Episode · The Book Review · 2023-10-27
Books mentioned on Happy Halloween: Scary Book Recommendations
Gilbert Cruz recommended Ghost Hunters by Deborah Blum, and discussed The Terror by Dan Simmons, The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, and Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand. Sadie Stein recommended Don't Look Now by Daphne du Maurier, The Birds by Daphne Du Maurier and others, The Ghost stories of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton, Eight Ghosts by Sarah Perry and others, Affinity by Sarah Waters, The paying guests by Sarah Waters, The Virago Book of Ghost Stories by Richard Dalby, and The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, and discussed Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz and Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. Tina Jordan recommended The Hunger by Alma Katsu and The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters and others, and discussed Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier and The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Ghost Hunters
Ghost Hunters is a non-fiction work by Deborah Blum that investigates historical inquiries into spiritualism and extrasensory perception.
Recommended“there was a certain group of people and there's a great book about this by Deborah Bloom called The Ghost Hunters which I recommend to everyone in which William James and a bunch of other scientists and philosophers really looked into this seriously and wanted to find out if there was anything to ESP beyond the charlatans”
Where to get it
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Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz is a classic, widely read children's horror anthology that compiles terrifying American folklore and urban legends, accompanied by famously unsettling illustrations by Stephen Gammell.
Discussed“in terms of the things that I remember reading well scary stories to tell in the dark specifically the green ribbon yes is the most formative probably literar experience of my life”
Where to get it
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Something Wicked This Way Comes
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury is a dark fantasy novel that explores the complex dynamics of father-son relationships against the backdrop of a sinister carnival arriving in a small town.
Discussed“and then well the first movie that I really loved was Something Wicked This Way come which was a Disney film but really scary and then I read the rape Bradberry book it was based on probably too young and that just chilled me to the bone in the most delicious way”
Where to get it
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Rebecca
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier is a classic psychological thriller that follows a young second wife haunted by the lingering memory and presence of her husband's deceased first wife at a remote estate.
Discussed“so the first really creepy book I remember reading and I'm sure STI will identify with this is Rebecca which I must have read when I was 10 or 12 12 and which is most emphatically not a love story but a creepy story of two women one dead one alive who are in effect haunting each other”
Where to get it
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Don't Look Now
Don't Look Now by Daphne du Maurier is a chilling collection of short fiction known for its atmospheric tension, psychological depth, and dark twists.
Recommended“yeah they put out don't look now and Other Stories on another great movie based on her books and that also includes another one I love called Monte verita which I once read about and read like the wind and it's not so well known but I highly recommend it”
Where to get it
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The Birds
The Birds by Daphne Du Maurier is a famous collection of suspenseful and eerie short stories that explores the darker sides of human nature and the terrifying unpredictability of the natural world.
Recommended“yeah they put out don't look now and Other Stories on another great movie based on her books and that also includes another one I love called Monte verita which I once read about and read like the wind and it's not so well known but I highly recommend it”
Where to get it
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The Exorcist
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty is a famous horror novel centered on the terrifying theme of demonic possession.
Discussed“well so there was a path from Rebecca to The Exorcist right and The Exorcist so scared and terrified me for so many years that I veered straight back to the gothic I'm afraid so The Exorcist very famous movie that is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year came out in 1973 the book written by William Peter blatty came”
Where to get it
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The Ghost stories of Edith Wharton
The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton is a collection of eerie and psychological short tales penned by the celebrated master of American literary realism.
Recommended“well if I were telling people to read one I think I would have to go with a classic which is Edith Wharton's ghost stories and they are uh have been collected a bunch of times but New York Review Classics put out a very good collection I guess last year maybe two years ago which is Wharton's own selection”
Where to get it
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Eight Ghosts
Eight Ghosts by Sarah Perry, Mark Haddon, and Max Porter is a contemporary horror anthology featuring stories set in various real-life heritage locations across the country.
Recommended“and you have a mixture of classic collections like sherid and lau Walter Dyan and then new writers and I picked up a book called Eight ghosts which is put out in connection with English heritage and each of the stories by a contemporary horror writer is set at some real life Heritage house or space in the UK which”
Where to get it
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The Hunger
The Hunger by Alma Katsu is a supernatural horror retelling of the ill-fated Donner Party journey across the American frontier in the nineteenth century.
Recommended“so let me give you a much more recent one okay let me give you one called the hunger by Alma katsu which is a horror retelling of the story of the Donner party it's already horrifying without it's already horrifying right so just a recap for those who don't remember e8th grade history the Donner Party a group of”
Where to get it
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The Terror
Discussed“it reminds me of a book that came out I don't know maybe 15 years ago called The Terror this was a book by Dan Simmons they made it into an AMC limited series and it also takes a historical disaster as a jumping off point for even more horrific events this is about the Franklin expedition to try in”
Where to get it
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The Little Stranger
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters is a gothic ghost story set in a crumbling English estate shortly after the Second World War, examining class decline and psychological haunting.
Recommended“one more recommendation I'm going to go with the little Stranger by Sarah Waters which is going to Veer straight back to the gothic all the ingredients of the gothic are here this takes place in a moldering Georgian manner on the English Moors where a doctor a local doctor has been called to see a member of the family”
Where to get it
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Affinity
Sarah Waters's Affinity is a gothic historical novel set in a Victorian women's prison and spiritualist circles, chronicling the intense relationship between a wealthy volunteer and an imprisoned spiritualist medium.
Recommended“I would add to that Affinity another of her spookier ones which yes is about spiritualism also a perfect book which you have to read”
Where to get it
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The paying guests
The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters is a gripping historical novel set in 1920s London following a struggling mother and daughter who take in lodgers, leading to intense psychological drama.
Recommended“I also think you have to read her last book which was called the paying guests oh that's it's so good which just has some scenes of such Menace including one where someone where a man is getting a shave with a straight Riser that is just just excruciating”
Where to get it
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The Haunting of Hill House
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson is a celebrated 1959 gothic horror novel that tells the chilling story of four individuals staying in a notoriously sinister mansion.
Discussed“there's the obvious one The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson and I only mention that as a reason to direct listeners back to a conversation I had earlier this year with the novelist Victor Laval in which he talked about the book that he has read the most in his life and that is The Haunting of Hill”
Where to get it
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Haunting on the Hill
Discussed“speaking of Shirley Jackson have you read the sequel to The Haunting of Hill House I did read it that is that's a book that was recently on the cover of the print New York Times book review just came out this month it's called haunting on the hill and it is by Elizabeth hand it's the first authorized sequel”
Where to get it
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The Virago Book of Ghost Stories
The Virago Book of Ghost Stories is a chilling and brilliantly curated anthology edited by Richard Dalby that brings together uncanny tales written exclusively by women from the eighteenth century through the modern era.
Recommended“I've been debating and I wanted to say if you're reading one collection the verago book of ghost stories is so good it's all women writers from the 18th century uh through the Modern Age It's just so well cated there's barely a lemon in the bunch”
Where to get it
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The Turn of the Screw
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James is a classic gothic novella that follows a governess who becomes convinced that the remote estate where she cares for two children is haunted by malevolent spirits.
Recommended“but I think we could not end this conversation without mentioning a turn at the screw just because it started it all and it in if you want psychosexual Thrills if you want to be really scared if you want a great writer seeing what can be done with this media you just can't beat Henry James Henry James and”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (1) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“there's also a book called Hell House by Richard mat Richard mat was one of the great sci-fi and horror writers of the midcentury in addition to Hell House he wrote the book I Am Legend which has been made into many movie adaptations”