The Beast House by Richard Laymon

I'll break the unwritten rule and write a little commentary on why I haven't been posting for a long time. I was lazy... Every time I finished a book, I would say to myself "I'll post this on the blog....ehhh.... maybe tomorrow." And now two years later, I'm here writing about me reading Beast House by Richard Laymon.

It's a sequel to another book called the the Cellar. The Cellar was about a house that had a side show attraction, and the house had several murders taken place by a beast like creature. The sequel was to close up some loose questions in regards to the ending of the Cellar, which I won't give away, so you have to go and read it. The Cellar was one of the most offensive novels I've ever read, and as a horror fan that is the best compliment I can give.

Beast House on the other hand was okay. It didn't have the ammount of shock you would expect in a Laymon novel, but we do see familiar faces from the Cellar, and it's good to see what became of them. Now... I just need to hunt down the Midnight Tour, the third book in the series.

Looking For Alaska

Looking For Alaska by John Green was a book that intrigued me. I became aware of it's exsistance because of YouTube. John Green and his brother run a very popular channel on YouTube (Vlogbrothers). I loved the creativity in their videos so I decided to check out the book John was always mentioning.

Looking For Alaska blew me away it was beautiful, funny, sad, thoughtful...it was everything. I would suggest this book for anyone, boys or girls. The book does deal with some adult situations suchs as smoking and engaging in sexual themes but they are not the main focus of the book and take up very few pages.

I found myself completely in love with all the characters and yearned for their happy ending. And yes I cried my eyes out reading this book while sitting in the my malls food court!

John Green won a Printz Prize for this amazing book in 2006.

From Barnes and Noble

Miles Halter is fascinated by famous last words — and tired of his safe life at home. He leaves for boarding school to seek what the dying poet Francois Rabelais called the "Great Perhaps." Much awaits Miles at Culver Creek, including Alaska Young. Clever, funny, screwed-up, and dead sexy, Alaska will pull Miles into her labyrinth and catapult him into the Great Perhaps.

Looking for Alaska brilliantly chronicles the indelible impact one life can have on another. A stunning debut, it marks John Green's arrival as an important new voice in contemporary fiction.

Fables

Fables by Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, and Steve Leialoha is an extrodinary comic that spans over 8 books so far (jan 07). I had fallen out of the comic book circle and I was pushed into reading this book and I'm extremely glad I did. Fables is a long series that pokes at you to spot the fable character. It's an awesome investment to get into. New comics are made for it every month and probably will be for a long time.

From Barnes and Noble

Long ago, the Adversary conquered all of the various lands of Fable, and the survivors escaped to exile on Earth. With all past grudges forgiven, the Fables formed their own community in the United States. Some live on a remote farm, but those who can pass as human live in New York City, hiding their extraordinary nature from the world. King Cole is the mayor of Fabletown, but the real work is done by his no-nonsense deputy, Snow White (whatever you do, never mention the dwarves!). When Snow's estranged sister Rose Red goes missing, detective B. Wolf (Bigby for short) is called in to investigate the crime. The suspects include Rose's boyfriend Jack the giant-killer; Bluebeard the pirate, with whom Rose had had an affair; and Snow's ex-husband, Prince Charming. Writer Willingham ties everything up in style, and the realistic full-color art by Lan Medina and others fits the tale well. Fans of urban prose fantasies should find this highly entertaining. Part of DC's Vertigo line for "mature readers," this is strongly recommended for all adult collections. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Green Angel

Green Angel by Alice Hoffman is so achingly beautiful. Each chapter flows wonderfuly in its pose. I almost started crying by the end. And it takes an amazing book for that to happen to me.

Books Description
Left on her own when her family dies in a terrible disaster, fifteen-year-old Green is haunted by loss and by the past. Struggling to survive physically and emotionally in a place where nothing seems to grow and ashes are everywhere, Green retreats into the ruined realm of her garden. But in destroying her feelings, she also begins to destroy herself, erasing the girl she'd once been as she inks darkness into her skin. It is only through a series of mysterious encounters that Green can relearn the lessons of love and begin to heal enough to tell her story.

Coraline

Coraline by Neil Gaiman is one of my newest favorite book of all time. It's a kids book, but any age can read it. Personally I found it extremely spooky, but that could have something to do with the button eyes and sharp nails. It's a quick read and not one you'll want to put down till it's over. The entire time I was reading Coraline I kept wishing it was a movie. Neil Gaiman's Mirrormask was turned into a movie and was beautifully done. I kept invisioning Coraline in the same fashion. It would be simply awesome.

From Barnes and Noble

In Neil Gaiman's bestselling adult fantasies, telling the difference between reality and illusion can sometimes mean your soul. With Coraline, the author of American Gods develops this favorite theme for a younger audience, taking us through a deliciously frightening door to an "other," harrowing world.
Coraline's often wondered what's behind the locked door in the drawing room. It reveals only a brick wall when she finally opens it, but when she tries again later, a passageway mysteriously appears. Coraline is surprised to find a flat decorated exactly like her own, but strangely different. And when she finds her "other" parents in this alternate world, they are much more interesting despite their creepy black button eyes. When they make it clear, however, that they want to make her theirs forever, Coraline begins a nightmarish game to rescue her real parents and three children imprisoned in a mirror. With only a bored-through stone and an aloof cat to help, Coraline confronts this harrowing task of escaping these monstrous creatures.

Gaiman has delivered a wonderfully chilling novel, subtle yet intense on many levels. The line between pleasant and horrible is often blurred until what's what becomes suddenly clear, and like Coraline, we resist leaving this strange world until we're hooked. Unnerving drawings also cast a dark shadow over the book's eerie atmosphere, which is only heightened by simple, hair-raising text. Already compared to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and suited for readers of all ages, Coraline is otherworldly storytelling at its best. (Matt Warner)

Saiyuki

If you love manga, Saiyuki is definately a series to invest in. I've read all of the first series and the first book of the second series (the second volume I can't get my hands on...). I really suggest reading the manga first instead of seeing the anime. Alot of interesting and funny jokes and facts are lost in...translation. ;) Plus! The manga has fantastic art work. Yaoi fans, there are hints...but...*shrugs* they leave it all to your imagination. Wishful thinking I suppose.

From Wikipedia

Saiyuki, also known as Gensomaden Saiyuki (幻想魔伝最遊記 Gensōmaden Saiyūki?, lit. Romanticized Tale of a Journey to the Extreme) in Japan, is a popular manga series created by Kazuya Minekura and loosely based on the famous Chinese novel Journey to the West (Xī Yóu Jì). Studio Pierrot has adapted it into an anime as well, although the storyline is not yet complete.
Gensomaden Saiyuki deals with the fortunes of four fighters - the monk Genjyo Sanzo (Romanized Genjo in the anime and Singapore English manga), the monkey deity Son Goku, the half-demon Sha Gojyo (sometimes spelled Gojou), and the demon Cho Hakkai, who have been dispatched by the Sanbutsushin (The Three Aspects of the Buddha) to India to investigate the reasons behind the recent insanity among the demons. Demons, who have formerly coexisted peacefully with humans in Shangri-La, are going berserk and turning against them

Moon Called

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs seems like your everyday run of the mill boring werewolf, vampire, ghoul book. Wrooong. I was absolutely captivated from the first page on. The protagonist Mercy is so...original. Everything in this novel is. I loved the characterization and fast pace of the action. It was also very suspenceful leaving you wondering what would happen next or who exactly is the..."bad guy". Mercy is a very believeable main character, I wouldn't mind having her as my neighbor!

From The Author

Moon Called is the beginning of the story of Mercedes Thompson a coyote shapeshifter who is also a pretty decent mechanic. Mercy's world looks a lot like ours except that the Otherworld is begining to be forced out of hiding by our modern technologies. Mercy shares her back fence with the local Alpha werewolf and works evenings on the vampire Stefan's VW bus. She's safe and content -- which doesn't make a very story, does it? So, of course, matters begin to change on the first page. In this book Mercy faces trolls and gremlins, old boyfriends and older vampires. I hope you enjoy her story.