Books On Tape

Fall is my favorite time of year. I went pumpkin picking this weekend with my adorable nephew and could not help but think of some of the fantastic Halloween themed titles we have on our list. Check out our Spooky Listens collections for more great Halloween title suggestions.

In THE TELL-TALE START by Gordon McAlpine we meet Edgar and Allan Poe, the great-great-great-great-grandnephews of, master horror writer, Edgar Allan Poe. The identical twins are precocious and witty. Arte Johnson does a terrific job of pulling the listener into this funny, fast-paced tale. Publishers Weekly raves in a starred review, “Johnson’s delivery is stellar and his character interpretations colorful and endlessly creative…a true treat…Endlessly fun and ultimately very satisfying on every level, this recording is a must-have.”

TALES FROM LOVECRAFT MIDDLE SCHOOL by Charles Gilman is a special treat with three strange mysteries. Kristoffer Tabori will leave listeners horrified by Professor Gargoyle, repulsed by The Slither Sisters, and grossed out by the yuckiest monster yet in Teacher’s Pest!. Strange things happen at Lovecraft Middle School; students disappear, the science teacher might be a monster-in-disguise, and even worse, the school is full of “gates” to a terrifying alternate dimension. TALES FROM LOVECRAFT MIDDLE SCHOOL is horror at its best, full of bizarre beasts, strange mysteries, and nonstop adventure.

In THE TANGLEWOOD TERROR by Kurtis Scaletta 13-year-old Eric Parrish comes across glowing mushrooms in the woods behind his house, he’s sure there’s a scientific explanation. But when they start encroaching on the town and popping up from beneath the floorboards, Eric knows something’s seriously wrong. Everette Plen does an fantastic job of capturing Eric’s voice with just the right doses of sarcasm and poignancy. Set at Halloween with an urban legend feel, this is a parody of and tribute to pulp-era horror stories, is a literary mystery that’s not too scary.

One of my favorite horror books is ROTTERS by Daniel Kraus. GRAVE-ROBBING! What kind of monster would do such a thing? It’s true that Leonardo da Vinci did it, and Shakespeare wrote about it. But when sixteen-year-old Joey is sent to rural Iowa to live with the father he has never known, he gets introduced to dead, rotting, corpses and along with them a fascinating, revolting underworld. Kirby Heyborne does an outstanding job of engrossing us in this tale with his perfect pitch and pacing. It’s easy to hear why this title won the Odyssey Award. Booklist raves in a starred review, “Heyborne compels complete immersion in the novel’s literate language, giving us no choice but to absorb every word as gruesome details build…His reading convinces us that Joey and the diggers are real people recounting a grand and gruesome adventure. A tour-de-force combination of reader and writer, resulting in horrific realism with strong adult crossover appeal.”

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!