It Came From the Library!

Fellow horror connoisseurs, our time of year has finally come. You know of what I write: we’re halfway into October and, if you’re anything like me, celebrating all things spooky this month. There is no greater pleasure for fans of fear than finding a story into which you can sink deeply, one which causes your heart to pound and makes you both dread to see what awaits you on the next page while also racing to get there. This month, Crawfordsville District Public Library has chosen items specifically for their ability to evoke this feeling in our patrons and we guarantee that you’ll be scared into the Halloween mood! 

So what frightens you the most? If stories that could happen to you get your heart racing, I recommend you take a look at some modern horror writings that give the classics a run for their money. I couldn’t personally put down “The Cabin at the End of the World” by Paul Tremblay (FIC Tre), about a family interrupted on their vacation by outsiders bearing bizarre news and a terrible choice that must be made. Discerning readers might also look at “My Best Friend’s Exorcism”  by Grady Hendrix (FIC Hen) for an 80’s themed horror-humor crossover, the newly-released and VERY hyped “The Last House on Needless Street” by Catriona Ward (FIC War), and “The Night of the Mannequins” by Stephe Graham Jones (FIC Jon), a slim novella that would provide you with a full evening of spooky reading.

If you want to be a true horror authority, I recommend you dig a little deeper past the familiar classics to discover stories that have been overshadowed. Feeling up to the challenge? Start with “Bloodchild,” a collection of dark sci-fi short stories written Octavia Butler (FIC But); “The Haunting of Hill House” by Shirley Jackson (FIC Jac), the book that created the idea of the haunted house as we know it; and “The Great God Pan and Other Stories” by Arthur Machen (FIC Mac), one of the original authors of Weird Horror and an inspiration to another author you may know, HP Lovecraft!

I would be remiss to not mention the modern king of horror-fantasy fusion, Neil Gaiman (FIC Gai), whose list of works could double as a primer to the genre. Though best known for his outstanding novel “American Gods,” which has traces of Weird horror woven throughout, his lesser-known works “Neverwhere” and “Good Omens” have plenty of spooky scenes that make them appropriate for Halloween reading, too. If you have trouble reading longer works, Gaiman has multiple short story collections stuffed with creepy writings, including “Trigger Warning,” “Smoke and Mirrors,” and my favorite, “Fragile Things.” 

Finally, for those of you who prefer nonfiction, there’s no lack of real life horror to read about. Be the first to check out our new title “The Indifferent Stars Above,” by Daniel Brown (978.02 Bro), which recounts the distressing survival tale of the Donner Party, a group of pioneers who were snowbound in the Sierra Nevada mountains during the winter of 1846. You might also be interested in all of the works of Caitlin Doughty, who writes masterfully on the topic of death–state with “Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? Big Questions From Tiny Mortals” (306.9 Dou).

Let CDPL be your one-stop for all your horror needs this Halloween season! We also have a huge variety of scary movies for you to take home, from classic thrillers to modern masterpieces. If none of these titles jumped out at you, stop by our Reference Desk to check out our Reader’s Advisories or to ask our library staff what chilling tales they recommend. Happy haunted reading!