Category: horror

Posted in horror, Literature, young adult

“The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall” by Katie Alender

Posted on by The Fireside Chats

I just wanted to take a minute to share the latest book I’ve read. I think this book is geared more towards the young adult crowd, however, I thought it was a pretty good book. The book had a really good story line but it didn’t have a lot of teenage angst or drama in it. I won’t say too much because I don’t ruin it for anyone who wants to read it. I will say this…this would be a good book for anyone who likes haunted house stories or stories about cursed land.

Synopsis: Delia’s new house isn’t just a house. Long ago, it was the Piven Institute for the Care and Correction of Troubled Females — an insane asylum nicknamed “Hysteria Hall.” However, many of the inmates were not insane, just defiant and strong willed. Kind of like Delia herself.

But the house still wants to keep “troubled” girls locked away. So, in the most horrifying way, Delia becomes trapped. And that’s when she learns that the house is also haunted.

Ghost girls wander the hallways in their old-fashioned nightgowns. A handsome ghost boy named Theo roams the grounds. Delia learns that all the spirits are unsettled and full of dark secrets. The house, too, harbors shocking truths within its walls — truths that only Delia can uncover, and that may set her free.

And she’ll need to act quickly — before the house’s power overtakes everything she loves.

Katie Alender brings heart-pounding suspense, gorgeous writing, and a feminist twist to this tale of memories and madness.

Posted in horror, Literature, mystery, young adult

“The Creeping” by Alexandra Sirowy

Posted on by The Fireside Chats

I finished reading this book last night. There is some teenage angst going on throughout the entire book. In a couple of places, I found it to be a little annoying but I wasn’t annoyed enough to stop reading. I guess I was determined enough to find out how the story ended. The story line was a good one so if you can over look the teenage angst and just focus on the story, then you may find this book enjoyable. That or the young adult crowd might find this book enjoyable to read.

Synopsis: Eleven years ago, Stella and Jeanie disappeared. Only Stella came back.

Now all she wants is a summer full of cove days, friends, and her gorgeous crush – until a fresh corpse leads Stella down a path of ancient evil and secrets.

Stella believes remembering what happened to Jeanie will save her. It won’t.

She used to know better than to believe in what slinks through the shadows. Not anymore.

Posted in children's, horror, Literature, mystery, thriller/suspense

My latest e-book purchase…

Posted on by The Fireside Chats

I got a bonus at work for having perfect attendance. I used a part of my bonus to purchase a gift card from Amazon which I used to purchase some new e-books to add to the collection on my Kindle Fire. I’m going to have to have to get reading pretty soon, my Kindle is quickly filling up. Below is the list of e-books I added….

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko
Al Capone Does My Homework by Gennifer Choldenko
Al Capone Throws Me a Curve by Gennifer Choldenko
Mary by Amy Cross
The Ghosts of Lake Forth Hotel by Amy Cross
Haunted by Amy Cross
The Last to Die by Kelly Garrett
The Lunar Wars by Janey Hunt
Ghost Song by Mark L’Estrange
The Haunting of Beacon Hill by Ambrose Ibsen
The Haunting of Rainier Aslyum by Ambrose Ibsen
Ghostland by Duncan Ralston
The Harrowing by Alexandra Sokoloff
Tainted Waters by Lucretia Stanhope
Feral by Lucretia Stanhope
Blood Relic by Lucretia Stanhope
Paracosm by Lucretia Stanhope
All Our Twisted Secrets by Diana Urban
The Room Upstairs by Iain Rob Wright

Posted in horror, Literature

"A Head Full of Ghosts" by Paul Tremblay

Posted on by The Fireside Chats

I finally finished reading this last night right before I went to bed. It says on the front of the book that this book scared Stephen King……I didn’t find it THAT scary. I figure Stephen King would be harder to scare than this. Yes, I think this was a good book and I wasn’t expecting the ending, however, I think that statement was more over hyped. They probably used that to get more people to read the book. You may just have to read it for yourself and see what you think….

Winner of the 2015 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Novel

A chilling thriller that brilliantly blends psychological suspense and supernatural horror, reminiscent of Stephen King’s The Shining, Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, and William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist.

The lives of the Barretts, a normal suburban New England family, are torn apart when fourteen-year-old Marjorie begins to display signs of acute schizophrenia.

To her parents’ despair, the doctors are unable to stop Marjorie’s descent into madness. As their stable home devolves into a house of horrors, they reluctantly turn to a local Catholic priest for help. Father Wanderly suggests an exorcism; he believes the vulnerable teenager is the victim of demonic possession. He also contacts a production company that is eager to document the Barretts’ plight. With John, Marjorie’s father, out of work for more than a year and the medical bills looming, the family agrees to be filmed, and soon find themselves the unwitting stars of The Possession, a hit reality television show. When events in the Barrett household explode in tragedy, the show and the shocking incidents it captures become the stuff of urban legend.

Fifteen years later, a bestselling writer interviews Marjorie’s younger sister, Merry. As she recalls those long ago events that took place when she was just eight years old, long-buried secrets and painful memories that clash with what was broadcast on television begin to surface—and a mind-bending tale of psychological horror is unleashed, raising vexing questions about memory and reality, science and religion, and the very nature of evil.

Posted in children's, horror, Literature

“Ghost and Bone” by Andrew Prentice

Posted on by The Fireside Chats

This was an interesting book. I have read ghost stories before but I’d never read about a living boy who can turn into a ghost whenever he wants to. There are a few twists and surprises by the time you get to the end of the book but I liked the way the book ended though. This is a perfect book for kids who enjoy a good scary story and aren’t easily scared (age range is probably around 8 – 12).

Synopsis: Oscar Grimstone is a normal kid—aside from his secret Curse. Whenever he touches something living, like a flower or his classroom goldfish, they always seem to die. But then Oscar discovers an even bigger secret: even though he is very much alive, he has the ability to transform into a ghost.

Just when he thinks things can’t get any stranger two ghosts show up at his home in a skeleton carriage and he winds up joining them on a journey beyond the real world to a place he never knew existed—the city of ghosts. There Oscar will discover a place where people go once they die, before they aboard a ship to the The Other Side. But will he find out who he really is?

Posted in horror, Literature

“If You Go Down To The Woods” by Seth C. Adams

Posted on by The Fireside Chats

I’ve finished this book today. It’s meant to be scary and it was, but there was some funny lines in the book. I liked the occasional funny lines in the book despite that it was suppose to be scary. I think it added a little bit of something extra to the story. Anyway, I was not disappointed with this book. It’s one of those books that will keep you on the edge of your seat through the whole thing. If you are a fan of “IT” by Stephen King or “The Chalk Man” by C. J. Tudor or the “Stranger Things” tv show, you should check out this book.

Synopsis: We were so young when it all happened–just 13-year-olds making the most of the long, hot, lazy days of summer, thinking we had the world at our feet. That was us–me, Fat Bobby, Jim, and Tara–the four members of the Outsiders’ Club. The day we found a burnt-out car in the woods was the day everything changed. Cold, hard cash in the front seat and a body in the trunk. It started as a mystery we were desperate to solve. Then the Collector arrived. He knew we had found his secret, and suddenly, our summer of innocence turned into the stuff of nightmares.

Posted in horror, Literature

“The Haunted” by Danielle Vega

Posted on by The Fireside Chats

I’ve got a book I’ve crossed off my list over the weekend. Even though it’s geared towards the young adult crowd, I decided to give it a try. I thought the story line was good and I liked the way the book ended. The only thing I didn’t really care for was the main character seemed like she couldn’t make up her mind which boy she liked more and even then she couldn’t decide if she wanted to be with that boy or not. That may be normal for young adult novels…I know I’ve seen it happen in a few other young adult novels I’ve read in the past.

Synopsis: From Danielle Vega, YA’s answer to Stephen King, comes a new paranormal novel about dark family secrets, deep-seated vengeance, and the horrifying truth that evil often lurks in the unlikeliest of places.

Hendricks Becker-O’Malley is new in town, and she’s bringing baggage with her. With a dark and wild past, Hendricks doesn’t think the small town her parents moved her to has much to offer her in terms of excitement. She plans on laying low, but when she’s suddenly welcomed into the popular crowd at school, things don’t go as expected.

Hendricks learns from her new friends that the fixer-upper her parents are so excited about is notorious in town. Local legend says it’s haunted. Hendricks doesn’t believe it. Until she’s forced to. Blood-curdling screams erupt from the basement, her little brother wakes up covered in scratches, and something, or someone pushes her dad down the stairs. With help from the mysterious boy next door, Hendricks makes it her mission to take down the ghosts . . . if they don’t take her first.

Posted in horror, Literature

“Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill your Bones” by Alvin Schwartz

Posted on by The Fireside Chats

I’ve finished the last in this series. These stories were everything I remembered from when I read them back in the 7th grade. They brought back a lot of memories from my childhood. They’re perfect for kids who aren’t scared easily and want to read some scary stories.

“Perfect for reading alone or aloud in a dimly lit room.” – Kirkus Reviews

Posted in horror, Literature

“More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” by Alvin Schwartz

Posted on by The Fireside Chats

I’ve finished the next book in the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series. I had originally read these books back in the 7th grade. I remember checking them out from the library in school. Good book for readers ages 8 to 12 if the child doesn’t scare easily.

“Guaranteed to make your teeth chatter and your spine tingle. The stories are short and perfect for telling aloud. Gammell’s eerie drawings are excellent.” – School Library Journal (starred review)

Also, on a side note, I went to the bookstore yesterday and picked up another book to add to my list of books to be read…

Posted in horror, Literature

“Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” by Alvin Schwartz

Posted on by The Fireside Chats

I read this book back in 7th grade (if memory serves me right). I wanted to re-read this book after they made a movie based on this book and it was released back in August. The book was just as I remember it. This book is good for younger audiences who enjoy a good scare (on the back of the book it says this book is appropriate for ages 8 to 12 but that depends on whether the child is easily scared or not).

“Sure to provoke chills along the spine, this collection of short selections about witches and ghosts includes ‘jump’ stories as well as macabre songs, modern-day psychic tales, and frightening legends from the past.” -ALA Booklist