13 in 13 Horror Challenge
I was in the mood for a truly spooky read. Blame the cold fall nights, or the crunchy leaves on the sidewalks. Blame my weird taste, or just my mood. Whatev's. It's time to get the horror on. What I wasn't really prepared for was the complete lack of horror books out there. Seriously! Where are they? Good luck finding them in Barnes and Noble. They have reshelved the little they sell into general fiction or SciFi. I kid you not. What they have on offer is all old boy's school (King, King, Hill, King).
So, I dedicate this challenge to the ladies of horror. I am also going to pound out some classics I have missed over the years. My major focus this year will be on HAUNTED HOUSES.
I used this list and this list as well as this to formulate a general pile of titles to get going on. I'm not going to list them here in case I start something and drop it, but I have the list going on Goodreads. Feel free to check it out and read along.
So, the rules. I have to read 13 complete titles. That means, if I'm reading a collection- I have to read the entire collection. No skipping stories. I can cease reading, pick a new title, swap titles, or try something else at any point as long as I finish 13 books by the 31st. Everyone's definition of horror seems to vary greatly, but I feel I have more than a good grasp on what is real horror and what is not (i.e. Twilight, or anything with a scantily clad male with leather accessories on the front).
I have no problem with well written indies. Personally, I love Hugh Howley and think Amanda Hocking is a great storyteller (both of whom started as "indies"). That said, if I find something in the Kindle store that scares the crap out of me, it makes the list.
As I get reading, I can share a couple of horror titles that I have read over the years that I highly recommend reading on a chilly October night. Happy Hauntings.
I also can't help reading horror for kids. A great many grade school kiddos come into the library looking for "scary" reads. What most of these kids really mean is that they want something that is a "tiny bit spine tingling, but not mind altering". I'm a big fan of Lois Duncan, The Creepover series, Mary Downing Hahn, and Adam Gidwitz. Oh, and good old Goosebumps.
Every once in awhile, THAT KID comes in. I was THAT KID growing up, so I recognize them right away. THAT KID read books like the ones listed above in first grade and is ready for something much, much scarier. For them, I recommend: early King, some Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman, VC Andrews, Shirley Jackson, and Ray Bradbury).
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