What is the scariest book you have ever read?

[Addy]

Naomi's Room. I shudder at the thought of an attic now. Also Darling by Hodson. Rocking chairs and closets freak me out because of this book!

[Carlos]

From what I remember Hell House by Richard Matheson was one of the scariest books I have read in awhile.

[Mehmet]

I read Hell house during december and remember the date at the ending of the book matching with the date i finished :-O Going back to scary books, i sometimes wonder if the effect the book has is because of the enviroment and maybe your mood. Not many books have frightened me, apart from Others by James Herbert which made me feel so creeped out had trouble sleeping. plus i was living alone at the time which heightened the scare factor. One other book that made me shiver was Ghost by Ed mcbain or evan hunter which was not a horror novel but had a freaky ending that made me hide under the blankets when i shut the lights.

[Shelly]

intensity was awesome scary cujo makes me glad my labby gets all her shotsafraid was soo scary

[Jenn]

No book has ever really terrified me, but the one with the highest cringe factor would have to be The Ruins by Scott Smith. That I read it when I was too young for such books didn't help.

[K.R.]

My stock answer to this question is always House of Leaves. That really gave me shivers while reading it.

[Andy]

K.R. wrote: "My stock answer to this question is always House of Leaves. That really gave me shivers while reading it."

Man, I've really got to get on that one. Soon...

[Latasha]

Don John wrote: "If you have ever had any kind of claustrophobia, The Descent(no relation to the movies) and the sequel, Deeper, by Jeff Long, are both incredibly good reads. I would turn most of the lights off in ..."
Descent sounds really good but idk, I don't like tight spaces. I don't like taking elevators!is it an end of the world kinda thing?

[Latasha]

Todd wrote: "I remember first reading Pet Sematary and The Amityville Horror while home alone and hearing sounds--in retrospect, probably just the house settling--that raised goosebumps.

While the former was ..."

Amityville is on my list to read. I found my copy ages & ages ago at a thrift store. it's sat on my shelf sad & unread for years. :( I really mean to read it though! and want to, I love the Amityville stuff!

[Latasha]

Courtney wrote: "The only author that's made me feel genuinely scared while reading was Lovecraft. After reading The Call of Cthulhu, I had to turn all the lights on in my house.

Other books that I feel have good,..."

I was gonna vote Hell house as well. it wasn't too scary but it was so disturbing. yep, Hell House gets my vote!

[Latasha]

Gertie wrote: "From a similar thread to this one (in a different group) some folks had mentioned House of Leaves. Has anyone here read it? I had to go and buy it after 3 folks in that thread mentioned it.

[book..."

oh that sounds good! I added it to my ever growing to read list!

[Latasha]

as I mentioned, my vote is for Hell House. it couldn't have been because of the atmosphere, I listened to the audiobook while at work. i found it so disturbing.

[Latasha]

El wrote: "When I was younger, the scariest books ever were from the series Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. The artwork coupled with the stories freaked me out.

I'll have to consider what novel, as an adu..."

omg yes! those images scared me to death too!

[Andy]

Latasha wrote: "Don John wrote: "If you have ever had any kind of claustrophobia, The Descent(no relation to the movies) and the sequel, Deeper, by Jeff Long, are both incredibly good reads. I would turn most of t..."

The Descent is one of my all time favorite books. Absolutely loved it. Didn't scare me, but it was just so cool how the book dealt with the global impact of the central plot (governments, military, religion, history, archaeology, adventurers, etc.)

[Michael]

K.R. wrote: "My stock answer to this question is always House of Leaves. That really gave me shivers while reading it."

I've been meaning to read this. I've been told that because of how the books written that I shouldn't read the kindle version. Is this true?

[Andy]

Michael wrote: "K.R. wrote: "My stock answer to this question is always House of Leaves. That really gave me shivers while reading it."

I've been meaning to read this. I've been told that because of how the books..."

Haven't read it, but the version I have is a large sized paperback filled with what look like paragraphs and news-clippings and notes, some of which are different colors. I think kindle would probably take away from the experience and maybe be (even more) confusing.

[Shaun]

Is House of Leaves available on Kindle? Searching for it only brings up This Book Does Not Exist by Mike Schneider.

[Michael]

Ah, you're right Shaun, a friend told me that it was on Kindle. Apparently not. I'm guessing there's a reason for that. Thanks.

[Shaun]

You're welcome? Dunno, after so many people saying how good it is, I'm a little miffed that it's not available now. I suppose it would take away from the book though unless they scanned the pages in like pictures or something.

[Michael]

Maybe an i books or kindle fire version will be on the way. I've heard the format is pretty creative.

[Brenda]

I found this rather interesting article about House of Leaves. I would love to read it as well, especially on my Kindle, but this article has me thinking perhaps I just need to break down and purchase the paperback from Amazon. Hmmm, unique idea there! LOL!
http://wilwheaton.net/2012/12/the-qui...

[Steven]

Yeah, I want to read House of Leaves but have no idea which is the proper version to read. One of them has words in random colors and such, and that's the correct one to read... but where to find it? Which edition is that?

Does the paperback available on Amazon have all that?!

[Brenda]

I found another couple of articles on House of Leaves, which I found interesting and wanted to share. The first is entitled "How Not to Read House of Leaves".
http://www.wired.com/table_of_malcont...

The second speaks with the author himself, entitled "House Of Leaves author Mark Z. Danielewski on his new book and sewing paper".
http://www.avclub.com/articles/house-...

Perhaps this will answer some questions. I'm really curious about it now, after reading all the comments left by my fellow GR members, as well as these articles.

[Brenda]

Time Lord Steven wrote: "Yeah, I want to read House of Leaves but have no idea which is the proper version to read. One of them has words in random colors and such, and that's the correct one to read... but where to find ..."

I don't know. I know that if you go to this book on Amazon, you can search inside it (found under the picture of the book). There are many pages omitted, which may be the bizarre layout pages - I'm not sure. But it would give you a bit of a taste for it, I think.

http://www.amazon.com/House-Leaves-Ma...

[Andy]

Brenda wrote: "Time Lord Steven wrote: "Yeah, I want to read House of Leaves but have no idea which is the proper version to read. One of them has words in random colors and such, and that's the correct one to r..."

Based on a random page comparison, the amazon version linked above is the same version I have. Check page 144 and you can see the strange layout, and a paragraph of red strikethrough text.

[Steven]

Yeah, I just finished doublechecking ISBN numbers versus the ones here, and the Goodreads description clarifies that this paperback is the remastered one that re-includes all the good stuff he put in like colors (unlike some other edition beforehand I guess?)

[Brenda]

Andrew wrote: "Brenda wrote: "Time Lord Steven wrote: "Yeah, I want to read House of Leaves but have no idea which is the proper version to read. One of them has words in random colors and such, and that's the c..."

Thanks, Andrew. It does look extremely distracting to read. I don't know if I can get through that or not. Perhaps I'm more orderly than I thought! :)

[Addy]

I tried reading that book on my phone and it was very creepy but i couldn't finish it. Just too confusing. There were parts that were in German i think. I may give it another shot if it cones out on Kindle.

[Gertie]

I get the sense (I have it sitting on my shelf at home) that it is a book best not approached too rigidly... you just read it (even if it involves a little jumping around), accept the weird flow, and the weirdness and creepiness is meant to sort of wash over you. Perhaps the This Happened then That Happened is not quite as critical as the overall ambience.

[Brenda]

I should think it would be a perfect book for a group or buddy read, so perhaps others could give insight into whatever was just read. I will probably pick it up sometime this fall, then see if anyone might be interested in joining me.

[K.R.]

I can't really imagine reading HoL on Kindle! I read it a long time ago and don't remember any blue text, so I can only imagine that subsequent versions have become even more confusing!

I'd say Gertie is right too, in the way to approach it - I certainly didn't sit and try to digest every piece of information it threw at me. Though I imagine if you did read it in that way you'd probably get more out of it.

[Michael]

Okay so I'm definitely going to pick this book up now!

[Shaun]

Well, I just ordered my copy of House of Leaves, should be here next week, so it could be a book to keep in mind if anyone wants to set up a buddy read.

[Andy]

I'm definitely in for a buddy read of House of Leaves anytime after next week.

[Rebecca]

A long time ago I was perusing a forum (IMDB I think) and they started a similar conversation. Someone mentioned a short story they'd read and other people agreed that it was horrifying. I can't remember the name of it and it's killing me. The only thing I can remember is that it involved an apartment building and a man who lived there and ate cheetohs a lot. I'm not sure what the scary part was but if anyone knows what I am talking about I'd love to find it.

For some reason FLOATING DRAGON really bothered me. And I loved Peter Straub's GHOST STORY. It didn't scare me but it was creepy.

[Brenda]

Whoo hoo! Just found out I'll be ordering House of Leaves this week! Yay! Now to get through these books I'm reviewing, then I can start! LOL!

[[deleted user]]

I really want to read House of Leaves in a buddy read but I have to order it first.

[Brenda]

I agree, I think that book would be much better as a buddy read. Looks like there's lots that could be missed, and it seems it might get a little confusing at times. Soon as I get it, I'll post and see about a buddy read. Probably be a week or so.

[[deleted user]]

Just ordered it. :)

[Andy]

Awesome, I am pumped!

[Shaun]

I just got my copy of House of Leaves in the mail today. It looks like the most WTF? book I've ever seen. With all the twisting, turning, and white space throughout, I'm having serious concerns about whether or not I'll actually be able to get deep enough into the story that the act of trying to read won't rip me out of it. We'll see though.

[James]

It's very rare to read something that is genuinely "scary", but one that did the trick for me is Douglas Clegg's THE CHILDREN'S HOUR. If you haven't read this one, I highly recommend you give it a shot . . . .


J.N.

[Brenda]

Shaun wrote: "I just got my copy of House of Leaves in the mail today. It looks like the most WTF? book I've ever seen. With all the twisting, turning, and white space throughout, I'm having serious concerns abo..."

Shaun, my copy should be here later this week. Hold off, if you don't mind, and let's see if we can get a few people together for a buddy read. It sounds like we might do better acting enforce. :)

[Chris]

Reserved House of Leaves at the library. I'd totally be up for a buddy read!

[Gertie]

Brenda, you mentioned reading it in the fall, will you be able to read it any sooner or should we try to hold off a bit to get more of us reading at once?

[[deleted user]]

I am not even going to open the book when mine comes. Going to read it completely in the moment. Usually with books like this I either love them or hate them.

I'm good with waiting for a group.

[Brenda]

I could start next week. Do we want to shoot for August 1?

[Jon Recluse]

James wrote: "It's very rare to read something that is genuinely "scary", but one that did the trick for me is Douglas Clegg's THE CHILDREN'S HOUR. If you haven't read this one, I highly recommend you give it a..."

I need to check this out.

[James]

Yes, you do! Clegg's sorta hit and miss with me -- there are a few of his that I didn't care for at all -- but the ones I dug I really REALLY dug. This one ranks among my Top Five Favorite Horror Novels of All Time. No kiddin'.



J.N.

[Jon Recluse]

James wrote: "Yes, you do! Clegg's sorta hit and miss with me -- there are a few of his that I didn't care for at all -- but the ones I dug I really REALLY dug. This one ranks among my Top Five Favorite Horror..."

I feel the same way. I really liked Goat Dance, but some of his other books just didn't work for me, and I drifted away.
I can't ignore a rec like that!
Off to pick up a copy...