I was browsing the book shelves lately and I realized something – I am too old for 99% of the YA stuff on the shelf. I know what you are asking: a.) I’m young and b.) I am an adult so where is the problem.
The problem is, I’m extremely picky and I also tend to blow through books so fast that it’s tough keeping up a ‘to-read’ list.
I’m a huge fan of Stephen King-style horror – just not of Stephen King, supernatural thrillers, there are other authors that have done it better – and old-school suspense books.
The problem is that the genre seems to be saturated with young adult authors now a days and I’m just not a fan of the
watered-down horror that’s being written for the genre. It it isn’t that it is your general post-apoc/zombie novels that keep popping up.
I’ve already read the traditional horror classics from Matheson, Barker, Peter Straub, Robert McCammon (and recently Koontz), etc. and I absolutely loved The Passage/The Twelve from Justin Cronin. Now I am on a quest for books that fit the bill.
The only book by Dan Simmons that I’ve read was “The Terror” and “Carrion Comfort”, and I honestly just thought they were pretty mediocre. I should have known when I picked up “Carrion Comfort” with the Nazi/vampire theme, how could it not be … strange. But I can accept that Simmons has his moments of mediocrity. All writers have them from time to time. On the other hand, Simmons has won a heap of critical awards; among them the Nebula, Hugo, Bram Stoker, World Fantasy, and Locus awards.
I am currently waiting on my copy of “
Let the Right One In” by
John Ajvide Lindqvist to be delivered, I ordered it yesterday from Amazon.
It is autumn 1981 when the inconceivable comes to Blackeberg, a suburb in Sweden. The body of a teenage boy is found, emptied of blood, the murder rumored to be part of a ritual killing. Twelve-year-old Oskar is personally hoping that revenge has come at long last—revenge for the bullying he endures at school, day after day.
People have suggested
Clive Barker, though I am not a CB fan.
If Koontz is a King rip off, Barker is a Lovecraft clone and I find that sort of horror daunting as well.
Suggestions?
Let me know what you are reading.
I was browsing the book shelves lately and I realized something – I am too old for 99% of the YA stuff on the shelf. I know what you are asking: a.) I’m young and b.) I am an adult so where is the problem.
The problem is, I’m extremely picky and I also tend to blow through books so fast that it’s tough keeping up a ‘to-read’ list.
I’m a huge fan of Stephen King-style horror – just not of Stephen King, supernatural thrillers, there are other authors that have done it better – and old-school suspense books.
The problem is that the genre seems to be saturated with young adult authors now a days and I’m just not a fan of the watered-down horror that’s being written for the genre. It it isn’t that it is your general post-apoc/zombie novels that keep popping up.
I’ve already read the traditional horror classics from Matheson, Barker, Peter Straub, Robert McCammon (and recently Koontz), etc. and I absolutely loved The Passage/The Twelve from Justin Cronin. Now I am on a quest for books that fit the bill.
The only book by Dan Simmons that I’ve read was “The Terror” and “Carrion Comfort”, and I honestly just thought they were pretty mediocre. I should have known when I picked up “Carrion Comfort” with the Nazi/vampire theme, how could it not be … strange. But I can accept that Simmons has his moments of mediocrity. All writers have them from time to time. On the other hand, Simmons has won a heap of critical awards; among them the Nebula, Hugo, Bram Stoker, World Fantasy, and Locus awards.
I am currently waiting on my copy of “Let the Right One In” by John Ajvide Lindqvist to be delivered, I ordered it yesterday from Amazon.
I was told I should try Lake Mungo (2008), but it left me cold. Out of all of the movies I have watched recently it was the one that made my least favorite list.
The reason that I tried it was purely off of the positive comments I’ve seen about it and was unfortunately disappointed with it.
I liked the documentary feel to it, and I did think it worked well in eliciting empathy for the family. It was un-engaging and the ending was just sort of there.