The Witch's Door: Oddities and Tales from the Esoteric to the Extreme by Ryan Matthew Cohn
Product details
Web ID: 20312274Mostly biography, but some interesting content
The Witch's Door is an anthology of true (but occasionally creepy) curiosities gathered and explained by Ryan Cohn & Regina Rossi about his, and later their, journey as collectors and purveyors of biological collectibles and artifacts. Released 1st Oct 2024 by Chronicle Books, it's 304 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. The background stories, historical facts, and trivia surrounding the artifacts are worthwhile and fascinating. These include articulated human skulls, bones, skeletal remains, and ritual objects. They should be the focal point of the book, but most of the content is the authors' memoir and recollections about their journeys as collectors themselves. The split between collections and artifacts, and the autobiography of the authors is probably about 30/70. Three and a half stars. Although it's scrupulously factual and not at all prurient or shocking, some parts might be a bit much for very sensitive (young) readers. For that reason, acquisitions personnel should vet thoroughly before adding to juvenile accessible collections. It's otherwise weird and quirky and recommended. It would be an excellent choice for public (adult) libraries or home use, or for gift giving.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Some chapters felt like reality TV drama
I was hoping for more stories focused on the oddities themselves, but instead, the book spent too much time on the author’s wife and their personal life. While I appreciated learning about Ryan’s humble beginnings, his partner’s sections felt like filler, with a lot of unnecessary details and complaints. Her sections often came across as somewhat entitled and ungrateful: while their TV wedding was undoubtedly impressive, the complaints about the filming process felt out of place, as did the frustrations over a honeymoon overshadowed by Ryan's work. Though these challenges were valid, they didn’t add much to the book and felt repetitive at times. Her frequent references to money, and celebrity connections also seemed a bit unnecessary and disconnected from the overall theme. Personally, I would have loved more chapters about Ryan’s adventures in collecting. These felt more relevant, informational while entertaining, and on-topic compared to the awkward mention of dating "well-known public figure, but I can tell you he's an actor..." The writing was rather simplistic, more like a casual conversation than an engaging narrative. While I understand that the “couple” aspect is a key selling point, the book seemed to be trying to cover too many topics at once, which left it feeling scattered and unfocused. Ultimately, it didn’t fully deliver on what the description promised.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A Memoir that has little Todo with Oddities
Going into The Witch's Door I wanted to love it as a lover of all oddities and all that is esoteric, it could have been a guide into the history of oddities and the esoteric items the authors had come across and brought into their collection. Instead, we received a memoir that came across as dismissive of the history of the items, and of the real lives they are tied to in the past and focused instead on the lives of the authors and how 'interesting' they are. I want to tell you that I enjoyed this book, but I did not, it was deeply uninformative, did not hold my attention, and read like the memoir of those who are disconnected from their own privilege and wealth and instead see themselves as upstart oddities 'collectors' while not providing the context on the items the entire book is meant to be about. Picking this up I wanted to learn more about the weird and strange items they had handled in their lives, not about their personal lives and romance, or how they dated famous individuals. I cannot recommend this book despite the editing and writing being well done as it does not contain the contact that both the blurb, cover, description, and advertising are promising. If you want a memoir this may be a book you would enjoy, but if you want to learn more about oddities and the history behind them this isn't the book you should be picking up. I received an advance review copy of this book, and I am leaving this review voluntarily and all thoughts and opinions are wholly my own and unbiased.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Informative and interesting
Wow! This is one of those things I wouldn’t typically grab and read but I’m glad I did. It grabbed ahold of me and didn’t let me go. It was one heck of a book! From the start, I thought this was going to be interesting. It immediately started out describing different cultures and saying without really stating that even the odd is cool. I loved how so many things were packed into the book but read smoothly and wasn’t fast paced. It showed all kinds of different times, cultures, and people. There was a lot of information I wouldn’t really think twice about before but now I know when I see something the book talked about, I know I’ll be looking at the item with new eyes. If it wasn’t for the pictures, it would be hard for me to really understand what the objects were. I don’t normally read book with pictures because I feel like I’m cheating myself out of a book, but without them here, I wouldn’t know what they were talking about. It also showed the complex details Ryan and Regina saw and was obsessed with. It was just one of those books you can see things through someone else’s eyes but feel like you know what’s being said without using your imagination to much. Everything was great. The book kept me entertained, I learned a whole lot of things, and realized that being a little off step is ok. There’s no such thing as a perfect model and it’s alright to be different. One thing I would change though was maybe not highlight the “famous” life they had/have so much. Not everyone can do what they did but I do find it inspiring that they were able to grow up without camera and influential people and still make a name for themselves. Like I said, this is one of those books I wouldn’t think twice about if I saw it on a shelf. I would’ve missed a great story, a great representation of the odd and taboo things in life and great and interesting objects. If I were to walk into an antique shop or see something on the internet of one of the objects talked out in this book, I would’ve thought it was something strange and not understand the importance of all things. Now, I know that even if I don’t find it cool or it doesn’t spark interest to me, I’ll still give it the curiosity and questions it deserves. I love books that teach me something, and this one sure did. It was inspiring and knowable but not overly done or written like a textbook. It flowed well, didn’t overly describe a topic, or overly talk about an object. It’s defiantly one of the books that’s going to stick with me for a long, long time. Possibly for the rest of my life. Even if I don’t get into oddity collecting, it’s something that can still be applied to everyday life. It’s just a really good book with so many stories. It blew my mind and broadened my interests. Defiantly worth the money and time.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com