What is the scariest book you've ever read?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What to Expect When You’re Expecting

It's such a useless and horrible book.

So.fxxng.bad.

Stop! And think to yourself..is this piece of white bread the best nutriiton I can give my child?

Or some similar crap, circa 1999 or 2000 before my first child was born. I almost broke my eyeballs rolling them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Was thinking of reading The Road.

It sounds rough. If I’ve read the Shining and The Atsnd without problems, do you think I could tolerate the Road?

It's different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Was thinking of reading The Road.

It sounds rough. If I’ve read the Shining and The Atsnd without problems, do you think I could tolerate the Road?

It's different.

The Road is a 2006 novel by Cormac McCarthy, and it’s one of the bleakest, most stripped‑down post‑apocalyptic books ever written. Since you asked “what book is that,” here’s the clean, direct profile:

The Road — What it is
A father and his young son walk through a burned, ash‑covered America after an unspecified cataclysm. There’s almost no food, no animals, no plants, and almost no surviving humans — and the ones who remain are often dangerous.

It’s a survival story, but really it’s about:

parental love

moral choices when society is gone

the instinct to protect someone even when the world is ending

It’s written in McCarthy’s minimalist style: sparse punctuation, stark imagery, and emotional punches delivered in a single line.

How The Road compares to The Stand
Short version:
The Stand is bleak but expansive, dramatic, mythic, character-driven, and ultimately hopeful.
The Road is bleak but minimalist, intimate, stripped-down, and spiritually annihilating.


I just, before you posted, asked Co-Pilot to figure out if I would like ti based on my reading profile. It basically suggested that I never try reading it.

Hope this helps.

[Anonymous]

A Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh. And the movie by the same name. Chilling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree with many of these books and plan to read the ones I haven’t tried yet.
I would like to add Rosemary’s Baby. Extremely creepy.

Ray Bradbury short stories: The Small Assassin, There will Come soft rains are two.

A short story adaptation of Sorry Wrong Number I read as a child. I still think about it at times!

Rosemary's Baby is by Ira Levin who also wrote The Stepford Wives. Both are great. They're sort of plausible because human failings and giving in to temptation are what create the evil. Everyday life scary.

I saw the movie of The Road and was traumatized. I can't read the book.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Was thinking of reading The Road.

It sounds rough. If I’ve read the Shining and The Atsnd without problems, do you think I could tolerate the Road?

It's different.

The Road is a 2006 novel by Cormac McCarthy, and it’s one of the bleakest, most stripped‑down post‑apocalyptic books ever written. Since you asked “what book is that,” here’s the clean, direct profile:

The Road — What it is
A father and his young son walk through a burned, ash‑covered America after an unspecified cataclysm. There’s almost no food, no animals, no plants, and almost no surviving humans — and the ones who remain are often dangerous.

It’s a survival story, but really it’s about:

parental love

moral choices when society is gone

the instinct to protect someone even when the world is ending

It’s written in McCarthy’s minimalist style: sparse punctuation, stark imagery, and emotional punches delivered in a single line.

How The Road compares to The Stand
Short version:
The Stand is bleak but expansive, dramatic, mythic, character-driven, and ultimately hopeful.
The Road is bleak but minimalist, intimate, stripped-down, and spiritually annihilating.


I just, before you posted, asked Co-Pilot to figure out if I would like ti based on my reading profile. It basically suggested that I never try reading it.

Hope this helps.

Now you have to read it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Was thinking of reading The Road.

It sounds rough. If I’ve read the Shining and The Atsnd without problems, do you think I could tolerate the Road?

The Road is psychologically terrifying. There are no supernatural elements, only people surviving by any means.

[Anonymous]

I just read the four page Soft Rains by Bradbury. How does one write a masterpiece in four pages?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just read the four page Soft Rains by Bradbury. How does one write a masterpiece in four pages?

This doesn’t answer your question, but I just did a quick search about Ray Bradbury. When he was twelve he had an encounter Mr Electrico, a carnival musician who supposedly tapped him with an energy filled sword and said “Live forever!”. Then he began writing stories every day , four hours/day.

Of course that doesn’t explain his genius and maybe the story was even embellished.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh. And the movie by the same name. Chilling.

Interesting idea. I'm not sure scary is exactly the word I'd have picked, but you're on to something.

I read all the Waugh the library had a couple years ago and that was the one that most surprised me, in a good way.

[Anonymous]

Thanks to everyone for describing The Road in more detail. Undecided for now whether to add to my list

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks to everyone for describing The Road in more detail. Undecided for now whether to add to my list

I read it within the last year and while bleak and quite dark, I didn't find it exceptionally disturbing.

[Anonymous]

The Tell-Tale Heart, Hitchcock short story.

Flowers in the Attic, VC Andrews.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Tell-Tale Heart, Hitchcock short story.

Flowers in the Attic, VC Andrews.

Poe, you ignorant slut.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks to everyone for describing The Road in more detail. Undecided for now whether to add to my list

As long as you aren't pregnant or don't have a baby at home, you will be fine.