blogis librorum. A blog about books. Rare books.

Terence Dean Brooks, better known as Terry, was born on January 8, 1944 in the rural Midwestern town of Sterling, Illinois. It was in this rural town that Brooks spent much of his formative years. Without much else to do, he spent the majority of his time relaxing in Sinnissippi Park and day dreaming up the stories that would one day make him a bestselling author. This park would eventually become the setting for his Word & Void trilogy.

Isaac Asimov, legendary author of science fiction, celebrated his birthday on January 2. Born Isaak Yudovich Osimov in Petrovichi, Russia around January 2, 1920, Asimov immigrated to Brooklyn, New York with his family. Asimov would always retain a strong New York accent, a feature just as distinctive as his legendary mutton chops. The author is less well known for his flying phobia and using the nom de plume Paul French. 

"The first climax (…) brought tears to my eyes. There has been nothing like it for years: partly for the actual writing– 'She has left her toys behind but ours go hence with us,' or 'The island rose to meet the dawn,' but partly (still more, in fact) because here we meet a modern author who understands that there may be things that have a higher claim than the survival or happiness of humanity: a man who could almost understand “He that hateth not father and mother” and certainly would understand the situation in Aeneid III between those who go on to Latium and those who stay in Sicily." -C.S. Lewis (on Childhood's End) 

Literature can serve many purposes for its audience, but one of its most valuable gifts is its ability to open a reader's eyes to a new world or a new perspective. Not only did Isaac Bashevis Singer write stories of deep emotion and entertainment, he helped his American readers explore subcultures that had long been ignored, if not despised. As a leader in the Yiddish literary movement, Singer's stories often centered upon Jews, but he also created characters and stories that dealt with homosexuality and transgender issues. His works won him the Nobel Prize in 1978, along with two National Book Awards.

Yesterday Doris Lessing, author of more than 55 works of poetry, fiction, opera, and non-fiction, passed away. The Nobel laureate was known for free thinking political activism and innovative literary form. Lessing was born in Iran to British parents, and she spent much of her childhood in Zimbabwe. She made her novel debut in 1950 with The Grass Is Singing, but did not gain attention from the literary world until 1962, with The Golden Notebook. 

From modern-day dinosaurs to soapy hospital dramas, Michael Crichton is probably the creative mind behind at least one of your favorite guilty pleasures in novels, movies, or television shows. In 1994, he became the first writer to have his work land at number one in film, television, and book sales all at the same time. His most well-known creations – Jurassic Park and "ER" – reflect the frequent genres and themes he chose: action, science fiction, medicine, and biotechnology.

Halloween can be traced back to the 2,000-year-old Celtic festival of Samhain.The Celts believed that the line between the spiritual and physical worlds was blurred on Samhain, and they celebrated the holiday by dressing up in costumes, telling fortunes, and building bonfires. Today we associate Halloween with monsters, ghosts, and other horrors. But at Charnel House, the horrific and strange aren't reserved for one day a year. This fine press specializes in horror and weird fiction.

October 4th marks the birthday of prolific American author Anne Rice. It seems fitting that this queen of gothic fiction should be born in the same month as Halloween, but Rice has written much more than merely horror. Her oeuvres range from Christian literature to erotica. She often addresses the metaphysical, weaving stories that both challenge and entertain.