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The Exorcist
The Exorcist: 40th Anniversary Edition | William Peter Blatty
Originally published in 1971, The Exorcist, one of the most controversial novels ever written, went on to become a literary phenomenon: It spent fifty-seven weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, seventeen consecutively at number one. Inspired by a true story of a childs demonic possession in the 1940s, William Peter Blatty created an iconic novel that focuses on Regan, the eleven-year-old daughter of a movie actress residing in Washington, D.C. A small group of overwhelmed yet determined individuals must rescue Regan from her unspeakable fate, and the drama that ensues is gripping and unfailingly terrifying. Two years after its publication, The Exorcist was, of course, turned into a wildly popular motion picture, garnering ten Academy Award nominations. On opening day of the film, lines of the novels fans stretched around city blocks. In Chicago, frustrated moviegoers used a battering ram to gain entry through the double side doors of a theater. In Kansas City, police used tear gas to disperse an impatient crowd who tried to force their way into a cinema. The three major television networks carried footage of these events; CBSs Walter Cronkite devoted almost ten minutes to the story. The Exorcist was, and is, more than just a novel and a film: it is a true landmark.Purposefully raw and profane, The Exorcist still has the extraordinary ability to disturb readers and cause them to forget that it is just a story. Published here in this beautiful fortieth anniversary edition, it remains an unforgettable reading experience and will continue to shock and frighten a new generation of readers.
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dabbe
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#HauntedShelf
@PuddleJumper @Jadams89 #FrightClub
#BookRecommendations
#jumpscare
+31 points

This entire book was a jump scare! Yet, I found it less scary than watching the actual 1973 movie. Still wickedly scary, though, so if that isn't your game, stay far away from this one. 😱

58 likes1 stack add
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JessClark78
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Found thirteen words in The Exorcist.

#HauntedShelf #WordSearch

+196 points #FrightClub

PuddleJumper Nice! 3mo
39 likes1 comment
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JessClark78
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Pickpick

“Like the brief doomed flare of exploding suns that registers dimly on blind men‘s eyes, the beginning of the horror passed almost unnoticed..”

Read this once years ago and seen the movie many times, so I was slightly prepared for the scares. Still not something I would read after dark.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#SupernaturalBookBingo #AngelsAndDemons
#Witchathon #31by31 #SpookOWeen #ReadAway2024 #HauntedShelf #TBR +25

+26 points #FrightClub

PuddleJumper 🎉🎉 3mo
OutsmartYourShelf 🏆 First to register a book completed for #SupernaturalBookBingo Woohoo! 3mo
TheSpineView Great job! 3mo
Catsandbooks 👏🏼👻🧡 3mo
50 likes4 comments
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Ladygodiva7
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Finished The Exorcist, it was so good, next, to watch the movie. I haven‘t seen any exorcist movies.

My library book didn‘t have a picture cover on it so I found some to show.

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JessClark78
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dabbe This book: 😱!!! 3mo
DieAReader 👻Excellent choice. 3mo
Catsandbooks 👏🏼👻🧡 3mo
44 likes3 comments
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vonnie862
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Woops, I forgot to post.

Here's my #ThreeListThursday for Spooky books:

•Murder Road by Simone St. James
•The Woman in Black by Susan Hill
•The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

#TLT @dabbe

dabbe Got 'em on the spreadsheet; thanks for sharing! 🩶🧡🩶 3mo
27 likes1 stack add1 comment
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shortsarahrose
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“And yet even from this-from evil-there will finally come good in some way; in some way that we may never understand or even see . . . Perhaps evil is the crucible of goodness.”

A #FavoriteQuote from one of @Lin3han #AuldLangSpine list for @monalyisha #Giveaway

I always love this event and appreciate the work that goes into matching us! Still reading Horrorstör (and Fourth Wing, but currently in library hold purgatory because I had to return it)

Lin3han It‘s been a busy month for me but I‘m especially looking forward to digging into the nutrition book you recommended! I‘m trying to eat healthier 🥰 11mo
monalyisha Thanks, @shortsarahrose! I‘m wondering if you intend for this to be your Giveaway entry (or if the quote was just for fun)? 11mo
shortsarahrose @monalyisha giveaway entry - thanks! 11mo
33 likes3 comments
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shortsarahrose
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Pickpick

Finished in time for #AuldLangSpine2024
A good slow build to a thrilling climax (the exorcism of the title). I liked how the novel delved into the psychology of the characters, the mystery aspects (trying to figure out what is happening with Regan/who killed Dennings), and how the banal and the horrific existed side by side. Certainly see some similarities with Rosemary‘s Baby (everyone was obsessed with Satanists in that era 😆) Enjoyably creepy!

Lin3han I‘m so glad you liked it!! The end had me screeching 11mo
shortsarahrose @Lin3han - totally know what you mean about the ending! 11mo
35 likes1 stack add2 comments
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shortsarahrose
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“Early that quietly waiting evening, a young scholastic preparing for the priesthood wandered the grounds of Woodstock Seminary in Maryland. He was searching for a slender, gray-haired old Jesuit. He found him on a pathway, strolling through a grove. He handed him a telegram. His manner serene, the old priest thanked him and then turned to renew his contemplation, to continue his walk through a nature that he loved. . .”

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shortsarahrose
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“‘Perhaps we could talk now,‘ said Kinderman breathily, hands in the pockets of his coat, his eyes sad. ‘Yes, I think that perhaps we could now have a talk.‘”

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Bookboss
This post contains spoilers
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Pickpick

This story of a girl possessed by a demon was a re-read for me. I came across a documentary on the making of the movie, and decided that I needed to visit the novel again. It is an excellent exploration of the faithful and the secular, of grief and guilt, and of good and evil. Most remember the shocking and gruesome bits of the film, but forget the careful building of suspense of the book. This book is not for everyone, but it is well done.

AmyG I read this as a kid and loved it. 11mo
9 likes1 stack add1 comment
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shortsarahrose
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“‘Do you know what she *did*, your cunting daughter?‘
Chris screamed until she fainted.”

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shortsarahrose
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“They halted at locker 32. The expressionless attendant slid it out. He bit his sandwich, and a fragment of mayonnaise-speckled crust fell lightly to the graying shroud. Kinderman stared, and then, slowly and gently, he pulled back the sheet to expose what he‘d seen and yet could not accept: Dennings‘s head was turned completely around and facing backward.”

Lin3han Some of my favorite parts of this horror was how starkly normalized horrifying things like that are written! 11mo
24 likes1 comment
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shortsarahrose
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“Later that day, Karras was relieved of his duties as counselor and assigned to the Georgetown University Medical School as a lecturer in psychiatry. His orders were to rest.”

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Lizpixie
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#ScarathlonPhotoChallenge #Day22 #Fear The audiobook of this novel read by the author definitely fills me with fear every time I listen to it. It‘s truly terrifying. My go-to Halloween listen every year. #Scarathlon #SpookyGhostClub 6pts

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wildwoodreads
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Pickpick

The Exorcist started out a little slow. I started it several times and put it down, but finally this time it stuck. And let me tell you when the story finally started going it really picked up speed.

I don‘t scare easily but this one unnerved me. It definitely made me fall back in love with classic horror.

https://wildwoodreads.com/2023/10/17/the-exorcist-review/

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jackilynn
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It is spooky season so I figured it was the perfect time to FINALLY pick this one up.

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vonnie862
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Completed one item on my bucketlist: attending the 50th Anniversary showing of The Excorcist at the movie theater.

21 pts

#HHC #Scarathlon #HalloweenHexesCoven

@dabbe @jessieKB @BookmarkTavern @Liatrek @JessClark78 @Chrissyreadit @TheDaysGoBy @LadyCait84 @Sresendez12 @Nessavamusic @kelli7990

JessClark78 🖤 1y
dabbe Yowza! Does it still hold up technology-wise? 🧡🎃🧡 1y
Sleepswithbooks Soooo fun!!!!! 1y
Nessavamusic So cool! 1y
36 likes4 comments
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wildwoodreads
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“Come, We Fly.”-Winifred Sanderson.
🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃
It‘s that spooky time of year again and I can‘t tell you how excited I am. My jack-o-lanterns are lit, and my cauldron (Crockpot) is bubbling away (It‘s soup season). So, let‘s get this spooky season started with my October 2023 tbr.
🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃
What are you reading this spooky season??

https://wildwoodreads.com/2023/10/01/october-2023-tbr/

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Lizpixie
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My tentative #Watchlist for #Scarathlon2023 So far it‘s mostly classics with a few new TV series thrown in. I‘m planning on watching all the Scream movies including No6 & all the Conjurings. I‘ll be posting my #Scarathlon2023TBR later. #SpookyGhostClub 21pts

Clwojick YES! Thanks for reminding me that I‘ve been saving Ratched for Scarathlon! I knew there was something I was missing 1y
Justmissc87 I am planning on watching Interview With the Vampire and Wednesday too. Great list! 1y
36 likes2 comments
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Lin3han
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Pickpick

If you like graphic, disturbing, dear god help me through these pages horror, this one is for you. Definitely not for the weak and has some very graphic scenes. Please check TWs for this one. It has basically all of them

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kricheal
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Pickpick

Good book- yes... most terrifying novel ever written- not so much. The ending fell flat for me. #13 #2023

robinb I haven‘t read the book but that movie though…😳😱🫣😬 1y
Jemgirl2014 Yeah, I don‘t mess with that movie. Traumatizing lol 1y
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Tripex
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Maybe this should be my next read. I'm already a little scared reading this blurb lol.

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jamield1911
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Busy afternoon, proofreading her memoir. 🙄
#passthewine #toddlersaretheantichrist #terribletwos

dabbe 🤣🤣🤣 She's absolutely precious. ❣️ (edited) 2y
Leftcoastzen 😁👏hilarious! & adorable! 2y
marleed Hahaha! 2y
12 likes3 comments
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jamield1911
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Pickpick

WHAT A RIDE! 😱
I can't believe this novel is over 50 years old yet still packs a punch!
I don't live under a rock, so I've obviously seen the movie and was traumatised by it when I was a young teen. The book was equally great and equally traumatic.
Whether you're a believer or not, it's unnerving to read such horrors happening in the body of a young child.
What a hit. Maybe not the best bedtime story though!
I'm sleeping with the dog tonight!

dabbe Exactly my feelings when I read this in the fall!😊 2y
jamield1911 @dabbe such a great book! I'm passing onto my sister... preparing for the "wtf" WhatsApp messages ? 2y
marleed This was my first all-nighter in the early 70s! I was in the sixth grade at the time and fending for myself one Saturday night and pulled the HB from my dad‘s shelves. I read it straight through believing my dad would not approve. It scarred the beekeepers out of me, and I didn‘t return it in time. I had to act like the book didn‘t bother me a bit. I wish I could be in my dad‘s head to learn what he was thinking when he realized my read! 2y
jamield1911 @marleed oh, bless you 🤣 I remember watching the film when I was around 13 years old and was scarred for life! 2y
10 likes4 comments
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Lukerey-Doo
Pickpick

Another book I read about 2 years ago that I thought I'd review. I'm actually more of a fan of the movie Exorcist 3, which made me curious about Blatty's work. He said he never intended the first movie to be "horror", and I think it shows in this novel. I'd personally class it more as a kind of "noir" with supernatural elements as an exercise in the theological musings of its author, who's a devout Catholic. Scary? No. But that's not the intent.

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guidosophia
Panpan

I can‘t lie, I did not enjoy this at all. I should have known I wouldn‘t bc I also thought the movie sucked. It‘s supposed to be terrifying, but how can it be when it‘s so painfully boring??? Literally anything else is scarier than this

AmandaBlaze I read it in bright sunlight, which turned the font red. That's about the scariest point for me.lol 2y
Lukerey-Doo I don't think the book or the movie were actually intended to be scary. Some people just found the movie to be. 2y
6 likes2 comments
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dabbe
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Pickpick

What a horrific ride! I preferred this to ROSEMARY'S BABY (read both for Halloween) for I found the psychological aspects of the book to be fascinating and still argued today. As someone who is agnostic, the Satan/demon parts weren't supernaturally terrifying for me. What a person's psychosis can do, however, is a totally other issue. I plan on researching a bit more on these topics. I love books that make me want to do that.

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DGRachel
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I don‘t really have a spooky season list, but I channeled my teen goth self for most of this #fearfulfall playlist. 🖤🤣🖤

https://tidal.com/playlist/b604dd8c-d2ad-42f1-b3af-eaf23be96bba

BarbaraBB The Carmina Burana! That is really so scary!! 2y
DGRachel @BarbaraBB I saw Carmina performed by the Orlando Opera Company and Southern Ballet Theatre and had chills the entire time. 🖤 2y
BarbaraBB I totally understand that. It is so dark and theatrical! 2y
See All 10 Comments
Cinfhen I feel like Halloween is the perfect season to revisit our teen selves 😉 2y
DGRachel @Cinfhen I‘m certainly haunted by my teen self‘s choices, although I do kind of miss my black witchy dress. 🤣🤣 2y
Cinfhen The black witchy dress!!!!! I know exactly what u mean!!!!! 2y
Chrissyreadit Wait… I‘m pretty sure I still wear my black witchy dress just in a bigger size… @DGRachel @Cinfhen 2y
Cinfhen Hahaha @Chrissyreadit 😂😂😂 2y
DGRachel @Chrissyreadit I would totally wear one if I had one that fit!! I think I need to go shopping. 🤣🤣 2y
vivastory Concrete Blonde 👏🤘 2y
34 likes10 comments
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candc320
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Mehso-so

I‘ve seen this movie many times (not as scary to me as many people think but still good) but somehow had never read the book. The audiobook was pretty good but nothing that blew me away. The author read the story, which I do love, but overall it felt somewhat unsatisfying. I‘m trying to remember how the movie unfolds because the book left me wanting more. 🌟🌟🌟 #scarathlon #teamslaughter “Book to Movie” #autumnbingo2022 #bookspinbingo

candc320 “Horror Movie Adaptation” #littenlisten , “Inspired by Real Events” #bookishbingo , “Dective or Sleuth” #bodycountbingo , “Classic Horror” #octoberbookbingo 2y
DieAReader 🎉🥳🎉🥳 2y
AnnR 🕷🕸🕷🕸🕷 2y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 2y
28 likes5 comments
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Lizpixie
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I also watched the movie based on the book last night, one of my all time favourite horror movies. It‘s a classic for a reason. #Scarathlon #TeamSlaughter 11pts

33 likes1 comment
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Lizpixie
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Pickpick

Bk5 of #Scarathlon #readathon is done! One of my favourite scary movies & books, you have to listen to the audiobook read by the author to really get that terrifying atmosphere it brings(just don‘t listen at night!)5⭐️ #WordSearch #BodyCountBingo #LittenListenBingo #AutumnAtoZ #31x31 #Spookaween #Pointsathon #WickedWords #AutumnBingo #JustALittleSpookish #StabbyBingo #OctoberReadathon #Thrillathon #BookspinBingo👇#TeamSlaughter 2,616pts

42 likes5 comments
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IndoorDame
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jackilynn
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I was really hoping to find a few few more Stephen King books to add to my collection when I browsed the library book sale. Sadly I did not but I did find these wonderful gems instead.

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isinglead
Pickpick

Loved this! Holds up to the test of time. Well worth reading.

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Addison_Reads
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#SavvySettings @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

When you're main character is possessed, the #Church is most likely going to be involved.

I'm such a big fan of both this book and movie.

vivastory Same! I still want to read 3y
Eggs 😱 ⛪️ 👿 3y
35 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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TheNeverendingTBR
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Pickpick

I was blown away by how good this was. The characters kept me enthralled throughout and although it didn't scare me, it did have some really creepy and repulsive moments.

The authors writing is flawless and characters were believable because of their flaws.

If you've seen the film you'll love the book, it goes into so much more detail.

It was a lot of fun and deserves it cult classic status. I can't wait to read some of his other work.

75 likes1 stack add1 comment
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JackOBotts
Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Intense and engrossing - I haven‘t seen the movie in decades, but feels like it was a solid book to film adaptation.

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JackOBotts
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My 7-year-old picked my next read off our bookshelves this morning. This was his selection…definitely my kid. 😂 #PennywiseIsHisFavorite #NoIHaventLetHimWatchIt 🤷🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️

Reggie Lol 3y
BiblioLitten 😄 3y
37 likes2 comments
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AlisBookNookCorner
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My current read for my #HalloweenReads and this one is definitely in my top five of most creepy books read. I‘m never ‘scared‘ of books I read or movies I watch, but some give me serious goosebumps. The Exorcist is one of those books, so many goosebumps! 😱👻

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Lizpixie
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And finally for #WeekOne of #Scarathlon I watched The Exorcist on Netflix for probably the 30th time! So another 6pts for #TeamSlaughter Next post will be my wrap up for this week.

Lsmoore43 I was like 16 when I saw this movie. I love scary movies but this one actually gave me nightmares. I never, ever, watched it again. To to awful for me. 😳 3y
Cathythoughts Stop 😲😱 I saw it once … I love reading thrillers/ scary books , watching is another story (edited) 3y
Clwojick Woohoo! 3y
46 likes3 comments
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Carla
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Spending this dark, rainy, October evening with William Peter Blatty. He‘s reading his own work to me while I hide under the covers. Thank you, Audible, for such a #Halloween treat.
#audiobook

Carla If you don‘t have Audible, here‘s my link to get a free month to check it out, and you can grab The Exorcist (or whatever) to keep. It helps out my podcast! https://www.audible.com/ep/creator?source_code=PDTGBPD060314004R 3y
Carla Chris‘ first view of Father Karras: “a long black cloud in search of a rain”. Tremendous. 3y
10 likes2 comments
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Chili
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I finished this last night and forgot to post it. The book to my movie pick. I think the book was better but Chris was portrayed as ditzy in the book. She thought everything was dumb. #Scarathlon #TeamHendrix #Screamathon #Wickedathon #SpookOWeen #BookSpinBingo

TheSpineView Excellant! 👍📖 3y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3y
25 likes2 comments
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Chili
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Ok, I wimped out and watched this during the day. The movie for book and movie pairing is done now on to the book. #Screamathon #Scarathlon #TeamHendrix #Wickedathon #SpookOWeen

Traci1 Well, you're less of a chicken than I am. I won't even watch during the day. Nope. 3y
TheSpineView ❤📽🎞 3y
30 likes2 comments
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Chili
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Week 1 prompt: Book and Movie pairing #Screamathon #Scarathlon #TeamHendrix #SpookOWeen #Wickedathon

TheSpineView 👍📖📚 3y
StayCurious So creepy! I tend to steer clear of possession… 3y
20 likes2 comments
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DavidDiamond
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Pickpick

Someone should make this propulsive page-turner of a book into a movie.
#halloweenreads

LeahBergen 🤣 3y
Cathythoughts Oh no 🙈 I was dragged to this movie & kept my eyes & ears closed through most of it 😳 3y
40 likes2 comments