The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole

I found this gothic novel to be a very quick read. Indeed, as the first gothic novel, it sets up some of the classic tropes including a creepy, haunted castle with subterranean passages, mistaken identities, revelations of noble birth, Italian settings, religious figures, and lots of violence. Particularly interesting to me was Walpole's dropped attempt to frame the manuscript as found.

The Apostate's Tale by Margaret Frazer

I probably shouldn't have started Margaret Frazer's series of mysteries with the latest story. I felt like I was missing a lot of backstory that is probably fleshed out in the beginning of the series. I think the concept of setting murder mysteries in the Middle Ages is quite neat, and I think Ms. Frazer does a fairly good job of bridging the time gap. In this particular mystery, I felt like the text itself was conflicted about Sister Cecely (whose name was not even consistently spelled) and I was having a hard time reconciling myself to the fact that she was "stupid" and a bad mother; the story opens from her perspective, and I felt it hard to shake that sympathy.

The Man of Property by John Galsworthy

I found this novel very moving. The Forsyte family, which initially appears stiff-necked, clannish, and very middle class develops into something else entirely throughout the course of the novel--very humane and ultimately mostly learning from the mistakes of their earlier days. It's a remarkably sad story, but still quite a good one.

The Cosmic Race by José Vasconcelos

I'm having trouble figuring out what to make of this essay. It maintains that the time is coming when the four races of the world will merge into a transcendent fifth race. There are religious overtones by the end. On one hand, the author's utopian dream is nothing to be dismissed, but on the other hand, he seems to want both a merging into equality and a superiority for Latin American peoples. I'll definitely need more time to think through this one.

The Unvanquished by William Faulkner

This collection of short stories focuses on the fortunes of the Sartoris family during the Civil War and Reconstruction. Granny Rosa Millard is a fantastic character: she's full of pluck and generosity. Also wonderful is cousin Drusilla, who defies conventions. These stories are Faulkner at his most nostalgic and he evokes a most rosy and unrealistic portrait of the South.

The Miserable Mill by Lemony Snicket

This book, fourth in the series, changes things up a bit by putting the Baudelaire orphans with another most unsatisfactory guardian, whose name we never learn (it's apparently unpronounceable). The children are forced out of their comfort zones (Violet must do research, Klaus must invent, and Sunny fights a duel) and realize that despite the string of bad luck which follows them wherever they go, they really are quite lucky.

The Tuesday Club Murders by Agatha Christie

Although this book is presented in chapters, like a novel, it really contains thirteen short murder mysteries: two sets of six told over dinners, and one which Miss Marple prompts Sir Henry to solve. I particularly liked Miss Helier's story; it had a really unique twist. There's not a lot of action as almost all the stories are retold, but it's very enjoyable, and would be good to read over a period of time as you wouldn't have to remember much from sitting to sitting.