You don’t need Halloween to justify reading scary books, any more than you need sand to justify reading a beach novel. But the holiday does give editors here a handy excuse to talk about some of their favorite spooky reads. On this week’s episode, the host Gilbert Cruz talks with his colleagues Tina Jordan and Sadie Stein about the enduring appeal of ghost stories, Gothic novels and other scary books.
Titles discussed:
“Ghost Hunters: William James and the Search for Scientific Proof of Life After Death,” by Deborah Blum
“Something Wicked This Way Comes,” by Ray Bradbury
“Rebecca,” by Daphne du Maurier
“Don’t Look Now: And Other Stories,” by Daphne du Maurier
“The Exorcist,” by William Peter Blatty
“Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark,” by Alvin Schwartz
“Ghosts,” by Edith Wharton
“Eight Ghosts: The English Heritage Book of Ghost Stories,” by various
“Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad,” by M.R. James
“The Hunger,” by Alma Katsu
“The Terror,” by Dan Simmons
“The Little Stranger,” by Sarah Waters
“Affinity,” by Sarah Waters
“The Paying Guests,” by Sarah Waters
“The Haunting of Hill House,” by Shirley Jackson
“Hell House,” by Richard Matheson
“House of Leaves,” by Mark Z. Danielewski
“A Haunting on the Hill,” by Elizabeth Hand
“The Virago Book of Ghost Stories,” edited by Richard Dalby
“The Turn of the Screw,” by Henry James
Book Club: 'My Brilliant Friend,' by Elena Ferrante
21st Century Books Special Edition: Jennifer Egan on 'A Visit from the Goon Squad'
Liz Moore on Her Summer Camp Mystery "The God of the Woods"
What We're Reading This Summer
21st Century Books Special Edition: George Saunders on 'Lincoln in the Bardo'
Sarah Jessica Parker on Her Life in Publishing
21st Century Books Special Edition: Min Jin Lee on 'Pachinko'
Book Club: Let's Talk About "The Talented Mr. Ripley," by Patricia Highsmith
21st Century Books Special Edition: Colson Whitehead on 'The Underground Railroad'
What It's Like to Write a King Arthur Tale
The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century
Book Club: 'Headshot,' by Rita Bullwinkel
Griffin Dunne on His Joyful and Tragic Family Memoir
10 Books to Check Out This Summer
Elin Hilderbrand on Her Final Nantucket Summer Book
Let's Talk About Percival Everett's 'James'
Writing About NASA's Most Shocking Moment
Fantasy Superstar Leigh Bardugo on Her New Novel
Colm Toibin on His Sequel to 'Brooklyn'
Book Club: Dolly Alderton's 'Good Material'
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