As you hear the echoes of whirling winds throwing leaves and while changes in weather chills your bones, October is a month rich in tradition of ghostly tales and old folklore. Whether it’s idle curiosity, a sense to hear scary stories, or suspenseful intrigue, Portage County District Library has an enormous collection to satisfy any appetite. Here is just a small portion of what’s awaiting for you on the library bookshelves:
Looking for Bigfoot by Bonnie Worth; illustrated by Jim Nelson. Juvenile Non-Fiction. Does Bigfoot really exist? Or is it just myth? Worth follows the clues to determine the truth behind the myth of Bigfoot.
Bigfoot Caught on Film: and Other Monster Sightings by Michael Teitelbaum. Juvenile Non-Fiction. Forget about blood, bones, and corpses. There’s no telling what you’ll uncover if you dare to investigate some of the world’s most fascinating unsolved mysteries including Bigfoot.
Bigfoot; The Yeti and Sasquatch in Myth and Reality by John Napier. Adult Non-Fiction. Written in the 1970s, Napier, a well-known scientist, publicly showed an interest in this subject. Napier was a leading primatologist who took an interest in this subject and began investigating further. He examines the evidence for the existence of the North American “Bigfoot” as well as the Himalayan “Yeti”.
Beyond: A Ghost Story by Graham McNamee. Young Adult Fiction. Jane is not your typical teen. She and her best friend Lexi call themselves the Creep Sisters. Only Lexi knows why Jane is different from anyone else: Her own shadow seems to pull her into near-fatal accidents. Jane is determined to find out why these terrifying things happen, and to overcome her shadow enemy.
Deadly Gift by Heather Graham. Adult Fiction. Caer is spending this Christmas among strangers. Brought to Newport, Rhode Island, from her native Ireland to nurse ailing millionaire Sean O’Riley, she’s living a life few can imagine. But money can’t hide the tension between O’Riley’s trophy wife, his paranoid daughter, the eccentric aunt in the attic and the staff members who run the house. When O’Riley’s business partner goes missing, family friend, Zach Flynn, arrives. Determined to help him solve the case, Caer becomes enmeshed in a mystery that weaves together the sins of the past with one family’s destiny…and a spirit that watches the mansion, possessing a deadly gift.
Even More Short & Shivery: Thirty Spine-Tingling Stories retold by Robert D. San Souci; illustrated by Jacqueline Rogers. Adult Non-Fiction. Thirty spine-chilling stories from around the world provide plenty of shivers in this spooky collection. Curl up with old friends like Washington Irving’s “Guests from Gibbet Island” and Charles Dickens’s “Chips.” Or make the acquaintance of “The Skull That Spoke” and “The Monster of Baylock”–but beware of spectral visitors like “The Blood-Drawing Ghost.” This exciting mixture of classic and contemporary tales from Mexico, China, Poland, Nigeria, and other lands near and far is perfect for hair-raising reading.
Haunted Ohio V: 200 Years of Ghosts by Chris Woodyard. Adult Non-Fiction. Chris Woodyard, author of the popular Haunted Ohio series, brings you over 80 all-new tales from haunt-spots around the state from Adena to Zoar. You’ll meet the ghosts of the Indian martyrs of Gnadenhutten, a spectral soldier from the siege of Ft. Meigs, the phantom Phoebe, keeping an eye on the canal boats at Roscoe Village, the African American ghosts of Prospect Place, a stop on the Underground Railroad, and many other tales that reflect the history as well as the ghostly lore of the Buckeye State.
Ghost Hunter’s Guide to Haunted Ohio by Chris Woodyard. Adult Non-Fiction. Written by the author of the popular Haunted Ohio series, this title invites readers to take part in an excursion of the supernatural sort. This particular book mixes fact with fiction, yet all of the locations are free, accessible and directions/phone numbers are given in the back of the book for you to have the same experiences. Pack your bags as you’re off on the hunt to witness ghosts.
The Fledgling Handbook 101 by P. C. Cast, with Kim Doner. Adult Non-Fiction. This might seem like a scary time, Fledgling, but never fear. As you start your journey through the ancient halls of the House of Night, this indispensable handbook will aid you in your transition from human to fledgling. Within these pages you will find invaluable information about the history of vampires.