"A REALLY INTELLIGENT INTERVIEWER." -- Lance Henriksen
"QUITE SIMPLY, THE BEST HORROR-THEMED BLOG ON THE NET." -- Joe Maddrey, Nightmares in Red White & Blue

**Find The Vault of Horror on Facebook and Twitter, or download the new mobile app!**

**Check out my other blogs, Standard of the Day, Proof of a Benevolent God and Lots of Pulp!**


Tuesday, June 30, 2009

The Vault of Horror's Summer Reading List!

You know, sometimes you have to shut the damn TV off and curl up with a good book. Checking out BJ-C's recent summer reading post at Day of the Woman, I was inspired to quit vegging out for just a moment and stretch those brain cells that once helped me attain a Master's in English Lit. so long ago. That's right, we're going to put the movies aside and talk about books tonight.

I've been taking more of an interest than ever in horror reading ever since I started this blog, presumably because I've been exposed to more of it. I was always about the science fiction, but never really strayed too far into horror on the printed page. But that's changed lately, as even the most perfunctory glance at my overloaded bookshelves would attest.

So, with an eye to the summer months ahead, here is a list of some of the books that I'm looking forward to getting to as I wile my hours away working on my George Hamilton-like suntan...

Infected
By Scott Sigler
Three Rivers Press

My dad lent me this one, about a strange disease turning thousands of Americans into rampaging murderers. And anything that's good enough for my own personal Obi-Wan Kenobi of horror is good enough for me. Besides, BJ-C also tells me it's good. But I'll probably check it out anyway.

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane
By Katherine Howe
Voice

My sister picked me up this supernatural thriller for Father's Day. She works for Barnes & Noble (corporate--she ain't slingin' Seattle's Best, no offense), and apparently this brand-spankin' new novel about the Salem witch trials is currently one of B&N's "Main Selections".

Frankenstein: A Cultural History
By Susan Tyler Hitchcock
W.W. Norton & Co.

I discovered this one via Pierre Fournier's indispensible Frankensteinia blog a while back, and I've been itching to get to it ever since. A fascinating-looking study of the impact of Mary Shelley's novel throughout the past two centuries, as well as its countless incarnations, this looks like a crucial tome for any classic horror fan.

Gospel of the Living Dead
By Kim Paffenroth

Baylor University Press
Yes, Kim is indeed a fellow member of the League of Tana-Tea Drinkers, but I assure you that has nothing to do with my selection. Because I owned this book before I ever knew Kim, or was even a member of the league. This is a one-of-a-kind look at George Romero's Dead series from a religious perspective. Scholarly, spiritual and horrific all at the same time, from a guy who proves you can be religious and still love horror.

The Rising
By Brian Keene
Leisure Books

This one goes back a few years, but I've found Keene to be one of the most promising new horror novelists, and so I'm anxious to jump into what looks like it could be his best. He won the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel for this zombie uprising tale.

The Loch
By Steve Alten

Tor Books

Hot off the proverbial presses, this novel is all about Scotland's infamous Loch Ness--only it seems that the creature living in it is not the gentle, mysterious Monster of familiar lore, but rather a bloodthirsty beast consuming luckless Scotsmen by the fistful.

Deeper
By James A. Moore

Berkley

Another brand new novel, this one has been thus far one of the best reviewed of the year. A salty sea yarn set in New England and drawing heavily on Lovecraftian themes, it also looks like a breezy, easy little read at just 273 pages. A welcome break from typical doorstopper genre novels.

They Hunger
By Scott Nicholson
Pinnacle

This 2007 effort from the Bram Stoker-nominated Nicholson (a professed Vault Dweller, by the way) brings us subhuman, bat-like vampires hunting hapless white-water rafters and anti-abortion activists on the run from the FBI. How's that for original? Publisher's Weekly describes it as a "vampiric Deliverance". Nice!

12 comments:

Mister Bones said...

The Rising was great, and you'll want to read City of the Dead afterwards ;)

Matthew said...

You might want to check out Meat and Garbage Man by Joseph D´Lacey, both are well worth reading. Also World War Z by Max Brooks is pretty amazing.

Cheers + thanks for the cool blog! ;)

Monster Scholar said...

I'm currently reading the Frankenstein book by Hitchcock and can't put it down. She gives a great summation of how the traits of the monster we know and love today evolved from countless visions and revisions of Shelley's story and its meaning.

John Sunseri said...

That's a nice list, B-Sol. If you enjoy Kim's GOSPEL, make sure you check out his DYING TO LIVE--he's as good with fiction as he is with non-fiction.

And don't forget THE STRAIN by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan. I think you'd enjoy it.

Doruk said...

Aw, nothing with werewolves? :/

Scott Sigler said...

I hope you enjoy INFECTED. And tell your Obi Wan of horror I said "howdy."

B-Sol said...

Thank you, sir. You're welcome in the Vault anytime!

oducerproducer said...

I enjoyed Gospel of The Dead quite a bit, even if it did cover Snyder's. The Book Of list Horror is a fun read aswell!

B-Sol said...

Good call! Book of Lists got a Stoker nomination this year.

Grim said...

Ooo, I'm always looking for some new reads. Thanks for posting these. I'll be checking them out. In fact I just came out with a list of zombie works posted at my blog. I haven't read them but there's definitly a lot of good stuff on it, or so I hear. Just in case anyone wants to meander over and take a look: http://grime-rot.blogspot.com/2009/06/zombie-reading-hit-list.html

gord said...

Just got back from my vacation. Glad to see the list up. I'll be heading to Chapters soon to check out these recommendations and the ones from the comments section. Thanks!

Rabid Fox said...

I listened to the audiobook of "Infected." Highly entertaining. The follow-up, "Contagious," is now on my radar.

A nice list here with a couple I'll have to really keep an eye out for--the Frankenstein one looks especially interesting.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...