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I do love reading horror. My love for spooky, creepy, and unsettling stories started with my 6th-grade teacher's read of The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe during the week of Halloween. After that I begged my mom to buy me a copy of his collected works. I still have it somewhere on my shelves.
The other big influence on Dracula was John Polidori’s The Vampyre. That story initiated the ‘gentleman vampire’ concept (previously, vampires were more monster-like), and also made the idea of the vampire more seductive - e.g., biting the neck, rather than going straight for the heart. I read that Polidori came up with The Vampyre as part of the same challenge where Mary Shelley came up with Frankenstein. And the main character is meant to be loosely based on Lord Byron! It’s pretty basic and not really a great read, but it’s cool to see how it influenced vampire lore.
Thank you for the spoiler sections that we could skip through! So useful, I hate having books spoiled and as a horror reader primarily I have been interested in these. I think the scariest books are usually the ones that aren't even horror - ones which make you go 'this could actually happen to someone, it could even happen to me.'
I love these videos where you review the books you’ve read. I really appreciate how you don’t sugar coat your reviews, but you’re still kind and respectful. I appreciate a good, honest review. Added a few of these titles to my tbr.
Emily Carroll’s comics made me understand why people enjoyed horror even when it scared their pants off. I’ve never been jumpscared by a comic panel before. Edit: also, Stephen King’s The Sun Dog terrified me, a death scene from his Eyes of the Dragon literally gave me a fever, and I couldn’t finish his son Joe Hill’s Heart Shaped Box because I chickened out and dropped it. So maybe try his older stuff like Salem’s Lot or The Dark Half?
Very avid horror reader here - I usually read horror more for what it has to say on society, people, and various traumas and issues humanity has to confront. I very rarely get scared by books, but the easiest way to scare me is to put a likeable MC in realistic danger, and then I'm on the edge of my seat. David Sodergren seems like a horror author you would like - he's Scottish and implements humor and deep human connections in his stories, so if you want a better critique on artists (way better than "Haunting on the Hill" it sounds like!), "Night Shoot" has plenty to say about college film students and film school stereotypes. If you want deep human emotions with reflections on aging and existentialism in your horror, "The Haar" would be my choice. You're also one of the few people I've seen to give Rouge a good review, will definitely pick it up! Lovely video as always, thanks.
Thank you for the recommendation! I don’t believe I’ve heard of him but as a descendant of Scots I’m always partial to Scottish authors ❤️ oh really? I haven’t seen any reviews of rouge yet and I’m surprised it’s getting negative ones! Though I loved Bunny while many people hated it, so I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised 😅 I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
I liked Rouge! 4 Stars on my end. I find it’s been less of a sell for the hard core Bunny fans - Rouge doesn’t fling you into the weirdness and expect you to swim like Bunny does. It’s definitely a bit more linear and eases you in and I’d say it might be the most approachable Awad book for broader audiences. So my summarized take is, read it if you like Awad’s messaging, but read with caution if you’re a hard core Bunny stan who’s more in it for the weirdness.
@@tungstensmum1491 I've never read Awad and Bunny doesn't really interest me. Rouge having a linear story doesn't bother me in the slightest. I'll definitely be picking it up!
did I just discovered your channel? absolutely, did I just subscribed? absolutely, am I binge-watching your videos? yep 😂 your in depth reviews are very very good! you are honest and straight forward! My TBR is getting bigger and bigger😂.
"Dark Matter" by Michelle Paver, a British author: in my 60s and I had to have every light in the house on and the covers pulled up all the way. SK's "The Shining:" read alone in a recliner chair that divided the den from the dining nook/kitchen/back door, nothing behind it, and had to switch to a chair up against the wall. Good luck. (I hate rollercoasters.)
I have to say that Carmilla is one of my favorite books / short stories of all time. I reread it as a comfort read whenever I don't know what to do. Something about it, something about the language, the descriptions and the story, really amazes me. Highly recommend reading Carmilla to anyone who is contemplating doing so!
Haha aw thank you! I realized while making this video I don’t own as much black as I did back in the day so I struggled a bit 😂 I stopped wearing it as much when I dyed my hair red as I felt softer colours looked better on me!
For spooky but not scary : Buncula. It is a favorite since elementary school. Then there are the Fear Street novels. A Crocodile on the Sandbank read by Barbara Rosenblatt is Victorian spooky mystery during the birth of archeology with sass.
Excellent video, Elizabeth. The music, your aesthetics, your lovely kitties, the editing….everything was perfect. I am an avid Stephen King reader but perhaps his short stories are the least I like. Give it another try if you wish with one of his long books. Take care. 🙏🏻😚
I think you should have read The Stand. It is still the most frightening book I have ever read, especially since the pandemic startec. However, I think the Newsflesh series is even better.
Agree!! Honestly I think you might have just started on the wrong foot with King :/ he's more about the horror of exploring the potential of human depravity and less about atmosphere and supernatural horror. it's like "how does this supernatural thing EXPOSE HOW HORRIBLE WE ARE AS HUMANS?" it's like that. I hope you give him a second chance outside of this and The Stand!
@PlantBasedBride I'm glad. While there are still issues, mainly because of the time it was written, it's a solid piece of horror. Seanan McGuire as Mira Grant was more accurate as to how a pandemic would happen in the 21st century, but King did well given the time
So glad you loved Carmilla, I read it for the first time this month as well and really enjoyed it! I'm not sure how you feel about animated series but Castlevania on Netflix is amazing and has a character named Carmilla who is heavily based from the novel.
I LOVED that book! I think I gave it 4 stars when I finished, but it’s really stayed with me, and in retrospect, it’s become a favourite. The rest of the series isn’t as good (though I still enjoyed reading them), but that first book is amazing.
I had watched the movie before and loved the atmosphere but the book has nothing to do with it. Somehow I love both they just have nothing in common almost. Disappointed to know the rest of the series isn't as good but I'll definitely check out more of Vandermeer's work after that@@PlantBasedBride
I love that you read so many short stories in this video! I’m regards to Survivor Type, although it’s not a favourite of mine, I’ve read a heap of Stephen King short stories over the years and it’s one of a handful of his shorts that have really stayed with me. The concept and the visuals have lingered. The short story of King’s that I find the scariest is The Raft.
I physically braced myself when you read the Stephen King because his works are the scariest I have read to this date, shame the one you picked up didn't quite live up to the expectations :c
@@PlantBasedBride My personal scariest was Pet Sematary, literally kept me up all night while I finished it, and I was glad when the sun finally rose so it wasn't so dark in my apartment anymore 😂
Not to be a creep, but I totally just skimmed the comments hoping I'd see someone else talk about Pet Sematary and I'm glad I did! This book will definitely give you the heebie-jeebies!
@@Siocain- I was just about to leave a comment about the Pet Semetary, I find it to be the scariest and the one that has the best atmosphere from what I read until now from King. So happy to see other people that also share the same opinion🤗
This just moved Devil House to the top of my list. I lost one of my best childhood friends to violence and her story has been exploited a thousand times. I participated in a show about her because they told me it would be about her life and not just the person who killed her and that’s not how it ended up going. I have A LOT of feelings about true crime so I’m gonna try to get to this book soon.
Oh that’s awful 😞 I’m so sorry for your loss and the exploitation on top of it. Someone close to me had a similar experience and it’s a pain unlike anything else ❤️
@@PlantBasedBride It stays with you, for sure. Thank you 🩵 and thank you for using your platform to bring attention to that. It’s an important topic that people don’t talk about enough, considering the true crime genre is so prevalent these days.
Have you tried Algernon Blackwood? He's considered one of the early horror greats, and they're all short stories or novellas. Contemporary wise, you could try Stephen Graham Jones if you haven't already, he's written The Only Good Indians and Night of the Mannequins. 🎃
Loved this video. You can definitely handle horror a lot more than you think (at least when it comes to books!) if you do this again next year I'd love to see you try some scarier books without feeling a need to hold back because it might be too much
I think I've given up on the expectation of getting scared by a horror book, cause it hasn't happened in a very long time. I think what I find scary is just some very specific situations, where the unknown is pressing down on the character or where there's a situation mentally that seems inescapable, where you lose grip alongside the character, but those are hard to do well. great vlog! :) I will definitely read Rouge :D
Thank you for this list and review of these books. For Stephen King I would recommend "Gerald's Game" (my copy has 468 pgs.). It is not a door stop, so, you can get through it in a reasonable amount of time and it is spooky! If you have time for a longer read I would recommend "'Salem's Lot", which is a fantastic vampire story. It is a bit longer and some people complain about SK's description of the town and townspeople being too long and too much, but I think it helps create the atmosphere and you really feel like you know the town. I read "The Stand" for the first time in September, but I do not think that is scary/spooky and took me three weeks to finish. For a spooky short story, I can only think of "Strawberry Spring" in the "Night Shift" short story collection.
You might want read Twilight Eyes by Dean Koontz at the end of the book it leaves you unsure about who to trust because they might not be what they seem… it gives you that fear it might not give you nightmares but it will make you think 😊
I think some of the struggle you're having is that contemporary horror has really become quite atmospheric and less overtly scary. And Machen is technically Weird Fiction, which is only kinda horror. You might find something scarier looking at the 70s and 80s. For instance, I think King's scariest book is his early collection of short stories, Night Shift. Rosemary's Baby and The Exorcist are really scary. More recent but not new, Let Me In by John Ajvide Lindqvist. Perfume by Patrick Suskind is terrifying. Beloved by Toni Morrison. But really, horror, like comedy, is very personal. It can take a while to find what works for you.
💀👻👾Bit late to this video (I was waiting to have enough time to watch it in its entirety) but really enjoyed this! I've been working through quite a lot of classic horror/gothic novels the last couple of years in autumn, and it's been really fun. I also don't scare that easily in books, but I do appreciate a really creepy atmosphere amd the older stuff generally delivers!
In French, Edgar Allan Poe has been translated by the famous poet Baudelaire and this is the version I've read and I really loved it, I feel like I should read the english version for a refresher now.
Loved this for spooky season. I haven't read Survivor Type, BUT as a fellow scaredy cat I would recommend Misery by Stephen King. I listened to it as an audiobook, it's a relatively short one and was really tense.
The only book that creeped me out so much that I could not finish it is „it“ by stephen king - tried it three times but I could mot get past some scenes.. the pet cemetery by hin was also pretty creepy 🙈🙈 happy Halloween! 🎃
I didnt read this Stephen King´s storie, but I love his books cause he tend to be so psychological and write very cool characters. I recomend you The Shinning, The Green Mile and Carrie, three "classics" And also a Henry James gothic classsic:The turn of the Screw
I was in the same situation of not wanting to watch any horror and even less read anything scared. Fast forward, i'm still not watching horrors, but i've read so many Stephen Kings I lost track (not getting scared, but also avoided some really scary ones). I do reccomend reading a few of this non-horror books for any reader as I know many don't dare :) My top reccomend is 11/22/63 (not horror) and aboslutely The Dead Zone (not too scary, more of a thriller, but amazing nonetheless).
Really enjoyed this, Elizabeth! Thanks for sharing ❤ I have yet to enjoy a Stephen King book so I’m not surprised by your review lol. Going to try Misery this winter so we’ll see how that goes. Glad you didn’t have to end the video in defeat 😊
❤ the scariest HP Lovecraft I know is "The Rats In The Wall", oth it might be bc it was the first I read, and it put me off reading anything else for years, of course DH loves his work ... so we have the omnibuses, and I have skimmed some stories, in small doses, lately. That story by Stephen King is not what I would pick for the scariest. I liked it, bc it is weird, and kept me wondering where it might go, but scary ... nah. King is very much into unlikeable characters, they are very much "warts and all" and then something. Like "Children of The Corn" the couple in the story are not in a good place, and there is no happy ending. First filmed version turned them into a cute couple, and well ... Dressing up, right now I have a migraine, but I guess I will keep to my low key witch halloween look that I do every year. Mostly it is a long black skirt, that is how fun I am. I will make a pumpkin soup and something with apples perhaps, and pass out candy.
I saw that one recommended a lot, too, but sadly it wasn’t in my tiny compendium! I’ll have to read that one at some point. I’d love your Stephen King recommendations! I’m fine with unlikeable characters if we have a glimmer of humanity to connect with. Flawed/complex/unlikeable characters can be so fascinating! I’ll probably end up as a “witch” without a hat to hand out candy tonight, too 😂 or I’ll wear my trusty cow onesie, as it’s always a hit with the littles lol
If you ever feel like giving Stephen king a second chance I recommend “Misery”. It’s classic Stephen King when he was becoming famous. It’s a short book about a writer and the scary things that happen to him. The movie is also very good if you’re not in the mood for a book.
These themed videos are my favorite! 🎃🎃 I'm struggling to find the best way to say this, so I'll just say it...I preferred when you did the border around the video for the spoiler section. It was super easy to see when scrubbing through the video. Obviously you can do whatever you want and I hate "critiquing" anything in RUclipsrs' videos (I wouldn't call this a "critique", just letting you know I preferred the other way of showing which sections were spoilers). Anyway, I haven't read any of these books because I'm a wimpy baby lol, but maybe I'm like you and have a higher tolerance for reading horror than watching horror movies. I might give horror a try. This video really made me want to read Rouge!
Edger Alan Poe what a classic and amazing author to start with and wishing you all the best and hopefully you don’t take too long to find the book 📕 that gets you scared prayers and blessings to you and your family love your Aussie family friend John ❤❤❤
I know I’m very late commenting but I was so disappointed when you didn’t read The Woman in Black. Horror stories never really scare me, probably because I find them too ott to actually be scary. That said, The Woman in Black scares me to death every time. Both the book and the adaptation by the BBC. It’s a ghost story essentially but it’s so subtle and effective that I refuse to ever read the book or watch the adaptation if I’m in the house by myself!! You should definitely try it! Ghost stories by MR James also creep me out every time.
@@PlantBasedBride I think that's a nice idea regardless of what you read. I really enjoyed this video! I know you said you don't like paranormal books but if you enjoyed MR James then this is written in a similar style (constant and gradual sense of unease). Also, as many others have suggested, It would be fun to see you read Pet Cemetery by Stephen King, one of the few books of his that did actually really scare me!
Hi plant Based Bride...I got a scary story to tell while I prepare a Limoncello..it's about a father who built a two story Tubular house since his daughter was an invalid in a wheelchair he designed the house so his daughter would have an easy access to freely wheel herself around the house so he had the construction workers building it to his standard but after 3 months one of the workers fell down to his death and then the house completed at the end of the year and then the father brought his daughter to check out the house as he turned around his daughter suddenly flew off from the second floor down to her death her father was totally devastated and crying and I'n shock while grieving for his daughter
I don't like horror either. I don't think I've ever read a horror book and the few movies I've watched (I'm looking at you Se7en and The Shining) have stayed with me for YEARS! But I am intrigued by some of the books you read. I skipped the spoilers just in case I read them, but we'll see lol. Great video!
I know the feeling. I still have nightmares from scary movies I watched as a child/teenager! I hope you enjoy any of the books you pick up from this video ❤️ I’m curious which ones caught your eye!
Tbh I’m also a scaredy cat and I have found that with most of Stephen kings book (minus the shining 😮that one was scary) I’ve read I’m more disgusted than scared lol
🎃🦇🔮 Just finished your video! I'd like to first say that I really enjoy and appreciate your detailed thoughts and reviews of all the books you read. They help me decide which books to add to my TBR list (Rouge in this case!). I LOVE to be scared with fictional stuff! Give me all the horror movies! All the haunted houses! I love getting spooked knowing that what I'm reading or watching or experiencing isn't real because then I can surrender to allowing my mind to wander. I don't like true crime for this reason because it just makes me sad. Now, I've only read one Stephen King book and it scared the crap out of me, so I'll admit I was disappointed to hear how let down you felt from Survivor Type. However, ALL of the qualms you had with that short story are nonexistent in his book Pet Sematary. The main character, his family, and neighbors are all likeable. The story focuses mostly on the atmosphere and the internal thoughts and struggles Louis has and they are deeply relatable (even though I'm not a parent yet). The story was spooky and laid the ground work from the beginning for an even spookier climax. It was genuinely scary and disturbing without being too gross or nauseating as I recall. I read Pet Sematary on a deployment and I was so engrossed in the story that I couldn't wait for my work day to be over so I could crawl into my rack and keep reading. I really encourage you to give this one a shot. The story was deep and complex and you can understand how and why Louis makes the decisions he makes as he succumbs to madness. The story is about loss and grief and how people handle their grief differently, but with some supernatural aspects to really stir the pot as well. I also really enjoyed the storytelling. It's written as if you yourself ARE Louis which made it even more immersive and heartbreaking. I'd be so interested to hear your thoughts on Pet Sematary. Love your videos!
Thank you! I’ve been thinking I need to make a reading vlog completely focused on King after reading the comments on this video! This book in particular has been mentioned several times, so it will definitely be included if I end up going for it ❤️
Have you seen the movie Jennifer's body? Also, I feel with Carmilla the toxic relationship(obsession envy, desire) are very real in female relationships and serve the 'monster' narrative well. And....I was so disappointed with Haunting on the Hill because the pacing was very bad.
6:52. You buy a beautiful hardcover edition of the complete works of Edgar Allan Poe in pristine condition, and then you mark it up in pen?!?! _What are you thinking???!!!_
@@PlantBasedBride: Read any of the novellas in _Different Seasons._ They're all brilliant. Or his _Night Shift_ anthology, specifically "Strawberry Spring" or "The Last Rung On The Ladder." They're amazing.
👻I'm the same, such a wuss about scary stuff! I think the sheer quantity of books King has written mean that not everything he writes will suit everyone. I personally like Mrs Todd's Shortcut, From a Buick 8, and a couple of others like Word Processor of the Gods are good reads. I wasn't a huge fan of The Mist although it was good, I just didn't connect with the MC and it made it hard to really get into it - I'm an emotional reader. I read Salem's Lot and it stuck with me, I don't know, it's not even that scary? I haven't actually read too much of his work but those I recommend! If you read too much of his work at once it gets very same-ish to me, but I know loads of people read King novels and stories back to back. I also think it's a lot easier to read horror than watch it, but it plays on the mind later more in some ways. I also think a lot of King's work isn't strictly horror, but then again, I don't read enough horror to know what marks the genre in writing!
A shame your first Stephen King was this one, personally I'd have recommended The Long Walk as one of his scarier short stories, and either Pet Sematary or Misery for a novel
The only books that ever came close to scaring me were "The Shining" and "Christine." I've read a LOT of horror novels that I've loved ("Ghost Story" by Peter Straub is brilliant, as is "The Ceremonies" by T.E.D. Klein, and Joyce Carol Oates' collection "Haunted" is masterful) but none scared me. "The Shining" and "Christine" came close, though.... As to "Survivor Type"...no, it's not scary, but it is DISTURBING, and I completely disagree that you don't get insights into his mind. Your own review even suggests that the reader DOES understand how he thinks. A lot of the insights come in exactly what he chooses NOT to say, and in his emotional detachment -- and in the fact that he is so determined to survive that he does not question his choices. There's also the clear degeneration of his sanity as the story goes along. It's all there, but King doesn't spoon-feed it to you. Essentially, it sounds like you wanted this story to be told by a completely different character. But the point is that this story, as it unfolds, is unique to this (admittedly reprehensible) character. Try "The Monkey" or "Crouch End" or "1408" or "N." Also "The Whimper of Whipped Dogs" or "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" by Harlan Ellison.
Oh my stars, every Stephen King character I've encountered is unbearable and dislikable to the extreme. Also I've read several of Kings books and the fatphobia and misogyny seem to be favorite themes of King's. I am not surprised you didn't enjoy Survivor Type. I'd be pretty surprised if you like any King works.
About Survivor Type.. you seem to be trying to put yourself in that situation, and then you judged the story based on what your experience would be and not on what the author has created. The character is an asshole, he's a psychopath that is so self centered he doesn't mind doing anything it takes to survive. The struggle about doing what it takes to survive are not there, because he doesn't have them. Also, it would not be realistic to expect long debates with himself in writing. He's starving. When you're starving, you don't have the energy to write and think too much. So, most of his thoughts are food oriented. Even him saying he could amputate himself and he's so good is himself justifying cutting his foot to then eat it. He's a horrible person, and everything he does confirms that.
Whyyyy would people say Survivor Type is their favorite of King’s stories?? 🫣 I am absolutely baffled! He has a lot of stories that are way better. This one is mainly gross. Not scary at all. Why? 😰
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I’m this early because I just watched a horror movie that really freaked me out so I turned to booktube for comfort 😂
😂❤
Oh no lol I can relate to this so much 😭 I hope this video is less scary and helps you get your mind off it ❤️
@@PlantBasedBride it was a joy as always! ❤️
I do love reading horror. My love for spooky, creepy, and unsettling stories started with my 6th-grade teacher's read of The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe during the week of Halloween. After that I begged my mom to buy me a copy of his collected works. I still have it somewhere on my shelves.
I love how yoda added to the halloweeny vibe 😻
Haha yup she’s always ready for Halloween 😂 Chewy’s a bit less on brand but he gets to be in the video anyway lol
The other big influence on Dracula was John Polidori’s The Vampyre. That story initiated the ‘gentleman vampire’ concept (previously, vampires were more monster-like), and also made the idea of the vampire more seductive - e.g., biting the neck, rather than going straight for the heart. I read that Polidori came up with The Vampyre as part of the same challenge where Mary Shelley came up with Frankenstein. And the main character is meant to be loosely based on Lord Byron! It’s pretty basic and not really a great read, but it’s cool to see how it influenced vampire lore.
Thank you for the spoiler sections that we could skip through! So useful, I hate having books spoiled and as a horror reader primarily I have been interested in these. I think the scariest books are usually the ones that aren't even horror - ones which make you go 'this could actually happen to someone, it could even happen to me.'
I love these videos where you review the books you’ve read. I really appreciate how you don’t sugar coat your reviews, but you’re still kind and respectful. I appreciate a good, honest review. Added a few of these titles to my tbr.
Emily Carroll’s comics made me understand why people enjoyed horror even when it scared their pants off. I’ve never been jumpscared by a comic panel before. Edit: also, Stephen King’s The Sun Dog terrified me, a death scene from his Eyes of the Dragon literally gave me a fever, and I couldn’t finish his son Joe Hill’s Heart Shaped Box because I chickened out and dropped it. So maybe try his older stuff like Salem’s Lot or The Dark Half?
Try _The Shining._ It's amazing!
I second The Shining
Very avid horror reader here - I usually read horror more for what it has to say on society, people, and various traumas and issues humanity has to confront. I very rarely get scared by books, but the easiest way to scare me is to put a likeable MC in realistic danger, and then I'm on the edge of my seat. David Sodergren seems like a horror author you would like - he's Scottish and implements humor and deep human connections in his stories, so if you want a better critique on artists (way better than "Haunting on the Hill" it sounds like!), "Night Shoot" has plenty to say about college film students and film school stereotypes. If you want deep human emotions with reflections on aging and existentialism in your horror, "The Haar" would be my choice.
You're also one of the few people I've seen to give Rouge a good review, will definitely pick it up! Lovely video as always, thanks.
Thank you for the recommendation! I don’t believe I’ve heard of him but as a descendant of Scots I’m always partial to Scottish authors ❤️ oh really? I haven’t seen any reviews of rouge yet and I’m surprised it’s getting negative ones! Though I loved Bunny while many people hated it, so I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised 😅 I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
I liked Rouge! 4 Stars on my end. I find it’s been less of a sell for the hard core Bunny fans - Rouge doesn’t fling you into the weirdness and expect you to swim like Bunny does. It’s definitely a bit more linear and eases you in and I’d say it might be the most approachable Awad book for broader audiences.
So my summarized take is, read it if you like Awad’s messaging, but read with caution if you’re a hard core Bunny stan who’s more in it for the weirdness.
@@tungstensmum1491 I've never read Awad and Bunny doesn't really interest me. Rouge having a linear story doesn't bother me in the slightest. I'll definitely be picking it up!
Watching the Carmilla webseries (adorable, modernized retelling of this novella) as a baby gay back in high school was a formative experience 😅
I didn’t know this was a thing! I’ve got to find it 🙏
did I just discovered your channel? absolutely, did I just subscribed? absolutely, am I binge-watching your videos? yep 😂 your in depth reviews are very very good! you are honest and straight forward! My TBR is getting bigger and bigger😂.
"Dark Matter" by Michelle Paver, a British author: in my 60s and I had to have every light in the house on and the covers pulled up all the way. SK's "The Shining:" read alone in a recliner chair that divided the den from the dining nook/kitchen/back door, nothing behind it, and had to switch to a chair up against the wall. Good luck. (I hate rollercoasters.)
I have to say that Carmilla is one of my favorite books / short stories of all time. I reread it as a comfort read whenever I don't know what to do. Something about it, something about the language, the descriptions and the story, really amazes me. Highly recommend reading Carmilla to anyone who is contemplating doing so!
As usual, you've given me ideas for my neverending TBR 🖤 Thanks! 🖤
I'm so glad! 🖤 happy Halloween 👻
I know I’m here for the books but oh my god you look AMAZING!!! The outfit, the hair, the makeup! You really did the thing aka dressing like a witch ✨
Haha aw thank you! I realized while making this video I don’t own as much black as I did back in the day so I struggled a bit 😂 I stopped wearing it as much when I dyed my hair red as I felt softer colours looked better on me!
@@PlantBasedBride: Your hands and nails are beautiful!
For spooky but not scary : Buncula. It is a favorite since elementary school. Then there are the Fear Street novels. A Crocodile on the Sandbank read by Barbara Rosenblatt is Victorian spooky mystery during the birth of archeology with sass.
Excellent video, Elizabeth. The music, your aesthetics, your lovely kitties, the editing….everything was perfect. I am an avid Stephen King reader but perhaps his short stories are the least I like. Give it another try if you wish with one of his long books. Take care. 🙏🏻😚
I think you should have read The Stand. It is still the most frightening book I have ever read, especially since the pandemic startec. However, I think the Newsflesh series is even better.
I’m still planning on reading it eventually! But it was hard to stomach an audiobook that’s 24 hours long even on 2x speed 🫠
Agree!! Honestly I think you might have just started on the wrong foot with King :/ he's more about the horror of exploring the potential of human depravity and less about atmosphere and supernatural horror. it's like "how does this supernatural thing EXPOSE HOW HORRIBLE WE ARE AS HUMANS?"
it's like that. I hope you give him a second chance outside of this and The Stand!
(and for maybe peak short stories from him, maybe read Night Shift :D)
@PlantBasedBride I'm glad. While there are still issues, mainly because of the time it was written, it's a solid piece of horror. Seanan McGuire as Mira Grant was more accurate as to how a pandemic would happen in the 21st century, but King did well given the time
So glad you loved Carmilla, I read it for the first time this month as well and really enjoyed it! I'm not sure how you feel about animated series but Castlevania on Netflix is amazing and has a character named Carmilla who is heavily based from the novel.
I am currently reading Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer and I honestly wasn't expecting to get this creeped out by it, it feels suffocating, I love it.
I LOVED that book! I think I gave it 4 stars when I finished, but it’s really stayed with me, and in retrospect, it’s become a favourite. The rest of the series isn’t as good (though I still enjoyed reading them), but that first book is amazing.
I had watched the movie before and loved the atmosphere but the book has nothing to do with it. Somehow I love both they just have nothing in common almost. Disappointed to know the rest of the series isn't as good but I'll definitely check out more of Vandermeer's work after that@@PlantBasedBride
Love the spooky reads! What polish are you wearing? Love it!
Yeah it’s glorious 😍
It’s brownstone by cirque colors!
Um excuse me - that necklace is TO DIE FOR on you
Thank you! If you mean the one I’m wearing at the beginning it’s actually two necklaces, both from Little Rooms ❤️
Bunny is my favorite book and I have Rouge here and I am so scared to read it because I don't want to be let down. The bar is so high after Bunny.
I love that you read so many short stories in this video!
I’m regards to Survivor Type, although it’s not a favourite of mine, I’ve read a heap of Stephen King short stories over the years and it’s one of a handful of his shorts that have really stayed with me. The concept and the visuals have lingered.
The short story of King’s that I find the scariest is The Raft.
I physically braced myself when you read the Stephen King because his works are the scariest I have read to this date, shame the one you picked up didn't quite live up to the expectations :c
I was more scared before I started 😂 clearly I need to try something else from him! I’d happily take any of your recommendations 🖤
@@PlantBasedBride My personal scariest was Pet Sematary, literally kept me up all night while I finished it, and I was glad when the sun finally rose so it wasn't so dark in my apartment anymore 😂
Not to be a creep, but I totally just skimmed the comments hoping I'd see someone else talk about Pet Sematary and I'm glad I did! This book will definitely give you the heebie-jeebies!
@@Siocain- I was just about to leave a comment about the Pet Semetary, I find it to be the scariest and the one that has the best atmosphere from what I read until now from King. So happy to see other people that also share the same opinion🤗
I loved rouge so much!! So glad you did too!
It was fantastic! I really enjoyed it. I’m looking forward to whatever Awad writes next ❤️
This just moved Devil House to the top of my list. I lost one of my best childhood friends to violence and her story has been exploited a thousand times. I participated in a show about her because they told me it would be about her life and not just the person who killed her and that’s not how it ended up going. I have A LOT of feelings about true crime so I’m gonna try to get to this book soon.
Oh that’s awful 😞 I’m so sorry for your loss and the exploitation on top of it. Someone close to me had a similar experience and it’s a pain unlike anything else ❤️
@@PlantBasedBride It stays with you, for sure. Thank you 🩵 and thank you for using your platform to bring attention to that. It’s an important topic that people don’t talk about enough, considering the true crime genre is so prevalent these days.
Have you tried Algernon Blackwood? He's considered one of the early horror greats, and they're all short stories or novellas. Contemporary wise, you could try Stephen Graham Jones if you haven't already, he's written The Only Good Indians and Night of the Mannequins. 🎃
Loved this video. You can definitely handle horror a lot more than you think (at least when it comes to books!) if you do this again next year I'd love to see you try some scarier books without feeling a need to hold back because it might be too much
As a horror/terror author, I must say that your selection was pretty interesting, with some real good classics!
I think I've given up on the expectation of getting scared by a horror book, cause it hasn't happened in a very long time. I think what I find scary is just some very specific situations, where the unknown is pressing down on the character or where there's a situation mentally that seems inescapable, where you lose grip alongside the character, but those are hard to do well. great vlog! :) I will definitely read Rouge :D
I just Paused the video to comment, love the cozy atmosphere and even more your cats 🫶🏻 really enjoyed the book content
Thank you for this list and review of these books. For Stephen King I would recommend "Gerald's Game" (my copy has 468 pgs.). It is not a door stop, so, you can get through it in a reasonable amount of time and it is spooky! If you have time for a longer read I would recommend "'Salem's Lot", which is a fantastic vampire story. It is a bit longer and some people complain about SK's description of the town and townspeople being too long and too much, but I think it helps create the atmosphere and you really feel like you know the town. I read "The Stand" for the first time in September, but I do not think that is scary/spooky and took me three weeks to finish. For a spooky short story, I can only think of "Strawberry Spring" in the "Night Shift" short story collection.
You might want read Twilight Eyes by Dean Koontz at the end of the book it leaves you unsure about who to trust because they might not be what they seem… it gives you that fear it might not give you nightmares but it will make you think 😊
I also found Survivor Type to be nauseating at times, but I personally liked it because it was about a terrible person getting his just desserts.
The orange sweater you were wearing while reading in bed was so cute!!!
I think some of the struggle you're having is that contemporary horror has really become quite atmospheric and less overtly scary.
And Machen is technically Weird Fiction, which is only kinda horror.
You might find something scarier looking at the 70s and 80s. For instance, I think King's scariest book is his early collection of short stories, Night Shift. Rosemary's Baby and The Exorcist are really scary.
More recent but not new, Let Me In by John Ajvide Lindqvist. Perfume by Patrick Suskind is terrifying. Beloved by Toni Morrison.
But really, horror, like comedy, is very personal. It can take a while to find what works for you.
This was a fun video! I dressed up as Tinkerbell for Halloween this year! I hope you had a great All Hallow's Eve, Elizabeth! 💜💜
Tranquility is something I received from this channel
Rouge was SUCH a good read ❤️🪼🥀
💀👻👾Bit late to this video (I was waiting to have enough time to watch it in its entirety) but really enjoyed this! I've been working through quite a lot of classic horror/gothic novels the last couple of years in autumn, and it's been really fun. I also don't scare that easily in books, but I do appreciate a really creepy atmosphere amd the older stuff generally delivers!
I’m really enjoying the older/classic horror! If you have any recommendations please pass them on ❤️
In French, Edgar Allan Poe has been translated by the famous poet Baudelaire and this is the version I've read and I really loved it, I feel like I should read the english version for a refresher now.
Loved this for spooky season. I haven't read Survivor Type, BUT as a fellow scaredy cat I would recommend Misery by Stephen King. I listened to it as an audiobook, it's a relatively short one and was really tense.
The only book that creeped me out so much that I could not finish it is „it“ by stephen king - tried it three times but I could mot get past some scenes.. the pet cemetery by hin was also pretty creepy 🙈🙈 happy Halloween! 🎃
Pet Sematary to this day is still the creepiest book I’ve ever read. I really love it. 😅💜
Yeah, there’s no way I’m ever reading It 😂 I have always hated clowns 🫠
I didnt read this Stephen King´s storie, but I love his books cause he tend to be so psychological and write very cool characters. I recomend you The Shinning, The Green Mile and Carrie, three "classics" And also a Henry James gothic classsic:The turn of the Screw
i recommend Boys in the Valley for frights and spooks! i haven't finished it yet but i'm already pretty scared and people say it only gets worse...
Happy frickin HALOWEEENENNNNNNNN
Happy Halloween!!
I was in the same situation of not wanting to watch any horror and even less read anything scared. Fast forward, i'm still not watching horrors, but i've read so many Stephen Kings I lost track (not getting scared, but also avoided some really scary ones). I do reccomend reading a few of this non-horror books for any reader as I know many don't dare :) My top reccomend is 11/22/63 (not horror) and aboslutely The Dead Zone (not too scary, more of a thriller, but amazing nonetheless).
Really enjoyed this, Elizabeth! Thanks for sharing ❤
I have yet to enjoy a Stephen King book so I’m not surprised by your review lol. Going to try Misery this winter so we’ll see how that goes.
Glad you didn’t have to end the video in defeat 😊
Great video. I usually only read folk horror and The Loney is one of my favorites.
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White was far more unsettling and anxiety-inducing than I thought. It's YA too.
I’ll check it out, thank you! 🖤
Surprisingly recently I've finished watching the movie Lights out !
I just realized ur using a water brush marker for highlighting and i love it
Yummy list you have there. Will have to add the few i don't know to my list. Reading Sawkill Girls right now
❤ the scariest HP Lovecraft I know is "The Rats In The Wall", oth it might be bc it was the first I read, and it put me off reading anything else for years, of course DH loves his work ... so we have the omnibuses, and I have skimmed some stories, in small doses, lately.
That story by Stephen King is not what I would pick for the scariest. I liked it, bc it is weird, and kept me wondering where it might go, but scary ... nah. King is very much into unlikeable characters, they are very much "warts and all" and then something.
Like "Children of The Corn" the couple in the story are not in a good place, and there is no happy ending. First filmed version turned them into a cute couple, and well ...
Dressing up, right now I have a migraine, but I guess I will keep to my low key witch halloween look that I do every year. Mostly it is a long black skirt, that is how fun I am. I will make a pumpkin soup and something with apples perhaps, and pass out candy.
I saw that one recommended a lot, too, but sadly it wasn’t in my tiny compendium! I’ll have to read that one at some point.
I’d love your Stephen King recommendations! I’m fine with unlikeable characters if we have a glimmer of humanity to connect with. Flawed/complex/unlikeable characters can be so fascinating!
I’ll probably end up as a “witch” without a hat to hand out candy tonight, too 😂 or I’ll wear my trusty cow onesie, as it’s always a hit with the littles lol
Where, oh where did you get that dress that you wear at the beginning of the video?? I'm dying to know!! It's AMAZING.
Aw thanks! I bought it at Aritzia while I was in college… so a decade ago 😅
Stephen King is my most read author but I’ve never heard of Survivor Type, thanks for the anti-rec lmao
Hahaha you’re welcome, I guess! 😂 Which of his stories are your favourite?
@@PlantBasedBride Carrie, The Long Walk and Pet Sematary are my favourite stories of his!!
My mom loved Stephen King but the only book I've read of his is The Girl Who Loved Tom Gorden. Loved it.
If you ever feel like giving Stephen king a second chance I recommend “Misery”. It’s classic Stephen King when he was becoming famous. It’s a short book about a writer and the scary things that happen to him. The movie is also very good if you’re not in the mood for a book.
Two really good horror books that actually got to me are watchers and phantoms, both by dean koontz. Highly recommend.
You might like the work of Shirley Jackson.
watching the babies on the bed 🥺😭😍
The lights of my life, truly 😂❤️
If someone were to tell me that you've looked anything other than immaculate I wouldn't believe them.
These themed videos are my favorite! 🎃🎃 I'm struggling to find the best way to say this, so I'll just say it...I preferred when you did the border around the video for the spoiler section. It was super easy to see when scrubbing through the video. Obviously you can do whatever you want and I hate "critiquing" anything in RUclipsrs' videos (I wouldn't call this a "critique", just letting you know I preferred the other way of showing which sections were spoilers). Anyway, I haven't read any of these books because I'm a wimpy baby lol, but maybe I'm like you and have a higher tolerance for reading horror than watching horror movies. I might give horror a try. This video really made me want to read Rouge!
I still had the border during spoilers in this video 🤔 I think I’m misunderstanding what you’re talking about!
wow this is such a cozy video I love it
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! ❤️❤️
Please please read house of leaves at some point, I need a breakdown of your thoughts ❤
I’ve read it! I didn’t make a reading vlog though. I have a review on Goodreads ☺️
@@PlantBasedBride oh, perfection! I'll check that out then!
Edger Alan Poe what a classic and amazing author to start with and wishing you all the best and hopefully you don’t take too long to find the book 📕 that gets you scared prayers and blessings to you and your family love your Aussie family friend John ❤❤❤
Great video! I dressed up as jigsaw for Halloween 🎃
Oo scary! I find that character so creepy lol
Have you tried T Kingfisher’s horror books?
I know I’m very late commenting but I was so disappointed when you didn’t read The Woman in Black. Horror stories never really scare me, probably because I find them too ott to actually be scary. That said, The Woman in Black scares me to death every time. Both the book and the adaptation by the BBC. It’s a ghost story essentially but it’s so subtle and effective that I refuse to ever read the book or watch the adaptation if I’m in the house by myself!! You should definitely try it! Ghost stories by MR James also creep me out every time.
I will definitely get to it eventually! Maybe I’ll do another horror reading Vlog next Halloween and read it first ❤️
@@PlantBasedBride I think that's a nice idea regardless of what you read. I really enjoyed this video! I know you said you don't like paranormal books but if you enjoyed MR James then this is written in a similar style (constant and gradual sense of unease). Also, as many others have suggested, It would be fun to see you read Pet Cemetery by Stephen King, one of the few books of his that did actually really scare me!
Hi plant Based Bride...I got a scary story to tell while I prepare a Limoncello..it's about a father who built a two story Tubular house since his daughter was an invalid in a wheelchair he designed the house so his daughter would have an easy access to freely wheel herself around the house so he had the construction workers building it to his standard but after 3 months one of the workers fell down to his death and then the house completed at the end of the year and then the father brought his daughter to check out the house as he turned around his daughter suddenly flew off from the second floor down to her death her father was totally devastated and crying and I'n shock while grieving for his daughter
I don't like horror either. I don't think I've ever read a horror book and the few movies I've watched (I'm looking at you Se7en and The Shining) have stayed with me for YEARS! But I am intrigued by some of the books you read. I skipped the spoilers just in case I read them, but we'll see lol. Great video!
I know the feeling. I still have nightmares from scary movies I watched as a child/teenager! I hope you enjoy any of the books you pick up from this video ❤️ I’m curious which ones caught your eye!
I'd recommend reading some short stories by Roald Dahl for adults. Some are f*cking terror inducing. The Landlady is a good one to try.
The Stand is not scary lol it has some moments that are a little gruesome like the tunnel scenes (iykyk) but it is not scary
IT would have been a much better choice for a scary and long book from King
Yeah, I’ll never be able to read IT. I hate clowns lol
Fair! 😂@@PlantBasedBride
Tbh I’m also a scaredy cat and I have found that with most of Stephen kings book (minus the shining 😮that one was scary) I’ve read I’m more disgusted than scared lol
So Nisa is just Ocean O'Connell Rosenberg from Ride the Cyclone?
🎃🦇🔮 Just finished your video! I'd like to first say that I really enjoy and appreciate your detailed thoughts and reviews of all the books you read. They help me decide which books to add to my TBR list (Rouge in this case!). I LOVE to be scared with fictional stuff! Give me all the horror movies! All the haunted houses! I love getting spooked knowing that what I'm reading or watching or experiencing isn't real because then I can surrender to allowing my mind to wander. I don't like true crime for this reason because it just makes me sad. Now, I've only read one Stephen King book and it scared the crap out of me, so I'll admit I was disappointed to hear how let down you felt from Survivor Type. However, ALL of the qualms you had with that short story are nonexistent in his book Pet Sematary. The main character, his family, and neighbors are all likeable. The story focuses mostly on the atmosphere and the internal thoughts and struggles Louis has and they are deeply relatable (even though I'm not a parent yet). The story was spooky and laid the ground work from the beginning for an even spookier climax. It was genuinely scary and disturbing without being too gross or nauseating as I recall. I read Pet Sematary on a deployment and I was so engrossed in the story that I couldn't wait for my work day to be over so I could crawl into my rack and keep reading. I really encourage you to give this one a shot. The story was deep and complex and you can understand how and why Louis makes the decisions he makes as he succumbs to madness. The story is about loss and grief and how people handle their grief differently, but with some supernatural aspects to really stir the pot as well. I also really enjoyed the storytelling. It's written as if you yourself ARE Louis which made it even more immersive and heartbreaking. I'd be so interested to hear your thoughts on Pet Sematary. Love your videos!
Thank you! I’ve been thinking I need to make a reading vlog completely focused on King after reading the comments on this video! This book in particular has been mentioned several times, so it will definitely be included if I end up going for it ❤️
I remember reading Carmilla as a queer teen in the 80s and thinking HOLY CARP THERE WERE LESBIANS BACK THEN!
Hahaha I love this 😂 I would have loved it as a baby bi in the 2000s!
Spooky 👻
what piece is playing around 15 minutes?
Have you seen the movie Jennifer's body?
Also, I feel with Carmilla the toxic relationship(obsession envy, desire) are very real in female relationships and serve the 'monster' narrative well.
And....I was so disappointed with Haunting on the Hill because the pacing was very bad.
I don't think I'm brave enough to read a horror book ❤
I’ve surprised myself by finding I actually enjoy the genre as a notoriously easy to scare human 😂🖤
6:52. You buy a beautiful hardcover edition of the complete works of Edgar Allan Poe in pristine condition, and then you mark it up in pen?!?! _What are you thinking???!!!_
It’s mine and I can write in it if I want 😂 it’s not destined for a museum or a one of a kind first print or something lol
Oh man definitely didn’t start with a good Stephen King short story! Give him another try later on his work is amazing.
I definitely plan to! If you have any specific recs please leave them for me 🙏
@@PlantBasedBride: Read any of the novellas in _Different Seasons._ They're all brilliant. Or his _Night Shift_ anthology, specifically "Strawberry Spring" or "The Last Rung On The Ladder." They're amazing.
What a cool Video idea! 😍
Thank you! 👻🖤
you might like misery by stephen king!!
You're braver than me!
👻I'm the same, such a wuss about scary stuff! I think the sheer quantity of books King has written mean that not everything he writes will suit everyone. I personally like Mrs Todd's Shortcut, From a Buick 8, and a couple of others like Word Processor of the Gods are good reads. I wasn't a huge fan of The Mist although it was good, I just didn't connect with the MC and it made it hard to really get into it - I'm an emotional reader. I read Salem's Lot and it stuck with me, I don't know, it's not even that scary? I haven't actually read too much of his work but those I recommend! If you read too much of his work at once it gets very same-ish to me, but I know loads of people read King novels and stories back to back. I also think it's a lot easier to read horror than watch it, but it plays on the mind later more in some ways. I also think a lot of King's work isn't strictly horror, but then again, I don't read enough horror to know what marks the genre in writing!
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You are SO gorgeous! What a fun video idea
Aw thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
I watched the video but didn't hear a word she said because I couldn't help but stare as her uncanny valley.
And I love your black beauties!!
House of Leaves didn't scare you? It terrified me! 😂
I found House of Leaves super scary! I don’t think I talked about that one in this video, did I? 🤔
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A shame your first Stephen King was this one, personally I'd have recommended The Long Walk as one of his scarier short stories, and either Pet Sematary or Misery for a novel
I might have to do a video all about king and try some of the suggestions in this comment section!
The only books that ever came close to scaring me were "The Shining" and "Christine." I've read a LOT of horror novels that I've loved ("Ghost Story" by Peter Straub is brilliant, as is "The Ceremonies" by T.E.D. Klein, and Joyce Carol Oates' collection "Haunted" is masterful) but none scared me. "The Shining" and "Christine" came close, though....
As to "Survivor Type"...no, it's not scary, but it is DISTURBING, and I completely disagree that you don't get insights into his mind. Your own review even suggests that the reader DOES understand how he thinks. A lot of the insights come in exactly what he chooses NOT to say, and in his emotional detachment -- and in the fact that he is so determined to survive that he does not question his choices. There's also the clear degeneration of his sanity as the story goes along. It's all there, but King doesn't spoon-feed it to you. Essentially, it sounds like you wanted this story to be told by a completely different character. But the point is that this story, as it unfolds, is unique to this (admittedly reprehensible) character.
Try "The Monkey" or "Crouch End" or "1408" or "N." Also "The Whimper of Whipped Dogs" or "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" by Harlan Ellison.
Oh my stars, every Stephen King character I've encountered is unbearable and dislikable to the extreme. Also I've read several of Kings books and the fatphobia and misogyny seem to be favorite themes of King's. I am not surprised you didn't enjoy Survivor Type. I'd be pretty surprised if you like any King works.
Stephen King's a genius. You're on drugs. 💉💊
About Survivor Type.. you seem to be trying to put yourself in that situation, and then you judged the story based on what your experience would be and not on what the author has created. The character is an asshole, he's a psychopath that is so self centered he doesn't mind doing anything it takes to survive. The struggle about doing what it takes to survive are not there, because he doesn't have them. Also, it would not be realistic to expect long debates with himself in writing. He's starving. When you're starving, you don't have the energy to write and think too much. So, most of his thoughts are food oriented. Even him saying he could amputate himself and he's so good is himself justifying cutting his foot to then eat it. He's a horrible person, and everything he does confirms that.
That’s fair. I suppose I just didn’t find it very interesting to read 🤷♀️ there wasn’t a lot to chew on, pun intended.
If you actually wanna be scared read Japanese horror.
Whyyyy would people say Survivor Type is their favorite of King’s stories?? 🫣 I am absolutely baffled! He has a lot of stories that are way better. This one is mainly gross. Not scary at all. Why? 😰
I really don’t know 🙃 I’d love to know your favourite!