Book Display Idea: Use a specific title: White Horse by Erika T. Wurth

White Horse is one of NoveList’s Best of the Year titles for 2022. If you are following or promoting the NoveList 2023 Reading Challenge, it fills the January prompt.  Kari James is an urban Indian, working in bars, reading Stephen King, and listening to heavy metal. She spends her free time with her cousin, Debby, and at the White Horse, an Indian bar. Abandoned by her mother while an infant, Keri is forced to look into her past as well as her family’s past when Debby gives her a bracelet that was her mother’s. The bracelet seems to bring forth visions. It’s a horror novel with heart that dives into the pain and horror in digging up the truth.

It is another title that is a compelling story of women’s friendships and relationships as are The Bandit Queen and Bad Cree. A display filled with books that center the relationships between groups of women would be a great display to use for March and Women’s History Month. The books don’t need to have one tone as families and friendships are complicated. You can look at books like The Girls from Corona del Mar by Rufi Thorpe, The Story Hour by Thirty Umrigar, and Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin for different takes on women’s relationships. This theme would also work for 

Another theme in the book is family secrets. Besides Bad Cree, there are also books like The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig, White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi, Shelter by Jung Yun, and Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng which include complex characters and families with secrets. Remember that if you are working with a them like family secrets or women’s friendships, you aren’t limited to one genre or even just fiction. Starting with a book display theme like that will make the display easier to create and keep filled. The object is to draw attention to hidden gems in your collection rather than to create a perfect display. 

Of course, White Horse is a great title to put on a display or list for a women in horror display as part of Women’s History Month in March as well as a display of Native American fiction or horror. Authors like Stephen Graham Jones, Ramona Emerson, Jessica Johns, Owl Goingback, and Daniel H. Wilson have all written recent, compelling horror novels. There are also authors like Leslie Marmon Silko, Louise Erdrich, Tommy Orange, and Cherie Dimaline who have written recent books that you can check out. Remember you can check your collection for non-fiction and DVDs that can be added. 

As always, using a book like White Horse to inspire a book display or list is a great way to see what you have in your collection, both in physical and eBook form as well as what you are missing. Remember to include information about your digital collection in a physical book display as well as links to your collection. 

Other Resources:
Brightly had a list of female friendships: Ups, Downs, and Everything In-Between: 11 Great Books About Female Friendships

Goodreads has a list of books shelved as female friendship books. 

From Book Riot, 12 Female Friendship Books for Galentine’s Day. 

Books on Goodreads shelved under Family Secrets.

23 Books with Family Secrets We Still Can’t Believe on Epic Reads. 

8 Novels About Family Secrets Lurking Right Under Your Nose on Book Riot

The Horror Writers Association has a series of interview with Native American Authors.

The Seattle Public Library has a list of recent novels on their Native American Fiction list. 

Books shelved as Native American Fiction on Goodreads. 

Book List/Display Idea #1 - True Crime focused on victims, survivors, and their families.

 True crime has soared in popularity thanks to podcasts and documentaries on streaming services. It is possible to highlight the parts of your collection that would appeal to fans of the genre while also being conscious of the victims, survivors, and their families. I'm not including a list of titles about the more famous serial killers because those are easy to find and likely get a lot of circulation in your library. 

I'll link to the Goodreads reviews for the books so you can see what other readers thought since I've not read all of the titles below. Remember to include lists/signs/QR codes for your digital collections if you make a book display inside your library. 

Setting up a book display or a book list is not a test; don't stress out over how close a read alike is. Every reader comes at a book from a different place. Also, Use popular titles to draw in readers to the other books on your display. You won't have every lower profile or smaller press/imprint book that you uncover online. 

The first book that comes to mind for a lot of people is I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara. Written before the identity of the Golden State Killer was know, the book is well-written, never sensationalist or salacious. and takes care with the stories of those affected by the crimes. She shows empathy to the victims of the crimes and the communities where the crimes happened. There is also an HBO documentary based upon the book. 

Hachette Group's Novel Suspects, a blog promoting mysteries and thrillers, suggests these titles as read-alikes: 

We Keep the Dead Close by Becky Cooper - An investigation of an older cold case, similar to that of the Golden State Killer. In this book, the murder of a Harvard student, Jane Britton, and a possible coverup by Harvard University. The book details the misogyny and sexist treatment of women in academia at that time.

The Grim Sleeper by Christine Pelisek - The story of a killer who attacked women in a South Central Los Angeles neighborhood for decades. Part of the books delves into how the poverty and violence in the neighborhood contributed to the killer getting away with murdering so many marginalized women for so long. The author is a reporter who followed the story for more than a decade.

The Fact of a Body by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich - A memoir about how the childhood trauma of the author and their research into a murder while working at a law firm defending those accused of murder. The book is both about the author attempting to come to terms with their own past as well as the case of Ricky Langley, a convicted pedophile. 

Other lists with readalikes:

The Lineup-13 Riveting True Crime Books for Fans of I'll Be Gone In the Dark
Book Riot - 7 of the Best Books for Mindhunter Fans (This list contains many true crime classics that you may own at your library)
Book Riot- 18 of the Best International True Crime Books You've Never Heard Of 

More titles you may own are:

The Devil's Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three by Mara Leveritt
Boys Enter the House: The Victims of John Wayne Gacy and the Lives They Left Behind by David B. Nelson
Last Call by Elon Green
The Babysitter by Liza Rodman and Jennifer Jordan
Trailed: One Woman's Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders by Kathryn Miles - also reviewed here
Hell's Half Acre: The Untold Story of the Benders, America's First Serial Killer Family by Susan Jonusas
Deer Creek Drive : A Reckoning of Memory and Murder in the Mississippi Delta by Beverly Lowry
Savage Appetites:Four True Stories of Women, Crime, and Obsession by Rachel Monroe
Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe
The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold

Because including only one part of your collection in your displays and lists is never something I suggest, here are some fiction suggestions -

Crime Scene and Into the Forest and All the Way Through by Cynthia Pelayo 
Where They Found Her by Kimberly McCreight
The Witch Elm, The Trespasser both by Tana French
Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke
You’re Invited by Amanda Jayatissa
Shutter by Ramona Emerson

Oprah Daily - Crime Fiction Goes Global and Diverse, as These 20 Books by Women Writers Show (PIck and choose from this list to add to the display if books are checked out but you can't replace the display yet.)

If you or one of your fellow staff members are a true crime podcast fan, you can include suggestions for patrons. One podcast that is focused on the victims and their story is True Crime Bullsh*t by Josh Hallmark. While covering the crimes of serial killer Israel Keyes, Hallmark is careful to humanize and include the story of his victims and suspected victims. 

StokerCon 2021 Librarians Day post

As part of the Horror Writers of America's StokerCon Librarian's Day, I am moderating a panel on promoting horror in libraries. I have posted some of the displays I have done which include horror. Don't forget that you can include horror titles in almost any book display. 

Don't get stuck in the box of only promoting horror in October. Don't strictly segregate genres because your patrons don't care as much as you think they do. (One huge exception is romance readers - romance has a happier ever after ending.)

One final tip is this- book displays in libraries are not a school project. The objective is to get materials into the hands of your patrons. Be broad with genre and theme. You don't have to be exacting as far as which titles you include as long as it's not a genre or subgenre specific display. Even then, I use the broadest possible definition. 

This display was easy to fit horror into. It's "Get Possessed by a Book". Include non-fiction titles and some movies. I included titles that were not horror because people will stop for an intriguing cover or a book they have read. This display included graphic novels, audiobooks, non-fiction and dark fantasy in addition to horror. 

Goosebumps - Always popular with kids, especially reluctant readers. While this was an October display, I would put it up during summer reading. It empties out very quickly. 

This display was "What to read next if you love Stephen King." King is always popular in my library and people did stop to pick up other titles because of the display. It would be a great theme to showcase some diverse authors who have written books that you can tie to King's bestsellers. 

Unhappy Families is a great theme to for horror. Mix up the genres because people who read psychological suspense will often read horror. 

National Alien Abduction Day is one of those holidays made for book displays. Include some cosmic horror and introduce your patrons to something new. 

HP Lovecraft is another solid theme as long as you remember to include diverse authors and add a variety of cosmic horror titles

World Goth Day - . Include music and DVDs but this is an anytime display that will be fun for patrons and staff.

Scary reads for the beach. People love to read horror in the summer. Guaranteed. "Beach Reads" does not really just mean light and frothy. 

Shapeshift into Fall. This can include romance as well as horror. By using the word shapeshift instead of werewolf, you can draw in people who "don't read horror." An intriguing cover will draw readers to books they might never have discovered. 

When It by Stephen King was released on streaming this was a great opportunity to showcase read alikes.

Creepy Crawlies includes science fiction. There are also some great films you might have in your collection. 

Zombies were a pop culture phenomenon. This is a great anytime book display. 

Genre blended display with witchy books. Include non-fiction and fantasy. 

Horror short stories are extremely popular. I would also drop horror collections into any short story display.

One of the most common readers advisory questions I get is "What do I read after Stephen King or Dean Koontz." This display is my answer. 

Conspiracy theories was as popular as any library worker would expect and lots of horror fits in. 

When Bird Box was on streaming, I set up a readalike book display. Not all of the titles are horror but people stopped because they had at least heard of the show. Let pop culture sensations help you market your collection. 

Women in Horror Month!

 

February is Women in Horror Month. This is a great time to bring your library's horror out for a non-Halloween display. Again, I guarantee you that it will circulate all year. 

Be broad and include non-fiction works like true crime if you need to. You can also grab some psychological suspense as there is a lot of crossover fans. 

On the sign, I included the URL for the official Women in Horror Month website as well as RA for All - Horror, a great resource for any library worker looking to get more information about horror. 

The Horror Writers of America have a great blog with information about diverse authors. Authors' groups are very supportive of libraries and are a wonderful resource. 

Mother Horror - Sadie Hartman is a horror reviewer and part owner of Night Worms Horror Book Box subscription service. Check out her Twitter and Instagram for more ideas. 

Putting out genres like horror in February when your patrons might be expecting something else will draw their attention. There are so many great horror novels written by women. Use this month to celebrate them. 

Don't forget to check out Horror Noire on Shudder, produced by author Tananarive Due. 

Rosa Parks' Birthday

Rosa Parks' birthday is a great subject for a book display that combines youth and adult titles.  Don't forget to include books from your biographies, African-American studies, and history books. This display sat away from all of those areas and was a way for patrons to be reminded of books that might not have searched out on their own. 

Black History Month - Food and Cooking

Black History Month doesn't have to just be displays with somber history. Remember to include the depth and breadth of the black experience and find some joyful subject to put out for your patrons. This display was fun to put together and emptied out very quickly. Again, I use a generic sign template so that I don't have to work as hard when it's time to replace it. 

Mary Higgins Clark Memorial Book Display

When an author dies, particularly a popular author with a long back list, putting up a display of their work makes for an easy display that highlights titles that may not have seen much circulation lately. If you put it in a prominent place, it should empty out quickly but is easy to fill. Don't forget to include audiobooks and large print. 

Read Alikes for P.S. I Love You

A young adult book display in the adult area! Unleashed! It’s read-alikes for PS I Love You by Jenny Han. Mix up your collection and put displays so people won’t expect them. Let fiction readers find non-fiction and people who don’t go to your teen area find young adult fiction.

Not every patrons is familiar with every part of your building. Patrons who come in to use the computer may not think about picking up current young adult favorites. 

Women in Horror Month

in Horror Month book display including audiobooks. Be as broad as possible in interpreting the genre when you put up genre-based book displays. For horror, that could include slipping in some suspense or thrillers. As always, check your display for inclusion. 
Don't leave horror for October only; I guarantee you that people will check out horror all year. 

Women's History Month - Historical Fiction

Women's History Month offers a lot of options but when given a chance, I will try to include some fiction. People who won't pick up a long history book will invest the time in a novel that appeals to them. Expand your definition of historical fiction and don't forget mysteries and romance. Your display should include a wide range of time periods and places. 

Women's History Month - Biographies/Autobiographies/Memoirs

One of the changes I pushed for in my library was to relocate our biography section near fiction. People never dabble in non-fiction will make an exception for a good biography. Take a second to bring a diverse and inclusive collection of books to your display. Choose books about women from a variety of backgrounds, places, and time periods. 

This display also is easy for anyone to fill in as it empties. Expanding who on staff helps to fill in a display like this will hopefully diversify what books are selected. 

Women in Horror Month

Women in horror month is part of an international grassroots effort to promote the work of women in all parts of the horror industry. February is a great month to promote horror titles written by women in your library. People love to read horror all year so don't just put up a horror fiction display in October. 

I usually include some psychological suspense in horror displays because it will draw in those people who say they don't read horror but who would love books by authors like Jennifer McMahon or Paul Tremblay. This can also help you keep the display full and to increase the diversity of the authors you include. 

Other resources: 

Women in Horror Month official website

Ladies of Horror Fiction

RAforall:Horror