Classic Horror Lovers discussion

I set this group up because I felt that GRs needed a group designated for Classic/Old School Horror literature. But, consider this your group. If there are things you'd like to do on here, please feel free to make suggestions!

Just a suggestion, but I'd prefer if discussions stayed on topic. There are plenty of general discussion boards all over the net and I think straying off topic is leading to the downfall of the Horror Aficionados group (I like to go there to find out about new authors/books, but you have to sift through an endless minutia of off topic posts and threads to find anything of value). I hate to sound like a killjoy, but if you wanna discuss non-literature take it somewhere else. This is GOODREADS!

I definitely agree that Off Topic discussions should be kept separate. This is sort of a focused topic, but I'll create an off topic thread and encourage that to be used. Thanks for the suggestion, Charles.

Hello, fellow members. I am pretty swamped right now with NaNoWriMo and some other things, so that's why I am behind on reading the stories. I want to keep teh group active still, so bear with me.

If you have ideas to keep thigns acitve, let us know! Thanks for joining us and participating.

What about a deconstruction of 'The Turn of the Screw' to argue whether the governess is really haunted or just sexually frustrated? Another suggestion is about ghost stories by authors not normally associated with them, like Winston Churchill and Daphne du Maurier.

Oh, also Balzac who I used to be addicted to The Human Comedy. He wrote 'Horror at Fontenay', set in the French Revolutionary Terror, where a sack load of heads are still alive. Apparently Marie Antoinette's head was alive and well and glaring at the crowd for a minute or so after she was guillotined. I think the most humane form of execution must be to have your head stamped on by an elephant, as they used to do in India. Someone wrote a story called 'The Judgement of the Elephant' but I can't remember who it was. A sort of trial by ordeal. If the elephant decides not to stamp then you're innocent by an act of grace. Like witches being ducked. Is there no end to sick humanity? The world will only end when it goes into the sun, and probably thinks of us as only a species of annoying slime that digs disrespectfully into its crust.

If you'd like to create a topic for 'Turn of the Screw' you are welcome to, and I'd be interested to see the comments. The story, though... I'll pass on reading it again! ;)

The other stories, if you'd like us to read them as a group, please try to find a link online where we can read it for free. "The Tales To Chill Your Blood Short Story Group Reads" topic has lots of places you can find older stories online. We always need more suggestions for group reads, and the stories you're suggesting sound good, especially talking heads in a bag! We can be a morbid bunch here.

David, it is utterly horrifying how sadistic human beings can be, isn't it? I think that's why I prefer supernatural horror to real person/human monster horror. I can deal with unreal monsters doing such things much better than humans.

Canterville Ghost and Other Stories If you are in need of a few laughs I can recommend this one.

Speaking for myself, I have mixed feelings about common reads in the groups I'm in. One the one hand, my to-read shelf has nearly 230 books on it as it is, so I'm often reluctant to read things that aren't already on it. (My schedule also doesn't give me nearly as much time for reading as I'd like.) But on the other hand, I know that common reads can be a lot of fun; and I've found some five-star books that way that I never would have otherwise! So I might join in sometimes.

This month, I'm reading a book for a common read in another group, and am committed to participate in one next month in yet another group. :-) After that, I have three books written or partly written by various Goodreads friends that I've promised to read, another book I told a lady in one of my other groups (last summer!) that I'd try to put next on my list, a book one of my Goodreads friends wants my take on, and several loose ends in my reading I want to tie up. After that, it should be time for my annual buddy read with one of my top friends. So I've got quite a bit on my plate for the next several months! That said, though, I've read both of the books Jaime suggested, and could chime in on discussions of either one. They'd both be excellent choices for this group!

I'm up for anything. I enjoy the short stories because you can get through them quick. I have 3 books on hold at the library for group reads. But would not mind one more. I've been busy and have not posted a lot but I'm still reading.

Hill House isn't that long. I think we could read a short novel or novella if there was enough interest. It would also help if they were available to read for free online, I can agree with Werner about the to-read shelf being huge and having other group reads.

Jaime, I wasn't disparaging your suggestion at all; I think it's a good idea. One thing that also has to be kept in mind about common reads is that, after all, they're voluntary; so even if some people don't take part, that doesn't stop those who want to from joining in!

I have to admit that the short story format works best with my cramped reading schedule.

Don't forget you can do buddy reads, just start a thread for a book you want to read and see if someone wants to join you.

I've been sitting back and watching the discussion (seems rather voyeuristic when put that way doesn't it?) I've cut back on "group reads" this year. I was in like, half a dozen group reads and was barely keeping up. I always have trouble getting to "my own books' anyway as I'm also bad to have a stack of library books..so, my rule on group reads this year is that if I was planning to read the book and can move it up on my list, then I participate. But I'm going to be more circumspect about adding books specifically for group reads. So, group reads can be fun, but don't be insulted if I participate sort of "on and off". I have gotten myself badly over committed in the past.

Mike, I am the same way. No worries.

Can we please start reading something together? What about Varney the Vampire, House by the Churchyard, Hughes the Were Wolf, Dracula, Frankenstein, The Witch of Prague, anything? Reading alone is like travelling alone. You want to share things. I do, anyway.

I'm a little too busy to coordinate another book discussion at this juncture. If people want to volunteer to do it, I'm all for doing them on this group.

As I said above, feel free to suggest one of those as a buddy read, David. All you have to do is start thread under group reads.

I've read both Dracula and Frankenstein, and have access to library copies to refer to; so I can contribute to a group discussion of either one, if the group wants to do that anytime. This evening, I began reading City of Bones, which is a common read (for March) in another group; but though it's certainly supernatural fiction, I don't know that it would exactly fit the profile of "classic horror."

Werner, I enjoyed City of Bones. I'm looking forward to your thoughts on it.

Danielle, let me officially apologize because I'm finishing City of Bones and I really don't like it. I tried, I wanted to, I needed a good urban fantasy but I just couldn't like it...sorry. I would say why, but I'll review it. That way you can read it if you want...and skip it if you don't. For one thing I got the audio and it was a poor reader. But the book had/has enough problems I just couldn't get past them...sorry. I respect your taste so, this is just a case of to each as they say.

Try to forgive me. :)

We have our weekly group reads. I wish we had more participation in those discussions, I have to say! Other than that, it may be the best idea to create a thread for a book you'd like to discuss. I know I'd like to read The Castle of Otranto and House by the Churchyard, and many of us have read Dracula, Frankenstein, Carmilla, The Monk, etc. Please feel free to create a thread to discuss any classic horror or gothic novel you'd like.

There is no need to apologize for disliking a book I love, Mike. Different strokes and all that!

I'd like to suggest that we have a reviews area for classic horror. Since we all are not friends (at least not yet), reviews often get missed. So my suggestion would to post up your review of classic horror reads here, as well as your general Goodreads review. We do this in the Poetry Challenge group, and I think it's worked well.

That's a great idea, Steve!

Steve, did you have in mind posting links to reviews we've already written for clasic horror books, or just for the reviews we write in the future? (Both would be worth having links to, IMO.)

You can do that simply (as Werner said) by posting a link then any review can be clicked on.

Werner (and Mike) I think just posting them up here whenever you have a review that may meet the group criteria. But a link would do the same thing. For example, I just did a review for Plath's Ariel collection. I posted like I normally do, but then I also posted it up in the Group home. I don't see any reason why we couldn't go back and pull things up. In fact, especially so with this group (Classic Horror), I would recommend it. We should have a pretty impressive review bank in no time.

Why not just post the review and if you want, the link? Sounds fine to me.

Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "Danielle, let me officially apologize because I'm finishing City of Bones and I really don't like it. I tried, I wanted to, I needed a good urban fantasy but I just couldn't like it..."

Hi Mike, I didn't care for it either. However, today I saw the movie Atlas Shrugged at the suggestion of a friend and we enjoyed it very much. I have mostly forgotten the book which I last read in 1975 so need to find a copy and read it again. Its very controversial so I think you might like it.

I read Atlas Shrugged some years ago. It's a well written book...though I see some obvious logical flaws.

My review if you want to read it (if not, just ignore it) :) :

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Hello. My name is Marie and I am new to the group. Can you tell me what you are reading?.

Welcome Lisa, not reading any Horror right now. Action and "speculative fiction". Feel free to check my book shelves.

Lisa, here is our reading thread:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/3...

I would participate in a Frankenstein or Dracula discussion. I also love Daphne DuMaurier. Although I love the Poe stories for the Oct 1 discussion, I recommend reading some of his other short stories, for example Loss of Breath, The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether, Hop-Frog. His work is so vast. For one of my class we'll be reading The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym, although not 'horror,' I'm looking forward to reading it. Also, Edith Wharton has a book of ghost stories. Talk soon! Just to note, I am enrolled in English Master's program, so it is hard for me to always participate, but I follow. :-) Actually one of my courses is about romance--sentimental, gothic, historical, and frontier. Some of the texts are psychological horror, Brockden Brown, Poe, Montgomery Bird, the Gothic.

Tonia, feel free to start a thread for a book or story you want to read, if you don't want to do it as an online read. I'm sure someone will dive in and join you.

I would like to work my way through pretty much all of the gothic/horror classics. It might just take me a while.

Oh okay, great! I'll have to find some time. I know the feeling, so many books, so little time! :-)

Exactly!

Ill check out Hell House. Thanks Kyle!

I just joined the group. I wrote a book that I believe falls under the classic horror genre, or at least that was my intent. Is it OK to tell you guys about it or would that be considered spamming. I want to respect the group and I'm new to this. SH

Hello, SHBown. You can create a thread under Promotions. Thanks for asking.

Are we allowed to suggest our own works?

Martha wrote: "We have our weekly group reads. I wish we had more participation in those discussions, I have to say! Other than that, it may be the best idea to create a thread for a book you'd like to discuss. I..."

These weekly group reads seem to have fizzled out; but I have to admit I never took part in these. In most of these cases, the idea was to read short stories that are in the public domain, online in the electronic format. That's not my preferred format for reading, and it doesn't fit well into my routine. I'll sometimes read a freebie short story on my Kindle app; but normally, if I read a short story, it's as part of a collection in a printed book. As erratically as I read in the electronic format, I'd never finish a short story in the same time frame as the rest of the group.

In the posts above, going back over about six years, there's some discussion of doing common reads of books (rather than just stories), which would actually work better for me; but as I recall, nothing ever came of this. Of the 13 Goodreads groups I'm in, seven don't do common reads at all, so it's not something groups have to do. Another one does three per month, plus "buddy reads" (with multiple "buddies"), and another does common reads every once in awhile, on no fixed schedule. I don't really take part in the reads in the first group, and only seldom do in the other one. But four other groups do an annual common read, coinciding with a calendar month (they're back-to-back, August through November), and I always take part in those. If we did something similar in this group, I expect I'd probably usually participate, if it were scheduled in a month that didn't conflict with the reads in my other groups.