Monthly Archives

May 2014

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“For Safety’s Sake”… or “Hey, I’m Still Alive Down Here”

I have a lot of fears, guys. Lots of them. Heights, closed spaces, dense crowds, mob mentality, dentists scraping my teeth with those metal tools, the entire bottom of the airplane somehow falling off at 30,000 feet, the fact that every day my children are growing closer and closer to adulthood and I'm doing a terrible job at preparing them ... Some of those fears are more rational than others. But one fear I think we've ALL had at one time or another is the fear of being buried alive. What do you mean I've never had that fear? Seriously? Hmm. So that one's jus[...]

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Real Life Creepy Places: Centralia, Pennsylvania

Hi all! After my absence last time (what can I say, life intervened) I'm back with another Real Life Creepy Place. And this one is an oldie but goodie. Welcome to Centralia. Also known as the inspiration behind the Silent Hill games. Centralia is one of the most well-known ghost towns in North America. Abandoned since the eighties, it's situated near a town called Ashland (Ashland? I mean... really?), along a part of Route 61 that's now blocked off. Centralia used to be an ordinary small Pennsylvania town of less that 3000 inhabitants, a mining town that mainl[...]

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BEA Spotlight: Holly Black

I am a HUGE fan of Holly Black. In fact, when I saw a friend of mine come out of the convention hall of BEA last year with an ARC of The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, I just about lost my mind. Luckily, she is wonderful and went back in to find me a copy. This is my favorite Holly Black story yet! This year, Holly has two signings and I plan to be at both of them. I am so excited to get my hands on The Darkest Part of the Forest. I mean, look at that cover! BEAUTIFUL! The Iron Trail, one she co-authored with the amazing Cassandra Clare is sure to be awesome too! I[...]

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Hi Babes, I’m Back! – The Babysitter Series from R.L. Stine

Lately, I've been making bi-weekly trips down to my local used book store The Bookman, and shopping their selection of horror books from the 90's. You know, from the reign of R.L. Stine. Last week I went, and picked up these babies.  I haven't read these ones yet, but I can't wait to. I'll make sure I keep you guys up on which one of these I'm reading. But for now, I've been busy reading what I bought on my last haul, which was The Babysitter series from R.L. Stine. The Babysitter series from R.L. Stine is about a girl named Jenny who is tormented by a mysteriou[...]

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Silhouettes and Creepy Shorts: The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello

As summer approaches, I have been thinking of fun things to do with my laser cutter, and as a result, have again been thinking about shadow puppets and scary silhouettes. Which reminds me of one of my favorite short films: The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello. Nominated for an Academy Award in 2006, Anthony Lucas’s animated masterpiece is definitely worth checking out if you’re not familiar with it. Jasper the airship navigator is haunted by the memory of a previous crew mate's death, a death he feels responsible for. Meanwhile, his city o[...]

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Books Bound in Human Skin

I love books. I have over six hundred of them in my library, and I'm still finding creative ways to cram more in even though I'm running out of space on my shelves. I especially love leather-bound books, though I don't have too many of those (YA titles don't usually get released with ooh la la fancy bindings like that.) There's something warm and buttery about holding a hand bound volume -- but what if a book you thought was simple moo cow hide was actually something a little more sinister? One of the most famous examples of a book bound in human skin comes from[...]

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My Love of Abandoned Places

There is something awesome about places. They are immovable and, in some very basic ways, unchangeable. A place will always be in the same... well, place. Years go by. Decades, centuries. And a place just sits there, letting things walk on it. People, animals. A place patiently listens to the ever-changing wildlife or people that inhabit it. Maybe those people remain for a long time or maybe their presence is only there for a transient moment. Some places--those cities that "never sleep"--are inundated with a constant din of conversation and noise. I often wonder[...]

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Disturbing Web Finds #2

My journeys through the www have led me to some truly creeptastic things. My wide-eyedness prompted the first 'Disturbing Web Finds' post, and I'm happy to report, there are many more freaky finds where those came from. Honestly, I'm not sure how I run into these stories. It's totally not on purpose. But since I do, I figure it's only fair that I share the creepay creepay with all of you. I'm gracious like that. You're welcome. :) First, we have this video (which I found on Facebook) of a praying mantis dying. But the thing that made my stomach knot up, flip, cl[...]

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52 Hours of Classic Horror

Want to catch up on your classic horror stories, but don't have enough time? My husband stumbled upon this 52 hour spotify playlist of scary stories. Most of these are pulled from the days of radio broadcasts. The list includes your classic Edgar Allan Poe and Hitchcock stories, and a 1944 broadcast of Frankenstein. There are stories and poems, lasting a single minute or twenty-five. I've always had a romantic fascination with Frankenstein, and started pulling out Edgar Allan Poe volumes in my youngest library days. I love the rattling of chains and the howl or[...]

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Penny Dreadful- A Review

  Let's begin with those freaky spiders in the beginning. I mean, come on! There nothing scarier than a woman praying while a spider crawls down her arm. Of course it would induce a grand eye rolling session! "Unbridled pleasures of youth." Now that sums up dear old Ethan Chandler. He drinks to excess and has sex with a stranger all within the first 10 minutes of the show. Still, he's intrigued by Vanessa Ives and follows her into the depths of an underground Opium den for a job. This all leads to Sir Malcolm, who is in search of his daughter. Cue the[...]