January 2016: Early modern horror: 1950-1980

Happy New Year everyone!

If I remember correctly from the discussion on topics, this theme came about from a combination wanting to watch some of the classic horrors of the 70s and 80s, and to read the books that go with them, and using Stephen King's Danse Macabre as a general guide:

http://www.librarything.com/list/275/all/Stephen-Kings-Danse-Macabre-reading-lis...

If anyone wants to read the book AND watch the film, here are some other suggestions:
- Ghost Story
- Stepford Wives
- Burnt Offerings
- Jaws
- Psycho
- The Exorcist
- The Body Snatchers ('Invasion of the Body Snatchers' ('56 and '78), plus two later adaptations as well)
- Rosemary's Baby
- Hell House ('The Haunting of Hell House')
- The Haunting of Hill House ('The Haunting')
- The Other
- Falling Angel ('Angel Heart', but is late 80s)
- The Omen (written alongside the film, released shortly prior as a marketing gimmick)

Other suggestions:
- The Expendable Man
- The Scapegoat
- The Day of the Triffids

Although it's non-fiction I'd also suggest Danse Macabre, which is a very readable overview of horror during this period.

I'll be reading Burnt Offerings, The Stepford Wives and Ghost Story (in no particular order). I'm hoping to track down the films too - Burnt Offerings was available for free on YouTube, last time I looked.

The other Brits in the group will notice that I missed the first day of the New Year by 4 minutes! But I'm here now :D

Yay! I'm happy to start off a new year of reading. I'll be starting The Expendable Man shortly, which is probably more of a thriller than horror. This is such a great time period--I've probably read every suggestion in your list. I just read Burnt Offerings last summer, and really enjoyed it. I'll have to look for the movie.

I'm planning to read Salem's Lot for this month's challenge.

As long as I can get it via ILL, I'm planning on Jaws 2 for January.

>1 Moomin_Mama: Happy New Year to you, too! :) And great introduction, btw. I love the list of books that could be watched in movie form before or after the book.

>2 Moomin_Mama: Best of luck with your three. :) Looks like you'll be pretty busy this month.

Burnt Offerings is free on YouTube? I love it! :) That's one thing I love about YouTube--you can watch a lot of obscure movies on it. (I made the mistake of shelling out quite a bit of money for an old movie via Amazon, only to realize it was free on YouTube. *forehead smack*)

>3 sturlington: Best of luck with The Expendable Man! :)

>4 mathgirl40: Good luck with Salem's Lot! :) I haven't read it, so I'd love to hear what you think of it.

>5 LibraryCin: Well, I'll cross my fingers and toes you get the ILL, too. :) Good luck!

I haven't chosen a January read yet (though I did start Dawn of the Dreadfuls today, a really, really old LT Early Reviewer copy I won), but I do own copies of at least three titles listed above: Salem's Lot, Hell House, and The Stepford Wives. I might go with one of those, or maybe dig around in my library some more....

I'm not sure what I'll read yet, several applicable ones I ordered last month that have yet to arrive and a couple were ordered previously but to the US so I have to wait for my mom to send them. I'm not sure if there's anything actually on my shelves (unread) that fits, or if I'll need to wait for stuff to arrive.

>3 sturlington: No spoilers about Burnt Offerings! Not until I've read and watched it, anyway :)

>4 mathgirl40: I think Salem's Lot is one of King's best books; a good scary read. The film is good too but it was originally a mini-series of two parts, and I've since seen two versions - one cut down to regular movie length, and a longer one which combines the two parts with no cuts. If you are going to watch the film, the longer version is much scarier.

>6 saraslibrary: I'd recommend Salem's Lot, although Hell House isn't bad - I don't think it's aged well but I found it unintentionally funny in places, which is what I enjoyed most about it. The Stepford Wives is short, which is a plus.

>7 .Monkey.: Such a pain when things don't arrive on time. I ordered all three of mine on-line last month and they were surprisingly quick despite the Christmas post, although Ghost Story smells of sulphur! I left it on my bedside cabinet and couldn't work out why my bedroom smelled of rotten egg, although the smell is fading now.

I'll be reading Rosemary's Baby and if I can fit it in, Ghost Story. I'm going to save
Danse Macabre for NF month I think.

>3 sturlington: I should have asked: if you've read most of the suggestions, do you have any recommendations or favourites?

>9 luvamystery65: Will be good to swap thoughts on Ghost Story. It is also one of ten books that Stephen King focuses on in Danse Macabre, so if you do read it you can look forward to his take on it.

My favorites are Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist, The Other, The Haunting of Hill House, The Day of the Triffids, Ghost Story and all early Stephen King. And as I said, I really enjoyed Burnt Offerings, which is emblematic of this period. No spoilers, I promise!

>11 sturlington: Looks like I picked a couple of good ones. I'll be reading The Haunting of Hill House for 'Women' or 'Hauntings'. Once I've read and watched Burnt Offerings, you can let loose!

A bit more information on the Danse Macabre reading list: There is a list of 100 books at the end of the book, not all of which are strictly horror but have something horrific about them (in Stephen King's opinion, anyway - one such book is Watership Down). There is also a 'Horror Fiction' chapter where he focuses on ten books in particular, and as always he is very interesting. These ten books are:

Ghost Story - Peter Straub
The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson
The House Next Door - Anne River Siddons
Rosemary's Baby - Ira Levin
The Body Snatchers - Jack Finney
Something Wicked This Way Comes - Ray Bradbury
The Shrinking Man - Richard Matheson
The Doll Who Ate His Mother - Ramsey Campbell
The Fog - James Herbert
Strange Wine - Harlan Ellison

I finished The Expendable Man. It is not horror, it is a noir thriller. I liked the atmosphere, which is taut and paranoid, and I loved the setting, which is 1960s Phoenix. But still, not horror--more reminiscent of Patricia Highsmith but not quite as dark as she can be.

>7 .Monkey.: *crosses fingers something will pop up for you* :)

>8 Moomin_Mama: I was thinking The Stepford Wives, too, because it was so short (though I have it tagged "sci fi"; is it more horror?). But, unfortunately, I don't remember where I put it... :/ Salem's Lot definitely sounds like my favorite choice of the three (I love vampires), but I'm reading a couple other books already this month, so "short" is my biggest deciding factor. And just tonight, I stumbled across The Rats by James Herbert (published 1974; 197 pages), so that looks like my January read. :) If I can find a copy, I plan on watching the movie of it--Deadly Eyes--that is, if the book's good; if not, then I'll skip on the movie. Has anyone else seen it? Or read The Rats?

>13 Moomin_Mama: Oh, yeah, I can see how Watership Down could be horrific. Or at least the animated movie of it. I saw it as a kid and was a little traumatized by it.

>14 sturlington: Congrats on finishing your January read already! :)

Woo my books have arrived! Well the ones I ordered to here, anyhow, not all the ones back Stateside. So I will probably go for Stepford Wives (which is indeed scifi, I believe it's more the situation as a whole that is "horrific," as opposed to something like Rosemary's Baby where it's horror elements all the way through; the Woman's Journal remark on the back of my copy says "Clever and chilling" and Times Literary Supplement's is "Taut, rapid, frightening, quite ferociously readable," to give an idea.), since it's short and should be good and I have a lot of other books going on right now! xP

>16 .Monkey.: Perfect timing! :) And good luck with The Stepford Wives. I kind of wished I had gone with that one. I'm maybe 1/4 through The Rats, and it keeps hopping from new character to new character that I'm having difficulty maintaining interest. But it's short, so it'll be over soon.

Read Stepford Wives last night, enjoyable. I do wonder how it'd be not knowing the end before starting, but it was still (not surprisingly) interesting & suspenseful enough to keep me reading it straight through and see how things got from point A to point B. I am also now really intrigued by Levin being a rather clear feminist, back in the 60s & 70s (if not before), when it was most certainly not so typical for males. Makes me love him even more and need to read all the rest of his stuff!

>15 saraslibrary: My mum took me and my sisters to see Watership Down at the cinema when it came out. We were fairly young, as were most of the audience. I've never seen an audience coming out looking so depressed. All the mums were complaining to each other because a lot of the kids were in tears, none of them realised the story was so upsetting. What a day out!

>17 saraslibrary: I read The Rats as a teenager. I enjoyed it at the time although I can hardly remember it now - it's one I'd like to reread someday. Have you reached the stereotypical James Herbert sex scene yet? You were guaranteed one per book in the early part of his career, which I found amusing as a teen.

>18 .Monkey.: Finished The Stepford Wives last night too, and was very impressed. I liked the use of the quote from The Second Sex to open the book. Even knowing the plot beforehand, the book was chilling and disturbing. 5 stars.

>18 .Monkey.: and >19 Moomin_Mama: The two of you make me want to add The Stepford Wives to my tbr...

>20 LibraryCin: You definitely should.

>18 .Monkey.: Wow, that was fast! :) Was he a feminist or just writing on a feminist topic?

>19 Moomin_Mama: :D Not laughing at all those damaged kids who saw Watership Down, but I can totally understand their moods.

Oh, cool, you did read The Rats? Yay! And, oh yes, I have read a sex scene or two already. Nothing terribly graphic, but it was memorable (an ex-nun-turned-barmaid who really liked random sex with strangers). I could see how amusing it would be as a kid reading it. I think Stephen King always shocked me as a kid when I'd read some of his stuff. But then some elementary/middle school kids really shouldn't read some of his books. :D

LOL his books are not on remotely feminist topics, he was a horror-thriller writer. He worked feminism into his horror stories. This blog post about Rosemary's Baby was pretty good (it discusses the book in depth so, spoilers abound, for anyone who's not read it & doesn't want all the details spelled out for them), for example.

What a great post. Thanks for sharing. It just reminds me that the key to enjoying seventies horror is to make believe you are actually in the seventies.

Although if you want the anti feminist antidote to RB, try Harvest Home.

>22 saraslibrary: Do you intend to read Lair and Domain, the books that follow The Rats? I think I was less impressed by Lair but was terrified by Domain.

>20 LibraryCin: >21 .Monkey.: I second Monkey - you definitely should.

>22 saraslibrary: It was pretty funny, looking back. We were all so happy to be going to the cinema...

>25 Moomin_Mama: Ok, Stepford Wives going on the tbr...

I think you might have also meant to reference a different post re: The Rats. I've not read it. :-)

Anti-feminist? Eh no thanks, think I'll pass. And I see yours is one of only two that even mention that aspect, most of the reviews are rather glowing. :| I can tolerate a bit of misogyny—to a point—in something truly old and still respect the story (if otherwise well done), because while there were enlightened souls it was sadly the standard view that women were unworthy of note; there's very little escaping it. But in the 70s? Zero excuse. Apparently Thomas Tryon would have fit in nicely with the men of Stepford!

>27 .Monkey.: Oh, he certainly would! I can't recommend it, although I did enjoy The Other.

Ah, your review of that one does intrigue me, def one I'd only buy cheap secondhand though, heh. I can't figure out why there are no cheap copies on Abe. Apparently it was rereleased, and there's a great many used ones on amazon, but only 3 ridiculously priced copies on Abe. Weird. Ah well, doesn't matter anyhow, I've bought too many books recently to go buying a random title from the 70s from a misogynistic author right now, hahahaha.

>29 .Monkey.: lol

I finished Salem's Lot by Stephen King. What a terrific vampire story! It was indeed scary, and I loved the vast array of characters. King has such great storytelling skills. Unfortunately, our local libraries don't have this movie, but I will try to get hold of one of the two versions at some point, as I'd like to see how the adaptation compares to the book.

>31 mathgirl40: I'd like to read that one again. I'm listening to Dracula and I'd like to compare the two. I know it was King's homage to Dracula.

It has been a long time since I read 'Salem's Lot. I can't remember if I ever saw the Rob Lowe one, but I have the original one on DVD, so that's the thing that stands out in mind for me, it's freshest. They did a pretty nice job with it, even King liked it, and you know he's not afraid to speak up when he doesn't! Lol.

>26 LibraryCin: Oops! I was meant to link to Sara's post about The Rats. Thanks for letting me know :)

>22 saraslibrary: Do you plan on reading the next two books, Lair and Domain?

>31 mathgirl40: I'm so glad you enjoyed Salem's Lot. There are two related short stories: 'Jerusalem's Lot' and 'One for the Road' (both in Night Shift). They're both good too, the latter being particularly scary, or so I thought.

>33 .Monkey.: Have never seen the newer one with Rob Lowe. How does it compare to the Tobe Hooper tv version?

>34 Moomin_Mama: hehe! I thought that must have been the case!

>25 Moomin_Mama: & >34 Moomin_Mama: At first, I wanted to read the sequels to The Rats. But now that I'm almost done with it, it's left a nasty taste in my mouth, so no, probably not. Well, unless I find some super cheap copies and then I might. :) So, I'll still keep those in mind. Skip Lair and move right on to Domain, right? ;)

For some reason, that movie outing you described reminds me of that creepy Easter Bunny photo. o.0

>31 mathgirl40: Congrats on finishing it! :) And good luck finding the movies. I want to say I've seen at least one, but my memory is pretty hazy.

>36 saraslibrary: Ooooh, I'm intrigued - why did The Rats leave a nasty taste in your mouth? I was a teen when I read it and all I can really remember is that it was about giant rats eating people, was fairly short, and that I enjoyed it. I guess it hasn't aged well OR I particularly liked pulp horror as a teen - I enjoyed books such as The Sucking Pit and Night of the Crabs at one stage, I found them a lot of fun.

And yes, I remember Lair as being much of the same, but not as good. Domain takes things in a whole different direction and scared me, but not because of the rats...

Whoah, that easter bunny photo - where on Earth did you find that? Terrifying!!!

I finished Burnt Offerings, which I highly recommend if anyone is considering it. I reckon I would have found it a lot scarier if I'd read it in fewer sittings, as the tension builds very well, but it was still fairly creepy. It was very 70s in its style of horror but wasn't a period piece (as compared with something like Hell House, which I feel hasn't aged well). It's eerie, weird, with some short, sharp shocks, and I give it 5 stars.

>11 sturlington: You can let loose now (on the book, that is - will be watching the film soon).

Have started Ghost Story and hope to have finished it this week - so far I'm loving it. Still plodding along with 'The Book That Forgot to Be Scary or Entertaining'....

>37 Moomin_Mama: There were too many characters in The Rats. I think on average one new character was introduced per chapter, so I never really connected with any of the characters, not even the school teacher who was supposed to be the hero of the story. I didn't like the animal killings either. I know it's a man vs. animal story, and I knew some animals would be killed, but I didn't like how a team of scientists fed infected puppies to the killer rats; or even when the rats attacked caged animals at a zoo. The main reason The Rats left a nasty taste in my mouth was it was rather dull and predictable. Even though it was just under 200 pages, it took me a couple weeks to read. However, the ending did leave a little something up in the air, so that did hook me. I might try looking for the sequels, but no hurry.

Oh, I could definitely see how it would be enjoyable reading it as a kid. The rats in the book sounded horrific, even to me, a rat lover (I used to keep them as pets). Guy N. Smith--yes! That's exactly who I was thinking of as I read this one; I don't know why. I guess I was trying to think of the last memorable book I had read involving killer animals, and it was Killer Crabs, almost 14 years ago. The Rats definitely made me want to rewatch Willard. :)

As for the Easter photo, I used to work with someone who had the same kind of morbid humor I had, and he put that on one of our work computer's wallpaper. :D

>38 Moomin_Mama: Congrats on finishing Burnt Offerings! :) And I must've forgotten, but what's 'The Book That Forgot to Be Scary or Entertaining'? :D

>39 saraslibrary: What a wicked thing to do (the computer wallpaper) - I'd be terrified! Must have been fun though :D

I was referring to The Town That Forgot How to Breathe. It's really tedious. I'm halfway through Ghost Story and enjoying that much better - TTTFHTB keeps being put on the back burner.

>40 Moomin_Mama: Absolutely wicked. >:) The two of us got a kick out of it, but, of course, we had to change it back to something neutral once our supervisor saw it.

Oh, yeah, that book. Bummer about the tedium. Maybe(??) it'll pick up; who knows. At least Ghost Story's working for you. That's a plus.

Jaws 2 / Hank Searls
3.5 stars

It's been a few years since the shark terrorized the small town of Amity on Long Island. Martin Brody is still the chief of police. When Brody arrests a drunk man on the beach for shooting a seal, initially they also suspect the same man might be responsible for the disappearance of two divers and a married couple. Little does anyone know, but there is another shark off the coast of Amity...

This was one decent, but not as good as the first, I thought. Might have something to do with me listening to the audio for the first one, but I'm not sure about that. I have to admit I didn't find this one suspenseful like I did the first one. I enjoyed the parts that were from the point of view of the shark (and there were also POVs from a couple of seals, as well, that I enjoyed). I did find it interesting that this book was written based on the movie, rather than the usual other way around.

>42 LibraryCin: I'm glad Jaws 2 was still decent enough. :) I usually prefer the original versions of books made into movies than the novelizations, too. Those just don't seem to have any soul to them. Anyway, good job getting your January read done!

I did get less reading done in jan due to the shelfari shutdown, but i am happy to say that i did manage at least one bbook for all my challenges, even still!

Finished up The Bad Seed on a plane yesterday. Despite the 1950s attitudes toward women, it was surprisingly creepy and surprisingly good!

>44 LibraryCin: I had no idea Shelfari shut down. I saw something about Shelfari members getting a free lifetime membership when they imported their catalog to LT, but I honestly didn't look into it. I'm sorry to hear that. But good for you getting something read! :)

>45 drneutron: Good job! :) I can't say I've read the book or seen the movie, though the girl in pigtail braids I recognize.

>46 saraslibrary: Yeah, it's been pretty devastating for many of us. :-( I started a group here for shelfari "refugees" to help people out, as well (Monkey and MarthaJeanne have popped in a number of times to answer people's questions, so thank you both!).

I had also previously started a shelfarian group at leafmarks, as well; it's popular with shelfarians due to the nested discussion threads, so many people went there, as well. I think lots of people are trying out the different sites to see what will work best for them. (And me, I'm at all the sites!)

Plus, I'm one of the admins of one the more popular groups that was over there. The four admins of the group did some quick testing of three other sites to pick one we thought would work best to move the group (it's not my favourite, but we went with GR; there were pros and cons for all three sites). So, it's been really hectic through January. I still have some things to move/update from my own shelf.

Anyway, with all the upheaval, I spent way more time on all four sites to help people out everywhere and to test out group options.

Officially, shelfari shuts down on March 16th, so there is still some time. Many have already moved to the other sites and are no longer visiting shelfari. I plan to be there till the end, however.

Did anybody watch the movies that go with their books? I've yet to watch mine - I'm hoping to get round to it this week.

>42 LibraryCin: I see Jaws 2 is written by another author - I'm assuming it's a novelisation of the movie?

>45 drneutron: I read The Bad Seed years ago and wasn't overly impressed, although I can't remember it very well now. Any chance you could share what you found creepy about it?

I didn't watch my movie but I plan to at some point.

>48 Moomin_Mama: Yes, in this case, the book was based on the movie.

>47 LibraryCin: Wow! Thank you for explaining all of that to me. I'd be pretty sad/hacked if LT were to close. (This is the only book site I use, though I'm sure I have accounts elsewhere, to test them out.) I hope you guys are able to find each other again and continue with your reading groups, etc! :)

>48 Moomin_Mama: I didn't watch Deadly Eyes (the movie title for The Rats), though I had planned on it. 1) We don't have a copy at our library, and 2) the book was disappointing; I couldn't imagine the movie being any better. What about you? Are you going to re/watch Burnt Offerings?

>51 saraslibrary: I'd be lost if LT closed!

I didn't know The Rats had been made into a film. I'll have to look for that. And yes, I'll be watching Burnt Offerings, which I've never seen. Also The Stepford Wives, which I have seen before (the 1970s version, not the new one with Nicole Kidman, which I've yet to see).

>48 Moomin_Mama: Rhoda, the girl, just really struck me as psychopathic and evil. Her planning and deliberate actions showed her complete lack of empathy for others and for me, that's creepy and scary!

I forgot to drop by and mention, I read Haunting of Hill House a couple days ago, too. It wasn't quite as changed from the (1999) movie as I expected (something I read said it was incredibly altered), at least from the parts of the movie that have stuck in mind. There were changes of course, but, to my memory the core of it had much similarity. Also, the casting of Lili Taylor as Nell was IMPECCABLE. When I saw the movie years back, her character irritated me a lot, she was pretty much my least favorite part of the movie. But reading it, and seeing just how insanely well-matched she was to what Jackson wrote, gives me a new appreciation of her role. None of the other characters were much like their written counterparts, I definitely didn't see Catherine Zeta Jones as Theo and the doctor's looks & personality didn't match up with Neeson's role very well, but Nell was firmly enmeshed as Lili in my head, since she embodied it so well. Enjoyable read. :)

>54 .Monkey.: One of my all-time favorites. Have you seen the original movie, The Haunting, directed by Robert Wise? I watched it again last Halloween and I think it holds up very well.

You know, I don't think I have. I saw the '99 one back when it was new, and back then wasn't aware of the original. I'm not surprised, though, older movies tend to hold up far better, heh.

I'm working on The Stepford Wives so hope to finish in Feb!

>52 Moomin_Mama: Same here!

Yeah, I don't know how I found out it was turned into a movie. Maybe it was in the introduction or something. *shrugs* Anyway, best of luck if you do watch The Rats movie, as well as watching Burnt Offerings! :) That one keeps getting recommended to me on Amazon, and I'm still debating on whether to buy it or not without knowing much about it. So, I'll be eager to hear if you liked it or not. :) I haven't watch either Stepford Wives movie completely, though I did see bits of the Nicole Kidman remake. Have fun rewatching the original!

>54 .Monkey.: Oh, now I remember that movie. Vaguely. I remember the actor names at least. And didn't somebody lose their head in the fireplace or something? Or maybe I'm thinking of another movie. Anyway, congrats on finishing it! :)

>57 ccookie: Best of luck with The Stepford Wives! :)

That doesn't ring any bells, but it's possible. It's been many years since I've seen it!

>59 .Monkey.: I know how that goes. :) Sometimes I don't even remember some movies I've seen just a few days ago.

I did a quick google search and found out the movie I was thinking of was The Haunting (the one mentioned above), and it was Owen Wilson who got decapitated by a swinging lion pendulum in the fireplace. Ouch. It happens so fast in this clip, but if you're up to it, here's the scene from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6ffGVe63c0 . Enjoy! :)

Yeah if it was anyone, it was him. I barely even remember his presence in the movie, he was pretty much a forgettable sidekick, heh.

Agreed. :)

I'm a little late to the party but reporting in that i have just finished Ira Levin's The Stepford Wives

Short, creepy social commentary, well written horror theme. Understandable how the term "Stepford Wife" became part of our social / cultural lexicon

My comments are here

>63 ccookie: Nope, you're never late. That's great you finished the book and liked it! :)

and one more for last month's theme. Probably the best:
Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin

Wow, very scary. Seemingly ordinary people doing very extraordinary, scary, downright evil things!

My comments are here

Sounds like we had some great reads in January. I recently reread Rosemary's Baby but I am inspired to reread The Stepford Wives based on the reviews. It's been a couple of decades, at least...

>54 .Monkey.: I'm looking forward to reading The Haunting of Hill House next month. I've seen the original film, which I found suspenseful, but not the new one.

>65 ccookie: I'll take that as a recommendation to fit Rosemary's Baby in this year.

Completely forgot to mention that I'd finished Ghost Story. It was a great read but unlike a lot of reviewers I enjoyed the first part the most. I loved the characters and the town, with its petty politics and affairs; the Chowder Society; the slow build-up and weird happenings; and the suspense. The rest was good, but too much happens and the methods and motives of the 'ghost' weren't completely convincing. The ending was ridiculous. Overall I'd still give it a 4, but that first part is a definite 5, and I was a bit disappointed the rest wasn't of the same quality or pace.

Also forgot to say that I watched the 70's version of The Stepford Wives. It's true to the book, and a good film, but it's missing some of the menace of the book - for instance, the scene where the men come round to the house and Joanna is sketched is much more benign in the film, whereas it's very tense in the book, with a sense that it must have been intimidating for Joanna to have to sit through the sketching and the awkward silences. I'd still recommend it.

>65 ccookie: Congrats on finishing Rosemary's Baby as well! :) I like the idea of that: "...ordinary people doing very extraordinary, scary, downright evil things!" I may have to give that one a try someday.

>66 sturlington: Agreed. :) Well, I wasn't too terribly thrilled with The Rats by James Herbert. However, the ending did make me want to read the sequels, so that says it wasn't a total waste of time.

You should do some re-reading. :) I do that every once in awhile with my old favorites. It rekindles my interest in reading if/when I hit a row of bad reads.

>68 Moomin_Mama: Congrats as well on finishing Ghost Story! :) That's too bad it wasn't consistently good; but still, 4 stars makes me want to add that one to my wishlist now.

>69 Moomin_Mama: I don't think we have the 70's Stepford Wives movie at work, but I'd still be interested in watching it after I read the book. And that's great that it's true to the book! Nothing irritates me more when unnecessary scenes or characters are added or dropped from a movie based on a book.