Reading Lists - Zombie Lit

Zombies have been among us for some time now, and judging by the popularity of books, television shows, and movies like The Walking Dead, Warm Bodies, and World War Z, it appears they won't be disappearing anytime soon. If you’ve enjoyed any of the titles just mentioned, you may want to check out this list of zombie fiction:      

Brains: A Zombie Memoir by Robin Becker

This humorous mock memoir gives the reader insight into the thoughts of a former college English professor turned zombie.  Jack Barnes, the narrator, isn’t like most zombies— he has retained the abilities of thought and self-awareness.  With a group of fellow sentient zombies, he sets out on a journey to bring about a truce between the living and the living dead. 

Dead of Night by Jonathan Maberry

The body of an executed serial killer mysteriously disappears from the local morgue, and soon after zombies are spotted wandering around the streets of small town Stebbins, PA.  Reporter Billy Trout and policewoman Desdemona Fox must find the cause of the virus before it spreads any further. 

Feed by Mira Grant
The first book of the Newsflesh trilogy follows twin news bloggers Georgia and Shaun Mason as they cover a presidential candidate in the year 2039.  While traveling the campaign trail, the duo notices that zombie outbreaks occur in each city on the tour shortly after their arrival.  Part political thriller and part zombie horror, Feed is one good read. 

Flesh Eaters by Joe McKinney
Winner of the 2011 Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel, Flesh Eaters is set in Houston during the aftermath of a series of devastating hurricanes and floods.  As rescue workers seek to bring aid to the stranded community, they discover that the survivors have been infected with a disease that makes them crave human flesh.

Handling the Undead by John Ajvide Lindqvist
Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist first gained prominence in the U.S. when his haunting vampire novel Let the Right One In was adapted into a hit movie.  His equally eerie second novel, Handling the Undead, tackles the subject of zombies, focusing mainly on the reactions of the living as their friends and family members return from the dead. 

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
From the author of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter comes this side-splitting parody of Jane Austen’s classic novel of manners.  You’ll laugh yourself hoarse as Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy find love in an England overrun by zombies.   

Raising Stony Mayhall by Daryl Gregory
It’s 1968 and the government has been rounding up and destroying zombies, so when Wanda Mayhall finds a "living dead" infant on the side of the road she feels her only choice is to adopt the child.  Young Stony is raised in seclusion, but eventually he ventures into the world and discovers others like himself.  Gregory uses this premise to delve into the lives of those on the fringes of society. 

The Return Man by V.M. Zito

In a post-apocalyptic America, the entire West Coast has been destroyed by a zombie outbreak. Former doctor Henry Marco is called the return man— people pay him to travel into the quarantined area to kill virus-infected loved ones and release them from the undead state.  Now the government wants him for a mission that may provide a cure for the zombie plague.    

Shakespeare Undead  by Lori Handeland

If you’ve ever wondered what the movie Shakespeare In Love would be like if Shakespeare was a vampire who was inspired to write by a beautiful zombie killer, then this book is for you.  Handeland weaves together bits of history with references to the Bard’s work to create an outrageously funny zombie novel— and if that’s not enough, she even adds a bit of romance to spice things up.

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

Probably the most romantic zombie book you’ll ever read, Warm Bodies is the Romeo and Juliet of zombie lit.  This clever and heartwarming tale of unconventional love begins when a boy named R falls in love with a girl named Julie.  There’s just one problem— she’s alive and he’s a zombie.  Now a movie starring Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer. 

World War Z  by Max Brooks

One of the most popular titles in the recent resurgence of zombie lit, World War Z is compelling because its vision of a not-so-distant future feels completely plausible.  Brooks presents the material in the form of a series of interviews with the zombie outbreak survivors, and his serious tone adds to the suspense.  A film version starring Brad Pitt is set to be released in 2013.

The Zombie Autopsies by Steven C. Schlozman
Taking a cue from World War Z, The Zombie Autopsies purports to be the secret journal of renowned zombie expert Dr. Stanley Blum.  Sent by the United Nations to study the zombie virus, Blum uses his medical precision to describe the virus’s horrific effects on his subjects and fellow researchers.  The detailed illustrations are not for the faint of heart or the weak stomached.

Zombies! Zombies! Zombies! edited by  Otto Penzler
The title says it all.  This book contains over 700 pages of amazing zombie stories, ranging from classics by Edgar Allen Poe and H.P. Lovecraft to more modern tales by Stephen King and Graham Masterton.  Includes an excerpt from the very first zombie book, W.B. Seabrook’s The Magic Island. 

Award Winners - 2011 Bram Stoker Award Winners

Each year, the Horror Writers Association presents the Bram Stoker Awards for Superior Achievement, named in honor of Bram Stoker, author of the seminal horror work, Dracula. The Bram Stoker Awards were instituted immediately after the organization's incorporation in 1987. Last years' awards were presented on March 31, 2012. Come check some out at the library!

Novel: Flesh Eaters by Joe McKinney (F McK)
First Novel: Isis Unbound by Allyson Bird (only available in Kindle format from Amazon)
Long Fiction: “The Ballad of Ballard and Sandrine” by Peter Straub (on order)
Short Fiction: “Herman Wouk Is Still Alive” by Stephen King (The Atlantic Magazine, May 2011)
Anthology: Demons: Encounters with the Devil and his Minions, Fallen Angels and the Possessed edited by John Skipp (SC Dem)
Fiction Collection: The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares by Joyce Carol Oates (F Oat)
Vampire Novel of the Century: Richard Matheson for his modern classic I Am Legend (F Mat)

Samuels Says - "It's Halloween... what should we read?"

This month for our display, we asked the staff: "It's Halloween,,, what should we read?" Here are our picks—we'd love to hear yours too!

Ben

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (F She)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling (YAF Row)
Dracula by Bram Stoker (F Sto)
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (F Ste)
Jaws by Peter Benchly (F Ben)
The Exorcist by William Blatty (F Bla)
Fear: 13 Stories of Suspense and Horror by R. L. Stine (YAF Sti)
Zombies vs. Unicorns compiled by Justine Larbalestier and Holly Black (YA Story Zom)
The Crucible by Arthur Miller (812.52 Mil)

Kristin

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury (F Bra) - ”The absolute best Halloween-y book ever!”
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (F Mor)
First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones (F Jon)
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness (F Har)
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters (F Wat)
Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris (F Har)
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger (F Nif)
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux (F Ler)
The Mercy of Thin Air by Ronlyn Domingue (F Dom)
A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb (YAF Whi)
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (F Kos)
Mr. Was by Pete Hautman (YAF Hau)
The Radleys by Matt Haig (F Hai)
The Mummy by Anne Rice (F Ric)
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (F Cri)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling (YAF Row) “Dementors! Plus I love the Halloween Feast!”
And of course: Dracula by Bram Stoker (F Sto), Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (F She), and The Island of Dr. Moreau by H. G. Wells (F Wel)

Cheryl

The Shining by Stephen King (F Kin)
The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe (F Poe)
Beastly by Alex Flinn (YAF Fli)
The Bride Finder by Susan Carroll (F Car)
Midnight Bride by Susan Carroll (F Car)

Kathy J

“I’ve heard that anything by Ted Dekker (F Dek) is pretty intense, but I’ve been too chicken to read them myself!”
Books by Frank Peretti: (F Per)
This Present Darkness
Piercing the Darkness
Oath
The Visitation
Prophet
Monster

Jeanne

Rules of Prey by John Sanford (F San)
The Stand by Stephen King (F Kin)
Red Dragon by Thomas Harris (F Har)
The Woodchipper Murder by Arthur Herzog (364.1523 Her)
Firebird by Janice Graham (F Gra)
The Dark Queen series by Susan Carroll (F Car)
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Retiring Early by Dee Lee (332.024 Lee)
Practice for the S.A.T.s, 1969 edition (378.1662 Pra)
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (F Jac)
Anything in non-fiction 595.4 - 595.

Nicki

Anything by Edgar Allan Poe!
A Yankee Roams at Dusk by Paula Ann Kirby (133.1 Kir)

Boo

First Grave on the Right and Second Grave on the Left by Darynda Jones (F Dar)
Embrace the Grim Reaper and The Grim Reaper’s Dance by Judy Clemens (F Cle)
A Stranger is Watching by Mary Higgins Clark (F Cla)
Covenant with the Vampire by Jeanne Kalogrdis (F Kal)
A Touch of Dead by Charlaine Harris (F Har)
Waking the Witch by Kelly Armstrong (F Arm)

Michal

The Dead by Charlie Higson (YAF Hig)
Who’s There by Stephanie Tolan (YAF Tol)
Wait till Helen Comes: a Ghost Story by Mary Hahn (JF Han)
The Bermuda Triangle by Jacqueline Gorman (J 001.94 Gor)
Tailypo: a Newfangled Tall Tale by Angela Medearis (J 398.2 Med)
Stranger with My Face by Lois Duncan (YAF Dun)
Skeleton Man by Joseph Bruchac (JF Bru)
Dracula by Bram Stoker (F Sto)
The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson (133.1 Ans)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving (JF Irv)

Joan 1

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (F She)
Carrie by Stephen King (F Kin)
The Vampire Chronicles series by Anne Rice (F Ric)
Dracula by Bram Stoker (F Sto)
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stenson (F Ste)
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (F Wil)
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (F Doy)
The Shining by Stephen King (F Kin)
The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe (F Poe)
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (F Jac)
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty (F Bla)
Coraline by Neil Gaiman (YAF Gai)

Joan 2

Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz (F Koo)
Graveminder by Melissa Marr (F Mar)
Wither by Lauren DeStefano (YAF Des)
White Cat by Holly Black (YAF Bla)
Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride (YAF McB)
Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris (F Har)
The Passage by Justin Cronin (F Cro)
The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff (YAF Yov)
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (F Lee)
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman (F Hof)

Jessica

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion (F Mar)
The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff (YAF Yov)
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (YAF Rya)
The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong (YAF Arm)
Revenge of the Witch, from The Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney (YAF Del)
Tithe by Holly Black (YAF Bla)
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith (F Aus)

Tamara

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (YAF Gai)
Anything by Neil Gaiman (F Gai)
The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe (F Poe)
Firestarter and The Stand by Stephen King (F Kin)
Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice (F Ric)

Betty

The Ghosts of Charlottesville and Lynchburg by L. B. Taylor (133.1 Tay)
...especially Chapter 21: “ The Extraordinary Rocking Cradle”...it was my grandmother’s house!

Let us not forget DVDs!

The Sixth Sense, The Birds, The Shining, Psycho, When a Stranger Calls, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Addams Family, Sweeney Todd, The Others, Secret Window, The Mummy, To Kill a Mockingbird, Black Swan, Alice in Wonderland, Twilight, Nightmare on Elm Street, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Blade, Interview with the Vampire, and so many more...

Read-alike Guides - Stephen King

If you like the psychological horror tales of Stephen King, you might enjoy one of these books:

Boy’s Life by Robert R. McCammon
Twelve-year-old Cory Mackenson's father finds a dead man handcuffed to a car's steering wheel that has plunged into Zephyr's Lake in 1964, and they realize that all is not as it seems in their quiet town. McCammon’s novel mixes hair-raising dangers and adventure with a coming-of-age tale.

From the Corner of His Eye by Dean Koontz
Bartholomew Lampion grows up a prodigy, blinded by the surgery required to save him from a fast-spreading cancer. He regains his sight at the age of thirteen and sets out to transform the lives of everyone around him. Kooky characters, multiple storylines, and a fast pace provide something for everyone in this compelling tale of good and evil.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
This classic novel, in which a scientist of the supernatural invites three people to come to Hill House to study and record the occult incidents that occur there, has been scaring readers since its publication in 1959.The phantasma of other worlds—and private worlds—reveal a disconcerting similarity. King fans will appreciate the subtle psychological terror.

Homebody by Orson Scott Card
After losing his daughter in a car wreck, Don Lark buries himself in the work of restoring a magnificent, long-neglected Southern mansion. When he unearths an old tunnel in the cellar, he stirs up the demons of the house's tragic past. This novel is fast-paced, magical, and full of unusual characters.

Hunted Past Reason by Richard Matheson
A camping trip exposes long-hidden rivalries and resentments between two old friends. Tensions rise as they get farther from civilization, until the hostility erupts into a life or death struggle for survival. Matheson effectively translates the basic man-hunts-man story into modern psycho-thriller terms. As always, his dialogue rings true.

Mr. X by Peter Straub
Every year on his birthday, Ned Dunstan experiences a seizure in which he is forced to witness scenes of ruthless slaughter perpetrated by a mysterious and malevolent figure in black whom Ned calls Mr. X. Straub writes this horrific tale of self-discovery in evocative prose, populated with well-drawn characters. Mr. X boasts a labyrinthine plot with shocking twists.

Relic by Douglas J. Preston and Lincoln Child
Investigating a series of savage murders that disrupt a massive new exhibition at the New York Museum of Natural History, graduate student Margo Green finds a clue in a failed Amazonian expedition. Relic has the right blend of gripping suspense, colorful characters, and credible science to create a gripping page-turner.

Sleep No More by Greg Iles
Enjoying a happy marriage while remembering an obsessive love affair years earlier (with a woman who subsequently died), John Waters encounters a woman with a secret only his ex-girlfriend knows. When she, too, is killed, Waters' life is enveloped by guilt and suspicion. Iles is masterful at sustaining psychological suspense with a multitude of plot twists and possibilities.

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
A masterpiece of modern Gothic literature, this is the story of two boys and the evil that grips their small Midwestern town with the arrival of a "dark carnival" one autumn midnight. How these two innocents save the souls of the town, makes for compelling reading on timeless themes. Bradbury excels in revealing the dark side that exists in us all.

Summer of Night by Dan Simmons
Terror comes to Elm Haven, Illinois, when something or someone makes off with a child, bizarre events occur with increasing frequency, and the long-silent Borgia Bell rings by itself, announcing a malignant presence. Stephen King calls Summer of Night an “American nightmare with scares, suspense, and a sweet, surprising nostalgia, one of those rare must-read books.”

Also by Stephen King:

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
King shares his insights into the craft of writing and offers a humorous perspective on his own experience as a writer. This is unmistakably King—friendly, sharply perceptive, cheerfully vulgar, sometimes adolescent in his humor, sometimes impatient with fools, but always sincere in his love of language and writing. (Find it in the nonfiction section, 813.54 Kin.)

Bare Bones: Conversations on Terror with Stephen King
Bare Bones is a cornucopia of rare insights into Stephen King, the man and the writer. The editors have assembled the first book of conversations with him, a series of revealing interviews King has granted to some of America's most respected interviewers. King discusses his life, his work, his fears and dreams. (Available in nonfiction, 813.54 Ki.)

The Bachman Books: Four Early Novels
Many of King’s early novels were written as Bachman. This omnibus includes Rage, a story of stunning psychological horror about an “estra” ordinary high school student; The Long Walk, a contest with death; Roadwork, a strange variation on the theme of “Home Sweet Home;” and The Running Man, where you bet your life—literally. (F Kin)