Happy Friday the 13th to you! I love Friday the 13th! It is definitely not an evil day for me although one time when I was a kid I badly hurt myself on a Friday the 13th. Twice. On one day. But that did not happen because it was Friday the 13th. It happened because I am a Tollpatsch, but I already talked about that fact.
By the way, there is a name for the fear of Friday the 13th. Isn't that awesome? It is called Paraskavedekatriaphobia. I guess there's a name for everything. I suffer under Aquaphobia.
By the way: In Italy Friday the 17th is an evil day! And in Greece it is Tuesday the 13th.
It is Friday which means it is time to link up with Heather from Blonde...Undercover Blonde for the book club!
I think you all know about my huge fascination with crime and murder. I mean, I talk about crime novels every week. But I am not just obsessed with crime fiction...I am also interested in real crime stories.
I really don't know what that says about me but I can assure you that I am not a psychopath who is planning to commit any cruel crimes. I just like to read about it. I am a very peaceful person who rescues every spider. And you all know that all the cruel serial killers start their career with torturing innocent animals.
The book I want to talk about today is
The Serial Killer Files: The Who, What, Where, How, and Why of the World's Most Terrifying Murderers
by Harold Schechter.
Actually this list was on my last Christmas wishlist and I have no idea what my parents-in-law thought about that but they were so fabulous and got it for me.
This book is very informative and contains all the important facts about "famous" serial killers like Ed Gein, who inspired fictions most famous Psycho, the Hillside Stranglers, John Wayne Gacy and many many more.
The author Harold Schechter, who is a leading authority on serial killers, offers a guided tour through the cruel world and history of serial killers. The book contains so many facts, charts and pictures which means that you get all the information you want....or maybe a little too much in some cases. I have to say that I enjoyed every single cruel chapter of this compendium. Sure, some things shocked me too but it was just too interesting to stop reading. :) What can I say? It's a morbid fascination.
The book doesn't just offer all the facts about the crimes of all the serial killers in history. It also tells the story of how those people became what they are. And that's the most interesting part for me. You learn a lot about the minds of those people. The book talks about cannibalism, animal torture, black widows, serial killer art (yes, some serial killers even became famous artists), their childhood, weapons, pornography, their motives, letters they wrote, serial killer groupies and lots more.
It really is a compendium from A (ax murderers) to Z (zombies).
Did you know that Johnny Depp is a collector of the paintings that John Wayne Gacy created in prison? His paintings became very rare collectible items after his execution.
I definitely recommend this book to anybody who is interested in crime and especially the history and psychology of crime.
What are you reading?
I hope you guys will have a wonderful weekend!
Hey,
ReplyDeleteI also think Friday 13th is a great day and not evil. Sometimes I had bad luck on Saturday 14th, so let's see what will happen today. ;)
Thank you for the book tip, it really sounds great. I love that kind of books. Will see if I can find it here.
By the way, do you know Nicci French? I think you would like their (it's a couple writing under a pen name) books.
Hey Kate,
DeleteI hope everything is going great today and you don't have any bad luck!
I have never heard of Nicci French before but I just googled it and their books sound awesome! Thank you so much for the tipp, I will definitely check them out!
Have a great day! :)
I actually forgot it was Friday 13th! In Spain it's not a special day, so as no one was talking about it I forgot to be aware myself :) It's Tuesday 13 which is bad here, just as in Greece!
ReplyDeleteGlad that nothing bad happened. :) It is so funny that there are such huge differences between the countries!
DeleteI didn't have a great day yesterday but I definitely don't fear it. That's interesting that some people do.
ReplyDeleteOh, why didn't you have a great day? :( Hope everything is fine!
DeleteThat book would probably give me nightmares!!
ReplyDeleteAnd that's so cool that there's a word for the fear of the 13th!
Oh, it's not that bad! :) Really interesting!
DeleteYeah, I think there's a word for every weird fear. It's funny!
It's cool you have that book (I have it also). I read a lot of psychology and true crime books. I also have Michael Newton's Encyclopedia of Serial Killers, and Brian Lane and Wilfred Greg's The Encylopedia of Serial Killers lol. You mightvwant to check out Robert Ressler's Whoever Fights Monsters: My Twenty Years Tracking Serial Killers for the FBI. While it's fiction, you may also like Caleb Carr's The Alienist which is about a serial killer in 1896 New York.
ReplyDeleteWow, it is great that you have that book too. And so many great recommendations. I will definitely check them out. I also have "The serial killer files" by the same author which I like too. Thank you so much!
DeleteI have to say that I am interested in that field, but reading that book would probably really freak me out...
ReplyDeleteIt's not that bad. And there are no bloody pictures! :)
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