It's October, and thoughts often turn to skeletons, ghosts, zombies, vampires, and other things that go bump in the night. To prepare, I've been reading (or re-reading) some of the creepiest books out there, and I'm sharing some of my favorites with you. Scary stories have been around for a long time. The 19th century … Continue reading The Creepiest Month
Scary
National Parks and Recreation Month
Hi Shelf Life Readers! Happy National Parks and Recreation month! I am writing to you from the Jackson County Public Library but if you tried to find me during the summer months from 2012 to 2015, you would’ve had to look deep in the wilderness of either the Sumter or Chattahoochee National Forest, where I … Continue reading National Parks and Recreation Month
Number 18 in ‘18
This blog is my eighteenth. It’s also my last one for Shelf Life in the Mountains. (Long story short: moving out of state) I did my first one almost exactly 2 years ago, so I’ve done about nine a year since then. Rather than tout some favorite books or videos or music, as I’m wont … Continue reading Number 18 in ‘18
Murder in Strange Places
When I am not reading non-fiction, I tend to relax with two or three good mysteries. The past few months I've reading Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher mysteries set in Australia in the 1920s, and watching the show on PBS. Deborah Crombie writes a series of books starring a couple of London detective inspectors and their … Continue reading Murder in Strange Places
Keep moving forward
Many folks have heard of or seen True Blood, an HBO series that ran seven seasons and garnered both an Emmy and a Golden Globe. Not me, never saw an episode. But the creator of the books behind the series, Charlaine Harris, spoke at a conference I went to last year, so I decided to read some of her titles. Although she's written SIX series including the one "True Blood" was based on, I picked her most recent series on which to cut my teeth (no vampire pun intended).
The Grand Finale
I've done over 50 blog posts in my career here at Fontana Regional Library. 50! Seems like a lot. The reason I bring this up is because this post that you are reading right now is my last. I am leaving the library and we are moving across the country (2,674 miles to be exact). … Continue reading The Grand Finale
Random Book Day 2015: You’ll Know It When You Read It
Ah, that rare moment when it happens. You start reading a book, and at some point (usually early on) you realize that it isn't a book at all, but a BOOK. A revelation. A work of art. This doesn't happen often, and many times it is by chance. It is wonderful to be surprised in such … Continue reading Random Book Day 2015: You’ll Know It When You Read It
Reading With An Accent: Foreign Novels
My wife and I enjoy watching Jeopardy, and one night recently the current phenom contestant correctly answered a question relating to the Russian novel Fathers and Sons, by Ivan Turgenev. Coincidentally I came across that book the next day here at the library. When I mentioned this to my wife she asked what it was … Continue reading Reading With An Accent: Foreign Novels
Dark Fiction: 5 Things To Read After Gone Girl
After I posted my last blog about book-to-movie adaptations I was, unsurprisingly, asked what I thought about the Gone Girl film. I hadn't talked about Gone Girl in that post since I have mentioned Gillian Flynn's work more than once lately. The answer to the question was that I thought it was not only a … Continue reading Dark Fiction: 5 Things To Read After Gone Girl
19 Scary Books for Any Horror Mood
By Chris It is that time of the year, pumpkins (and pumpkin drinks), leaves, and of course, Halloween. So I thought I would whip up a concoction of spine tingling reads, a variety of chills for whatever your horror mood is. On this list you'll find classics and new books, vampires and ghosts (but no … Continue reading 19 Scary Books for Any Horror Mood
Shelf Life in the Mountains 