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Reading Rescue, October 2008:
Spine Tinglers
 By Anne Allen and Mary Anne Fulmer
Halloween is coming and in over three years, the Reading
Rescuers (no boring books here) have never offered suggestions of books
that will give you shivers or send tingles up and down your spine. This
month, we'll take a look at some horror books that range from humorous
to keep you up at night scary.
We know teens love to be scared, and Cassandra Clare has
written two excellent books for them, City of Bones and City
of Ashes (both located in the young adult section). In the first,
teenager Clary and her friend Simon head out for an evening of clubbing
in New York. To Clary’s amazement, she follows a group of kids to the
club’s back room and witnesses a murder. The strange events continue as
she learns they belong to a group of demon killers known as the
Shadowhunters and that, perhaps, so does she. After this excitement,
Clary heads for home, to find her mother missing, the apartment torn
apart, and a demon waiting for her. When you add in a sexy warlock, a
long lost father, a brother she never knew she had, and assorted
werewolves and vampires you have all the ingredients for a thrill ride
of a read. City of Ashes continues the story of Clary, Simon, and
the Shadowhunters as they try to prevent Clary’s father from acquiring
all of the Mortal Instruments, certain objects of value for the demon
killers. (The third volume in the series, City of Glass, is
scheduled for publication next year, and we are already eager to read
it.)
Sookie Stackhouse works as a barmaid in the small town
of Bon Temps, Louisiana, lives with her grandmother in the big old
family house, and has a "catnip for women" brother she sees often.
There's only one problem, and it is a big one: Sookie is a telepath and
can hear everyone's thoughts. Not only is it a distraction, she "hears"
a lot of things she wishes she didn't. So when a new man comes to town
and she can’t pick up his thoughts, Sookie is instantly attracted to
him. In Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris, vampires have come
out of the closet and have told the world that their disability is
caused by a virus. They drink artificial blood and can lead normal lives
-- from dark to dawn, that is. As Sookie learns, new boyfriend Bill is a
vampire and has come back to live in his childhood town. But not all
vampires are like Bill, and there are murders galore as Bon Temps'
residents adapt to the supernatural beings now living with them. Sookie
is a charming character, and there are lots of laughs along with the
bloodshed, real and artificial. This is the first in a series and there
are four of them available at the library.
In Joe Hill's The Heart-Shaped Box, former rock
star Jude Coyne has an unusual collection: macabre souvenirs. He has a
hangman’s noose, drawings by serial killer John Wayne Gacy, and a
“snuff” film. So when an email arrives advising him that a ghost is for
sale on an online auction site, Jude is immediately intrigued. Actually,
the seller tells him, the item is the dead man’s suit, but the family
believes the restless ghost will go along with the clothing. Sure
enough, as soon as the black box shaped like a heart holding the suit
arrives, things begin to go bump in the night with a vengeance. And
vengeance is the word. This ghost isn’t just anyone, but the stepfather
of one of Jude’s ex-girlfriends, who killed herself after he sent her
away. As Jude and his current girlfriend search desperately for way to
get rid of the ghost and his razor, Jude comes to terms with his past
and tries to find his own redemption. This book is gripping with scares
so visceral that you will find yourself slamming it shut and then
opening it again to find out how it ends. This was Joe Hill’s first book
and it is a wow!
Laurell K. Hamilton is best known for her Anita Hill
vampire series, but we’d like to recommend another book by her, A
Kiss of Shadows, featuring Merry Gentry. Merry is a detective in Los
Angeles specializing in supernatural crimes. And she is also a princess
of the Unseelie faery court named Meredith NicEssus. When a crime
investigation touches both of her identities and she is unmasked, she
needs all her faery powers to not only solve the case, but also stay
alive. Hamilton introduces an imaginative array of supernatural beings,
most of them not the kind you would want to meet after dark. This book
is definitely a guilty pleasure not for the faint-hearted, but once you
start you won’t be able to put it down. This is also the first in a
series and you can find three of them at the library.
Election Day is November 4 for those who come to the
library between 7 am and noon, the Friends of the Library will have
available coffee, hot tea, and pastries, for a donation, of course. It’s
for a good cause (the money they raise supports children's programming
at the library), and you can munch and sip while you wait in line.
Library Director Mary Anne has scheduled an adult reading program to run
from November 3 though December 15. Registration started on October 20,
and the themes to select from include romance, Christmas books, and
biographies. There are some nice prizes available.
We want to say a special thank you to the Friends and
those who helped with the recent used book sale. It was a big success
and the next one is tentatively scheduled for April 8 through 14. They
collect books all year, so it is never too early or late to bring some
in.
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