Summer Scares Resources

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Monday, October 6, 2014

31 Days of Horror-- Day 6: What Are Your Favorite Horror Titles to Share With Patrons [Featuring a Pic of Our Awesome Halloween Display]

Over on the general blog, RA for All, I run a weekly Monday Discussion.  Since this is the first Monday in October, I am running the discussion on both blogs.

Today I want to hear from you about your favorite horror titles to hand-sell to patrons this season. Notice I did not ask you to share your favorite horror book.  That is a different question, which I have asked before.

Rather, what I want to know is which scary books are you most likely to suggest to a patron this season, especially a patron who walks in the door and just wants a seasonal read. What are you giving those occasional horror readers?

Do you have a go-to list of sure bet horror? Or even sure bet "not-quite horror."

I'll go first.

My favorite titles to suggest during this season change each year.  You can check here or here for some ideas from year's past, but this year, I am giving the fans of more traditional pulp horror James Herbert (see this post for why), Richard Layman, or Brian Keene.  The first two are classic horror authors who are no longer alive, the and third is the reigning king of pulp. These are for readers who want that super scary, horror movie type read.

For fans of a lighter touch who just want to experience a tiny bit of terror, I like to give out is The Unseen by Alexandra Sokoloff or The Caretaker of Lorne Field by Dave Zeltersman (both meancing but not bloody) and David Wong's funny, but a bit gross, yet thought provoking John  Dies at the End.

Now it's your turn. Which scary books are you sharing with patrons this haunting season?

Here is a picture of the BPL's horror display, arranged by John, to get you in the mood. Yes, the skeleton is flying over patrons as they walk by.

For past Monday Discussions, click here.

3 comments:

  1. I am a BIG fan of and have repeatedly pushed, "The Bird Box" by Josh Malerman.

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  2. Scott Smith's "The Ruins." But if people really want a freak out, Vincent Bugliosi's "Helter Skelter." Depends if folks want to be scared or terrified.

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  3. For non-horror readers or people looking for a good "spooky" story:
    - The Woman in Black - Susan Hill
    - The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson

    For middle-of-the-road fans:
    - The Dead Path - Stephen Irwin
    - The Winter People - Jennifer McMahon
    - Bird Box - Josh Malerman

    For extremists:
    - The Ruins - Scott Smith
    - The Troop - Nick Cutter (although I warn patrons before handing this one out...NOT for the faint-hearted!!)

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