CFLoquence: News From Your Library

Halloween Reads

                It’s almost the witching hour, when little ghosts and goblins come knocking on our doors asking for treats. In preparation for All Hallows’ Eve, we’ve gathered our most bone-chilling tales for your enjoyment at the Canton Free Library. Our shelves are filled with vampires, werewolves, zombies and other monsters just waiting to come to life with the turn of a page.

                If you’re feeling nostalgic, revisit some classic horror tales in our collection. We own Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and The Complete Tales and Poems by Edgar Allen Poe.  Trace the origins of this season’s infamous monsters with these timeless works.

                For a new twist on an old legend, check out Kim Newman’s Anno Dracula series. In these novels, Newman writes an alternate history of Great Britain and America, imagining what would have happened if Dracula had outwitted Dr. Jon Seward and taken over England.  In the newly released Anno Dracula: Johnny Alucard, a vampire boy stalks the streets of New York and Hollywood. Johnny encounters Andy Warhol, Orson Welles and Francis Ford Coppola among other famous figures in this latest installment of the series.

                Hunt down ghosts with Lucy Carlyle in The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud, a novel for tweens and the young at heart.  In Stroud’s novel, England is overrun with malevolent ghosts who can only be seen by children.  Lucy teams up with Anthony Lockwood and George Cubbins to become Lockwood & Co., a paranormal agency dedicated to ridding the country of troublesome spirits.  This new adventure is packed with humor and suspense.

                We also have a nice collection of Halloween-themed books for our youngest patrons, including Scaredy Squirrel Prepares for Halloween by Melanie Watt. Children will laugh at the worrywart squirrel’s paranoid guide to safety on Halloween night but also walk away with some good advice for the holiday. While you’re in the children’s room, check out our spooky Scooby-Doo DVDs and one of my family’s favorites, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

Bag Book Sale

                Buy a bag of books for just $1 this Friday and Saturday at the CFL Friends’ Book Sale. We have many withdrawn and donated books from a variety of genres for sale in the downstairs’ hallway and Paige room. This is a great opportunity to support your local library while building your home library.

Costume Storytime

                Come show off your preschoolers’ Halloween costumes at Storytime on Wednesday, October 30th at 10:30am. We’ll read stories, sing songs, and create a craft together. This is one of my favorite events of the year. I love seeing our little patrons in their adorable…ahem, I mean SCARY costumes!

Thursday Theater

                Join us on Halloween for two films on the big screen in the Paige Room. At 10am watch a classic silent film based on the story of Dracula. Directed by F.W. Murnau, this German expressionist horror film has been regarded as a cinematic masterpiece.

                At 3pm we’re showing a 3D animated movie that combines comedy with horror. A boy with paranormal abilities faces ghosts, zombies and clueless grownups when he attempts to save his town from an old curse.  Rated PG, this feature is open to all ages. Feel free to wear your costume to the program!

For our hours of service and a list of recent additions, visit www.cantonfreelibrary.org and “like” us on Facebook. Have a safe and happy Halloween!