A Melancholic Gothic Tale: The Haunting of Bly Manor

16 Apr
Title for The Haunting of Bly Manor featuring the show's logo in gold text against a dark red wall hung with several ornate framed portraits of figures in formal attire.

The Haunting of Bly Manor numbed me in the best way a ghost story can. Based on Henry James’s stories, particularly The Turn of the Screw, it’s a slow burn that leaves you broken with grief and longing, haunted by where the ghosts in our lives may linger.

I rewatched it recently, and the haunting still stings. Why? Because the series leans into its Victorian foundation and lets us breathe in the same walls as the characters. It’s cozy but curious, unsettling, and suspicious, and speaks something worth thinking about: that the eerie remnants of lives past are just as confused as we are. Why did they end up where they ended up, and how do they get out, if they even want to? Who’s pulling the strings or turning the key?

From Director Mike Flanagan, The Haunting of Bly Manor is, in my opinion, one of his finest works of psychological horror.

Dani Clayton accepts a position to care for two orphaned children at England’s Bly Manor. She discovers the estate is haunted by both the spirits unknowingly trapped within it and a tragic story that swallowed its once-peaceful walls. Dani grows closer to the manor’s staff and begins to expose the house for what it is: a gothic tragedy.

It’s a ghost story mixed with a love story that meditates on memory and the way the dead pull long after they should. Memories and heartache can be just as spooky as bumps in the night.

We discussed this series at one of the Library’s recent Horror/Thriller book club meeting, and here is what one attendee had to say about it:

“The Haunting of Bly Manor isn’t typical horror. It is a haunting love story wrapped in grief and memory. Dani and Jamie’s relationship gives the series its emotional core, while the Lady of the Lake is genuinely terrifying and lingers in your mind long after the series ends. [The Haunting of Bly Manor] relies more on uncanny imagery like faceless ghosts and a sense of impending doom. I still find myself thinking about the series because of the lasting emotional impact it had on me.

A young girl in pink pajamas sits in a dimly lit attic beside an old wood trunk. She is holding one finger to her lips in a "shh" gesture and looking just off to the side of the camera.

This is a series that’s so powerful that it demands a second and third watch because its emotional core and intrigue is so in tune with the labyrinths of human emotion. I felt my feelings while also being terrified. That’s not easy to do. The relationships built in this series will never leave my mind, and that’s where Bly Manor breaks expectations.

Reserve your DVD or Blu-ray copy in the BCCLS system here.

Comment below your thoughts once you’ve had a watch (or if you already have).

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Written by:
Sean Willey
Information and Digital Services Assistant

Delicious Reads: Extra Sauce and Passport to Flavor

14 Apr

Extra Sauce: The Good, the Bad, and the Onions
by Zahra Tangorra
Extra Sauce is the new memoir by chef Zahra Tangorra. Tangorra’s opened the popular New York restaurant Brucie as well as the popup ZaZa Lazagna. The book is filled with adventures in the kitchen that will appeal to fan’s of Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential. The chapters are defined by a variety of dishes many of whose recipes are shared. Two dishes that I plan to try to recreate are The Brucie Tag[gliatelle] and the almost Tuscan bean recipes from her time in Italy, both of which sound delicious. Although foodies will enjoy her culinary escapades, the emotional depth of the story primarily comes from her complicated relationship with her parents who also at one point had a culinary endeavor of their own. Her father’s recipe for potato salad and her mom’s apple strudel are amongst the family recipes included. Tangorra has a quick fire, quirky delivery which is infused with both humor and heart. The story is also a love letter to New York where Tangorra spent most of her life and therefore will especially resonate those familiar or enamored with the city.

Passport to Flavor: 100 Global Dishes You Can Make Anywhere (An International Cookbook. Delicious Recipes from Around the World)
by Abby Cheshire
Passport to Flavor is a fun cookbook of international recipes from Abby Cheshire who works as a cook on a private yacht and became famous for posting her dishes and adventures on TikTok and Youtube. This cookbook is divided by destination as diverse as cities in Bahamas, Ireland, India, and Vietnam (plus several more). At each destination there are dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as a mixed drink and snack for cocktail hour to give the feeling that you are journeying with her crew by yacht on a world wide voyage and eating locally inspired dishes along the way. Little Chefs, as Cheshire refers to fans of her vlogging will enjoy the colloquial tone of the book. Advice on recipe adjustment is referred to as “throttle control” and substitution is an “alternate course.” I appreciated that she views the recipes as basis that she encourages home cooks to adjust to suit their needs. She includes “rogue waves” to watch out for aka advice on things that could go wrong such as under or over cooking. Dishes I’m planning to try include Charleston’s Bourbon Bread Pudding, Ireland’s Boxty with Smoked Salmon, Italy’s Pollo Al Tarragon, and Germany’s Apple Marzipan Cake.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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