Off the Shelf: Spooky tales, fall recipes and crafts with NOLS
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, October 1, 2025
By Charlotte McGrew
Spooky season is here, along with the turning leaves and the approaching chill. Many find this a great time to turn inward as autumn settles around us. Try out a new recipe, a seasonal craft, or learn a new skill with NOLS.
Kids in grades 4-7 can try their hand at storytelling with the Two-Sentence Spooky Story Contest. Entries can be turned in at any NOLS branch or the Bookmobile, or submitted online at NOLS.org/contest by the Oct. 24 deadline. Winners from each branch will be announced on Halloween.
Adults and teens can get creative at several seasonally-themed SilverKite Community Arts virtual workshops. Register at NOLS.org/silverkite then gather your supplies for Spooky Landscapes in Charcoal, Sip and Paint Watercolor: Autumn Botanicals, and other topics. Recordings are available after each session.
Every Saturday from 9:30-11 a.m., drop in to the Sequim Library Temporary Location to sip warm drinks and craft with Yarn Circle. Bring your knitting, crochet, embroidery, or another portable project you’re working on.
To try out new recipes for fall, check out an e-magazine using the Libby app with your NOLS card. You can find the latest issues of popular magazines like “Taste of Home” and “All Recipes.”
Grab a new book and try out a skill to celebrate the season. Bring a friend, or introduce the little ones in your life to a new project. For inspiration, find several recommendations below with helpful summaries from the publishers.
“Dark and Dramatic Mosaic Crochet: A Master Guide to Overlay Colorwork with 15 Modern Goth and Alternative Patterns” by Alexis Sixel. Mosaic crochet is a fun way to create beautifully intricate colorwork patterns from bold, graphic images to more delicate, dainty designs all while only using single crochet and double crochet stitches, and without having to change colors in the middle of a row.
“Fall Crafts Across Cultures: 12 Projects to Celebrate the Season” by Megan Borgert-Spaniol. Fall is a season of celebration. Join the fun with festive crafts that celebrate holidays from around the world.
“Magical Miniature Worlds” by Ben Newell. Why not build a prehistoric jungle complete with dinosaurs? Or a delicate fairy garden? Maybe even an alien world? With 18 different projects to inspire you, you’ll be filling your shelves in no time.
“Drawing Spooky Chibi” by Sarah White with illustrations by Tessa Creative Art. Whether you’re a budding artist or a drawing master, this book makes drawing your favorite creatures of the night in anime-style fun and easy.
“Ghost Food: 75 Spooky, Fun, and Frightening Halloween-Inspired Sweet Treats” by Cayla Gallagher. This cookbook is packed with spooky, Halloween-y treats that are perfect for parties, scary movie nights, and for counting down to the most frightful holiday of the year!
“The Bean Book” by Steve Sando with Julia Newberry. Learn how easy it is to cook beans from scratch with the king of beans.
Browse the catalog for other inspiring reads, or ask us to compile a personalized list based on your interests by filling out the form at NOLS.org/bookmatch.
About Sequim Branch Library Visit the Sequim Library Temporary Location at 609 W. Washington St., open Monday–Thursday 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Friday 9 a.m.–6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m.–5 p.m. You can also contact staff by phone at 360-683-1161 or email sequim@nols.org.
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Charlotte McGrew is a librarian at the Sequim Library.
