I'm scared and I LIKE it

In late October, our thoughts naturally turn to the dark side.  Books like The Amityville Horror, Haunted Wisconsin, and The Salem Witch Trials Reader disappear from the non-fiction shelves.  It may not be for everyone, but there are many people who genuinely enjoy being scared.  To appease this "unnatural" reading appetite, here are a few books that may make you think twice about turning off the lights at night.
Old school or "classic" horror relies on building suspense instead of gore.  Take for example the author Ira Levin.  In Rosemary's Baby, The Stepford Wives, and The Boys From Brazil, the author depicts a normal world with average people in situations gone terribly wrong.  There is EVIL lurking just beneath the surface of their normality.  Books like Stephen King's Carrie with its realistic high school setting of a bullied, misfit girl versus her tormentors, Robert Harris' Hannibal Lecter series with its cannibalistic character, or Richard Matheson's I Am Legend resonate with the reader because there is a kernel of truth at the heart of the tale.  Who doesn't want their beloved family pet to come back to them as in Pet Sematary?  Doesn't being confined to the house and cut off from civilization during the winter months drive everyone a little nuts like in The Shining? 
Horror plays upon the natural or unnatural fears of the reader.  In The Exorcist, The Omen, and The Bad Seed, children are manipulated by evil or they are using evil to manipulate those around them.  Inside the reader the seed of doubt as to the actual innocence of those children is planted as their stories unfold.  Terrifying vampire stories have been around for decades thanks to books like Bram Stoker's Dracula and Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles.  In those stories, a bite on the neck does not lead to undying love, it leads to unquenchable thirst for the blood of others or a painful death.  They love people only for their value as a food source. 

Don't have time to be scared to death by a book?  Nearly every one of the books mentioned have been made into a movie at least once.  Some of them, like Dracula, have been revamped and updated many times over.  They may not have an over-the-top "slasher" appeal but these are subtle stories that will wiggle down into your mind and make you think twice before you turn out the lights at night.

Share the Good Things

Several of us at the library have recently finished reading (or re-reading) 84 Charing Cross Road and sharing our thoughts about it during a book discussion.  It is a fascinating glimpse into the not-too-distant past that uses letters (less than 100 pages worth) which help the reader realize that living conditions in England in 1949 were still fairly sparse following the aftermath of World War II.  Nylons were not readily available and food like meat and eggs were strictly rationed.  Contrast that with people living in the United States, like the author, who were long past any such restrictions.  The letters reveal that a combination of a shared love of literature and the author Helene Hanff's outgoing personality resulted in a deep and lasting friendship which developed through letters.  When contemplating the idea of sharing a part of oneself through letters (the actual printed word, not an email or text), one cannot help feeling nostalgic or sentimental regarding the demise of the art of communication in this manner.

There is nothing wrong with being sentimental or feeling nostalgic.  Michael Perry makes this very clear in his latest book, Visiting Tom.  You do not have to be from the state of Wisconsin to appreciate the unique title character of this book.  Tom and his wife Arlene are a snapshot of a vanishing breed of people.  Reading this book was like visiting with my own grandparents.  As I was reading, I could picture my father-in-law (who is an avid collector of things-that-might-be-useful-in-the-future) digging out an old part from one of his many boxes or piles and using it to fix something for one of his kids or grand kids.  These are the type of people that even if they can't do the work themselves, they know how to get it done, and don't worry, they will tell you the right way to do it.

Stories of growing up in
Manitowoc, WI
that will make
you smile.

People like Tom (or Grandpa or my father-in-law) are not known as great communicators.  However, as is clear from Perry's book, given the chance, they will gladly share their stories with you.  They may not be comfortable with email, cell phones, or writing things down, but give them some unhurried moments, and they will share moments of their past with you that is not to be missed.  This art, storytelling, is a window into our collective history.  There will come a time when these stories will be shared not by the people who lived them but by the people who cared enough to stop and listen.  Visiting Tom displays the joys of living in a small, rural community and the personal ties that develop from an interconnected past.  In order to enjoy the true benefits of small community life, we need to take the time to stop and listen. 
Don't miss an opportunity to learn more about the history you share with your community, even if you haven't been born and raised there.  I learned so many interesting things about Manitowoc from Dave Crehore's book, Sweet and Sour Pie.  His childhood stories are laugh-out-loud funny and he describes a lovely Manitowoc that has not vanished completely.  We can share in this love and laughter as we grow together and build our future.