Horror Aficionados discussion
Book Recommendations
>
List some of your 5 star books
Boy's Life is awesome.If you liked that Robert McCammon, and if you like Poe at all, you might enjoy Usher's Passing. Based on the family in Poe's short story The Fall of the House of Usher, this was an excellent book.
When We Join Jesus In Hell-a super fantastic novella that feels like someone just punched you in the stomach.
Fear Me by Tim Curran rocked. As did The Underdwelling. His novel Dead Sea also kicked ass.
James Newman's The Wicked was excellent old school horror.
Laird Barron's The Light is the Darkness is an awesome Lovecraftian type tale.
We Need to Talk About Kevin was a very good, chilling tale.
I could go on and on.
This is my list of 5* reads. https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
Excellent taste, Kimberly. Boy's Life has got to be one of my all time favourite reads. Would never have read it if it hadn't been for HA (Oh, and Charlene and Jon:)).
A bit tacky to be recommending your own books.
Horror/Dark FictionI'm Not Sam
The Cannibal Within
Under the Skin
The Ruins
Carrion Comfort
The Little Stranger
Let's Go Play at the Adams'
The Summer I Died
Dead Sea (Tim Curran)
World War Z
Audrey's Door
Breeding Ground; Feeding Ground
Come Closer
Infected
Off Season
Natural Selection
The Blackwater series
The Amulet
Katie
The Strain (book 1 only)
Horns
Dweller
Wolf Hunt
The Haunted Vagina
Origin
11/22/62
The Pilo Family Circus
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
The Haunting of Hill House
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Non Horror
Lonesome Dove
When Darkness Loves Us
Revolutionary Road
Gone Girl
The Devil All the Time
Ghost World
Me Before You
Ender's Game
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Beloved
The Red Tent...too many great books I've read over my lifetime to list, so if you want to friend me on GR you can see my favorites.
It--Stephen KingGhost Story--Peter Straub
Stinger--Robert McCammon
The Five--Robert McCammon
Watchers--Dean Koontz
The Dead Zone--Stephen King
Summer of Night--Dan Simmons
Strangewood--Christopher Golden
Straight on 'till Morning--Christopher Golden
The Ceremonies--T.E.D. Klein
The Keep--F. Paul Wilson
Kate wrote: "A bit tacky to be recommending your own books."Yes, I've always hated this. And stayed far, far away from any books recommended by the author in a discussion.
@ Charlene - WWJJIH had the same effect on me. Fear Me might be my favourite Curran read (so far).@ Tressa - it's very annoying, especially when authors only promote and don't contribute anything else. Great list by the way. Need to check out some of those non horror picks.
PLEASE CEASE AND DESIST WITH THIS!My to-be-read stack is already ridiculous! I don't need anymore! STOP!!!!
Kate wrote: "@ Tressa - it's very annoying, especially when authors only promote and don't contribute anything..."Yeah, it's one of the reasons I dropped out of GR for a while. My notifications would be filled with author promotions. Didn't feel like slogging through it all and I just took a vacay.
I'm getting my reading whip out, Ken! You WILL add these books to your list and you WILL read them.
That last message just totally took me back to the good old days of HA. Thanks, Tressa :)
Kate wrote: "A bit tacky to be recommending your own books."I recommended books that nearly 100% of those who have read them have enjoyed them and fit with what was being asked. The fact I wrote them is completely irrelevant.
Mod
I recommended books that nearly 100% of those who have read them have enjoyed them and fit with what was being asked. The fact I wrote..."
It's self promotion, which is relevant, and not permitted.
Author promotion is limited to the Author Promotions thread.
Got it?
Kate wrote: "This is my list of 5* reads. https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
Excellent taste, Kimberly. Boy's Life has got to be one of my all time favourite reads. Woul..."
Kate, I'm super psyched to see Burden Kansas and Dweller on your list. My god, weren't those awesome books? :)
Here's a selection from my 5 star horror reads (arranged in no particular order). I tried to pick some that some folks may not have read yet:The Devil in Silver by Victor LaValle
Midnight Picnic by Nick Antosca
The Throne of Bones by Brian McNaughton (a must-read for all horror aficionados!)
Trujillo by Lucius Shepard
My Work is Not Yet Done by Thomas Ligotti
The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
The Tooth Fairy by Graham Joyce
Tressa wrote: "Kate wrote: "A bit tacky to be recommending your own books."Yes, I've always hated this. And stayed far, far away from any books recommended by the author in a discussion."
As you should.
Charlene wrote: "Kate wrote: "This is my list of 5* reads. https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
Excellent taste, Kimberly. Boy's Life has got to be one of my all time favourit..."
They sure were. ;)
Lee wrote: "Kate wrote: "A bit tacky to be recommending your own books."I recommended books that nearly 100% of those who have read them have enjoyed them and fit with what was being asked. The fact I wrote..."
It's still tacky and now you're making yourself look bad for arguing instead of apologising for self promotion.
Thanks for the recommendations everyone!! I'm going to do some research to see what I should start with...easier said than done!
In no order, and certainly not complete!Horror/Weird & Fantastic:
The Haunting of Hill House
The Croning
The Scar
American Gods
20th Century Ghosts
That Which Should Not Be
The Monstrumologist
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
The Silent Land
Oryx and Crake
The Sparrow
The Road
The Drowning Girl
The Wide, Carnivorous Sky and Other Monstrous Geographies
The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All
Errantry: Strange Stories
Non-genre faves:
The Time Traveler's Wife
The Secret History
Quicksilver
Year of Wonders
Foucault's Pendulum
The Satanic Verses
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
Bandit wrote: "That last message just totally took me back to the good old days of HA. Thanks, Tressa :)"I missed you guys from the old days.
For the record, Kimberly wants to know what YOUR five star reads are, not a list of your books that others gave 5 stars to.
Heidi wrote: "In no order, and certainly not complete!Horror/Weird & Fantastic:
The Haunting of Hill House
The Croning
The Scar
American Gods
[book:20th C..."
I'll second The Scar and The Silent Land recommendations! Not horror, but would appeal to horror readers, I'd say.
Kate wrote: "Lee wrote: "Kate wrote: "A bit tacky to be recommending your own books."I recommended books that nearly 100% of those who have read them have enjoyed them and fit with what was being asked. The ..."
I'm not going to apologise for recommending something that most people like when money doesn't interest me or to adhering to my own very strict rules.
Tressa wrote: "Bandit wrote: "That last message just totally took me back to the good old days of HA. Thanks, Tressa :)"I missed you guys from the old days."
Me too!!
Mod
I recommended books that nearly 100% of those who have read them have enjoyed them and fit with what was being..."
Your rules don't apply.
Mine do.
Eileen wrote: "Tressa wrote: "Bandit wrote: "That last message just totally took me back to the good old days of HA. Thanks, Tressa :)"I missed you guys from the old days."
Me too!!"
Let's all move back in!
Eileen wrote: "Tressa wrote: "Bandit wrote: "That last message just totally took me back to the good old days of HA. Thanks, Tressa :)"I missed you guys from the old days."
Me too!!"
Let's all move back in!
Tressa wrote: "Eileen wrote: "Tressa wrote: "Bandit wrote: "That last message just totally took me back to the good old days of HA. Thanks, Tressa :)"I missed you guys from the old days."
Me too!!
Let's all..."
Great idea!!!!
Ok, move in initiated...Tressa's on the cookie duty as always ;)
You never got the hundreds of cookies I sent you over the years?
is that why the mailman's been looking chubbier?
Guess we shouldn't derail the thread. Things have changed around here. :-)
Please do, quality entertainment is tough to come by.
But since I find myself in this threadsome of my top rated books
Mod
,
,
,
,
Great lists here! I see quite a few similarities and a bunch just took leaps up the tbr!Here is my 5 star shelf:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
And if you want to read a really great 5* book, read the one that I wrote!! Oh wait...I didn't write one. Nevermind...
Mod
Jon Recluse wrote: ""How I Got My Dumb Ass Banned From HA"?"It's a work in progress! :)
You HA mods and old timers(originators)crack me up. Keep it going. My top 5 are,in no particular order...The Howling Trilogy by Gary Brandner
The Descent by Jeff Long
The Ruins by Scott B. Smith
John Dies at the End/This book is full of Spiders by David Wong
Heart Shaped Box/Horns/NOS4A2 by Joe Hill
How about some 5 STAR short stories or short story collections:The Death of Death
The Torture of Hope
The Purcell Papers - Volume 3
The Tomb
That Damned Coyote Hill
The Ensouled Violin
The Magic Shop
The Open Window
The Mortal Immortal: The Complete Supernatural Short Fiction of Mary Shelley
The Bottle Imp
A Study in Emerald
The Edge of Life
The Rabbi and the Vampire
Lukundoo
* When We Join Jesus In Hell
by Lee Thompson is fantastic. Possibly the best novella I've ever read. Close second,
by Kealan Patrick Burke.* The Summer I Died
by Ryan C. Thomas. This book has the unique combination of heart and horror. You will cry. The sequel, Born to Bleed, is also very good.*Horns
by Joe Hill. I will never forget this book.* Seed
by Ania Ahlborn* The Terror
by Dan Simmons
Horror Aficionados
Books mentioned in this topic
The Bridge (other topics)The Shining (other topics)
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (other topics)
The Ritual (other topics)
House of Leaves (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Neil Gaiman (other topics)Neil Gaiman (other topics)
Stephen King (other topics)
Blake Crouch (other topics)
Andrew Van Wey (other topics)
More...
I've been stalking your recommendations for a while now and have read some really great books. I just finished Boy's Life and loved how it sucked me in and kept me enthralled the whole time. I rated it 5 stars and would love to find another book that is that entertaining from start to finish. What's some of your 5* books?