What's New

Science is one of the topics that is ever evolving and infinitely interesting. It also can be a bit intimidating at times. So, what do you do if you want to learn more about science but don’t want to spend your time reading through a 700-page treatise on different moss? (I really do like moss; I just don’t know what a treatise is.) Try some of these more accessible science books. They are written in easily understandable terms while remaining extremely fascinating.

“The Chemistry Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained” walks through the history of chemistry and how we find ourselves in the scientific world we inhabit today. Interestingly, the book is organized not by subject but by time, starting off around 7,000 BCE and the brewing of fermented beverages. By organizing the book by time, the author is able to show how each new discovery is built off of what came before and adds insights into how those discoveries came to be. Walking through the discoveries of soap making, the nuclear age, and all the way until the vaccine for COVID-19, “The Chemistry Book” shows some of the missteps and some of the triumphs of chemistry.

Another book that uses a timeline with great success is “Weather: An Illustrated History” by Andrew Revkin with Lisa Mechaley. Beginning with the creation of the earth and the development of the atmosphere, Revkin and Mechaley show how our world’s weather came in to being and how our own development evolved with it. It, unfortunately, also shows how we have come to influence it. How a snowstorm helped to convince New York City leaders to build the subway system and just how far back scientists knew that the burning of coal changed the climate (they, at first, thought it was a benefit). “Weather” is an intelligent look at how much as a species weather has defined our world and how we as a species have defined the weather.

If ‘identifying’ is something that has piqued your interest, there are two new DK Smithsonian books. “Gemstones” by Cally Hall is an identification book that covers precious metals, gems, and different cut and uncut stones. Hall walks their reader through the different physical properties of stones as well as defining optical properties and facets. They even show where stones are found geographically. If you find fossils interesting, then check out “Fossils” by David J Ward. Cataloging over 500 different fossils, Ward’s book adds annotations such as epoch, region, and likelihood of each fossil. Both books are filled with highly detailed photos to aid in your exploration of the natural world.

Happy Sciencing! (Seriously, what is a treatise?)

Believe it or not, 2022 is almost over, and what better way to finish off the year than reading the 2022 Booker Prize novels? Every year, six works of fiction are shortlisted, and the winner of this prestigious prize is announced in late October.  

This year’s six authors on the shortlist represent five different nationalities, and half the books on the list were published by independent publishers.  

Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo, borrows a trick from George Orwell’s Animal Farm by telling the story of Robert Mugabe, the former leader of Zimbabwe, from the point of view of animals. Since gaining independence from British colonial rule, the fictional country of Jidada has been ruled by an aging horse. A military of dogs helps Tuvy, a younger horse whose promises sound too good to be true, stage a coup d’état and strip Old Horse of his power. Will Tuvy do right by the animal kingdom and improve their desperate living conditions, or will he turn out to be just another horse once he gets a taste of political power? To find out – and to learn about Zimbabwe’s troubling postcolonial history – you’ll have to read this unusual, beautifully-written novel for yourself.  

Treacle Walker by Alan Garner, introduces us to Joe Coppock, who “can’t see proper.” Joe spends his days in a mystical, folkloric world until Treacle Walker, a traveler who claims he can heal all ailments except jealousy, gives Joe two magical objects. Joe begins to experience the world differently once Treacle comes along – or did the world itself begin to change? Told in a combination of Old English and made-up words, Treacle Walker can be a bit hard to follow until you get the flow of the dialogue, but the story is worth the confusion. Fun fact: at 87, Garner is the oldest author ever to be nominated for the Booker Prize.

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan transports the reader to Ireland in the mid-1980s. Coal merchant Bill Furlong is a hard-working man who cares deeply for his family and community. Having been rescued from poverty and disgrace as a child by a wealthy widow, Bill sincerely believes people are innately kind. During the Christmas rush, Bill delivers a load of coal to the local laundry, run by nuns, and witnesses a scene that shakes him to his core. Pressured to keep what he saw a secret, Bill wrestles with his faith, knowing the Catholic Church holds more power than a kindhearted coalman could ever hope for. Small Things Like These brings the cruelties of Irish Magdalene laundries to light through the lens of a generous but sensible man suddenly faced with a seemingly impossible decision. 

Percival Everett’s The Trees takes place in the present time in the small town of Money, Mississippi. A series of ghastly murders has the State of Mississippi detectives baffled and the townspeople resistant and defensive. Each murder leaves behind not only the body of a white man, but also a second body of a young Black man with an undeniable resemblance to Emmett Till, whose horrific real-life lynching in Money shocked the world back in 1955. As the case builds, more murders begin to occur, not just in Mississippi, but all over the country. Is this a case of long-awaited revenge or a reflection of something deeper-seated in American history? One might not think this grisly story could be humorous, but the author’s gallows humor keeps the reader amused and horrified at the same time. It takes great balance and talent to pull off a book like this, but to think it can’t be done would be a disservice to Percival Everett’s brilliant writing.  

Oh William! is Elizabeth Strout’s latest novel about her beloved character Lucy Barton. William is Lucy’s ex-husband and father of their two adult daughters. Reeling from the death of her second husband, Lucy is at a crossroads in her life and often becomes lost in thought. Despite their decades-long connection, William has always been something of a mystery to Lucy. When William discovers a secret about his family that leaves him questioning the actions of his late mother, he invites Lucy to travel to Maine with him to get to the truth. The beauty of this deceptively simple story lies in Lucy’s profound reflections on her impoverished, deeply damaging childhood, her complicated yet loving relationship with William, the death of her beloved second husband, and the overriding question of whether one person can ever truly know another.   

And the winner is (drumroll, please) The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka. The titular character in this novel is a Sri Lankan war photographer who wakes up one morning in 1990 and realizes he is dead. Maali has no idea who killed him, but he does know he has unfinished business – he must find his box of incriminating photos that have the potential to expose the appalling corruption of the Sri Lankan civil war and bring down governments. Struggling to communicate with the living from his surprisingly bureaucratic “in-between” afterlife, Maali has seven moons (one week) to complete this final task. Part ghost story, part mystery, and part history book, the Seven Moons of Maali Almeida is impossible to categorize, and equally impossible to put down.  

You can find all these books at Smiley Library and decide for yourself which one is your favorite.

Teens, can we talk about the perfection of the horror story? First, there’s the length…nice and short. Why commit to 500 pages when you could be up to your eye sockets in dread, panic, and nail biting in just twenty-five? Then, of course, there’s the content. Horror stories typically don’t waste their breath on superfluous details; instead, they get right to the juicy stuff—and by juicy stuff I don’t mean gore. It’s the irresistible psychological thrills, the ones that convince you the twig outside your window is actually plotting your murder, that make horror stories such impeccable little terrors. 

If this sounds like the type of reading you’re into, sit back (but don’t relax), and let me tell you about some of the Young Adult (YA) horror story collections we have available here in Teen Underground at A.K. Smiley Public Library. We will have your doctor worrying about your blood pressure in no time. 

Malevolent dolls, grabby ghosts, and evil houses all make appearances in “The Gathering Dark: An Anthology of Folk Horror,” edited by Tori Bovalino. This YA collection contains stories that feel both modern and classic, delivering slow burn goosebumps that have you wanting to scream at the teen protagonists to stop doing whatever they’re doing and RUN the other way. Of course, they won’t listen, and end up in the bathtub being held underwater by invisible hands, but I digress. More gothic than gory, these tales deliver on the irresistibly creepy scale. 

Are there any “Goosebumps” fans in the house? If you often wish you were in 6th grade again so you could enjoy reading R.L. Stine with abandon, I have good news: “Fear: 13 Stories of Suspense and Horror,” edited by R.L. Stine, can be found in our YA collection. These stories, written by a variety of YA thrill masters, range from a babysitting job gone horrifyingly wrong to a “Stranger-Things”-ish shadow world abduction, and take some twists and turns that may leave you casually begging your parents to re-install your nightlight. 

“Scary Stories,” illustrated by Barry Moser, lives up to its name. It’s a YA collection of tales by some greats, including Dean Koontz, Edgar Allan Poe, Stephen King, Shirley Jackson, Bram Stoker, Margaret Mahy, Ray Bradbury, and more. Even though most of these are older stories, probably published before you were born, some are genuinely disturbing—like serious not-recommended-reading-while-you’re-home-alone material (I may or may not have made this amateur mistake). Several of these stories haunted me for days after I finished them. If you are down for a slightly more sophisticated brand of terror, this may be the book for you. 

Want something with a paranormal bent? Try “Roald Dahl’s Book of Ghost Stories” edited by, you guessed it, Roald Dahl. Or how about a modern twist on some macabre classics in the form of “His Hideous Heart: Thirteen of Edgar Allan Poe’s Most Unsettling Tales Reimagined,” in which contributing authors Tiffany D. Jackson, Lamar Giles, Rin Chupeco, and others bring fresh perspectives to Poe’s creepy original works?  

Have I made my case for the horror story yet? Ominous, moody, irresistible, atmospheric, AND brief, the above collections may be just what the doctor orders you to avoid. But if you think your teenaged heart can withstand a little extra pumping, then come check one out from Teen Underground at A.K. Smiley Public Library and experience the incomparable thrill and page-turning adrenaline that only a perfect little horror story can produce. …while you can. 

This article is usually about the new books at Smiley Library, however, since Halloween is creeping closer, let’s have a look at some goosebump-related items in the library that may have a little dust on them. Yes, there are plenty of scary movies and books to choose from, but we also have books about the people that were involved with writing, directing, and starring in these creative works. Come in and learn more about the people lurking behind the scenes….

“Psycho” fans may be interested in “The Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock: An Anatomy of the Master of Suspense,” by Edward White, one of several selections about Alfred Hitchcock and his movies.

Stephen King has authored many hair-raising books, including “The Shining.” To learn more about the inner workings of King’s creativity, check out “Bare Bones: Conversations on Terror.” “The Shining” is also an unforgettable movie, and you can read up on the producer/director in “Stanley Kubrick: A Biography,” by Vincent LoBrutto. Can’t think of that movie without Jack Nicholson’s creepy performance? Look for “Five Easy Decades: How Jack Nicholson Became the Biggest Movie Star in Modern Times,” by Dennis McDougal, downstairs in the biography section.

An actor remembered for his spine-tingling role as Hannibal Lecter is featured in “Anthony Hopkins: The Unauthorized Biography,” by Michael Feeney Callan. A graphic novel of the famed Dracula actor is also on our shelves “Lugosi: The Rise and Fall of Hollywood’s Dracula,” by Koren Shadmi. Another legendary performer with a lengthy resume of horror movies and a sinister voice is explored in “Vincent Price: The Art of Fear,” by Denis Meikle.  A biography of the host with the deadpan voice from television’s “Twilight Zone” is “Serling: The Rise and Twilight of Television’s Last Angry Man,” by Gordon F. Sander.

Finally, here’s a selection about a female film pioneer who was pushed into obscurity by others who took credit, but the movie creature she created still gives me the shivers. “The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick.”

There are many other selections to choose from in our beautiful 124-year-old building. Pay us a visit, but beware of those past lives rumored to still linger in the stacks!

“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.