Book Talks Meeting - HORROR

On Wednesday, October 30 (the day before Halloween!) we had our first book talks meeting. Everyone came to talk about the 'other' Horror title they read for this section of the genre study program. Book talks give everyone a chance to learn more about the genre by hearing about other titles representative of that genre. It also gives everyone a chance to practice their book talking skills! :-)

The titles talked about were:

Joyland by Stephen King - Classic Stephen King, similar to his early titles. Listened to it on CD and really enjoyed the narration by Michael Kelly.

Red Rain by R. L. Stine - Yes, the guy who wrote the Goosebumps books! Blurb on the back makes it sound more scary than it is. Might be a good suggestion for someone new to Horror or as an Adult / YA crossover.

Let the Dead Sleep by Heather Graham - First in a series. Some readers might consider it more of a paranormal romance with a Southern setting rather than Horror.

Breed by Chase Novak - Enjoyed the book, although at first wasn't sure would be able to keep reading because the combination of genetic engineering and infertility was creepy. But stuck with the story and glad of it.

Wide Open by Deborah Coates - A murder mystery with some witchcraft and/or an ancient evil and an interesting female leader character. Never really learned what the title meant though ... :-)

Charlotte Markham and the House of Darkling by Michael Boccacino - Another interesting female lead and premise but not sure if it completely followed through on it's promise.

The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice - Rice has created another character, like her vampire Lestat, who glories in being a monster; this time - a werewolf!

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King - LOVED IT! The return of Danny Torrance from The Stand, all grown up but still dealing with his 'gift.' Only complaint - that it had to end! :-)

A few of the annotations for these Horror titles have already been posted by the participants. Scroll down to see them and keep watching for the rest! :-)



The next genre, Literary Fiction, was announced and copies of the benchmark title, The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson, were available. Information about this title can be found by clicking on the Benchmarks tab.