Blog posts by Moira Peckham

Ghosts in the Attic: Horror and Dark Fantasy by Authors of Color

Moira Peckham,

Ah, October. The spookiest month. A time when the veil is thin and leaves are crunchy. If you’re a horror enthusiast, you know that this month is your month. If you’re looking for a break from Stephen King and Shirley Jackson, or want to explore the magnificent voices of people of color in the horror and dark fantasy genres, we’ve got the list for you. Beloved, Toni Morrison: A gothic horror staple, Morrison excavates the relationship between memory, terror, and the legacy of slavery in the United States. This Pulitzer Prize winning novel follows the family of Sethe after their escape from…

Ecohorror: Where Landscape and Anxiety Devours

Leigh, Collections Manager; Moira Peckham

Among literary genres, horror retains a unique capacity for social critique. It is unsurprising then that a subgenre depicting the growing tension between humans and the environment has arisen out of horror: ecohorror. The consequences of industry and capitalism—in particular on vulnerable or marginalized populations, grow increasingly apparent in the world around us. And as such, the true villains of ecohorror are neither the carnivorous hippos nor the trees that come to life and snatch you into the dark, but rather the extractive systems that have led to total environmental revolt. Yet not…

5 Books You've Been Longing to Have Time For

Moira Peckham,

Does your apartment seem strangely quiet? Has the pitter-patter of little feet raced away down the rapidly cooling sidewalk? These are the telltale signs that your children have finally gone back to school. So the question is: what are you going to do with all your spare time? Read a very long, complicated book, of course! Here are BPL’s selections for books to read when you’ve really got the time: Outlander (850 pages) by Diana Gabaldon: In 1945, Claire, a former combat nurse, is reunited with her husband for a second honeymoon in the Scottish Highlands. When she walks through a…

Out of this World Science Fiction Reads

Moira Peckham,

The Dispossessed by Ursula K. LeGuin
It’s the end of the summer, which means you’ve already gotten through the bibliographies of Zadie Smith, Jodi Picoult, and Faulker. You bought three books off the NYT best sellers list but you’re feeling burnt out on slow, poetic narratives about modern life. You wish you could find something else to read but you hate sci fi. Don’t worry, we've got your back. For the reader who doesn’t like elves, rockets, or the vast blankness of space but who has also grown weary of reading realism, we have cultivated a list…

Books to Read After Your Stranger Things Binge

Moira Peckham,

You watched all of Stranger Things in one day and now you’re just going back and watching all your favorite scenes again while secretly wishing you’d exercised slightly more self-control. But it’s too late for that so it’s time to go to Option B: this list.  Welcome! We’re so happy you decided to come to us on your quest to find something to satisfy the part of your mind that craves three things and three things only: 1) Gripping narratives 2) A healthy dose of darkness 3) Relationships that show you that maybe the real stranger things were the friends we made along the way. We’re here…