Spooky Chapter Books For Halloween Fun

October 29, 2013July 16, 2014 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

Are you or your children getting excited for the spooky fun that comes along with the Halloween season or are you just not quite ready? Well, here are some children’s chapter books that might help you get into the Halloween spirit.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman.
Coraline ventures through a mysterious door into a world that is similar, yet disturbingly different from her own, where she must challenge a gruesome entity in order to save herself, her parents, and the souls of three others.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.
Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn’t live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead. There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will come under attack from the man Jack-who has already killed Bod’s family.

Boo!: Halloween Poems and Limericks written by Patricia Hubbell and illustrated by Jeff Spackman.
A collection of limericks and other poems about Halloween, including “Halloween Scarecrow,” “There Once Was a Witch from North Dublin,” and “Pumpkin Surprise.”

Bunnicula, and the rest of the series, by James Howe.
Though scoffed at by Harold the dog, Chester the cat tries to warn his human family that their foundling baby bunny must be a vampire.

Scary Godmother written and illustrated by Jill Thompson.
While trick-or-treating on Halloween night, Hannah Marie meets her Scary Godmother and a host of creepy creatures who make her welcome on the Fright Side on later Halloweens as well.

Zombie Kid by J. Scott Savage.
The Halloween plans of monster enthusiasts Nick, Carter, and Angelo are thrown into turmoil when a magical amulet acquired from Nick’s voodoo queen aunt turns Nick into a zombie and prompts an uproarious effort to break the curse.

You might also want to try Wait Till Helen Comes, The Doll in the Garden, and All the Lovely Bad Ones by Mary Downing Hahn, The Witches by Roald Dahl, Revenge of the Witch (The Last Apprentice / Wardstone Chronicles, #1) by Joseph Delaney, The Monster’s Ring by Bruce Coville, Ghost Dog Secrets by Peg Kehret, Scary Stories for Halloween Nights by C.B. Colby, or any books in R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps series or Scary Stories series by Alvin Schwartz.

Six Picks : Books to Read Now That ‘Breaking Bad’ is Over

October 27, 2013September 26, 2014 / Linda / Leave a comment

Looking for something to fill the void now that ‘Breaking Bad‘ is over? Here are six titles that should keep you entertained.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. Forty years after the disappearance of Harriet Vanger from the secluded island owned and inhabited by her powerful family, her uncle, convinced that she had been murdered by someone from her own deeply dysfunctional clan, hires journalist Mikael Blomqvist and Lisbeth Salander, an unconventional young hacker, to investigate.

Difficult Men : behind the scenes of a creative revolution : from the Sopranos and the Wire to Mad men and Breaking bad by Brett Martin. The new golden age of television drama—addictive, dark, suspenseful, complex, morally murky—is chronicled in Brett Martin’s Difficult Men. This group portrait of the guys who made The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, The Wire, Deadwood, Mad Men and Breaking Bad is a deeply reported, tough-minded, revelatory account of what goes on not just in the writers’ room but in the writer’s head—the thousand decisions fueled by genius, ego, instinct, and anger that lead to the making of a great TV show.

No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy. One day, a good old boy named Llewellyn Moss finds a pickup truck surrounded by a bodyguard of dead men. A load of heroin and two million dollars in cash are still in the back. When Moss takes the money, he sets off a chain reaction of catastrophic violence that not even the law–in the person of aging, disillusioned Sheriff Bell–can contain.

Fight Club by Chuck Palanuik. The rise of a terrorist organization, led by a waiter who enjoys spitting in people’s soup. He starts a fighting club, where men bash each other, and the club quickly gains in popularity. It becomes the springboard for a movement devoted to destruction for destruction’s sake.

Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh. Probably most famous for the gritty depiction of a gang of Scottish Heroin addicts, Welsh’s controversial first novel focuses on the darker side of human nature and drug use.

Winter’s Bone by Daniel Woodrell. Ree Dolly’s father has skipped bail on charges that he ran a crystal meth lab, and the Dollys will lose their house if he doesn’t show up for his next court date. With two young brothers depending on her, 16-year-old Ree knows she has to bring her father back, dead or alive. As an unsettling revelation lurks, Ree discovers unforeseen depths in herself and in a family network that protects its own at any cost.

Fifty Shades of Grey’s New Lead Actor

October 25, 2013June 5, 2014 / Linda / Leave a comment

Jamie Dornan

Jamie Dornan will portray Christian Grey in the movie version of Fifty Shades of Grey. The 31 year old actor currently stars on ABC’S “Once Upon A Time”. He was also a former Calvin Klein underwear model. The role originally called for a salary of $125,000 – which is quite low for this type of high profile part. Negotiations are still underway, so time will tell if Dornan will be able to command a higher salary.

Linda Reads: The Christmas He Loved Her by Juliana Stone

October 24, 2013August 27, 2014 / Linda / Leave a comment

This is book two of the series The Bad Boys of Crystal Lake. You can read about book one, The Summer He Came Home, here.

Jesse Edwards was killed in Afghanistan and his widow, Raine, is having a very difficult time coping with his death. Having an equally hard time is Jesse’s fraternal twin, Jake, who served with Jesse and was there when Jesse was killed. What complicates the situation even more, Jesse, Jake and Raine were best friends growing up together. Raine loved both brothers in different ways, but chose Jesse to marry – leaving Jake heartbroken. Because he can’t come to terms with Jesse’s death and he can’t face Raine, Jake stays away from Crystal Lake. Eighteen months go by before he has the courage to come home for Christmas.

Raine Edwards is barely coping with her husband Jesse’s death. She’s depressed and isolates herself from everyone. Jake is her best friend and she can’t understand why he is avoiding coming home to help her through her grief. When he finally does comes home, Raine is angry, hurt and confused.

This book is an emotional roller coaster that follows Jake and Raine from a childhood friendship to devastating grief and through every emotion imaginable until they find love.

The Christmas He Loved Her isn’t your typical Christmas story. The grief and pain of these two characters tears at your heart. Even though they are surrounded by family, friends and the whole town of Crystal Lake, their struggle is heart wrenching. But love has amazing healing powers and their journey is a very enjoyable read!

On Our Shelves: New Children’s Non-Fiction

October 23, 2013October 23, 2013 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

There have been some very interesting additions to our children’s non fiction section in the last few months; from cookbooks to get children more involved in the kitchen to interesting guides to specific areas of science. Here are some of the most intriguing titles that have been added to our children’s non fiction section in recent days.

Extreme Biology, created by Basher and written by Dan Green
This is one of a fantastic new series of non fiction books. This particular title features several bio-buddies who explain a complex area of science, taking your biological knowledge to a whole new level. For more books in the series look here.

Forensics: Uncover the Science and Technology of Crime Scene Investigation by Carla Mooney, illustrated by Samuel Caraugh
Presents an overview of forensic science and crime scene investigation, featuring projects in the areas of documenting a crime scene, identifying fingerprints, analyzing blood spatter, and extracting DNA.

Grandpa’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Cookbook written by Judi Barrett and drawn by Ron Barrett. Kids can learn how to make the food that fell from the sky in Cloudy with a chance of meatballs.

Whales and Dolphins by Anita Ganeri, illustrations by Peter Bull Art Studio
Describes the characteristics and behavior of dolphins and whales; looks at how they eat, live in groups, and raise their young; and explains why some species are now endangered.

ART2-D2’s Guide to Folding and Doodling by Tom Angleberger
To doodle like a Jedi you must learn! With this companion to the blockbuster bestselling Origami Yoda series, beloved author Tom Angleberger—with the help of the kids from McQuarrie Middle School—presents young Padawans with dozens of activities from the Star Wars universe.

Make a Movie! byJim Pipe
Making a film is creative, rewarding… and easier than you think. Why not give it a go? This book gives you all the advice and encouragement you need to take your first steps in the world of cinema.