Books I Read in December 2025

 Noir, Christmas hauntings, and sword & sorcery for December. 

Double Indemnity by James M. Cain (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard, 2011. First published in 1935)

I first read this a few years ago and really enjoyed it. Tightly plotted and suspenseful with twists and some sharp prose. A masterpiece of crime fiction. I also highly recommend the 1944 film adaptation, which I wrote about in last month’s post. 

Film Noir: A Very Short Introduction by James Naremore (Oxford University Press, 2019)

A well-done and concise overview of film noir. I found the first few chapters more interesting than the last, but overall, this was an enjoyable and informative read.

Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir, Revised and Expanded Edition by Eddie Muller (Running Press, 2021)

In this book author and noir scholar Eddie Muller looks at film noir as if it were a city, with each chapter covering a different theme or aspect. For example, “The Precinct” covers noir films about cops, “Shamus Flats” covers private eyes, and “Knockover Square” covers heists and holdups. It’s written in the style of hard-boiled novels and short stories which I found hit and miss and the text is tiny, but the book is loaded with behind-the-scenes info, photos, and movie posters. Also included are sidebars covering famous noir figures. Entertaining and quite informative.

Sunless Solstice: Strange Christmas Tales for the Longest Nights edited by Lucy Evans and Tanya Kirk (British Library Publishing, 2021) 

This is another great anthology of Christmas hauntings from the British Library Tales of the Weird series. I’ll post a full review soon.

Soloman Kane: The Lair of the Mari Lwyd (The Heroic Legends Series, Titan Books, 2025)

This Solomon Kane story set during Christmas gives background on the character's Puritan beliefs and mixes sword & sorcery with Welsh folklore really well. What a fun read. 

Looking Ahead

I didn’t read or post as much as I had hoped to this year. Here’s to doing more in 2026!

Films I Watched for Noirvember 2025

I didn’t get much reading done this month as I watched so many movies for Noirvember. I have been reading but I just haven’t finished anything. So here are quick reviews of eight films. The first two were re-watches while the rest were all new to me. 

Something that added to my enjoyment of these films was watching the intros and outros that author and noir scholar Eddie Muller did for them for Noir Alley on Turner Classic Movies. They're currently available on YouTube. The information he shares is well researched and insightful.

This Gun for Hire (1942)

Directed by Frank Tuttle

Starring Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, Robert Preston, and Laird Cregar

A killer-for-hire seeks revenge after he’s double crossed. Adapted from the book by Grahame Green. 

Alan Ladd is so cool, Laird Cregar is so creepy, and Veronica Lake is so alluring. One of the first film noirs that I ever watched from back in my DVD collecting days. I’ve been a Veronica Lake fan ever since. Two negatives: I rolled my eyes at the closing line, and it feels like whoever chose the end credits music must not have watched the film.

Rating: 4/5

Laura (1944)

Directed by Otto Preminger 

Starring Dana Andrews, Gene Tierney, Clifton Webb, and Vincent Price

A police detective falls in love with the woman whose murder he’s investigating. 

I first watched this many, many years ago not knowing much about noir and knowing nothing about the plot, and it made a big impression on me. Part noir, part mystery, and part soap opera. Somehow it works. Probably because it has a great cast, a superb twist, and some really sharp dialogue. It was cool to see a very young Vincent Price. 

Rating: 5/5

Gilda (1946)

Directed by Charles Vidor 

Starring Glenn Ford, Rita Hayworth, and George Macready 

A gambler runs into his old flame, but she’s now married to his new boss. 

My first Rita Hayworth film. They named an atomic bomb “Gilda,” after Rita Hayworth's character from this film? (Watches Gilda) Of course they did. (Reads that she was highly offended) I love this woman.

The double entendres fly fast and furious in this incredibly intense noir love triangle that mixes sexy dance numbers with dialogue so sharp at times that it will make you bleed. While I thought the ending worked, it keeps the film from getting a 5/5 score from me. 

Rating: 4.5/5

Force of Evil (1948)

Directed by Abraham Polonsky

Starring John Garfield and Beatrice Pearson 

A lawyer helping a gangster consolidate a numbers racket runs into trouble when his brother, a small-time numbers operator, doesn’t want to get involved.

Director Martin Scorsese calls this film a strong influence on his gangster films, and I can see why. A statement on greed and ruthless ambition that holds up extremely well today. Some poetic dialogue and lots of atmospheric cinematography from George Barnes who worked on Hitchcock's Rebecca (1940) and Spellbound (1945), featuring New York skylines and sets that go from fully lit to shadow filled as the story gets darker. It’s all very well done, it’s just not that exciting until the end. 

Rating: 3/5

Sunset Boulevard (1950)

Directed by Billy Wilder

Starring William Holden, Gloria Swanson, and Erich von Stroheim

A down on his luck screenwriter gets roped into writing a screenplay for an eccentric former silent film star and soon finds himself in over his head. 

Engaging narration and witty dialogue with excellent performances from a perfect cast. Movie magic. 

“All right Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my closeup.” 

Rating: 5/5

The Woman in the Window (1944)

Directed by Fritz Lang 

Starring Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, and Dan Duryea

A seductive woman gets a middle-aged professor mixed up in murder. 

I loved the cast. Edward G. Robinson was good, but Joan Bennett and Dan Duryea were fantastic. It was really interesting to see a young Joan Bennett, who I only knew from her role in my favorite horror movie, Dario Argento’s Suspiria (1977). Excellent direction and cinematography. On the other hand, the missteps from Edward G. Robinson’s character went from understandable to laughable, and don’t get me started on that cop out of an ending. 

Rating: 2.5/5

Double Indemnity (1944)

Directed by Billy Wilder

Starring Fred MacMurry, Barbara Stanwyck, and Edward G. Robinson 

An insurance salesman and a seductive housewife plot to kill her husband and collect the insurance. Based on the book by James M. Cain. Crime author Raymond Chandler, who co-wrote the film script with Billy Wilder, has a cameo. 

This adaptation of James M. Cain’s book takes it to the next level with the cast, the visuals, the soundtrack, and the dialogue. Such great chemistry between Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwick, and Edward G. Robinson is on fire in every scene he appears in. I can see why Eddie Muller describes this as the definitive film noir. Not a fan of Stanwyck’s wig though. I understand what it’s supposed to represent but it pulled me out of scenes more often than not. 

Rating: 5/5

Scarlet Street (1945)

Directed by Fritz Lang 

Starring Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, and Dan Duryea

A seductive woman and her criminal boyfriend take advantage of a middle-aged man who paints in his free time and who is suffering a mid-life crisis. 

The same director and cast were a misfire for me in The Woman in the Window. But here on Scarlet Street? Chef’s kiss. This is the noir I’m looking for.

“They’ll be masterpieces.” 

Rating: 5/5

Whew. I think I’ll slow down on movies and try to get more reading done next month. As always though, we’ll see. 

Short Stories I Read in October 2025

Only two short stories this month.

Conan: Black Starlight by John C. Hocking (Titan Books, 2023) 

Originally serialized in twelve parts in Marvel’s Conan the Barbarian comic book in 2019, this story takes place between Conan and the Emerald Lotus, which I read last month, and Conan and the Living Plague. It's now available as a digital short as part of Titan’s Heroic Legends Series. This was a blast to read. A great cast of characters, Conan’s characterization is spot on, and the supernatural threats are chilling. An excellent combination of prose, pacing, and action. 

Grimnirsson by Graham Thomas Wilcox (Black Library, 2023)

Genseric, a dwarf berserker tired of war and now part of a group of free peoples, fights to stay in control after a group of Sigmarite Crusaders show up demanding supplies and fighting men. A story about oaths, chosen kin and found family, and the warrior's way. Genseric’s back story was interesting as was his relationship with the human Aoife and the action scenes were well done. On top of that, I really enjoyed the prose and the melancholic atmosphere throughout. 

Instead of reading I watched lots of movies this month. I'm not sure if that trend will continue next month or not. We'll see.

Books and Comics I Read for Cimmerian September 2025

Two books and two volumes of comics this month.

Old Gods and Other Tales by Scott Oden (Independently published, 2025)

I absolutely loved this collection of historical fiction, fantasy, and sword and sorcery tales, especially the historical fiction. I enjoyed some stories more than others but as a whole this was an excellent read. Look for a more in-depth review in the future. 

Conan the Barbarian Vol. 4: Frozen Faith by Jim Zub and Doug Braithwaite (Titan Comics, 2025)

This volume collects issues in which Robert E. Howard’s story “The Frost Giant’s Daughter” is expanded upon. Between savage battles and flashbacks to Conan’s childhood, we learn how he comes to believe what he believes regarding the existence of Crom and other gods. An excellent combination of story and art. 

The Savage Sword of Conan Vol. 2 by a variety of writers and artists. (Titan Comics, 2025)

This collects issues 4-6 of Titan’s black & white magazine-sized Savage Sword of Conan. Quite the mixed bag. Issue 4 includes one Conan story and five back up stories featuring other characters. Not much happens as each story is a prologue to Titan’s Black Stone crossover event. I enjoyed Solomon Kane by Patrick Zircher and El Borak by Ron Mars and Mike Perkins as they felt more like complete stories as well as prologues.

The high point for me was the story by Jason Aaron and Geoff Isherwood from issues 5 & 6 in which King Conan encounters a witch as well as a cult of witch-finders. I also enjoyed the prose fiction short story by Matthew John from issue 6.

Lots of great pin-ups, but the rest of the stories and art just didn’t connect with me.  So far Conan the Barbarian has been knocking it out of the park, but I’ve found Savage Sword to be pretty uneven, but I guess that’s to be expected with an anthology series. 

Conan: City of the Dead by John C. Hocking (Titan Books, 2024)

This collects two books, Conan and the Emerald Lotus (1999) and its long-awaited sequel, Conan and the Living Plague (2024). I didn’t get to the sequel, but I finished the first one. 

In Conan and the Emerald Lotus, Conan deals with sorcerers, the undead, and a monstrous plant. It takes a few chapters to get started as it introduces a number of characters, but once it gets going it’s a real page turner. I quite enjoyed Hocking's prose as it brought the Hyborian Age to life and Conan felt like Robert E. Howard's Conan. Looking forward to reading more of Hocking's work, which I'll definitely be reading some of next month.

Books I Read in August 2025

Besides the Arthurian Short stories I wrote about in my previous post, I read one book and two volumes of comics this month. 

A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs (Ballantine Books, 1979. First published in 1912)

I have very fond memories of A Princess of Mars. It’s one of the first paperbacks I bought at the local mall after reading all the Star Trek books I could find. I devoured it quickly and then jumped into the next two in the series. The wrap around cover by Michael Whelan is one of my all-time favorite book covers. It’s what got me to buy the book, and Whelan has been my favorite cover artist ever since. 

This didn’t wow me as much as it did the first time I read it in my teenage years. John Carter is too good at everything he does, there are too many coincidences, and more than a few ideas are outdated. But even with its imperfections it's still an enjoyable read. While the world building often gets in the way of the story, the world of Mars/Barsoom and many of its characters are quite imaginative. Sure, part of it is nostalgia, but it's also just plain fun. 

Hellboy: The Complete Short Stories, Volume 1 by Mike Mignola, Richard Corben, and Duncan Fegredo (Dark Horse Books, 2018)

This collects fifteen Hellboy stories by Mike Mignola with art by a nice variety of artists, including Richard Corben. Most were great, some were okay, and some were outstanding. One of my favorites was “The Crooked Man,” which was written in tribute to author Manly Wade Wellman. It was the basis for the most recent Hellboy film which I really enjoyed even with its low budget. 

Absolute Batman Vol. I: The Zoo by Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta, and Gabrial Hernandez Walta (DC Comics, 2025)

This is an absolutely wild and over the top alternate universe take on Batman. The art by Nick Dragotta compliments Scott Snyder’s script really well with some outstanding, jaw dropping panels. I’m not sure how long they can keep up the momentum, but I’m in. 

Next month: Cimmerian September!