"Instead of greeting their rescuers with smiles of relief, the survivors - - - were disturbed, even frightened. They jealously clutched the splintered and gnawed-over bones with a desperate, almost feral intensity, refusing to give them up, like two starving dogs found trapped in a pit."

Philbrick's gripping narrative is both the story of Nantucket - now a popular tourist destination - and a story of survival. Nantucket was a Quaker community, where everyone (including children) spoke with nautical terms, and women (largely more educated than men) took care of the children and ran the businesses when the men were at sea. In 1819, the whaleship Essex left the harbor, and 15 months later, an unusually aggressive sperm whale sank the ship. Due to indecisive Captain Pollard and the more assertive first mate Chase, the men ended up trying to sail almost 3000 miles away to South America in three small boats.

If you were queasy during the preface, you'll have an awful time. Whaling is a gruesome process, but there's also the fact that when food runs out, you're forced to make uncomfortable decisions. Instead of continuing to wait who would perish next and give them their next ration, the men later resorted to drawing lots, which decided who would be sacrificed for the common good. In the end, 8 crew members out of 20 survived. All eight went back to sea in a couple of months.

These historical plays about kings haven't fully been my jam. They're fine but not as memorable as others I've read before this challenge. I'd still say there's a lot to explore here, from power play and conflicts on a macro and micro level to Henry's inability to rule like a proper king (I always love a bit of necromancy, too). A lot to unpack, but I think I'd prefer to see these on stage.

Second to last main DT book before the big finale! Song of Susannah got me excited about continuing the journey, although some things (with Susannah's character in particular) didn't interest me as much as those in the previous books. Overall, this was just fine, the best parts being the 1977 Maine path, King inserting himself into the story with clear self-awareness, and the eerie postscriptum.

The Dark Tower Project
"Night Surf" from Night Shift (1978)
The Stand: Complete and Uncut Edition (1990)
The Eyes of the Dragon (1987)
The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger (2003 Revised Edition)
The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three (1987)
The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands (1991)
The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass (1997)
"Little Sisters of Eluria" from Everything's Eventual (2002)
"Jerusalem's Lot" from Night Shift (1978)
Salem's Lot (1975)
"One for the Road" from Night Shift (1978)
The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole (2012)
The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla (2003)
The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah (2004)
Insomnia (1994)
Black House (2001) (sequel to The Talisman)
"Low Men in Yellow Coats" from Hearts in Atlantis (1999)
"Everything's Eventual" from Everything's Eventual (2002)
The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower (2004)

BBC Radio 7

Santore's illustrations are lovely, but also kind of stiff and lifeless, so I'm not entirely fascinated by them. The dwarves in particular look like wax dolls. What I've seen of his illustrations for The Little Mermaid, I actually like them a little more. Strange.

I do appreciate the fact that they chose a version without the corpse kissing, though. I like dark fairy tales, but that part always slightly sickens me.

Not as good as Baby Jane, but a similar theme, superbly written, and with a nice twist ending. Another great story that inspired another great movie whose main role was made for Bette Davis.

I read Paver's Dark Matter a few years ago, and it has a lot in common with Thin Air: a remote location, a mysterious figure, a first-person narrative, quiet eeriness etc. Although I still preferred Dark Matter (mainly because the setting was more interesting), the atmosphere at Kangchenjunga was still powerful, whether it was silent whiteness, an extra person climbing with the crew, or just someone moving outside the tent. A very light read, but it was just the kind of page-turner I needed for this moment in time.

Happy Halloween! If you're looking for something light but still sinister with your cup of tea, a love letter to Edward Gorey is the perfect read for this time of year. These eight illustrated poems are macabre, twisted, gruesome, and delightful. The art is the star here, and although it's hard to pick a favorite, I would say Honourable Beasts - with its morbid twist ending - and the wordless The Awful Underground stood out.