Monster Madness: Round 3

Ok, we are down to four monsters left!! Round 3 begun on Friday and will continue through Tuesday. Here are the match-ups:

Who are you rooting for?? If I were able to cast a vote, I'd choose R & Godzilla!

New Non-Fiction YA Titles for October!

Here are the latest titles in YA non-fiction out this month!

by Paul Fleischman

We're living in an Ah-Ha moment. Take 250 years of human ingenuity. Add abundant fossil fuels. The result: a population and lifestyle never before seen. The downsides weren't visible for centuries, but now they are. Suddenly everything needs rethinking – suburbs, cars, fast food, cheap prices. It's a changed world.

This book explains it. Not with isolated facts, but the principles driving attitudes and events, from vested interests to denial to big-country syndrome. Because money is as important as molecules in the environment, science is joined with politics, history, and psychology to provide the briefing needed to comprehend the 21st century.

Extensive back matter, including a glossary, bibliography, and index, as well as numerous references to websites, provides further resources.

by Alex J. Packer

Explaining etiquette from A (“Applause”) to Z (“Zits”), Alex J. Packer blends outrageous humor with sound advice as he guides readers and explains why manners and etiquette are important—because people who know how to handle themselves in social situations come out on top, get what they want, feel good about themselves, and enjoy life to the fullest.

This one is just in time for Halloween!!

by Kelly Milner Halls

Do you believe in ghosts? Enter the realm of the paranormal with Kelly Milner Halls. Explore what ghosts are, where they're found, and meet some famous ghost busters. Check out the high-tech equipment modern ghost hunters use, and see their most convincing evidence that ghosts are real. Finally, take a look at a few famous hoaxes. This book is a little bit spooky and a whole lot of fun!

Monster Madness: Round 2!

The votes are in! We have our contenders for the next round of Monster Madness!

Here are the match-ups for this round:

I was really sad to see the Crypt Keeper go, but alas, he isn't of this generation :(

What do you think of these round? Who are you rooting for? Comment below and cast a vote!

Pick up a Ghoulishly Good Book!

Looking for a scare? Or can't get enough vampires, zombies, and other witchcraft stories!? Here are some of my favorites:


Favorite Vampire books:

• Blood of Eden series by Julie Kagawa
• House of Night series by P.C. Cast 
• at least the first few books.....
• Blue Bloods series by Melissa de la Cruz
• Vampire Diaries series by L.J. Smith
• another series that started off well enough...
• Tantalize series by Cynthia Leitich Smith
• LOVE this series (it also has some werewolves too)
• Den of Shadows series by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
• Peeps series by Scott Westerfeld
• Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey
• and the sequel - Jessica Rules the Dark Side!
• Chronicles of Nick series by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Zombies:

• White Rabbit Chronicles (series) by Gena Showalter
• World War Z by Max Brooks
• The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks
• The Riser Saga (series) by Becca C. Smith
• Revenants series by Amy Plum
• Gone With the Respiration series by Lia Habel
• Generation Dead series by Daniel Waters
• I Kissed a Zombie and I Liked it by Adam Selzer
• The Enemy series by Charlie Higson
• Zombies vs Unicorns by Holly Black
• The Forest of Hands and Teeth series by Carrie Ryan

Werewolves:

• Deviants series by Jeff Sampson
• Fateful by Claudia Gray
• Fairytale Retellings (series) by Jackson Pearce

Demons:

• Ruined by Jus Accardo

Horror:

• In the Shadows by Kiersten White & Jim Di Bartolo
• (Don't You) Forget About Me by Kate Karyus Quinn

Paranormal:

• Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore
• Spirit and Dust by Rosemary Clement-Moore
• The Lynburn Legacy series by Sarah Rees Brennan
• Falling Under series by Gwen Hayes
• Paranormalcy series by Kiersten White
• Strange Angels series by Lili St. Crow
• Night World series by L.J. Smith
• liked this series much better than her Vampire Diaries series....
• Dead Is... series by Marlene Perez
• The Soul Seekers series by Alyson Noel
• The Immortals series by Alyson Noel
• Unearthly series by Cynthia Hand
• The Violet Eden Chapters (series) by Jessica Shirvington
• I enjoyed the first books in this series
• Shade series by Jeri Smith-Ready
• A Need So Beautiful series by Suzanne Young
• Misfit by Jon Skovron
• Possess by Gretchen McNeil
• The Hollow series by Jessica Verday
• Kiss Me Deadly: 13 Tales of Paranormal Love by Trisha Telep
• Enthralled by Melissa Marr & Kelley Armstrong
• Dark Visions by L.J. Smith
• Gemma Doyle series by Libba Bray
• Ghost of a Chance by Laura Peyton Roberts
• The Haunting by Joan Lowery Nixon
• Premonitions by Jude Watson
• The Forbidden Game by L.J. Smith
• Maggie Quinn: Girl Vs. Evil series by Rosemary Clement-Moore
• The Splendor Falls by Rosemary Clement-Moore
• The Eternal Ones series by Kirsten Miller
• Such Sweet Sorrow by Jenny Trout

What are your favorite spooky books to read this fall?

MONSTER MADNESS!

It's October, which means we celebrate Halloween ! (and then my birthday!) My favorite holiday.

In honor of this, I have set up a "Monster Madness" in TeenScape!

We've got some great contenders:

Sorry for the poor image quality!

This side of the bracket we have:

LOCH NESS MONSTER      vs.         KRAKEN

SAPHIRA (Eragon)               vs.        GODZILLA

CRYPT KEEPER                   vs.        FRANKENSTEIN

BIG FOOT                              vs.        YETI

and this side we have:


BILL MURRAY (Zombieland)   vs.    R (Warm Bodies)

EDWARD (Twilight)                   vs.    COUNT DRACULA

JACOB (Twilight)                        vs.    STRIPE (Gremlins)

ALIEN                                          vs.    PREDATOR



Who do you want to win?? Go cast your vote in TeenScape or comment below!

The Rule of Thoughts

by James Dashner

Series: Book #2 The Mortality Doctrine 
ISBN: 9780385741415
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: August 26th 2014
Number of Pages: 304
Source: Local Library
Goodreads Summary:  Michael completed the Path. What he found at the end turned everything he’d ever known about his life—and the world—completely upside down.

He barely survived. But it was the only way VirtNet Security knew to find the cyber-terrorist Kaine—and to make the Sleep safe for gamers once again. And, the truth Michael discovered about Kaine is more complex than they anticipated, and more terrifying than even the worst of their fears.

Kaine is a tangent, a computer program that has become sentient. And Michael’s completing the Path was the first stage in turning Kaine’s master plan, the Mortality Doctrine, into a reality.

The Mortality Doctrine will populate Earth entirely with human bodies harboring tangent minds. Any gamer who sinks into the VirtNet risks coming out with a tangent intelligence in control of their body. 

And the takeover has already begun.

My Rating:  

So, seeing as this is book number 2, you kind of have to read the first book, The Eye of Minds, to get what is going on. (See my review for that book here) I know if you are like me, you hating reading a book that ends up being a part of a series. I couldn't resist with this because I loved Dashner's Maze Runner series. For those of you who haven't read the first book - book #3 won't be out until October 2015 (so, a year from now). Maybe that will help you decide if you want to start the series now or wait for all three to be out :)

 ~~~~~

Book #1 ended on a major cliffhanger - We discover that Michael isn't a human, He's basically just a computer program that has now been "given" a human body. 

"Everything he knew was a result of artificial intelligence. Manufactured data and memories. Programmed technology. A created life." - The Rule of Thoughts, 2

Michael struggles with this throughout the whole book - who/what is he? It is the time old question of creating artificial intelligence - does creating something in man's image that thinks, talks, and acts like human still just a computer? To me, Michael doesn't seem computer-ish to me. He has feelings and struggles just as a human does. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

"You're the same goofy Michael I've always known. Who's to say we're not all computer programs, layers upon layers upon layers? Or in a dream?" - The Rule of Thoughts, 88

Michael has to seek out his two best friends - Sarah and Bryson in the REAL world to try and figure out how to beat Kaine (the crazy power-hungry computer program that has started to take over the world).

Michael's body (previous belonging to Jackson Porter) is a source of conflict. One that results from this is Jackson's girlfriend, Gabby. Seems like Kaine chose Jackson's body for a reason.....

The VNS is not being any help and time is running out...

A little slow-going but it does pick up towards the end. Again, we are left with an intriguing twist, though not as cliff-hanging as the first book. (Dashner sure does love putting twists in his books!) 

Overall, decent middle book and I will read the last book to continue the journey with Michael and his friends.