Come join your spooky sisters, Aurelien & Catrina, in the book club of your weird dreams... We read poems, short stories, books, graphic novels - creepy, spooky, or just weird, we're probably reading it. Find your next weird read!
"Alanna gritted her teeth and thrust her chin forward stubbornly. She would see this through." It's midwinter in the endless library, and Aurelien has only the very best books to shine a light in the gloom. "Alanna" (1983) by Tamora Pierce is a bright, fun, gritty-in-age-appropriate-ways, accessible first book in a girl-forward fantasy series. Episode references: Sunny Nwazue from AKATA WITCH series by Nnedi Okorafor Penelope from THE MYSTERY HOWLING series by Maryrose Wood -- Want more quoteable quotes? Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/spookyaurelien ------- Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
A wealthy CEO faces a criminal investigation amid tragedy, trauma, and a supernatural threat. The Usher family learns an informant lurks among them. The Fall of the House of Usher (2023) has entered the Flanaverse. Based on various Edgar Allan Poe stories and characters, this show explores the prominent and wealthy Usher family. Is this just spooky Succession? Is it spooky at all? What kind of horror is this? Watch episode 1 along with Aurelien and find out! The Fall of the House of Usher (2023) Created by Mike Flanagan Directed by Mike Flanagan, Michael Fimognari Network: Netflix Original release: October 12, 2023 -- Want more commentary watchalongs? Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/spookyaurelien ------- Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
"Her head starts to turn, and I gasp --" Trick or treat, spooky friends! Aurelien and Dustin (from The Rewatch Recap) wrote a spooky little PG-rated story together. Keep an eye on your windows and stay alert as you settle into "The Woman in the Brown Coat" (2022). Produced by Dustin: https://linktr.ee/DustinCanRead With additional voice acting by Kay: https://linktr.ee/fmwlpod -- Want more original stories? Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/spookyaurelien ------- Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
"All the future looked gloomy and threatening, and the gaunt wolf hovered at the door of the Lynnes' humble home." Gather round, spooks and strangers! For this special spooky season October Friday the 13th, Aurelien reads aloud chapter 1 of "Her Dark Inheritance" (1892) by Mrs. E. Burke Collins. What do you think the inheritance is, spooky friends? And do you want to hear more? Read the story: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/46363/46363-h/46363-h.htm -- Want more spooky reads? Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/spookyaurelien ------- Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
"It was on Halloween, or All Hallows' Eve, that superstition ran riot..." Trick or treat! Aurelien explores the spooky archives of Project Gutenberg and comes back with 1880s non-fiction takes on Scottish Halloween traditions. How is bobbing for apples part of a divination ritual? Is any of this actually spooky? Join around the cauldron for readings and stories from "Curiosities of Superstition, and Sketches of Some Unrevealed Religions" (1882) by W. H. Davenport Adams. Read it for yourself: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/41566/41566-h/41566-h.htm -- Want more random reads? Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/spookyaurelien ------- Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
"Mary was a misfit. She didn't want to be beautiful. And she wasted time doing mad things - like eating and sleeping." Aurelien reads another original Twilight Zone source story. This time, let's go back to 1952 (or is it 2022??) with The Beautiful People by Charles Beaumont. Read the story at https://www.gutenberg.org/files/36258/36258-h/36258-h.htm Want more old school stories? Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/spookyaurelien ------- Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
“Don't join the book burners. Don't be afraid to go in your library and read every book...” ― Dwight D. Eisenhower Aurelien digs out from under a pile of library sale books and catalogs her unread gems. Tune in for hot takes on old books! Ranging from "the most unusual mystery novel ever written", to neurological non-fiction, to the YA of our nightmares, and short story collections from famous writers, plus all the various genre adventures, and a random secret gift, the gang's all here. Shade of the Tree by Piers Anthony Condominium by John D. MacDonald Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz Dawn by Octavia Butler The Letter, the Witch, and the Ring by John Bellairs The Man who Mistook his wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart The Nine Lives of Chloe King by Celia Thompson Wicked Witch Murder by Leslie Meier Bluebeard's Egg and other stories by Margaret Atwood From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by e.l. konigsburg Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman Shade's Children by Garth Nix The Floating Admiral by Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, G.K. Chesterton What to read first, spooky friends?? Weigh in and support the show at https://www.patreon.com/spookyaurelien ------- Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
Spooky salutations, listeners and readers! It's time for a "what I was reading when I wasn't here" mid-2023 check-in. Slither into the shade and have a listen, then make your plan of (reading) attack. **** Black Bloom by Felix I.D. Dimaro After Dark with Roxie Clark by Brooke Lauren Davis Rolling in the Deep by Mira Grant The Two Doctors Gorski by Isaac Fellman The Honeys by Ryan La Sala The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean Amari and the Night Brothers by BB Alston Birds, the first story in Evil Flowers by Gunnhild Øyehaug, translated by Kari Dickson **** Episode references: Cari Can Read youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/caricanread With Cindy youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@withcindy **** Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com Support the show at https://glow.fm/spookystrange and/or commission an episode at https://ko-fi.com/spookyaurelien
"Here are the confessions of a vampire." Let's read INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE (1976) by Anne Rice together, spooky friends! Tune in to hear Aurelien's running commentary on her first time reading Chapter 1/paperback book pages 1-34. Readalong with your own copy or just listen in for the story! -- Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com If you'd like to support the podcast or commission an episode, https://ko-fi.com/spooky
Could you slip through a hole in reality? Aurelien interviews horror author Hailey Piper, author of QUEEN OF TEETH, THE WORM AND HIS KINGS, NO GODS FOR DROWNING and more. It's a far-ranging conversation about so many ways we experience horror. Listen for horror geekery about unreliable narrators, our fuzzy reality, takes on modern movies, hopeful hopelessness, splatter Westerns, and how to trick your loved ones into reading the horror you know they'll love. Listen to THE TURNING, Spooky & Strange ep 74: https://pod.link/1469388636/episode/25b72ed05e0c96a5b293f3cff3d4badf Read the horror of Hailey Piper: https://haileypiper.com/piper-books/ Pre-order CRUEL ANGELS PAST SUNDOWN: https://haileypiper.com/cruel-angels-past-sundown/ Look out for her upcoming stories in Unspeakable Horror vol 3, We're Here, Les Petits Morts, and more! Books Hailey Piper recommended: The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle IT by Stephen King Mostly everything by Ramsey Campbell They Drown Our Daughters by Katrina Monroe -- -Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod -Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com -If you'd like to support the podcast or commission an episode, https://ko-fi.com/spookyaurelien
We're off the map of weirdness by this point. How to describe this bizarre, mysterious, fantastical but also grounded, fun with very real consequences at stake, easy to read with heavy themes, 90s book? Go through the janitor's closet and meet under the school for THE INVASION (1996) by K.A. Applegate. Leave your prior preceptions at the door, don't judge this book by its many covers, and let's jump in! Seriously, don't even google it. Spoilers in this one! Interesting word of the book: monstrous adjective frightful or hideous, especially in appearance; extremely ugly. shocking or revolting; outrageous:monstrous cruelty. extraordinarily great; huge; immense:a monstrous building. deviating grotesquely from the natural or normal form or type. having the nature or appearance of a fabulous monster. -Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod -Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com -If you'd like to support the podcast or commission an episode, https://ko-fi.com/spookyaurelien
"Welcome to Aloisville, rainiest town in the rainiest state. Population: we don't recall." Don your rain gear and don't forget your umbrella for NOTHING BUT THE RAIN (2023) by Naomi Salman, a short tale of a drowning town and the people left (or kept) inside. Would you rather forget, or do what you can to survive? What does it mean to survive? No spoilers in this one! Episode references: THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN by Michael Crichton: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/3f86584b-518f-4923-a39e-14cc282f71f 58 RULES TO ENSURE YOUR HUSBAND LOVES YOU FOREVER by Rafeeat Aliyu: https://www.nightmare-magazine.com/fiction/58-rules-to-ensure-your-husband-loves-you-forever/ THE LONG RAIN and ALL SUMMER IN A DAY by Ray Bradbury Interesting word of the book: vivarium noun, plural vi·var·i·ums, vi·var·i·a [vahy-vair-ee-uh, vi-] a place, such as a laboratory, where live animals or plants are kept under conditions simulating their natural environment, as for research. ---- Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com If you'd like to support the podcast or commission an episode, https://ko-fi.com/spookyaurelien
"Sometimes I feel dead," I told her, "and I hate everybody." Let's get lethargic, and philosophical, with MY YEAR OF REST AND RELAXATION (2018) by Otessa Moshfegh. A rare pick from the world of literary fiction, this book feels like eating alone in a dingy restaurant at 3am. It's not horror, but you may be unnerved in a different way. (Stick around for some Gatsby rambling near the end!) No spoilers in this one! Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com If you'd like to support the podcast, https://ko-fi.com/spookyaurelien
Why are some of us so attracted to being totally repulsed? Aurelien and horror writer Ruth Anna Evans explore this question in a discussion of body horror and short fiction; the inherent horror of bodies; and why we poke at our bruises. Plus, we share a non-spoilery preview of the collection OOZE: Little Bursts of Body Horror (2023), which is, across 21 stories, bizarre, strange, heartwarming, weird, surprising, and gross. Keep up with Ruth Anna Evans at https://twitter.com/ruthannaevans Grab OOZE in paperback form https://godless.com/products/ooze-little-bursts-of-body-horror-edited-by-ruth-anna-evans -- Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
"There's only one reality." Take a stroll down a dark alley in Midtown to hear a modern horror cautionary tale, THE POSTMORTAL by Drew Magary (2011). Read it at your own risk, this dark dark tale of humanity and vanity, and consider your answer to the question we are still asking today: would you want to live forever? No spoilers in this one! Read more from Drew Magary: https://twitter.com/drewmagary Interesting word of the episode: collectivism noun the political principle of centralized social and economic control, especially of all means of production. -- Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
"The news calls it a curse, but deep down, it's a mystery." Meet Aurelien in the skies tonight to talk about THE TURNING by Hailey Piper. Spoilers ahead for this surprisingly optimistic story of transformation and change. Read more from Hailey Piper: https://haileypiper.com/ Read more stories from OTHER TERRORS: AN INCLUSIVE ANTHOLOGY (2022): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60527041-other-terrors --- Interesting word of the episode: pterosaur noun any flying reptile of the extinct order Pterosauria, from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, having the outside digit of the forelimb greatly elongated and supporting a wing membrane. --- Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
It's time for another flash fiction roundup! Join Aurelien for a quick tour of the latest strange, spectacular, scary, sweet, surprising short fiction she's loved lately. No spoilers! "Horror Story" by Carmen Maria Machado: http://www.nightmare-magazine.com/fiction/horror-story/ "Bashee Lullaby" by Chazley Dotson: https://www.flashfictiononline.com/article/banshee-lullaby/ "Gotta See the Candy" by KC Ball: https://everydayfiction.com/gotta-see-the-candy-by-kc-ball/ "The Ransom of Miss Coraline Connelly" by Alix E. Harrow: https://firesidefiction.com/the-ransom-of-miss-coraline-connelly "The Masque of the Red Death" by Edgar Allan Poe: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1064/1064-h/1064-h.htm Interesting word of the episode: habiliment noun Usually habiliments. clothes or clothing. clothes as worn in a particular profession, way of life, etc. habiliments, accouterments or trappings. -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
"All alone, holding a hundred naked eyes in her hands." Feel that autumn chill in the air? You may be ready for coziness inside, but prepare to be unsettled about home and hearth with "The Hungry House" by Robert Bloch (1951). Spoilers ahead! Episode references: The work of Charles Addams: https://charlesaddams.com/ Psycho, the book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156427.Psycho -- Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
"... I saw the tiny naked woman cross the living room in full war cry." Aurelien gets weird with short "Tiny Women" (2018) by Solange Rodriguez Pappe, translated by James D. Jenkins. It's part of The Valancourt Book of World Horror Stories, vol 1, and a fun way to kick off ~*~*spooky season*~*~ (well, that and the dance break!) Episode references: Get the collection: https://www.valancourtbooks.com/the-valancourt-book-of-world-horror-stories-vol-1.html Exploring the genre of "magical realism": https://twitter.com/bookishminna/status/1508599858399219721 -- Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
“One of the few good things about modern times: If you die horribly on television, you will not have died in vain. You will have entertained us.” ― Kurt Vonnegut Join Aurelien for a short reading break to talk about some hotly anticipated horror tv shows and movies coming this fall. (Yes, even in alternate dimensions like endless libraries, though release dates will vary.) Watch the trailer for Wednesday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Di310WS8zLk Watch the trailer for Vampire Academy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw_xrllOGu0 Watch the trailer for Interview with the Vampire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P0loX83H6A Watch the Cabinet of Curiosities First Look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYotKcx8rw8 Watch the trailer for Wedding Season: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSUBbIpfc0o Watch the trailer for The Resort: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DmeT1GLQn8 Watch the trailer for Raven's Hollow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhgU0epVYA4 -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
Hey spooky friends! Did you know there was a TV show based on the movie "Scream"? Aurelien and Dustin are going back to 2015 and watching season 1 of the MTV original series SCREAM! Did you watch it? Trick question - no matter your answer, jump in and join us for The Rewatch Recap. See you there~ Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-rewatch-recap/id1636230425 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5t7akUU8Mu4m52lWkY4u1I?si=55c48a1a303c4d9e Listen (and connect) on Goodpods: https://goodpods.app.link/7rCtAogWXrb
Whether you finished reading "Galax-Arena" or you're just here for a good story, proceed with caution: there's spoilers ahead! Aurelien spills this story's secrets, and screams alongside the characters, through the rest of this wild, YA mind-f$ck adventure. Plus, what's up with Bro Rabbit? And how about that ending? -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
"What does the future matter, if until the past is told I'm living in limbo, neither alive nor dead?" Keep your instincts sharp and jump into cross-genre YA weird "Galax-Arena"(1992) by Gillian Rubinstein. Don't get stuck on the sci-fi-y title -- this story is not what it appears to be. No spoilers in this one! Episode references: Learn more about patois languages like Jamaican Patwah/Patois: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patois and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaican_Patois -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
“A shudder, a plunge, a second of darkness, and I'm back in the in-between.” Aurelien is back to talk about "Tunnel of Bones" (2019) by Victoria Schwab, a positively paranormal tale of Parisian peregrination. The second book in the City of Ghosts series, it's another spooky adventure with Cassidy Blake. No spoilers in this one! Listen to Aurelien talking City of Ghosts #1: https://pca.st/q4c3x3r6 Keep up with the author at https://www.victoriaschwab.com/ Check out the movie "As Above, So Below" (2014) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2870612/
"The starsong is louder now, swelling in a way that says something's coming." Pop into the endless library for a sweet treat: "Starsong" (2018) by Tehlor Kay Mejia. Published in the excellent witchy collection Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women and Witchcraft, edited by the fabulous Jessica Spotswood and Tess Sharpe, it's a story of growing up and finding your magic. (And flirting with cute girls on Instagram!) Read more from Tehlor Kay Mejia: https://www.tehlorkaymejia.com/books Buy the collection: http://jessicaspotswood.com/books/toil-trouble/ Special music shout out to Leonell Cassio's "A Magical Journey Through Space" -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
"The atomic bomb meant, to most people, the end. To Henry Bemis, it meant something far different - a thing to appreciate and enjoy." Gather round for a story, spooky friends! Aurelien reads aloud "Time Enough At Last" (1953) by Lynn Venable, the source material for your favorite original Twilight Zone episode. It's a subtle horror story, that draws you in and knifes you in the back. Read the story for free at Project Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/32633/32633-h/32633-h.htms/32633/3 -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
We start books with the best of intentions, but sometimes the timing isn't right. Aurelien introduces five strange, mysterious, intriguing, and eerie recently started books. No spoilers! Secretive Scottish boarding schools, cosmic crime scenes, ghosts (of course), seances, and more questions than a crossword. Madam by Phoebe Wynne (2021) Department Zero by Paul Crilley (2017) Small Town Monsters by Diana Rodriguez Wallach (2021) Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson (2018) The 39 Steps by John Buchan (1915) -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
"It was as if all the pain in the world had found a voice." Aurelien took a short trip to "The Island of Doctor Moreau" (1896) by H.G. Wells. It's an unfortunately readable classic about brutality, ego, torture, and humanity. Add "Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?" by Frans de Waal to your tbr: https://wwnorton.com/books/Are-We-Smart-Enough-to-Know-How-Smart-Animals-Are/ -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
"A little special. A little strange. Not quite alive but definitely not …" It's that time of year, spooky friends! The spookiest season of all. Let's tell ghost stories! Gather round the fire for "City of Ghosts" (2018) by Victoria Schwab, the story of a strange girl with a dead best friend, the ability to see ghosts, and parents who move her to Edinburgh, Scotland. Part Lydia Deetz, part Lyra Belacqua, and all her excellent spooky self, Cassidy Blake is your next weird best friend. No spoilers in this one! Find more from Victoria Schwab at https://www.veschwab.com/books/ -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
"It's impossible. But it's here. Can we keep it?” Grab your canoe and meet Aurelien at the secret lake for "A House At the Bottom of A Lake" (2016) by Josh Malerman. Let yourself be swept away in this weird dreamy story of first dates, summer love, and the thrill, and horror, of discovery. Listen for the spoiler warning around 19:50! -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
"I can't decide if the effect is beautiful or creepy or something in between." Throw on a deerstalker hat and join Aurelien in the library for "The Stitchers" (2020) by Lorien Lawrence. It's a spooky middle grade mystery where amateur detectives Quinn and Mike try to find out just what is up with their strange neighbors who don't seem to age, and the eerie pond at the end of the lane. Are they ghosts, immortals, vampires? Is it all connected? And what is in the pond, just under the water? No major spoilers in this one! Episode covers up to chapter 9. -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
"Josie Schuller is a picture-perfect homemaker, wife, and mother - but she's also a ruthless, efficient killer" Join Aurelien for a recap of the darkly funny (and fully bloody) Lady Killer vol 1 by Joëlle Jones and Jamie S. Rich. This bold graphic novel tells the story of a mid-century American woman trying to have it all: a loving husband, adorable children, killer style, and successful career as a hit woman. Buy Lady Killer from Dark Horse comics: https://www.darkhorse.com/Books/26-356/Lady-Killer-TPB Read it before it hits Netflix: https://boundingintocomics.com/2021/05/07/netflix-to-adapt-joelle-jones-lady-killer-comic-series-with-blake-lively-and-diablo-cody/ -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
"“Please help . . .” His voice was faint, but it was there." Avoid the roads at night and keep your wits about you for "58 Rules to Ensure Your Husband Loves You Forever" (2019) by Rafeeat Aliyu. It's a deep dark story that asks: what are you willing to do (to someone else) for love? And it's a little gross. Read the story at Nightmare Magazine: http://www.nightmare-magazine.com/fiction/58-rules-to-ensure-your-husband-loves-you-forever/ Read more from Rafeeat Aliyu: https://www.rafeeataliyu.com/publications/ -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
What has eerie red eyes, a pronounced widow's peak, surprisingly fang-like fangs, and a soft pink nose? It's "Bunnicula" (1979), a spooky cute middle-grade comedy adventure written by Deborah & James Howe. This time, Aurelien is joined by Dustin, fellow podcaster and magical library elf! Find Dustin's podcast episodes and social media: https://linktr.ee/DustinCanRead Explore the Bunnicula series: https://www.goodreads.com/series/43326-bunnicula -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
Hey, spooky friends! Aurelien astral-projected over to the new horror deep dive podcast Autopsy of a Horror Movie to discuss the straight from quarantine horror hit, Host (2020). Brucker and Aurelien get into how impressive the editing is, the different types of fear, the scariest scenes, and Aurelien invents a new subgenre. If you're a horror movie fan, give it a listen! Follow Autopsy of a Horror Movie: Instagram: @bruckerhorror Twitter: @bruckerhorror Email: bruckerhorror@gmail.com Linktree: https://linktr.ee/autopsyofahorrormovie Host (2020) was directed by Rob Savage, written by Jed Shepherd, and stars Haley Bishop, Jemma Moore, Emma Louise Webb, Radina Drandova, Caroline Ward, and Seylan Baxter. Music & Sound Effects: Cancun by Topher and Grace Mixkit (thunder ambiance) virtualambiance (Haunted Halloween Mansion Fireplace with Thunder Rain and Howling Wind) Big Sound Bank (glass, ice, drink pour)
“Sour candy trumps chocolate.” Celebrate Valentine's weekend with Aurelien and a creepy horror story that will make you happy to be alone. "Sour Candy" by Kealan Patrick Burke (2015) starts with an everyday encounter and quickly devolves into more nightmares than you can count. Buy the book and read more from Kealan Patrick Burke: https://www.kealanpatrickburke.com/books -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
"Creatures of the night, they get along just fine in the darkness." Happy new year, spooky friends! Join Aurelien for a dark modern horror tale of unconventional friendship, the beauty of the night, and some light murder: "The Night Cyclist" by Stephen Graham Jones (2016). Read the story on Tor.com: https://www.tor.com/2016/09/21/the-night-cyclist/ Find more from Stephen Graham Jones: https://www.demontheory.net/ -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
"I asked how many days it took before she was aware of the ghost." It’s time for another flash fiction roundup! Join Aurelien for a quick tour of the latest sweet, spooky, supernatural, super weird, and, of course, super short fiction she's loved lately. No spoilers! "Not the Pizza Girl" by Michelle Ann King: https://everydayfiction.com/not-the-pizza-girl-by-michelle-ann-king/ "Ghost Collecting" by Sheila Massie: http://flashfictiononline.com/main/article/ghost-collecting/ "Larry" by Elsa Richardson-Bach: http://flashfictiononline.com/main/article/larry/ "How to Confront the Sphinx Haunting Your Garden" by Alexei Collier: http://flashfictiononline.com/main/article/sphinx -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
This week for book club, let's go on a spooky tour of Aurelien's horror shelf, from teen witches and the perils of friendship, to creepy haunted houses, dark family secrets, and suspenseful short stories. No spoilers! "A Head Full of Ghosts" by Paul Tremblay “And the Trees Crept In” by Dawn Kurtagich “The Twisted Ones” by T. Kingfisher “The Scapegracers” by Hannah Abigail Clarke “The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires” by Grady Hendrix “Slasher Girls & Monster Boys” edited by April Genevieve Tucholke “The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares” by Joyce Carol Oates -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
“Haunting is an art.” Find us in the secret room for a hauntingly good time with "Open House on Haunted Hill" (2020) by John Wiswell. Autumn isn't only spooks and screams; it's also about loneliness, change, and the warmth of home. Warning: this story might melt your horror-loving heart. Read the story: http://www.diabolicalplots.com/dp-fiction-64a-open-house-on-haunted-hill-by-john-wiswell/ -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
"What fearful shapes and shadows beset his path amidst the dim and ghastly glare of a snowy night!" Let's meet at the spooky old church for book club to talk about a classic American ghost story: "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (1820) by Washington Irving. Featuring superb descriptions of fall foliage, an excellent spooky atmosphere, and ghostly, mysterious ending, this story will immerse you in autumn. And if you can't get enough Sleepy Hollow, check out the latest episode of of Film on the Rocks: https://pca.st/zobwnl5i -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
“But he couldn’t overcome the feeling that he was trapped, while things slowly fell apart around him.” It's time for book club, and for the exciting conclusion of Michael Crichton's "Sphere" (1987)! Packed with thrills, chills, and more giant squid than you can shake a stick at, Aurelien covers the second half of this mysterious scifi adventure. This episode is full of spoilers! -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
"What they find defies their imaginations and mocks their attempts at logical explanation..." Something has been found on the ocean floor, something intriguing and impossible. A group of scientists are sent 1000 feet down to investigate - and there, they find something even stranger. Aurelien covers the first half of "Sphere" (1987) by Michael Crichton, a paranoid, weird sciencey horror thriller. Episode references "Packing for Mars" by Mary Roach: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9542311-packing-for-mars Learn about the Drake Equation: https://seti.org/drake-equation-index -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
"Black winter had descended in a single night.” Watch the tides and slip out in the cover of night for Daphne Du Maurier's "The Birds" (1952). It's a chilling, suspenseful story that's not really like the movie adaptation at all, and will fill your heart with dread. If you're a Shirley Jackson fan, add this one to your tbr! Spoilers ahead! -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
And now she sat so very quietly, so very still, like a living-dead doll staring out the window. Buenas noches, spooky friends! This week, let Aurelien tell you all about how Georgina's perfectly planned life got flipped-turned upside down - by Death. Set during the Mexican Revolution, "This Strange Way of Dying" (2011) by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a spooky dark historical love story about choosing your future and also, becoming a goth queen. Spoilers ahead! Read "This Strange Way of Dying" by Silvia Moreno-Garcia http://giganotosaurus.org/2011/08/01/this-strange-way-of-dying/ Buy the story collection "This Strange Way of Dying: Stories of Magic, Desire and the Fantastic" https://www.silviamoreno-garcia.com/blog/this-strange-way-of-dying/ -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
"She is only a ghost, and nobody believes in ghosts any longer." Let's go back in time for book club this week, with Ellen Glasgow's 1920 ghost story "The Past". If you like classic gothic stories and spooky hauntings, but also want a protagonist who asks "wtf?", this one is for you. And, please, ignore the spiritual representation of trauma watching us from the corner. Episode references Learn more about Ellen Glasglow: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_Glasgow Check out "The Big Book of Ghost Stories": https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13330932-the-big-book-of-ghost-stories -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
“The house was full of dead bodies, it seemed. It felt like a mechanical cemetery.” Hey, spooky friends! It's a special, Bradbury birthday edition of book club. Aurelien discusses (and spoils!) her favorite Ray Bradbury short stories: the spacey sadness of "All Summer in a Day" and the visceral horror of "The Veldt". Plus: how it feels when a favorite author might be someone you wouldn't want to talk to at a party. Episode references Listen to Aurelien talk about "The Mummy" (1999) on Film on the Rocks podcast! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/film-on-the-rocks/id1482638759?i=1000487571880 Read more about Bradbury's complicated legacy: https://electricliterature.com/the-new-fahrenheit-451-movie-fails-to-reckon-with-bradburys-racism/ Read that 1979 "Fahrenheit 451" coda: https://stjoe.k12.in.us/ourpages/auto/2015/3/9/49008830/Bradbury%20-%20Coda.pdf -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
"Darkness stood hushed and bulky beneath his kitchen window." Bring a flashlight and stay out of the cellar! This week, Aurelien covers Ramsey Campbell's viscerally horrifying "The Brood" (1980). It's a dark, unsettling story about a lonely veterinarian and the strange happenings in the house next door. Who lives there? What are they doing with all those small animals? And do you hear those moaning, wailing cries? -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com * Bonus clip from The Neverending Story (1984) property of Warner Bros
"Even when you’re dead, some things cut close to the bone." Let's go to the mall, everybody! But be careful - you don't want to get stuck here, like the ghosts in "Old Habits" (2011) by Nalo Hopkinson. It's a short modern horror story that manages to pack in plenty of nightmares (and feelings). Spoilers ahead! Episode references: Read the story at Uncanny Magazine: https://uncannymagazine.com/article/old-habits/ Grab a copy of Uncanny Magazine Issue Twenty-One: https://uncannymagazine.com/issues/uncanny-magazine-issue-twenty-one/ Need a smile? Watch "Let's Go to the Mall" by Robin Sparkles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY_bhVSGKEg -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
"...and there were the trooping faeries that would steal them all away to their underground hills for a hundred years." Meet by the edge of the wood and wear your best coat to book club for modern faery tale "The Coat of Stars" by Holly Black. It's a short and emotional story of lost love, faery bargains, and ethereal womenswear. Spoilers ahead! -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
"Not a spirit to be found, of course." Meet in the hidden passage at midnight for book club to discuss modern gothic comic "Women Do Not Creep by Daylight" (2019), written by Vera Greentea and illustrated by Kyla Vanderklugt. A spiritual descendent of "The Yellow Wallpaper", it's the story of a determined young woman, a crumbling old castle, and a mysterious green amulet. No spoilers in this one! Episode References: Buy the comic: https://greenteapublishing.com/collections/books/products/women-do-not-creep-by-daylight Read "The Yellow Wallpaper" free online: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1952/1952-h/1952-h.htm Read "Lullaby for a Lost World" free online: https://www.tor.com/2016/06/08/lullaby-for-a-lost-world/ -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com
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