Happy birthday to one of our mothers of science fiction! from link
It’s science fiction grand dame Octavia Butler‘s birthday! What better time to celebrate her pioneering works than on what would have been her seventy-first birthday? (Incidentally, Google has celebrated her with a Doodle as well!)
You’ll find a complete list of Butler’s books here. Looking for one to bring home today? You’ll find Kindred, Clay’s Ark, and Seed to Harvest–the complete Patternist trilogy–on our shelves today. Prefer to read eBooks? You’ll find Butler’s works on both Hoopla and Media on Demand. Really want a book–but already read Kindred, Clay’s Ark, and Seed to Harvest? Check the system! You’ll find many more novels–as well as additional formats–there. All it takes to get them is a quick request, and they’ll be on their way to you.
And did you know that Butler’s work will soon come to the small screen? It’s true! Ava DuVernay is adapting Dawn–from the Xenogenisus series–for television. Keep a weather eye out for developments!
the scientifically magical Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley! from link
Today we get a movie not about her unnamed Monster but about Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley herself! How often do we hear anything at all about her (aside from being Shelley’s wife, in Byron’s sphere, and, oh yeah, the novelist behind Frankenstein)? So, to properly celebrate, let’s check out some books and movies about Mary Shelley and her Monster (and that guy Dr. Frankenstein, too).
Have you read Frankenstein: Or, The Modern Prometheus? If not–and if you want to get a taste of a book that’s often called the first science fiction novel, as well as the birth of horror as we know it–we have definitely got you covered. You’ll find the novel shelved in our classics section; there are also two copies in our regular fiction, so you can pretty much choose your favorite cover (and why not, right?). Prefer to listen? We have Frankenstein on CD–and, of course, you’ll find the novel on both Hoopla and Media on Demand, as well as in the system as a Playaway. Choose your favorite format and see the drama unfold!
As adaptions often are! (You’ll find this one in our family movie section.) from link
Curious about more modern interpretations? Check out Mackenzie Lee’s This Monstrous Thing, in which a mechanic brings his brother back from the dead–and a community wonders if, perhaps, they inspired Frankenstein. Created daughters of infamous scientists–including Dr. Frankenstein–look to end their parents’ reigns in The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter, while the Shelleys–particularly Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, her husband Percy, and her step-sister Claire–emerge in A Fatal Likeness. Follow the Creature after Dr. Frankenstein’s death in Frankenstein’s Monster, then step into Dean Koontz’s re-imagining of the classic novel in the series Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein (you can find the complete series list here). Maybe your kids love the idea of a mad scientist (but aren’t, perhaps, ready for the original)–check out the Franny K. Stein series, available here at Homewood!
Want to watch some Frankenstein–in some (possibly trippy) adaptions? We have you covered there, too. Both Dr. Frankenstein and his Creature are characters in Penny Dreadful; you’ll find seasons one and two here at Homewood, while the third season is available in our system. You can watch Frankenweenie on either Blu-Ray or DVD (both are in our family section). Give Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein a whirl. You’ll find I, Frankenstein here, as well as some ‘70s Frankenstein romps with Elvira. The Frankenstein Chronicles are streaming on Netflix now and will make their way, eventually, to your local library; you can request Victor Frankenstein (it has Daniel Radcliffe in it!)–and, of course, we can always find those classic Frankenstein adaptions, too.
On the Shelves at Homewood Public Library 