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October 2026: Monsters

Spooky season is upon us, which means it's time to think about all the things that go bump in the night. This month, we are featuring books about monsters. Some of these monsters are scary, some of them are misunderstood, and some of them are all too human. We hope you'll find a monster that scares, compels, or intrigues you among the list of recommended reads this month.

Collage of twelve book covers of the featured books

The Complete Supernatural Stories by Algernon Blackwood, 1973 (DB108772)

Algernon Blackwood (1869-1951) was an English short story writer and novelist, one of the most prolific writers of ghost stories in the history of the genre. He was also a journalist and a broadcasting narrator. S. T. Joshi has stated that "his work is more consistently meritorious than any weird writer's except Dunsany's." Though Blackwood wrote a number of horror stories, his most typical work seeks less to frighten than to induce a sense of awe. - From the library catalog.
For braille readers wanting to read Blackwood, try his story, The Stranger (BRA18273). Contact the library to request this title via interlibrary loan at 206-615-0400 or [email protected].

Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley, 1818 (BR012173, DB025835)

Classic horror story. A monster, endowed with life by a young scientist named Frankenstein, later turns on his creator. Originally published in 1818.
- From the library catalog.

Grendel by John Gardner, 1971 (DB038310)

The author has rendered an allegorical, satiric retelling of the Old English Beowulf from the point of view of the monster, Grendel, devourer of men. Grendel perceives the ambition, fear, art, hope, and loneliness of the human condition. - From the library catalog.

Harvest Home by Thomas Tryon, 1973 (BRA13915, DB059108)

Ned and his wife, Beth, move to an idyllic New England village with their asthmatic daughter, Kate. After a healer called "the Widow Fortune" stops one of Kate's attacks, the town's chilling secret rituals, spells, and murders entangle the family. Some explicit descriptions of sex and some violence. - From the library catalog.
Contact the library to request this title in braille via interlibrary loan at 206-615-0400 or [email protected].

In a Dark, Dark Room, and Other Scary Stories by Alvin Schwartz, 1984 (BR005909, DB050750)

Seven very short, scary stories to tell at night in front of the fire or in the dark. For grades K-3 to share with older readers. - From the library catalog.
Contact the library to request this title in braille via interlibrary loan at 206-615-0400 or [email protected].

Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century by Kim Fu, 2022 (BRG04548, DBC19317) Audiobook version produced by WTBBL!

In the twelve unforgettable tales of Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century, the strange is made familiar and the familiar strange, such that a girl growing wings on her legs feels like an ordinary rite of passage, while a bug-infested house becomes an impossible, Kafkaesque nightmare. Each story builds a new world all its own: a group of children steal a haunted doll; a runaway bride encounters a sea monster; a vendor sells toy boxes that seemingly control the passage of time; an insomniac is seduced by the Sandman. These visions of modern life wrestle with themes of death and technological consequence, guilt and sexuality, as they unmask the contradictions that exist within all of us. Unrated. - From the library catalog.

The Maiden and Her Monster by Maddie Martinez, 2025 (DB132440)

The forest eats the girls who wander out after dark. As the healer's daughter, Malka has seen how the wood's curse has plagued her village, but the Ozmini Church only comes to collect its tithe, not to protect heretics with false stories of monsters in the trees. So when a clergy girl wanders too close to the forest and Malka's mother is accused of her murder, Malka strikes an impossible bargain with a zealot Ozmini priest. If she brings the monster out, he will spare her mother from execution. When she ventures into the shadowed woods, Malka finds a monster, though not the one she expects: an inscrutable, disgraced golem who agrees to implicate herself, but only if Malka helps her fulfill a promise first and free the imprisoned rabbi who created her. But a deal easily made is not easily kept. And as their bargain begins to unravel a much more sinister threat, protecting her people may force Malka to endanger the one person she left home to save--and face her growing feelings for the very creature she was taught to fear. - From the library catalog.

Melmoth the Wanderer by Charles Maturin, 1989 (BR008339, DB031356)

This classic gothic novel by an eccentric Anglican curate in Dublin was originally published in 1820 and tells of a Faust-like hero. John Melmoth has sold his soul to the devil in return for a long life. He can redeem himself if he can find someone to take his place in hell. His search takes him from London's Bedlam mental institution to Spain during the Inquisition, and from Ireland to a mysterious uninhabited island. - From the library catalog.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, 2011 (DB074426)

Thirteen-year-old Conor is tormented by his mother's impending death, a school bully, and recurring nightmares. But one night a monster comes to Conor, tells him three tales, and instructs Conor to tell the fourth--and scariest--of all the tales. For junior and senior high and older readers. Commercial audiobook. - From the library catalog.

Our Share of Night: A Novel / Nuestra parte de noche by Mariana Enriquez; translated by Megan McDowell, 2019 (DB115900; DBG17386 en español)

A young father and son set out on a road trip, devastated by the death of the wife and mother they both loved. United in grief, the pair travel to her ancestral home, where they must confront the terrifying legacy she has bequeathed: a family called the Order that commits unspeakable acts in search of immortality. For Gaspar, the son, this maniacal cult is his destiny. As the Order tries to pull him into their evil, he and his father take flight, attempting to outrun a powerful clan that will do anything to ensure its own survival. But how far will Gaspar's father go to protect his child? And can anyone escape their fate? - From the library catalog.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith, 2009 (BRG04520, DB069090)

Elizabeth captures Mr. Darcy's attention as she decapitates a throng of the undead during a country ball. Smitten with her warrior abilities, Mr. Darcy verbally spars with Elizabeth and fights his growing attraction and admiration for her as they attempt to eliminate the rotting corpses infesting England. Violence. Bestseller. - From the library catalog.

Risen by Krystal Lawrence, 2010 (BRC02175) Produced by WTBBL!

The boy was unremarkable. Nothing about him would have made you think he was anything other than a somewhat unkempt young man pushing twenty, walking aimlessly up Lombard Street. No reason anyone would have thought twice about this ordinary young man. Not unless they took a closer look. Then one might see that something was different. Something was wrong. Detective Kurt Dale is in trouble. He is embroiled in a torrid affair with a dangerous woman and he desperately wants out. His mistress has the power to destroy the very fabric of his world. There’s a killer on the loose in his normally tranquil town and he has just become the prime suspect. A hunt for the monster committing these crimes leads to a shattering revelation. A two-hundred-year-old vampire has risen and a centuries-old unconscionable evil is about to be revenged. - From the library catalog.
Also check out Risen II: The Progeny (BRC02207).

The Stranger Beside Me: Ted Bundy, The Shocking Inside Story by Ann Rule, 1986 (DB029031)

On the surface, Ted Bundy appeared to be a charming young man. He had done well in law school, was successful with women, and was on the threshold of a brilliant career. What, then, caused him to turn into a mass murderer? Ann Rule, who knew Bundy for ten years, gives her views on what happened to Bundy that made him end up on Florida's death row. Some violence. - From the library catalog.
For braille readers interested in Ted Bundy, try The Only Living Witness by Stephen G. Michaud and Hugh Aynesworth, 1983 (BR005433).

 

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