Read On...Horror Fiction (Read On Series) - Softcover

June Michelle Pulliam; Anthony J. Fonseca

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1591581761 ISBN 13: 9781591581765

Publisher: Libraries Unlimited, 2006

Synopsis

Hundreds of popular horror fiction titles are described and categorized according to their underlying appeal features, and under topics and themes you'll never find in the library catalog: the plot thickens (complex plots), fear factors (truly terrifying), big city horror, over-the-top weirdos, and many other themes that appeal to horror readers and fans.
Use these unconventional, sometimes whimsical reading lists to identify read-alikes rooted in shared appeal features or in the specific characteristics on which the lists are based. Post individual lists on your library Web site, put them in your newsletter, or use them for patron handouts to encourage circulation and reading. Horror fiction readers and fans looking for new reading material will enjoy browsing through this book and using it to create checklists or reading plans. Readers' advisors who wish to better acquaint themselves with the genre and its newer publications, particularly in terms of appeal features, will find a treasury of ideas here as well.

Looking for a new way to find suggestions for readers seeking that great new horror read? How about some fresh ideas for that Halloween horror fiction display? You've come to the right place.
Read On…Horror Fiction categorizes hundreds of popular horror fiction titles―not according to standard subgenres and themes, but according to their underlying appeal features, and under topics and themes you'll never find in the library catalog. Choose the plot thickens (complex plots), I'm too sexy for my fangs (erotic horror), graffiti and gore (big city horror), favorite monsters, or any of the many other themes that appeal to horror readers and fans.
The book includes approximately 350 of the best and most current horror fiction titles, and a few popular classics as well, offering bibliographic information and brief, punchy plot summaries designed to spark reader interest and capture the appeal connection. These unconventional, sometimes whimsical reading lists can be used to identify read-alikes rooted in shared appeal features or in the specific characteristics on which the lists are based. Post specific lists on your library Web site, put them in your newsletter, or use them for patron handouts to encourage circulation and reading.
Horror fiction readers and fans looking for new reading material will enjoy browsing through this book, and using it to create checklists or reading plans. Readers' advisors who wish to better acquaint themselves with the genre and its newer publications, particularly in terms of appeal features, will find a treasury of ideas here as well. Libraries may wish to order multiple copies―one for the readers' advisor and reference desk and one to the circulating collection. desk, and one for the circulating collection.

About this title

About the Authors

June Michele Pulliam teaches courses on horror fiction and film, young adult fiction, and women's and gender studies at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge.

Anthony J. Fonseca, PhD, is library director and college archivist at Elms College in Massachusetts, where he also teaches courses in rock music and music literature as an adjunct.

Reviews

The second book in Libraries Unlimited Read On . . . readers'-advisory series covers the horror genre. Unlike in their Hooked on Horror (2d ed., 2003), which analyzes horror by its subgenres, Pulliam and Fonseca have taken 350 popular horror titles from the last decade and divided them by their appeal factors. The authors point out that some readers may prefer books that are plot driven, while others want books that emphasize characters, while still others are interested in the mood of the book, and these factors are not found in the library catalog.

Five chapters analyze the appeal factors of story, mood, setting, character, and language, with each chapter further subdivided into various themes--complex plots, plot twists, intense endings, gross stories, home-alone frights, wilderness horror, and psychic detectives, to name just a few. Annotated bibliographies for each theme help librarians and readers understand each book's appeal. The book ends with three appendixes, which list horror films, series titles, and books that blend genres. The index cites authors, titles, subjects, and characters. A useful addition would be an index that divides the listed books by their horror subgenres so that librarians and readers could have another way of finding these titles.

This is an excellent guide that will help librarians understand the horror genre and help readers find horror books that appeal to them. A must purchase for all public and high-school libraries. Merle Jacob
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Libraries Unlimited
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1591581761
• ISBN 13: 9781591581765
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 204