Booklist – October
It’s spooky season! The days are shorter and darker, and monsters lurk in the shadows. Monsters have always been part of human storytelling; some say they represent our dread of all that is unnatural and unpleasant and help us confront our deepest fears. This booklist explores classic movie monsters, monsters created by science gone wrong, those of folklore, and perhaps most terrifying those of reality. Face your fears and read along with us if you dare!
Nonfiction
American Monsters: A History of Monster Lore, Legends, and Sightings in America by Linda S. Godfrey
According to thousands of witnesses throughout America’s history creatures like bigfoot, the chupacabra, and thunderbirds aren’t just figments of our imagination, they exist. Author, investigator, and creature expert Linda S. Godfrey creates an essential guide, using historical record, present-day news reports, and eyewitness interviews to examine this hidden menagerie of legendary creatures.
Monsters of the Sea by Richard Ellis
Ellis, one of the country’s foremost authorities on ocean life, and renowned cryptozoologist casts his net to provide an analysis of some of the terrifying “monsters” people throughout history have believed to live in the sea. Through further research, the unknown and unnamed monsters become familiar creatures like octopuses, whales, manatees, and sharks. Ellis also discusses the need to protect and preserve the creatures of the sea, even those we haven’t discovered yet.
No Go the Bogeyman: Scaring, Lulling, and Making Mock by Marina Warner
This book Examines art, folktales, and myths for themes of terror usually manifest in male figures such as bogeys, giants, and ogres and develops into a fascinating cultural exploration of fear. It spans material dating from ancient Greece to modern Hollywood.
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larsen
The story traces the crimes of Dr. H.H. Holmes, a serial killer who preyed on young women during the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair paralleled with the amazing work and landscape that architect Daniel H. Burnham created for the fair in a mere two years.
Fiction
The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
Classic monster story about the scientist Griffin, who discovers a process that makes him invisible. At first, he is euphoric about the wild and wonderful things his invisibility allows him to do, but he soon wishes he could change back. First published in 1897.
Dracul by J.D. Barker
In 1868 twenty-one-year-old Bram Stoker waits in a desolate tower to confront an evil monster. As a child, the sickly Bram was cared for by his nursemaid, Ellen Crone, but she disappeared after a string of nearby deaths. Prequel to Bram Stoker’s Dracula (DB031689). Violence. British, Irish, Hungarian accents.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith
In this reimagined tale a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English countryside and the dead are returning to life. Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she’s soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. Violence.
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
Thirteen-year-old Conor is tormented by his mother’s impending death, a school bully, and recurring nightmares. But one night a monster comes to Conor, tells him three tales, and instructs Conor to tell the fourth-and scariest-of all the tales. Although written for young adults, it appeals to adult readers.
Image Description: Large pine trees are silhouetted in the foreground against a dark navy, star dotted sky, with a little orange glow of twilight. In the background between the trees is a silhouetted sasquatch.