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Group Themed Reads: Discussions
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October 2015 - Spooky Setting / Atmosphere
October is going to be my "Nothing but Spooky" month and I can't wait!
I read Jane-Emily yesterday. If I whad waited one more day it would have worked for this theme! It was a good, spooky book.
Tasha wrote: "I read Jane-Emily yesterday. If I whad waited one more day it would have worked for this theme! It was a good, spooky book."You can still count it for the theme if you discuss it here in the thread - group reads aren't like the monthly challenges where it has to be read in that month. Discussion is the key thing.
Going to read the hound of the Baskervilles
Sarah wrote: "Tasha wrote: "I read Jane-Emily yesterday. If I whad waited one more day it would have worked for this theme! It was a good, spooky book."You can still count it for the theme if you..."
Ooh, I will then! Thanks :)
ETA: Actually, it wasn't necessarily a spooky setting, it was more of a spooky object/ghost story. I think I'll read something else for the theme instead.
I have a few spookies planned for October, of which I think I will use The Mammoth Book of Monsters for this group read. Will finish a few others before starting it.
I'm actually currently reading (listening to) a book that seems to fit this month's theme. Heirs of Grace by Tim Pratt. It centers around Beckah and the house she just inherited from a long lost relative. It turns out the house and items inside it are magical. There are spooky woods surrounding the isolated house which contain something that makes very strange noises at random times. The house also consists of a multitude of rooms that are seemingly inaccessible. If an isolated, sentient house located in the North Carolina mountains with scary noises and locked rooms doesn't count as a spooky setting, I don't know what does! LOL.
I'm doing a spooky-themed month too...sort of. I'm planning on reading The Strain, and Something Wicked This Way Comes specifically for this challenge. However, I did just pick up Anna Dressed in Blood and will be continuing with Locke & Key, Vol. 2: Head Games.
I really liked vol 2 of Locke & Key. I'm picking vols 3-5 up from the library on Tuesday so I'll be reading those this month too.
For some reason I thought you'd read that already Travis. Is it a reread?
KimeyDiann wrote: "I'm actually currently reading (listening to) a book that seems to fit this month's theme. Heirs of Grace by Tim Pratt. It centers around Beckah and the house she ju..."I read Heirs of Grace around the time it came out. It was an Amazon serial, but I read it after it came out as a completed book. The pacing did in some ways reflect its serial origins--every serial section ended leaving you eager for the next part. I enjoyed the book. I will be curious to know what you think of it, KimeyDiann
Sarah wrote: "For some reason I thought you'd read that already Travis. Is it a reread?"Nope first time
I'm hoping to get to The Passage which may fit this theme?If not, I got the Neil Gaiman Humble Bundle, and no doubt something in there will fit.
Thanks Rusalka I forgot I am reading The Graveyard Book to my son. I don't kbow if he is getting it or not. He likes pictures vetter he says but he is 5 and I think he can handle a real book. A chapter a day and then I discuss it with him.
Perfect way to do it, imho. Our old housemate has 4 kids from 10-2 and he does this with them every night, and i love the idea. We sent him The Graveyard Book and Coraline two years ago for this pile of books. They were currently working through The Hobbit and Northern LightsI was one of those kids who was reading my own chapter books like Charlotte's Web from 6, but would have loved reading slightly scarer books with my parents, like the Graveyard Book. Hope you're both enjoying it!
I got a 3 book pack with Graveyard Book, Coraline and Fortunately, the Milk. Ifvwe get through these I might try goosebumps or bunnicula. Or encyclopedia brown
I see Neil Gaiman and a number of other authors have donated books to Waterstones to be sold and 100% of the proceeds are going to help the Syrian refugees. Gotta love Gaiman!I'd say The Passage would work for spooky Rusalka.
I did finish Anna Dressed in Blood in record time, thanks to some long work days, by myself, in the office. It was a 2 star read for me. The story seemed like a straight-up, rip-off of Supernatural at first - sans the best part of that show, the brother-relationship, but that feeling didn't last once they arrived in Anna's town in Ontario. However, Anna herself was a big-time disappointment, and in the end, she wasn't even the big bad, despite 3/4 of the story being about her (ostensibly). There was plenty of gore and violence for those who read these type of stories for that, but I like them for the suspense and the fantastical. (view spoiler)On the complete opposite of the spectrum, there was Locke & Key, Vol. 2: Head Games and Locke & Key, Vol. 3: Crown of Shadows by Joe Hill. This is an amazing series. I love, love, love the house with all it's fantastical keys that open strange doors (sometimes other things), and they're magical destinations. I really like the family, too: they're believable, both their personal struggles, and how they relate to each other, in addition to how they're dealing with the weirdness around them. Also, it's so suspenseful. I'm worried on every page of this story that something might happen. Finally, the art work is spectacular, so moody and creepy with its desaturated colors, and use of shadow and light. There is no compromise, and it fits Joe's writing perfectly!
I finished Heirs of Grace yesterday. Overall it was a decent book. The house was pretty spooky, but the story really wasn't very spooky... so I'm sort of torn on considering it an appropriate book for this month's theme. There were some elements I was hoping to get more information on that could have made the story scarier (the thing making the trumpeting/fluting/screaming noise in the forest). There was a little bit of a romantic storyline in the book and my favorite part was when the inevitable misunderstanding/fight happens, they actually talked about it! There was a little bit of sulky anger, then an actual conversation to work it out. Romance authors, take note of this!
I have started Dracula to get a better spooky read in this month. I have no doubt it will fit the theme and my desire for a spooky book better than Heirs of Grace did.
I started The Strain earlier today. I've only read 7 pages so far so nothing spooky has come about but if it's anything like the tv series, then they'll be plenty of spooky settings and goings ons throughout the book. I can't wait. I like the writing style straight from the beginning so I think I'll be in for a treat. Another series started though...
I've read a bunch so far. Christine. I really liked the story though obly 10% was creepy. Was a slow burn. I gave it 5 stars. Twilight Eyes wasn't creepy or spooky at all to me although it was filled with some eerie carnival things, psychic powers and goblins. Koontz never falls into horror for me.
Dracula. Gothic old school horror. Has that spookiness that is no oroblem at day but if you read late at night can spook you.
Next up... I dont know
The Strain is finally available for me to download on the Overdrive App. I will begin that once I'm finished with Little Fuzzy, which should be this week.
The Strain is longer than I thought. My copy is nearly 600 pages. The copy that comes up in a search is 400 pages. Let's hope I can finish it before the end of the month. That's two chunksters on the go at the same time. I'm getting flashbacks to last year. :-)
It is not at all a spooky story, but most of the action in the #7 Iron Druid book, Shattered takes place in October. Accidental, but interesting to me. :0)Edited Oct 8th. The Druids and one of the Irish Gods built a couple of big bon fires on Halloween night and summoned a shade of someone who had been killed to see what he could tell them about who had killed him.
Sarah wrote: "I see Neil Gaiman and a number of other authors have donated books to Waterstones to be sold and 100% of the proceeds are going to help the Syrian refugees. Gotta love Gaiman!I'd say The Passage ..."
That is really awesome!
I'm almost halfway through Little Girls for my spooky setting. It says it's a "ghost story" (on the cover, not a spoiler!), but the setting is the narrator's creepy childhood home. So far, I don't love the characters, but the story is interesting and I'm not sure where it's going to go, which is good.
I read Phantom Evil, which is the first in a romantic horror/suspense series I've been planning to start on. It turned out to be plenty creepy with ghosts, unexplained dark shadows, hidden skeletons/bodies, etc. The story is about a new task force set up to investigate events that may have a supernatural element/cause. In this case, it's the death of a woman in a known haunted house that has had many murders, suicides, and questionable deaths in the past. The team stays in the house and experiences a variety of interactions with the supernatural while trying to figure out how the woman died (view spoiler). After the first couple of chapters I would NOT have wanted to sleep in that house.
Sounds really good, Lara! I'll have to check it out.
Latest read was the The Exorcist while the possession of the girl could spook some people, I was surprises to find the story more of what I wpuld call Crime drama
Can I join in?
I have finished Pines, which I used for the cryptogram challenge. Very Sci-fi, creepy creatures and suspense. Does that count?
I also have The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill. A ghost story.
I have finished Pines, which I used for the cryptogram challenge. Very Sci-fi, creepy creatures and suspense. Does that count?
I also have The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill. A ghost story.
I finished Little Girls last night. I've been looking at reviews and trying to find discussions since. Then I found this challenge! Suh-WEET! I keep reading horror novels (and sometimes I'm not sure why) and this one scared me pretty well. A couple of previous posters have read or are reading the book as well. So now, I would like to know, what did you guys think? (view spoiler)
Kelly B wrote: "I also have The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill. A ghost story."I hope you enjoy The Mist in the Mirror Kelly. I thought it was really good. I have read all of Susan Hill's ghost stories now and this is my second favourite after The Woman In Black.
Lisa wrote: "Kelly B wrote: "I also have The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill. A ghost story."
I hope you enjoy The Mist in the Mirror Kelly. I thought it was really ..."
Thanks Lisa. I read The Woman in Black a few years back, I too enjoyed it, so much so that I added it to the collection of few books I am willing to spend money on!
I hope you enjoy The Mist in the Mirror Kelly. I thought it was really ..."
Thanks Lisa. I read The Woman in Black a few years back, I too enjoyed it, so much so that I added it to the collection of few books I am willing to spend money on!
I just finished Little Girls. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting, but definitely had the creep factor. The ending wasn't quite what I was hoping for. Unfortunately, I can't say too much without giving away parts. Amanda - I wasn't thrilled with the ending. (view spoiler) What did you think?
I seem to be wallowing in spooky books this month. I read Something Wicked This Way Comes and participated in the group discussion thread. I enjoyed the book very much. I think I gave it four stars, but I thought seriously about giving it five. I loved the very descriptive prose--shades slithering, doors gasping open or booming, keys rattled their bones in locks. There were times when it seemed almost a little too much like purple prose, but for the most part it really worked. The book originally came out in 1962, and looking at things that came after, I feel sure this book was a major influence on later works. After finishing "Something Wicked," I moved on to Dracula. I'm still reading it--I think I have about 100 pages to go. I first read Dracula when I was in high school, and I did not like it very much. I actually found a lot of it boring. Looking at it now, I am impressed with the craftsmanship of the writing. The author uses multiple voices and points of view to tell the story, and does that very skillfully. By today's standards, the story moves at a leisurely pace, but it was written in a much more leisurely time.
Taking a break from Dracula, I wanted to read something more engaging over the weekend, so I turned to reading "a book with a beautiful cover" for the cryptogram challenge. The book I selected was Murder on the Cliffs
. It featured a young Daphne Du Maurier as the "amateur sleuth" in a mystery set in Cornwall at a large, beautiful but creepy house. Elements of
are scattered through the book as supposed inspiration for the future author. The book has much to recommend it, including the atmosphere and the allusions to Rebecca. I only gave it three stars in the end, though, because the longer I thought about the book, the more "loose ends" I identified.
Sure Kelly. Just discuss your book here and then report it over in the reporting thread.
I just read the first two stories in The Mammoth Book of Monsters. The first - Visitation by David J. Schow - took place in a hotel, the second one - Down There by Ramsey Campbell - in a mostly empty office building. The first one I didn't much care about, I thought it was somehow perplexing and not that scary, but the second one was better. Will continue tomorrow.
Finally have the opportunity to start The Strain on audio. Thought I could play it while I was balancing my bank account; however, this cold is sapping my ability to concentrate on more than one thing at a time. I'm to work tomorrow, so I should be able to get some time with it again.
I finished the evening after my grandson's birthday dinner listening to the full cast audio of Dracula. This was a reread for me and I liked it better this time than the last.
I decided to have a spooky month myself and started on Bram's Stoker's Dracula yesterday. I am just about 5 chapters in, and the pacing is slow I find. It will probably pick up once Count Dracula arrives in Whitby. However, I am impressed with Stoker's writing style, and the amount of imagery and descriptive language that he incorporates into his passages. I really like the fact that the journal entries are so different from one another. I hope to tackle the rest of the book later today, and finish it soon.
I am going to revisit Green Town and read Dandylion Wine too, now that I have finished Dracula.
If you are about five chapters in, it should pick up very soon. The pacing is a little uneven, however, so there will be some slow patches, but interesting events do happen, sometimes very close together.
I've put The Strain on hold for now as it's a bit chunky and it would mess up my series challenge. I'll come back to it (hopefully) after the toppler. I've picked up Shadowshift instead which I received from NetGalley to review. The spookiiness comes from the fact that one of the main characters is a shifter that changes in to a cockroach (or rat on occasions). There is nothing sexy or cool about a man who changes in to a cockroach. I don't generally mind the little critters but one who has a fully conscious mind, can wriggle in places a human can't and can watch you without you knowing it is pretty creepy to me.
Sarah wrote: "I've put The Strain on hold for now as it's a bit chunky and it would mess up my series challenge. I'll come back to it (hopefully) after the toppler. I've picked up [book:Shadowshif..."That is creepy, Sarah!! I'm curious to see your thoughts on Shadowshift.
I think it's very well written KimeyDiann. I had never heard of the author before although he has written books previous to the one I'm reading. It's only 180 pages long. The characters in the book are pretty interesting with stories to tell. The POV changes each chapter between the shifter cockroach guy (past) and his daughter (current day), who also has supernatural talents but of a different type to her father. I'm about 70% now and I'm not sure how it will all end. I think this could easily have been a much longer book with the characters backgrounds explored much more as they do have interesting histories.
You'll love this one...!! A book club & more
Books mentioned in this topic
Water for Elephants (other topics)The Passage (other topics)
The Passage (other topics)
The Passage (other topics)
A Little Life (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Jonathan Aycliffe (other topics)Amanda Grange (other topics)
Guillermo del Toro (other topics)
Guillermo del Toro (other topics)
Justin Cronin (other topics)
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