The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
FALL CHALLENGE 2014
>
15.6 - Shrieks & Screams
Scary (these work):Regine's Book: A Teen Girl's Last Words
The Pirates of Somalia: Inside Their Hidden World
Not scary enough... (these won't work):Orphan Train -- novels won't work, book needs to be non-fiction
The thing that scares me is being abandoned. So I looked for a listopia and it brought me to a book list about the foster care system. Would Orphan Train be too much of a stretch? The summary says it is about a girl who is going to get out of her foster home when she "ages out"
Kristi (Passion for the Page) wrote: "Kathy G. wrote: "Does this work for cancer?Regine's Book: A Teen Girl's Last Words"
Absolutely."
Thank you!
Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "The thing that scares me is being abandoned. So I looked for a listopia and it brought me to a book list about the foster care system. Would Orphan Train be too much of a stretch? T..."That looks like a great choice for a fear of abandonment.
ETA -- Sorry, Jayme! Orphan Train appears to be historical fiction, so while the topic works, the book needs to be non-fiction to work for this task. Sorry for the confusion.
Okay I found two options The Baby Thief: The Untold Story of Georgia Tann, the Baby Seller Who Corrupted Adoption and The Heart Knows Something Different: Teenage Voices from the Foster Care System.Would either of these work?
Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "Okay I found two options The Baby Thief: The Untold Story of Georgia Tann, the Baby Seller Who Corrupted Adoption and [book:The Heart Knows Something Different: Teenage Voices from th..."From the reviews it sounds like either of those would work for abandonment. The Georgia Tann one sounds like it could be used for a fear of kidnapping, too!
One thing that scares me is a boat/cruise ship sinking. Would this work: In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette by Hampton Sides
Rebecca NJ wrote: "One thing that scares me is a boat/cruise ship sinking. Would this work: In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette by [author:Hampton Sides|5..."Certainly sounds scary to me! Yes, it will work.
Kristi (Passion for the Page) wrote: "Certainly sounds scary to me! Yes, it will work. "Thanks for the quick response!
Ok, just HOW am I supposed to read a book about something that scares me? I am a middle school teacher; therefore, I am FEARLESS! roflHere's my book pick for this task. I really am terrified of sharks, so it's a good thing I live in a land locked state.
Close to Shore: The Terrifying Shark Attacks of 1916
Mountain of the Dead: The Dyatlov Pass Incident?Fear of something unknown happening in the wildness.
Pat wrote: "Ok, just HOW am I supposed to read a book about something that scares me? I am a middle school teacher; therefore, I am FEARLESS! roflHere's my book pick for this task. I really am terrifie..."
LOL. Granted, it's hard to scare a middle school teacher.... ;-) But sharks work for just about everyone.
Vicki wrote: "Mountain of the Dead: The Dyatlov Pass Incident?Fear of something unknown happening in the wildness."
Yeah, that would work!
Would this work?I am scared of my kids being bullied....Dear Bully: Seventy Authors Tell Their Stories
Fran wrote: "Would this work?I am scared of my kids being bullied....Dear Bully: Seventy Authors Tell Their Stories
"I think most of us would be scared of bullies. That works.
My intended brief look at books on Non-Fiction Disaster books list turned into an hours long search of many fascinating topics.Which of these work:
Plague: The Barbary Plague: The Black Death in Victorian San Francisco
Avalanche: The White Cascade: The Great Northern Railway Disaster and America's Deadliest Avalanche
Shipwreck: Curse Of The Narrows
Fire: Under a Flaming Sky: The Great Hinckley Firestorm of 1894
I am going to read In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson - (crazed, homicidal dictators)
How scary does it have to be? If I'm scared (terrified) by something like organization or housework can I readConfessions of an Organized Homemaker: The Secrets of Uncluttering Your Home and Taking Control of Your Life
The Man with the Turquoise Eyes: And Other True Stories of a Private Eye's Search for Missing PersonsWill this work?
It has no cover, but is on here. My biggest fear is someone I love going missing.
Susan A wrote: "My intended brief look at books on Non-Fiction Disaster books list turned into an hours long search of many fascinating topics.Which of these work:"
LOL. That happens to me all the time, Susan A!
Any of those books would work, assuming you're scared of those things (and, who wouldn't be?). Now you just need to pick.... ;-)
Claire wrote: "I am going to read In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson - (crazed, homicidal dictators)"I may go with that one myself, Claire. It's been on my want-to-read list for a long time.
Karen wrote: "The Man with the Turquoise Eyes: And Other True Stories of a Private Eye's Search for Missing PersonsWill this work? [bookcover:The Man with the Turquoise Eyes: And Other True Storie..."That works.
Cindy AL wrote: "How scary does it have to be? If I'm scared (terrified) by something like organization or housework can I read[book:Confessions of an Organized Homemaker: The Secrets of Uncluttering Your Home and..."
Sorry, Cindy, I'm thinking more along the lines of something that would put you in physical danger or has the potential to be more psychologically damaging than housework.
Kristina Simon (Passion for the Page) wrote: "Susan A wrote: "My intended brief look at books on Non-Fiction Disaster books list turned into an hours long search of many fascinating topics.Which of these work:"
LOL. That happens to me all t..."
Well...it's all non-fiction, and frankly, non-fiction books scare me sooooo...they should be good :)
Susan A wrote: "My intended brief look at books on Non-Fiction Disaster books list turned into an hours long search of many fascinating topics.Now why did you have to go and post that link, Susan A? I already had my book all picked out (Blind Descent: The Quest to Discover the Deepest Place on Earth, because I'm claustrophobic and legitimately scared of falling into a giant hole in the ground - long story), and now I've gone and added another dozen books to my TBR from this list you posted. All your fault. Hehe.
Kate wrote: "Susan A wrote: "My intended brief look at books on Non-Fiction Disaster books list turned into an hours long search of many fascinating topics.Now why did you have to go and post that link, Susa..."
Hmmm...this one looks good too!
i'm kind of leaning towards Columbine - mass shooting - after the Navy Yard shooting last year, I was sitting on the metro at that stop and realized, just how easy it would be for someone to come in and start shooting and you'd have no where to go...
Well I was all set to read The Emperor of All Maladies (Cancer) but then I came across this one on my TBR ...Don't Sleep, There are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle (Snakes, of course ... not to mention piranhas)
Dee wrote: "i'm kind of leaning towards Columbine - mass shooting - after the Navy Yard shooting last year, I was sitting on the metro at that stop and realized, just how easy it would be for so..."I'm thinking of Columbine as well. I just retired from a high school and I've always been interested in it but afraid to actually read it as it was "too close to home". I also wondered if I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban would qualify for a fear of terrorism and mass shootings or if it is too specific to her situation.
fear of being persecuted for your beliefs - i would think that's valid - but would be interested in what the mods say
Karen Michele wrote: "Dee wrote: "i'm kind of leaning towards Columbine - mass shooting - after the Navy Yard shooting last year, I was sitting on the metro at that stop and realized, just how easy it wou..."Columbine certainly works. So would I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban.
Book Concierge wrote: "Well I was all set to read The Emperor of All Maladies (Cancer) but then I came across this one on my TBR ...."Quite a few creepy-crawlies in Don't Sleep, There are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle, I'd imagine. That would work.
Kate & Susan A -- BTW, Blind Descent: The Quest to Discover the Deepest Place on Earth was good and it would work if you decide to go in that direction... ;-)
Kristina Simon (Passion for the Page) wrote: "Karen Michele wrote: "Dee wrote: "i'm kind of leaning towards Columbine - mass shooting - after the Navy Yard shooting last year, I was sitting on the metro at that stop and realized..."Thanks! Now I just have to decide which one to go with.
Kristina Simon (Passion for the Page) wrote: "Kate & Susan A -- BTW, Blind Descent: The Quest to Discover the Deepest Place on Earth was good and it would work if you decide to go in that direction... ;-)"My library only has this in Audiobook. Maybe it's time I looked into that.
Dee wrote: "i'm kind of leaning towards Columbine - mass shooting - after the Navy Yard shooting last year, I was sitting on the metro at that stop and realized, just how easy it would be for so..."Columbine is a fabulous book, despite its intense subject matter. It's one of the very few works of non-fiction that I've reread. I'd say I hope you enjoy it, but that's not quite possible, so I guess I hope you find it as informative and gripping as I do.
I'm probably going to go with The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History, although with this deadly Ebola outbreak going on in the world, it might just be too scary!
Jennifer W wrote: "Dee wrote: "i'm kind of leaning towards Columbine - mass shooting - after the Navy Yard shooting last year, I was sitting on the metro at that stop and realized, just how easy it wou..."Thanks Jennifer - I'm tossing up between it and one about the Virginia Tech shooting (since that was my alma mater and I knew several who were wounded/one who was killed)
Jennifer W wrote: "I'm probably going to go with The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History, although with this deadly Ebola outbreak going on in the world, it might just be too ..."Certainly makes you think, doesn't it. Scary, indeed.
I am going through the process of taking care of my aging mother, and my fear is how well we can relate to each other, now that our roles are reversed. I fear losing my mom, but also losing the mother/daughter relationship.So would The Long Goodbye work?
Would This Life Is in Your Hands: One Dream, Sixty Acres, and a Family Undone work for drowning? I'm technically afraid of not being able to breathe because something is preventing it - drowning, buried alive, allergic reaction, choking, etc.
Books mentioned in this topic
The Lost Tribe of Coney Island: Headhunters, Luna Park, and the Man Who Pulled Off the Spectacle of the Century (other topics)Being Sober: A Step-by-Step Guide to Getting To, Getting Through, and Living in Recovery (other topics)
Heart Disease, Cancer, and More: A Nurse's Memoir (other topics)
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies (other topics)
Being Sober: A Step-by-Step Guide to Getting To, Getting Through, and Living in Recovery (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Stewart O'Nan (other topics)Stewart O'Nan (other topics)
Stewart O'Nan (other topics)
Walter Lord (other topics)
Ben Goldacre (other topics)
More...




Read a non-fiction book about something that scares you. Ex: The Devil's Teeth: A True Story of Obsession and Survival Among America's Great White Sharks (great white sharks); In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin (crazed, homicidal dictators); The Emperor of All Maladies (cancer); Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us (Frankenfood); Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors (plane crashes)
Required: Explain why you chose the book you did when you post.