November 2023 ScaredyKit I Don't Like Spiders and Snakes!

This month our topic(s) will focus on the creepy crawlies! Read any book where the focus is spiders or snakes.

Some possibilities:
Incryptid Series by Seanan McGuire
The Curse of Yig by H.P. Lovecraft
The Lair of the White Worm by Bram Stoker
Fear by Ronald Kelly
SNAKE BITE (an extreme horror): EATEN ALIVE L.D. Semme
Snake Tales (Chilling Archives of Horror Comics) Various Authors
Titanoboa by Victor Methos
The Venom of Snakesville Plains: A Creature Feature Horror Novel (Terrors Of The West) by Ray Charles
The Snake’s Pass by Bram Stoker
The Ash-Tree (collection of short stories, including spiders)
No Man’s Land Lucius Shepard
Perdido Street Station China Mielville
The Killing Kind by John Connolly
The Underdwelling by Tim Curran
Feeding Ground by Sara Pinborough
The Hatching by Ezekiel Boone
The Forgotten Realms by R.A. Salvatore

Please let us know what you are reading and offer any suggestions!

I picked up a horror anthology while at StokerCon this year--This World Belongs To Us: An Anthology of Horror Stories About Bugs--and it's got some writers in it that I already adore, so that's what I've got earmarked for this month!

But I love snakes, so I can't wait to see what others will dig up for this one!

I'm attracted to both of the Bram Stoker reads as well as John Connolly book. I also have an anthology of scary stories that I will leaf through and see if I can find anything on spiders or snakes.

I haven't decided what I'll read yet, but I do have a recommendation. I recently finished and loved Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky, which features a race of giant intelligent spiders. It's sci-fi rather than horror, but there are definitely some scary moments.

Found one on KU that looks like a fun romp, Clowns Vs Spiders by Jeff Strand.

I started reading The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell and realized it doesn't fit any of my categories this month. It is mentioned at the beginning that the character who goes missing has severe arachnophobia and a fear of small places so I think it might fit this challenge. We'll see.

>6 VivienneR: This was a DNF. It was a tedious audiobook not helped by the narrator's voice.

I completed The Lair of the White Worm by Bram Stoker Oh my, it certainly isn't Dracula! This book seems to be a cross between fantasy and gothic horror. It is based on the myth/legend of Worm of Lambton, which is a giant worm that terrorizes neighboring villages. This book has been dubbed "the worst book ever." I really don't see that it is much different than many others of this genre. I could see this book as a very melodramatic silent movie. 217 pages 3 stars

I read Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones by Allen Schwartz. It contained two stories that fit the challenge, Bess (snakes) and The Red Spot (spiders).

Planning for 2024 ScaredyKIT is here:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/355052

I changed my read for this. When I read the following in the blurb for this book, I immediately put it on library hold for this challenge.

Mirabelle is part of a very unusual family. Between Uncle Bertram transforming into a ferocious grizzly bear and Aunt Eliza’s body being made entirely of spiders, it’s safe to say they are an extraordinary lot.

I think a person made of spiders would fit here! Although spiders are not the main focus, I would imagine. Hopefully it is still OK to use for this challenge as it sounds intriguing.

Oh, the book is The Monsters of Rookhaven, a middle grade gothic horror.

I picked out both a spider book and a snake book, but it pretty much turns out none really fits horror or thriller. Sigh.

I read Noir by Christopher Moore (a snake plays a decent role in the story). And I'm now reading Libriomancer where I love the fire spider, the main character's "pet".

I'm not really going to count "Noir", and I'm not sure "Libriomancer" really fits, either, so I may end up not reading something for this one this month. (But I'm trying!)

>12 LibraryCin:, I'm hoping my bug horror anthology has some spiders in it lol. Otherwise, I'll be fudging my choice a bit too!

>13 whitewavedarling: Good luck! I hope you manage to find a spider! LOL!

The sentences we never think we'll speak lol.

>15 whitewavedarling: LOL! Too true!

And December is now posted here:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/355220

I finished This World Belongs to Us: An Anthology of Horror Stories About Bugs, and I'm so glad I stumbled on it! Honestly, this is the best anthology I've read in a while. Fun, creepy stories with tons of variety to story, theme, and style. I avoided reading it at night--some of these stories were incredibly creepy!--but every time I finished one story, I couldn't wait to go on to the next. Another perk to this one was that while there were definitely some established names I recognized, there were also quite a few I'd never heard of and who I now get to look for more work from.

Full review written, but I'd absolutely recommend it. And, yes, there were indeed some spiders to be found here!