Saturday, June 4, 2016

Light Summer Reading, Goth Style!

Well, now that Summer (ewww!!) is here, I hope you have all the important items goths need at this time of year:  sun glasses, gloves, SPF 1000+ sunscreen, a big hat, a huge parasol, etc.  You know, like these savvy people:

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iFngu-jjyAA/VcFYmWsT51I/AAAAAAAANxY/oTp3xNKjqyo/s640/blogger-image--536886878.jpg

The OTHER thing you will need is appropriate reading material, and I've found some perfects books to share with you!  Four collections of horror stories, written mostly by Victorian writers.  I found all of these books in my favorite thrift store (Half Price Books); only one was actually a used book, but every singe one was priced at only $3.00 or $4.00!  Anyway, here they are:

The Power of Darkness: Tales of Terror by Edith Nesbit  (David Stuart Davies, Ed.)

Edith Nesbit is best known for her classic children's books, including The Railway Children, but as it turns out she was also an incredible teller of horror tales!  Of the twenty stories in this collection, there is only one I don't like.  If you like stories involving possessed statues, reanimated corpses, vampiric vines, vengeful ghosts, and love that transcends the grave, you will LOVE this book!  It definitely found a permanent place in my bookshelf.

Bone To His Bone: The Stoneground Ghost Tales of E.G. Swain

Originally published in 1912, this is a reprint of a really interesting collection of nine ghost stories that revolve around the Reverend Mr. Batchel, rector of a small English parish around the turn of the 20th century.  Mr. Swain wrote in the style of M.R. James, a well-known author in the Victorian period whose horror stories are legendary (I'll be hunting for one of HIS collections next.)

As a bonus, six stories by a modern author, David Rowlands, are included, which continue the supernatural adventures of Mr. Batchel, and honestly, they are written in a style so close to Swain's that I doubt I'd know the difference if I hadn't been told.  This book is another keeper!

Dracula's Guest: A Connoisseur's Collection of Victorian Vampire Stories (Michael Sims, Ed.)

This is a collection of 22 vampire stories by various authors.  Some are extremely good, others not so much.  I decided not to keep the book, as less than half of the stories made me want to read them a second time.  However, I definitely recommend it for at least one reading!  And it introduced me to a couple of writers whose other stories I will be searching out in the near future.

Night Shivers: The Ghost Stories of J.H. Riddell  (David Stuart Davies, Ed.)

I haven't finished this one yet, but it's already a keeper.  The author is another Victorian woman who really knew how to keep her readers interested and hanging on her every word.  I've read about half of the 15 stories, and the last one is actually a novella, so I will finish this horror story reading frenzy with a BANG!  

So, are you reading anything interesting this summer?  

20 comments:

  1. The indoors are my friend this time of year. Actually the indoors are my friend everyday of the year. XD

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    1. This time of year, I agree with you. Unfortunately, my apartment is full of baseball and basketball noise this time of year, AND we have only fans, no A/C. The racket can be horrendous! The quietest indoors I can find is usually my office at work, BLEAH.

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  2. These sound interesting read, I might check kindle or the local library. Currently, I'm in the process of reading A Clash of Kings so may be a while as I'm v. slow reader.

    I'm a slight weird Goth as I love being outside and the sunshine.Where I live, we only get one day of sun and I have to splurge the the kiddies sf 50.

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    1. You're not weird, you're a... hmmm... a HelioGoth, that's it! :-) Hey, we have so many branches of Goth already, what's one more? ;-)

      And since you get only one day of sun per year (or is that per lifetime??), NO Goth Points will be deducted.

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    2. Sarah isn't kidding - we do only get one day of sun here in Newcastle. And I had to wear factor 50!

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    3. Oh, I DO believe it! I just wish we had less sun around HERE in the summer, or that we could at least send some of it to you. :-)

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  3. Lol. That is a picture of me and my friends at the beach last year. I'm under the floral parasol on the left.

    The books sound great. It is a perfect time of year to read more.

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    1. VERY cool, thanks for telling me! I hope you don't mind my using the pic, if so, please let me know. It looks like you had quite a group, must have been fun. And I LOVE that floral parasol!

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  4. Thank you. We had a great day and I don't mind you using the photo. Here is a post on our Goth day at the beach. :)
    http://mourningglorydesigns.blogspot.ca/2015/08/goth-day-at-beach.html

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    1. Thank you! And thank you SO much for the link, I loved the post! I'm DROOLING with envy over those hearses as well... I'm following you now, so looking forward to reading your blog. :-)

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  5. I can't really relate to this whole "ewww it's summer" thing. I love being outside in the summer! I've been planning a number of beach and camping trips. A slight tan has never bothered me ... perhaps because I'm just so sporty. Staying indoors all the time would drive me CRAZY.

    Thanks for the reads.

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    1. I don't want to stay inside ALL the time, either, but I hate being out in the hot sun for very long. That's what parasols and beach umbrellas are for! And camping trips usually involve trees and shade, so those are fine, too.

      Hope you enjoy the books! :-)

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  6. Thanks for the tips! Summer reading is indeed important. I'm reading Anne Rice's "Prince Lestat" these days.

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    1. You're welcome, hope you enjoy them! And I didn't know she had written yet another vampire book, thanks for the update. I read the first three when they came out, back at the beginning of the world, but haven't read any since. I didn't realize there were eleven of them now! I've got to get up to date on these things...

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    2. Actually, Lucretia, she not only wrote the Vampire Chronicles but also three stories in the Lives of the Mayfair Witches. When you get to "Blackwood Farm," the lines between those two story lines begin to blur. "Blood Canticle" is a total merging of the two.

      "Prince Lestat," which I'm reading now, was published in October, 2014 and seems to be a full return to the "Vampire Chronicles."

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    3. Well, since I'm almost finished with my books above (I just started reading the novella in the last book today), I will be needing something new to read! I do remember hearing about the Mayfair Witches books, but for some reason never read them. Thanks for the explanation of how they all fit together; that will make it easier to figure out what's going on when I jump in. :-)

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  7. The Victorians were great at subtly spine chilling stories!

    Actually it's winter here and we have had crazy storms the last few days! Roofs were lost, giant waves ripped off bits of people's houses! It was so Gothic! :P

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    1. Yes, at times I think they were almost TOO subtle, as occasionally I get to a story's end and am not quite sure what happened.

      Oh, what perfect weather for reading this stuff, although I don't envy you or anyone else who has to live in it! I hope not too many people were hurt, though.

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  8. I'm reading a short story collection by Joe Abercrombie called Sharp Ends - I'm enjoying it but it is one for the fans as it's stories in context with his First Law fantasy novels.

    I also just devoured Smoke Gets In Your Eyes: Tales from the Crematorium by Caitlin Doughty, about working in the death industry and moving towards the concept of a good death. I loved it. I think you probably have to have a little bit of mort inside you to read it though, some people would not enjoy it. Anyhow, I don't want to be cremated, and I don't want to be embalmed. Just tip me in a hole.

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    1. Oh, I like the sound of that second book, I must get it!! I enjoy books of that nature, and even though I have NO desire to be cremated, I am definitely interested in her thoughts and experiences. And I agree with you, no embalming, no toasting, a shroud and a hole are just FINE for me.

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