I've seen this one all over the place, but I think it was Nat's blog where I saw it first and then Ex Libris wrote about a title I just happened to have on my shelf, so I'm finally up to five titles! Like Nat, I don't usually read spooky, frightening or creepy books. They tend to give me nightmares. So, I've attempted to find titles that I hoped would not spawn a bad night's tossing and turning or a middle-of-the-night cold sweat wakeup call. I'm about to finish the first one, actually. Here are the rules:
Pick out any 5 books that you want to read that you think meet the very open, broad criteria of being scary, eerie, moody, dripping with atmosphere, gothic, unsettling, etc.
Well, that seemed easy enough, when I thought about it. I like ghostly reads. Here's my list:
1. Girlfriend in a Coma - Douglas Coupland (sounded creepy and it has a ghost in it)
2. Now You See It - Richard Matheson
3. Don't Look Now - Daphne du Maurier
4. Something Wicked This Way Comes - Ray Bradbury
5. Haunted - Heather Graham (group read; still waiting for my copy to arrive)
Some other possibilities (if I can find them):
1. The House of Seven Gables - Nathaniel Hawthorne (somewhere around here, I have my grandmother's copy)
2. A Long Fatal Love Chase - Louisa May Alcott (Wahoo! Found that one!)
3. The House on the Strand - Daphne du Maurier
Unlike a lot of people, I just don't have the guts to attempt In Cold Blood. I don't know who started this one and I'm feeling too lazy to look (plus, my little ticker, here, says I've got 10 minutes left, hurry, hurry). But, thanks to he or she who began this challenge. This is the first bloggy challenge I've joined in on and I'm jazzed.
Gotta go finish the last 10 pages of Girfriend in a Coma!! Pass it on!
Bookfool ready to be Creeped Out
Douglas Coupland is a very good author. :) Girlfriend in a Coma is very atmospheric as it is essentially about the end of the world if memory serves me correct. :)
ReplyDeleteI've read Alcott's Long Fatal Love Chase - it's very good! Haven't read the Du Marier, so I'll look forward to your review.
ReplyDeleteI've always wanted to read Something Wicked This Way Comes.
ReplyDeleteAnd, I love Daphne DuMaurier. Rebecca is one of my all time favorites.
Oh, boy, aren't we having fun with this autumn challenge, already?
ReplyDeleteKailana,
You've got it - the end of the world. I just finished Girlfriend in a Coma and loved it (my first Coupland!).
Ex Libris,
Glad to hear you liked Long Fatal Love Chase. I read a positive review of that one *somewhere* and it's been sitting for a while.
Bellezza,
Me, too, on everything you said! I got Something Wicked This Way Comes for my son, but I had an ulterior motive (probably why it didn't end up in the box he took to his apt.) and I love du Maurier. Rebecca is also one of my all-time favorites, one of the few that I'd like to go back and reread if I can ever find the time.
Bookfool -
ReplyDeleteOf the Coupland books I have read, I still have a couple more, I enjoyed immensely "All Families are Psychotic" and "Hey! Nostradamus".
(Be sure and read the backs, though, they deal with very strong subject matters that might not be something you want to read about.)
Kailana,
ReplyDeleteI have All Families Are Psychotic and Generation X on my shelves (I do read the back, flip through and read portions, etc., if I'm not mail ordering). Glad you liked All Families, etc. I stalled on Generation X, but I was reading three other books at the time. Sometimes I can juggle 5; sometimes my brain says, "Just quit that - now!"
Have you read Eleanor Rigby? That one has been highly recommended by a friend but I haven't acquired a copy, yet.
Nancy, Carl V. over at stainlesssteeldroppings.com started this RIP Challenge. If you click on the image in my sidebar it'll take you directly to the post where you can leave a quick comment telling him you've joined. That way he'll add you to the list. You can also see what everyone else is planning to read through their links on his page.
ReplyDeleteI'll be starting my first one tonight! :)
I used to have a copy of Long Fatal Love Chase, but must've sold it to a UBS. It was pretty good, as I recall. I have the Du Marier book in my stacks. Might read it this fall, but I need to work on my Classics list first. Just finished Fahrenheit 451 and Something Wicked This Way Comes sounds very appealing. Sigh. I need more hours in the day.
ReplyDeleteNat,
ReplyDeleteThanks. Carl V's website is so graphics-heavy that I have a terrible time just getting the opening page to load, so I'll have to restart and hop over there when I have a minute (it helps to reboot - my computer is old and can only handle so much at a time). I'll give him credit, also, when I do my next post!!
Les,
The du Maurier book, Don't Look Now, turned out to be "short stories" (they look more novella-length to me, but whatever) and I wasn't in the mood for shorter works so I dug up another du Maurier, My Cousin Rachel. It's definitely got atmosphere. Not sure what I think of it, yet, but I'm only on page 50. I may have to bump up Long Fatal Love Chase to the top 5. It's so hard picking 5 books to read, once you get going. LOL