Six years after Stephenie Meyer popularized fictional teenage vampire angst -- and well in to the hugely successful run of the HBO series True Blood (based on the books by Charlaine Harris, latest titles here) -- the fascination with mythical creatures continues unabated.
The Big Picture
For a quick overview of the major players in centuries of folklore -- every 'thing' from Bigfoot, to swamp creatures, to aliens and their hybrids -- try Tracking the Man-beasts : Sasquatch, Vampires, Zombies, and More by Joe Nickell.
For Zombiephiles
While vampire fiction zips in and out our doors, we missed marking Zombie Appreciation Month (May 2011). For adult readers who did 'observe' try:
The New Dead : a Zombie Anthology edited by Christopher Golden
The Zombie Autopsies : Secret Notebooks from the Apocalypse by Steven C. Schlozman
Zombies : Encounters with the Hungry Dead edited by John Skipp
Slightly off the undead beat is Zombies vs. Unicorns. Twelve writers, Meg Cabot, Garth Nix, and Scott Westerfeld among them, use genre bending short stories to debate who might win a fantasy vs. horror creature smack down. For ages 14+...
Arts & Crafts
If you truly dig the whole zombie/monster thing during the off season (not Halloween) try:
Zombie Felties : How to Raise 16 Gruesome Felt Creatures from the Undead by Nicola Tedman & Sarah Skeate
Papier-mâché Monsters : Turn Trinkets and Trash into Magnificent Monstrosities by Dan Reeder
For Kids
Titles in the Captain Underpants, Bailey School Kids, and Dripping Fang series books tend to feature mythical beings. Scooby Doo's escapades with a variety of folklore's famous favorites are fun, too. "Rut Roh!"
On DVD
Plenty o' zombie films for adults, including the 'classics' by George Romero.
As Always
Choose for yourself or for your children...
