What’s your opinion on Halloween decorations? Are they to be put up once we pass Labor Day, or are they to be displayed only during the month of October? I generally want to fall into the former camp, but my overall lack of household organization typically puts me into the latter.

No matter your stance on creepy décor, the Delaware County District Library has the program for you to kick off your spooky season!

Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel “Frankenstein” towers over Western literature as one of the most influential novels ever written and science’s most enduring myth. On Saturday, Oct. 5, at 2 p.m., OSU professor Linda Mizejewski will join us at the Delaware County District Library Liberty Branch to discuss how “Frankenstein” launched the horror and science fiction genres, developing into the monster-in-the-house tradition of “Psycho” and serial-killer movies.

Mizejewski’s presentation will explore the richness of the Frankenstein tradition in film and literature, the gendered implications of the motherless monster, and the social and psychological meanings of the monster who will not die. Registration is required for “Frankenstein! Myth, Monster, and Popular Culture” and can be found at www.delawarelibrary.org/event.

Linda Mizejewski is a professor of women’s studies at the Ohio State University with a research focus on women in popular culture. She has published a number of books on this subject, particularly on the topic of women performers and the female investigator character in cinema, television and best-selling novels.

This program is made possible, in part, by Ohio Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Ohio Humanities’ Speakers Bureau programs provide the tools for thoughtful conversation, facilitation, and reflection on topics relevant to Ohioans today. Scholars in the fields of history, literature, philosophy, law, and archaeology have been engaging audiences and inspiring conversation for over 20 years.

Speaking of Frankenstein’s monster, this week we will take a peek at some of the newest horror novels on our shelves. Author Nicola Yoon will be at the Westerville Public Library tonight (Wednesday, Sept. 18)! Tickets are still available at Westerville Library’s website for purchase, or you can stop by the Delaware Main Library in downtown Delaware to pick up a discounted ticket.

• “One of Our Kind” by Nicola Yoon. Thrilled to be moving to an exclusive all-Black Los Angeles suburb with her family, Jasmyn quickly discovers her seemingly utopian neighborhood hides sinister secrets that could threaten her life. Reminiscent of Ira Levin’s novels, YA author Nicola Yoon’s adult debut “will linger in readers’ minds long after its horrifying conclusion” (Publishers Weekly).

• “I Was a Teenage Slasher” by Stephen Graham Jones. Bram Stoker Award winner Stephen Graham Jones follows up his Indian Lake trilogy with the gruesome and darkly humorous confessional of murderer Tolly Driver, who went on a killing spree as a teen in 1989 Lamesa, Texas.

• “Incidents Around the House” by Josh Malerman. Bestselling author Josh Malerman’s (Bird Box) latest stars eight-year-old Bela, whose relationship with her menacing imaginary friend “Other Mommy” pushes her parents to their breaking point.

• “Youthjuice” by E.K. Sathue. The pseudonymous E.K. Sathue’s satirical work of body horror stars a woman working for a Goop-esque wellness company in New York City who discovers something sinister about the company’s products.

• “Horror Movie” by Paul Tremblay. The only surviving cast member of a cursed 1990s art house horror flick titled Horror Movie finds himself involved with the reboot — but will he make it out alive the second time around? Paul Tremblay’s slow-burn love letter to horror films includes sections of Horror Movie’s screenplay.

If you have a question that you would like to see answered in this column, mail it to Nicole Fowles, Delaware County District Library, 84 E. Winter St., Delaware, OH 43015, or call us at 740-362-3861. You can also email your questions by visiting the library’s web site at www.delawarelibrary.org or directly to Nicole at [email protected]. No matter how you contact us, we’re always glad you asked!