Reading suggestions

It was suggested that to give people an idea of things, especially where there is less familiarity, some suggestions for each month be given now to provide some insight. So I figured, since we've got our own group now anyhow, haha, we can have a whole thread dedicated to it. Each post following will have some suggestions for each month, which I will add more to as I think of them, and which you are free to toss out more yourselves and I can add them in, so we have full lists here for anyone looking for titles. :)

For handy access to each section's list below:
Original/classic Gothic works
Supernatural
Victorian Gothic
Graphic novels
Women & non-English
\Gothic\ Pulp & weird fiction
Hauntings/ghost stories
Psychological
Southern Gothic
Slasher/thriller
Light/humorous
Contemporary/modern Gothic

Original/classic Gothic works
The Castle of Otranto
The Old English Baron
The Mysteries of Udolpho
The Monk
The Italian
Justine; or, the Misfortunes of Virtue
Glenarvon
Melmoth the Wanderer
Zastrozzi
Glenarvon

Supernatural
Night Watch series
Christine
Neverwhere
World War Z
Lost Souls
Pet Sematary
Blackbirds
John Saul

Victorian Gothic
Wagner the Werewolf
The Fall of the House of Usher (and much of Poe)
Wuthering Heights
A Long Fatal Love Chase
Jane Eyre
Uncle Silas
Bleak House
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
The Necromancer
The Mysteries of London
Varney the Vampire
Lois the Witch
Carmilla
Dracula
Armadale

Graphic novels
Hellboy
Locke and Key
American Vampire
Preacher
Walking Dead, 30 Days of Night, Hellblazer, there's Cliver Barker's Hellraiser volumes, lots of Stephen King has been adapted...

Women & non-English
Louisa May Alcott
Joyce Carol Oates
Mary Shelley
Ann Radcliffe
Shirley Jackson
Koji Suzuki
Sergei Lukyanenko
Gaston Leroux

\Gothic\ Pulp & weird fiction
HP Lovecraft
William Hope Hodgson
M. R. James
Hugh Walpole
Marjorie Bowen
Robert Bloch

Hauntings/ghost stories
The Haunting of Hill House
The Shining
The Woman in Black
Carnacki the Ghost Finder
The Haunted Hotel & Other Stories

Psychological
Bag of Bones, Gerald's Game, much of King's work
The Silence of the Lambs
House of Leaves
The Road
Blood Meridian
Richard Matheson
Peter Straub
Dan Simmons

Southern Gothic
The Sound and the Fury
Sanctuary
Absalom, Absalom!
A Prayer for the Dying
Child of God
The Robber Bridegroom
Four and Twenty Blackbirds
Swamplandia!
Truman Capote
Cormac McCarthy (not the Border Trilogy)
Flannery O'Connor

Slasher/thriller
Special X series
The Hellbound Heart
Red Dragon
Rosemary's Baby

Light/humorous
Tick Tock
Odd Thomas
Nekropolis
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Good Omens
Charlaine Harris
YA (therefore on the lighter side)
Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events
RL Stine's Goosebumps series
LJ Smith's Vampire Diaries series

Contemporary/modern Gothic
Bellefleur
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
Lulu Incognito
Outer Dark
Interview with the Vampire
The Other
A Portrait of Barbara ?
Clive Barker

I'll be curious to see how people's reading lists end up looking, whether people gravitate towards what feels clearly like 'horror', or focus more on the sub-genre labels that include a lot of non-horror works (in my opinion, no offense meant to anyone). Meanwhile, suggestion-wise, I'd add that a lot of Clive Barker's works would fit into the supernatural or contemporary/modern gothic category, my personal favorite being The Damnation Game. For southern gothic, one good horror fit would be Stewart O'Nan's A Prayer for the Dying. John Saul is another big one for the supernatural category, and I guess Dracula would go into the classics category. I suppose you'd want to include Flannery O'Connor to the southern gothic list too--she comes closer to horror, I think, than Welty or Capote.

so where would Richard Kadrey 's Sandman Slim series fit? And London Falling ? Supernatural only? Or maybe psychological as well?

For southern Gothic, perhaps add Poppy Z Brite, Cherie Priest, Karen Russell and some Cormac McCarthy.

I read The Other recently, a great example of modern Gothic. Also Shirley Jackson is one of my favorite writers of all time--female, Gothic, psychological.

Loving Joe Hill right now. He falls into the supernatural category and is clearly the heir to King's throne.

This looks like a fun year. I'll try to follow along as much as I can although I'm worried I've already over committed myself ha ha.

>16 sturlington: Loving Joe Hill right now. He falls into the supernatural category and is clearly the heir to King's throne.
And rightly so...

>17 PawsforThought: it is kind of eerie how similar they are in style. It makes you think there might be a writing gene...

>18 sturlington: I am yet to read one of Hill's books so I'll trust you on their similarities. But he's obviously inherited quite a bit from his dad (and they looks scarily alike too!)

Since I never liked King I've been reluctant to read Hill. Although I do have one book each by them in the TBR.

I haven't read any of Hill's stuff yet. I've been wanting to read Locke & Key for ages but my library hasn't acquired it. :( I did read Owen's (the other son) novella and enjoyed it, though. Tabitha, King's wife, is also good author. Quite the talented family. :)

>16 sturlington: Is Poppy Gothic? I read Lost Souls aaaages ago and know I enjoyed it, but I have only vague memories of the actual substance. I did stick McCarthy's Outer Dark in "modern Gothic," it would probably fit under southern as well, though. I'm guessing The Road and Blood Meridian would fit probably fit? I haven't read them, though so just guessing. The Border Trilogy wouldn't for sure. I only know of a couple titles by Cherie Priest and Karen Russell, they didn't strike me as being Gothic. Have you read them? What is it that's Gothic about their writing?

I've been meaning to read Eudora Welty for ages but the only book my local libraries have is Delta Wedding which doesn't seem very gothic to me (though there is a tiny tag here on LT saying it is). Can anyone vouch one way or the other?

I've checked the books that I have and I would like to know for some of those if they fit the right categories ?

Traditional/Classic Gothic works
#The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner

Psychological
*The Terror

Slasher/thriller
#From A Buick 8
#The Talisman

>14 whitewavedarling: Added those. Actually Dracula wouldn't go in the original Gothics, as it came 100 years later. That category is for those that truly came first. Dracula, along with supernatural, of course, would belong in Victorian, along with the others that inspired it in that category (Carmilla, Varney, and also Polidori's The Vampyre). :)

>23 electrice: Hogg is old enough that it'd probably go with the originals, sure. I haven't read The Terror yet but I'm pretty sure that could go under psychological, yeah. The Kings, The Talisman is definitely not a slasher, but it could go in supernatural. From a Buick 8 would fit there too, but it did have some heavier stuff also, so a case might be made for slasher/thriller on that one. BTW The Talisman is one of my favorite books ever. The sequel was disappointing, though, didn't live up to the same amazingness.

>22 PawsforThought: That I could not say. It sounds like maybe it all takes place in/around the big old house, so there could be an element of the Gothic in that, but there are a lot of tags on a lot of books that make no sense whatsoever, so it's possible that's one of them. I'm guessing The Robber Bridegroom and maybe The Ponder Heart would fall under the southern Gothic heading better. Possibly various of her short stories? But I haven't a clue about them.

>25 .Monkey.: Thanks PM ! I'm thinking Night of the Living Dead for the Supernatural category right now; there's still a lot of time though, so I'll keep in mind The Talisman.

Southern Gothic: William Faulkner, which titles will fit for this one ?

>25 .Monkey.: Yeah, I had a feeling it wouldn't work. But it's the only one of hers I can get hold of without buying (and I'm not buying if I don't know I'll want it). Oh, well. I might read it for something else.

>26 electrice: Oh nice, I had no idea there was a related book. That's one of my favorite movies of all time! :D
Faulkner, The Sound and the Fury, I believe Absalom, Absalom! may be, one of the reviews on Sanctuary mentions southern Gothic... I think it's mostly just a part of his style of writing in general, I'd bet there's elements of it in many/most of his works.

>27 PawsforThought: Yeah, my library doesn't have her either but I think she's available in the achtergrondcollectie so I should be able to get her. Which I'm actually going to look into very soon 'cause she happens to be the current Monthly Author Reads author, lol.

>21 .Monkey.: I am reading NOS4A2 right now and it is terrific so far. Heart-Shaped Box is one of the scariest books I've read.

>16 sturlington: sturlington: Is Poppy Gothic? I read Lost Souls aaaages ago and know I enjoyed it, but I have only vague memories of the actual substance. I did stick McCarthy's Outer Dark in "modern Gothic," it would probably fit under southern as well, though. I'm guessing The Road and Blood Meridian would fit probably fit? I haven't read them, though so just guessing. The Border Trilogy wouldn't for sure. I only know of a couple titles by Cherie Priest and Karen Russell, they didn't strike me as being Gothic. Have you read them? What is it that's Gothic about their writing?

Poppy -- I haven't read her in so long, but she's definitely Southern! :-) I thought she had a Goth bent to her -- does that qualify?

McCarthy -- I was thinking Child of God and Outer Dark. The Road and Blood Meridian are both horrific, but I don't know if they'd qualify as Gothic. Maybe more psychological?

Cherie Priest: I haven't read it but I see her series starting with Four and Twenty Blackbirds listed as Southern Gothic quite often.

Russell: I've only read Swamplandia! but it definitely has some gothic elements and it is Southern. There's an old abandoned house in the middle of the swamp, a possible ghost, a lot of atmosphere, etc. I was also thinking her short stories might also qualify.

For light/humorous, how about Charlaine Harris? I haven't read them, just going on the TV show.

>28 .Monkey.: Oh, great! The Sound and the Fury is on several of my lists.

>29 sturlington: I haven't gotten to them yet, only Outer Dark and the first of the Borders so far; psychological it is! I'll add Child of God, Four and Twenty Blackbirds, and Swamplandia to the list. :)

Re: Poppy, he's a he, just so that's out there (he's trans). Maybe I ought to break my BookDepository ban and order a title or two of his, I've been meaning to read more for like, 15 years at least, and I always used to check the shelves at BN hoping, but they didn't ever have others, at least the ones I was at, when I was there. I think this is a good excuse to finally fix that, and support an author I enjoy and have even conversed with on LJ. :)

>32 .Monkey.: I didn't know that, thanks for telling me. I met him many eons ago, at a con in Chapel Hill, but I don't think he was openly trans then.

>28 .Monkey.: I've never seen the movie but when I've seen this one at a sale on Book Depository, it was a MUST have :) Noted for Faulner ...

OK, I'll list what I'm reading for the categories, for the titles that I haven't see so far up there:
Graphic novels & short stories: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8; I've half of the Season 8 on the shelves.
Pulp & weird fiction: Whispers from the Abyss based on Lovecraft myths. I've bought this one on Kickstarter. I've never read Lovecraft and it's an anthology of short stories; so if I don't like the genre, I suppose that it'll be less painful ...
Hauntings/ghost stories: The Little Stranger or Charlotte Markham and the House of Darkling
Light/humorous: Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. I've read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and I've found it so-so, we'll see ..

Nobody answered my earlier query. Sandman Slim series and London FAlling. Do they fit somewhere else than supernatural?

Is there any place I can look for actual definitions or explanations for some of these categories? I'm unsure what some of these categories entail.

>33 sturlington: I'm not sure it was about open or not, rather more of a thing about labels and what box one actually fits into and all that. I think that he was always fairly open, but when you don't fall under the "regular" labels and wind up on some vague part of the spectrum... I know in his LJ he wrote a fair bit about that kind of thing, the confusion/difficulty in defining those roles and all. I believe it may have been in the last handful of years that he finally settled on an explicit label that felt accurate, ya know?

I haven't read Harris at all, but it looks like they'd probably fit. Will add her. :)

>35 majkia: Sorry, this thread has been going so fast! Every time I reply to one thing, two more pop up meanwhile! :P They'd definitely be supernatural; it looks like they may both possibly also work as slasher/thriller, something about gritty serial killer in London Falling and one review says "gritty, profane, sacrilegious, and not for the faint at heart" for Sandman Slim.

Ah, definitions, okay, I will try to work on something for that!

I'm not a Horror fan, but I will have to join you in March to read Lois The Witch, not just for the obvious reason, but also because I grew up next to Salem MA!

>24 .Monkey.:, Sounds good. I knew Dracula wasn't one of the original gothic tales, but since you said classic, I suggested it. It's definitely a classic :)

Meanwhile, on Eudora Welty, I think she's about as far from horror as you can get, but she is often listed in with southern gothic writers, as is Carson McCullers, in both cases because of their regular use of the grotesque (in regard to characters, as with Flannery O'Connor).

With Cormac McCarthy, The Road and Child of God both easily fit under a definition of horror even though I don't generally think of them as such. Just beware of Child of God if you don't know what you're getting into and have only tried other McCarthy works--I know a lot of readers who've been permanently turned off to his writing because of that one book!

>38 LoisB: Well we will be glad to have you even just for that short time. ;) But I do hope that maybe you will consider hanging around for some other Gothic reads, as they're not like modern horror!

>39 whitewavedarling: Now you've just intrigued me, hahaha. Is it really so different? So many people have made remarks about The Road and Blood Meridian being so dark and... gory? I'm not sure if that's the right word, maybe gritty is better? I don't know, I really am going to have to find copies of all these to read, too much chatter about them and me knowing nothing! LOL.

Right, a lot of Gothic isn't "horror" in the way that many people think about it today but it has a certain kind of atmosphere to it, a psychological element, a claustrophobic location, etc, things that create that sense... For instance, Ann Radcliffe wrote about "the difference between the sensation of terror her works aimed to achieve and the horror Lewis sought to evoke." The word carries various connotations, but in regards to our KIT here I'm looking at horror as encompassing all the aspects, including more in the way Radcliffe was using "terror," something that makes you sit up straight, on the edge of your seat in anticipation of what's coming, and so forth, you know? :)

Gee, by that light Doctor Who fits!

Jean, hiding behind the sofa.

>40 .Monkey.: Interesting thought about the difference between terror and horror. I tend to associate horror, perhaps incorrectly, with blood, missing body parts etc. and think of it as fictional. But then, I think about Charles Manson and I think I would describe his killings as horrible rather than terrible.

*throws pillow @ majkia" :P I don't mean just anything, but in regards to various Gothic works not exactly being "horror." ;)

>42 LoisB: Exactly. The bloody gory fiction is one kind of horror, but there's so much more! :)

File this one under Victorian Gothic and definitely horror -

A portrait of Barbara by Robin Squire

>40 .Monkey.: Child of God is pretty different. McCarthy's mix (in that book) of religion and extremely taboo sexual practice is quite a bit further than he goes in any other book from what I hear (I haven't read all of his works, though I have read that one). It's also got a way of getting into your head in the way that House of Leaves and Fountainhead do, if you let it! I know a lot of folks who've sworn off McCarthy after reading it, and quite a few others who simply put it down partially through even though they normally finish everything they start.

Meanwhile, for those folks not so interested in traditional horror (which is what I'm interested in, pretty obviously, after getting way too much gothic in grad. school), it occurred to me that YA might also be a good way for some folks to go in order to walk the line of horror and creepy. Things like Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events are fun reads, and could work in either the light/humorous category or the contemporary/modern gothic. As far as the traditional gothics go, there's also that one work by Austen which fits in as her take on the gothic...I'm blanking on the name, but I'm sure someone here will remember what I'm talking about!

Nothing to add at the moment, but wanted to post so I can more easily follow the discussion. :-)

>45 whitewavedarling: I think that it's Northanger Abbey.

>45 whitewavedarling: & >47 electrice: Definitely Northanger Abbey. Greatly influenced by a few other titles on the list (and mentions The Mysteries of Udolpho

Northannger Abbey is actually a Gothic parody. ;) For anyone interested in them, there's also Nightmare Abbey by Thomas Love Peacock. Personally I didn't find it such a great read (it's combined with two other of the original Gothic works in my copy, it's last; I read those two, started on Nightmare, and wound up not picking the book back up again for 5 months. Oops?), maybe because I enjoy the thing it was satirizing? I don't find Gothic works to be the way that Peacock was implying, it's only his piece that I found that way, therefore it was just not an enjoyable one for me. Maybe others would appreciate it more, though, who knows!

>45 whitewavedarling: Hmm, well like I say, definitely intrigued! :P I actually didn't care for House of Leaves, I thought it was a really big let-down, but I did think the lead up was good. Huh, I had no idea the Snicket books were horror-esque. I can't stand overhyped stuff so I never looked at anything about them (plus their being children's books). Alrighty, I can add that.

>49 .Monkey.: I think the Lemony Snicket books are also Gothic parodies--would fit in light and humorous. I also have a copy of Child of God on my shelves that I have so far avoided reading. I feel even less inclined to read it now.

>49 .Monkey.: & >48 PawsforThought: & >47 electrice:, Yep, definitely Northanger Abbey...I didn't particularly enjoy it (and certainly not compared to Austen's other works, but nontheless. Meanwhile, I don't know that the Lemony Snicket books come particularly to mind when I think of horror, but I'd probably think of them before a lot of the gothics listed here lol.

I have Armadale which looks like it might work for Victorian Gothic.

>52 majkia: I couldn't say for certain, but a couple people have tagged it Gothic, so why not, onto the list it goes. :)

Another book I'd like to advocate for here is Blackbirds which could probably fit in several categories. It has a terrific female lead, but if very dark and gritty and definitely toes into horror.

>54 majkia: I'll add it to the supernatural list :)

Aaack! I can't wait to be scared! I don't know what I'll be reading but I will join in for sure. I have a category in my CC page just for horror. Whoop!

Lol welcome aboard!

I was looking through my TBR (for an entirely different reason) and was surprised to see how many books I have that can fit in many of these categories. Books I normally don't think of as horror. I'm enjoying the learning curve.

Do we have a wiki? I was hoping to see what everyone else will be planning to read.

I'm not that sort of planner, I won't know which titles I'm reading until it's time to read them and I pull something off the shelf :P but sure we can have a wiki if you guys want.

I'm going to try not to plan so much for next year, but wikis are great for inspiration when you're unsure of what to read so I'd appreciate one, too.

>59 .Monkey.: I usually choose my reads for the month (or at least the options) a couple of weeks before the month starts... right around the time the RandomCAT gets announced is good timing for me. I'm just used to that kind of timing with my groups on shelfari when themes/tags/categories for the month are only chosen/announced then. I've found I tend not to add them to the wikis until I'm finished reading, as well, especially for ones where I have multiple options and may or may not get to them all.

I've just grabbed The Small Hand by Susan Hill from the audio collection at the library, planning on listening to it for the ReadaThing at the end of the month. I'm just wondering if anyone knows which type of horror it would be? I'm pretty new to reading Horror with intent.

>62 Peace2: It's not one I'm familiar with, but according to the tags it's Gothic with a ghost/supernatural angle, so it would fall under "modern Gothic" or supernatural. :)

(Whereby "or" I mean both, of course, but that if you were looking for a sole place to put it, either of those would do.)

Just thought I'd post these for anyone who might be stumped for suggestions. Here is a list of Best Horror according to LT readers: http://www.librarything.com/list/192/all/Best-Horror-Books

Here's a list I made, which is a survey of gothic/horror fiction from the 19th century through today, heavily weighted with women writers: http://www.librarything.com/list/9822/sturlington/

>64 sturlington: I for one will find looking at the lists handy when I'm trying to track down things to read in 2015 along with those growing at the top of this thread :D

>6 .Monkey.: - Can I ask what Louisa May Alcott wrote that classes as horror - I'm just re-reading her Little Women. It's 30 or so years since my last visit, but seeing her name there, I was aware that I only really know of her Little Women series (and only read LW and maybe one other (pretty sure that was all) and didn't know that she'd written anything else. You've got me curious now!

>65 Peace2:, I know you didn't ask me, but since I'm here... take a look at Behind a Mask: The Unknown Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott; if I remember right, Alcott actually made a living by writing short thrillers (that were far closer to horror than what she's now remembered for) until her other writing eventually became popular. I don't think I ever finished the collection, but I enjoyed what I read.

PM, are there other pieces of horror/thrillers she wrote as well? If so, I want to look them up too :)

>65 Peace2: / >66 whitewavedarling: Yes, I read the Unmasked: Collected Thrillers collection of her stories and it was quite fun. Also, it wasn't published until quite recently (1998 if memory serves) but she had written A Long Fatal Love Chase. :)

>65 Peace2: Can I ask what Louisa May Alcott wrote that classes as horror

I had wondered the same thing, so thanks for asking! :-) I might now have to look into those...

I haven't read the novel yet, but it's on my shelf ready & waiting! :D

I have a copy of A Modern Mephistopheles by Alcott around somewhere. I'll have to find it and take a look.

Just was reminded of another humorous horror writer: Christopher Moore. There's Practical Demonkeeping, A Dirty Job, Bloodsucking Fiends, etc.

Humble Bundle just announced a horror-themed pay-what-you-want bundle:
https://www.humblebundle.com/books

I love the idea--and variety--of this challenge. Thank you to whomever got this started! :) I may try it next year.

73> PolymathicMonkey started this group. I'm thinking I might give a go--a slow go--myself next year.

Ken Lopez's latest e-list of Horror-ible Books is out. They're out of my price range, but the titles may generate reading ideas for some and the vintage covers & author inscriptions are always worth perusing.

I'll be reading The Monk by Matthew Lewis for January. If anyone would like to join me I will be following along an old tutored read from 2012 where lyzard tutored SqueakyChu. Lyzard has graciously offered to answer any new questions and welcomes comments. I'm getting a copy of the book from my local library. I hope someone will be able to join me.

Here is the link to the thread.

https://www.librarything.com/topic/142666

>74 absurdeist: Thanks, Enrique! :) And good luck if you decide to have a go next year. It'll be fun.

I was thinking about my reading for next year and about all of the horror I plan to read, and wondering if maybe folks would be interested in us all having a thread together for random horror which doesn't fit into a given month's challenge? Assuming there are others like me who plan to read a fair bit of horror, much of which doesn't fit into a given theme (even as we participate in those months!, would it make sense to have a single thread where we could go to recommend (or warn against, even) horror works we read outside of the challenge?

(And, >75 luvamystery65:, have fun! The Monk is one crazy read :) )

>77 whitewavedarling: That sounds like an excellent idea.

Thanks! ;-)

>75 luvamystery65: I read it last year, but I'd be happy to chat about it with you while you read, and answer any questions. I read through that thread after reading it and frankly didn't find anything of value there, but, that's me.

>77 whitewavedarling: Sure, an all-purpose horror thread is a fine idea.

Has anyone read DM Cornish's Foundling. Do you know which category I could place it in?

And I am wondering about American Psycho

and Fledgling by Octavia Butler

>82 ccookie: even though Fledgling is a vampire story, I think it's extremely psychological.

>80 ccookie: Sorry, I haven't read Foundling. Maybe it would fit into the Supernatural category because of the "monsters" tag? I'm still struggling to find which books go where, so you might wait until someone with a little more knowledge answers your question. :) Good luck!

>81 ccookie: American Psycho would probably fit in Psychology. Or even Slasher/Thriller (there are some very graphic scenes in the book). Just my opinion.

>82 ccookie:, >83 sturlington: Oh, that one looks good! Fledgling could even fit into the Women & Non-English category if you need help filling that one up.

>84 saraslibrary: thanksfor the tips

No problem. I'm glad I could help. :) I really should work on my categories, too. I forgot 2015's around the corner.

I don't actually plan everything out really early, but I think I'd like to make sure I have something or a few options for each (this includes all the CATs and BingoDOG, too!). I won't have time until I'm off work for the Christmas break, so soon... :-)

>87 LibraryCin: I always try to, but I don't really like planning what I read. Reading is one of the few things I do just by how I feel. Btw, what is BingoDOG?

>88 saraslibrary: It's a challenge over the the Category Challenge group. People volunteered to come up with a bingo square (stuff like "read a book by an author starting with C" - that's not one of the actual ones, but just something off the top of my head), and a couple of others put the topics into a "Bingo" card. So, people can choose to do a blackout or any other bingo type challenge using one of the cards throughout the year.

I'm actually thinking that's really the one I should come up with options for. For the CATs, including this horror one, I'm probably fine to just come up with stuff month to month, but for the BingoDOG, I know I'll forget to check after every book to see if what I've read fits! So, I might need to do a bit more planning for it.

>90 LibraryCin: Come join us for BingoDOG:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/180134

>89 LibraryCin: That's awesome. :) I have a Category Challenge thread already, but I forgot about the list of other challenges. That one looks like fun.

>90 LibraryCin: Yeah, that one looks pretty complex, especially the "published in 1915" square. You're also doing CATs? Wow! You'll be busy next year. :) Best of luck!

>92 saraslibrary: This year (my best reading year since possibly grade 7!) I will finish a few more than 160 books. So, with 12-15 books per month, I hope to fit in as many books for challenges as possible. In most cases, I also try to find something from my tbr, though, so we'll see how it goes!

OMG! 160?? I'm seriously impressed. Good job. :) I'm definitely pulling for you for 2015. That's amazing!

>94 saraslibrary: Thank you! I'm not sure I'll be able to get there again, but we'll see! Currently, I've slowed down for this month with a sick kitty. :-( He's in hospital, so I've been to and from the vet's every day since Saturday.

I can cheer you on, if you want. You can do it, rah-rah-rah! You can do it... I forget the rest of my cheer. ;) But I'm sure you'll do great. I'm so sorry to hear about your kitty, though. :( I just hope he's in as little pain as possible, whatever he has. I'm sure your vet will take good care of him. *sending you guys good mojo*

>96 saraslibrary: Thank you! He seems to be improving little-bit by little-bit each day. Of course, the vet then wants to keep him longer to see if he'll improve even more. It's kidney disease (so very serious), and at this point, I'm really hoping my insurance covers it! Or at least a portion of it!

I'm sorry to hear it's his kidneys. :( I had a cat who died from the same thing, so I can understand your vet's concern about watching him. And I hope your insurance covers something of the cost, too!

>98 saraslibrary: Yeah, kidneys are tough. My previous cat had CRF, as well. She only lasted one week after diagnosis, so I'm certainly hoping we have better luck with my boy Angel this time around.

>99 LibraryCin: I really hope you cat improves, and soon. Poorly kitties are one of the worst things in the world. I'm so glad mine is doing well, but I've been through having a sick one, sick to the point where we had to let him go, and it's now something I ever want to live through again.

>100 PawsforThought: Thank you, Paws. Even with our previous kitty, diagnosed for a week, she decided on her own when to go. We didn't think she was in as bad shape as she was (including the vets). My ex took her to the vet that day, but they thought she'd be ok to do tests the next day, though they did keep her overnight. She didn't make it till the next day. So, I haven't (yet) had to make that decision. I know it's not going to be easy.

So far, he's doing well and he might get to come home today. We're waiting on test results to see the numbers. I'm happy that he started eating again yesterday, so that's a good sign. I know there will still be lots to learn and do when I get him home, too.

>101 LibraryCin: Well, for us it was a case of kitty dying in extreme pain or dying peacefully. So no choice really. But still difficult. Still makes me cry five years later.

Very glad to hear yours is doing better.

>102 PawsforThought: :-( Yes, I guess that makes the decision "easy" (or as easy as it's ever going to be). I still sometimes cry over my previous CRF kitty too, and that was 11 years ago.

I am picking up Angel and bringing him home tonight. I'm happy he's coming home, but scared/nervous about how I'll do taking care of him.

>103 LibraryCin: I'm so glad Angel's coming home tonight! :) (Btw, my York Tzu {a Yorkie & Shih Tzu dog mix} is named Angel as well. She came with the name from the Humane Society; I never changed it, because it seemed to fit her.) You've done what you can so far, taking him to the vet and all. I'm sure you'll do fine taking care of him. :)

>104 saraslibrary: Thank you! It's been... interesting - the first 24 hours. The subcutaneous fluids are tricky on my own when he won't sit still! My Angel also came from the Humane Society with the name. I liked it, so kept it (he was also 8 years old and had been with a family since he was a kitten, so I figured he probably knew his name).

Anyway, apologies for "hijacking" the thread! I just don't know where else to update people now that it's been mentioned.

You're welcome. :) Yeah, I clearly remember having to give my cat subcu fluids. My mom did it most of the time, because she had a medical background and knew how to do it properly. But finally I took over and it was easier to do once I saw how it was done. Thankfully my cat was pretty mellow. I'm not sure how you could get your cat to relax other than wrap her in a towel or blanket. I usually did all this on the floor, so I could have a better view of how the needle went in, etc. Btw, that's so cool you adopted an adult cat. :) Usually people just go for kittens/puppies or whatever pet looks the cutest.

LOL! Don't feel bad hijacking the thread, because I think I just wrote the longest paragraph so far. Sorry for babbling. :D

>106 saraslibrary: I've never wanted a kitten, to be honest. Too much energy, too much work! The previous one I'd adopted was 1 year old. By the time I adopted Angel, I'd been volunteering for the Humane Society, so I could see the older cats being looked over. I was debating between two kitties at the time (Angel, 8 years old, black and Rommel, 4 years old, brown tabby). They'd both been there a while, so I decided on the one who was less likely and/or would likely take longer to be adopted: Angel. He's such a sweetie! Just doesn't want to sit still for sub-qs! Oh, did I say? He's 15-1/2 now. And I no longer volunteer for the humane society, but I do volunteer for a different cat rescue instead.

I'm the same. I had one kitten when I was a teenager and that was enough for me. :D Spaz mode in the middle of the night = no sleep for me whatsoever. 15 1/2?? Awesome! :) I'm glad he's had a good life so far. Did the vet give you any pointers on giving him his fluids?

We got our kitty all grown up from an animal rescue centre. And he got to keep his name, too. I felt bad about him having to leave everything else and thought he should at least get to keep his name.

>108 saraslibrary: There was a tech who explained the sub-Qs to me, but didn't really give any extra tips that I'm remembering. I have watched a couple of youtube videos and am in a cat kidney failure group, as well as a cat thyroid group (he is also hypothyroid and we've been handling that for a couple of years), so people in those groups have tips, but facebook friends, as well. :-)

Tonight was much better, but we'll see if tonight's strategies work again or if he's now "wise" to the tricks!

>109 PawsforThought: Yeah, I always thought if I adopted one with a name I really didn't like, I'd try to find something that sounded close. Otherwise, mostly I'll just keep the names. My other boy was a stray and didn't have a name. The name I chose is unusual, but I liked it and he was named after one of Jupiter's moons, Io.

Back to the group. Will there be monthly threads for each topic/month?

I see a few people have started their own threads. Should I do that instead? I will if there's no monthly thread for each topic, but if there's a monthly thread, I'll probably just stick with that.

Thanks!

>110 LibraryCin: I love that. If your vet doesn't give you pointers, look for it online. ;) I had no idea there were pet groups. That's great to know you've got support! (I've had a couple cats with hypo- and hyperthyroid. They were from the same litter, so it wasn't surprising they'd have the same issues later on.)

Well, let's hope Angel hasn't caught on to your new tricks. :) I wish the best for you all. Give him an extra pet for me. I love cats! :)

>111 LibraryCin: That would be good to have! I don't know if it'll be the "Horror in General....What are we Reading?" thread (maybe that's just a thread to feel out what everyone's into). But I think it would make things easier to organize if we had a thread for each month, obviously starting off with January and Traditional/classic Gothic works. I may have to skip that month, because I'm trying to stick with books I own. But we'll see. I might find something by then. *fingers crossed*

Sure, you should definitely start your own thread. :) I think some people do it, too, just to keep track of what they've read, whether with lists or trackers, etc. Your choice. :) It'll be fun.

I'd love to see a monthly thread, so we can comment on what we're reading and give out (and get) BBs.

>112 saraslibrary: Angel was hyperthyroid 2-1/2 years ago. We did the radiation treatment (i-131) and instead of getting him back to normal, he was one of the percentage of cats who went hypothyroid. Oh, well, they say the supplements for that are better on his system than the meds for hyper, so he's been on those supplements for about 2 years now.

Maybe I will start my own thread, as well. Whew! I'm in so many groups on so many different sites, it hard to remember where to post everything, though!!! I would still love to have monthly threads, as well, though.

>113 majkia: Same here! :)

>114 LibraryCin: I never did do radiation treatment. Is that the best way to go, in your opinion? I don't have a cat yet that has hyperthyroidism, but I'd like to know my options. My previous vet just wanted to push the pills, nothing extra.

LOL! I know what you mean about trying to keep every group straight. Some people list them on their profile page. For me, that helps, so I know which group is which. Good luck with all of them! :)

>115 saraslibrary: I'll send you a note on your profile to take the discussion away from this thread. Hope that's ok!

Not a problem. I just got it, thanks! :)

Would The Strain make a good choice for February (supernatural)? How about Misery for slashers/thrillers?

I'd recommend Swamp Thing for anyone who wants a horror graphic novel, but of course it depends if it's available or if affordable copies can be tracked down. The first few volumes - covering Alan Moore's run - are great horror comics. They start off with Moore rewriting Swamp Thing's history (handy for anyone not familiar with the series) but very soon Swampy is sent off on a journey across America by the mysterious Constantine, encountering every kind of horror along the way.

>118 Moomin_Mama: Sure, I think The Strain would be a great choice for February. Vampires are supernatural in my book, so why not? :) And yes to Misery as well. It's definitely more thriller than slasher, but I think it's a perfect choice! Nice reads. :)

Ooh, I've never seen/read Swamp Thing before. I wonder if we have that one at work. Thanks for the rec! :) Also for horror graphic novels for April there are:

* Lenore series by Roman Dirge (funny stuff; this could probably fit into November's light/humorous category as well)
* The Dark Tower graphic novel series by Peter David (I've only read the first one, but I thought it was pretty good. Definitely recommended if you're a Stephen King fan.)
* The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks by Max Brooks (a very quick read)
* Death Note series by Tsugumi Ohba (give this series a go if you want to try some manga)

I could probably go on and on, but those are just a few of the ones I recognized on this tagmash page. You can always tweak that URL by putting graphic%20novel and/or manga in the comic place. (The URL: http://www.librarything.com/tag/comic,+horror.) There are TONS of good suggestions! Hope this helps :)

>119 saraslibrary::
Oh good, I'm pleased they fit. Had a look under my bed (which is where I hide all my charity shop book binges) and found copies of both, plus Bloodsucking Fiends, all very handy for this year. Misery will be a re-read, though it's been a long, long time, but the others will be new, and I've not read any Christopher Moore yet so looking forward to that.

Manga's a good idea, I'll see what my local library has, it used to be pretty good for graphic novels and manga and it's only next door (yes, my local library is my next-door neighbour - I am truly blessed)!

>120 Moomin_Mama: You're lucky your charity shop book binges fit under your bed. I'd need either a 3-story tall bed or bed fit for a whale. ;) Oh, yeah, Christopher Moore is a great one for the light/humorous category. I haven't read him either, but I have a few of his books. This challenge is a good one for me. It's lighting a fire under my butt to start some of my horror books that're getting a tad bit dusty.

Next door to a library? Perfect! Or terrible, if you can't resist their book sales. ;) Manga's definitely fun, though most people forget you have to read them right to left (though a few Korean mangas can be read left to right). Here's a picture of how to read them (in case you or anyone else didn't know). Those instructions are in most mangas, with a "Warning! You're reading the end first" page.

>121 saraslibrary:: Not quite a bed fit for a whale, but a large kingsize, though there's no more room under there!

Library book sales... I have been known to turn up for those :)

>122 Moomin_Mama: That's an excellent storage idea--putting your books under your bed. I'd just be afraid my cats would find one inch between the boxes and get stuck under there, silly things. ;)

LOL! Spoke like a true book addict. ;) Library book sales are always fun! I actually work my appointments, etc around one particular library sale, because they only have a sale twice a year and it's HUGE. Love it! :)

>123 saraslibrary:: No cats in the bedroom for me, because one of mine sticks his claws into my eyelids or his paw in my mouth if he wants attention when I'm asleep, and neither of those are good ways to be woken up!

>124 Moomin_Mama: :D Good thinking! (*shudders @ the idea of claws in the eyelids or poopy paws in the mouth*) Except my cats outnumber me, and they would crawl through vents, grow thumbs and open the door, etc, just so they could sleep on my pillow. :) I do have one cat who likes knocking my stuff over--off tables, etc--so I'll feed her super early in the a.m., like @ 4! :/

>125 saraslibrary:: My two have reached that 'pipe and slippers' age, so give up and find somewhere to curl up and sleep. If they'd been banned from the bedroom in their youth they'd have clawed through the door to get to me, I'm sure.

And yes, the paw in the mouth trick is every bit as disgusting as it sounds!

>126 Moomin_Mama: Mine are in the 'pipe and slippers' age, too. I prefer older cats. No jumping on my head in the middle of the night, thanks. ;) Yeah, banning a cat from your bedroom basically means no sleep for you anyway. If they don't claw up your door, they'll make enough noise to keep you up. Believe me, I've tried that. :)

LOL! Yeah, the paw in the mouth is very cat-like. My dog would lick my mouth, but my cats? No way. They use their dirty little paws. Not that my dog's tongue is any cleaner. ;)

I'd rather have a cat's paw than a dog's tongue. Cats are unbelievably clean animals. They spend two hours a day (a quarter of their waking hours) cleaning themselves. There's no dirt on those paws.

I think my cats are the exception. ;) They seem to like to cuddle right after using the litter box. XP

I'd take a paw in the mouth over a claw in the eye!!! Actually, I find that kind of cute. :-) My boys do have access and sleep with me in my bedroom, but I love the cuddling. My older sick boy would never wake me up for food, but my "younger" (11 year old) one does. He is all about the food! Like Sara, I've never wanted a kitten. Too much work, too much energy! Adult kitties for me, please!

How do so many of our conversations end up about cats! :-)

>131 LibraryCin: I think cats make the perfect reading accessory; same goes for watching tv or dvds, and knitting - anything that requires you to sit on your bum for long stretches. It's like having a hot water bottle that doesn't need heating first and that comes to you :D

I think cats make the perfect reading accessory

I like that! :-)

>130 LibraryCin: Oh, definitely! I wouldn't like to think of the eye infections you could get form that. I think all my cats are about the food. :D Well, except for one of mine who'd rather bound around the back yard like a kangaroo. She's just all muscle and hair. Most definitely! Adult cats are the best! :)

>131 LibraryCin: Cat mind control. ;)

>132 Moomin_Mama: & >133 LibraryCin: Absolutely! :) They were also the first original laptop before the invention of the, well, you know. ;) And I think they like to make their point sometimes about that--walking/laying across the keypad while you're typing, leaving wet nose smudges on the screen, etc.

I'm wondering if we need a 'Cat Corner' thread, so as not to alienate any potential group members who don't have cats? Any mention of our cats on a thread and we can take it to Cat Corner :)

>135 Moomin_Mama: hahaha! Good thought!

>135 Moomin_Mama: & >136 LibraryCin: I think you're right. But I also have a dog and rabbit, so I'm not ALL about cats. However, I did find this cool group on LT: http://www.librarything.com/groups/catsbookslifeisgood . I just may have to join. :)

Was it this thread we talked about starting a monthly thread? Hope it's ok, but I went ahead and started one here:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/185986

ETA... Ok, now I've deleted it. I see someone else already started one here:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/185828

>138 LibraryCin: Cool, thanks! :)

I need help!!! I have two copies of Frankenstein, one an ebook that came with Google Play Books on my new tablet, and one which I thought was an unabridged version but is a Bloomsbury Book 'Children's Classic'.

The Google books free version has 176 pages of large print, while the Bloomsbury version has 256 pages of small print. Both have 24 chapters, although when comparing first lines they don't have the same chapters.

I'm terribly confused. Is there anyone familiar with the book who can help me? If anyone wants a look at the Google version, it is free on Google Books for anyone with a Google account.

>140 Moomin_Mama: I have a Bantam Classic copy which is 213 pages of small dense print - it also has 24 chapters. Can I help? There are also some extra pages (numbered using roman numerals) for two introductions and a preface.

First chapter starts "Letter 1. To Mrs Savile, England, St Petersburgh, Dec 11th 17-- You will rejoice to hear that no disaster has accompanied the commencement of an enterprise which you have regarded with such evil forebodings."

>141 Peace2: I'm going to double-check with an edition on Project Gutenberg, but I've never heard of different versions of Frankenstein, apart from abridged versions, and the Google version doesn't claim to be.

>140 Moomin_Mama: Mystery solved! I downloaded the Project Gutenberg version and it matches the Bloomsbury Children's Classics. At least I know now...

>140 Moomin_Mama: Started Frankenstein and the introduction - written in 1831 - states that alterations have been made. I'd rather read the original so I searched for "Frankenstein 1818 version" and found what I was looking for in the first place:

"On 31 October 1831, the first "popular" edition in one volume appeared, published by Henry Colburn & Richard Bentley This edition was heavily revised by Mary Shelley, partially because of pressure to make the story more conservative, and included a new, longer preface by her, presenting a somewhat embellished version of the genesis of the story. This edition tends to be the one most widely read now, although editions containing the original 1818 text are still published Many scholars prefer the 1818 text, arguing that it preserves the spirit of Shelley's original publication (see Anne K. Mellor's "Choosing a Text of Frankenstein to Teach" in the W.W. Norton Critical edition)."

I found the original version easily enough by doing a Google search; there is a copy on Archive.org:
https://archive.org/details/Frankenstein1818Edition

For anyone interested in reading the book, this version is shorter at just 210 pages of large type. This is what I'll be reading for the HorrorKIT (who wants a revised, more conservative version?).

I'm already looking ahead to June. The theme is: (Gothic) Pulp & weird fiction

For me, the easiest way to find books is by using tags, but given the examples above, I'm not sure what I'm finding really fits. Thoughts?

Can we include "New Weird" -- those contemporary authors heavily influenced by Weird fiction? I'm hoping to read the sequel to Jeff Vandermeer's Annihilation and maybe one of China Miéville's books, if these can fit into the June theme.

I hadn't thought about New Weird but yes that would fit wonderfully. I am going to be reading Lovecraft and I'll make a thread over in 75 Group because some of the members their have agreed to join me in reading some Lovecraft. I'll post a link once I do.

>145 LibraryCin: I haven't thought much about June, but using tags would be the best way to go, imo.

>146 mathgirl40: I don't see why not. :)

>147 luvamystery65: Good luck with your Lovecraft group read, and good idea posting a link there as well.

>146 mathgirl40: New Weird sounds great but I think I did that with Thomas Ligotti last month. June will be strictly Old Weird for me.

>147 luvamystery65: I'm going to be reading Lovecraft too - a lot of Lovecraft - so I'll be interested in following your thread. I'm sure I'll find it very useful.

Hmmm, I'm still thinking what was coming up for me (from my tbr over at shelfari (which is more up to date), which I tag with my initials to help find possible reads) still isn't really "weird" or "pulp", even with tags such as those.

Some that came up for me included:
Joyland / Stephen King
Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter / Seth Grahame-Smith
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children / Ransom Riggs
The Cabinet of Curiosities / Preston and Child
11/22/63 / Stephen King

Can anyone comment if any of those really fit or if they were (I'm thinking more likely) mis-tagged? Thanks! I think there were a few others, but these were the ones I more want to get too sooner.

I figured this one would be difficult for me.

Joyland is more a murder mystery than horror. There is a ghost but it is minor. It's an excellent book. I do hope you read it. I wish King would write more of these type of mysteries. Love the cover of the book!

>150 LibraryCin: I haven't read any of the books you listed, but I think "weird" depends on the reader. Maybe that's why the tag "weird" showed up for those books on Shelfari? I say choose whatever book you think might be weird.

>151 luvamystery65: I love the cover to Joyland as well! :)

>151 luvamystery65: It's a great cover, isn't it!? It's sort of... retro looking, I guess is the word ("retro") I'm looking for.

>152 saraslibrary: Thanks, Sara. If I was sticking to the "true" definition of what it's supposed to mean (based on author examples and such), I probably wouldn't read anything for June. (Although I did choose and attempt a classic gothic book...) Maybe I will just pick one that came up, then.

>153 LibraryCin: You're welcome. :) I probably would've skipped June, too, if I stuck with the author examples given:

HP Lovecraft
William Hope Hodgson
M. R. James
Hugh Walpole
Marjorie Bowen
Robert Bloch

The majority of them I'm not familiar with or don't own anything by them. I'm trying to stick with books I own; that's why I chose My Work is Not Yet Done by Thomas Ligotti for June.

It seems like June's theme is rather limited, and that's why I'm going to include "New Weird". New Weird is often mentioned along with slipstream, which refers to a certain type of cross-genre fiction that has been described as "the fiction of strangeness". I did a LT tagmash search for horror and slipstream and came up with names like Kelly Link, Mark Z. Danielewski and Neil Gaiman. How about including slipstream for June?

Sorry if I'm stepping on anyone's toes by suggesting we broaden the June theme. I'm fine with sticking with the original theme if that's what people prefer. I was just trying to find some other related options that might work for people who don't want to limit themselves to pulp and weird from the early 20th century. :)

Groosebumpzzzzzz

>155 mathgirl40: I think New Weird would work perfect for June.

If you're going to include New Weird, remember China Mieville and Jeff Vandemeer both would work

I think "new weird" is not my thing, either. I did like Un Lun Dun by Mieville, but I've heard his other stuff is not the same! Maybe I'll see if there's anything "slipstream" that might work for me.

Slipstream brought me nothing from my tbr. As I looked closer at the titles that came up for me with tag searches, "pulp fiction" (at shelfari) was used by a number of people for Joyland, so I might go with that. The others looked like they were tags that might have been used once.

ETA: Checking the tags here, Joyland has "pulp" quite prominent, and also has "pulp crime" and "pulp-fiction" as tags. I'm going with it.

>160 LibraryCin: I've read Joyland and liked it. King wrote it for Hard Case Crime, which is an imprint that issues pulp-style paperbacks in the tradition of the old dime novels. The cover is purposefully retro.

That said, it's more of a mystery with maybe a ghost than real horror. But read it anyway!

I have no complaints myself if people want to read Old Weird, New Weird, or just Plain Weird, or any kind of pulp. I'm fascinated by everyone's choices each month, and look forward to what everyone has to say about their books, so I'm all for a broad range.

>161 sturlington: Ok, so it's more pulp than horror! Oh, well. I like S.K. and I have the book.

ETA: I imagine S.K. has just had various people tag all his books with horror, regardless of whether or not they really are!

>155 mathgirl40: I think slipstream is an awesome idea. It's a term I've never heard used. And, no, you're not stepping on my toes. :)

>157 luvamystery65: Agreed. :)

>162 Moomin_Mama: What Mama said. :)

Wish I'd found this site earlier in the year! It's called 'Best Horror Books' and it is made up of lists of recommended books from different horror genres. Couldn't be more perfect for a horror reading group - I hope it is of some use:

http://besthorrornovels.com/

I hope we do this again next year. I'm loving trying out all these new to me authors and books!

>166 luvamystery65: Do you mean another horror read? I'd love to :)

>167 Moomin_Mama: Yes! We can create another group like Category Challenge and 75 Groups do.

>168 luvamystery65: Well I'm in! It'd be fun picking new horror categories for next year. I'd quite like to try young adult or children's horror, and a non-fiction category, as I love reading about real-life hauntings. There are also genres I've never tried before as I've never thought of them as my kind of thing, such a bizarro.

We wouldn't need to start an entirely new group next year, would we? Couldn't we just continue on with this group. The title of the group is simply "Horror", so it's not year-specific.

>169 Moomin_Mama: I like those ideas for different categories! We'd likely still repeat some of them, as there aren't likely enough to do a new category for each month.

>165 Moomin_Mama: Thanks, I love it. :) It's bookmarked now. That'll come in handy if we do a horror read next year.

>166 luvamystery65: Me too!

>170 LibraryCin: We'd carry on as we're going on this group, I'd imagine. There's now four of us that are interested :)

No doubt we'd repeat some categories; some of them are staples of horror with plenty of books to choose from.

I will participate as I can. It might be hard to fit in a horror book every month, but I do enjoy the genre and I'm trying to get through some of the lesser known classics, so this group might be an incentive.

I'd be happy to participate in this group again next year. I haven't started my own thread, as I find it hard enough to maintain my Category Challenge one, but I do like doing the monthly challenges and seeing other people's recommendations.

By the way, Humble Bundle has a new pay-what-you-want comics bundle out. You can get the first 3 Locke & Key volumes for any amount you want to give. You can also pay more to get the remaining 3 volumes. I thought I'd mention this deal here, as I loved this series, and several others had read it during April's challenge.

>174 mathgirl40: Between here and shelfari - all my various groups and challenges at both sites - as I'm writing my review, I also have a separate document with all my challenges listed. I go through and add my book to the appropriate challenges in that document + write down on a piece of paper all the places it "fits" where I need to remember to post my review. Yes, it's crazy!!!

ETA: ... and on a night like tonight where I've finished both a print book and an audio, I need to keep track of both!!! I do one at a time.

>174 mathgirl40: I think one yearly challenge is enough for me!

>174 mathgirl40: That is cool. Thanks for the link. :)

>175 LibraryCin: *is in awe* Wow! You deserve a medal or something after this. :)

>177 saraslibrary: LOL!

I've started a thread for H.P. Lovecraft over in the 75 Group. Please join us this month if you would like.

http://www.librarything.com/topic/191629

I'll start up the June thread for this group.

>179 luvamystery65: I don't think I'll be reading any H. P. Lovecraft for June, but best of luck with it! And thank you for getting our June thread up and going! :)

Originally posted in http://www.librarything.com/groups/whatareyoureadingno

A few weeks ago, I borrowed the e-book edition of a The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins. I was only able to read 25 pages by the due date. Amazon describes the book as Neil Gaiman meets Joe Hill. Having read both authors, I have to concur that based on the few pages I read, this is indeed a very dark, weird and disturbing horror and fantasy book. Some reviewers have had difficulty in pegging the writing to a specific genre. I decided to borrow this book again, the impetus being that even though the plot is very weird and unconventional, there is a certain something that piqued my interest. I may find this is a very talented debut author or I was just a rubbernecker along the way.

So, last weekend I started looking for "Southern gothic" horror for September. I don't think I have anything already on my tbr, unfortunately. (At least not by searching all the various tags I tried searching for.) I can't recall the title now, but the one that was most appealing to me wasn't available at my library. Booooo...

But, I might give this one a try:
Those Across the River by Christopher Buehlman

>182 LibraryCin: Seems alright to me...