Reading Notes & Book Recommendations
A Curated Reading Room
Books have accompanied—and frequently inspired—my work in fiction, literary and musical history, religious research, and cultural commentary.
This page gathers a selection of books I have read and reviewed over the years. Some are enduring classics; others are valuable works of scholarship, spiritual reading, imaginative fiction, or simply books that proved unusually interesting.
Select any linked title below to read my review.
Affiliate Disclosure
Nearly all titles link to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn commissions from qualifying purchases made through Amazon links on this site, at no additional cost to the reader.
Thank you for supporting my work.
Classical Literature & Literary Reference
• The Atlas of Literature — Malcolm Bradbury
• The Complete Novels of Jane Austen — Wordsworth Library Collection
• The Complete Sherlock Holmes Treasury — Facsimiles of the Original Strand Magazine Publications
• The Harvard Classics: The Five-Foot Shelf of Books — 52-Volume Set
Faust, Marlowe & Goethe
For readers interested in the history and development of the Faust legend, these works provide valuable primary texts, literary criticism, biography, and historical context.
• The English Faust Book: A Critical Edition Based on the Text of 1592 — John Henry Jones
• Faust, Part One — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, translated by David Luke
• Faust, Part Two — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, translated by David Luke
• Faustus and the Censor: The English Faust-Book and Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus — William Empson and John Henry Jones
• The Cambridge Companion to Christopher Marlowe
• Christopher Marlowe: A Renaissance Life — Constance Brown Kuriyama
• The World of Christopher Marlowe — David Riggs
• Conversations of Goethe with Eckermann and Soret — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Johann Peter Eckermann
Fiction, Fantasy & Science Fiction
From historical and Catholic fiction to comic fantasy and speculative adventure, these books represent a decidedly varied excursion through the imagination.
• In the Palace of the Great King — Julie Ash
• Alchemical Abominations: The End of the Beginning — Earl Lanterm
• Destroy All Robots — Darrin Grimwood
• In the Shadow of Swords: Tales of Ciris Sarn — Val Gunn
• Maskerade: A Novel of Discworld — Terry Pratchett
• Phantom — Susan Kay
Theatre, Music, Film & Culture
These selections explore music, musicians, theatrical history, the Palais Garnier, and the cultural world surrounding the stage.
• Andrew Lloyd Webber: His Life and Works — Michael Walsh
• Charles Garnier’s Paris Opera: Architectural Empathy and the Renaissance of French Classicism — Christopher Mead
• Handel — Christopher Hogwood
• Handel — Da Capo Press Music Reprint Series
• Music: An Illustrated History — Max Wade-Matthews
• Star Trek Movie Memories: The Inside Story of the Classic Movies — William Shatner
Catholic Spiritual Reading
A selection of devotional, biographical, and instructional works concerning Catholic belief, the saints, prayer, and the spiritual life.
• The Dogma of Hell: Illustrated by Facts Taken from Profane and Sacred History — Fr. F. X. Schouppe, S.J.
• Fifty-Seven Saints for Boys and Girls — Daughters of St. Paul
• Flight of Faith: My Miracle on the Hudson — Frederick Berretta
• The Forty Dreams of St. John Bosco — From St. John Bosco’s Biographical Memoirs
• Introduction to the Devout Life — St. Francis de Sales
• Purgatory: Explained by the Lives and Legends of the Saints — Fr. F. X. Schouppe, S.J.
• Spiritual Diary: Selected Sayings and Examples of Saints — Daughters of St. Paul
History, Biography & Cultural Research
Books offering unusual perspectives on historical periods, individual lives, institutions, and the varied circumstances of human society.
• Blood In, Blood Out: The Violent Empire of the Aryan Brotherhood — John Lee Brook
• Europe in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries — Denys Hay
• A Priest in Hell: Gangs, Murderers, and Snitching in a California Jail — Randall Radic
Please note: the title concerns a former priest associated with the Old Catholic movement, not a Roman Catholic priest.
Reference & Academic Books
Useful works for writers, students, and independent researchers—or for anyone who enjoys wandering down an unexpectedly interesting scholarly pathway.
• Directory of Federal Prisons: The Unofficial Guide to Bureau of Prisons Institutions — Christopher Zoukis
• The Oxford Guide to Writing: A Rhetoric and Handbook for College Students
A Personal Selection
These recommendations reflect my own reading, research interests, and opinions at the time each review was written. Inclusion does not necessarily constitute an endorsement of every argument, opinion, or element contained in a book.
I hope something here leads you to an interesting discovery—or perhaps to an old favourite waiting to be read again.
New to my own work?
Explore the Library of E.A. Bucchianeri
