The Monthly Liaison: October2021 |
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Winter peeks down at the Library from Baldy while fall colors still blaze in the valley;
it's a liminal time of year as we approach Halloween!
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This orange-and-black tiger wore a puffy blue parka; his tail was tucked inside it. I spotted him from my office window as he wobbled down the sidewalk ramp from the Library's front door, several steps behind an even smaller tot and a taller mom. The tiger dawdled.
He did not snarl or bare his claws. In each hand he clasped a big board picture book, and he flapped his arms with the books like wings. He lifted his little chin, and it looked like he was hooting. Even through the window, I could tell: He was a creature of his own invention.
He had boldly prowled the Library stacks in his furry Halloween costume... and now he seemed poised to take flight.
What better wings than books for a tiny changing tiger?
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Jenny Emery Davidson, Ph.D.
Executive Director
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A Celebration of All Hallow's Eve |
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Ichabod Crane, Respectfully Dedicated to Washington Irving. William J. Wilgus (1819–53), artist chromolithograph, c. 1856. Source: Wiki Commons. Find more in The Community Library about the Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
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Spooky Reads and Elemental Magic
By Cathy Butterfield
Collections Development Manager
Harvest festivals bring people together to share their forage and light against impending winter.
It is also a time of telling tales. . . tales that often summon the dark. Halloween, All Hallows Eve, Samhain, All Saints’ Eve, All Souls Day, the Day of the Dead, Dia de los Muertos, Freyfaxi, and Walpurgisnacht are seen as “liminal” times – times that loosen the boundaries between worlds and spirits. . .
. . . and supernatural creatures become more active.
Fires were linked to sympathetic magic in some Celtic lore, holding back decay, darkness, or demons. Guising, mumming, and costuming protected the wearer from the creatures of the night.
“Guising, mumming, and costuming protected the wearer from the creatures of the night.”
In more recent years, (and happier times) the Wood River Valley took fall festivals to illogical extremes, closing Main Street and partying well into the early hours. One Halloween, enterprising souls built a two-story lifeguard tower next to Slavey’s Bar and brought in enough sand for a full beach party.
Rumor has it that weather, magic, and fire were sometimes combined—local practitioners burned old skis on bonfires to appease the snow spirits Ullr and Skadi. One year it snowed six feet, resulting in some very scary costumed “hookiebobbing” stories. The two events are probably not related. Probably.
Possibly someone spent a lot of time researching in the Library's Lister Collection of astrology, tarot, and the paranormal. You never know what happens when you ask a librarian! To gird yourself for the coming dark days, try a few spooky reads on us. . .
. . . and keep the lights on.
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Adult Reading (With the Lights On) |
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A valiant band of Resistance fighters take a stand in 1915 Georgia. Ring Shout (winner of both the Hugo and Nebula awards) takes on the documented horror of the Klan movement and adds extra terror, as demons infiltrate and feed upon the darkest thoughts of white-robed vigilante mobs. Kind of like supremacist social media, really, but with less scrolling and more historically anchored fact.
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The Only Good Indians
Crossover teen and adult novel The Only Good Indians by Native American author Stephen Graham Jones is a creepy and poetic read about revenge and the cost of breaking from cultural tradition.
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My Heart Is a Chainsaw
Also check out the newest book by Native American author Stephen Graham Jones, My Heart is a Chainsaw, about wealthy newcomers causing sinister havoc in a small resort community.
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Mexican Gothic
Silvia Moreno-Garcia brings new life to the genre of the perturbing gothic mansion on the hill, conjuring Jane Austen by way of Lovecraft in a remote valley in Mexico. Una novela terroríficamente brillant. . . did I say that the mansion is really perturbing?
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Devolution
Max Brooks (World War Z) taps into the terrors that inhabit the deep woods of the Pacific Northwest in Devolution. Some fears creep up slowly, like climate change, and some arrive quickly, like volcanic eruptions. But sometimes fear has footprints, that look almost, but not quite, human.
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Kids and Young Adult Halloween Reading |
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Editor's Note: Long after the fire dies down, the leaves fall from the trees, and All Hallows Eve is a distant memory, the power of the stories we read, watch, and hear remains. Stories take hold of our imaginations and inform the narrative of the lives we write for ourselves.
Read Fearlessly this season, and know that The Community Library is here for you. Nestle in by the fireplace, explore the stacks, or take the kids to the Tree House to read and relax. We also welcome teens to their very own space in the Teen Lounge, where they can do homework, use wi-fi, and study with friends.
The Library is open until 8 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, and until 6 p.m. on Monday, Friday, and Saturday.
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THANK YOU to Our September Donors! |
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Anonymous - 1
Lisa A. Altow and Harold B. Coe
Brian Barsotti
Boise State University
Maureen W. and Marvin R. Brown
Chapter One Bookstore
Mary Pat and Joseph R. Gunderson
Sylvia and Ronnie Hartman
Mark M. Howland
Lynn and Dr. Bruce Kaplan
Kathryn and Matt McNeal
Brynda and Craig Petrie
Patsy and William Pinney
Renee and Austris Rungis
Nancy and Dr. David Sheffner
Janet Swanberg
The Frankel Family Foundation - Janet Reider and Thomas Frankel
The Warrington Foundation
Chris and Dan Turner
Val A. Browning Foundation - Carol Browning Dumke
Walnut Fund
Julie Weil
Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation
Shirley Ruth Yates and Harry Randolph Yates
Page Turner Society
Anita Weissberg
Big Wood Landscape
Kathleen Diepenbrock and Kelley Weston
Claudia and John D. Gaeddert
Elaine and Michael Phillips
Narda Pitkethly
Gay Weake
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Tribute Gifts
Christine B. Emmanuel and Patrick G. Emmanuel Jr. in Honor of Brian Barsotti
Marie C. Fiduccia and Richard W. Stypula Jr. in Honor of Brian Barsotti
Lauren E. Goodman in Honor of Brian Barsotti
Mardi Shepard in Honor of Mary and Mike Colhoun
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The Community Library is supported by people who believe in the free flow of news, entertainment, and information. You can make a one-time gift in any amount, large or small. As a member of the Page Turner Society, your recurring monthly gift helps sustain the Library's programming. There are many ways you can choose to give, and Carter Hedberg is here to assist you.
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Year-end Tax Planning: If you're 70½ or older, you may want to consider making a gift to The Community Library from your traditional IRA. You can donate up to $100,000 without it being considered a taxable distribution. The deduction effectively lowers your adjusted gross income
and it counts against your required minimum distribution.
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