Shannon Harris

I can’t believe that the holiday season is upon us! It seems like it was just yesterday that I was decorating my Halloween tree and drinking my first pumpkin spice latte of the season (yes, I have a Halloween tree that beautifully transitions to a Nightmare Before Christmas-themed Christmas tree). If you are not quite ready for the upcoming holiday season or you are ready with your peppermint mocha in hand, then here are few new titles from your favorite public library, A.K. Smiley Library.

If you are not ready to read holiday-themed books quite yet, may I suggest Phantom, by Helen Power. Regan Osbourne is in a tight spot–she’s broke, in a bad relationship, and her art career is getting her nowhere. One night, desperate and fed up, a mysterious man approaches her with a proposition she can’t refuse, one million dollars for one of her hands, her dominant hand to be exact. Regan agrees. Come and check out Phantom to see what happens to Regan and her missing appendage.

If you are ready to go all-in on the holiday season, I suggest to you Three Holidays and a Wedding by Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley. Maryam Aziz and Anna Gibson are strangers, but fate has other plans for them. Both are flying home to Toronto, Canada for the holiday season until severe turbulence diverts their plane and plans and leaves them stranded in a picturesque town called Snow Falls where destiny has other plans for them.

If neither of these titles appeals to you and you want something more in the fairy tale realm, then I suggest to you, After the Forest by Kell Woods. After the Forest takes place 20 years after Greta and Hans escape the infamous witch who lived in a gingerbread house. While Greta was being held captive all those years ago, she took the witch’s grimoire which holds magic spells that are more powerful than Greta can comprehend. Will Greta succumb to the lure of the grimoire to help her and the village which she grew up in, or will the villagers turn against her and her new found magical abilities?

So, come visit your favorite local library and check out these festive and not-so-festive titles for your reading pleasure.

-Shannon Harris is a library specialist who enjoys reading horror and holiday-themed books so much that she is currently reading a book called Christmas and Other Horrors.

The fall season is rapidly approaching, so what better way to celebrate spooky season than with some new horror titles from A.K. Smiley Public Library. 

Margaret and her husband Hal just bought their dream home, a beautiful Victorian house with a wraparound porch and sprawling yard. A few months go by and their dream house is slowly turning into a real-life haunted house when blood starts to drip from the walls. Carissa Orlando’s “The September House” is a blood-chilling read that will keep you up at night. 

Halloween night in 1984, the children of Parmenter Road are gearing up for trick-or-treating, until they are met by a group of strangely dressed children, who are terrified and begging to be hidden away from a being called The Cunning Man. “All Hallows” by Christopher Golden will have you second guessing handing out candy this Halloween.  

Imagine a place where the residents are obsessed with the year 1994. They dress like it, and they watch the infamous O.J. Simpson car chase every night like it is happening in real time. Willow Stone discovers this strange and unusual island after finding out that her son has gone missing and the only hint of his whereabouts are two words: Clifford Island. “Dead Eleven” by Jimmy Juliano will leave you weary of strangers. 

So, turn your lights down low and prepare yourself for a scary good time with these books from A. K. Smiley Public Library.  

Shannon Harris is a phobophile who moonlights as a Library Specialist.

“Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind” – Seals & Crofts

In this week’s What’s New at Smiley Library article, I will be taking you all on an unofficial tour of Fire Island, New York. I know what you are thinking, “Shannon, how are you going to take all of your dedicated readers to the glitzy Fire Island? Did you win the lottery or something?” Unfortunately, no, I did not: I will be taking you all there through the art of the written word! The three books that are featured in this article all take place on Fire Island. So, pack your proverbial bags and let’s go!

Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum is our first book that features our destination spot, Fire Island. Every summer, friends Jen and Lauren, along with their spouses, descend upon the island and start their usual summer routine of gossip, backstabbing, and manipulation until their usual summertime antics get thwarted by a dead body. I don’t know about you all, but this may throw a wrench in our vacation. Let’s see what the second book entails.

Kismet by Becky Chalsen is our second stop on our tour of Fire Island. Twin sisters Amy and Jo Sharp pack their bags and head to Fire Island for a whirlwind weekend of celebrations. Like with most gatherings involving family and friends, secrets are revealed and friendships are put to the test.

Ok, we have made it to our final destination on Fire Island, which by chance happens to be the title of the last book featured in this article. On Fire Island by Jane L. Rosen is told through the perspective of 37-year-old book editor Julia Morse. Julia dies and instead of “crossing over” she decides to spend her last summer watching over her family at their vacation home on Fire Island. This book isn’t as sad as it sounds, I promise.

I hope you all enjoyed our tour of Fire Island as much as I did.

Shannon Harris is a library specialist who dreams of living on an island one day.

Are you looking for something new to read? Well luckily for you, A.K. Smiley Public Library has plenty of new fiction titles by new authors for you to choose from. Here are some new titles that are on my ever-growing to-be-read list.

Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler has been receiving a lot of attention from websites like Goodreads and Book Riot. Adelaide is a heartbreaking novel about being in love with someone who doesn’t love you back.

Death of Bookseller is Alice Slater’s new novel about a true crime-obsessed bookseller named Roach who would rather be listening to a podcast than being at work. Her life is pretty boring until she meets the newest employee, Laura, another true crime lover. Roach’s friendship with Laura takes a dark turn toward obsession and she may have unintentionally uncovered her own true crime story.

The Gifts by Liz Hyder is her debut novel in adult fiction. The Gifts takes place in nineteenth-century London where rumors of “fallen angels” have been going through the city. These “fallen angels” are being stalked by an obsessed doctor who will stop at nothing to uncover these magical beings.

Let me ask you all a question: what is your favorite mythical creature? If you said a vampire, then this article was written just for you. If you said anything else besides a vampire, then you may not want to continue reading this article. So, my fellow vampire fiends – I mean friends – let me invite you to A.K. Smiley Public Library to check out some new (and not so new) fiction titles that you can really sink your teeth into.

Vampire Weekend, by Mike Chen – A music-loving vampire who just wants to be left alone until her teenage cousin finds her and asks her to commit the ultimate deed.

House of Hunger, by Alexis Henderson – A young woman finds herself in the thralls of a rich, bloodsucking family.

Vamps: Fresh Blood, by Nicole Arend – A supernatural school that caters to teenage vampires.

Court of the Vampire Queen, by Katee Robert – A STEAMY vampire romp that would make Fifty Shades of Grey blush.

Other novels in the Library featuring creatures of the night:

The Vampire Chronicles (Interview with a Vampire, The Vampire Lestat), by Anne Rice

The Sookie Stackhouse Series (aka True Blood), by Charlaine Harris

Bloodsucking Fiends; You Suck; and Bite Me, by Christopher Moore

Dead Collections, by Isaac Fellman

‘Salem’s Lot, by Stephen King

Dracula, by Bram Stoker

And last but certainly not least, The Twilight Saga, by Stephenie Meyer

I hope these titles will quench any reader’s thirst for novels featuring our favorite fanged friends.

-Shannon Harris is a library specialist at A. K. Smiley Public Library who enjoys reading about vampires and watching shows about vampires.