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CarlyTown>The Library>Genre Genre Fiction (Crime, Horror, More)Occasionally even I get tired of reading books about relationships and family and blah blah. Sometimes you just need something a little bit gritty, a little bit spooky, a little bit otherworldly.Spooky Books | Crime/Mystery | Sci-fi/FantasySpooky Books~Robert Bloch~In addition to writing the novel that Psycho was based on, Robert Bloch was a prolific short story writer. Outstanding collections include Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper and The Best of Robert Bloch. ~Ray Bradbury~ An excellent short story writer, Bradbury mostly writes science fiction but is included here because of his spooky classic books Something Wicked This Way Comes and The Halloween Tree. A good collection of his short stories is The Vintage Bradbury which contains such stories as "The Veldt." World War Z – Max Brooks Subtitled An Oral History of the Zombie War. Very absorbing, very enjoyable, smoothly written. Interestingly enough, Max is the son of Mel Brooks. Fun fact! Sharp Objects - Gillian Flynn A dark, gothic tale of a young Chicago reporter who gets sent back to her small Missouri town to report on the murder and disappearance of little girls. The trip brings up all sorts of emotional ghosts of her troubled childhood. Chilling and suspenseful right up to the satisfying conclusion. Dark Places - Gillian Flynn Another dark, gothic novel by Flynn about a woman who was the sole survivor of the massacre of her family in 1985. Her brother went to jail for the crime, amidst claims of Satan worshipping, but as the money from the her memorial fund runs out, she hooks up with a "kill club" who try to solve mysteries. Told in alternating chapters from the present day and the past, and through alternating viewpoints. Flynn has an amazing gift for description, for suspenseful writing and clever turn of phrase. Come Closer - Sara Gran Interesting first-person tale of demonic possession, as experienced by a married, loft-living, 34-year-old architect. Written with clean, plain prose that suits the story perfectly. Quite chilling, really. The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson Probably the best haunted house story ever. Also an excellent movie, (the 1963 version, not the horrible 1999 remake). We Have Always Lived in the Castle – Shirley Jackson Merricat, her sister and her uncle live in fairly cheerful isolation far from suspicious neighbors and townsfolk. Why? Read it and find out. Deliciously creepy. Just an Ordinary Day - Shirley Jackson This short story collection varies between chilling horror tales and regular, domestic fiction. Frequently, you don't know which type the story is until the end. A hint of menace clouds the whole book. In a very good way. Come Along With Me – Shirley Jackson Short stories including a few excellent essays on writing and a fascinating essay on the public's response to The Lottery. The Lottery and Other Stories – Shirley Jackson Includes the classic, must-read title story and a heap of other excellent tales. The Road Through the Wall - Shirley Jackson The cover of this novel pretty much gives away the climax of the book by showing a young blonde girl with a large, bloody head gash and a bloody rock lying on the ground next to her. Nonetheless, Jackson does a beautiful job of keeping a creepy, suspenseful tone through the whole book. The Horror Show - Greg Kihn Yes, that Greg Kihn. Good horror novel about an Ed Wood-like filmmaker and his memories of the old days. Add a little demon-raising and you've got one heck of a novel. It - Stephen King Though nearly all of King's horror novels are scary, fast-paced, well-told stories, It is truly the best of the bunch. Particularly if you have a deep and abiding fear of clowns. And who doesn't? The Stand - Stephen King Incredibly long, but incredibly absorbing tale of a virus wiping out most of the world. I think of The Stand every time I'm in close quarters with a stranger with a hacking cough. Night Shift - Stephen King This classic collection of horror stories contains the fabulously weird "The Mangler" and the never-leave-your-closet-door-even-slightly-ajar tale of "The Boogeyman." Skeleton Crew - Stephen King King's second short story collection includes the wonderful novella "The Mist," as well as standout stories such as "The Monkey," "The Jaunt" and "Mrs. Todd's Shortcut." The Green Mile - Stephen King Not so much spooky as his other books, but genuinely good. Incredibly suspenseful, absorbing and touching. The Bottoms - Joe R. Lansdale A boyhood reminiscence of a mysterious murder in East Texas during the Great Depression. Lansdale's writing is suspenseful and spare, and he creates an unflinching portrayal of Southern racism at its worst. An eerie, atmospheric read. A Fine, Dark Line - Joe R. Lansdale An intriguing reinterpretation of the 50s coming of age novel. It's about a boy whose family owns a small town drive-in who tries to solve a mystery of a murder, but the true draw here is the richly drawn characters. The Bad Seed - William March Mrs. Penmark, left alone while her husband is away on business, begins to notice that her daughter Rhoda is not like other girls. Best know for its campy movie adaptation, this well-crafted psychological horror novel is a worthy companion to Shirley Jackson's The House on Haunted Hill. ~Richard Matheson~ A prolific contributor to the Twilight Zone tv series, Matheson writes stories that are part horror, part fantasy and completely compelling. Outstanding collections of Matheson's work include Third From the Sun and the Shock series. Duel - Richard Matheson Wonderful collection of short stories including the title story, a fabulous tale of road rage and craziness that is genuinely frightening. Makes you wonder how anybody makes it home alive after being out on the roads. The Minus Man - Lew McCreary Quiet, meditative story of a most unusual serial killer. Also a great movie starring Owen Wilson. The Night Country - Stewart O'Nan Interesting, imaginative ghost story that focuses on the survivors (and the victims) of a tragic car accident. Haunting. ~Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child~ Preston and Child have written a series of gripping thrillers set mostly in New York City in such fascinating locations as the Museum of Natural History and the subway tunnels. A full listing of this consistently great series of books can be found at the authors' website. A couple of the best are listed below. Cabinet of Curiosities - Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child A building excavation in New York City has revealed a late 19th century serial killer's stash of bodies, and now, the murders are beginning again. Much of the action takes place in the New York Museum of Natural History and the authors have wonderful, practically cinematic powers of description. Very entertaining read. The Relic - Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child A mysterious creature is loose in the New York Museum of Natural History. Quite the page-turner. The Reliquary - Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child Sequel to The Relic that is even more page-turning and suspenseful than the original. Should be turned into a movie at once. The House Next Door - Anne Rivers Siddons Although Siddons is better known for genteel women's fiction, this excellent haunted house story (told by the not entirely sympathetic next-door neighbor) proves that houses don't have to be old to be haunted. A Certain Slant of Light - Laura Whitcomb Beautifully written ghost story told by a 130-year-old ghost who one day meets another ghost who persuades her to take someone's body and live life with him. Crime/MysteryPlaces in the Dark - Thomas H. CookExcellent mystery about a man searching for a woman involved in the death of his brother. Beautifully told, poetically described and almost cinematic in its dreamy, Sixth Sensian tone. Breakheart Hill - Thomas H. Cook Another excellent mystery by Cook, this one about a country doctor haunted by the death of his childhood crush. Very evocative, unfolds slowly, but quite compelling. L.A. Confidential - James Ellroy Unbelievably complicated and involving tale of corruption in the LAPD in the 50s. Also skillfully adapted into an excellent movie. Big Nowhere – James Ellroy Prequel (sort of) to L.A. Confidential. Excellent story. Evocative portrait of L.A. in the 50s. Black Dahlia – James Ellroy Chilling fictionalized version of a true story. Quite compelling reading. One For the Money - Janet Evanovich This mystery and five of its sequels are hilarious, kooky novels with quirky characters. Unfortunately runs out of steam by number seven. Dope: A Novel - Sara Gran Set in 1950s New York City. Joe (Josephine) is a ex-junkie who gets hired to find a young woman who is a drug addict, and gets framed for murder. Really atmospheric and reminiscent of noir novels like Cain and Chandler without being a direct aping of the style. Gran gives her own modern style to the writing, which is really delightful. Loved the settings, and pretty interesting take on drug addiction. Death by Chick Lit - Lynn Harris Adorable mystery about a chick lit author who is amateurishly investigating the murder of several other chick lit authors. Great characters and relationships, and tons of cute publishing jokes, like the fact that everyone she meets (from doctors to cab dispatchers) is writing a book. And has a book deal, no less! The Ghost and Mrs. McClure - Alice Kimberly Story of a young widow who takes over her aunt's mystery bookstore and the ghost who inhabits it, who proceeds to help her solve the murder of a mystery writer who is killed at her first reading. Very charming, fun hard-boiled dialogue by the ghost detective, and lots of fun book chat. Followed by two sequels. Shutter Island - Dennis Lehane Amazingly gripping tale of two U.S. Marshals investigating a disappearance at an insane asylum on an island near Boston in the 1950s. Sparely written, but compelling and twisty and creepy and exciting. Out of Sight - Elmore Leonard Great crime novel featuring one of the coolest ex-con characters in crime novel history. Also a great movie. Get Shorty – Elmore Leonard Another great caper novel. Elmore rocks. Maximum Bob - Elmore Leonard Elmore is always great. Great characters, great twisty plots, doesn't use any more words than are necessary. A pleasure to read. What else is there to say? The Rosewood Casket - Sharyn McCrumb Excellent mystery novel. The story unfolds quietly, the characters are extremely well-drawn, and you get the sense of the story really continuing before and after the events captured in the book. She Walks These Hills - Sharyn McCrumb Wonderful tale set in the Appalachian mountains. Beautifully written and quite haunting. What Was Lost - Catherine O'Flynn Amazing first novel about about a young British girl who goes missing many years ago, and the way her disappearance affects people several years in the future, including the boy who was accused of being involved, and a security guard at the mall. Along the way, it's also an interesting look at mall culture and life, and retail life, and people in general. And everything in the story unfold so beautifully. I swear I gasped a couple of times. Really amazing and hard to describe. Sci-fi/FantasyTimeline - Michael CrichtonIncredibly cinematic and action-packed, Crichton makes the science parts easy to understand (and not skim). Practically a time travel romance novel, I read this book and thought how on earth could they possibly screw up the movie adaptation? But they so did. Invasion of the Body Snatchers - Jack Finney Though this classic sci-fi novel was written almost fifty years ago, it's still suspenseful and quite thought-provoking. Summon the Keeper - Tanya Huff Very charming story of people whose jobs are to keep the balance of good and evil in the world, with memorable and vivid characters. Followed by two sequels. Guardian's Key - Anne Logston A young woman searches the mysterious Crystal Keep for the secret to her magic and true love. A wonderful combination of fantasy and romance. Exile - Anne Logston Sequel to Guardian's Key. Also charming. Updated 7/31/11 Comments, questions, or suggestions? Email carly[at]carlytown.com. |
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