Ten Horror & Thriller Reads for Halloween
Do you love a good scare or thrill? Below are ten books I recommend reading this Halloween! Belladonna / Adalyn Grace: Nineteen-year-old orphan Signa Farrow confronts Death--and her own deathly powers--when she investigates the mysterious murder of a relative at the Thorn Grove estate. Blackwater / Jeannette Aroyo (graphic novel): Tony Price is a popular high school track star and occasional delinquent aching for his dad's attention and approval. Eli Hirsch is a quiet boy with a chronic autoimmune disorder that has ravaged his health and social life. What happens when these…
Top Five Scary Movies You SHOULDN'T Watch!
Awa Diawara | Librarians of Tomorrow Intern
If you’re a horror fan like I am, chances are that during quarantine you’ve been binge watching every scary movie out there, you're now used to cheap jumpscares, and nothing has gotten you. Well, this list contains five of the highest rated horror movies, all of which are filmed as found footage! Watch at your own risk.... Gonjiam Haunted Asylum- This movie gave me the chills and it has to be the scariest one on this list. It follows the story of six people who break into an abandoned haunted asylum, livestreaming the whole thing. It takes a while for all the…
If You Love (the Supernatural)
Ghosts and hauntings may seem like they belong firmly in fall, but there’s something about winter with its early nights and frigid air that can conjure up visions of spirits—just ask Charles Dickens. If you still want a chill up your spine as you sit by the fire, consider these offerings to get you through the long, dark months. NOVELS Neil Gaiman is a modern master of the macabre, and The Graveyard Book is a perfect introduction to the genre. Young Bod (short for Nobody) has spent his whole life in a graveyard being raised by the specters who inhabit it. While there’s much to discover…
5 Literary Trends of the 2010s
As a group that never shies away from a good pun, I thought I’d lean into librarianship for this post on trends of the last decade. And to keep it even more on topic, I’ve doubled down with a term that lost relevance amongst Millennials and Gen Z years ago. Here goes... Hands down, the number one trend of the decade could be summed up as the following: If it was Lit(erary), it was On Trend Who says libraries and books are losing relevance? This last decade saw libraries and the publishing industry as veritable Hollywood incubators. The bread and butter of modern librarianship—books (…
Dark Reads for Winter's Darkest Nights
I’ve always been drawn to weird, dark stories that push me to think critically and speculatively about the idealized versions of life and self we’re all so often presented with. A good story, be it literary fiction, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, or whatever else is universal. It will offer the reader hope and a safe way to engage with consciousness and the ephemeral nature of reality. Here are five examples of great writing that is at once literary and genre, weird and dark. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. Shirley Jackson: Novels and stories by Shirley Jackson, Edited by Joyce Carol…
Was the Book Better?: Horror Edition
Comparing 10 of Stephen King’s Scariest Tales Happy (almost) Halloween, the time of year I like to remind folks of my absolute obsession with the literary classics by horror aficionado, Stephen King. From as early as the third grade—thanks to loose library regulations and a beautiful un-censoring mother—I’ve devoured King’s tales of the supernatural, macabre, and things that go bump at all hours of the day. Imagine my blissful joy when I began to notice that his books had been turned into films! Dee Wallace and her magical crying gave Donna her power in Cujo. Miko Hughes made me never want…
Ghosts in the Attic: Horror and Dark Fantasy by Authors of Color
Ah, October. The spookiest month. A time when the veil is thin and leaves are crunchy. If you’re a horror enthusiast, you know that this month is your month. If you’re looking for a break from Stephen King and Shirley Jackson, or want to explore the magnificent voices of people of color in the horror and dark fantasy genres, we’ve got the list for you. Beloved, Toni Morrison: A gothic horror staple, Morrison excavates the relationship between memory, terror, and the legacy of slavery in the United States. This Pulitzer Prize winning novel follows the family of Sethe after their escape from…
5 Books You've Been Longing to Have Time For
Does your apartment seem strangely quiet? Has the pitter-patter of little feet raced away down the rapidly cooling sidewalk? These are the telltale signs that your children have finally gone back to school. So the question is: what are you going to do with all your spare time? Read a very long, complicated book, of course! Here are BPL’s selections for books to read when you’ve really got the time: Outlander (850 pages) by Diana Gabaldon: In 1945, Claire, a former combat nurse, is reunited with her husband for a second honeymoon in the Scottish Highlands. When she walks through a…