Fall is here and if you find yourself looking for some great books and movies to settle in with, perhaps along with a cup of hot cider and a snuggly blanket, the staff at Crawfordsville District Public Library have recommendations covering stories that go from chilling to heartwarming.
If, like some of us here at the library, you love to watch scary movies all through the season, Dennis suggests watching “Halloween Ends” (DVD FIC Hal): “Since October is known as being the scary month, my pick is the finale of what might be the most acclaimed horror franchise ever! Here’s the final showdown between Laurie and the infamous Michael Myers!” Trinity recommends another scary movie staple, the original “Scream” from 1996 (DVD FIC Scr): “Best spooky movie for a fall night in!”
Looking for a good ghost story? Christie enjoyed reading the thriller “Home Before Dark” by bestseller Riley Sager (FIC Sag), which brings some unexpected twists to the classic haunted house story. And Susanna recommends an old favorite: “A Drowned Maiden’s Hair” by Laura Amy Schlitz, available digitally on the library’s Libby and Hoopla apps. “An angry little girl never expected to be adopted – but to earn her keep she must impersonate a grieving mother’s perfect child. I was a kid when I first read this book, but this eerie period drama still holds up.”
For another wonderful paranormal read, Crystal suggests the entire “Wayward Children” series by Seanan McGuire, which received the 2022 Hugo Award for best series. The first book is “Every Heart a Doorway” (FIC MCGui): “Welcome to Eleanor West’s School for Wayward Children, a boarding school for children who come home from portals to different worlds that can’t fit in with normal society.” Great for anyone who loved Ransom Riggs’s “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” (YA Fic Rig v.1).
For a delightful fall children’s story, check out Christie’s pick, “Five Little Pumpkins” by Cameron Bell (j E Bell): “Sometimes our differences are what make us stronger!” or Montica’s pick: “Big Pumpkin” by Erika Silverman (j E Sil): “This book is a really cute Halloween read. It’s the best when you use narration with it.”
Shifting away from the seasonal and the spooky, Brenda’s pick this month is her new favorite historical fiction book. “The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post” by Allison Pataki (FIC Pat): “Marjorie’s father invented Grape Nuts cereal and she was instrumental in Post Cereal success and later General Foods and Birds Eye Companies. By the age of 30 she was the wealthiest woman in the U.S. She cared deeply about making the world a better place.”
Brenda also discovered a new favorite series with the book “Obsessed” by James Patterson (FIC Pat): “If you are a James Patterson fan, you will not be disappointed in this Michael Bennett series! NYPD Detective Bennett hunts down the killer of 4 young women. Just when you think you have it figured out, you are wrong! This book keeps you thinking and searching for answers.”
Stephanie K. enjoyed the powerful family saga “Hello Beautiful” by Ann Napolitano (FIC Nap), which is a take on Louisa May Alcott’s classic “Little Women” (j FIC Alc), and the rom-com read “Nora Goes Off Script” by Annabel Monaghan (FIC Mon), which is perfect for fans of Emily Henry.
All these items and more are currently on our Staff Picks display on the first floor of the library. And if you are looking for more frightening reads, head upstairs to our second-floor display, “Hauntingly Good Horror.” All items on display are available to check out with your library card.
CDPL is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 1-5 p.m. Sunday.
Megan Taylor is assistant manager in the Reference and Local History Department at the Crawfordsville District Public Library.
