Horror

Now that Halloween decorations are starting to appear in all kinds of stores, horror is on my mind. I love horror movies. The original Halloween is probably one of my favorites out there. I've seen it countless times, but the music, and Michael Meyers' eerie determination, draws me in every time.

Then I started thinking about books, and I have to admit, I haven't read many that were supposed to be strictly horror. The scariest, creepiest books I've read were probably World War Z and The Road. I think the only Stephen King I dove into was Cujo, which I didn't think was scary, but rather interesting (the movie wasn't that good, FYI). The best part was probably getting a peak inside the dog's head as it started to go crazy. And then there's Interview with the Vampire -- more enthralling than frightening. When I was younger, I read a lot of Goosebumps and Fear Street. The one I remember the most is One Evil Summer.

Isn't that cover creepy enough? When someone is holding a cat up in the air and laughing evilly, it's never a good thing. As the book cover clearly states, Chrissy is perfectly evil. And Amanda is the only one that seems to see that something is off. Until Chrissy gets caught trying to murder the family.

Another book that I liked, though I wouldn't classify it as horror, was Twins by Caroline B. Cooney. It was about -- you guessed it -- twins. Except one of them is evil, and when she dies the remaining twin, Mary Lee, takes over her identity. But of course, like every good suspense story, things aren't what they seem, and Mary Lee discovers that her twin wasn't who she thought she was. Hmm, that sounds kind of similar to a few TV shows that are out right now.

  

I've always wanted to read Dracula and The Shining. Maybe I'll do that this October. Have any others to add to my list?

Update: Torrent

I. Heart. This. Book. More like the whole River of Time Series (previously mentioned here). It's just great, fun reading. What more could you want from a series? There's love, drama, suspense, time traveling, ruthless fighting, and happy endings. The happy ending felt deserved, and the reader really wanted things to work out, all the while feeling super jealous that it did. Though Gabriella got everything she wanted, you didn't hate her for it -- unlike other . . . stories that I've read.

Torrent concludes the River of Time Series, but Lisa Bergren might write more in the future, depending on how sales and reception do. Though there were two books behind this one, this book did not fizzle out or lose steam. It was just as suspenseful as the predecessors. Of course it wasn't perfect. There will always be things about books, any book no matter how much I like it, that I dislike (for example, the damsel in distress thing that was recycled, and the cover of the book was supposed to depict Marcello, but instead looked like a 35-year-old creeper), but these things were drowned out compared to the sheer awesomeness of everything else. I'm fine with the books ending with Torrent because it closed nicely without too many lingering questions, but I would welcome more -- and it'd be an interesting twist to follow the secondary love story between Lia and Luca. Though the time travel to the 1300s phenomena was never explained, I did not mind -- it was easy to find the Things Happen For a Reason Even Though They Can't Be Explained theme, which I appreciated.

In the words of LeVar Burton, of course, you don't take my word for it. Go read Torrent for yourself -- just start with Waterfall and Cascade, first.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Interested in the world of all things medieval? One of my favorite movies set in the Middle Ages is The Princess Bride. To The Pain!

Galway or Bust

Here's another short story I wrote about Ireland. It was for an assignment, so there were restrictions, but I won't bore you with the details.


Be you still, be you still, trembling heart. Quit jumping and throbbing, damn it. Accept that I went against my parents. Stubborn heart that thinks it knows everything, don’t make me ache, second-guess, and fear. It’s hard to say why I jumped on a plane so suddenly. But I did, and here I am. In Ireland.

God help me.

There was only one real plan, but plans usually bend, unlike iron. Defying my expectations, one hostel mate took me under her wing. We chatted for a while, and then she invited me out. The feathers hanging in her hair, her vintage boots and military jacket, all emitted coolness. I agreed.

“How long are you here for?”

"A few days? I just know I need to get to Galway."

"I like you, lady. You can read minds. I've been meaning to head west!”

I followed her, and her banjo, through Dublin streets. I could not keep my eyes off of people, buildings, or cobblestone streets. Never far from sight were those performing for tips. One group of three performing along Grafton asked her to join them. I watched in awe. Without realizing it, my eyes glued to the man in center, singing and playing guitar. He was, quite possibly, the most gorgeous human being I had ever seen in person.

“Miss Dawn, who’s this?” the gorgeous singer asked.

She introduced me and I learned he was her cousin, Crofton.

“Do you play?”

“A little guitar.”

Crofton handed over his instrument. “Then join us.”

My body jolted. “But . . . but . . . ”

"C, G, and A. You'll figure out the rest."

"Wait!"

But he didn't. And after standing motionless like an idiot, I finally began. My heart was furious and my fingers terrified, but I managed to get through it without losing my breakfast.