Read These Classic Horror Novels at Your Own Risk!

These novels may include some fantasy, suspense, or the supernatural, but they have bone-chilling horror in common. The best ones don't go for the obvious scare or graphic description. Rather, they give you a story of seemingly normal events, a false sense of security, and then eerily disturb you with just one small indiscretion. Before you know it, you're scared; you want to go to bed, but you're afraid to go to sleep because you need to know what happens next!

The following have stood the test of time and frighten us as much today as when they were first written:

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1818)
This is often cited as the first horror novel ever written as well as the first science fiction novel. Dr. Frankenstein's monster is a legendary character of the horror genre. It is a literary masterpiece that is more disturbing and gothic than outright scary. It's what happens when humankind foolishly tries to create life and conquer nature.

Turn of the Screw by Henry James (1898)
Some call this the most sophisticated ghost story ever written. Two small children on their uncle's estate are put in the care of a young governess. Everything is going well until the uncle's servant and the previous governess return from the dead to collect the souls of the children.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (1847)
Driven mad by his thwarted love, Heathcliff seeks to destroy the Linton and Earnshaw families after the death of his beloved Catherine. Revenge, however, cannot calm the deluded Heathcliff who is forever haunted by Catherine's ghost at Wuthering Heights.

Tales of Terror and Mystery by Arthur Conan Doyle (1922)
Thirteen stories by the famous creator of Sherlock Holmes move from factual beginnings to climaxes of fear, puzzlement, and, sometimes, horror.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (1938)
A classic novel of romantic suspense finds the second Mrs. Maxim de Winter entering the home of her mysterious and enigmatic new husband and learning the story of the house's first mistress, to whom the sinister housekeeper is unnaturally devoted.

Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (1959)
An anthropologist conducts an unusual research project in a reputedly haunted house. This novel is one of Stephen King's favorites, and he cites it as being a big influence on his novel The Shining.

Dracula by Bram Stoker (1897)
Having discovered the double identity of the wealthy Transylvanian nobleman, Count Dracula, a small group of people vow to rid the world of the evil vampire. Dracula was the beginning, and the reason why vampires are, and always will be, popular icons of the horror genre.

The Shining by Stephen King (1977)
This novel develops around the little boy, Danny, and his talent of "shining," his telepathic ability to read minds, see the future, and converse with a spiritual guide he calls Tony. Only Stephen King could make his readers afraid to ever again walk by a fire hose in a hotel hallway.

The Exorcist by William Blatty (1971)
A Jesuit priest, unable to find plausible explanations for an eleven-year-old's strange behavior, begins to suspect demonic possession. Is it really possession, or symptoms of mental illness, or an illustration of the dichotomy of religion versus science? It's up to the reader!

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886)
In 19th century London, Dr. Jekyll performs an experiment in which he attempts to separate his pure, good side from his dark, evil qualities. He succeeds and splits his personality in two, but his other half is the evil Mr. Hyde. This is the classic tale of a split personality.

HAPPY HAUNTED READING!!!!!!!

New Audiobooks at the Glenview Public Library

Be sure to check out the following new audiobooks that have recently become available at the Glenview Public Library. You can reserve these titles through our online catalog by clicking on the titles below or by calling the Audiovisual Desk at 847-729-7500 ext. 2602

Fiction
The Affair by Lee Child
Miracle Cure by Harlan Coben
The Race by Clive Cussler and Justin Scott
The Magician King by Lev Grossman
The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
Son of Stone by Stuart Woods

Nonfiction

A Stolen Life: A Memoir by Jaycee Lee Dugard
Life Itself by Roger Ebert
Happy Accidents by Jane Lynch
Every Day a Friday: How to be Happier 7 Days a Week by Joel Osteen

Become an Armchair Traveler !

Want to travel to Naples, Kenya or Iceland? Longing to see Timbuktu, Newfoundland, and Australia? Don't have the money to go to Brazil, Malta or  Patagonia this year? Become an armchair traveler with some suggestions from Nancy Pearl.

Pearl's latest publication, Book Lust to Go: Recommended Reading For Travelers, Vagabonds and Dreams is the perfect guide for you.  She has a plethora of book titles (both fiction and non-fiction) to suggest to those readers who want to travel within the comfort of their own home.

Want to go to...

Newfoundland? Try The Shipping News by Annie Proulx or Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky

Wyoming? Try The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson or the Eye of the Wolf by Margaret Coel

Burma? Try The Piano Tuner by Daniel Mason or Burmese Lessons: A Love Story by Karen Connelly

Adventure travel to scare you out of your seat? Adrift by Steven Callahan or The Eiger Obsession: Facing the Mountain That Killed My Father by John Harlin

Travel the world with Nancy Pearl's book or ask for your Glenview librarian's suggestions. It is easy and you don't have to pay those extra luggage fees.

Happy travels!


P.S. For those who want a regular dose of travel writing - come join our GPL book discussion group, Travel With Me, with moderator Jean Goetzke.

Let's Bake and Decorate!

According to Chase's Calendar of Events, October is National Bake and Decorate month. What better time of the year to do this than when the days are winding down, the summer madness is over and we're starting to get that cocooning feeling.  So, for those of us who maybe need a little help with cooking and decorating, or just looking for fresh ideas, here are several resources available at the Library.

One of the magazines that the Library subscribes to is Sandra Lee Semi-homemade. Her mantra is "Keep it Simple, Keep it Smart, Keep it Sweet, Keep it Semi-homemade. Her recipes typically include a pre-made item, such as  pie crust or a box of cake mix.  In the latest issue (September/October), she has recipes for Caramel Spice Cake and S'mores Tarts, both of which look deliciously good. Also included in this issue are money saving meal recipes.

For those that need visual aid, there are several DVDs that you can watch. One is called The Complete Guide to Cake Decorating and Baking - a comprehensive introduction to everything there is to know about baking and decorating cakes. And when you're ready, you can't go wrong with Martha's Baking Favorites. Martha Stewart goes over techniques and the basics before showing you how to do the actual baking of cakes, pies, and cookies. It's all "good things".

As far as decorating, the September/October issue of Chicago Home and Garden Magazine has an article on "Color - room to room paint schemes", with tips on how to choose paint color that will flow from one room to the next. 

From the Home Decorating Series " You Can Do It" with Christopher Lowell, there are 3 DVDs available: Seven Layers of Design and Color Courage, Savvy Surfaces and Merchandising the Home, and Nurturing Spaces and Double Duty. Or perhaps you want ideas on how to "bring new life to old finds". If that's the case, then watch Chris Olsen's Refresh Remix Restyle for easy step-by-step instructions.

These are just a few of the magazines and DVDs on cooking and decorating that you can find at the Library.

Duct Tape Crafts for Teens

Ever want to create exciting crafts with nothing but duct tape? The Glenview Public Library will be hosting a Duct Tape Craft program for teens ages 13-18 on Saturday, November 19th from 2-3PM.

This will be the second time the Library has hosted such a program. Cell phone cases, wallets, and other neat items can be created with a variety of duct tape colors. Teens are encouraged to be creative! Any teen who is experienced at making more complicated duct tape creations are encouraged to attend and to help others. The possibilities are endless!

There are many spots still available, so register today at http://www.glenviewpl.org and click on Calendar and Events. You may also call 847-729-7500 and ask for the Reader Services Desk. A staff person would be happy to assist you with registration.

This is a great project for groups of friends who like to craft together! The Library offers a variety of teen-related programs, and we will have a nice selection of craft programs in the future as well. In the past, there have been such programs as Cookies in a Jar, Decorative Notebooks, and Scrapbooking. This Winter, we will have Cookies in a Jar, Card Making (Rubber stamping), and Chocolate Covered Pretzel making. Registration for these Winter programs will begin shortly.

Any questions about teen crafts and programming, please contact Nicole M. Mills, Young Adult Librarian, at 847-729-7500 x2613.

In Recognition of Susan Fromberg Schaeffer

I usually like fiction written by poets; add a feline narrator, and I’m likely to enjoy the book. Such is the case with The Autobiography of Foudini M. Cat by Susan Fromberg Schaeffer. I was reminded of the book when I read Schaeffer’s obituary in the Chicago Tribune several weeks ago. Not only did she write this delightful, witty narrative (which should appeal to dog and cat lovers alike), but she also received the Centennial Review award for poetry and was nominated for a National Book Award for Poetry for Granite Lady. Schaeffer, who received her first rejection slip from Ladies’ Home Journal at the age of eight, has written a truly amazing variety of well-researched novels that come alive with memorable characters and places. Some of her other books are:

Anya: (1974) Based on hours of stories told to her by actual Holocaust victim Anya Brodman, Schaeffer’s details seem real because most of them are. Many readers find Anya one of the most memorable characters ever presented in literature.

The Madness of a Seduced Woman: (1984) This novel is based on an actual murder trial in Vermont early in the century. Agnes Dempster is tried for the murder of her romantic rival and pronounced insane, largely on psychiatric testimony that Agnes's insanity resulted from "the madness of a seduced woman." Schaeffer examines her character’s motives as seen through the speculations of lawyers, friends, and her father.

The Injured Party: (1986) Schaeffer offers an intense, chilling portrait of a woman at mid-life. When Iris returns home from the hospital, where she has been treated for a fever of unknown origin, she is unable to leave her bed or talk to her devoted husband or her two children. Her depressive spell is interrupted by the arrival of John, the long-lost lover of her youth, who has decided to spend the last months of his life (he is terminally ill) with Iris and her family. Schaeffer reveals the inner workings of the family and the psychological changes of middle age with this complex character.

Buffalo Afternoon: (1989) The protagonist, Brooklyn-born juvenile offender Pete Bravado, joins the army at seventeen to escape his brutal father. Once in Vietnam, Pete experiences the boredom, bone-chilling fatigue, terror, and all of the atrocities of war. Like many others, he must eventually come to terms with what he has seen and felt. (Schaeffer spent years listening to Vietnam veterans in order to write this book.)

The Golden Rope: (1998) Doris and Florence Meek, identical girl twins, spend their days chasing butterflies through the Vermont woods, their mirrored gestures a sign of their uncanny connection. Eventually, Florence trades the intimacy of twinhood for marriage and a successful career as an artist. Left behind, Doris settles into a life of self-pity and depression, made worse by Florence's mysterious disappearance. Only when a writer requests her help in piecing together Florence's biography does Doris come to realize that Florence wasn't the person she seemed to be.

The Snow Fox: (2004) In this exhaustively detailed portrait of medieval Japan, Schaeffer displays the treacherous politics of court life and the way women are both coddled and restricted. When the powerful Lord Norimasa insists that renowned poet Lady Utsu poison the only man she has ever loved because he is a traitor, she is forever changed.

Poison: (2006) Schaeffer writes a saga loosely based on the turbulent life and loves of poet Ted Hughes. Writer Peter Grosvenor has always been almost as famous for his womanizing as he is for his poetry. After both his first and second wives commit suicide, Peter considers himself poisonous to women. Years later, after his death, Peter's third wife, desperate to preserve her wealth, engages in a battle of wills with Peter's two grown children, his sister, his would-be biographer, and his last, perhaps truest, love.

Brown Bag and Books

Last week the Reader Services Department of Glenview Public Library held a Brown Bag and Books session over lunch in our staff lunch room. While munching on our PB and J or pad thai, we discussed with one another what books we’ve read and enjoyed recently. It’s a good way to get to know staff members from other departments while receiving recommendations for good reads. So here are some of the titles the staff of GPL have on their book shelves:



Fiction:

A Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Wise Man's Fear: a novel by Patrick Rothfuss
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (book 1 of the Song of Ice and Fire series)
The Camel Bookmobile by Masha Hamilton
Cutting for Stone by A. Verghese
Room by Emma Donoghue
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins
Mama does Time: a Mace Bauer mystery by Deborah Sharp
Please Look After Mom by Kyong-suk Sin
The Call: a novel by Yannick Murphy
Sima's Undergarments for Women by Ilana Stanger-Ross
Bodily Harm by Margaret Atwood
Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Theft by Peter Carey


Nonfiction:
The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough
The Art Detective: Fakes, Frauds, and Finds and the Search for Lost Treasures by Philip Mould
The Invisible Gorilla: and Other Ways our Intuitions Deceive Us by Christopher F. Chabris
Getting Things Done: the Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen
Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting out of the Box
The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande
The National Parks: America's Best Idea by Duncan Dayton and Ken Burns
It Looked Different on the Model: Epic Tales of Impending Shame and Infamy by Laura Notoro
Bossypants by Tina Fey

RIP Bert Jansch

A sad day as the music world, at least the part that was touched by hearing Jansch's music, mourns the loss of the great singer-songwriter and guitarist. Bert Jansch, much more than a British folk revivalist, was a unique and uncompromising musician whose talent cut a giant swath across a wide range of music circles. For more information on Bert please read this obituary.

Forthcoming Fiction for November

Here are some titles coming out this November. You can reserve these by going to our Online Catalog, Bibliocommons, or by calling the Reader Services Desk at 847-729-7500 x7600!Cloudburst by V.C. Andrews

A Dark and Lonely Place by Edna Buchanan
The Wedding Quilt: an Elm Creek Quilts Novel by Jennifer Chiaverini
The Drop by Michael Connelly
Prince of Ravenscar by Catherine Coulter
Micro by Michael Crichton
Devil’s Gate by Clive Cussler
The Alpine Winter: an Emma Lord Mystery by Mary Daheim
Templar Magician by P.C. Doherty
Coffin Man by James D. Doss
The Prague Cemetery by Umberto Echo
Lost December by Richard Paul Evans
Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich
Kill Shot: An American Assassin Thriller by Vince Flynn The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon
Come a Little Closer by Dorothy Garlock
V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton
11/22/63 by Stephen King
Longing by Karen Kingsbury
Christmas Treasures by Thomas Kinkade
Out of Oz: The Final Volume in the Wicked Years by Gregory Maguire
Three-day Town by Margaret Maron
Cat Telling Tales by A Joe Grey Mystery by Shirley Murphy
The Corn Maiden by Joyce Carol Oates
Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson
The Impossible Dead by Ian Rankin
Hotel Vendome: a novel by Danielle Steel