Episode 8: Tales of Terror

Muster up your courage, listeners, because in Episode 8 of the Book XChange podcast, your twin co-hosts take on "tales of terror" - books and/or stories (even a few movies are mentioned!) that scare, provoke, disturb, unnerve or simply get under your skin. The twins are often asked by friends and family alike, "Why do you bother reading books that disturb or scare you?" We take a deep dive into horror as a genre, to attempt to answer that interesting question. Is there any value in books that evoke terror, and along the way, what are some of our favorites? We had a lot of fun recording this one (despite one technical glitch, sorry), and we hope you all have fun hearing and processing it. Keep reading, everyone!

BOOKS DISCUSSED/MENTIONED/RECOMMENDED IN THIS EPISODE:

From Jude

Current read: 'The Exorcist,' William Peter Blatty

Recommended Tales of Terror: 'Night Shift'/'The Shining,' Stephen King; 'Songs of a Dead Dreamer'/'Grimscribe,' Thomas Ligotti; 'Outer Dark'/'Blood Meridian,' Cormac McCarthy; 'Beloved,' Toni Morrison; 'The Factory Series (novels),' Derek Raymond

Next read: 'Our Kind of Traitor,' John Le Carré

From John

Current read: 'Theatre of Fish: Travels Through Newfoundland and Labrador,' John Gimlette

Recommended Tales of Terror: 'At the Mountains of Madness'/'Supernatural Horror in Literature (essay),' H. P. Lovecraft; Classic horror stories medley: "Don't Look Now" & "The Birds" (Daphne du Maurier), "The Tell-Tale Heart" & "The Cask of Amantillado" (Edgar Allen Poe); "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," "Moxon's Master" & "The Boarded Window" (Ambrose Bierce); "Casting the Runes" & "Oh Whistle and I'll Come for You, My Lad" (M. R. James); 'Horrorstör,' Grady Hendrix; "The Killer Inside Me,' Jim Thompson; 'The Haunting of Hill House,' Shirley Jackson; "Fracture" & "Suicide Station" by Jude Joseph Lovell from his short story collection We'll See You When We Get There

Next read: 'Zucked: Waking Up to the Facebook Catastrophe,' Roger McNamee