I am still a Scary Librarian, but in the
circle of trust, I am also a tired librarian. The month of October has really
beaten me up. Nothing terrible has happened to me, but it has been an
incredibly busy one caused simply by life. That said, I would like to do
something to celebrate the scariest time of the year by enjoying a good scary
story, but I don’t really have time to dive into a novel, or even a novella.
What I might do instead is give one of these anthologies a try. 
I am this pumpkin.
One recent anthology that looks promising is the recently-released Literally Dead: Tales of Halloween Hauntings. It’s edited by Gaby Triana and John Palisano, and it also features some well-known up-and-coming horror authors like Gwendolyn Kiste, Sarah Tantlinger, and Catherine Cavendish. There’s also the old reliable October Dreams: A Celebration of Halloween, which has writings from horror heavyweights like Jack Ketchum and Christopher Golden. It not only features short stories and novellas, but even essays on the films and stories of Halloween (if Halloween is actually a genre). I could split the difference and dive into Haunted Nights, an anthology edited by the esteemed Ellen Datlow and Lisa Morton, which has some truly spine-tingling tales from writers like Stephen Graham Jones and John Langan.
However, my eyes might not have the stamina to
follow lines on a page. Maybe I need a movie to watch. I’ve heard great things
about Guillermo Del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities on Netflix. Maybe I should revisit some great
horror anthologies like Trick R’ Treat. I really enjoyed its interconnected
tales and its full embrace of the Halloween spirit. I could also forgo the
Halloween trappings and revisit
The Mortuary Collection. It’s a rare anthology series with all solid tales that
truly take some dark turns. I have options. Maybe next month, I’ll have energy.
Or time. Which means I’ll have to declare November Scaresgiving. Have to get
the hashtag out.
#scaresgiving
Wish me luck!
