Supernatural Fiction Readers discussion
Common reads
>
What are we going to read in this group?
The book is The House That Jack Built. Like yours, my to-read pile(s) are already pretty daunting, too. Since I sent the invitation, the computer kindly answered "yes" on my behalf; but I'm actually planning to sit this one out myself. I'll try to get the thread going next Monday, though!
Dunno if it's more fantasy but how about Abarat by Clive Barker? Also I recall reading Necroscope; The Lost Years a while ago and am looking to start the series properly. Can anyone recomend any deent werewolf fiction?
Ross' Nightlightknight' wrote: "Dunno if it's more fantasy but how about Abarat by Clive Barker? Also I recall reading Necroscope; The Lost Years a while ago and am looking to start the series properly. Can anyone recomend any de..."I don't really care for were stories, but I recently read Moon Called by Patricia Briggs. I liked it, thought it was pretty good for were fiction. It's the first in a series which I'm looking forward to reading. That's all I've got for were fiction.
Ross, there are other members of the group who've read more werewolf fiction than I have, and are more qualified to make recommendations. But if you aren't put off by 19th-century diction, Clemence Houseman's The Were-wolf (1896) is an excellent werewolf novella. When it comes to werewolf short stories, Jerome Bixby's "The Young One" and Anthony Boucher's "The Compleat Werewolf" are top-notch, in my estimation. And of course, Meyer's Twilight series and Sue Dent's novels Never Ceese and its sequel Forever Richard are very much about werewolves as well as vampires!The titles you mentioned sounded sort of tentative, so I'm not treating them as official "common read" suggestions yet (unless you want me to?). According to its Goodreads description, Abarat definitely sounds to me like a fantasy. Lumley's Necroscope series is supernatural fiction, from what I've heard, but the Lost Years volume is ninth in the series. For a common read, I'd be much more inclined to go with a series opener, since readers new to a series usually like to read it in order. If you're in the mood for a werewolf common read, the book Becca mentioned, Moon Called, has been high on my to-read list for quite a while! Right now, I'm still reading Breaking Dawn; and after I finish it, I promised an Internet friend of mine I'd read a non-supernatural book he recommended. But if you or anyone else would be up for a common read of Moon Called in June, I'd join in, even if I might start a bit late. (And since Becca's read it --and I think my fellow moderator Jim has, too-- I'm sure they would give us the benefit of their insights and reactions in the discussion, as well.) I'd planned to be reading my library's copy of Forever Richard at that time --but as it's turning out, it should be subtitled "(Takes) Forever to Catalog/Process!" :-)
Ross, I re-read your post just now, and think I might have misunderstood you the first time (sorry!) Were you suggesting the first book of Lumley's Necroscope series as a common read? (For those interested in checking out the Goodreads description, the link is:http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/66... .)
Hmmmm! Well, I guess it would be safe to conclude (in view of the total silence on the subject :-)) that so far there's no noticeable groundswell of interest in either Moon Called or Necroscope as group reads? And no wildfire of enthusiasm for doing one in June at all? (Summer is a season when traveling can play havoc with reading; I'll be out of town visiting family myself in the last full week of May.)
Sorry, but I am swamped in books right now. There is no shot I'll be reading anything outside the stack of 'must reads' any time soon.
Necroscope i can read in a groupread if enough members want to read it.
Mohammed, I'm not sure if Ross was proposing Necroscope as a group read or not. If he was, that would make two of you so far that are interested (and in a group this size, there are probably others who've read it already and could comment).For myself, I'm in the same boat as Jim --I've got such a TBR pile that I hate to commit to reading something that's not on it already, without a very strong reason!
I havent read horror,dark fantasy for a while that i plan to read more of it. So i will look on this topic to see what people want to read.No hurries. Most of books mentioned are stuff i can find in library.
I wonder if people in this group know Vampire Hunter D series ?
Hi Werner, I am back! How do I get to the latest post? I had to click thru quite a few months to get to this (?) latest discussion? I wanted to suggest reading Gad's Hall for Oct spooky read. It can give you the shivers.
I just finished Susan Boyle Dreams Can Come True which deserves 7 stars for being cheerful and uplifting. I am about to finish The TEnderness of Wolves which has nothing much to do with wolves.
Let me know?
Alice
I just finished Susan Boyle Dreams Can Come True which deserves 7 stars for being cheerful and uplifting. I am about to finish The TEnderness of Wolves which has nothing much to do with wolves.
Let me know?
Alice
Alice, it's great to have you back! When you click on any Goodreads discussion thread, the computer will show the first 50 posts, and successive frames of 50; but up at the top, just below the title and to the right (as you face the screen) there's a link for "newest." That takes you to the latest frame. (I use that one a lot!)Gad's Hall looks promising! It's not on my to-read shelf (though I have the sequel, The Haunting of Gad's Hall), but that's only because I didn't know the first book actually had a supernatural theme as well. However, we're more than halfway through October now; and people would need time to obtain a copy of the book. If we do it, I'd suggest making it a common read for November --also a dark and gloomy month, nearing the death of the year. :-)
I'm doing a buddy read right now, but expect to finish that book by the end of the month; and I have no reading commitments for November that can't be set aside. So, if enough people want to do a common read, I'm in! How about it, folks? We haven't tried a common read in this group since March, so some would say we're overdue. :-)
Here's the link to the novel Gad's Hall, so any of you who are interested can check it out: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11... . The author is the late Norah Lofts, an Englishwoman who was mainly a writer of well-received historical fiction, but who (like Hawthorne) often flavored her work with ambiguous hints of the supernatural. This is one of her actual outright forays into the supernatural genre.
Just as a heads up, I would like to let everyone know that my latest novel, St. Martin's Moon, will be released in February of next year. It's a futuristic paranormal werewolf adventure, featuring a werewolf hunter who is called in to investigate an attack on a lunar colony. It's not the wolves that bother him, though, it's the ghosts.Marc Vun Kannon
http://authorguy.wordpress.com
Best wishes for success with the book, Marc; it sounds fascinating! When it's published, be sure to post about it in the Group Members Who Write folder --and don't forget to add it to our growing written-by-group-members shelf.
Werner wrote: "Here's the link to the novel Gad's Hall, so any of you who are interested can check it out: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11... . The author is the late Norah Lofts, an Englishwom..."
Hope there will be some interest. It would be nice to get new points of view.
Hope there will be some interest. It would be nice to get new points of view.
Werner wrote: "Alice, it's great to have you back! When you click on any Goodreads discussion thread, the computer will show the first 50 posts, and successive frames of 50; but up at the top, just below the tit..."
Thanks, will try to remember this.
The two books really go together one blending into the next one. I have two copies that have both books in one volume. I got the extra one in a box of books from eBay.
Thanks, will try to remember this.
The two books really go together one blending into the next one. I have two copies that have both books in one volume. I got the extra one in a box of books from eBay.
Last night, Lady Danielle messaged me to let me know that she's game for a common read of Gad's Hall (see above) in November. That makes at least three of us (which is enough to have good discussion if we all post at times), and hopefully others may join in as well. (Also, you don't have to be reading the book concurrently with us to comment; if you've already read it, your insights are welcome, too!) So --since people need some lead time to get hold of a copy of the book-- I'm going out on a limb to unilaterally declare that for November, our group's common read will be Gad's Hall! If you'd like to join in, we'll plan to start on Nov. 1.
What series is that? What author or titles?
Actually, there are six books out now in the Mortal Instruments series; City of Bones (2005) is the first. Here's the link to the Goodreads entry for that one: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25... . I haven't read it, but I know that Lady Danielle has (she gave it 5 stars); here's the link to her review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/... . Five of my Goodreads friends have read it; three gave it 5 stars, and none less than 3.Sandra, I'd be hesitant about doing a group read of an entire series (it might be too much of one thing). But I wouldn't be averse to doing a group read of the series opener! My suggestion is to keep the idea in mind, and bring it up again after the first of the year. We've got a common read slated for November; and I'll be in Australia for most of December and not in a position to join in --though, of course, that doesn't mean that you all can't go ahead if enough people want to do it. (I haven't always taken part in every common read we've tried; but if I'm able to, I'd like to be in on the one for City of Bones, if we decide to do it.)
Our common read of Gad's Hall is scheduled to start on Monday. Lady Alice, who suggested it, might not be able to join in right away --her home computer has crashed again and she's offline. But a couple of us are committed to going ahead, and hopefully some others may join in (you can start any time in November; we don't have to all read in tandem) as well!
Dylan, I just voted that I liked your review of City of Bones; good job! Having read it yourself, do you think it would be a good selection for a common read in this group? (I noticed that you gave it four stars.)
Sandra, Dylan let me know (by personal message) that he agrees that City of Bones would make a great common read, and that he'd definitely chime in on the discussion. So, my suggestion would be to wait until after the holidays; and sometime in late January or early February, I'll poll the membership (I suspect that many of them don't follow this thread very closely) and see who'd be interested in doing that one in March. Does that sound like a workable plan?
Sometime I would like to do a buddy read on any of the Charlaine Harris books about Sookie Stackhouse. She is a part fairy telepath and a big fav of mine.
Maybe in May?
Alice
Maybe in May?
Alice
Alice, you might want to also post this invitation in the "Buddy Reads" topic (scroll a ways down on the discussions page --it has a folder of its own). The Sookie Stackhouse series probably wouldn't be my cup of tea (based on the feedback I got from my oldest daughter, who's read several of the books and knows my tastes); but I'd guess that we have a lot of Sookie fans here, and someone might be interested!
Well, there is a whole group devoted to her but they also seem to be discussing Tru Blood (the TV show) quite a bit. Tru Blood is too gory for me. They also deviated from the books too much. I will try again to find it.
I'd like to re-read the Sookie books at some point. They're fun. I have to read one other fantasy before I could start them, though. It's a pretty big book, but it is also a re-read for a group, so shouldn't take too long.
So glad Jim. I read many of them last year but I would like to read them again and have someone to discuss them with. I just checked into the library system to order the Talisman and there are 6 books ready for me so it will be awhile for me too. I own about 7 of the Sookie books so they are not hard to get.
One thing about Harris' books is they don't stick with me for long. They're fun, but not particularly memorable. I just have a hazy, enjoyable blur left.Kind of like Chinese food for the mind...
;-)
Jim wrote: "One thing about Harris' books is they don't stick with me for long. They're fun, but not particularly memorable. I just have a hazy, enjoyable blur left.
Kind of like Chinese food for the mind....."
Yes, that way for me too. Often I don't want anything deep to read just something distracting. Also a few laughs help. I read In a Sunburned Country recently and mostly laughed and laughed. There were a few horrifying things in there but I wonder what I will remember a year from now? To really remember a book I have to read it more than once. I have read Penmarric and The House on the Strand 7 times so they stick with me fairly well.
Kind of like Chinese food for the mind....."
Yes, that way for me too. Often I don't want anything deep to read just something distracting. Also a few laughs help. I read In a Sunburned Country recently and mostly laughed and laughed. There were a few horrifying things in there but I wonder what I will remember a year from now? To really remember a book I have to read it more than once. I have read Penmarric and The House on the Strand 7 times so they stick with me fairly well.
Okay, the long awaited poll has been posted, asking the question: should we do a common read of City of Bones in March 2011? Besides the simple yes or no choices, there's also an option for suggesting a different book, or for suggesting a different month for reading this book; so hopefully we've covered all the bases.In the last poll for picking a common read, I notice that only three people voted, which isn't a very large turnout for a group our size. I'm wondering whether, even if "yes" wins, there should be a certain required number of votes cast for it before we take the results as definitely serious. What do you all think?
The majority has spoken, and by a vote of 24-2 in the poll, the results favored doing a common read of City of Bones in the month of March. (Two votes were cast for reading a different book.) So, if you want to join in on this, you have two weeks to buy, borrow, or beg (but don't steal! :-) ) a copy; hopefully that will give everybody enough time. And if you've already read it, we'll be glad to have you join in the discussion too, and contribute your insights!
I'll be online relatively little during the next three weeks (I have family coming in tomorrow and staying through Aug. 18). But I've just set up a poll, which will run during that time, to gauge how much interest there is in taking part in a common read in this group during the month of October. I've sent out 847 invitations to vote on it (the maximum I could); but since we have 865 members, some people didn't get one. So, even if the system left you out, and you're reading this post, consider yourself invited!Once the results are in, if there's enough interest, I thought we could then take the rest of August to brainstorm about what book to read (there are some suggestions on the table already). Early in September, we'll try to narrow it to 4-6 choices and I'll post a poll, to run for a couple of weeks. That should allow time enough for people to get the book (or even for a run-off poll, if we have to have one).
Don't forget that our group's current policy allows anyone to suggest a common read at any time! That doesn't guarantee that the rest of us will adopt the suggestion --but it does mean we'll consider it. :-)
The poll results are in, and we have 20 definite "yes" votes for doing a common read this October, with 45 more "maybes", compared to six "no" votes to common reads at all, and three "nos" to October (but no alternative date suggestions). So the majority has spoken (of course, the read will be strictly voluntary!), and we have enough committed participants with 20 to have a very good discussion. Hopefully we'll pick something that will bring in many of the 45 maybes as well.As I noted earlier, we need to brainstorm, between now and early September, about our choice of a book to read; I'd like to come up with about six nominees for a poll. The sequel to City of Bones, City of Ashes, and the Gad's Hall sequel, The Haunting of Gad's Hall, were both suggested earlier. In both cases, we did the first book of the series as a common read, and I'd be willing to put the second Mortal Instruments book in the poll. But the Gad's Hall common read only had two participants at the time it was going on (my fault; I scheduled it too quickly!), and I'd honestly be concerned that the sequel might not be a good choice because not enough people have read the first one. Allyson suggested The Monstrumologist in a comment on the previous poll, back in February. From what I've read, though, that book deals in naturally-explained horror; it would probably appeal to many of us in this group, but since our focus is supernatural fiction, I'd be more inclined to stick to that genre. What do the rest of you think? Any other suggestions? I've got quite a few supernatural fiction books on my to-read shelf, but I'd like to give others a chance to propose something, too!
I'm pretty tied up with family responsibilities for the next few weeks, so might not take as much part in this discussion as I'd like. But I'll definitely take part in the read in October, even if I need to start a couple of days or so late!
Our co-moderator Jim recently posted some concerns (which I share), over on the "Author self-promotion: pros and cons" thread, about the recommendations for Hour of the Beast. Apart from that, though, I notice that this book was published in May of this year. Given that fact, it would be very hard to get a copy by interlibrary loan, the method a number of people would depend on if it were a common read. To my mind, that would be a strong objection to choosing it for the October read.
Unless an actual person in the group wants to suggest it, I won't put Hour of the Beast in the poll. However, I will include The Monstrumologist, if nobody objects. I'm not going to be nitty-picky about the genre definition; and if the majority vote for that book in the poll, I think most of us in this group would find it an enjoyable read!If anyone's interested in a werewolf-themed common read, I'll toss out a suggestion: how about Les Whitten's Moon of the Wolf, which has been on my to-read list for some time? I really liked his vampire novel, Progeny of the Adder; and the movie version of Moon of the Wolf was quite good, IMO. (Of course, it may not follow the book very well; some movie "adaptations" don't. :-) )
Moon of the Wolf sounds good to me if I can find a copy. I will search the library system now. Then I will vote on the poll if I can find it. I hope you are ready for the hurricane? Candles out, flashlight, etc?
Moon of the Wolf
I just ordered it on inter-library loan. So now I will vote on the poll if I find it.
I just ordered it on inter-library loan. So now I will vote on the poll if I find it.
Oops, Alice, too early for the poll --I don't have it up yet! (I'll try to get it posted around the beginning of September.) And if you want to read the book concurrently with the rest of us (if it's chosen), remember that our target month is October, so it might be too early to ILL it. (Of course, it isn't necessary to read the book concurrently with the group in order to comment on the group discussion; anyone who's already read a book and remembers it well can do that!)
Here in the Bluefields, we're back in the mountains, far enough from the coast not to worry about being hit by the hurricane. (Though it has caused some overcast, rain-threatening weather here!)
Alice made three more suggestions (posting in a different place): Hauntings: Is There Anybody There? and Afternoon of an Autocrat (titled The Devil in Clevely in at least one edition), both by Norah Lofts; and my own Lifeblood. Alice, the later suggestion is really sweet, and I appreciate it! Right now, though, the Trestle Press print edition of Lifeblood isn't published yet; it's only available for purchase as an e-book, so picking it as a common read wouldn't be fair to those who only read paper books. (There are some print copies available for interlibrary loan --but far too few to accommodate a group read!)Since you've suggested two other books by Lofts that don't have the problem we mentioned above with The Haunting of Gad's Hall, I'll leave that one off the poll. Do you think we should narrow it down to one book by Lofts? Since we can each only vote for one book, I'm wondering if nominating two of her books at one time might dilute her voting strength.
Werner wrote: "Alice made three more suggestions (posting in a different place): Hauntings: Is There Anybody There? and Afternoon of an Autocrat (titled The Devil in Clevely in at le..."
The reason that I selected two is that its so very hard to find her books. Well, I hope sometime to be in a group discussion of your book. I think Sylvia would like to be in on it too but she did just have surgery.
The reason that I selected two is that its so very hard to find her books. Well, I hope sometime to be in a group discussion of your book. I think Sylvia would like to be in on it too but she did just have surgery.
Well, maybe you can nominate Lifeblood sometime after the print edition comes out; I'd be honored! (I don't have any word on when that will happen, though.)So far, I've never had any trouble getting Loft's books by interlibrary loan. Of course, if you're trying to buy one, that's a different proposition; copies for sale are usually hard to find, because so many of her books are out of print right now.
Oh, I never thought to try interlibrary loan on her books but of course I want to own them all and probably do.
Well, I hope its soon.
Well, I hope its soon.
Hopefully, I'll get the poll for picking our October read posted this Friday. So far, our choices are: Afternoon of an Autocrat by Norah Lofts; City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare; Hauntings: Is There Anybody There? by Norah Lofts; The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancy; and Moon of the Wolf by Les Whitten. Is everybody happy with that roster, or should I make any additions or changes?
Just for giggles, why don't we add a couple of the lighter paranormal-urban fantasy things like Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn & Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison. Both are the first of their series, but stand well by themselves.
The poll is now up until 20Sep.I sent out invitations, but it seems they only went to 100 folks & I got an error when I tried to do more.
Supernatural Fiction Readers
Books mentioned in this topic
The Cold Visitor (other topics)The Cold Visitor (other topics)
The Stones of Muncaster Cathedral (other topics)
The Jewel of Seven Stars (other topics)
The Jewel of Seven Stars (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Robert Westall (other topics)Bram Stoker (other topics)
Robert Westall (other topics)
Anthony Trollope (other topics)
Antonia Barber (other topics)
More...
What was the book? I'm not sure if I'll get to it or not. My current to-read pile is too big to even think about buying another book.