Ode to the Darkside

Upon a night dark and dreary I began a library query.

To the computer and the library’s Web site I rushed, and the information I sought gushed and gushed.

Mine was not just a gaze into the abyss; I longed for books with a feel for the devil’s kiss.

For others like me who dark adventures seek, into these books you may peek: Killing Yourself to Live, by Chuck Klosterman; Rock Bottom: Dark Moments in Music Babylon, by Pamela Des Barres.

If it’s murder, mayhem and death you’re into, then here are some books that may beguile you: The History of Torture, by Brian Innes; The Last Face You’ll Ever See, by Ivan Solotaroff; Among the Lowest of the Dead: the Culture of Death Row, by David Von Drehle.

If it’s tales of the macabre that delight, or things that go bump in the night, then here are some titles that will excite: Real Ghosts, Restless Spirits and Haunted Places, by Brad Steiger; Ghosts: The Illustrated History, by Peter Haining.

Now you may think, as you take a drink, “These books are somewhat strange.” I think, however, that will change.

Although the saints sought not fame, for some, religious topics are the game. Here are some titles that tell the tales of the various saints’ weeps and wails: The Directory of Saints: a Concise Guide to Patron Saints, by Annette Sandoval; A Calendar of Saints: The lives of the Principal Saints of the Christian Year, by James Bentley.

Last but not least, and not to cast a pall, I bring you the book that started it all: Mütter Museum of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, by Gretchen Worden.

If reading all these titles has left you spent, you must forgive my horrible bent. For even though it is not Halloween, some of us crave a more macabre scene. Our reading tastes aren’t like a day in the park, we yearn for the ghastly… the dreadful…the dark….

Happy reading. Heh heh heh.

Sue LaPorte is an administrative assistant at the West Warwick Public Library.

Library notes

The Rhode Island Blood Center will hold a drive today, July 17, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the West Warwick Public Library, 1043 Main St.

The Take Two Tandem Tellers, Anne-Marie Forer and Cindy Killavey, will be at the East Greenwich Free Library on Wednesday, July 23, at 6:30 p.m. Forer and Killavey play eminent entomologists, Ant Annie and Ms. Bee. The program is for families with children ages 4 and up.

Children entering grades 1 to 4 are invited to the William Hall Library, 1825 Broad St., Cranston, today, July 17, from 3 to 4 p.m. to play Bug Bingo. Prizes will be awarded.

The Ted Collins Band will perform todayy, July 17, at 6:30 p.m. on the lawn of the library. The concert is part of the summer concert series sponsored by The Washington Trust Company and the City of Cranston.

Chris Carbone, a magician, will perform for children ages 5 and older on Wednesday, July 23, at 6:30 p.m. To register, call (401) 781-2450.

A family bilingual story hour will be held Thursday, July 31, from 2 to 3 p.m. There will be stories and activities in Spanish and English. To register, call the above number.

The Cranston Public Library, 140 Sockanosset Cross Rd., has announced that two current exhibits have been extended through July 31. They are the Ruth-Nest Signatures exhibit of photographs and paintings of Sockanosset during the early days of social welfare, and Rebecca Tremblay’s color photography.

As part of the summer reading program, Christopher “Kavi” Carbone, a storyteller, will perform for children ages 5 and up on Monday, July 21, at 6:30 p.m. To register, call (401) 943-9080, ext. 5.

The Warwick Public Library, 600 Sandy Lane, will present Alan Leveillee, who will speak on “Time Scene Investigations: An Evening with a Resident Rhode Island Archaeologist,” on Wednesday, July 23, at 7 p.m. To register, call (401) 739-5440, ext. 126.

Joyce Fedorko, a naturalist, will present a program on bugs for children in kindergarten to grade 3 at the Coventry Public Library, 1672 Flat River Rd., on Friday, July 25, at 1:30 p.m. Registration is required. Call (401) 822-9102.

An informational program on beekeeping for students in grades 3 to 12 will be held Friday, Aug. 1, at 2 p.m. Normand Peloquin, a beekeeper, will bring an observation hive and the equipment used by beekeepers. To register, call the above number.

Children of all ages are invited to drop by the Auburn Library, 396 Pontiac Ave, Cranston, on Tuesday, July 22, between 2 to 4 p.m. to make a bug terrarium.

Take Two, a storytelling team, will present a program for children ages 5 and up on Thursday, July 24, at 2 p.m. To register, call (401) 781-6116.

Items for this column may be e-mailed to wbnews@projo.com, faxed to (401) 277-7227, or mailed to The Providence Journal, West Bay Bureau, 75 Fountain St., 3rd floor, Providence, R.I. 02902. You can reach us at (401) 277-7090.