Why am I passionate about this?

The human mind is crazy. Stories that can stir me psychologically and leave a lasting mark morally are my favorite. When I was about 11 years old, I peeped through two pillows at Stanley Kubrick’s masterful production of Stephen King’s It. Since then, psychological thrillers and horror stories have been molding my warped mind. Administration at Trinity High School in Washington, Pennsylvania trusts me enough to teach Dark Fiction like Edgar Allen Poe, or the aforementioned Stephen King on a daily basis.  


I wrote

The Thrillplex Theater

By Brandon Swarrow, Nick Weiss (illustrator),

Book cover of The Thrillplex Theater

What is my book about?

A group of dull, miserly teachers accept an invitation to attend a movie premiere event at the mysterious, new 5D…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Scarlet Letter

Brandon Swarrow Why did I love this book?

The Scarlet Letter is dripping with diction. Nathaniel Hawthorne chooses his words so carefully during certain descriptions that my language-loving self feels jealous about his precision. This classic explores sin, as well as the dark side of the soul. A vengeful old scholar is an unusual villain, but Roger Chillingworth in The Scarlet Letter is so smart and evil. 

By Nathaniel Hawthorne,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Scarlet Letter as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

An "A" for "adultery" marks Hester Prynne as an outcast from the society of colonial Boston. Although forced by the puritanical town fathers to wear a bright red badge of shame, Hester steadfastly resists their efforts to discover the identity of her baby's father. The return of her long-absent spouse brings new pressure on the young mother, as the aggrieved husband undertakes a long-term plot to reveal Hester's partner in adultery and force him to share her disgrace.
Masterful in its symbolism and compelling in its character studies, Nathaniel Hawthorne's tale of punishment and reconciliation examines the concepts of sin,…


Book cover of Haunted

Brandon Swarrow Why did I love this book?

Haunted is Chuck Palahniuk at his best. Of course, it is deranged, but it is also magnificently written. I loved every short story and/or poem that came from this "writer's retreat." Haunted is filled with strange characters and fascinating subplots that provoke deep thought about our current direction as a society. 

By Chuck Palahniuk,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Haunted as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Haunted" is a novel made up of stories: twenty-three of them to be precise. Twenty-three of the most horrifying, hilarious, mind-blowing, stomach-churning tales you'll ever encounter - sometimes all at once. They are told by the people who have all answered the ad headlined 'Artists Retreat: Abandon your life for three months'. They are led to believe that here they will leave behind all the distractions of 'real life' that are keeping them from creating the masterpiece that is in them. But 'here' turns out to be a cavernous and ornate old theatre where they are utterly isolated from the…


Book cover of Sharp Objects

Brandon Swarrow Why did I love this book?

While reading Sharp Objects, I wanted to remove anything sharp from my immediate surrounding area. The roots of my teeth ached. I craved whiskey. The scent of raw pig flesh pervaded my nostrils. Upon completion, I felt an overwhelming urge to take a shower. This fiction tale is a shocking, stinging, sickening kind of filth…and I loved everything about it. Gillian Flynn has left a permanent bite mark on my brain.

By Gillian Flynn,

Why should I read it?

14 authors picked Sharp Objects as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NOW AN HBO® LIMITED SERIES STARRING AMY ADAMS, NOMINATED FOR EIGHT EMMY AWARDS, INCLUDING OUTSTANDING LIMITED SERIES

FROM THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF GONE GIRL

Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, reporter Camille Preaker faces a troubling assignment: she must return to her tiny hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls. For years, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Now, installed in her old bedroom in her family's Victorian mansion, Camille finds…


Book cover of We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Brandon Swarrow Why did I love this book?

This book was amazing...I think? Pure genius...I think? Upon completion, I wished to be born in the sixties, I no longer trust food unless it is prepared by me, and Shirley Jackson was either crazy or on potent drugs (but, Wow! What an awesome writer though!). This is definitely an unforgettable read, with some unexpected characters.

By Shirley Jackson,

Why should I read it?

22 authors picked We Have Always Lived in the Castle as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Living in the Blackwood family home with only her sister, Constance, and her Uncle Julian for company, Merricat just wants to preserve their delicate way of life. But ever since Constance was acquitted of murdering the rest of the family, the world isn't leaving the Blackwoods alone. And when Cousin Charles arrives, armed with overtures of friendship and a desperate need to get into the safe, Merricat must do everything in her power to protect the remaining family.


Book cover of Nine Stories

Brandon Swarrow Why did I love this book?

I enjoyed "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" and "De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period," but the real gem here in Salinger's Nine Stories is "Teddy." "Teddy" is one of the most bizarre (yet thought-provoking) stories I have ever read. I loved reading and exploring all of the possible themes in this short compilation of tales. It seems like Salinger was truly able to portray mental struggles with his characters. 

By J.D. Salinger,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Nine Stories as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The "original, first-rate, serious, and beautiful" short fiction (New York Times Book Review) that introduced J. D. Salinger to American readers in the years after World War II, including "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" and the first appearance of Salinger's fictional Glass family.
Nine exceptional stories from one of the great literary voices of the twentieth century. Witty, urbane, and frequently affecting, Nine Stories sits alongside Salinger's very best work--a treasure that will passed down for many generations to come. The stories: A Perfect Day for Bananafish Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut Just Before the War with the Eskimos The Laughing…


Explore my book 😀

The Thrillplex Theater

By Brandon Swarrow, Nick Weiss (illustrator),

Book cover of The Thrillplex Theater

What is my book about?

A group of dull, miserly teachers accept an invitation to attend a movie premiere event at the mysterious, new 5D ThrillPlex Theater. Their experience turns out to be more than just a night of bonding with their dates, it is an insufferable trap. The ThrillPlex Theater is specifically tailored to its audience. Simply put, whatever happens to the characters on the screen; occurs as well to each audience member. Theater founder, Amanda Castro refers to the experience as “Reciprocation: on both the corporeal and emotional level.”

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Elephant Safari

By Peter Riva,

Book cover of Elephant Safari

Peter Riva Author Of Kidnapped on Safari

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been to, and loved, North, Central, and especially East Africa for over fifty years. Only six times have I been to Africa on holiday; more often, perhaps twenty or more times, as a television producer. Working in Africa gains a perspective of reality that the glories of vacation do not. Each has its place, each its pitfalls like stalled plane rides with emergency landings in the bush or attacks by wildlife. But, in the end, the magic of the “otherness,” what an old friend called “primitava” captures one’s soul and changes your life.

Peter's book list on the otherness that few get to experience

What is my book about?

Keen to rekindle their love of East African wildlife adventures after years of filming, extreme dangers, and rescues, producer Pero Baltazar, safari guide Mbuno Waliangulu, and Nancy Breiton, camerawoman, undertake a filming walking adventure north of Lake Rudolf, crossing from Kenya into Ethiopia along the Omo River, following a herd of elephant making their annual migration.

Stumbling onto an elephant poaching, the team become embroiled in true financing of terrorism for al Shabaab –ivory sales–and are determined to stop the slaughter at any cost. Ivory trade financing terrorism involves UN refugee camps with two hundred thousand displaced Somali persons, powerful…

Elephant Safari

By Peter Riva,

What is this book about?

A documentary team hiking through East Africa collides with a gang of deadly poachers, in this gripping adventure by the author of Kidnapped on Safari.

Years of filming, extreme dangers, and daring rescues have taken their toll on documentary producer Pero Baltazar and his team. To relax and reconnect with the East African wildlife they love, Pero organizes a walking safari for him, his camerawoman Nancy Breiton, and their elite guide Mbuno Waliangulu. Still, Pero has trouble truly disconnecting from work. When the team comes across a herd of elephants making their annual migration north of Lake Rudolf, Pero decides…


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