Shannon Harris

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.

2023 is literally a week away, and what better way to wrap up 2022 than with a list of staff recommendations. One of the many things I enjoy about working in a library is that if I am ever in a reading slump, I can always ask one of my colleagues for a book recommendation. So, here is a list of books that library staff really enjoyed reading this year. The following titles can be found here at A. K. Smiley Public Library.

Fiction:

Book Lovers, by Emily Henry

The Dead Romantics, by Ashley Poston

House of Sky and Breath, by Sarah J. Maas

What Moves the Dead, by T. Kingfisher

White Horse, by Erika T. Wurth

Blacktop Wasteland, by S. A. Cosby

An American Marriage, by Tayari Jones

The Cabinet, by Kim Un-su

Lesser Known Monsters of the 21^st Century, by Kim Fu

Non-Fiction:

I’m Glad My Mom Died, by Jeanette McCurdy

Everyone You Hate is Going to Die, by Daniel Sloss

Happy-Go-Lucky, by David Sedaris

The High Desert: Black. Punk. Nowhere., by James Spooner

Some New Kind of Kick, by Kid Congo Powers

Wishing everyone a happy holiday season!

 

 

“Listen to them, the children of the night. What music they make!” – Bram Stoker

In last week’s article of “What’s New at A. K. Smiley Public Library,” my creepy cohort Jill ‘Mummified’ Martinson, recommended books on how to decorate your house for a Halloween party. This week, I will be sharing my grave reviews to get one into the Halloween mood. As the song goes in Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, “Life’s no fun without a good scare.”

If you are looking for a classic horror story, Smiley Library has quite the creepy collection of titles to choose from. We have Dracula by Bram Stoker, Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Shirley Jackson’s collection of Novels and Stories which features her popular short story, “The Haunting of Hill House,” and last, but certainly not least, we have Edgar Allan Poe’s Tales of Mystery and Imagination which feature several of Poe’s most popular works like, “The Black Cat” and “The Tell-Tale Heart.” So, make your way out of your tomb to check out these bone chilling titles.

Ok, I know what you are thinking, these titles aren’t that original, and you have probably read them already, and you may want something new to read. So let me recommend some new titles from the horror genre that will make you reconsider sleeping with the light off.

Little Eve is Catriona Ward’s latest novel and winner of the Shirley Jackson Award. Ward’s novel takes place on a small isle in Scotland where the residents of the isle are hiding dark secrets and these secrets are about to be discovered.

Lute by Jennifer Thorne also takes places on a secluded island where the inhabitants of the island resort to extreme measures to keep their idyllic lifestyle.

Josh Malerman’s newest novel, Daphne, is a must-read novel for fans of urban legends and slasher films. The local basketball team tell a tale of a former classmate who disappeared under strange circumstances. Was she murdered, was it self-inflicted, or is she still alive committing acts of violence at the very high school she attended? Come and check out Daphne today to find out.

So, creep on down to A.K. Smiley Public Library to check out these titles that will surely curdle your blood.

-‘Sanguinary’ Shannon Harris is a Library Specialist by day and watcher and reader of all things horror by night.

The month of August has been designated as Read-A-Romance Month. So, to get you in the mood for some summer love, I have selected a few new romance novels to highlight for your reading pleasure. If these titles don’t put you in the mood for love, then come and visit A.K. Smiley Public Library in person and check out our display of diverse and inclusive romance books where we have something for everyone.

Fans of the very popular romance novel, Boyfriend Material, by Alexis Hall, will be pleased to know that the sequel, Husband Material, will be available for check out soon. Everyone’s favorite fake couple turned real couple are starting to feel the pressures of happily ever after; will they cave into the pressures and break up or will true love conquer?

If you are looking for an out of this world extraterrestrial romance, then let me introduce you to the very popular series, Ice Planet Barbarians, by Ruby Dixon. These books are wildly popular on many social media outlets and lucky for you, dear reader, A.K. Smiley Public Library has the first book (Ice Planet Barbarians) and the second book (Barbarian Alien) in the series for you to stay up all night with. Get acquainted with Georgie and her friends as they acclimate to a world much different from their own.

Fans of the popular romance novel, The Love Hypothesis, by Ali Hazelwood, will be pleased to know her latest ‘STEMinist’ romance novel, Love on the Brain, will be released later this month, so place a hold on the book now. Scientist Bee Königswasser is forced to collaborate with her grad school nemesis, Levi Ward, on a project where everything seems to be going wrong, and Bee can’t help but notice Levi’s lingering glances and strong arms. Read this book to find out if these rivals can overcome their past and find love.

Hopefully these titles will satisfy all your romance needs for the month of August.

The long hot summer months are upon us and what better way to spend them than staying inside and reading. It is my job here, at A.K. Smiley Public Library, to order books for the fiction collection, which includes horror, supernatural, and fantasy, some of my favorite genres. Here are some new titles that will be released this summer that will make you want to sleep with the lights on.

Just Like Mother by Anne Heltzel is one of the most anticipated books in horror fiction this season. This book will have the reader reconsidering a family reunion with a long lost cousin that may have been involved in a cult in their youth.

Hide by Kiersten White will have the reader rethinking visiting an amusement park any time soon. Fans of the hit Netflix show Squid Game will want to check this title out for sure.

Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey shows how, sometimes, home isn’t where the heart is. This book will have the reader reluctant to visit their family home. If you enjoyed the Netflix show The Haunting of Hill House, then this book should be on your summer reading list.

So head on down to A.K. Smiley Public Library to check out these titles today. For more information, please visit our website at www.akspl.org, or call us at 909-798-7565.

Shannon Harris is a lover of all things scary and supernatural. She moonlights as a library specialist at A.K. Smiley Public Library during daytime hours.