Oct

31

Grab Bag.

Posted by Christopher Waldrop

October 31, 2007 |

Looking for some quick Halloween treats? Here are some books you can dip into for short pieces:

Now We Are Sick, an anthology of “nasty verse” edited by Neil Gaiman and Stephen Jones, brings together poems written by such varied writers as Brian Aldiss, Alan Moore, Terry Pratchett, and Robert Bloch. Most of the writers in the collection aren’t known as poets, and you’ll probably think that’s a good thing when selections like A Mother’s Tender Love by Jo Fletcher give you the chills:

Bethany, Bethy child,

Golden-haired girl,

Can you not hint where you’ve run?

Tresses entangled, curls ripped and torn,

Like hell-hounds pursued you–and won.

Now We Are Sick is helpfully divided into categories like In Loving Memory, Less Welcome Tenants, Night Fears, and Adults Only, a section devoted to very good, very sweet little children.

If you’re looking for short stories, try Neil Gaiman’s collection Smoke And Mirrors, which ranges from an old English woman who buys The Holy Grail in a second-hand shop to Hollywood goldfish to an incredibly erotic story that may make you think twice about ever having sex again. Maybe. For younger readers of course there’s Gaiman’s brilliant The Wolves In The Walls, with hilarious illustrations by Dave McKean. McKean and Gaiman have collaborated on several projects, including another children’s book, The Day I Swapped My Dad For Two Goldfish, Coraline, Gaiman’s novel for young adults, and the film MirrorMask.

Maybe you’re more inclined towards stories you can tell around the campfire–or e-mail to your friends. In that case check out Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid by Dr. Jan Harold Brunvand. Brunvand has a long career of studying folklore and urban legends, as well as numerous publications including The Vanishing Hitchhiker and The Choking Doberman, collections and studies of urban legends. Be Afraid brings together some of the most terrifying urban legends Brunvand has recorded into a single volume, usually with multiple versions of each tale. Heard the one about the hook-handed man going after couples in parked cars? Heard about black widow spiders in hairdos? Had a friend of a friend who had a cousin who knew a guy who met someone who had a brother whose daughter got her intestines boiled in a tanning booth?

Don’t be afraid to take a short dip this Halloween. Or dive right in.

Update: This year’s Halloween costume is in. Harry Potter fans will recognize me as everyone’s favorite auror. Everyone else will think, “Is that Marty Feldman?”

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Comments

2 Comments so far

  1. James on November 1, 2007 2:36 pm

    Brilliant!! I loved Smoke and Mirrors and Wolves in the Walls. I think The Vanishing Hitchiker is something that should be read by me. Also, yes, I thought Marty Feldman

  2. Little Miss Know it All on November 2, 2007 11:23 am

    Another excellent costume!

    Although, I’m going to hide The Wolves in the Walls for another year or so from our oldest…its just too vivid for his literal little mind! Excellent book though…

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