Horror Literature

Coll
I would like to take this opportunity, on the only Friday the 13th in 2016, to write a post on one of my favorite genres, horror. I was raised on horror. My mother (the biggest Stephen King fan I know) had me read my first horror novella, Cycle of the Werewolf, when I was 12. Then at 13 she gave me Pet Sematary to read. From then on I was hooked. So on this day, the date that has become synonymous with unlucky, and horror (thank you, movie series Friday the 13th!), to do a write up on some of my favorite horror books (in no particular order). Narrowing it down is going to be hard as hell, but I will have to make do.

First I would like to bring up the aforementioned Pet Sematary. Now it might be that I have a fondness towards this book because it was the first actual horror novel (first novel ever actually) that I read, or it might just be that the book was damn creepy. I am sure many of you have seen the movie, but that does not do it justice, in my eyes. The story is about a cemetery on an Indian burial site, where anything that is buried comes back to life. However, what comes back is not the beloved being you once knew, it is something pure evil.  Now not only is this book sinister on the obvious level, with the horrific/gory scenes and terrifying scenarios, but it is full of King’s incredible ability to induce subtle fear into the reader in almost every situation. To this day, there are parts of the book that have stuck with me, incredibly creepy elements that have inspired me to strive for similar elements in my writing. Pet Sematary will stay with me always as one of my favorite horror reads.

A newer horror book that really blew me away is Brother by Ania Ahlborn. When I got my hands on this book I flew through it in a day, wide-eyed and on the edge of my seat the entire time. It is about a man who was adopted when he was a young child, and raised by a most disturbing family. Disturbing is actually an understatement. This book was impossible for me to put down and put me through so many emotions: anger, sympathy, disgust, heartbreak, satisfaction, sometimes all at the same time, and I loved every second of it. There is no predicting the ending of this book when you are reading it and the “ah-ha” moment is more of a “holy shit” moment that punches you in the gut. Just when you think the book cannot get more disturbing, it does. Brother forces the reader to confront nightmarish situations and realize how far humans can go when pushed in certain ways. It shows that on a basic level human beings are no different than animals, and oftentimes they can be worse.

Next I would like to mention a book of short stories, The Wide, Carnivorous Sky and Other Monstrous Geographies by John Langan. All I could think of when I was reading this book was “Finally! Short story horror done right.” I feel like there has been an issue recently with the horror genre where there has been a lack of good stories, a let down to the short story horror masters like Lovecraft and King. But this book changed everything for me. Langan does not rely on straight forward scare tactics or gore, nor does he inundate us with vague ideas that the reader has to try to piece together on their own in an attempt to understand the story. Instead, he instils an eeriness and fear into his stories that starts off so subtle and grows to become terrifying in all the right ways. Langan draws on horror greats such as Poe and Lovecraft as inspiration for his shorts stories and presents his tales in a fresh and enthralling manor. This is not horror as you would typically think of it. The stories have an almost artistic quality to them and I think horror and non-horror fans alike would be pulled into this book.

Is it wrong to mention another King book? This is my post so I say no, it is not. So yeah, The Long Walk (written under Richard Bachman pseudonym). This is more psychological horror and holy hell is it terrifying. Not terrifying in a gory horror sort of way, but in a way I am not sure I can even explain. It is the type of book that gets into your soul and infects you with a deep and cerebral fear. The basis of the story is 100 teenage boys take part in an annual race, “The Long Walk”.  There are rules you must follow and you cannot give up. Quit or break any of the rules and there are very grim consequences. I was completely absorbed the entire time I was reading this and so many times my mouth would drop open from shock. This is the type of book that keeps you up late reading, and I remember being thrown into the most vivid dreams when I slept that were eerily similar to the book. The Long Walk is alarming in the way it shows humanity, as a selfish and bloodthirsty group, which honestly (and unfortunately) is pretty true. Maybe that is where the real fear in this book is, that it is a scenario humans are dreadfully capable of.

Finally, I want to talk about H.P. Lovecraft, a man who is considered to be one of the most influential horror writers of the 20th Century, one who is quite often compared to Edgar Allen Poe. Lovecraftian stories are “cosmic horror”, an invention of Lovecraft himself, which is a horror of the unknown, more so than shock, gore, and other elements of the genre. I find it hard to pinpoint just one or two stories of his because they all offer something phenomenal and scary, so that is why I recommend checking out his complete works. Lovecraftian horror is eerie and creepy, and it just gets under your skin as you read it and gives you chills. It is the kind of horror that makes a quiet room seem like something to be afraid of, and you find yourself startled by the slightest noise. What is unfortunate about Lovecraft is that his works were not recognized during his time. He was barely given praise and did not make any money off his writing. It was not until years after his death that his stories began to be widely regarded as significant and influential and through present day Lovecraft’s stories have acquired quite a cult following.

Alright, I realize now that I want to mention so many more books but there is a limit where I need to cut this off. Part of me feels like I am letting horror down by only mentioning a few books, so I will surely revisit this topic in the future, discussing more horror books in depth. For now, however, I will leave it with the above-mentioned. After Tiina’s part of this post I will include the Goodreads links for the books mentioned. For now, I wish you a Happy Friday the 13th and Happy Scary Reading! 

Tiina
Horror for Pansies!

Yeah, I’m not even ashamed that’s what my segment on this horror post is called. It’s also the name of my new band, coincidentally. No, it’s not. I can’t sing. I guess that hasn’t stopped half the people on American Idol, etc., but I digress. Horror for Pansies. Performing exclusively… Wait, no. OK. I’m going to name three books/series. Meaning, the first two are actual standalone novels and really readable for complete horror newbies like me.

Newbiehere is a polite way of saying a scaredy-cat. 

The first is Bird Box by Josh Malerman. It’s more psychological horror than anything. Yes, technically there is SOMETHING that’s making all the people cray-cray in the world, but no one knows what or who it is, because once you see this phenomena, you basically go on a murderous rampage. In order to survive, people take to wearing blindfolds. So the novel obviously has really, really graphic violence (which I am not afraid of) and then some full-on psychological terror. But thankfully it’s not too bad. Still, for pansies like myself, it’s a read-during-the-day book. Or put-it-in-a-freezer book like Joey from Friends would say.

The second recommendation is Night Film by Marisha Pessl. This is also psychologically terrifying but it’s not as bad as the aforementioned. You don’t know what’s going on half the time, and there may be a mystery. OR IS THERE? Plus the creepiest part is the awesome format where text is interspersed with pictures and images throughout the book (see my past post about Ergodic Literature). If you use the free app, you can listen to extra content, e.g. interviews with fictional murderers. Fun, but still in a creepy way. 


And then finally I’d recommend the Locke & Key comic book series by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez. The first few volumes are just full-on graphic violence – blood and gore galore – but there is an added mythical mystery aspect that’s fairly frightening and fun. Such a great concept. The art is beautiful, and you can read it in the evening even if you are a horror pansy. I’m definitely coining that word as of now. Happy reading!

Goodreads Reading List

Pet Sematary by Stephen King

Brother by Ania Ahlborn

The Wide, Carnivorous Sky and Other Monstrous Geographies by John Langan

The Long Walk by Richard Bachman (Pseudonym), Stephen King

The Complete Works of H.P. Lovecraft by H.P. Lovecraft

Bird Box by Josh Malerman

Night Film by Marisha Pessl

Locke & Key, Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill, Gabriel Rodríguez 

Ergodic literature

Now it’s time for my own little pet project – my love of collecting works of ergodic literature. Some people also call them illuminated novels. In a simplified manner, that means the text is accompanied by pictures or other added marginalia that represent or replace a certain part of the narrative. The most often quoted examples are Marisha Pessl’s Night Film, Brian Selznick’s The Invention of Hugo Cabret, and even Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves. I actually prefer the term ergodic literature to illuminated novels in these instances, definitely in the case of House of Leaves.

House of Leaves

This term isn’t very widely used in the mainstream bookish media, eg Book Riot, most book blogs, or BookTube. Perhaps it’s academically too specific to be of any interest to anyone. However, the books that belong to this genre are definitely becoming extremely popular. So, even if you don’t know the name for the genre, you’ll recognise the books that belong to it after just a couple of initial characteristics. In brief, ergodic literature – as defined in Espen Aarseth’s Cybertext: Perspectives on Ergodic Literature – means that the reader has to put in “non-trivial” effort to consume the text (p1-2). The word itself comes from the Greek words ergon and hodos, which mean “work” and “path”, respectively (ibid). Thus, the reader has to find their own meandering way through the narrative, but on a higher level than the regular movement of eyes and turning of pages. In most cases, the exact order in which to read the text is not indicated. So, ergodic literature means that a text has an added dimension (eg footnotes, pictures, text written in a different way, newpaper cutouts, clickable links in ebooks), and it is up to the reader which part to read first or not at all (many people skip the footnotes in Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell).

S.
(the book has been made to look
like an old library copy)

Now that the more academic part of the post is over, I think it’s a good idea to have examples. This isn’t an overly detailed post, but I thought you’d enjoy learning a new name to a genre of books you already know, and perhaps enjoy. A great example of a novel where the path of reading is not determined, is JJ Abrams’ and Doug Dorst’s S. The novel consists of a main narrative – a fictional book – and then added marginalia of two people’s conversation about the book and the fictional author of it. This is as Meta as it gets, people! There are added extras, too: actual scribbled upon napkins, postcards, slips of paper! It is the reader’s choice whether to read the in-text novel and margin notes consecutively, or first finish off the novel, and then reread the margin notes.

Note: that little bird picture
can be scanned via an app
for extra content! (Night Film)

Another interesting aspect of ergodic literature is that it is not defined by the type of media – it doesn’t have to be a print book. Ergodic literature refers to the reading experience and so an ebook or any other electronic medium can also be categorised as such. So here the ebook version of Night Film with its clickable links is the same as the print book of House of Leaves with disjointed footnotes and mismatched font size extravaganza. 

I have probably rattled on long enough about the definition and sure, you could just use the term illuminated texts. However, I prefer ergodic literature if only for the fact that it accurately shows how the same book could really be different for anyone. Yes, yes, you can say that about every book – two people might not see the same themes in a work or art – but the mixture of pictures, footnotes, regular and upside down text implies another layer of the reading experience.

Perhaps some examples, if you too think you’d love this interactive experience? The most famous one right now – in addition to the abovementioned – is Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, a novel made out of documents, interviews and chat transcripts. City on Fire by Garth Risk Hallberg was published in 2015 and includes document clippings as well. Dawn Kurtagich’s The Dead House also came out last year and it is once again told in newspaper clippings, diary excerpts and the like. Zachary Thomas Dodson’s Bats of the Republic: An Illuminated Novel (again from 2015) and could be seen as belonging to this genre, as the name suggests. A new one just about to be released is Sylvain Neuvel’s Sleeping Giants (note: next week you can read Coll’s review on that). So you see how these novels are cropping up more lately. Of course, books like these have been around for a long time now, but it’s great to see them getting more and more love. Any guesses on what’s behind this new-found love of intricate, multimedia print books? Maybe our attention spans have become too short to just consume a “good old” print book with the text running from left to right (or right to left, depending on where you are), so we need every book to be made into a videogame-like experience or a Choose Your Own Adventure novel? I’m not sure what the theory is behind this new publishing phenomenon, but I for one am definitely enjoying it, and plan to collect a fair few of these books.

What about you? Have you ever thought how these books are called? Do you even care? Do you need a genre name for books you love? Or do you have any recommendations that I have most certainly missed?

My list: House of Leaves; S.; Illuminae; Night Film; Sleeping Giants; The Dead House, A Visit from the Goon Squad, City on Fire, The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet.

Books about books!

My personal genre kryptonite – something I absolutely can’t resist – is books about books and reading. It can be about reading as such, or it can be loosely set in a bookshop or library, or feature a bookseller/writer/voracious reader/a mysterious book of Secrets. If the novel or non-fiction book deals with any of the forementioned, then I will add it to my TBR and attempt to read it. Here I will mention a few that have stayed with me over the years, and also add a few that I really can’t wait to read. A note of warning: once you start thinking about this subgenre, you’ll see these books everywhere!

I am by no means the only one who enjoys reading about other people reading. At least I hope I’m not! Here are a few recommendations of books I’ve read, and then a couple that I am aiming to read.

Fiction books first. One of the well-known ones is definitely Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s  The Shadow of the Wind. I found the English translation a tad awkward, but I think the story is definitely worth the time it takes to get used to it. The historical novel follows the son of an antiquarian bookseller who is pulled into an ominous mystery when he is given a book from the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. The novel is bookish, extremely quotable, and beautiful. Bonus points for being set in the beautifully evocative Barcelona.

If you love funny books and are not afraid of committing to a series, then I would recommend the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde. The first one is The Eyre Affair and follows a literary detective (!) Thursday Next in an alternative version of Great Britain. It is extremely funny and so well thought-out that I urge everyone who loves books to read it. Next books in the series also feature characters from novels and other texts, and naturally hilarity ensues. Especially fun if you love Jane Eyre.

Possession by A.S. Byatt is another historical novel - it is historical metafiction - and covers a literary mystery. Two contemporary literary scholars attempt to uncover a previously unknown love affair between two Victorian writers. The novel includes excerpts of both writers’ work so A.S. Byatt is definitely one kick ass lady for managing that. “Literary critics make natural detectives,” as the protagonist says. Watch out, Sherlock.

I also have to briefly mention Roald Dahl’s Matilda here. You are never too old for Dahl’s children’s books and this one is a must-read for any avid reader.

On the non-fiction side I also have a few favourites. Firstly an epistolary memoir (written in letters) that is in my top three favourite books. 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff is a bibliophile’s absolute dream. The memoir focuses on the author’s decades-long friendship with an English antiquarian bookseller, and it is just so heart-warming and great. Definitely tugs at your heartstrings.  Most editions also include Ms Hanff’s  diary from her first trip to London; her experience and outright joy over being there is especially relatable for people who have finally managed to visit their dream country.

The second must-read non-fiction book is Nick Hornby’s The Complete Polysyllabic Spree that collects articles he wrote for the cultural magazine Believer (the sequel is Stuff I’ve Been Reading). You don’t even have to have the same literary tastes as him, you’ll be pulled into the book regardless. Furtermore, it is best for people who love buying new books and/or reading about other people doing so. It’s fun, and it’s a good introduction to Nick Hornby if you are fearful of his novels. Not sure why you would be, but that’s what they say.

And the last quick recommendation for travelling booklovers: Jen Campbell’s The Bookshop Book. It is exactly what it says on the tin. It features amazing bookshops all over the world (often with pictures) and great literary tidbits. I finished the book with a 5-page Bookhop Bucket List so be warned. 

Now some books that I want to read. Alberto Manguel’s The Library at Night, a collection of essays on everything bookish. Then a memoir by Stephanie Staal (Reading Women: How the Great Books of Feminism Changed My Life) who recounts what she learned from reading famous feminist works. Also, as an avid romance reader, I immediately ordered Maya Rodale’s Dangerous Books for Girls: The Bad Reputation of Romance Novels Explained. I am sure it’ll be fun. I don’t believe in guilty pleasures, but if someone you know does, then this will surely give you fuel to “defend” your reading tastes. Can’t wait to get to those soon.

You can also ask us for further recommendations or then head onto Goodreads via the following link.  ). Reader discretion advised on this list of books about books; you’ll end up with a severely increased TBR pile!  https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/books-about-books

Romance

Recs by Tiina

Do you like romance novels? If not, then the first half of this post probably isn’t for you (in that case, scroll down right now for Coll's part). I, on the other hand, am a huge romance fan. I do read other books, but romances tend to be my guilty pleasures (if I believed in such things – never be guilty about what you read!) or tools to get me out of a slump. I started reading romance (Sandra Brown's and Nora Roberts' novels) when I was around 13 and have not been able to stop since.

Now, there are several subgenres to romance. Historical, paranormal, you name it. I believe there is something for everyone. There are books that focus heavily on the romance plot, and there are books where that part is kept in the sidelines. However, the following recommendations tend to be in the first category.

So, what’s your poison? Do you like more chick lit-y and rather chaste romance? Then I’d recommend an under-hyped Monday to Friday Man by Alice Peterson. Or then Dinner at Rose’s by Danielle Hawkins. Of course, there are oodles of books in this subgenre so it’s been very difficult to narrow them down to a few. Then there is The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. This is definitely not chick lit, per se, but it’s sweet and unique. Another one of my favourites is Hunting and Gathering by Anna Gavalda. It focuses on a group of unlikely friends and I think it’s great. And you get extra points for reading translated literature!

At the opposite end of the romance spectrum is erotica, or then just new adult or romance with a fair amount of sexytimes. This is not for the underage or the faint-hearted. My favourite new adult author (meaning the protagonists are in their 20s and the plot itself deals with some heavier issues) is Samantha Young. I can heartily recommend her On Dublin Street series. It is also set in Edinburgh, so please read at your own risk. It may induce swooning. The audiobooks are great for this series. Just don’t listen to them out loud in a public space as someone will most likely walk in at the exact moment they mention quivering… Anyway.  Less well-known is perhaps Jay Crownover. Her heroes and heroines aren’t always that, but they are tattooed, pierced and hot. That is not to say all characters have to look perfect. One of my favourites, where the main female protagonist was not stick thin, was RL Mathewson’s Perfection. The series can be slightly formulaic, but they are really fast reads! On the more erotic side of things I guess Laurelin Paige’s Fixed trilogy is also good. Only if you like high levels of angst, though! Still, depends on which aspect you read it for. To be blunt, the sex is pretty hot in that trilogy. Too much information? Fine. I aim to please. No pun intended.

Now if you want romance with more mainstream representation of sex (as realistic as they can be in romances) then I’d recommend Jill Shalvis’ Lucky Harbor novels or then Susan Mallory’s Fool’s Gold ones. By mainstream I mean the characters refrain from having sex every five minutes against every imaginable surface. Again, these tend to follow the same patterns, but the dialogue is usually funny and there is always a Happily Ever After.

Are you tired of contemporaries? Well, there’s historical romance from different eras. For medieval romances I’d check out Jude Deveraux’s books. Velvet Song is one of my favourites. There are also Western romances! For that I can recommend Elizabeth Lowell. Yes, the men can be too untrusting, slightly mean and annoyingly alpha, but the ends are happy, which is the way I like it. Topaz is also pretty wonderful (great heroine!) and I look forward to reading more of Beverly Jenkins. If you like Regency Era-ish historical romance then Sarah MacLean is highly lauded. I also recommend Gail Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate series for a paranormal twist. The romance is not exactly in the foreground, but it is heavily discussed. Still, it’s funny, but be wary of bumpy carriage sex. You’ll know what I mean when you read the book. 

If you prefer more YA or tame novels then I can heartily recommend Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl or Becky Albertalli’s Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda (it’s LGBTQ+ and one of the sweetest books I have ever read). Easy by Tamara Webber also contains college-aged students like Fangirl, but it deals with some very heavy and yet important topics (rape on campus). An important read if you’re looking for a fictional representation of the subject.

And this is it. I know the post was full of recommendations with very little explanation of the plot. You can always ask me about it later! I’d say with romance one should always expect alpha males and some formulaic-ness, but I am not exactly trying to convert anyone to reading romance. My main aim really was to talk about my personal favourites and hope to inspire some of you to give these novels a shot. Life doesn’t always have to be sad and depressing. Sometimes you just want to see that awesome and funny lady (or man) find a partner in life. Even though you will forever be expecting to find your very own hot yet sensitive sexy sheriff/barkeeper/local business owner when you move to a small coastal town. 

Thank you for tuning in and happy reading!

Coll’s Two Cents

I am by no means a romance reader nor do I know much about it. But as the saying goes “there is something for everybody” and I feel that is also the case for those of us who gravitate away from romance. I will keep my part short and simple and just give some recommendations for those of us who are not avid romance readers. These books I am mentioning all involve a romantic aspect but it is further down on the subgenre list.

Time and Again by Jack Finney is one of my most loved books. Like, a book I hug when I finish it. Okay maybe part of my love for it is because it is historical fiction involving New York City, but there are plenty more reasons than that. It is a great mix of science fiction, time travel, historical fiction, and romance. It is not “sexytimes” romance, as Tiina would say, but the entire story involves a love story that is very sweet and brings up the question of how far you would go to be with the person you love.

Winter’s Tale by Mark Helprin is a book I try to read every winter. This book seems to be hit or miss with readers and I think what you need to know going into it is that it is highly fantastical. The majority of the story revolves around a beautiful love story between two main characters, as well as a love story between the author and the city. One thing you need to know going into this story though it is quite lengthy with its use of language and takes magical realism to an extreme. Helprin has a certain style of writing that you either love or hate.

And then of course, there is the classic Gone with the Wind. Not only is this one of my favorite movies but it is also one of my favorite books and involves one of the most well-known romances in fiction. It packs in so much history, war, family, and all revolves around such an intense romance. It is constant drama in the best way. I am sure most people have seen the movie but if you have not read the book and are looking for some classic romance that is not overwhelming, then Gone with the Wind is it. 

So there you have it, three books you can check out if you are not a huge romance fan but would not mind a story with a hint of it. All three of the books I mention belong to so many genres that there is something for everyone in each book.