Well, for Mother’s Day, Lilyn already did a post on Awesome Moms in Kidslit , but we think we still managed to pull together a pretty good post for Top Ten Tuesday. Instead of talking about moms in literature, we’re going to talk about literature we’d give our moms. And by that we mean the science fiction and horror books we’d give our moms, because we got our twisted glee in science fiction and horror from somewhere and they’re both to blame.
As usual, Top Ten Tuesday is brought to you courtesy of Broke and Bookish.
Lilyn: So, my moms tastes are pretty similar to mine in a lot of ways. At least when it comes to horror, paranormal mysteries, and supernatural thrillers. I got her hooked on the Joe Ledger series, and now she buys the books before I do! Mother’s Day should be about giving your mom things you know she’d like, not things you want her to like, so I combed through my list and came up with 5 books I’ll end up buying my mom because I know she’ll love them.
- The Chronicles of St. Mary’s Series by Jodi Taylor – I get at least half of my sense of humor from my mom (the other half is a product of my own twisted life). She’s not nearly as sarcastic as I am, but I crack her up when I get going. So, I know she’ll love The Chronicles of St. Mary’s with it’s bawdy charm, British humor, and occasional kick in the feels. – Review
- Alien Contact for Idiots by Edward Hoornaert – So, before I read science fiction and horror, I read romances. And the reason I read romance books was because that was what my mom read, and I was a voracious little bookworm even as a kid. (Side note: Now that I have an 8 year old who is an advanced reader herself, I realize how truly odd I was as a kid. Wow.) Alien Contact for Idiots is a witty, hilarious romance, so I know my mom would get a kick out of this book. – Review
- The In Death series by J.D. Robb – I just realized I’ve never shoved these into my mom’s arms. I don’t know how she hasn’t read these yet! Gah! I am a bad, bad child because these are right up her alley. Yes, they’ve got a science fiction edge to them, but mom would love them for the romance and the ass-kicking. And in these books you can always count on the romance and ass-kicking. – Review
- The Devil You Know by Mike Carey – She’s as bad as I am for drooling over paranormal/supernatural-themed books and movies. I definitely got my love of ghosties and ghoulies from her. Combine the paranormal aspects with a good thriller featuring a sarcastic protagonist? I know she’ll love it. – Review
- The Dark Man by Desmond Doane – A very well-written series that, although it lacks the romance angle my mom likes, would appeal to her love of creepiness. It never ventures into gore, and it’s very atmospheric. Considering this is the woman who let me watch Poltergeist waaaaaaayyy too young, I wouldn’t be surprised if she went crazy over it and ordered the rest of the series. Review
GracieKat: My mom introduced me to Stephen King at age ten. Also a plethora of horror movies, just as long as I covered my eyes during sexy times. Blood, guts and the unorthodox use of a crucifix were fine but a little nookie? Nope. By the way, it wasn’t until I was about fourteen that I actually realized exactly what Reagan was doing with that…and instantly clenched my legs. So, safe to say, I got my love of horror from her. Night Shift and Skeleton Crew were my first forays and I’ve never really gotten over the addiction to short story collections.
- Pandora’s Children (Volumes One & Two) – Two great short story collections that while I was reading them I couldn’t help but want my mom to read them, too. They remind me quite a lot of early Stephen King short stories but not so imitative that they’re absolute copes. Fotoshop of the Gods is an excellent homage to King and I think she’d love them.
- Shadows in the Asylum – My mom likes uniquely formatted books as well and the layout of this book is interesting, laid out like a doctor’s file with clippings and diary entries. I would get her the physical book though. Part of the fun is feeling like they are real and the e-book version just doesn’t cut it.
- Heart-Shaped Box – As I said, my first horror that my mother and I shared was Stephen King was Stephen King so I really think she would at least like to give a book by his son a shot. Heart-Shaped Box is one of my favorites by him so I really think she would like it as well.
- House of Leaves – Another very unique book that I believe she would like very much. It seems rather daunting at first but she keeps eyeballing it so I’m guessing that one day I will get her a copy of her own.
- Shock Rock – Along with my love of horror my mother also was the first to awaken my interest in music. The radio was always on to the rock station when I was younger so I think she’d really like this book. It has a mix of two of the things we both love best.
I’d probably have a list of children’s books for my mom. LOL She’s not into this like I am. I spy a few new authors to check out.
Great suggestions. My mother has never understood my love for horror and scares easy (sometimes I forget when we go to the cinema)… My father didn’t like it either… Not sure where it’s coming from. She doesn’t mind paranormal as long as it’s not too scary….
My mother was fine with me watching Nightmare on Elm Street, but covered my eyes when the dinosaurs on Jurassic Park looked like they were going to attack someone. I looked at her like “Really? REALLY?”
That is interesting that neither of your parents were into it. Did they get you started on a seperate genre and maybe you just kind of wandered into horror?