Halloween is almost here and in honor of all things scary, freaky and unnatural, here are some horrific suggestions from the staff at Topsham Public Library.
Linda does not read horror, but her idea of scary includes 1984 by George Orwell, The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin and “anything that gets me locked up in an asylum.”
Susan, is another staff member that hesitates when it comes to horror, but she suggests The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe, and Lord of the Flies by William Golding.
I, too, do not read horror. It scares me. For days. For weeks. I am haunted by the fear. I have though come up with one suggestion and that’s because I saw it on Emma’s list of suggestions (don’t worry, her list, in its entirety, is coming later) and was relieved I could offer one suggestion. My suggestion is Perfume: the Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind. The protagonist is freaky.
A few of Lynne’s favorites include Salem’s Lot by Stephen King, In the Dark of the Night by John Saul, The Strain by Guillermo del Toro, Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix, and The Restorer by Amanda Stevens.
Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix also made Julie’s list, as well as It by Stephen King and House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski.
Dave’s suggestions are The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, Boy’s Life by Robert McCammon, and Cujo by Stephen King.
Cyndi heads to real life for her sources of horror. Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic by David Quammen tops her list, and a close second is Kitty Genovese: The Murder, the Bystanders, the Crime that Changed America by Kevin Cook for “the example of a group of people ignoring the obvious distress of another human being for a prolonged period.” But even Cyndi can’t escape Stephen King’s genius when it comes to scary as she completes her list with It.
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski tops Emma’s list followed by: Night Shift by Stephen King, Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? by Joyce Carol Oates, Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix, Perfume: the Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind, and The Lottery by Shirley Jackson rounds off her list.
And last, but certainly not least, Helen’s list is comprised of Stoker’s Manuscript by Royce Prouty, The Graveyard Apartment by Mariko Koike (and she notes this is one of our new books), Omega Days by John Campbell, and Terminal Freeze by Lincoln Child. I find Helen’s list interesting because Stephen King is one of her favorite authors, and yet, she does not have one of his books on her list. Of course, Helen had to be stopped when I asked her for suggestions, as she could go on and on and on and on. Helen loves horror.
Have a Happy Halloween and be safe!
