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Staff Recommendations – October 2006
INDEXES TO PAST STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: BY TITLE | BY REVIEWER
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For October, in honor of the spookiest month of the year, we offer ten selections with elements of horror, the unexplained, fantasy and the supernatural. Also, check out our October 2004 and October 2005 selections as well!
October 2006 Recommendations
The World of Chas Addams
by Charles Addams (741.5 qAdd)
Anyone with a finger on the pulse of popular culture from the 1960s to today is probably familiar with the work of artist Charles Addams [1912-1988] — the creator of the iconic Addams Family of magazine comic illustrations. Turned into a 1960s television series and a pair of 1980s feature films, the Addams Family features an offbeat collection of warped characters for whom the creepy and crawly are “normal” — Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester, Lurch, Counsin It, etc. The World of Chas Addams collects many of his well-known Addams Family cartoons with even more of his original stand-alone pieces. Addams was a regular contributors to numerous slick monthly magazines, and his talent for off-kilter or black humor is well-represented in this collection. I would’ve like a little bit more biographical background on Addams himself, but the reproduction of his artwork in this “coffee-table book” is excellent!
( official Charles Addams Foundation web site )
Recommended by Scott C.
Reference Department — Bennett Martin Public Library
Treasure Forest
by Cat Bordhi (Bordhi)
Cat Bordhi combines a mysterious forest, two siblings and a potentially vicious hermit into a suspenseful and spiritually intriguing story that captivates the reader. How can you retrieve a treasure from the bottom of a pond without disturbing the water? This is the riddle that Sara and Ben have been given to solve after their much loved grandmother dies. Winner of the Nautilus Book Awards, Treasure Forest is one book that you will not want to put down until you’ve finished reading it. (no longer in library collection)
( official Treasure Forest page at the official Cat Bordhi web site )
Recommended by Patty L.
Walt Branch Library
The Ghost Sitter
by Peni R. Griffin (j Griffin)
An intriguing story is told from two points of view: that of Susie, a ten-year-old who has been a ghost for fifty years, and that of Charlotte, a twelve-year-old new resident in the haunted house. Charlotte’s little brother, Brandon, gets babysitting attention from both!
Recommended by Kay V.
Youth Services Department — Bennett Martin Public Library
The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Undead
by J. Gordon Melton (398.45 Mel — no longer in the libraries’ collection)
This hefty tome, published in 1999, explores the concept of vampires historically and in pop culture. Illustrations are included, some in color. If you plan to stay indoors on Halloween, this will keep you occupied very well! (no longer in library collection)
( official publisher’s page for the book ) | ( Wikipedia page for J. Gordon Melton )
Recommended by Becky W.C.
Walt Branch Library
Twilight
by Stephanie Meyer (YA Meyer)
Bella is a new arrival to Forks, the town where her father lives. On her first day of school, she meets some interesting people, including a boy who seemingly hates her. She really hates living in Forks, but doesn’t want to go back to Phoenix, either. She is instantly one of the more popular kids as everyone stops to talk to the curiosity – everyone except the family of Edward, the boy who hates her. They look like they would be the most popular kids in school, all well-dressed and pretty. But everyone avoids them. Bella decides to find out why Edward hates her, and in the process, she discovers Edward’s dark secret – he is a vampire! She hangs out with his family, against her friends’ objections and has some terrifying otherworldly experiences.
( author’s Twilight-related web site )
Recommended by Julie H.
Walt Branch Library
Creepers
by David Morrell (Morrell)
“The places you’re not supposed to be.” These are the most tempting places to urban explorers, creepers. A reporter wants to write an article about urban explorers so he joins a college professor and his students when they explore the abandoned Paragon Hotel. An eccentric millionaire built it in 1901 and in it’s heyday it was the PLACE to visit. This once grand hotel is slated for the wrecking ball and the group wants to see and photograph it before it is demolished. The group marvels at the architecture as they move through the hotel. Soon they hear whistling…
( official David Morrell network web site )
Recommended by Donna G.
Virtual Services Department
Haunted
by Chuck Palahniuk (Palahniuk)
Not for the meek or faint of heart. By the author of Fight Club.
( Publisher’s official Haunted web site ) | ( official Chuck Palahniuk web site )
Recommended by Matt N.
Circulation Department — Bennett Martin Public Library
Black Milk
by Robert Reed (Reed)
Although this is one of Lincoln, NE science fiction author Robert Reed’s earliest novels, I still consider it one of his best works. Reed examines a hot-button topic — genetic engineering — through the prism of a youthful and engaging narrator and ends up with a book that includes both high-tech “hard” science fiction with the softer “psychological SF” of exploring the ramifications of scientific developments beyond their initial benefits. This book somehow manages to be both inspirational and still chillingly dark at the same time.
( Nebraska Author Robert Reed booklist on BookGuide site ) | ( official Robert Reed website (no longer online) )
Recommended by Scott C.
Reference Department — Bennett Martin Public Library
Unfinished Tales
by J.R.R. Tolkien (Tolkien)
This collection of various works by J.R.R. Tolkien, first published in 1980, is sometimes overlooked by readers exploring Tolkien’s works. Some of the “Tales” in this book are fleshed-out versions of stories told in briefer form in The Silmarillion, and others are essays or passages that were originally intended for inclusion in the appendices to The Lord of the Rings. (“The Disaster of the Gladden Fields” is particularly startling in its contrast to the way Peter Jackson portrayed the incident in his film version!) Still others are completely new stories that fill in some of the gaps in the history of Middle-earth. Edited with extensive notes by Tolkien’s son Christopher, these stories, unfinished though they are, give readers a further glimpse into the depth of creativity behind Tolkien’s world. (Tolkien’s major works – The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion, should be considered a necessary prerequisite to reading this.)
( official J.R.R. Tolkien Estate web site )
Recommended by Peter J.
Virtual Services Department
Horror!
by Westminster Philharmonic Orchestra (Compact Disc 782.14 Wes)
Music from classic horror films, as performed by the Westminster Philharmonic in the UK.
( official Westminster Philharmonic Orchestra web site )
Recommended by Carolyn D.
Polley Music Library — Bennett Martin Public Library
I Paint What I See
by Gahan Wilson (741.5 qWil)
Gahan Wilson is a master of the macabre illustration — his single-panel cartoons can literally make your skin crawl. His particular speciality is taking images and icons that normally hold no sense of malice, and investing them with sinister qualities — a group of stuffed animals prepare to “get” their child owner; a monster wears a threadbare “Santa” costume; or, as in the title piece from this collection, an artist’s disturbing interpretation of an innocuous still life includes horrific elements. Wilson isn’t for those who are easily disturbed, but if you like the offbeat and creepy, you’ll appreciate his particular skill!
( official Gahan Wilson web site )
Recommended by Scott C.
Reference Department — Bennett Martin Public Library
last updated November 2023
* Please Note: The presence of a link on this site does not constitute an endorsement by Lincoln City Libraries.
