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A List of Lists: Links to Booklists Recently Shared on Facebook

October is a busy month, and it kind of wore me out. One thing I did to make it easier to share some of the great booklists out there during the time that includes Teen Read Week and Halloween was to post them on our Facebook page. Over the past few years we haven’t really posted there very much but it is an easy way for me to post a link to something cool right away when I find it. Unfortunately, our Facebook page doesn’t actually have a lot of viewers, which means that if the only way you get information from Monster Librarian is through our blogs, then you probably missed out on seeing some pretty cool stuff (even if you “liked” our page, Facebook’s evil plan to force us to pay for advertising means our reach isn’t necessarily all that great, so actually visiting every once in a while instead of waiting for us to show up in your news feed is a good way to see what’s going on).

So I thought I’d share some of the links to booklists that I posted there that I don’t think got posted here while I was working on developing original content here. Some of them are pretty cool, and all of them are just a little different.

 

Bewitching Tales: Great Books for Halloween Reads from School Library Journal.

Pretty self-explanatory.

 

The Devil’s 10 Best Appearances in Literature at Flavorwire.com.

I’d argue with some of these choices, but it is an interesting list. Actually, it’s an interesting idea for a list as well.

 

Find Your Next Supernatural Read by Carli Spina at The Hub, the blog for the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA).

A nice list of YA choices.

 

Horror in YA Literature is a Staple, Not a Trend by Kelly Jensen in School Library Journal.

I love this article. If you are interested in YA at all, read it!

 

Genre Guide: Horror for Teens at The Hub.

It’s really nice to see teen horror get its own genre guide. And about time.

 

Ten Best Halloween Read-Aloud Picture Books for Kids at BookRiot.

There are some nice choices here, and it’s always nice to see the early elementary crowd get some recognition– they love the scary stuff, too!

 

Top 10 Horror Fiction for Youth: 2013 by Gillian Engberg from Booklist Online.

Pretty self-explanatory.

 

Top 10 Horror Fiction: 2013, by Brad Hooper from Booklist Online.

Also self-explanatory. It’s nice to have a summary of good recent titles, though.

 

RA for All: 31 Days of Halloween– Love for Monster Librarian by Becky Siegel Spratford at RA Horror for All.

Becky had a different post on reader’s advisory in horror fiction every day of the month, including a very interesting series of guest posts from the folks at Booklist. I just happened to link to this particular day because I’m proud to be included here, but really, anyone interested in reader’s advisory in horror fiction ought to visit here regularly.

 

10 Novels That Will Scare the Hell Out of You by Julie Buntin at The Huffington Post.

These are all titles that tie into the haunted house subgenre.

 

The Top Ten Horror Stories by Stephen Jones from Publishers Weekly.

Anthologist Stephen Jones, editor of A Book of Horrors, shares his top ten favorite horror short stories.

 

Halloween Reads @ your library from MonsterLibrarian.com

This is not the only original booklist I’ve produced over the last month or so, but it is one that’s directly related to Halloween. I put together new and original content and booklists every year at this time, so it’s worth it to browse not only this year’s archives for October, but past years as well. This list is part of something new I’m trying where I focus on a particular topic or creature (I’ve already touched on The Phantom of The Opera, The Invisible Man, and witches) for a list of books or media that can be used to promote horror through library collections, so look out for the “@ your library” posts for related booklists.

 

Halloween Reading: Joseph D’Lacey’s Top Ten Horror Books from The Guardian.

This is a list of choices made by horror author Joseph D’Lacey.

 

Quiet Horror, Still the Darling of the Horror Genre by Paula Cappa.

Paula writes about a genre of horror that has gone unnoticed for some time and is just recently gaining a little recognition– quiet, or atmospheric, horror. Paula’s blog is a great place to visit for older examples of stories in this genre, but more current titles (like Alison Littlewood’s A Cold Season) are now sneaking into the mainstream as well.

 

5 Must-Read Werewolf Novels from Barnes & Noble.

The werewolf genre is another one where the audience is depressingly underserved. Here are a few titles to give you a place to begin in making suggestions. The essential word there is “begin”.

 

The 5 Scariest Short Stories on the Market!

The title here is misleading, as these are not new stories by any means, but the list does show that quiet horror is starting to get some notice again.

 

13 of the Year’s Creepiest Books from The Book Case at BookPage.com.

This is a list of recent titles, and you’ll probably recognize some of the names.

 

The 5 Creepiest Anime Series of All Time from Geek Magazine.

Yikes. I’ll stick with Fruits Baskets, thank you very much.

 

9 Children’s Books That Absolutely Terrified Us from The Huffington Post.

It’s always nice to see Der Struwwelpeter on these kinds of lists. Well, maybe nice is not the right word. The author here made some interesting choices that I suspect many people may disagree with.

 

10 of the Creepiest Books That Kids Love at Babble.com.

I love this list because it contains books outside the usual suspects, like Heckedy Peg by Audrey Wood, a book that I LOVE and used to read aloud in storyhours all the time.

 

Horror Stories: 25 Must-Read Books that Inspired Scary Movies at Complex.com.

Very cool list– the author comes down on the side of “the book is better than the movie”, but either way, I think it’s a win.

 

So there you have it. Lots and lots of links to booklists of all kinds, for children, teens, and adults, from creepy anime to haunted houses. It takes a long time to compile a month’s worth of booklists, so please visit us on Facebook to see what other treasures I turn up!

Posted on November 9, 2013 by , Reply

Guest Post: Halloween Recommendations from UsedBookSearch.net.

UsedBookSearch.net is a portal for searching for used and rare books. Enter the title, author, ISBN, or keyword, and it will crawl the Web’s major sellers of used and rare books, and give you the prices for the book at each site. It’s very easy to use– I have used it to search for books myself. They currently have a list of what they consider the best horror books. Their choices there are hard to argue with.

Because many horror readers are also collectors, UsedBooksSearch.net also offered to provide us with a few recommendations of rare titles that may intrigue readers interested in a rare and unusual scare.  Here are their choices.

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If you have been trawling the shelves for something to give you a chill this Halloween but can’t find anything outside the usual confinements of Dracula, then this list is for you. These books have been designed to creep into our innermost core, and scare us right down to the bone. They aren’t about bathing in blood, mutilating body parts to give a shock, or sparkling vampires; rather, they’re about those rare ideas that were too good, too bad and too ugly to stay on the shelves. Take a look at these recommendations to help you get a glimpse into something else this Hallow’s Eve.

 

The Delicate Dependency – Michael Talbot

The Delicate Dependency is a novel every collector wants to get their mitts on. A flash in the pan back in the 1980s, it quickly got added to the slush pile and pulped. Now, however, this Michael Talbot classic has gained a reputation for being much more than a dime store horror failure. Narrated by a Victorian virologist who gets caught up in the world of the Illuminati after his daughter is snatched, this story takes you into a world woven of dreams and nightmares. The result may not have you crawling under your bed for safety, but vampire fans will adore the elegant horror writing and the faded covers that can cost you high into the double figures.

The House on the Borderland – William Hope Hodgson

The House on the Borderland was highly praised by Lovecraft. A rare manuscript is found and within the pages tells the story of a strange recluse and his strange home where horrific creatures and giant gods roam from another plane into this world. It’s weird, it’s dark, and even if you don’t like the cut of Hodgson’s jib, the disturbing imagery that crawls forth from the pages will certainly stay with you.

The Witch of Prague & Other Stories- Francis Marion Crawford

Not only rare if you manage to grab one of the early copies but also incredibly creepy, this collection by Crawford surpasses the mark as both a rare book and one with cult status. Demand may be leading to a reprint so everyone can enjoy Crawford’s mixed-up mind. “The Screaming Skull” and “For the Blood is the Life” make this collection completely worthwhile. Gothic, atmospheric and unlike anything you will have read before, The Witch of Prague & Other Stories is well worth tracking down.

The Outsider – HP Lovecraft

The author’s most famous story was printed back in the early 1920s.  It tells the tale of a man escaping the dark castle of which he has held himself captive. Lovecraft is the master of gothic horror and manages to blend the supernatural, the strange, and the macabre into this sterling short story. Tackling the fear of the darkness and the unknown gives this tale the meat on the bones: it’s quite similar to Kafka’s dark and haunting world. This story has without a doubt achieved cult status and is a must read for Lovecraft lovers.

Posted on October 31, 2013 by , Reply

Head to the Bookstore: All Hallow’s Read Is Tomorrow!

all-hallows-read  So, it’s that time of year again… No, I’m not talking about Halloween, although we do have trick-or-treating here tomorrow night, and I guess I’m going to have to head out to the grocery store soon to buy candy for them. I’m referring to All Hallow’s Read, a holiday established by author Neil Gaiman on which we celebrate the giving and reading of scary stories  and books by choosing one and giving it to someone else, so we can share in the treat of reading… no tricks involved.

Just in case I haven’t given you enough booklists to consult for good choices either on here or on our Facebook page (and I have linked to a number of lists there), here’s the link to the website for All Hallow’s Read, which includes several booklists, as well as a video of Neil Gaiman himself explaining the holiday. And if you think there’s nobody you know that you could give a scary book to, that’s okay. R.L. Stine sent me (and probably a million other people) an email encouraging donations to First Book.

Well, don’t just sit at home, now! Go pick out a scary book for someone who really, really, needs it!

 

Posted on October 30, 2013 by , Reply
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