Secret Santa

It is that time of the year again, time to begin making holiday plans. I came across this really neat Secret Santa book swap on a couple other book blogs and thought I'd let everyone know about it. The Neverending Shelf is hosting this Secret Santa, so check out her blog for more information. Sign ups end the 15th of this month, so be sure to hurry over.

Family Reunion

Just wanted to let everyone know that I will probably be MIA for a few days. I am in California at a family reunion and the hotel that was supposed to have wireless Internet does not. I am also in the middle of midterms so any chance I get to spend on the Internet will need to be used for research.

In book related news, I got my hands on an ARC "Witch and Wizard" by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet and am enjoying it so far. Very interesting plot and is turning out to be a quick read.

In case I don't get to post again, have a good weekend! Hopefully I'll be up and running more frequently Wednesday of next week.

Thursday Update

Today was such a yucky day! It was the first really cold day and of course it had to rain. My winter coat and boots are out for the season I think... :/
On this yucky day I finally managed to get all the boxes and trash out of my apartment from when I moved in (that was 5 months ago to the day). But everything is finally done! I also spent some time to do a bit of cleaning and put out some Halloween decorations!

Yes it is a little late, but I'll probably leave them up until I put up my Christmas Tree.
I thought I had a lot more decorations... they may have gotten left behind at my old apartment.

"The Monstrumologist" is Menacing

"The Monstrumologist"

Rick Yancey


5

These are the secrets I have kept. This is the trust I never betrayed.

But he is dead now and has been for more than forty years, the one who gave me his trust, the one for whom I kept these secrets.

The one who saved me...and the one who cursed me.

So begins the journal of Will Henry, orphaned assistant to Dr. Pellinore Warthrop, a man with a most unusual specialty: monstrumology, the study of monsters. In his time with the doctor, Will has met many a mysterious late-night visitor, and seen things he never imagined were real. But when a grave robber comes calling in the middle of the night with a gruesome find, he brings with him their most deadly case yet.

Critically acclaimed author Rick Yancey has written a gothic tour de force that explores the darkest heart of man and monster and asks the question: When does a man become the very thing he hunts?

This book was awesome. It was both scary and full of gore. Sometimes gore is unnecessary, but when it comes to a book about monsters and the scientists who study them, it was very fitting. There were so may scary parts in the book, scenes in cemeteries and a psychiatric hospital are some of the highlights. Yancey did a wonderful job describing the monsters in a truly terrifying way. From the very beginning of the book when the corps of one of the Anthropophagi is described it is clear that these creatures will be brutal killers and I was not disappointed. Even the inside cover of the book is creepy! Even if you aren't planning on buying the book, it is worth just picking it up at the book store to look at.

"The Monstrumologist" has more than just terror and adventure. All the characters in the book were well developed. Even though I didn't like Warthrop, he was a great character to see unfold. It was hard to watch Will Henry follow him so devotedly after the way Warthrop treats him. Each new character introduced had a story and personal demons. I can definitely see that there is room for this series to grow based off of the characters alone. That isn't even considering the many terrible creatures that Yancey can dream up in the next books. I am looking forward to more in the series, but I'm not really sure what can top the first book. What can be more terrifying than graveyards and mental institutions?

Teaser Tuesdays

"The Forest of Hands and Teeth"

Carrie Ryan

Excerpt from page 7:
I know that in my life there have been breaches but I also know that I am very good at blocking out the memories that serve me no purpose. I can fear the Unconsecrated well enough without them.

I am 100 pages into this book and it is killing me that I need to stop reading to do homework. I was sitting in a small diner eating lunch and I had no idea that over an hour went by. That says a lot!

Teaser Tuesdays was started by MizB on her blog. On Teaser Tuesdays participants are asked to grab the book they are currently reading and open it to a random page. Then fist two "teaser" sentences on that page between lines 7 and 12. The key is to entice readers to pick up the book without giving away any spoilers.