October Book Display ideas - Not Horror!

 So, it's October and you want a book display that isn't horror? Here are some ideas that you can use. 

You could always go horror - adjacent and do a true crime or horrible history display with your non-fiction. If you pick the best readable, narrative non-fiction and put it near your fiction stacks, there are books that will get checked out. This is a display that will flow into your horror book displays and lists. 

Remember that you can be funny and refuse to fall into anything! Put up a display of beachy, coastal romance and fiction. Put up a sign with a flip flop and proudly demonstrate your refusal to give up summer. There are plenty of books with beaches on the front that you can use. You could tie it into a coast/ocean horror display with books like Daniel Kraus' Whalefall. 

Mean Girls Day was October 3 but a book display of the books you think that the characters from the movie would like and books that fans of the movie might enjoy would also be fun. 

Other holidays celebrated this month include: 

Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah -  Put up a display of fiction by Jewish authors and books about Jewish history. See what you have that is not Holocaust specific. There are plenty of times of the year when those books can be brought out. 

Indigenous Peoples' Day/Columbus Day is almost upon us. You can get warmed up for Native American Heritage Month and put out some fiction by Native American Authors. There are plenty of horror titles that you can use including ones by Erika T. Wurth, Jessica Johns, Stephen Graham Jones, and Owl Goingback. See if you have any titles about your own area's Native American culture and history. 

National Coming Out Day is October 11. Remember that books by Queer authors should be part of your passive readers advisory all year. Find narratives and fiction about coming out. Include resources on bookmarks and small flyers for those patrons who might need it. Add links to your online passive readers advisory. 

October 15 is National Grouch Day. There are many lists of the hot, grouchy heroes of romance. This is also called the grumpy/sunshine trope. While by now you know that you can promote your horror collection all you, don't forget your romance collection when it's not February. Here are some links:
Goodreads
Another Goodreads list
Romance Rehab- Sexiest Grumpy Heroes in Romance
Here are some reviews from Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
Book Riot with a list of grumpy sunshine titles
Another romance display/list option is October 18th's No Beard Day. Display those romances with heroes on the cover who do not have a beard!

October 17 is Black Poetry Day. Putting poetry on display is a great way to get it to circulate if you don't have a dedicated audience for it. When I put a spotlight on poetry, the books do get checked out. See what anthologies with collections of Black poets' work and individual titles you have in your 811's. 

There is apparently an International Sloth Day on October 20th. Use it to put up those long, difficult titles that take forever to get through. Encourage people to slowly enjoy a great book that is longer and more challenging. Also, do a youth companion display with picture books and non-fiction about sloths. 

Finally, October 29 is National Cat Day (isn't that every day?). There are so many cat-themed cozy mysteries. You also likely have pet books about cats as well as youth titles with cats as the central character. 

I hope this list gives you an idea about where you can start if you want a non-spooky display to put up for October. Don't stress about fitting a theme perfectly; let's just get some love to our backlist titles!