If you're going to read Skipp/Spector, my two recommendations would be "Dead Lines" (a really well-crafted novel-skeleton around a series of increasingly disturbing short stories), and "The Scream," for sheer entertainment value (it's a bit trashy, but it's also very much a slice of rock & roll culture, and a time-capsule of a moment when American parents were convinced that heavy metal was going to send their kids to Hell.)

(I've read "The Light at the End," but it's not a book I've ever felt the need to re-read, whereas the other two get brought out every 5-10 years.)

Same for "Geek Love" -- read it in the 90's, appreciated the taboo aspects and parts of the story, but it really came off as trying too hard to shock. It's the same problem I've always had with Marilyn Manson, TBH.

I'm not sure whether I've read "The Changeling" -- in high school, I read a book with that title about a claustrophobic winter-bound house, a deformed attic-dweller, and a pervasive sense of dread. I'm not sure it's the same book, though. Does any of that sound familiar, or am I thinking of something else, or getting the titles swapped?

I do like "Ghost Story," although "Floating Dragon" is my favorite by Straub. I loved the combination of his talents with Stephen King's in "The Talisman," which is one of my favorite books by either author.

"Swan Song" is a cut gem with a distinctive flaw (which may make it work more or less for you, depending on your thoughts on the matter.) It's been repeatedly compared to "The Stand," because of superficial similarities (doorstop-sized books about a supernatural showdown in a post-plague/post-nuclear America), but the books go in different directions from there. I love McCammon, and I'm delighted that a number of his formerly-out-of-print books are becoming available again.

It's possible that it could have used a little less length/tighter editing/smaller cast of characters, but it's hard to say who/what I would have cut out. And the descriptive passages are memorable, visceral, sometimes beautiful, and they definitely stick in your head. It's a book that creates a massively intricate behind-the-eyes visualization of life after megadeath.

"The Wolf's Hour" (werewolf vs. Nazis!) is a lighter read ("Swan Song" is bleaker, and that's saying something, but both books contain seeds of hope), and is a more straightforward tale . . . but, oh, the scenes in Russia, the White Cathedral, the perspective of our protagonist as a young boy in a world grown bewilderingly strange, before returning to his adult perspective.

. . . why, yes, I *do* have a horror-reading past, why do you ask? ;)

<3!

The plot description of Nick Cutter's "The Deep" reminds me a bit of Peter Watts' "Starfish" trilogy/quadrilogy (the last part was released as two paper books, because of page-count limits from the publisher.)

If you haven't read those, they're well worth reading. I have a fascination with deep-water science and horror (real and imagined), and the first book, especially, is fantastically original and vivid.

-- A <3

I couldn't help myself ;D

<3!

I Kindled it, too -- I'm not saying "don't read it" (I don't remember it terribly well, and wanted to refresh my recollections, since I haven't read it since the 90's), I just really love the other two books I recommended by the same authors, and that one didn't stick with me.

I've read 5 of the 10 books on the rec list, and I bought 4 of the others ("The Girl Next Door" sounds like the exact type of thing that I can't make myself read.) I love e-books -- these used to be the kind of thing you could only pick up at random used-book stores at lucky times of the month!

(And, awww, thank you! *squish*)

Breaking out the Clive Barker icon here, hehe -- not all of the visual adaptations of his "Hellraiser" world are perfect, but this vision of Abigor is just amazing. I think it was an Alex Ross painting, IIRC?

Anyway, haven't read "The Damnation Game" in too long, so I bought that, too.

I love some Skinny Puppy and don't care for a great deal of the rest -- it's album-by-album, song-by-song for me. They have a huge body of work, and I'm a big fan of a portion of it. I agree that they sometimes fall into the trying-too-hard camp.

I have warmer feelings toward "It" than "Floating Dragon," mostly because the characters were more relatable (I first read "It" in 5th grade, while still a viciously-bullied child), and because the scenes of childhood and the dialogue were so flawless. I loved its sense of place and time, entirely separately from loving the horror story underlying the small-town and schoolyard dynamics.

I don't know about a collection -- I've read Robert E. Howard's short story, "Pigeons From Hell" (an interesting counterpoint to Lovecraft's "Medusa's Coil.") Was it a collection of his work?

<3!

Hope you can get the rooms done soon.

Not watching too much that really excites me. Still loving Elementary, Supergirl, Bob's Burgers. Really liking the new shows This is Us and Lethal Weapon. My husband and I are trying to catch up on American Horror Story.

Stacey

Definitely agree with that recommendation!

Stacey

The last AHS was a riff on the ghost hunter/ true haunting type shows, and was actually pretty entertaining. It wobbled in a lot of places, but it felt less like trying too hard and more like something new. There were the characters telling the story and then it would cut to the dramatic reenactment, so two sets of actors played the same characters, which was neat.

"Elementary" is available on Hulu.

I know the last season that just ended, the theme was Roanoke. I don't know too much about it.

Stacey

I picked up The Child Thief at the library last week. It's a dark retelling of Peter Pan. I'm only about six chapters in and I can tell it's both wonderful and something I'll have to read in small doses. It reminds me a lot of Clive Barker who I have a similar reaction to. (Great, but I can only read one of his books a year. I could watch Hellraiser forever though. Go figure.)

This is the second week in a row that my Idol story has screamed "I'm part of something bigger!" to me. *headdesk headdesk*

What happened to the secret "writing closet" idea? That one really intrigued me, though I'm not prone to claustrophobia, and that might be a stopping point for some people. :)

On your recommendation I just started Shardik. I'd re-read Maia and really enjoyed it despite some flaws. I couldn't read Shardik but, like The Silmarillion, which I also couldn't read, it's a wonderful audiobook. Some stories just need to be read TO you.

I'm also reading the Hamilton biography. C and I both fell in love with the musical so I thought I should read the source material. What an interesting life he had. And there are weird and interesting echoes of politics today that have been around from our founding.

Watching Penny Dreadful, which we had been saving to savor like candy. I think we on the 3rd from the last episode now. Like kittytoes we also watched The Magicians. It's kind of throw away but we enjoyed it. I heard good things about Search Party so we may try that next.