Keep coming back each month to find something new to read. It won't always be a novel. Look for plays, poems, short stories and more!
January: Weird Oregon by Al Eufrasio & Jeff Davis
So, not everything I will offer you on these recommendations will be deep, thought-provoking literature. Sometimes, like this month, it is simply something to educate and/or entertain. Weird Oregon covers both of those items.
This book, which can be found in our school library, puts together a wonderful collection of local legends, unexplained phenomena, roadside oddities, beasts from our state, haunted places and more.
If you simply want to learn about some of the weirdness that makes up Oregon, then this is the book for you. You can read it straight through, or you can pick and choose depending on your interests. And, if you feel inspired to go further, you could move on to Weird Washington or even Weird U.S. Enjoy getting your weird on.
So, not everything I will offer you on these recommendations will be deep, thought-provoking literature. Sometimes, like this month, it is simply something to educate and/or entertain. Weird Oregon covers both of those items.
This book, which can be found in our school library, puts together a wonderful collection of local legends, unexplained phenomena, roadside oddities, beasts from our state, haunted places and more.
If you simply want to learn about some of the weirdness that makes up Oregon, then this is the book for you. You can read it straight through, or you can pick and choose depending on your interests. And, if you feel inspired to go further, you could move on to Weird Washington or even Weird U.S. Enjoy getting your weird on.
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December: "The Wreck of the Golden Mary" by Charles Dickens
During the holiday season, Charles Dickens is usually remembered for his Ebenezer Scrooge starring A Christmas Carol. What many of today’s audiences don’t realise is that Dickens made sure he had a least one Christmas story published during the season for years. Many of those stories were ghost stories (just like A Christmas Carol), some focused on the season, and some seemed to simply focus on life. Dickens story from 1856, “The Wreck of the Golden Mary” was one of those stories that centred on life. Well, okay, it also focused on a ship that sinks at sea. A ship that sinks in nearly the same way the Titanic did more than sixty years later. A very poignant story, I recommend you work through the twenty-six page story. It can be read here. |
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November: Relic by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
Looking for a little post-Halloween thrill? Looking for something that contains a hint of real life and a hint of the supernatural? Looking for a book that could be a gateway into a whole series? Then Relic is for you.
Something is terrorising a New York museum, and the dead bodies keep piling up. Is it a man? A wild animal? Or something supernatural? Join police lieutenant D’Agosta and FBI Special Agent Pendgergast as they try to figure out the mystery, before it’s too late.
The book inspired the film of the same name—sure, you can watch the movie, but it’s not as good as the book. The book is also the first to feature Agent Pendergast (the authors now have seventeen books that feature the character).
So, pull up a good book, have a cup of tea, and read long into the night…though, if you let yourself get sucked in to the book, you may want to keep all the lights on.
Looking for a little post-Halloween thrill? Looking for something that contains a hint of real life and a hint of the supernatural? Looking for a book that could be a gateway into a whole series? Then Relic is for you.
Something is terrorising a New York museum, and the dead bodies keep piling up. Is it a man? A wild animal? Or something supernatural? Join police lieutenant D’Agosta and FBI Special Agent Pendgergast as they try to figure out the mystery, before it’s too late.
The book inspired the film of the same name—sure, you can watch the movie, but it’s not as good as the book. The book is also the first to feature Agent Pendergast (the authors now have seventeen books that feature the character).
So, pull up a good book, have a cup of tea, and read long into the night…though, if you let yourself get sucked in to the book, you may want to keep all the lights on.
October: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
If you thought you had issues, you need to take a look at Dr. Jekyll. This man is so messed up that his inner evil rises to the surface and becomes Mr. Hyde.
You may know the idea of the story, but now is the time to read this novella. Stevenson’s tale delves into the world of horror and psychology as his Jekyll tries to cope with his inner demon who is constantly coming out to play.
If you want a bump-in-the-night story for your scary month of Halloween, try The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde…in the dark with naught but a booklight…while a storm is raging outside…and your pets are softly padding in front of your doorway. Sleep well.
If you thought you had issues, you need to take a look at Dr. Jekyll. This man is so messed up that his inner evil rises to the surface and becomes Mr. Hyde.
You may know the idea of the story, but now is the time to read this novella. Stevenson’s tale delves into the world of horror and psychology as his Jekyll tries to cope with his inner demon who is constantly coming out to play.
If you want a bump-in-the-night story for your scary month of Halloween, try The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde…in the dark with naught but a booklight…while a storm is raging outside…and your pets are softly padding in front of your doorway. Sleep well.
September: Anthem by Ayn Rand
A short classic to start your school year. If you have never read this novella, give it a try. From start to finish it barely covers 100 pages.
In her dystopian story, Rand builds a society in which the individual no longer exists. There is no “I,” there is only “we.” Well, like any good dystopian story, what happens when someone starts to think differently? Take the time to read this story to find out. In doing so, you will be reading a novella by one of the most influential authors of the 20th century.
A short classic to start your school year. If you have never read this novella, give it a try. From start to finish it barely covers 100 pages.
In her dystopian story, Rand builds a society in which the individual no longer exists. There is no “I,” there is only “we.” Well, like any good dystopian story, what happens when someone starts to think differently? Take the time to read this story to find out. In doing so, you will be reading a novella by one of the most influential authors of the 20th century.
