Word Myths: Debunking Linguistic Urban Legends

Author: David Wilton
Title: Word Myths: Debunking Linguistic Urban Legends
Genre: Non-Fiction
Publication Date: 2008
Number of Pages: 240
Geographical Setting: NA
Time Period: NA
Series: no
Plot Summary:
This book will come in handy as a conversation starter. The author does a great job of exposing some of the most popular “word myths”, such as; Ring Around the Rosie refers to the Black Death, that Eskimos have 10,000 words for snow, or that Posh is an acronym for “Port Out, Starboard Home.” Each chapter is a brief history of the linguistic urban legend, and when possible tells the true tale of how a word or phrase came to be. In this book you will discover the true story behind popular words and expressions such as “rule of thumb,” “the whole nine yards,” “hot dog,” “raining cats and dogs,” “chew the fat,” “AWOL,” “under the weather,” “in like Flynn,” “Dixie,” “son of a gun,” “tinker’s damn,” to name a few. I also learned that SOS was not originally an acronym for “Save Our Ship” or “Save Our Souls,” but was chosen because the Morse code signal (3 dots, 3 dashes, 3 dots) was easy to send and recognize. Also, “let the cat out of the bag” does not refer to the whip (the “cat”) used to punish sailors aboard ship. The term “upset” (to defeat unexpectedly) does not date from the horse race when the heavily favored Man O’ War was beaten by a nag named Upset (Upset was the only horse ever to defeat Man O’ War, but the word predates the race by half a century). And Thomas Crapper did not invent the flush toilet, nor do the words “crap” or “crapper” derive from his name. It is fun to set the record straight when these urban word myths pop up at parties or over the holiday dinners…

Subject Headings: Linguistics, Urban legends, Language, True History, Trivia, and Etymology.
Appeal: accessible, detailed, historic details, fact, engaging, engrossing, humorous, quirky, intriguing, witty, language, nonfiction, academic, authoritative, fast paced.
3 terms that best describes this book: Etymology, Myth, History
Similar Authors and Works
Non-Fiction:
• Spoken Here: Travels Among Threatened Languages by Mark Abley-A travel guide through some of the regions where language is literally disappearing.
• Word Histories and Mysteries: From Abracadabra to Zeus byAmerican Heritage Dictionaries- Uncovers the origins of five hundred everyday English words.
• Word Origins And How We Know Them: Etymology for Everyone by Anatoly Lieberman- insights into how our language has evolved, mutated and otherwise morphed over thousands of years
Fiction:
• Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn- the English language is being eroded one letter at a time, will it stop, how will we communicate?
• The Accidental Asian: Notes of a Native Speaker by Eric Liu-The struggle that comes with losing your language, heritage, and culture.
• The Bald Soprano by Eugene Ionesco-the story of a breakdown in communication between a married couple.
Name: Laura Bartnik

The Devil in the White City

Author: Erik Larson

Title: The Devil in the White City

Genre: Non-Fiction

Publication Date: 2003

Number of Pages: 390

Geographical Setting: Chicago

Time Period: 1890’s

Series: N/A

Plot Summary: This book is an account of the Chicago Columbian Exposition (World’s Fair) in 1893. It discusses detailed accounts of the construction and the people involved in planning it, as well as the life of serial killer Herman Mudgett and the people he preyed upon. The book is very interesting because it is a true account that is filled with historical details, but it reads like a novel. Daniel H. Burnham was the architect in charge of creating the “White City” of the fair, and had to overcome numerous obstacles to do it; even death of his business partner. Dr. Holmes (Herman Mudgett) was responsible for many murders before, during, and after the fair, and the account of his killings is very chilling and true to life. He killed between 27 and 200 people (no one knows for sure how many) and even constructed his own World’s Fair Hotel to lure victims (it had a crematorium and gas chamber). The book switches points of view from Burnham and Holmes, which works because the reader often needs a break from the psychotic Holmes chapters.

Subject Headings: Mudgett, Herman W., 1861-1896; Burnham, Daniel Hudson, 1846-1912; World’s Columbian Exposition (1893: Chicago, Ill.); Serial murderers- Chicago, Illinois; Serial murders- Chicago, Illnois- Case studies; Architects- Chicago, Illinois; Deception in men; Murders; the Nineties (19^th century); Chicago, Illinois- History- 19^th century

Appeal: Cinematic, complex, dramatic, historical details, investigative, compelling, dark, deliberate, suspenseful, tragic, urban, violent, vivid, historically political, multiple plot lines

3 terms that best describe this book: World’s Fair, serial killer, Chicago

Similar Authors and Works

Non-Fiction:

1. The Beast of Chicago: an account of the life and crimes of Herman W. Mudgett, known to the world as H.H. Holmes by Rick Geary- Tells the true account of the life & crimes of Holmes. It contains black-and-white artwork by the author.
2. Jack the Ripper: the uncensored facts: a documented history of the Whitechapel murders of 1888 by Paul Begg- Tells the true story of another famous serial killer; Jack the Ripper in London.
3. Sin in the Second City: madams, ministers, playboys and the battle for America’s soul by Karen Abbott- True history of America’s most famous brothel, the Everleigh Club in Chicago from 1900 to 1911.

Fiction:

1. A Proper Pursuit by Lynn N. Austin- Violet Hayes’ mother has been missing since Violet was 9 years old, and Violet goes to the Chicago during the World’s Fair to find her.
2. Loving Frank: A Novel by Nancy Horan- Novel about Frank Lloyd Wright, who was mentioned in The Devil in the White City.
3. Bloody Mary by Joe Konrath- Chicago police lieutenant Jacqueline Daniels deals with her personal life while trying to track down a serial killer.

Bonus: The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule- The true story of Ted Bundy, a student who was put to death for killing multiple people.

For Her Own Good

Author: Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English

Title: For Her Own Good: Two Centuries of the Experts’ Advice to Women

Genre: Nonfiction

Publication Date: 2005 (orig. 1978)

Number of Pages: 410

Geographical Setting: United States

Time Period: Modern – written about 19^th and 20^th century

Series: No

Plot Summary: Ehrenreich (author of “Nickel and Dimed”) examines the role of women in 19^th and 20^th century America. In the first section of the book, she looks at the decline of patriarchy. First, she clarifies that her use of the term “patriarchy” throughout the book is not to mean male dominance in general, but to “refer to a specific historical organization of family and social life.” So when she uses the phrase “decline of patriarchy,” she is not “suggesting that male dominance has declined – only that it has taken a different historical form.”  She first focuses on women as healers/midwives/wisewomen and the way in which male-dominated medical institutions sought to override and abolish that role. In fact, upper and middle-class women at this point literally find that there is nothing left for them to do (nor are they allowed to do anything but their wifely duties and reproduce) with the rise of industrialization. Where they once made food from scratch (off of their own self-sustaining farms), soap, candles, etc…they now have nothing to do. A trend of sickness begins where the women lay in bed and gentleman doctors visit them. Occurring simultaneously is the rise of the “experts” and their varieties of interesting advice for women. Among some of this advice are these nuggets: lay off of all that unnecessary thinking and rest up in bed, “live as domestic a life as possible” “have your child with you all the time” “have but two hours of intellectual life a day” and “never touch pen, brush or pencil as long as you live” “higher education would cause women’s uteruses to atrophy!” I am sticking with the kinder, ungraphic ones here. So called “medical advice” soon turned to the psychoanalysis movement and “hysteria” is a sweeping diagnosis for all of women’s problems – since (as the reasoning goes) all problems are caused by uterus and that a woman is defined only by the fact that she possesses one – “as if the Almighty, in creating the female sex, had taken the uterus and built up a woman around it.” With the turn of the century, a new era begins. Women leave the malingering behind and become active again. House-keeping now becomes a full-time profession and a science along with child-raising. The middle-class seeks to “save the home” as industrialization is now in full swing. The book moves through each kind of era of new advice for women after setting up the context for that time. Ehrenreich does a great job of analyzing these historical documents and calling to our attention some very interesting ideologies.

Subject headings: Women – history – United States. | Ethics, Medical – history – United States. | History, 19th Century – United States. | History, 20th Century – United States. | Maternal Health Services – history – United States. | Women’s Health Services – history – United States. | Women’s Rights – history – United States. | Women – United States – Social conditions. | Maternal and infant welfare – United States – History. | Women’s health services – Social aspects – United States – History. | Medical ethics – United States – History. | Women’s rights – United States – History.

Appeal: densely written, measured, closely observed, detailed, intriguing, well-developed, complex, investigative, issue-oriented, thought-provoking, historical details, political, chilling, academic, frank.

Three terms/phrases that best describe this book: does not make one romantically long for the days of yore, sometimes shockingly funny, sometimes evokes disgust.

Relevant Fiction Works and Authors:

The Woman who gave Birth to Rabbits: Stories by Emma Donoghue (Consists of historical pieces such as surgical case notes, theological pamphlets, engravings, family letters, and legal documents.  These stories were half-truths at the time and turned into sensations, these are outrageous stories about women from the 19^th century and good for those who like to look back on absurdities of the past and laugh at them).

Conditions of Faith by Alex Miller (This is a story set in the 1920s about a woman who felt stifled and restless by her conventional, socially acceptable life. She eventually finds herself in a place of potential fulfillment, but faces the dilemma of making an important life choice).

Grange House by Sarah Blake (A turn-of-the century story about a how a particular young woman wants to aspire to more than is encouraged by Victorian society (with its social restrictions). Contains a lot of historical information about the mores, language, and class distinction of this era and has a ghost story mixed into the plot as well).

Relevant Non-Fiction Works and Authors:

The first sex: the natural talents of women and how they are changing the world by Helen E. Fisher (Anthropologist, Fisher writes about the modern role of women in the global capitalist economy. It states that though women have been held back historically, they are finally achieving their equally positions and having their natural talents [highlighted in this book] recognized). Now bring on the equal pay!

In our Time: Memoir of a Revolution by Susan Brownmiller (Feminist activist Brownmiller discusses what it was like to grow up before legalized abortion and rape and crisis centers. She also goes in-depth into the women’s movement and familiarizes us with the key figures involved).

America’s Women: Four hundred years of dolls, drudges, helpmates, and heroines by Gail Collins (Collin’s work fits perfectly alongside Ehrenreich’s. In this text, she examines the role of women from the birth of America to modern times. She calls great attention to the ambivalence women face in regards to wanting to be in the home and also wanting out of it. Collins has a very objective voice, and does not seek to place blame [while still giving us all of the facts, she speaks with a very positive voice] on either gender for the roles that women filled throughout time in this country.)

Name: Susan

Devil in the White City

Author:  Erik Larson

Title:  Devil in the White City:  Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America

Genre:  Nonfiction

Publication Date:  2003

Number of Pages:  370

Geographical Setting:  Chicago

Time Period:  1890s

Series:  N/A

Plot Summary:  Daniel Burnham is an architect who has done well for himself and has his name attached to many a great building.  “Devil in the White City” is the tale of how Burnham came to oversee designs of the World’s Fair held in Chicago in 1893.    But it also the story of another man.  H. H. Holmes also became notorious because of his involvement with the World Fair, or rather, the murders he committed all during its celebrations.  This book intertwines the two lives and vividly depicts just how eventful the fair really was.

Subject Headings:  Chicago; World Fair – 1893; Murder;  Identity Theft;  Architecture

Appeal:  alternating points of view, detailed and accurate Chicago setting, resolved ending, knowledgeable details of architecture and engineering, urban setting, cryptic, cunning villain, steady incline of tension, well-drawn conflicts, distant characterization, heavy description, minimum dialogue, unhurried pace

3 terms that best describe this book:  Dark, Descriptive, Foreboding

Similar Authors and Works
3 Relevant Non-Fiction Works and Authors:

“Chicago Architecture:  1885 to Today” by The Chicago Architecture Foundation, Edward Keegan, and Lynn J. Osmond.  A visual supplement to the buildings in Larson’s text, and maybe even some of those described within.

“Murder and Mayhem in Chicago’s Downtown” by Troy Taylor.  A description of other violent scandals that have taken place in the Second City.

“The Strange Case of Dr. H. H. Holmes” by John Borowski.  Another account of the murderer, as he is portrayed as very mysterious by Larson,

3 Relevant Fiction Works and Authors:

“Murder in the Pharmacy” by Charley Doyle Mills.  Like Holmes, this perpetrator uses his connection with pharmaceuticals to commit his crimes, and for a further similarity, the reasons behind the gruesome intention are seemingly unknown.

“Honeymoon” by James Patterson.  This tale centers on a female character who takes lovers, murders them, and acquires their assets.  Perhaps she and Holmes would have been a good match.

“The Lost Symbol” by Dan Brown.  This book also interweaves historical architecture with the quest to catch a murderer.  A tad more graphic, but compelling nonetheless.

Name:  Melissa

Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II

Author: Robert Kurson

Title: Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II

Genre: Non-Fiction

Publication Date: 2004

Number of Pages: 375

Geographical Setting: United States, New Jersey

Time Period: 1980’s-Late 1990’s

Plot Summary: Two American divers discover an unidentified submarine off the coast of New Jersey. The search for identification turned into a 7 year process, and a process in which 3 divers perished. The identification turned out to be a German U-Boat, with 56 men still aboard, that no one, not even government officials knew was there.

Subject Headings: Nagle, Bill, 1952-1993, Chatterton, John, U-869 (Submarine), Excavations (Archaeology) — New Jersey, World War II — Naval operations – Submarine, World War II — Naval operations, German, Shipwrecks — Atlantic Coast (New Jersey), Underwater archaeology — New Jersey, Deep diving — New Jersey, Divers, The Nineties (20th century), Submarines, German

Appeal: breakneck, engrossing, dramatic, vivid, authentic, strong language, authoritative, natural, suspenseful, emotionally charged, investigative, historical details, details of deep sea diving

3 Terms that Best Describe This Book: historical details, dramatic, engrossing

3 Similar Non-Fiction Titles:

The Last Dive: A Father and Son’s Fatal Descent into the Ocean’s Depths by Bernie Chowdhury (story of 2 divers who perished while searching for identification on the German U-Boat)

Deep Descent: Adventure and Death Diving the Andrea Doria by Kevin F. McMurray (another acocunt of a deep sea diving adventure)

Complete Wreck Diving: A Guide to Diving Wrecks by Henry Keatts (complete manual to learn how to deep sea dive)

3 Similar Fiction Titles:

An Honorable German by Charles McCain (novel about being German during World War II)

Quicksilver Deep by Buddy Cox (Young adult novel about deep sea diving and the treasures that can be found)

Night of Flames: A Novel of World War II by Douglas W. Jacobson (A novel about World War II, in and of itself)

Name: Kathryn

Heart Shaped Box

Title: Heart Shaped Box

Author: Joe Hill

Publication Date: 2007

Number of Pages: 374

Genre: Horror

Geographical Setting: Southern states

Time Period: Current

Series: N/A

Plot Summary: Jude Coyne is an aging former death-metal superstar with an interest in all things gothic and macabre.  He has a disturbing collection of items that include a snuff film, a used hangman’s noose, drawings done by John Wayne Gacy, and a signed confession from a witch.  Jude’s assistant informs him of a ghost for sale online.  The ad says the ghost is very attached to a particular suit and will follow this suit wherever it may go.  Jude decides to buy this ghost/suit as an addition to his collection.  Once the suit is delivered in its heart shaped box, everything starts to go downhill.  Jude soon finds out the suit (and ghost) belong to Craddock McDermott, who was the stepfather of one of Jude’s ex-girlfriends.  Craddock blames Jude for his stepdaughter’s suicide and has come to get revenge.  This fast-paced horror takes the reader on a wild ride while Jude attempts to rid himself (and his current girlfriend) of Craddock’s ghost before they are both killed.

Subject Headings: Southern gothic, horror, ghosts, supernatural, dowsing, hypnotism, sexual abuse, musician, suicide, vengeance

Appeal: Fast-paced, relentless, engrossing, detailed, dramatic, eccentric, intriguing, strong secondary characters, vivid, well-developed, action-oriented, cinematic, complex, conclusive, explicitly violent, plot-centered, racy, resolved ending, sexually explicit, strong language, contemporary, chilling, darker, gritty, menacing atmosphere, suspenseful

Three terms that best describe this book: Chilling, suspenseful, and dramatic

Relevant Fiction Works and Authors:

The Shining by Stephen King (As the king of horror and Joe Hill’s father, King is a natural choice.  The Shining is one of his most well known novels.  About a family’s terrifying experience with a hotel that is very much haunted)

The Keeper by Sarah Langan (A woman’s death brings about a series of events that bring a town’s secrets to life.  People and animals rise from the dead and complicated relationships are tested)

Ghost Story by Peter Straub (A group of men accidently kill a woman and decide it must be kept a secret.  The ghost of this woman comes back to haunt them and seek revenge)

Relevant Non-fiction Works and Authors:

Don’t Kiss Them Goodbye by Allison DuBois (DuBois is a medium who details what she believes happens to our loved ones when they pass on)

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Hypnosis by Robert Temes (A basic guide to hypnosis for those who are interested in mind control)

Animals in Spirit: Our faithful companions’ transition to the afterlife by Penelope Smith (Smith is a pet psychic who discusses animal’s feelings about their deaths and their reasons for passing as they did)

Name: Madeline

The Strain

Authors: Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan

Title: The Strain

Genre: Horror

Publication Date: 2009

Number of Pages: 401

Geographical Setting: New York City

Time Period: Present Day with a few flashbacks to the 1940s

Series: 1st book of the Strain Trilogy

Plot Summary: A plane lands in New York and immediately stops responding to air traffic control. Dr. Eph Goodweather of the Center for Disease Control is called to the scene to investigate. After boarding the plane he discovers that only four passengers are still alive and the rest have died under mysterious circumstances. The survivors do not remember what happened and are beginning to feel sick. Dr. Goodweather finds himself following a trail of bizarre clues, as the dead bodies do not display the normal characteristics of the dead, when all the bodies disappear. Soon he teams up with Holocaust survivor Abraham Setrakian, who has seen all of this before. They are the only ones who have realized that a vampiric virus is threatening to take over the entire city.

Subject Headings: Vampires –Fiction. Virus diseases — Fiction. Epidemics — New York (State) — New York — Fiction. New York (N.Y.) — Fiction.

Appeal: fast-paced, relentless, multiple points of view, action-oriented, cinematic, explicitly violent, flashbacks, investigative, plot twists, plot-centered, tragic, contemporary, urban, chilling, dangerous, darker, foreboding, menacing atmosphere, nightmare, suspenseful, jargon

3 Terms that best describe this book: cinematic, violent, suspenseful

3 Relevant Fiction Titles

Night Blood by James Thompson – A vampire disguises himself as a doctor as he attempts to cure his blood disease while his colleagues search for a killer who drains his victim’s blood. (another medical drama featuring doctors and vampires)

Fangland by John Marks – A television producer travels to Romania to investigate a story, and wakes up several months later in a Transylvanian monastery with no memory of what happened (a contemporary take on Dracula written by a former television producer which should appeal to readers who enjoyed the cinematic aspects of The Strain)

Hater by David Moody – A British man struggles to protect his family as people around him suddenly and inexplicably develop homicidal tendencies (another lone man fighting against a possible epidemic and Del Toro has bought the film rights)

3 Relevant Non-Fiction Titles

Stiff: the curious lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach – A funny history of the many ways cadavers have benefited the living (for readers intrigued by the morgue scenes)

Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City’s Most Unwanted Inhabitants by Robert Sullivan – A detailed history of rats in New York City (this title was recommended by Del Toro and Hogan and should appeal to readers intrigued by rat’s roles in crisis situations)

Subwayland: Adventures in the World beneath New York by Randy Kennedy – Stories of what actually goes on underground (for readers who wonder what the subway system is like when vampires aren’t using it for their lair)

Bonus Title

The Vampire Survival Guide: How to Fight, and Win, against the Undead by Scott Bowen – Let’s face it Del Toro and Hogan’s vampires are seriously scary and the epidemic will spread fast if we’re not prepared!

Name: Elizabeth

The Secret Between Us

Author: Barbara Delinsky

Title: The Secret Between Us

Genre: Women’s Fiction/Women’s Lives

Publication Date: 2008

Number of Pages:343

Geographical Setting: United States,

Time Period: Present day

Series: No

Plot Summary: Deborah Monroe and her daughter Grace are driving home from a party on a rainy night when their car hits a man. However, this is not just any man, but Grace’s history teacher. Grace was driving the car, on a learners permit, and Deborah decides to take the blame, and the consequences, for the accident. The lie eventually begins to threaten the mother daughter bond. There are other issues also happening in the book, which make Deborah’s life very stressful. Her father is trying to hide a drinking problem, her son has medical issues, she only recently got divorced, and her unmarried sister has just announced that she is pregnant.

Subject Headings: Mothers and Daughters-Fiction, Alcoholism, Vehicle Accidents, Family Relationships, Teenagers, Guilt in Women, Deception, Psychological Fiction

Appeal: deliberate, steady, unhurried, dramatic, engaging, reflective, well developed, tragic family-centered, character centered, contemporary, small-town, heartwarming, simple, vivid

3 Terms that Best Describe this Book: Heartwarming, character centered, small town

3 Relevant Non-Fiction Works:

Goldie Guttenberg- Speed Demon (a woman turns her car into a weapon with her daughter in the vehicle.)

Susan Cheever- Note Found in a Bottle: My Life as a Drinker (influence of alcohol on life and relationships)

Elizabeth Kendall- American Daughter : Discovering my Mother(memoir explores roles of women, as well as mother daughter bond)

3 Relevant Fiction Works

Kristin Hannah- Summer Island (similar feel to Delinsky’s books)

Kathleen Gilles Seidel- Summer’s End (family dynamics and small towns)

Patricia Gaffney- The Saving Graces (friendship and support in times of crises)

Name: Kathryn

A Dirty Job

Author: Christopher Moore

Title: A Dirty Job

Genre: Horror

Publication Date: 2006

Geographical Setting: San Francisco

Time Period: Present

Series: No

Plot Summary: Charlie Asher is a neurotic thrift store owner whose wife has just died after giving birth to their first child. Full of grief, he worries about how he’ll raise his daughter Sophie, even with the help of his sister Jane. But after a brief encounter with a mystery man in his wife’s hospital room, strange things start happening to Charlie. Unseen by any of his employees, items in his shop begin to glow a mysterious red. When Charlie sees a man at the ATM machine with a glowing red umbrella, he tries to ask him about it, but the man immediately gets hit by a bus, and the police and other observers act as if they can’t even see Charlie. People and pets starting dying all around him, and Charlie starts to see dark shadows and hear voices from the sewers. Convinced he has become the Grim Reaper, Charlie sets out to find the man from the hospital to get some answers. What he finds out will put him and his family in great danger, unless he can hold off the evil forces that are trying to take over the world. But first he has to figure out how.

Although it is a horror novel, with plenty of death and evil, this book manages to have a lighter tone thanks to the author’s use of humor and quirky characters. The main character—who refers to himself as a Beta Male because of his wimpiness—usually has no idea what he is doing or what he is up against, which puts him in plenty of outlandish situations and lets readers laugh at heavy subjects like death and dying. Secondary characters are colorful and mouthy; even the evil sewer harpies banter. The storyline moves quickly and holds your interest, with plenty of plot twists and turns, especially at the end.

Appeal Terms: humorous, neurotic, outlandish, mythical underworld, spiritual, strong language, sexual situations, witty, fast-paced, quirky characters, action-oriented, complex, violent, plot-centered, racy, contemporary, details in San Francisco, plot twists, urban, cynical, dark, lots of dialogue, battle scenes, epilogue, resolved ending

Subject Headings: San Francisco, California – Death and Dying –Secondhand Retail – Children – Gay and Lesbian – Dogs – Celtic Mythology – Luminatus – Police Detectives – Buddhism – Reincarnation

Three Terms that Best Describe this Book: satiric, unpredictable, surreal

Three Nonfiction Titles:

The Guises of the Morrigan: The Irish Goddess of Sex & Battle by David Rankine
- Learn more about The Morrigan, the starring villain of A Dirty Job.

Buddhism for Dummies by Jonathan Landow
- Learn more about Buddhism and its teachings about reincarnation.

Lonely Planet San Francisco by Alison Bing
- Learn more about San Francisco, where the novel was set.

Three Fiction Titles:

The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse by Robert Rankin
- Depicts an animated toyland of living dolls stalked by a serial killer

Blood Lite: An Anthology of Humorous Horror Stories presented by the Horror Writers Association edited by Kevin J. Anderson
- A collection of short horror fiction by such authors as Charlaine Harris, Jim Butcher, Sherrilyn Kenyon, and Kelley Armstrong

A Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
- A diner in the middle of the desert is a portal to another dimension, and it’s up to a zombie and a werewolf to save the world.

Relic

Title: Relic

Author: Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

Publication Date: 1995

Number of Pages: 468

Genre: Horror

Geographical Setting: New York, NY

Time Period: Present Day

Series: Pendergast novels, 1

Plot Summary: Deep within the Amazon jungle, a small group of explorers in search of the legendary Kothoga, or shadow people, discover a carved stone figurine of a beast with features that appear both human and reptilian. The figurine, believed to be a representation of the god Mbwun, is shipped to the New York Museum of Natural History where it remains crated in the one of the multitude of storerooms located in the museum’s sub-basement. A year later the museum is in the midst of preparations for a massive new exhibit called “Superstition” that will feature among other things the stone statue of Mbwun, when the mutilated bodies of two young boys are found in the building’s basement. More bodies are soon discovered, all of them showing signs of decapitation and vicious dismemberment and as the opening of the gala draws near, museum officials scramble to counteract the bad publicity. Graduate student Margo Green and her advisor Dr. Frock join forces with FBI special agent Pendergast and Lt. Vincent D’Agosta to track down this savage and intelligent killer; a killer who appears to possess unusual DNA patterns as well as super-human strength and who prowls the vast labyrinth of rooms and passages found in the museum basement; a killer in the form of a monster who may or may not be human.  As Green, Frock, and Pendergast investigate the eerie tunnels, hallways, and passages in search of this monster, there is an overriding sense of fear and foreboding. How will they stop this creature who is part man and part reptile and who may indeed be the incarnation of the evil god Mbwun?

Subject Headings: American Museum of Natural History, New York; FBI agents; Murder; Monsters; Statues; Exhibitions; Women graduate students; Natural history museums- -New York City; Museum murders- -New York City; Indians of South America- -Amazon Valley- -Antiquities; New York City; Horror stories, American; Suspense stories, American; Collaborative novel.

Appeal: fast-paced, intense, page-turner, evil, menacing atmosphere, building sense of foreboding, terrifying, plot-centered, well-drawn characters, open-ended with a surprising plot twist, chilling, grisly, gripping, suspenseful, graphic descriptions of violence, detailed scientific explanations of DNA and evolution, monsters, intriguing setting, detailed behind-the-scenes descriptions of museum archives, natural history museum settings.

Three terms that best describe this book: Menacing, grisly, Natural History Museum

Relevant Fiction Works and Authors:

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton – On an island off the coast of Costa Rica, a theme park has been developed that will feature live dinosaurs as its main attraction. Fifteen different species of dinosaurs have been created and when a small group of humans arrives to tour the park, things go terribly wrong and the visitors discover that they must fight for their lives in order to survive. (Fact-paced, detailed explanations of DNA and evolution, combines science with horror, monsters that are the result of deviations in DNA and/or evolution, menacing atmosphere, detailed descriptions of setting, building sense of foreboding).

Deep Current by Benjamin E. Miller – A group of Marines and biologists are sent to investigate a floating glacier and when they reach it, they discover that it is populated by mollusk-like creatures called cephids, monsters that are the result of evolution gone awry, who have killed all but two members of a passenger ship. As the creatures begin to gruesomely kill members of the landing party, the survivors realize they must pull together group to defeat the enemy. (Fast-paced, horror, chilling, menacing atmosphere, monsters that are the result of deviations in DNA and/or evolution, building sense of foreboding).

Murder at the Museum of Natural History by Michael Jahn – The host of an exhibit at the American Natural History Museum is found murdered on the exhibit’s opening night and Lt. Bill Donovan must search the museum’s Hall of Dinosaurs to find the killer. (Fast-paced, suspenseful, detailed descriptions of museum archives, natural history museum settings). Although this is not a horror book, I thought it would appeal to readers who enjoyed the museum setting and the intricate details about the natural history museum.

Relevant Non-fiction Works and Authors:

Dinosaurs in the Attic: An Excursion into the American Museum of Natural History by Douglas Preston –  Fascinating chronicle of the expeditions, discoveries, and scientists behind the collection of the American Museum of Natural History. Preston also takes readers on a tour of the storerooms and vaults that house the collection.

Dry Storeroom No. 1: The Secret Life of the Natural History Museum by Richard Fortey – Engaging stories and colorful anecdotes that provide readers with information about the inner workings of all the departments of the Natural History Museum in London.

Relics of Eden: The Powerful Evidence of Evolution in DNA by Daniel J. Fairbanks – Presents the details of evolution, the discoveries in genetics, and “intelligent design” theory in a conversational style that will appeal to general readers.

Name: Maggie