The Endless Library

"She is only a ghost, and nobody believes in ghosts any longer."

Let's go back in time for book club this week, with Ellen Glasgow's 1920 ghost story "The Past". If you like classic gothic stories and spooky hauntings, but also want a protagonist who asks "wtf?", this one is for you. And, please, ignore the spiritual representation of trauma watching us from the corner.

Episode references

Learn more about Ellen Glasglow: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_Glasgow

Check out "The Big Book of Ghost Stories": https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13330932-the-big-book-of-ghost-stories

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* Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod

* Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

"The house was full of dead bodies, it seemed. It felt like a mechanical cemetery."

Hey, spooky friends! It's a special, Bradbury birthday edition of book club. Aurelien discusses (and spoils!) her favorite Ray Bradbury short stories: the spacey sadness of "All Summer in a Day" and the visceral horror of "The Veldt". Plus: how it feels when a favorite author might be someone you wouldn't want to talk to at a party.

Episode references

Listen to Aurelien talk about "The Mummy" (1999) on Film on the Rocks podcast! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/film-on-the-rocks/id1482638759?i=1000487571880

Read more about Bradbury's complicated legacy: https://electricliterature.com/the-new-fahrenheit-451-movie-fails-to-reckon-with-bradburys-racism/

Read that 1979 "Fahrenheit 451" coda: https://stjoe.k12.in.us/ourpages/auto/2015/3/9/49008830/Bradbury%20-%20Coda.pdf

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* Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod

* Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

"Darkness stood hushed and bulky beneath his kitchen window."

Bring a flashlight and stay out of the cellar! This week, Aurelien covers Ramsey Campbell's viscerally horrifying "The Brood" (1980). It's a dark, unsettling story about a lonely veterinarian and the strange happenings in the house next door. Who lives there? What are they doing with all those small animals? And do you hear those moaning, wailing cries?

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* Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com * Bonus clip from The Neverending Story (1984) property of Warner Bros

"Even when you're dead, some things cut close to the bone."

Let's go to the mall, everybody! But be careful - you don't want to get stuck here, like the ghosts in "Old Habits" (2011) by Nalo Hopkinson. It's a short modern horror story that manages to pack in plenty of nightmares (and feelings). Spoilers ahead!

Episode references:

• Read the story at Uncanny Magazine: https://uncannymagazine.com/article/old-habits/
• Grab a copy of Uncanny Magazine Issue Twenty-One: https://uncannymagazine.com/issues/uncanny-magazine-issue-twenty-one/
• Need a smile? Watch "Let's Go to the Mall" by Robin Sparkles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY_bhVSGKEg

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* Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod

* Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

"...and there were the trooping faeries that would steal them all away to their underground hills for a hundred years."

Meet by the edge of the wood and wear your best coat to book club for modern faery tale "The Coat of Stars" by Holly Black. It's a short and emotional story of lost love, faery bargains, and ethereal womenswear. Spoilers ahead!

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* Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

"Not a spirit to be found, of course."

Meet in the hidden passage at midnight for book club to discuss modern gothic comic "Women Do Not Creep by Daylight" (2019), written by Vera Greentea and illustrated by Kyla Vanderklugt. A spiritual descendent of "The Yellow Wallpaper", it's the story of a determined young woman, a crumbling old castle, and a mysterious green amulet. No spoilers in this one!

Episode References:

• Buy the comic: https://greenteapublishing.com/collections/books/products/women-do-not-creep-by-daylight
• Read "The Yellow Wallpaper" free online: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1952/1952-h/1952-h.htm
• Read "Lullaby for a Lost World" free online: https://www.tor.com/2016/06/08/lullaby-for-a-lost-world/

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* Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

"She was not quite sure what made her so nervous."

Leave the city behind and join Aurelien at the lake house for Shirley Jackson's 1948 paranoia-inducing short story, "The Summer People". It's a story full of beautiful views, strange townspeople, and a distinct feeling of creeping dread.

Episode References:

• Explore US prices and wages by decade: https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/pricesandwages
• Make an egg'n'onion sandwich: http://www.annarbor.com/entertainment/food-drink/egg-n-onion-sandwich/

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* Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod

* Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

* Clip from Tommy Dorsey at the Hollywood Paladium: https://www.oldradioworld.com/shows/Tommy_Dorsey.php

* Clip from Artie Shaw At the Hotel Lincoln: https://www.oldradioworld.com/shows/Artie_Shaw.php

* Clips from real Brylcream and Captain Midnite Ovaltine commercials: https://www.oldradioworld.com/shows/Vintage_Commercials.php

"The sound that wasn't footsteps came closer."

Do you hear that strange tapping? Better investigate before book club this week for "Come Closer" by Sara Gran (2003). It's a strange, dark, twisty horror story about identity, relationships, and the strength (and weakness) of our own minds. And also demons.

References

• Listen to ep. 7 to learn about the Fox Sisters and their mysterious tapping
• And ep. 8 for the spooky true story of Pearl Curran and her Ouija friend
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossroads_(mythology)

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* Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod

* Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

"I'm the picture of normalcy. June Cleaver with freeze-dried casseroles. Betty Crocker in a gas mask."

Grab your emergency supplies and join Aurelien at book club for YA contemporary weird novel "Let's Call It A Doomsday" by Katie Henry. It's a wild ride through teen angst, clinical anxiety, world-ending prophecies, and friendship (awww).

-- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com * End tag from "Clerks" (1994) and property of Kevin Smith/Miramax

"He had not known that he lived in so wild a region."

This week, book club goes back to the '90s - the 1890s! With Ambrose Bierce's classic dark story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge". Set during the Civil War, it's the exciting tale of a lucky escape and a long journey home -- or is it?

• Read the story free online: http://ambrosebierce.org/owlcreekbridge.html
• Listen to a wind harp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qESQa8UHCTw

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* Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod

* Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com