Horror BOTM

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phineas12gauge

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This thread is for selection of the horror book of the month. For October we have the following suggestions:

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
Ghost Story by Peter Straub


Anyone interested in participating in a horror book club?

Basically, we'd vote on a book, read it, and discuss.

Discussion can range to whatever elements interest you. For me, I'd like to discuss the more technical aspects of the book: plot analysis, major themes, etc ...

I don't want to set hard deadlines, you basically read at your own pace and contribute to the discussion at your own pace.

At the end of the month, we move on to a new book and leave the previous months open in case of late-comers.

To save time, I have already picked out the first book to read :)
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Jcomp

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I'm game.
 
BigWords

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phineas12gauge said:
Off Season by Jack Ketchum
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Hmm. Don't have the Ballantine edition, but I have the Cemetery Dance edition with the extra splatter. :) Not a bad choice for a discussion - the gore vs suspense threads pop up every so often, and it might help people verbalize their thoughts more concisely.
 
phineas12gauge

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BigWords said:
Hmm. Don't have the Ballantine edition, but I have the Cemetery Dance edition with the extra splatter. :)
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Good god, no one should be reading the ballantine edition. :)

I picked up the uncut version from dorchester pub.

I would encourage anyone who wants to take part to find an uncut/authors edition in order to get the full effect.
 

Jcomp

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BigWords said:
Not a bad choice for a discussion - the gore vs suspense threads pop up every so often, and it might help people verbalize their thoughts more concisely.
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I agree. I think this would be a great book for the club to examine.
 
phineas12gauge

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Alrightee, I'm aiming for sept 1st for our inaugural BOTM

So, if you are interested in participating pick up a copy of 'Off Season' by Jack Ketchum

Stay away from the ballantine edition, try to find a copy that specifically says author's edition or UNCUT.

The ending is different in the ballantine version and it really takes away from one of the major themes in the book.
 
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Rhoda Nightingale

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I like the idea of this reading group thingy, however I have a question: If "Off Season" one of the books that Ketchum based off a true story? I ask because I have personal moral issues with that and won't be participating this month if it's the case.
 
phineas12gauge

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Rhoda Nightingale said:
I like the idea of this reading group thingy, however I have a question: If "Off Season" one of the books that Ketchum based off a true story? I ask because I have personal moral issues with that and won't be participating this month if it's the case.
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Yes and no. It is based around the myth of sawney bean. No one has really proved it was real, so I'm leaning towards it being a myth.

But I think you are thinking of 'the girl next door' which is based on the murder of Sylvia Likens. I'm told that its a rather hard book to stomach.
 
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Rhoda Nightingale

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^I am thinking of that, but my impression was that it's not the only book Ketchum has that's like that.

Anyways--thanks!
 
phineas12gauge

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Rhoda Nightingale said:
^I am thinking of that, but my impression was that it's not the only book Ketchum has that's like that.

Anyways--thanks!
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Yeah, I will tell you that if you have a weak stomach, it's probably not the best book to read.

Just to put this out there:

My intent is to have a selection of "challenging" books for us to read which is why I choose Ketchum to kick this off. Originally, I had considered naming 'The Bighead' by Edward Lee as BOTM, but decided this one would be a little easier to handle.

Around the end of september, I will open up a thread for suggestions for the October BOTM, so the community can choose -- only restriction is I would like to see something related to Halloween :)
 
ASC McLaren

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No copies at the local Barnes and Noble, one of you beat me to it! I did score a copy, in great shape at the used book store for under $4!
 
soapdish

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Ooh, I'm in. I think I have this book already. I feel like I started it, but didn't finish it. If not, I'm sure I can round up a copy.

ETA: Oops. I was thinking of Offspring. Not Off Season. One came before the other right? This may have been why I didn't follow it. Anyway, still should be able to track down a copy.
 
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phineas12gauge

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soapdish said:
Ooh, I'm in. I think I have this book already. I feel like I started it, but didn't finish it. If not, I'm sure I can round up a copy.

ETA: Oops. I was thinking of Offspring. Not Off Season. One came before the other right? This may have been why I didn't follow it. Anyway, still should be able to track down a copy.
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Yep, Off Season is the first novel and Offspring is the sequel.

Offspring can be bonus reading for the month :)
 
Archerbird

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I'm when I can get the books.
 
meowzbark

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I'm in. Bought it online for $4 so just waiting for it to be shipped.
 
seun

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I'm provisionally in. Depends on my workload and if I can get hold of the book - I've read Off Season but Ketchum isn't that easy for me to get hold of here.
 
phineas12gauge

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Here's two suggestions for the October BOTM:

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson or The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

Feel free to suggest a title, hopefully we can come to a consensus on what to read next by Oct 1st :)
 
Haggis

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Peter Straub's Ghost Story would be a nice addition too. There are so many possibilities, it's hard to limit the choices.
 
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