horror - Macmillan Library

Macmillan Library @ PLA 2014 (booth 1852)

Posted on February 19, 2014 by Anne Spieth

Hey hey, it's almost time for PLA! We look forward to seeing you in Indianapolis, home of the Colts, Hoosiers, and the Indy 500! Stop by booth #1852 for a spell and join us for all of our exciting events (all are free unless otherwise noted):

Library Journal Author Party with Nickolas Butler, author of SHOTGUN LOVESONGS

Wednesday, March 12th
6:30-8:30pm
The Alexander Hotel, 333 S. Delaware St., Indianapolis, IN 46204 | Alexander Ballroom
RSVP required, space is limited

Join us for Library Journal's inaugural author party! Enjoy delicious nibbles (they had us at mini grilled cheese!) and mingle with writers, including Nickolas Butler whose debut novel, SHOTGUN LOVESONGS, about four friends trying to come into their own as husbands and fathers in the tiny town of Little Wing, Wisconsin is getting huge buzz.

RSVP information here. (Did we mention there will be tasty food? Don't make us eat all the spring rolls, too!)

E-galley available on Edelweiss

Best in Debut Authors panel

Thursday, March 13th
10:45am-12:00 noon
Indianapolis Convention Center | Room #103-104
RSVP required

Co-hosted by LibraryReads and the Association of American Publishers Trade Libraries Committee, this panel will feature several authors including Nickolas Butler (SHOTGUN LOVESONGS). A book signing will follow the program.

Details and RSVP here.

In-booth signing by Marci Jefferson, author of GIRL ON THE GOLDEN COIN

Thursday, March 13th
1:30-3:30pm
Indianapolis Convention Center | Booth #1852

Meet Marci Jefferson and get a signed copy of her “intoxicating first novel” (Publishers Weekly, starred review), GIRL ON THE GOLDEN COIN.

E-galley available on Edelweiss

AAP/SLJ Children's Book and Author Breakfast

Friday, March 14th
7:00am to 8:15am
Indianapolis Convention Center | Sagamore Ballroom #6-7
RSVP required, space is limited

Co-hosted by the Association of American Publishers Trade Libraries Committee and School Library Journal, this breakfast features several authors including Rainbow Rowell (FANGIRL). A book signing will follow the program.

Details and RSVP information here.

Mystery Authors Revealed panel

Friday, March 14th
10:45am-12:00 noon
Indianapolis Convention Center | Wabash Ballroom #3
RSVP required

Co-hosted by LibraryReads and the Association of American Publishers Trade Libraries Committee, this mystery panel will feature several authors including Sophie Hannah (THE ORPHAN CHOIR).

Details and RSVP information here.

E-galley available on Edelweiss

Can't make it to PLA? Bummer.
But wait! PLA is offering attendance via a virtual conference–click here for more information. You can also check out the action on Twitter via the hashtag #pla2014.

Coming to PLA? Yay!
There's SO much cool stuff happening: a BEFORE I DIE wall (check out Anne's suggestion to get inspired), the MakerSpace Lab with a 3D printer and robot petting zoo, and the first-ever LibraryBox Scavenger Hunt! Make sure you get out and play, too. Check out where to go and what to eat in Indy. See you soon!

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Thriller Thursday (1/16/14 Edition)

Posted on January 16, 2014 by Anne Spieth

We've got a super-sized Thriller Thursday for you today (and stay tuned for very exciting just-announced mystery-related news!):

THE HARLOT'S TALE by Samuel Thomas
In "Thomas’s superior second whodunit set in 17th-century York" (Publishers Weekly, starred review), midwife Bridget Hodgson investigates a series of murders she thinks are being committed by someone under the influence of a fanatical preacher. "Historical-mystery readers will enjoy this well-plotted story featuring an assortment of strong women." – Booklist

APPLE TREE YARD by Louise Doughty
A woman in the wrong place, at the wrong time with the wrong man—evocative of the psychological suspense and dangerous eroticism found in the blockbuster thrillers “Unfaithful” and “Fatal Attraction.” "Shocking, seductive, and wickedly intense, the latest literary work from top British author and columnist Doughty is a knockout novel with thriller undertones." – Booklist

DEAD TO ME by Cath Staincliffe
British TV screenwriter and CWA Award winner Staincliffe's latest mystery pairs a team of unlikely detectives hunting a murderer. "Most reminiscent of television’s Cagney & Lacey series, the novel—a prequel to a popular British television programs, Scott & Bailey—should appeal to readers who enjoy female buddy books like Tess Gerritsen’s Rizzoli and Isles series and Lisa Scottoline’s Rosato & Associates legal thrillers." – Booklist, starred review

BAD WOLF by Nele Neuhaus
In the next book in the internationally bestselling series that began with SNOW WHITE MUST DIE, Inspectors Kirchhoff and von Bodenstein work two seemingly unrelated cases that converge in a scandalous twist. "Fans of Jo Nesbö's gritty thrillers will enjoy the intricacies of the plot." – Library Journal

NYPD PUZZLE by Parnell Hall
In Hall's 15th(!) Puzzle Lady mystery, Cora Felton storms New York City, only to find herself the key suspect in a murder. Including new puzzles by Will Shortz, solving for 4-DOWN is just as satisfying as finding out whodunnit. "Between Hall’s snappy dialogue and Will Shortz’s puzzles, comic mystery buffs have plenty to enjoy." – Publishers Weekly

SNOWBLIND by Christopher Golden
Survivors of a blizzard twelve years ago are being haunted by the memories of those who died. Booklist called it, "Great fodder for a dark and snowy night" and horrormeister Stephen King decreed, "Throw away all those old ‘it was a dark and stormy night’ novels; this one is the real deal.”

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Halloween Horror Week – Wicked Wednesday!

Posted on October 30, 2013 by Anne Spieth

More vintage from the vault: this time Early Word has Talia's recommendations in a feature called Terror With Sherer:

IN WITH THE DEVIL: A Fallen Hero, a Serial Killer, and a Dangerous Bargain for Redemption by James Keene

CURTAINS: Adventures of an Undertaker-in-Training by Tom Jokinen

SHUTTER ISLAND by Dennis Lehane

DARKLY DREAMING DEXTER by Jeff Lindsay

While Talia’s got the scares, Anne’s got the sweets. Today’s the bake-off at work. She entered the Pumpkin Granola Truffles. Wish her luck! [...]

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Halloween Horror Week – Terrifying Tuesday!

Posted on October 29, 2013 by Anne Spieth

Today's the day of the Booklist "Red Hot Crime" webinar! Join your favorite mistress of mayhem, Talia "the terror" Sherer, at 1pm Central Time to find out what mysteries are keeping her up late at night. There's still time to sign up--click here to RSVP.

If you can't wait until then, make sure to check out Talia's Favorite Gory Bits feature on Booklist for some classic backlist choices:

EVIL AT HEART by Chelsea Cain

FLESH HOUSE by Stuart MacBride

SHAKE THE DEVIL OFF by Ethan Brown

THE GARGOYLE by Andrew Davidson

SNOW ANGELS by James Thompson

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Halloween Horror Week – Manic Monday!

Posted on October 28, 2013 by Anne Spieth

It's Halloween week!!! Our love of black cats, mystery/thriller/horror stories and candy has combined to our great delight. To celebrate, we'll be sharing our favorite spooky things with you all week long.

Today, we've got three titles on Booklist's Top 10 Horror Fiction of 2013 list:

APOCALYPSE COW by Michael Logan
Three losers must save Britain from a rampaging horde of zombie cows out for blood, not cud. Yes, you read that right. ZOMBIE COWS. Trust us, it's hilarious.

BABAYAGA by Toby Barlow
Barlow's novel of love, spies, and witches in 1950s Paris is a wild romp with eccentric characters, including a good-hearted cop who's a flea!

LITTLE STAR by John Ajvide Lindqvist
"Dubbed the Stephen King of Sweden, Lindqvist (LET THE RIGHT ONE IN) lives up to the billing with a chilling tale of two teenage girls who team up as a terrifying singing duo bent on revenge against anyone who has ever crossed them." – New York Post, "Required Reading"

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Three stars for DANGEROUS WOMEN!

Posted on October 18, 2013 by Anne Spieth

We'd like to think that we're a couple of dangerous women, but we're softies at heart, kinda like these guys (awww...). The thing we're the most hazardous to is your "To Read" pile.

With that warning in mind, we've got a doozy for you: DANGEROUS WOMEN, an awesome collection of 22 original short stories co-edited by A Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois, featuring contributions from bestselling authors, including Jim Butcher, Diana Gabaldon, Lev Grossman, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Brandon Sanderson, and Martin himself. Whether it's science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery, or suspense, women are the stars, from feisty heroines down to villainess vixens.

Speaking of stars, DANGEROUS WOMEN already has THREE starred pre-publication reviews!

"Venerable editors Martin and Dozois (Warriors) have invited writers from many different genres of fiction to showcase the supposedly weaker sex’s capacity for magic, violence, and mayhem. These 22 brand-new short stories prove that women are men’s equals—at least—in lethal potential. This meaty collection delivers something for nearly every reader’s taste as it explores the heights that brave women can reach and the depths that depraved ones can plumb." – Publishers Weekly, starred review

"VERDICT: The wide selection of authors guarantees something to please almost every reader's tastes." – Library Journal, starred review

"When genre collections include this many big-name authors, they’re typically a grouping of series outtakes and Easter eggs. Readers...will surely be satisfied by these [series-related stories] and other entries. Everyone will find something to like here." – Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Get whitelisted and download your review copy on Edelweiss.

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Ali Gets (The) Weird

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Ali Fisher

Talia's at the Boston Book Buzz and most of the Academic Marketing Department is out today, so I'm creeping around the 21st floor like a moody sphinx in a defunct labyrinth and/or a manticore demon looking for someone to chat with between circles seven and eight (violence and fraud, respectively) of the Inferno/breakroom.

Won't someone come talk to me about something? ...Anything?! I can make you coffee! I’m better at making up riddles than Bilbo! I have things to say about the weather! Time-sensitive things!!

Do I sound familiar? If you’re smiling and shaking your head right now thinking, "Been there, girl," well then have I got the compendium for you: THE WEIRD edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer!

This anthology of peculiar short stories is here to keep you (and, more urgently, me) occupied over those dreary co-worker-less lunches and solitary afternoon coffee breaks. In the strange company of Franz Kafka, Neil Gaiman, Michael Chabon, Daphne Du Maurier, Algernon Blackwood, George R.R. Martin, and so many more, you may not feel more human, but you will feel less isolated... or will you?!

Seriously, someone come say hi. I'm losing it up here.

Not convinced by my manticorian ramblings? Publishers Weekly gave THE WEIRD a starred review and said,

"Ambitious in the extreme, the Vandermeers’ latest genre-blurring endeavor, which compiles 110 weird stories from the past century, is one of the most far-reaching and inclusive speculative anthologies to ever see print."

They also called it "a deeply affectionate and respectful history of speculative fiction’s blurry edges, and its stunning diversity, excellent quality, and extremely reasonable price point [...] will entice a wide variety of readers—including those who think they don’t like 'weird.'"

And how did the editors pick these delightful tales of strange and dark deeds?

We read over 6 million words in order to select the stories for The Weird. #torchat

— Ann VanderMeer (@AnnVanderMeer) May 16, 2012

Whoa! And what was the—how should I put this?—main thread of interior weird?

@WmHenryMorris Yes, Kafka is the main thread of interior weird in our antho. Stories where you r already embedded. #TORCHAT

— Jeff VanderMeer (@jeffvandermeer) May 16, 2012

I have goose bumps already!

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Wishing You Only the Friendliest of Ghosts in the Stacks!

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Ali Fisher

Happy Halloween, oh stewards of spook!

We know there are a few of you out there who relish this time of year in which you recommend the most terror-inducing, nightmare-summoning, fear-saturated horror literature you can get your little claws on.

We approve.

We added a few scream-soaked reads to the top of this post. And feel free to browse our Horror fiction list for more ideas.

Wishing you much candy and only the friendliest of ghosts,
Talia & Ali

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