Local Author Spotlight: Dr. Ashley Baker, Author of The Furious Others

 

The Furious Others by Ashley Baker

In her newly released novel The Furious Others, Dr. Ashley Baker describes the final hours in the lives of ten young women who have been the victims of a serial killer.  

Rather than telling the story from the perspective of the killer, The Furious Others flips the traditional horror novel format and begins in Purgatory, where the killer stands condemned for multiple murders. Chapter by chapter, the book reveals the sinister side of Jason LeDown through the eyes of his victims and the few lucky souls who survived their encounters with the brainy, awkward, and angry young man. 

Dino-vember Adult Fiction Book Recommendations

 

The decline of the dinosaurs allowed mammals - including us - to flourish. And that leads us to wonder whether the disappearance of the dinosaurs is going to be repeated, sooner or later, by us as well. Whether at the deepest level the fault lies not in blind fate - in some fiery meteor from the skies - but in our own behavior. At the moment we have no answer.

Michael Crichton

The Lost World

Here are some of the popular fiction titles from our Dino-vember reading list.

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton 

Velociraptors agree, no dinosaur reading list would be complete without Michael Crichton's 1990 novel that warned about the dangers of genetically modified dinosaurs.  

The Dinosaur Hunter by Homer Hickam

Homer Hickman, author of the New York Times bestseller Rocket Boys, draws on his own experience fossil hunting in this realistic thriller set in Montana. 

Eruption by Michael Crichton and James Patterson

Bestselling author James Patterson adapts an unfinished novel from the late Michael Crichton into a fast-paced thriller about military secrets and an active volcano on Big Island, Hawaii. 

Alicia Cavitt

Information Specialist

Meet Brianna Schantz—FCPL's Latest Library Limelight!

You know when you meet someone who loves what they do so much it stands out in everything they do? That was my experience when I met our latest Library Limelight, Brianna Schantz, who fosters creativity in so many ways at Forsyth County Public Library (FCPL).

Brianna currently serves as an Information Specialist at Sharon Forks, and embodies the passion and dedication that make libraries such vibrant community hubs. With four years of experience at FCPL, Brianna began her journey as a Collection Support Aide before advancing to her current role.

Brianna is well prepared for an exciting

backpacking adventure in North Carolina

Dino-vember Adult Nonfiction Book Recommendations

Things are going to get weird. There may be horrific disasters, and many lives will  be lost. But don't worry. As long as we keep exploring, humanity is going to survive.

Annalee Newitz

Scatter, Adapt, and Remember: 

How Humans Will Survive a Mass Extinction

A Spector in the Stacks at Sharon Fork Library Continued

Her name is Alice and she's been browsing the stacks at Sharon Forks Library since 2009, looking for interesting books to read and reread. 

On Earth, Alice’s to-be-read pile always exceeded her time to read. After her peaceful passing, Alice enjoys unlimited time to read by hanging out at the Sharon Forks Library where there's cozy seating and books on every topic imaginable.

A Spector in the Stacks at Sharon Forks Library Continued

Alice was a common fixture, seen in Cumming, GA for most of her life walking around town, at the monthly farmers market, and wandering the country roads. Her life was tragically cut short, a mystery which will never be solved. 

She is seen wandering the stacks at Sharon Forks whenever the moon reaches its closest pass by the Earth, known as the supermoon. Alice has been known to re-sort the non-fiction area on ghosts at random times during the year.

Lola N.

Information Specialist

 

A Spector in the Stacks at Sharon Forks Library Continued

The library was nearly deserted, aside from a few high school students meandering around. It was closing time, and as the lingering patrons made their way to the front doors, a low cry was heard from the nonfiction stacks. 

A librarian cautiously walked back to the shelves, nervous she would find a child missing their parents. When she arrived at the stacks, however, all the rows were empty aside from a book on the floor. She put the book back and walked to the next row, only to hear a dull thud. Retracing her steps, the same book was on the floor, as though she had never picked it up. Curious, she read the front cover and found it was a book about manners and etiquette. 

A Spector in the Stacks at Sharon Forks Library Continued

Before joining FCPL, I worked at the Walton-DeFuniak Library, which is located in a small town in the Florida Panhandle. The library opened its doors December 1887 and is known as the oldest circulating library in the state. 

On one of my first days, the director (who has since retired) shared the story of Alice. Alice Fellows was part of the Ladies Library Association, who held fundraiser events for funds to open a library. She was a member from 1894 and became the first paid librarian and continued to hold the position until 1926 when she died from influenza. She was said to be a strict woman who dedicated herself to the library, never having been married or having children. It is rumored that she is still keeping a stern watch over the library. 

A Spector in the Stacks at Sharon Forks Library Continued

Alice haunts the library, a cold presence in the air. Fifty years ago she vanished between the shelves, her body found days later, clutching a book that no longer exists.

Now, shadows twist in corners and whispers rise from forgotten pages. At night the air turns heavy, and lights flicker as her ghost drifts through the aisles, searching, always searching.

A Spector in the Stacks at Sharon Forks Library Continued

Something has made its presence known at the Sharon Forks Library. While searching for biographies and books on history in the adult nonfiction section, patrons and library staff have heard the echo of a name….Alice. 

What is this apparition, and why is it here? There have been a few theories…..

It used to be so quiet here. Now every day they’re loose, shifting the furniture around just outside my vision. I miss the days when this was all mine, every shelf and chair. Now, every night, I have to put all the furniture back where it belongs, knowing they’ll be back next morning. Whispering and snickering behind the doors. Leaving their crumbs behind. 

I wonder if they ever think about who keeps this place running. Maybe they can’t think at all. Just shifting patches of sound and light, stepping through, briefly, before they go back to that other place.

Dr. Ian Afflerbach

University of North Georgia

Forsyth County Public Libraray Series Host: Race and American Culture 

A Specter in the Stacks at Sharon Forks Library

Something has made its presence known at the Sharon Forks Library. While searching for biographies and books on history in the adult nonfiction section, patrons and library staff have heard the echo of a name….Alice. 

What is this apparition, and why is it here? 

Alice in Libraryland

Alice got old. And as elderly people often do, she reminisced about the wondrous adventures of her youth. No one believes her tales, but she knows they’re true…that she’s more than a character in a children’s novel.