Readers’ Advisory Corner: Becky Spiegel Spratford’s The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Horror, 2d ed.
Burcher, Charlotte (author).
FEATURE. First published September 1, 2012 (Booklist).
Updating The Horror Readers’ Advisory (2004), this volume in ALA Edition’s Readers’ Advisory series will help librarians unfamiliar with horror fiction untangle the truly terrifying from the merely paranormal. Public librarian Spratford, who blogs at RA for All: Horror, keeps a tight focus on fiction that frightens readers with unearthly and inexplicable threats.
Tracking horror from its gothic roots to more recent titles such as Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2010), she discusses key authors and trends, appeal factors, and resources for collection development. About 200 titles are described in nine chapters organized by type of evil, including vampires, zombies, demons, witches and the occult, comic horror, and crossover titles from other genres. Each chapter describes a subgenre’s particular appeal, listing about 20 annotated suggestions and 3 “Becky’s Picks.”
Accessible writing and straightforward organization encourage this volume’s use for quick reference as well as Horror 101. Recommended for public libraries, especially those lacking Read On . . . Horror Fiction (2006).
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I am glad Ms. Burcher noticed what I was trying to do-- make an enagaging and accessible guide to Horror for the average librarian. This is not a guide for fans or experts. And the ease of use was also one of my goals. When you have a patron in front of you, wanting a specific book, you need a resource that can help you....quickly.
As I have said a million times before, your horror patrons are not monsters, they just like to read about them.
If you still haven't purchased your cop of The Readers' Advisory Guide to Horror yet, I still have a few discounted copies available. Contact me for details.
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