“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.