Tis the season for getting spooked, getting dressed up, and getting cozy! We’ve got quite the collection of haunted literature here, but if you’ve already exhausted our selection, there are plenty of frightening reads available through Inter-Library Loan. Of course, we like to think we know the library pretty well, but with more than 61,000 items in our collection – and more than 9 million across the IHLS system as a whole – we’re always seeing something fun or unexpected pop up on the holds shelf. Here are a couple of the most fun (or funny) finds we’ve come across this month: 

Facepaint: The Story of Makeup. People have enjoyed painting their faces for literal millennia. This book, from renowned makeup artist Lisa Eldridge, take readers through a gorgeous visual history of how the art and science of makeup has evolved, what it’s meant throughout history, and how it’s likely to change over the coming years.

Horror Readers’ Advisory: The Librarian’s Guide to Vampires, Killer Tomatoes, and Haunted Houses, Becky Siegel Spratford and Tammy Hennigh Clausen. Designed primarily for librarians, this book is nevertheless a great resource for teens and adults who want to find their next spine-tingler. Annotated lists and lots of subgenre options make this a great choice whether you’re a horror novice or an aficionado of frights.

The House at Satan’s Elbow, by John Dickinson Carr. You know what they say — real estate is all about location, location, location.

The Incredibly Dead Pets of Rex Dexter, by Aaron Reynolds. Pet Sematary meets kid’s comedy in this side-splitting series from the acclaimed author of Creepy Carrots and Creepy Pair of Underwear.

Finally, let’s not forget about the real reason for the season: hibernating and eating plenty of warm, comforting food. The Don’t Panic Pantry Cookbook: Mostly Vegetarian Comfort Food That Happens to be Pretty Good for You, by Noah Galuten offers up plenty of comfy, cozy recipes that won’t make you work too hard.

Looking for your next read? These items (and millions more) are available here at the O’Fallon Public Library, or through Interlibrary Loan. Check one out on your online account, via our new SHARE app, or by asking one of your friendly local librarians!