim volume on a table. The cover was leather with black letters; ‘Folklore of Pennsylvania and the Surrounding Area’. I knew some of the local myths, stories that made the tabloids or the local news when they had space to fill, such as the Jersey Devil rumored to inhabit the Pine Barrens of Southern New Jersey. But this book appeared to be a serious and ancient text. With mounting curiosity I confronted the volume. A ribbon, marking a site of interest, peeked from the bottom of the book and upon being opened, the book yielded naturally to theses pages. With a mixture of awe and curiosity, I inspected the story of the Legend of the Ancients. I sat in a round-backed chair, and with curiosity, soon became lost in the book.
May 23, 2024 at 11:59 am
The Night Eternal, the final book in The Strain Trilogy is a wild ride and a ‘must read’ for anyone at the least interested in vampires or the source of this horror.
Never before has there been a scientific explanation behind the myths and legends of these monsters, how they infect, how they react to sunlight and mirrors. The authors have changed some characteristics, replace fangs with a method of infection beyond repulsive, but it is all to their credit. And never before, to my limited knowledge, has there been an explanation involving the birth of the original vampire. And I must tell you, the source of the original vampire will rock you.
I cannot strongly enough implore you to read The Strain Trilogy.
Here are some links where you may purchase my work.
Melange Books
http://www.melange-books.com/authors/walttrizna/index.html
Barnes & Noble.com
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/walt-trizna?store=book&keyword=walt+trizna
Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=walt+trizna
January 13, 2015 at 7:23 pm
Newer Posts
Walttriznastories's Blog 