Really scary books please.

That's the badger beertricks. hours of my life I'll never get back.

Richard Montanari is pretty good and has a half decent back catalogue. More crime then horror but his murders are pretty gristly.

I've only ever read one James Herbert book that I cannot for the life of me remember the name of but the basic crux was weird mutant creatures being kept to make fetish porn? And yet it started off like any other crime novel.

King would be delighted (and v amused) at the idea of him being for, 'Proper Writing.' :)

I never really got into JH - read about three and couldn't like them. Plot, shock and horror and no characters (King's biggest strenght when at his best).

Anyway - must go to bed! I hope we haven't killed the thread with our hijack.

Sorry Kitten. :)

Don't remember noticing much sex in King as a teen tbh - but that scene in 'The Fog' clearly stood out because I've not read that since I was about 14 and I still remembered the shear thing. Ugh.

The Shepherd by Ethan Cross, still makes me shudder to think about it

It is an odd scene but I certainly don't see it as rape.

I think, 'The Dark Tower' is his finest work ever. It even beats 'The Stand' for me, nowadays.

I think any man writing about a girl's first period would want a female viewpoint on it before trying to write it, unless they were spectacularly arrogant.

I have to say I don't think I have ever, ever read anybody who is 'good' re sex. King is bad and I prefer it when he doesn't go there - then again, I prefer it when any writer leaves me at the bedroom door. I'm not interested in reading about sex: I'd rather have it later and meanwhile read about something else!

I think you're right that King has said that re female characters but I disagree - I think he creates some great female characters who are very fully realised: Beverley (?) in 'It' and Susannah in The Dark Tower for example.

Well, how about that then? I found it within 30 seconds of picking up the book. So he catches a falling glass quickly; she gets amazingly turned on by watching him catch said glass; he picks her up and rocks her on his arm and she finds Heaven in about 3 swings. Blimey. I'm exhausted!

Polly - not Sally! Doh!

If you can remember if it's beginning, middle or end I will go and scan it now - I can't remember any swinging. :)

Thats him, only its sexytime with Polly Chalmers (Dickensian name if ever I heard one) in Needful Things. Will seek it out and give you page number, possibly tommorrow. It is a woeful sex scene, made worse because one of her loafers sails off her feet and lands in the kitchen as he is 'swinging' her. Such is the ecstasy.

Scuse typoes - you've astonished me too much for coherent thought!

Are you SURE?! Alan Pangburn is Mr 'I love you Sally and I'm being v gentle with you' isn't he? 'Needful Things' is dreadful though (and I say that as somebody who would gladly read King's toenail clippings. Whereabouts in the book? I have to check that or it will drive me bonkers!

Remus BeerTricks Ack. Now I too have remembered that scene. I also recall one which was possibly in The Fog but more likely to have been in The Rats where a care assistant has sex with the elderly man in her care. Or gives him a blow job. Or something.

I recently re-read Needful Things by Stephen King in which Sheriff Pangborn gves a girl an orgasm by putting his hand between her legs and swinging her on his other hand or something. It was bizarre, not to mention confusingly vague.

I have Apartment 16 by Adam Nevill and Haunted by Chuck Palaniuk. First one I quite enjoyed, second one had quite a few 'eeww' moments in it but neither of them have earned a place on my read again shelf. Have a google if you haven't read them and see what you think. If you want them PM your address and i'll sling them in the post.

Most of Chuck Palahniuk's books make for uncomfortable reading. In a good way. They're unsettling.

God don't - you're reminding me of that teacher (think it's a teacher) at the beginning of, 'The Fog.' Don't the children cut 'it' off with gardening shears or something? Or did my warped imagination just invent that?

Aha! You've reminded me of 'Haunted' also by Chuck Palau Palahui Paluknickyknocy or whatever it is. Tis quite good.

I love James Herbert's sex scenes. I have never witnessed so many 'glistening erections' in my life and I've got around a bit.

Joe Hill - yes, of course it is! But it seems strange to me that two writers would come up with such a clunky name for their child in the first place.

'Jaws' I think is quite dated as it's v much a product of its time and also the sex stuff gets in the way a lot - rather like in Herbert and many other horror writiers tbh.

'Lullaby' by ChuckPalawhatsit whose name I can never remember/spell (Fight Club man).