The local library's reading challenge

[yuuago]

The local library is doing an "Exploring Horror Subgenres" challenge. The idea is to try out various different types of horror, read one from each category, maybe give something new a shot, etc. They have a list of recommended reading (you can also pick stuff for the challenge that isn't on their list, though).

Here's the library's recommended list (plus notes on what I've read):

Gothic Horror
+ Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia [Have read previously, enjoyed it, thought it was pretty creepy, would read more by this author]
+ The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling [Read for this challenge, thought it was interesting but not a favourite, was more interested in the general worldbuilding than in the horror tbh]
+ The Girl From Rawblood by Catriona Ward

Hauntings & Spirits
+ The Spite House by Johnny Compton [Read for this challenge, enjoyed it a lot but was left with lots of unanswered questions]
+ Mary by Nat Cassidy
+ Reprive by James Han Mattson
+ Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Slasher
+ Daphne by Josh Malerman
+ The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
+ Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare

Creature Feature
+ Devolution by Max Brooks [Read for this challenge, enjoyed it, loved the mixed media format - then again this author has done a good job with that previously]
+ Road of Bones by Christopher Golden [Read it previously. Wanted to love it but felt it didn't live up to its premise. Then again, I think maybe I was hoping for a different story - I wanted ghosts and got a monster instead?]
+ Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt [Read it previously. Enjoyed it but not as much as Echo by the same author. I'm still very surprised that the English version of Hex is apparently so very different from the Dutch version, dude straight-up rewrote it?!]

Sci-Fi Horror
+ Cold Eternity by S. A. Barnes
+ Parasite by Mira Grant
+ We Have Always Been Here by Lena Nguyen

Horror Comedy
+ John Dies at the End by David Wong
+ Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink [Read it previously. It was... a Night Vale book. Not much more to say.]
+ Cat Out of Hell by Lynne Truss [Read for this challenge. Had a strong start but lost interest as time went on. Not as comedy-ish as I expected from the title.]

Historical Horror
+ Butcher by Joyce Carol Oates
+ Ring Shout by P. Djeli Clark [Read for this challenge. Enjoyed quite a bit, would recommend. Banger premise and mostly lives up to it.]
+ In the House in the Dark of the Woods by Laird Hunt
---

For books not on the list, I'm planning on reading these two:

Slasher: My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones. I really enjoyed The Buffalo Hunter Hunter and have been meaning to read more of this guy's work.

Sci-Fi horror: Authority by Jeff VanderMeer. I've already read Annihilation, and enjoyed it enough to put the sequel on the to-read list, soooo I guess there's no time like the present. :V

Anyway! Has anyone read any of these? Thoughts etc? I find with a lot of horror the premise sounds interesting but the execution doesn't live up to my hopes. Which goes for movies too, I suppose.

Comments

[teslac0ils]

Oh man I actually have been meaning to re-read John Dies at the End ever since someone in my book club mentioned a couple weeks ago that it has sequels. I read it way back when it came out and I loved it. Take that with a grain of salt, I guess, because I was a teenager, but I remember it being VERY fun and also having some genuinely disturbing horror. Some horror-comedies lean more to one side or the other but from my recollection this one does both sides well.

I don't recommend looking into the movie though, that was a disappointment.

[yuuago]

Oh, that so! Sounds pretty cool, will have to put it on my to-read list! <3

[hebethen]

I read Parasite near to when it originally came out; the concept was very interesting, I think, but I'm not sure I was convinced by the characters.

[yuuago]

:Va Hmm! Noted. Will keep that in mind if I end up reading it.