After IT: CHAPTER 2, Try...

The sequel to 2017's blockbuster horror IT has floated into theaters and to the top of the box office. Whether you're a fan of King's original novel, the 1990 miniseries, or the newer adaptation, these picks are a perfect double feature for this horror epic. 

• Die by Kieron Gillen: Several years after being trapped in a game of their own design, former childhood friends reunite to step back into their nightmarish creation. 
• The Boy Who Drew Monsters by Keith Donohue: To cope with a near-death experience, ten-year-old Jack spends most of his time drawing monsters. Much like King's novel, the lines between fantasy and reality slowly begin to blur in this psychological horror novel. 
• NOS4A2 by Joe Hill: Decades after escaping a crazed killer, a mother must use all of her abilities to get her son back after he is kidnapped by the same man. With supernatural abilities, alternate imaginative universes, and the magic of childhood and memory, this has more than a few things in common with IT. 
• Stand by Me: A group of friends go on an adventure to find the body of a missing boy. If you like the idea of IT's focus on the bonding of a group of friends, but can't hack the scary stuff, this one's for you. Also check out the original novella. 
• Escape Room: Six strangers accept a mysterious invitation to a brand new escape room, which turns out to much deadlier than they ever would have expected. If you like IT for the rollercoaster thrill-ride cycle of scares, you might like this recent horror flick too. If you do, be sure to check out our (much less lethal) Escape Room program on September 26th! 

See the movies, read the books: Hallmark Christmas Movies Based on Books

If you are like me, even before Halloween you are counting down to the holidays by starting with the Hallmark Channel's line up of fun heartwarming Christmas movies. A lot of these inspirational (and sometimes quirky!) movies are based on novels. Check out some of these novels that were made into your favorite holiday movies.

Christmas Joy by Nancy Naigle
Joy Holbrook might be all work and no play, but that changes when her Aunt Ruby takes a fall that lands her in a rehabilitation center before the holidays. Joy takes a leave of absence from her job as a market researcher to run the family farm, even though the timing may hinder her chance at garnering the promotion of her dreams. Ben Andrews isn't your average accountant. He also happens to be the handiest man in Crystal Lake. He's helped his elderly neighbor, Ruby Johnson, decorate for the annual Christmas Home Tour--and win--the last several years. He's not about to let some drop-in granddaughter break their winning streak.
Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe by Melissa De La Cruz
Darcy Fitzwilliam is 29, beautiful, successful, and brilliant. Darcy's never fallen in love, never has time for anyone else's drama, and never goes home for Christmas if she can help it. But when her mother falls ill, she comes home to Pemberley, Ohio, to spend the season with her family. Her parents throw their annual Christmas bash, where she meets one Luke Bennet, the smart, sardonic slacker son of their neighbor. What is it about him? And can she fall in love, or will her pride and his prejudice against big-city girls stand in their way?

The Nine Lives of Christmas  by Sheila Roberts
After firefighter Zach Stone saves Ambrose from a vicious dog, the cat tries to repay him by moving (uninvited) into his house and fixing his lonely bachelor life. While Zach is buying cat food, he meets Merilee White, a winsome pet store clerk with a fondness for stray cats and big strong men who take them in. Her competition is Zach's no-strings-attached lover, Blair, a haughty cat-hater who insists Zach evict the cat before Christmas.

Maggie's Miracle by Karen Kingsbury

Megan Wright spent one unforgettable summer week with a boy when they were both teens. And despite a lifetime of heartache and bad choices, she has never let go of his magical definition of love, even if she has trouble believing in it. After college Megan settled for a relationship of convenience. Now she's a high powered attorney and, after the death of her husband two years ago, has been looking for help with her lonely young son. Life suddenly takes a series of unusual twists, and soon Megan will learn that the teenage boy from all those years ago actually kept his promise, and the miracle she prayed for as a girl is only a breath away.

Dashing Through the Snow by Debbie Macomber

Ashley Davison, a graduate student in California, desperately wants to spend the holidays with her family in Seattle. Dashiell Tyler, a former army intelligence officer, receives a job in Seattle and must arrive by December 23. Though frantic to book a last-minute flight out of San Francisco, both are out of luck: Every flight is full, and there's only one rental car available. Ashley and Dash reluctantly decide to share the car, but neither anticipates the wild ride ahead.

After READY PLAYER ONE, Try...

Steven Spielberg's latest adaptation is an ode to the pop culture of the 70's through early 2000's. There are too many movie, music, book, and video game references to list in one blog post, but if you liked Ready Player One in theaters, check out the movies below:


The Shining 

The Iron Giant 

Monty Python and the Holy Grail 

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure 

Alien 

Saturday Night Fever 

The Breakfast Club 

Serenity 

Terminator 2: Judgment Day 

Back to the Future 

Superman 

Jurassic Park 

Akira

War of the Worlds

Beetlejuice 

The Dark Crystal 

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla 

Say Anything



For books similar to Ready Player One, be sure to stop by this blog post from last month.

Getting Psyched for Ready Player One

Preparing to see Ready Player One on the big screen?  Try these read a likes to get you in the mood for the popular sci fi novel.

Armada: a novel

by Ernest Cline

Struggling to complete his final month of high school only to glimpse a UFO that exactly resembles an enemy ship from his favorite video game, Zack questions his sanity before becoming one of millions of gamers tasked with protecting the Earth during an alien invasion.

Neuromancer 

by William Gibson

The Matrix unfolds like neon origami beneath clusters and constellations of data. Constructs, AIs, live here. Somewhere, concealed by ice, Neuromancer is evolving. As entropy goes into reverse, Molly's surgical implants broadcast trouble from the ferro-concrete geodesic of the Sprawl. Maelcum, Rastafarian in space, is her best hope of rescue. But she and Case, computer cowboy, are busy stealing data from the almighty Megacorps. If the Megacorps do not get them both, perhaps Case will fall prey to the cheap treachery of Linda Lee, someone as lost as himself.

Red Rising 

by Pierce Brown

Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.

Ender's Game

by Orson Scott Card

Six-year-old Ender Wiggin and his fellow students at Battle School are being tested and trained to determine whether they possess the abilities to remake the world -- if the world survives an all-out war with an alien enemy.

Arena 

by Holly Jennings

Banned Books Turned into Movies

It's Banned Books Week! Celebrate your right to read - or in this case, watch! The following list contains movies adapted from frequently challenged or banned books.

• The Perks of Being a Wallflower: The novel was challenged for depictions of drugs, alcohol, and sex. 
• The Great Gatsby: The classic novel was challenged for language and sexual references. 
• Naked Lunch: On its release in the US, Burroughs' book was banned for violating obscenity laws during the McCarthy era.
• American Psycho: Ellis' thriller has been challenged for its depictions of extreme violence. 
• Lolita: This book by Vladimir Nabokov has been banned in many countries for obscenity. Also check out the memoir, Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi. 
• Sophie's Choice: Styron's novel has been banned in some US high schools due to sexual content. 
• The Hunger Games: This popular series has been challenged many times with varied complaints: that it is anti-ethnic, anti-family, contains violence and offensive language or satanic content. 
• Lord of the Flies: William Golding's classic novel has been banned frequently for its depictions of violence and profanity.  
• To Kill a Mockingbird: Those who challenge this acclaimed novel argue that its themes of racial tension and sexuality are inappropriate for younger readers. 
• One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: The novel has been challenged many times for obscenity and its depictions of violence.

Hot at the Box Office, Hot at the Library!

Did you head to the theater for any of these box office hits over the weekend? Swing by the library and grab some similar titles!

Split - Kevin's (James McAvoy) 24 personalities compel him to kidnap three teenage girls. Directed by M. Night Shyamalan.

• Sybil (1976) - The true story of a young woman named Sybil (Sally Field), who developed at least 13 personalities. 
• Identity (2003) - A group of strangers stranded at a remote motel find themselves the target of a murderer - who is likely one of their group. 
• Don't Breathe (2016) - A group of teenagers break into a blind man's home, but the job is far from as easy as they thought. 

Hidden Figures - The true story of three African-American women working at NASA during the Space Race. Try the book by Margot Lee Shetterly!

• Selma (2014) - A dramatization of the Selma to Montgomery marches that led to "Bloody Sunday" and ultimately the signing of the Civil Rights Act. 
• The Right Stuff (1983) - A chronicle of the original Mercury astronauts and the formation of NASA. 
• The Help (2011) - Three intertwined stories of segregated life in 1960's Mississippi. Based on the book by Kathryn Stockett. 

xXx: Return of Xander Cage - Extreme athlete turned government operative Xander (Vin Diesel) returns after he was thought to be dead. He assembles a team to recover an unstoppable weapon.

• The Fast and the Furious (2001) - The first entry in the popular street racing and heist franchise. 
• The Expendables (2010) - Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) leads a team of highly skilled mercenaries on a mission to assassinate a dictator. 
• Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015) - A secretive spy organization recruits Eggsy (Taron Egerton) to fight against a twisted tech genius (Samuel L. Jackson). 

Watched Game of Thrones? Read and Watch These!

The currently airing season of Game of Thrones has been all over social media for some of its unexpected plot twists and big reveals - some of which haven't even been seen in the source novels yet! If you love reading or watching Game of Thrones, you might just love these as well!

House of Cards 
If you love the politicking, the backstabbing, and social outmaneuvering in Game of Thrones, try this critically acclaimed American political drama series starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright.







Vikings
If you're more into the swordplay, or even the set design and look of Game of Thrones, try Vikings! This historical drama focuses on one of the best known Vikings from the Viking Age - Ragnar Lothbrak. It's loosely based on history, so it doesn't feature any magical elements, but is still well worth watching.






The Name of the Wind
For many, one of the most appealing things about Game of Thrones is its "low" fantasy setting - there's magic, and dragons, but it's subtle (compared to the orcs and wizards of more Tolkein-like worlds). If you too love that about Game of Thrones, try this first novel in Patrick Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicle. 






Dune 
Do you side with the Lannisters, the Starks, or the Targaryens on Game of Thrones? Perhaps even one of the lesser houses has caught your loyalty. If you love the scale and political intrigue of the feuding families of Westeros, try the epic science fiction series that begins in the novel Dune.






Kingdom of Heaven
If you constantly marvel at the world the Game of Thrones series has created, or get a thrill from its large scale battles, try this historical epic film directed by Ridley Scott. Its sweeping story - loosely based on historical events -  begins in France and ranges all the way to Jerusalem.

If You Liked Me Before You by JoJo Moyes

Are you looking forward to seeing Me Before You by JoJo Moyes on the big screen this June?  Looking for books that might give you that feel-good tingle?  Check out these great reads!

Lighthouse Bay by Kimberley Freeman



Two women from Lighthouse Bay, Australia, separated by one hundred years of history, learn that letting go of the past is the best way to move forward.


The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah


Reunited when the elder's husband is sent to fight in World War II, French sisters Vianne and Isabelle find their bond as well as their respective beliefs tested by a world that changes in horrific ways.

Blackberry Winter by Sarah Jio




Vera Ray kisses her three-year-old son, Daniel, good night and reluctantly leaves for work. She hates the night shift, but it's the only way she can earn enough to keep destitution at bay. In the morning--even though it's the second of May--a heavy snow is falling. Vera rushes to wake Daniel, but his bed is empty. His teddy bear lies outside in the snow. Seattle, present day. On the second of May, Seattle Herald reporter Claire Aldridge awakens to another late-season snowstorm.

The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman


During the last moments of calm in prewar Prague, Lenka, a young art student, and Josef, who is studying medicine, fall in love. With the promise of a better future, they marry--only to have their dreams shattered by the imminent Nazi invasion. Like so many others, they are torn apart by the currents of war.


See Me by Nicholas Sparks




A young man with a dark, destructive past has his plans to remain single challenged by a hardworking lawyer. 

Are You Ready for the Oscars?

The 88th Academy Awards are only a few days away - are you caught up on 2015's hottest movies?

Five of this year's eight Best Picture nominees are based on books:

The Big Short: This nonfiction title follows several figures closely involved with the housing and credit bubble of the 2000s up to the financial crisis of 2008. The film stars 

Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt, and Steve Carell. 

Brooklyn: This popular novel from Colm Tóibín follows an Irish immigrant in 1950s New York. The film stars Saorise Ronan and Domhnall Gleeson.










The Martian: After his crewmates presume him dead, astronaut Mark Watney must find a way to survive alone on Mars. The film, starring Matt Damon, is available now for video rental!

The Revenant: Loosely based on Michael Punke's novel of the same name, which in turn is loosely based on the life of Hugh Glass, The Revenant stars Leonardo DiCaprio in a desperate fight for survival and revenge in the American wilderness of the early 19th century.

 Room: This novel is told from the perspective of a five-year-old-boy, who is captive inside a small room along with his mother.










Of the remaining three, two are based on true stories:

Bridge of Spies: Based on the U-2 spyplane incident of 1960, Bridge of Spies stars Tom Hanks and is the most recent film from Steven Spielberg.

Spotlight: Starring Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, and Rachel McAdams, Spotlight is the true story of the Boston Globe's "Spotlight" investigatory journalist team developing the series of stories that earned The Boston Globe the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. 

While the final film is the fourth entry in a series that began in 1979:

Mad Max: Fury Road: The first film of the franchise to be recognized for an Academy Award, the fourth installment of the Mad Max series (and the first in 30 years) stars Tom Hardy taking over for Mel Gibson in the title role. It takes place in a post-apocalyptic wasteland and has been applauded for its vision and intense action sequences.It has the second most nominations this year - ten total. 

What are your predictions? What are you hoping will win? 

The Oscars air on Sunday, February 28th. 

If You Liked "The Martian"...

The popularity of the recent Ridley Scott movie, "The Martian", starring Matt Damon, has once again stimulated interest in the book that inspired the movie--The Martian, by Andy Weir. The novel began in 2009 as a self-published story published serially on Weir’s personal blog. In 2012, at the request of fans, Weir repackaged the story and put it up for sale on Amazon as a 99 cent e-book, the required minimum price. The book got popular—very popular. The novel eventually got the attention of an agent and was subsequently published in 2014 by a major publishing house. The film rights were optioned at almost the same time. Weir was working as a computer programmer and viewed his writing as a hobby. Weir no longer works as a programmer and has now become a full-time writer.

If you enjoyed The Martin or the excellent audiobook read by R.C. Bray, and would like to read more books about Mars or adventures in space, below are a few suggestions.

Gravity by Tess Gerritsen (1999)

A space station crew has been infected by a deadly organism and hope of a rescue is abandoned for fear of the contagion infecting earth's population.

Rescue Mode by Ben Bova (2014)

When the first human mission to Mars is devastated by a meteoroid strike, the spacecraft's survivors struggle against impossible odds while decision-makers on Earth confront bureaucratic political forces.

Red Mars  by Kim Stanley Robinson (1993)

In the year 2026, a group of 100 colonists is about to attempt to conquer the barren, desolate landscape of Mars. (first book in a trilogy)

Seveneves by Neal Stephenson (2015)

A catastrophic event renders the Earth a ticking time bomb. In a feverish race against the inevitable, nations around the globe band together to devise an ambitious plan to ensure the survival of humanity in outer space. But the complexities and the unpredictability of human nature, coupled with unforeseen challenges and dangers threaten the intrepid pioneers.

Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach (2010) [nonfiction]

Roach explores the irresistibly strange universe of space travel and life without gravity. Space is a world devoid of the things we need to live and thrive: air, gravity, hot showers, fresh produce, privacy, beer. Space exploration is in some ways an exploration of what it means to be human. How much can a person give up?

That spine tingling chill...

Many people are fans of that spine tingling chill happens when your reading an exciting book or a scary book. But if you are not a huge fan of scary - why not try a Gothic style chill instead? Gothic fiction is a genre or mode of literature that combines fiction, horror, death and Romanticism. Still not so sure about the horror and death part? What about a Gothic romance instead?

Try a classic such as Victoria Holt's Mistress of Mellyn where a young Victorian girl accepts a position as governess at Mellyn Manor, an estate shrouded in rumors of mystery and murder.

Or there is Barbara Michaels' Ammie, Come Home. Hosting what was supposed to be a harmless sâeance to entertain her visiting niece, Sara, in her elegant Georgetown home, Ruth Bennett comes face to face with an unwelcome spirit who reveals a dark history of lust, treachery, violence, and murder that now plagues the modern-day inhabitants of the haunted house. Michaels' other titles have spooky tales of governesses and orphan girls battling sinister thoughts of their employers and other menace.

For a tad more modern approach, there is Simone St. James' award winning book The Haunting of Maddy Clare. In 1920s England, Sarah Piper is sent by her temporary agency to assist a ghost hunter, Alistair Gellis, as he investigates the spirit of Maddy Clare, a young serving maid said to haunt the barn where she committed suicide. The ghost is no hoax, and Sarah is soon caught up in trying to discover who Maddy was, where she came from, and why she is desperate for revenge.

Mary Stewart's The Moonspinners was made into a film, but the book is much more menacing as our heroine tries to figure out who is telling the truth as she vacations on the islands of Greece.

And if you like a bit of satire, Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey does a wonderful send up of the Gothic genre. Austen knew what she was writing about since Gothics were a popular trend at the time.

So try reading something a little bit different this year for Halloween. Enjoy!

November is National Novel Writing Month

Got an idea for a novel in the back of your mind? There's no better time to commit to putting it all on paper than November, which has been celebrated as National Novel Writing Month (or NaNoWriMo for short) for the past fifteen years. The goal is simple enough: on November 1st, participating writers work towards a goal of 50,000 words to be completed by November 30th at 11:59 PM. The NaNoWriMo Homepage has more information, and also features hints on getting started, a community to encourage you, and more.

You'd be surprised at how many famous novels got started through this celebration of writing. Here are a few you might recognize from our shelves:


WATER FOR ELEPHANTS by Sara Gruen

Told in retrospective, Water for Elephants follows a young man remembering his time in the circus during the Great Depression. This was also turned into a film of the same name in 2011.

ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS by Stephanie Perkins

When Anna's romance-novelist father sends her to an elite American boarding school in Paris for her senior year of high school, she reluctantly goes, and meets an amazing boy who becomes her best friend, in spite of the fact that they both want something more.






THE NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morgenstern

Waging a fierce competition for which they have trained since childhood, circus magicians Celia and Marco unexpectedly fall in love with each other and share a fantastical romance that manifests in fateful ways.





THE DARWIN ELEVATOR by Jason M. Hough

In the mid-23rd century, Darwin, Australia, stands as the last human city on Earth. The world has succumbed to an alien plague, with most of the population transformed into mindless, savage creatures. The planet's refugees flock to Darwin, where a space elevator--created by the architects of this apocalypse, the Builders--emits a plague-suppressing aura. Book one in a trilogy.







FANGIRL by Rainbow Rowell

Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan, but for Cath, being a fan is her life--and she's really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, immersed themselves in the series when they were kids; it's what got them through their mother leaving. Her sister has grown away from fandom, but Cath can't let go. Now that they're going to college, Wren has told her she doesn't want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone, and can't stop worrying about her dad. Can she do this?



Think you've got what it takes to finish a novel this month? Who knows - maybe you'll be on this list someday.

October - the Scariest Month of the Year!

Who loves a good scary movie? If you do, there's no better month than October to watch your old favorites, or find new ones! All over the internet, people are watching lots of horror films this month. On social media sites like Letterboxd people are participating in the "Hoop-tober Challenge" (so named for famed horror director Tobe Hooper), which is a 31 film challenge with a few more specific rules. You might also find people on Twitter using the hashtag #31HorrorFilms31Days - the challenge being only to watch 31 scary movies in the month of October, and tweet clever little one-sentence reviews of them. Here are a few horrifying favorites in our collection:

ALIEN (1979): A space freighter receives a mysterious distress call from an uncharted planet and unwittingly brings a terrifying alien back on board. Commonly regarded as one of the greatest films - horror or otherwise - ever made.









THE SHINING (1980): Based on Stephen King's novel of the same name, The Shining follows the Torrance family as they winter at a secluded - and spooky-  hotel. Who could forget Jack Nicholson's infamous "Here's Johnny!"?









JAWS (1975): Based on  the Peter Benchley novel of the same name, Jaws focuses on a small vacation town as it is beset by a terrifying Great White Shark who is quite literally eating into their tourist trade. Often credited with creating the summer blockbuster (as well as the shark attack subgenre of horror), you'll recognize the theme song immediately!







EVIL DEAD (2013): A remake of Sam Raimi's 1981 cult classic THE EVIL DEAD, this is one of the most gruesome horror films in recent memory - not for the squeamish or faint of heart, the plot involves a group of people helping a friend recover from drug addiction at a remote cabin in the woods. Unfortunately for them, they accidentally awaken an ancient demon and it possesses them one by one.






IT FOLLOWS (2014): One of last year's most critically acclaimed horror films, It Follows made quite the splash! It follows (pun intended) 19-year-old Jay as a supernatural entity stalks her slowly but persistently. An unsettling and unique premise with a great retro feel - perfect for fans of John Carpenter's films!






HALLOWEEN (1978): Speaking of John Carpenter, what October-themed scary movie list would be complete without John Carpenter's classic Halloween? Halloween is one of the most imitated horror films ever created - a psychopathic murderer stalks teens on the scariest day of the year.









Be sure to  check out our monthly display, which will be showcasing horror films for all of October, as well as our suggested films pamphlet for even more scary titles!