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North American Lake Monsters
North American Lake Monsters: Stories | Nathan Ballingrud
52 posts | 42 read | 86 to read
"Nathan Ballingrud is one of my favorite short fiction writers."Jeff VanderMeer"Nathan Ballingrud's 'The Way Station' is another story of the sort I've come to expect from him: emotionally intense, riveting, and deeply upsetting in many ways. It deals with loss, with the aftereffects of Katrina on a homeless alcoholic who's haunted by the city itself be-fore the flood, and in doing so it's wrenching. . . . It's an excellent story that paints a riveting por-trait of a man, his city, and his loss."Tor.com on The Naked City"But the two most remarkable stories in Naked City are by relatively new authors: 'The Projected Girl' (Haifa) by Lavie Tidhar and 'The Way Station' (New Orleans and St. Petersburg, Florida) by Nathan Ballingrud are both heartbreakers."John Clute on Strange Hori-zonsThese are love stories. And also monster stories. Sometimes these are mon-sters in their traditional guises, sometimes they wear the faces of parents, lovers, or ourselves. The often working-class people in these stories are driven to extremes by love. Sometimes, they are ruined; sometimes redeemed. All are faced with the loneliest corners of themselves and strive to find an escape.Nathan Ballingrud was born in Massachusetts but has spent most of his life in the South. He worked as a bartender in New Orleans and New York City and a cook on offshore oil rigs. His story "The Monsters of Heaven" won the inaugural Shirley Jackson Award. He lives in Asheville, North Carolina, with his daughter.
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Shawna
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Eggs 💚🐉 🩶 3w
18 likes1 comment
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Shawna
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Great cover 💚 5mo
Eggs Excellent 👌🏼 4mo
19 likes2 comments
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Victoriahoperose
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Pickpick

Quick book to read. Like all short story collections, there were some I really liked and others that I just couldn‘t get into. But, overall, I loved the dark horror in these stories and thought they were entertaining and chilling. I would definitely read another book by this author because the writing was exceptional.

vivastory I love this collection 2y
30 likes1 comment
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Reggie
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This collection of short stories is gripping and showcases each of its main characters in these real life crises that seem impossible. S.S. is about a neo-Nazi youth. The thing I liked about this story is the almost invisible thread. The youth mentions that his father was trampled by horses. That he let his whole family go because of gambling addiction and debts. At the end of the story, in the rain, the kid is with a horrible young woman who👇🏼

Reggie is trying to manipulate him into killing someone. She‘s his gateway drug into hell. And while they‘re driving in the rain on a busy highway he crashes the car- into a trailer filled with horses. And right there you get the feeling he realizes what‘s going on and walks away. This collection is tied with Laura Mauro‘s as the best single author horror-weird collection of short stories I have ever read. Check it out. (edited) 2y
52 likes1 stack add1 comment
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EchoCharlie
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I've wanted to read this forever, moving it to the top of my TBR list since the TV show is out now

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Reggie
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Pickpick

Whereas most horror short stories have horror running parallel to the character, these mostly feature characters who are drowning in their own crises of life that have their arcs kissed by a tangent of horror. These characters are at crossroads with choices that will leave an indelible mark of who they are, what morals they have. I was impressed by these stories. They had teeth. They were hurtful. And somehow, they left me feeling lighter. Pick!

rockpools Lovely review. You keep making me want to read horror! 4y
Reggie @RachelO Thanks! 😊These were brutal. 4y
Centique “Arcs kissed by a tangent of horror” - why hasn‘t Kirkus Reviews offered you a job yet? What a beautiful sentence. You‘ve outdone yourself! 😍😍 4y
See All 11 Comments
Reggie @Centique I flirted with the idea of actually posting a parabola with a tangent and labeling them but thought it was too much. Lol. You‘re too kind my friend.😊 4y
vivastory Another stellar review! This one has been languishing on my shelves. Might need to bump it up! 4y
Reggie @vivastory, thanks, Scott! I‘m moving on to his next collection Wounds pretty soon. 4y
RohitSawant Impossible not to stack after that terrific review! 4y
ReadingEnvy I love this collection so much, it's the humanity alongside the horror that is so effective for me. And I'm so happy the author is finding more success as he's a very nice person who has been writing in the seams of life for years. (This book is being made into a TV show!) 4y
Reggie @ReadingEnvy I just finished Wounds earlier. I like this collection better. I listened to your show with him while I was baking cookies earlier and really liked what he had to say about the story Way Station. It was one of my favorites along with SS and Bleached. He seems like a nice guy and I‘d definitely read a novel by him. 4y
ReadingEnvy @Reggie I also like this way better than Wounds! That podcast almost never happened because I had to reassemble it from five second increments ... but I‘d felt so good about the interview, I just worked it out. I had pages of color coded transcriptions taped together. He has such a deep Connection to New Orleans. I love Way Station and the vampire story, shiver. 4y
Reggie @rohit-sawant Thanks, you would like this! 4y
71 likes6 stack adds11 comments
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jungleclams
Mehso-so

too dour to be interesting

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frenky_muller
Pickpick

Weird but soooo good!

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WeAreLegion
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Pickpick

Hail to the new Stephen King.
These stories may be enveloped in the supernatural, but they are truly, at their core, about people. Yes, people doing terrible things to each other, aided or possessed by the unknown, but these stories ring so true because they are anchored by ordinary folks playing with forces beyond nature. Must read!

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akaGingerK
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Bailedbailed

I gave it three stories but hereby declare this author‘s collection “not my thing.”
Honestly, I expected the horror element to be a larger part of the stories? But they just kind of meander on well past any psychological thriller or fantastical elements. It‘s kinda too bad- a coworker recommended this collection so strongly!

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StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego
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Mehso-so

#bestiebookclub #july @bessiecat

A collection of short stories about the human condition, highlighted with the paranormal. It was ok. Definitely brought up some good discussion topics, but I'm finding I don't love paranormal writings. It takes me out of a story, especially if it's forced. If it's a fantasy book about vampires, I'm in. But if you just throw a vampire into a story, I'm out.

74 likes1 stack add
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shadowspeak17
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Mehso-so

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Several of these stories got me thinking which is something I really liked. The problem is, they felt rather repetitive. Most of the stories had similar characters and all those characters had to deal with some bleak situation with a touch of something supernatural sprinkled in, and just having that over and over and over again got very tiring after a few stories.

#catsoflitsy #Phoenix

Slajaunie That‘s a pretty baby behind that book. 🐱 6y
42 likes1 comment
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ohyeahthatgirl
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After I finished The Haunting of Hill House, I started If On A Winter's Night a Traveler and this one. Appropriately, you can see the shadows of my ghost lights along the left side.

#freakyfriday
@kait.corum @Clwojick @monalyisha

kait.corum Reminding me how behind I am T^T If On a Winter's Night really blew my mind a few years ago--really hope it holds up! 7y
32 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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TobeyTheScavengerMonk
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So @vivastory asked for my Top Five Horror picks, not in terms of favorites (that would probably be The Terror), but in terms of what genuinely unsettled me.

North American Lake Monsters was a gift from my brother and crossed lines I didn't know I had. Quality-wise it was decent. I liked the werewolf story and the ghost story quite a bit. But the zombie story and especially "The Monsters of Heaven" were too much for me.

TobeyTheScavengerMonk Honorable mention goes to Perdido Street Station. Not strictly horror, but I started sweating every time the slake moths showed up. (edited) 7y
Jabberwocky (You should 100% make a list like this for scifi) 7y
See All 17 Comments
Moray_Reads I have issues with moths but it was the larval stage that had me almost giving up on Perdido Street Station. Literal nightmares! 7y
DimeryRene Loved A Head Full of Ghosts!!! 7y
Andrea4 @TobeyTheScavengerMonk what do you mean by "crossed boarders" you didn't know you had? Can you give a for example without too much spoiling? I really like thrillers and horror but I guess, like everyone, I have my limits. 7y
vivastory @TobeyTheScavengerMonk I will never tire of recommending Tremblay's "Head Full of Ghosts" Great list! I stacked the tagged book. I agree with @Jaberwocky , I definitely want to see a sci-fi list. A few months ago I saw a moth the size of a small bird on my front door. It really freaked me out. @Moray_Reads 7y
TobeyTheScavengerMonk @andrea4 I guess I mean that I thought there was nothing out there too gruesome for me, but parts of this book were. I'll give an example in the next comment under a spoiler warning. 7y
Moray_Reads @vivastory When I was little our cat once caught and ate a HUGE moth on my sister's bed. She insisted on sleeping in my bed for several nights 😂 7y
TobeyTheScavengerMonk @Andrea4 In "The Monsters of Heaven" a couple's child is abducted and I was a new dad when I read it so that was already intense. The story ends with them having sex while tearing apart and eating an angel-like creature followed by a vision of their family dog tearing apart the body of their missing child. Couldn't handle it. 7y
Andrea4 @TobeyTheScavengerMonk oh yea, that'll do it. 7y
vivastory @TobeyTheScavengerMonk Have you read Nick Cutter's "The Troop"? I am not usually bothered by gore & body horror, but that book had me literally gag in a few scenes 7y
vivastory @Moray_Reads I don't blame her! I'd be tempted to give the cat mouth wash afterwards 7y
minkyb Interested that you included the Summer Reach trilogy. I read Annihilation for#riar and was fascinated. Of course, then I had to read the other two. I found the concepts quite disturbing and the books really became part of me. I still think about them. 7y
2BR02B 24 Hours! Definitely my favorite graphic horror story. 7y
TobeyTheScavengerMonk @vivastory I haven't read The Troop, but I can say that being in Boy Scouts sucked hard enough without monsters. If you want some unleaded nightmare fuel do a Google image search on "slake moth". 7y
vivastory @TobeyTheScavengerMonk Yep, probably going to have some disturbing dreams about those 7y
53 likes17 comments
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booklover-etc
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Pickpick

This is just the most fantastic book!! I don't know how to describe these stories, each one was just so unique. Each story dealt with things I never thought to be thinking about, and it really used it's horror elements very well. Vampires, creatures of all shapes, and monsters, oh my!

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sprainedbrain
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#LyricalApril #TheMonster

This book has been on my tbr for a long time. I'm just going to have to buy it, I think. 😃

Jess_Read_This Ohh! This does look like a good one! Especially for a Michigander like me! 8y
RealBooks4ever That's a book I would buy just for the cover! 😻 8y
Cinfhen That cover is pretty awesome and I've always been obsessed with the LochNess Monster 🐉🐲🐍 8y
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RealBooks4ever Ok, I just did! 😆 8y
Jess_Read_This @RealBooks4ever 🙈😂 I am heading over to Amazon to look for a copy myself.. 8y
TobeyTheScavengerMonk @sprainedbrain @RealBooks4ever @Jess_Read_This Fair warning: these stories are daaaaark and grisly as horror gets. Each takes a typical monster/horror concept and focuses on the effects of people surrounding it. The werewolf and ghost stories are amazing, but all the darkness wore me out. 8y
sprainedbrain @TobeyTheScavengerMonk that's why it's on my TBR! I think it was on a Book Riot list a couple of years ago for truly scary nightmare inducers. 😱 8y
Jess_Read_This @TobeyTheScavengerMonk Whoa.. thank you for the warning! I never would have guessed based on the cover. I'm intrigued by greatly appreciate the heads up on all the darkness. 8y
ohyeahthatgirl I loved it! It is dark, but it's one of my favorite short story collections. 8y
Gina Love the vintage cover 8y
howlinglibraries One of my favorites! I can't recommend this one enough. 8y
121 likes8 stack adds11 comments
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Kimbono
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Ah, Saturday morning. #currentlyreading

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khooliha
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#RiotGrams Day 12 - Once the weather gets consistently warm I think I'm gonna be utilizing this park across the street for some weekend reads.

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Foxyfictionista
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Mehso-so

🐲🐲🐲 This book was a bit disappointing. I had heard a lot of good things about it and was really looking forward to it. The stories are meant to be chilling but they mostly left me scratching my head. Perhaps I'm not clever enough to intuit the nuance within these stories? Or perhaps a short story isn't long enough to flesh out the ideas? I don't know what the deal is but I didn't really get most of them.

ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled I bailed quickly on this one. Was not for me at all. The stories just petered out and weren't horror to me at all. 😕 8y
tricours I thought it was a huge disappointment. I don't understand where all the excellent ratings come from. 8y
Foxyfictionista @ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled.com I didn't find them scary at all either. There are so many good reviews about this book on Goodreads but I'm honestly baffled. I'm not sure why I even gave it 3 stars. Maybe because I was really looking forward to it? I liked the idea behind it but I feel like I'm missing something. 8y
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Foxyfictionista @tricours I know! There were so many insightful reviews so I was excited to have this book. Especially because I couldn't find it in the shops; I had to order it on Amazon. I thought that it would be a good find. Such a letdown. 8y
bookwrm526 I bailed on this one after the story about the horse....gratuitous animal death is not a thing I deal with well 8y
Foxyfictionista @bookwrm526 Totally understandable. I found that to be grim but I didn't like that story for a different reason. I was really uncomfortable being in the point of view of a wannabe neo nazi when I didn't fully understand what the author was going for. I get that 'horses killed his dad' and so him killing the horse was symbolic but the rest, not so much. And what was the deal with his mother? Was she carving bits of herself off? So many questions. 8y
bookwrm526 @Foxyfictionista was that the same story? I had forgotten lol 8y
ReadingEnvy Oh I loved these stories because they had so much humanity in the horror. But hey not every book works for every person. If you feel like trying just one more and you're okay jumping around, my favorites are "The Monsters of Heaven," "The Way Station,' and "Sunbleached." 8y
Foxyfictionista @bookwrm526 Yes. It was called S.S. 8y
Foxyfictionista @ReadingEnvy I read all of them. There were several that started out with a lot of promise but then at the end I was left wondering what was going on. They just didn't resonate with me. 8y
72 likes2 stack adds11 comments
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Jokila
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Suzze There are North American lake monsters? I must read this.😦😦😦 8y
Suzze I am so gullible. 😳 8y
Stephykitten @Suzze 😆😆 me too! ❤️ I like to think my naivety keeps me interesting to others lol 😋 8y
Jokila @Suzze @Stephykitten you guys!!!!! 😂😂😂 you're too cute!!!!! 8y
52 likes4 comments
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Downtonabbeyroad394
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Thanks so much @ReadingEnvy I loved my presents and can't wait to start reading :). Also thanks @BookishMarginalia for starting this #secretsantagoespostal #wintersolsticebookexchange

62 likes2 stack adds
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bookwrm526
Bailedbailed

So, I was mostly enjoying the stories here, until I got to the one about the horse....and then the beginning of the one about the sled dogs, and I just couldn't. Perhaps if I were in a less tender-hearted mood I could've gotten past it, but I just couldn't right now.

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Heidsalot
Mehso-so

Not exactly what I was expecting, but still enjoyed it for the most part. Several of the stories left me wanting more/feeling unfulfilled by them, but I don't usually do short stories so it might just be that.

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prowlix
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Pickpick

These are not your traditional blood and gore horror stories. This is more look at the darker side of humanity with a small side of supernatural. And beautiful language (as seen above). More for fans of Shirley Jackson and Patricia Highsmith!

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Heidsalot
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"I don't always sit like a human, but when I do it's to read with my mom." #PennythePup

Linsy Awwww 5y
10 likes1 comment
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Heidsalot
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Lunch with a side of creepy stories.

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prowlix
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Short story reading on gloomy afternoon! So far these stories have supernatural elements but the real horror seems to lie in the human characters. It has some beautiful sentences which makes the horror that much starker ☠️📖

37 likes1 stack add
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Heidsalot
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Finally got my interlibrary loan books! Just in time for a chilly, rainy Halloween weekend!!

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JPeterson
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I've been waiting for October to finally devour this collection of short stories. 👻
#hellooctober #booktober #mostanticipated #scaryreads #scaretober

LeahBergen Great pillow! 8y
BekahB Oohhhh I have this one too! I still haven't read it. Sigh...scrolling through Litsy posts always reminds me of how many unread books are waiting for me on my bookshelves. 😂 8y
JPeterson @LeahBergen Thanks! It was a random Ross find awhile ago. 😊 @BekahB I've had this on the bookshelf for over a year, and keep putting it off. I figure October is a good time to start it! Litsy is good for that; and always adding more to the list. 8y
See All 9 Comments
BookishFeminist Your pillow! 🐙 I have this in my queue too. Yay for October! 8y
JPeterson @BookishFeminist It goes perfectly with my reading chair 😉 8y
Shortstack Omg! I need this for my sea adventures!!! 😍😍😍 8y
Eyelit Your pillow is fantastic! 8y
Foxyfictionista This is in my bedside tbr stack. I'm excited about it! (She says about every book in her tbr stack...) 8y
JPeterson @Shortstack 🐙 @Eyelit thanks! @Foxyfictionista That is what bedside tbr stacks are for - to always be excited! 😊 8y
86 likes9 stack adds9 comments
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ohyeahthatgirl
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Weird, creepy short stories are my thing. These are just a few of my favorites. #somethingforsept

OutlandishLit This is such a glorious pile! 8y
britt_brooke Nice stack! 8y
JustTrish Oh nice! There's more than a few there I may have to go look for now 😆 8y
14 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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tricours
Panpan

At 73%, I'm giving up. There was perhaps half of two stories that were good in this collection, but the extreme mediocrity of the rest just annoyed me so much I can't give it any more than one star. This was not at all what I expected. There's nothing eerie, creepy or frightening here. Just "weird" stories that miss the mark. EDIT: went back & read the last story after reading some reviews. It's the only actually good one!

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tricours
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After having spent the weekend in the Norwegian mountains with lots of other people it's WONDERFUL to finally be able to read again! I finally hit upon a story I liked in this book, an #Arctic expedition #horror story (LOVE those, esp The Terror). I kept thinking about it while walking in extremely heavy mist to climb Northern Europe's highest mountain. (Where you could seriously fall down a crack in the glacier or down the side of the mountain.)

Gezemice Wow! Awesome adventure! 8y
Merethebookgal Very cool! 8y
8 likes2 comments
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tricours

I am surprised by the poor quality of the writing and editing for the two first stories. I thought this was a serious high-quality book, not something self-published! (Dunno if it is, but it feels like it)

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tricours

I am surprised by the poor quality of the writing and editing for the two first stories. I thought this was a serious high-quality book, not something self-published! (Dunno if it is, but it feels like it)

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BookDude
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Pickpick

What a wonderful collection of stories that contain inhuman elements, but are really about what it means to be human...frailties, mistakes, and primarily the choices we make and are forced to live with.

8 likes1 stack add
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BookDude
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These stories are haunting.

BookBabe Perfect. I love haunting 👻 8y
StephTKO The last one is amazing. 8y
8 likes1 stack add2 comments
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BookDude
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I'll be finishing this tonight or early tomorrow. It's such an unsettling collection of stories. There are supernatural or otherworldly elements in each story, but the human element in each is what shocks you or breaks your heart.

6 likes3 stack adds
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BookDude
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Excited about the next few reads!

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StephTKO
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Yeay! My first month in review post. 😊

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StephTKO
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Pickpick

All the usual horror suspects pop-up in this collection, but these stories are more unsettling than scary. The writing was descriptive in a way that made me feel like I was watching a horror movie in my mind's eye. I really enjoyed this as a whole, but my favorite story was The Good Husband. 👻

18 likes3 stack adds
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StephTKO
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This boy is pretty darn cute when he's not eating my books.

SusanInTiburon Cutie!!! 8y
Megabooks Adorbs! 8y
21 likes2 comments
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StephTKO
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I have to sneak my reading in while he sleeps! 😭

kdwinchester OH MY GOODNESS!! HE IS SO PRECIOUS!!! 😻😻😻😻 8y
StephTKO Lol. Roy Hibbert is a very odd dog. He lives for love (you will give him pets, at all times, whether you want to or not), soft things to sleep on (see exhibit A, the towel in the picture) and food (a speed of light b-line whenever the food bowl comes out). He also wishes he were an only child. 8y
BookishFeminist Adorable!! 🐶 I always have to sneak my reading in when the pets are asleep too. :) 8y
Lizpixie Is that a corgi!! I grew up with corgis, very cliche I know with a name like Elizabeth. I love their attitude, big dog stuffed into small package🐶 8y
StephTKO @Lizpixie Yes, and lol that's so true about their attitude. 8y
16 likes5 comments
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JordanGraft

The last two horror books I read fell flat and were really disappointing. Anyone have some truly scary/ well written recommendations? I read everything from true crime (In Cold Blood was amazing) to Stephen King to haunted house tales to the classic Lovecraft

brendanmleonard My favorite writer of modern short horror fic is Laird Barron: 8y
brendanmleonard Also I love true crime books, although recently I've been reading a lot of articles. David Grann's book/collection has some great ones: 8y
See All 25 Comments
mauveandrosysky I recommend Bird Box to everyone!!! No one has been disappointed yet. 8y
ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled I second! Bird Box was superb 8y
Gulfskye I loved the Bird Box! I had to check my good reads review to refresh my memory. It's wordy, but in a good way, lots of slow world building but worth it! 8y
ReadingEnvy So you didn't like the Ballingrud? He's my kind of horror, not just straight scary. 8y
StephTKO I loved, and was terrified by, House of Leaves. 8y
prowlix I loved I Remember You for good haunted house troupe with a twist. It's written by an Icelandic author which I thought was pretty interesting too 8y
prowlix Also I've requested a few from this list from library. They sound intriguing http://flavorwire.com/419194/the-50-scariest-books-of-all-time 8y
Demanda Last Days or The Ritual by Adam Nevill! So effing scary! 8y
jeff Have you read any Paul Tremblay? 8y
mauveandrosysky I second A Head Full of Ghosts, too! 8y
Owlizabeth This book gave me an actual panic attack!! Highly recommend. 8y
Owlizabeth Also, if you haven't read this one by @joe_hill you should 8y
Bkwurm I don't have any recommendations, but I am definitely stealing the recommendations you've gotten from others here! 👍🏼 8y
Shannonbee Slade House was terrifying! 8y
Victoria_C Another vote for 8y
JordanGraft @Shannonbee I read Slade House and loved it! 8y
JordanGraft Thanks, everyone! I added a bunch of these to my list and I can't wait to get scared 😍😀 8y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa How about the beginning of a creepy little series by an indie author? I picked these up on Amazon awhile back, the first was good, the second had quite a great twist in it. 8y
zembla My picks are old-school: The Haunting of Hill House (I love We Have Always Lived in the Castle even more, but it doesn't feel much like horror to me) and Ira Levin's Rosemary's Baby and The Stepford Wives. I don't know how Ira Levin understood the horror of being a woman in this society so well. 8y
Leslie Ghost Story by Peter straub was the SCARIEST book I have ever read, followed by Ghost House by straub and Stephen King. They are friends. Need I say more? 8y
tricours The Terror is great! All my other recs are Swedish 😐 8y
20 likes2 stack adds25 comments
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StephTKO
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Since my home library spiraled out of control, I've made an effort to get books from the library. This book has gotten so much press for being an amazing horror short story collection, yet none of my local libraries (four different counties and cities) carry it. I just had to buy it. Had to. 😁

Gezemice I have the same problem, I also get books from the library nowadays - plus on the Kindle. 8y
StephTKO @Gezemice Me too, but my kindle is full. Who even knew that was a thing that could happen? 😞 8y
Gezemice lol! I didn't! You can delete from your device, though, you can always download all your purchases again from the cloud. 8y
StephTKO @Gezemice I know... but... but... but... lol 8y
2 likes4 comments