Unsheving with Help from All those Newsletters - More from Barnes & Noble on Horror

If you shop at Barnes & Noble, you have likely received one of their newsletters. While your selectors can use them for collection development ideas, you can also use them for book display ideas. Besides promoting the biggest and most recent titles, they also have links to lists you can use as a display for spooky season. An October 3 newsletters has two great ideas - 31 Best Books to Read for Halloween and The Best and Scariest Horror Books Ever. 

What I like about these ideas is that they are generic enough that you can easily adapt them to your collection. Something like "best" is subjective so you can use what you have in your stacks. Your readers will just want to discover something new and spooky. Don't worry about matching their lists. Just use the idea. 

To expand the idea, make either of them an interactive display or social media post. Encourage your patrons to submit their best Halloween reads and what they think the best or scariest horror books are. Solicit input from your local sports stars, politicians, business leaders, and staff. Create a best books for Halloween and best horror that your own community has created. 

Unshelve Your Horror for Halloween - International Version

If you are looking at what kind of books to shine a spotlight on during spooky season, don't forget to look at horror in translation. International horror is a great way to discover different kinds of scares, different folklore, and new ways of viewing what is horror. 

It's a good way to help people find their next great read without falling back on those authors that they already know. 

Not sure where to start with international horror? Check out these lists: 

Austin Public Library Horror From Around the World

Book Riot 8 Horror Books in Translation

Goodreads Translated Horror Books

The Indianapolis Public Library Horror in Translation

Lawrence Public Library Terror in Translation

The Lineup These Spooky Translated Fiction Open Terrifying Portals to Whole New Worlds of Horror

Reddit  [List] translated horror books i have read so far ( also looking for more recs )

Reddit  Best international horror novels?

Vogue Scandinavia 12 Scandi horror novels to get you in the mood for Halloween

Unshelve With the Seasonal Change- Fall Themes

 While October is the home of Halloween which is many people's favorite holiday, there are other ways to celebrate the season. Depending upon your community, including fall may be something that is expected of you. 

• Suggested themes include: 
• Dark Academia 
• Cozy Reads
• Fall in Love with a Romance
• Small Town/Cottagecore
• Nostalgia

Here are some lists to give you inspiration

Martha Stewart  11 Books That Capture the Magic of Fall 

Reddit  Can you please recommend books that have a fall theme, and are compelling, but aren't "cozy"?

Reddit  What's the best book to read in Autumn?

Goodreads Listopia > Book Covers That Give You A Fall Vibe

The Everymom Your Perfect Fall TBR List: 40 Cozy Books to Read with a Pumpkin Spice Latte

Perpetual Page Turner The PERFECT Autumn Vibes Reading List For 2026

IL Librarians - Learn about genre blends from AART

 The Adult Reading Round Table is, as described on their website: 

Founded in 1984, the Adult Reading Round Table (ARRT) is dedicated to helping library workers develop readers’ advisory (RA) skills, learn useful tools for practicing RA, and promote reading for personal enrichment for adults throughout public libraries.

Led by a steering committee of Illinois library workers, ARRT plans and presents RA professional development opportunities, including in-depth genre studies and book club leadership sessions. We are committed to discussing and exploring works by and about a wide array of people and cultures to authentically reflect a variety of ideas, information, stories, and experiences.

Their current genre study   involves genre blends, something I have repeatedly suggested as a great theme for a book display. While the in-person meeting is for Illinois librarians, they do have their meeting topics and notes on their website. Use both the lists of books (under assignment) and the notes to get a better understanding of genre blends, a trend which will only get stronger and as inspiration for your own book display. 

If you can attend the meeting on October 1, 2027  at the Algonquin Area Public Library District – Eastgate Branch from 2-4 pm, you will learn a lot. Both Karrie Stewart and Emily Vinci will be there to guide you through horror blends. They are both great librarians and enthusiastic readers advisors. 

Unshelve with Booklist Online - Trend Alert

If you are ever searching for a book display idea, check out Booklist's Trend Alert. They cover a wide variety of genres, formats, and target ages. Even if their trend is focused on youth, you can take the basic idea and run with it for adults. For example, this post is a Microtrend Roundup for YA fiction. The examples could be used for adult fiction as well: 

• Apocalypse (but Make It Funny)
• Deep Space Travel
• Goblins
• Merfolk
• Time Loops

They do include sample titles which you can use to search for read alikes. 

For a very recent post, check out this one about paranormal romance. The titles they discuss are listed on the right hand side but don't feel constrained by those titles. Use what is in your collection. 

Booklist Online is a place I regularly visit for reviews, collection development ideas, and for trend information. It's devoted to books, readers, and readers advisory. 

Booklist - Shelf Care #51: It’s Not an Art Project; Book Displays with Lila Denning

I was fortunate enough to be able to speak with Bookllist editor Susan Maguire about book displays! You can listen here and the notes are below:  

On this episode of Shelf Care: The Podcast, host Susan Maguire chats with librarian Lila Denning about the ins and outs of book displays; Audio Editor Heather Booth talks audiobooks to fall asleep to (really!); and Kelly Ferreira, Senior Editor, Books for Youth, shares a few books they’ve been reading and loving lately.

Chase’s Calendar of Events

“Unshelve with help from Booklist—Body Horror” blog post

RA for All: Horror

“Unshelving When Inclusive Displays Make People Uncomfortable” blog post

Bruja’s Nest, by Brenda LaTorre

The Mars Room, by Rachel Kushner

Passively Recommending Books (Lila’s blog)

The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas

Game Changers, by Rachel Reid

Heated Rivalry, by Rachel Reid

Tough Guy, by Rachel Reid

The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars, by Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino, illustrated by Irene Koh and Killian Ng

The Legend of Korra: Ruins of the Empire, by Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino, illustrated by Michelle Wong and Killian Ng

Scream with Me: Confronting Social Injustice through Horror (webinar)

When Evil Lingers, by Melissa Blair

Off the Reservation, by Stephen Graham Jones

Yesteryear, by Caro Claire Burke, read by Rebecca Lowman

More titles by Susan Maguire

Passively Promoting a Short Vacation

 I was out of town seeing my dad and some of my siblings so I apologize for the lack of posts. This is a good time to leave a short reminder that if you are the person who creates and fills in displays for your library, prepare for your own leave by setting up simple displays that anyone can fill in without having to search far and wide for titles to fill them in. Don't set up complicated themes or you might come back to either an empty display or random books added. 

Ideas like Books We Have Loved, Great Mysteries, Quick Reads (shorter novels and novellas) can be filled in by anyone on staff. 

Frank, my host with the most!