Discuss @ Carroll County Public Library discussion

I am currently re-reading "The shining" by Stephen King. Yes, this book scares me! When not reading it, I have to place it face down. This is a classic horror novel. You slowly experience Jack losing his mind while the snow piles up at the Overlook Hotel. The reader knows its going to end badly, but the build-up is agonizingly fascinating. Who can forget the classic scene with Jack Nicholson from the movie version, "Here's Johnny!"

What a great book, Michele! Did you know the long awaited sequel is now available? It's called "Doctor Sleep." I can't wait to read it!

Yes, I was going to mention "Doctor Sleep" and forgot. I am reading "The shining" in order to prepare for the sequel. Don't tell me too much!

One book that scared the daylights out of me was House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. I don't want to go into too much of the plot here, mostly because it's too nebulous to attempt to explain, but it's mainly about a house with a mind of its own. Now, re-reading that description makes it sound like a hokey horror book, but it's definitely not. Very cerebral, very complex, and the terror is real. I was very jumpy while reading it, but I loved it!

One of the scariest books I've ever read was Red Dragon by Thomas Harris, featuring Dr. Hannibal Lecter. It was the Tooth Fairy killer that I found so disturbing, though...the tableaux of his victims. I find Dr. Lecter to be one of my favorite characters. I love that Harris made him both someone to be scared to death of and someone who you might enjoy meeting at a dinner party (hopefully someone else did the cooking). In the movies, I loved Hopkins in the role. I very much enjoyed the TV Hannibal as played by Mads Mikkelsen as well.

I'm reading "A Tale Dark & Grimm" by Adam Gidwitz. It's not really horror, but I think it makes a good spooky October read. It's fun and a bit gory, though not over the top gross, and is an entertaining way to look at the Grimm's Hansel & Gretel.

"Cujo" by Stephen King is, quite frankly, the scariest book/concept I can think of. Because, in theory, it could happen. I am not freaked out most books, but, now that I'm a mom, being stuck in my car, with my child, with a crazed dog nearby, probably knowing that a superstorm of bad choices led to that moment, it makes me shudder.

And Miss Peregrine's School, that book is creepy, but it's the photos that do it.

Horror gets a bad rap because a lot of it isn't done well. I can think of very few "supernatural" books that ended with me affected, most are like, "Well, that is 20 hours I am never getting back."

I have to admit I don't read horror....last one was Pet Semetary by Stephen King. Guess my imagination is too vivid and I literally can't turn the page! I agree with Rachel about the fear coming from something that could happen. I can't watch scary movies either. Always ask my husband to tell me when the frightening part is over.....and then he tells me too early! Ick!

A short story called "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" by Joyce Carol Oates.

It's not "horror" in the sense that the Stephen King crowd might enjoy; I think there's a total of 3 characters and you can read it all in one sitting. I won't do you the disservice of trying to summarize it.
You can find the full text on the author's website if you Google the title.

That's a great story, Chris! Not horror, but properly creepy.

I tend to avoid horror like the plague, both in books and movies. It's never been my thing. And I agree with Kris - my imagination is vivid enough already! However, the point of these challenges is to expand our reading horizons, so that's what I'm going to do. And I'm going to kill two birds with one stone here, Bryan, because I'm planning to read "At the Mountains of Madness" by H.P. Lovecraft, considered a horror "classic." Plus, it's a short novel, so if it freaks me out I won't think 'And there's still 400 pages to go!'

I have always loved scary stories. I guess I just like feeling the thrill but at the same time knowing that I am safe. One of the scariest books for me is Bram Stoker's "Dracula". I actually got nightmares the first time I read it. I've read it several times and I never lose my fascination for it. My favorite Stephen King books are "The Shining" (as the dad slowly goes mad) and "Salem's Lot" (real vampires not some romantic image). I did read Dr. Sleep and I must say that it is a very fine sequel to "The Shining", not really scary but well written and it keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Mary, I too liked Dracula very much when I first read it. It was just so sinister and creepy and gothic. I own a copy of the sequel, Dracula the Undead, which was written by a descendant of Bram Stoker, but I have not read it yet.

The scariest book I ever read was Peter Straub's "Ghost Story". It has been years and years, can't say how many, since I read it and I can't remember exactly what it was that was so scary (obviously the ghosts). I do remember though that it kept me awake at night! It's an excellent book, very well written and definitely an equal to the scariest Stephen King book.

Julie - I agree with you about Ghost Story! So creepy! I thought the movie was a great adaptation too. We recently watched it again in my house and it was every bit as creepy as we had remembered.

B - def give it a try! Ghost Story is exactly that, and it's totally eerie. I love that tense vibe that something is nearby but you can't quite see it. The movie is a little dated, but features some terrific actors. Two other fave ghost stories for me are Bag of Bones by Stephen King and Homebody by Orson Scott Card. Bag of Bones is my favorite King and one of my favorite all-time books - ghost story and love story in one.

I read the posts about "Ghost story" and have it on reserve. So, Bryan you may have to wait to get this one!

Okay, so I finished "At the Mountains of Madness" and it was definitely weird, but I really enjoyed it. I was never terrified while reading it, but definitely creeped out a couple times. What made it scary for me was the slow reveal, the way the narrator tiptoes around what they saw and heard. I kept thinking, 'Just say it already!' Also, abandoned buildings and cities are creepy/intriguing to me, so that aspect played on my fears as well. Brian, I agree with you - Lovecraft really draws you into his world with fabulous descriptions!

I actually saw a copy of the Lovecraft collection "The Thing on the Doorstep and Other Weird Stories" on the Westminster Branch New Adult Fiction shelf earlier this month and had to pick it up. I've read all of Lovecraft before, but I just wanted to browse through some of the stories and remember them, because they give you such a great sense of atmosphere.

I haven't seen anybody talking about YA horror, so I thought I'd throw in a few recommendations. The most recent good YA horror that I've read would have to be "Anna Dressed in Blood." It involves a teenage boy who kills ghosts with a knife he inherited from his father, who was brutally murdered just a few years ago doing the same job. He heads up into Canada to face the titular Anna, and things get out of control. It came out two years ago, and it has a few really good creepy ghost scenes.

I've also just put on hold another YA book called "The Waking Dark," by Robin Wasserman. She talked at the recent Books for the Beast conference, and it sounded really interesting. From what she described, it's about a small town where, for some reason, people just stop being able to hold back the dark urges that were always hidden inside of them. She told us that it was initially inspired by the book "Methland," and how she was fascinated by how completely normal people could end up doing horrible things in the right (or maybe I should say wrong?) circumstances, so I'm definitely going to check it out.

I've always loved horror, and while I enjoy reading about vampires and monsters and so forth, I believe the best horror stories come from the realm of the possible. Those are the ones that stay with you long, long after you close the book. For me, the story that really made my skin crawl was one I read many eons ago when I was young. It's called "Quitters, Inc." and was published in a short story collection by Stephen King. Shudder.

I am not a big fan of horror. I chose a YA title, thinking it might be not quite as scary, and not force me to keep the lights on at night. So I am reading Anna Dressed in Blood, by Kendare Blake. I'll start reading in the daylight and see how it goes.!

Reading Anna Dressed in Blood did result in my keeping the lights on at night! But that was just so I could get to the end and see what happens. Just the right amount of creepy to make for a fun read. Thanks for the suggestion Mark.

I'm not a fan of gore so I choose to read The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It was fun to listen to, had a mystery element, and didn't leave me with nightmares.