Looking for a costume for yourself or your little one? Need to make 50 scary treats for a 5th grade class? Just looking for a scary read or a scary movie? Wait! I saw a monster around the corner – who was that?
Come down to the library and check out our books and DVDs – all about Halloween. Find many of these books lurking on our book displays.
Ever wonder how to tell a Shunka Warakin from a Cactus Cat? Have you seen the Loveland Frogmen? What about the Mannegishi, a hairless creature about 3 feet tall? Not sure what they eat but you might not want to meet one in the dark of night. This fun little book tells you all about monsters, important facts like what they look like (including a picture if available), what they eat, where you normally find them. Try the Monster Spotter, call number 398.2454 FRA.
Do you know what cosplay means? It’s a new word combining costumes and play. This book has a 1,000 pictures of costumes. Do you want to look like Michiru Kaioh/Sailor Neptune, a character from the anime Sailor Moon series? How about the Dark Elf Gatekeeper from Lineage II? Supergirl, Captain America, Power Girl, Batman, Nick Fury or the Joker – see pictures and get ideas. 1000 Incredible Costume & Cosplay Ideas, call number 646.478 HAN.
I know you’ve been looking for ideas for your dog, and we
have just the right book for you. How about a Biker Babe, complete with a “Dogs Rule” cape, boots, and a tattoo or a “Red Hat Ladies” costume with red feather boa and purple tutu? No Halloween would be complete without a skeleton dog. Check out Bow Wow! Wow! At 646.478 FIL.
It just wouldn’t be Halloween without pumpkin carving. We have several books with templates and ideas to make your pumpkin just a bit different. In this book you’ll see how to make a pumpkin that reminds me of Frankenstein with a corncob mouth, weird ears and gourd eyes. Too scary for you? How about a sunny-eyed smile with cute sunflower eyes? One of my favorites is the quilt-banded pumpkins, painted and carved in beautiful quilt patterns. Search for Pumpkin Chic and others at 745.5941.
How about a good scary read? Wyoming Ghost Stories : Eerie True Tales and Ghosts on the Range feature spooky stories about ghosts in Cheyenne, at the F.E. Warren Air Force Base, or around the great state of Wyoming. These ghost stories and others like them are located at 133.10978.
Based on the novel The Shining by Stephen King, this one tells the story of a young boy and his parents in a resort hotel which is possessed by ghosts. Originally released in 1980, you’ll still want to close the windows and lock the doors! We have a whole HORROR section of DVD’s if this one doesn’t fit the bill including the Haunting, Exorcist or Frankenstein.
Tim Burton, the master of weird, released this gem in 2008 and it’s a favorite of kids and parents alike. This is the story of Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King, who decides to bring the magic of Christmas back to Halloween Town.
Looking for a fun, witch-filled movie? How about Hocus Pocus, starring Bette Midler. It’s a laugh-a-minute, story about 3 witches coming back to life when a teenage boy “lights the candle.”
How about serving up some creature cupcakes, monster eyeballs, bat wings, funny bones, witches’ knuckles, and much more – YUMMY. Ghoulish Goodies and other cookbooks like this can be found at 641.568 on both the second and third floor.
Downright scary for kids and teens alike are the books Scary Stories and More Scary Stories. My favorite is Scary Stories for Campfires because who can’t remember being 13 at a Girl Scout campfire with someone telling the story ending with “and just then the hand reached out.”
Mary Gilgannon, our Fiction Collection Coordinator, says that If you’re in the mood for some spooky fiction, and you’ve already read all the Stephen King and Dean Koontz books, consider a classic ghost story like Turn of the Screw by Henry James, or The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. If you prefer something a little creepier, we have several short story collections by H.P. Lovecraft, who practically invented the horror genre. And there’s always The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty.
Other classic horror writers include Dan Simmons’ The Terror, Clive Barker’s Imajica, F. Paul Wilson’s The Keep, Richard Laymon’s The Traveling Vampire Show, Graham Masterton’s Descendant, and John Farris’s The Uninvited.
If you’d prefer something less traditional, you might like the more subtle psychological horror of Linwood Barkley’s The Promise Falls series, or John Ajvide Lindqvist’s Let Me In and Little Star. Proving that the ability to provide thrills and chills is hereditary is Stephen King’s son, Joe Hill, author of Horns and The Heart-Shaped Box. And finally, if you like dystopia/near future fiction you might get your horror fix from Josh Malerma’s The Bird Box or Tim Lebbon’s novel The Silence.
These are just a few suggestions to get your heart pumping for this Halloween season. If you come down to the Laramie County Library on Monday, October 31, you’ll get your chance to see some of your favorite librarians celebrating!
~ Happy Halloween from Sharon M., Mary G., Kim W., & the rest of the Staff!