Selections by Jeanne
I’m not normally a horror reader. Oh, I used to be, years ago, but that was
before Richard Matheson’s Hell House aka The Legend of Hell House
scared the bejezus out of me and kept me awake a couple of nights. Since then
I’ve been cautious about the scary stuff I read because I am now much older and
I need my sleep. I do still pick up the
occasional creepy book, especially this time of year. Here are some I have enjoyed in the past:
Hell House: Nope, nope, not going to pick this one up
again. The ending is still too
vivid. Matheson’s tale of a group of
investigators who spend the night in an allegedly haunted house may be tame by
today’s standards, even be considered stale after a legion of books on this
theme, but I don’t care. I’m not going
to read it again. I’m just going to
respect it from a safe distance.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
by Shirley Jackson: Most people like The
Haunting of Hill House, but I was drawn to this story of two sisters who
are shunned by most of the town over an incident in the past. Of course, Jackson's story“The Lottery” is an absolute gem;
but I also very much like – and often refer to—“One Ordinary Day, With
Peanuts.” (For a different view of
Jackson, by all means pick up her two domestic humor books, Life Among the
Savages and Raising Demons. )
The Seeker
by R.B. Chesterton: Graduate student Aine Cahill has a journal written by a
female relative who was a friend (and perhaps more) to Henry David Thoreau. As part of her research, Aine has come to
Walden Pond to try to find evidence to corroborate Aunt Bonnie’s story but soon
she begins to wonder if there is something else lurking in the woods. This is one of those books that the minute I
finished I tried to find someone else to read the book so we could discuss
it. Extremely well written, atmospheric,
and with fascinating characters, this is one I recommend often. (Chesterton is a pen name for Carolyn Haines,
who writes the Sarah Booth Delaney mysteries, but the Chesterton titles are
darker in tone and, so far, are standalones.)
The Other
by Thomas Tryon: Another book I read
years ago, but which left a strong impression.
The story revolves around young brothers Niles and Holland who live on a
farm in New England. While twins, the
two boys are very different in personality:
Niles is sweet natured and cautious, while Holland is daring and
reckless, with a cruel streak. But is he responsible for a series of “accidents”
around the farm? This was Tryon’s first
novel, but it was followed by another semi-classic horror tale, Harvest
Home. He later turned to historical fiction before his untimely death.
The Woman in Black
by Susan Hill: After a number of folks
on DorothyL recommended this title, I picked it up. I soon put it back down again. This tale of a
young solicitor sent to a remote village to settle an estate was written in the
Victorian first person style and just seemed too slow. A few months later, I picked it up again and
was drawn in immediately. The setting is
vivid: a dark, desolate old mansion out in a salt march with the fog rolling
in, and a dampness that seems to seep out of the words and straight into the
reader’s bones. The ending is abrupt, shocking.
At first I felt a bit cheated, but I certainly remember it; so it
certainly fulfilled its purpose. By the
way, if you’ve seen the movie with Daniel Radcliffe, then you have some idea of
the atmosphere of the book. That part
was very well done. However, the movie
took a number of liberties, including changing the ending and turning it into
more of a standard horror movie.
‘Salem’s Lot
by Stephen King: This was King’s second novel after Carrie and I liked
it better. For one thing, it was a dandy
modern-day vampire story. Set in Maine,
the story revolves around a small town where two strangers have moved into a
house with an unsettling reputation.
Then things really start to go downhill. . . . King has said that the
inspiration for the book was wondering what would happen if Dracula moved into
to a contemporary American village and the parallels are easy to see.
Fevre Dream
by George R.R. Martin: Long before the first Game of Thrones book, Martin wrote
a number of science fiction/fantasy books, including this gem. Abner Marsh is a Mississippi steamboat owner
whose fleet has been pretty much demolished.
Enter Joshua York, a mysterious gentleman who is willing to bankroll a
fantastic new boat. . . but York’s secrecy worries Marsh. Just what is York hiding? And what plans does
he have for this boat? This is another great example of Martin’s ability to
take a genre and reform it in new and interesting ways.
Happy reading!
