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Screaming Rainbow 2: Electric Spookaloo

By MPL Staff on Oct 19, 2015 3:00 PM

Welcome again to another round of book recommendations that are simply to die for! If you're looking for a great scream before bed, why not check out one of these fine books. But you don't have to take my word for it...

"When Frank Nichols’ aunt leaves him the old family plantation in her will, she does it with a warning: it would be best to just sell it and take the money. But it is the middle of the Great Depression, and Frank has just lost his university job in Chicago due to his affair with a married woman, Eudora, so he and his paramour move down to Whitbrow, Georgia, where he plans to write a book about the evil acts committed by his great-grandfather, a famously cruel Confederate general. The couple find themselves in a deep-south small town, typical, except for the monthly sacrifice of two garland bedecked pigs to “those across the river”. Frank and Dora work to bring modern sensibilities to their new neighbors, starting with keeping them from wasting perfectly good pigs when everyone is starving… but those across the river will not be denied, and soon all hell breaks loose.  Those Across the River is like a good Hitchcock film, starting slow with realistic world building and character development, before exploding into a terrifying final act that will haunt you for long after you finish reading." - Jen @ Central

"Harper Curtis is a time travelling serial killer who commits crimes to satisfy the bloodthirsty cravings of a Chicago bungalow. Yep, the house makes him kill people, ‘shiny young girls’. The Shining Girls is a game of cat and mouse that readers of urban fantasy won’t want to miss. " - Jacki @ Central

"If you're looking for a classic, why not try the novel that has spawned countless adaptations, the Gothic Victorian story about the most famous vampire in history, Dracula. Told in epistolary format, we learn of this creature-of-the-night through journals and letters written by his victims and their loved ones. A well-researched story, the Count is loosely based on historic Transylvania ruler Vlad the Impaler, and Dracula's travels through Transylvania and England are so accurate as to have been recreated by fascinated tourists. More atmospheric and spooky than scary, this book will transport you to another place and time, when typewriters and transfusions (and psychoanalysis) were relatively new, damsels-in-distress were protected by teams of brave men, and bloodsuckers may be lurking in the mist outside your window." - Madame Mia @ Central

"I loved Ring because it not only scares the pants off of you but makes you think twice about making fun of people who are a little different.  Also, when someone tells you don’t watch a tape or you’ll die…listen to them!  I ended up freaking out each time I heard a creak in my room and checking under my bed because the story keeps you so on edge.  Will Asakawa be able to stop the evil before it’s too late?  I recommend this book to anyone who loves to be frightened by a great read from a fantastic author!" - Beth W from Central

"Let the Right One In is by far my favorite vampire novel.  Ajvide accomplishes the extraordinary feat of allowing his vampires to be the gruesome and parasitic creatures established in earlier horror novels, such as Dracula, and but also creates characters that evoke human sympathy, both victim and vampire." - Laura @ Central

"One of my favorite bedtime stories (Yeti, Turn Out the Light!) stars an impossibly lovable yeti who, despite being a big scary monster himself, is afraid of the dark and unable to fall asleep. His imagination running wild, he sees shadowy figures in his bedroom that force him to pull the covers over his head in fright; but when he turns on the light, the shadows are revealed to be adorable forest creatures. With the help of his furry friends, will Yeti finally fall asleep? This laugh-out-loud picture book is full of clever rhymes and delightful illustrations." - Emily from East



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