Halloween Horrors! 2011

Posted on October 1, 2011 by admin

We here at MonsterLibrarian.com are pleased to announce the fifth annual “Halloween Horrors!” horror book review event. Starting on October 1st, outstanding horror fiction review sites will come together to create a virtual guide to titles that will keep readers up at night.

“Halloween Horrors!” is an excellent way for librarians to get acquainted with horror genre titles both mainstream and small press.  The event provides a tool to help librarians with reader’s advisory and collection development as well as become familiar with online review resources for what can be a challenging genre.

Each participating review site will have a project page dedicated to reviews of horror genre books that links to the other participating sites’ review pages. We will also be including a list of book recommendations that can be paired with horror movies to promote reading horror.

Participating sites in this year’s project include MonsterLibrarian.com, Horrorworld, Hellnotes, Horror Fiction Review, and Spooky Reads. Each site will be updating their page and reviews throughout the month so remember to visit often.

Visit our Halloween Horrors! page.

To start off Halloween Horrors! we have

In our adult horror Anthologies section we have:

W.E. Zazo-Phillips reviewing Our Lady of the Shadows by Tony Richards. Wendy gets a chance to review Tony Richards here.

In the adult Thrillers section:

Mason Fann reviews Now You See Her by Joy Fielding and The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg.

In the adult Supernatural horror section:

Michele Lee reviews As I Embrace My Jagged Little Edges by Lee Thompson and Benjamin Franz reviews The Old One: A Pacific Northwest Horror Story by Todd Brabander.

In the young adult Vampires section:

Benjamin Franz reviews Destined by Morgan Rice.   Hannah Kate reviews Ghost Town by Rachel Caine.  Shelia Shedd reviews Teeth edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling.

In the young adult Zombies section;

Michele Lee reviews Zombies Don’t Cry: A Living Dead Love Story by Rusty Fischer.

In the young adult Human Horror section:

Kirsten Kowalewski reviews The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean.

Keep reading!

The MonsterLibrarian

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September update

Posted on September 5, 2011 by admin

In this update we have:

In the adult Vampires section:

Erik Smith reviews Vampire Warlords by Andy Remic.

In the adult Supernatural horror section:

Benjamin Franz reviews Bedbugs by Ben H. Winter.

In the adult Something Different section:

Erik Smith reviews The Damned Busters by Matthew Hughes.

In the Horror Adventure and Urban Fantasy section:

Erik Smith reviews The Templar Chronicals by Joseph Nassise and Werehouse 13: A Touch of Fever by Greg Cox.

In the adult Zombie section:

Erik Smith reviews Beyond the Dark by Patrick D’Orazio.

In the adult Horror Anthologies section:

Erik Smith reviews Voyeurs of Death by Shaun Jeffery.

Keep reading!

The Monster Librarian

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More reviews for August

Posted on August 24, 2011 by admin

For this update we have:

In the adult Graphic Novels section:
Bob Freeman reviews the X Files/30 Days of Night trade paperback written by Steven Niles and Adam Johns and Malefic by Luis Royo.

In the adult Zombie section:

Patricia O Mathews reviews The First Days by Rhainonn Frater and the Monster Librarian reviews The Infection by Craig DiLouie.

In the adult Supernatural Horror section:

Colleen Wanglund reviews The Uncertain Places by Lisa Goldstein and Fear Me by Tim Curran.

In the adult Non-Fiction horror section:

Bob Freeman reviews In the Footsteps of Dracula by Stephen P. Unger.

In the young adult Vampire section:

Sheila Shedd reviews Eighth Grade Bites: The Chronicles of Vladimire Tod by Heather Brewer and Benjamin Franz reviews Betrayed and Loved by Morgan Rice.

In the young adult Werewolves section:

Kirsten Kowalewski reviews Forever and Linger by Maggie Stiefvater.

In the young adult Supernatural Horror secion

Rhonda Wilson reviews The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab.

In the Scary Books for Kids section:

Rhonda Wilson reviews Scary School by Derek the Ghost.
Keep reading!

The Monster  Librarian

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Two more reviews

Posted on August 8, 2011 by admin

We have two reviews in this mini-update. In our young adult Human Horror section, Wendy Zazo-Phillips reviews Death Sentence : Escape from the Furnace 3 by Alexander Gordon Smith. In our adult Human Horror section, Benjamin Franz reviews Deathflash by Gene O’Neill.

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A new update with a few announcements and many reviews

Posted on July 31, 2011 by admin

July has been a busy month, and we have a few announcements for you before we get to the TWENTY REVIEWS in this update!

First, our Werewolf Month contest is now closed, and we have our winners. Jason and Ryan! Email us at monsterlibrarian@monsterlibrarian.com with your addresses and we’ll have HalloweenCostumes.com send your fabulous animated werewolf costumes straight to your door!

We are pleased to announce that we will shortly debut a blog devoted to YA vampire books called Reading Bites, spearheaded by our own Sheila Shedd. We will let you know when Reading Bites is up and going, and hope that you’ll visit, or at least tell people about it!

And now, the reviews…

In the young adult Vampire section:

Benjamin Franz reviews Turned by Morgan Rice.  Shelia Shedd reviews Gil’s All Fright Diner by A. Lee Martinez and Parliament of Blood by Justin Richards.

In the young adult paranormal romance section:

Colleen Wanglund reviews the Blood of My World Trilogy by A.P. Fuchs and Benjamin Franz reviews Mercy by Rebecca Lim. Mercy is part of Hyperion’s “unRequired Reading” summer reading promotion, and we have a contest giveaway to go along with it at Musings of the Monster Librarian.

In the young adult Graphic Novels section:

Sheila Shedd reviews Vampire Loves by Joann Sfar, Bram Stoker’s Dracula: The Graphic Novel by Gary Reed and Becky Cloonan and Bram Stoker’s Dracula by Fernando Fernandez.

In the young adult Zombies section:

Jennifer Lawrence reviews The Zombie Handbook: An Essential Guide to Zombies and, More Importantly, How to Avoid Them by Dr. Robert Curran.

In the young adult werewolf section:

Kirsten Kowalewski reviews Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. Shiver is the first book in the Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy. The second book is Linger, and the final book, Forever, was released earlier this month.

In our adult Zombies section:

Denize Toms reviews United States of Armageddon by Jeffrey Thomas Crooms. Colleen Wanglund reviews Dirge by Ken Knight.

In our adult Anthologies section:

Colleen Wanglund reviews Lilith’s Revenge and Other Stories of Femme Fatale by S. A. Gambino, Unspeakable: A New Breed of Terror edited by Theresa Dillon, and The Best of Joe R. Lansdale by Joe R. Lansdale, edited by Jacob Weisman.

In the adult Killer Animals section:

Colleen Wanglund reviews Bigfoot War 2: Dead in the Woods by Eric S. Brown.

In the adult Bizarro section:

David Agranoff reviews Jim and the Flims by Rudy Rucker.

In the adult Supernatural section:

Colleen Wanglund reviews Lord of the Mountain by William Ollie and The Doppelganger Song by Caitlin Sumer.

In our new experimental section on Horror Games and Related Books Review for the Xbox 360:

The Monster Librarian reviews Gears of War: Coalition’s End by Karen Traviss.

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New reviews for July

Posted on July 22, 2011 by admin

In this update we have:

In the adult Horror Anthologies and Collected Works section:

David Agranoff reviews Tattered Souls 2 edited by Frank J. Hutton and In Extremis The Most Extreme Short Stories of John Shirley by John Shirley.  Michele Lee reviews Blood Lite edited by Kevin J Anderson.

In the adult Zombies section:

Sheila Shedd reviews The Brain Eater’s Bible by J.D. McGhoul and Pat Kilbane.   Benjamin Franz reviews Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Zombie Jim by Mark Twain and W. Bill Czolgosz.

In the adult Horror Graphic Novels section:

Colleen Wangllund reviews Z-Girl and the Four Tigers issue#1 by Jeff Marsick and Kirk Manley.

In the adult Werewolves section:

Jennifer Lawrence reviews The Last Werewolf by Glenn Dunacn.  Michele Lee reviews How to Seduce a Naked Werewolf and How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper.  Michele Lee interviews Molly Harper as part of Werewolf Month.  Michele Lee also reviews Wild by Naomi Clark, River Marked by Patricia Briggs, and On the Prowl by Patricia Briggs, Eileen Wilkes, Karen Chance, and Sunny.  Michele concludes the Werewolf section update with By the Light of the Moon by Larry Kerr.

Also a reminder that we still have our Werewolf month contest going on in honor of Werewolf Month, HalloweenCostumes.com has offered to give away two Full Moon Werewolf Costumes, which include a shirt with attached fur and a Motion Mask- the mouth and lips move when you do, from their collection of werewolf costumes.  So… The contest. Tell us what your favorite werewolf moment is, in fiction, television, movies, or video games at the contest post in our Musings of the Monster Librarian and we will pick a winner at the end of the month.

Keep reading!

The Monster Librarian

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Final reviews for our Summer Scares! project and now we present July is Werewolf Month

Posted on July 1, 2011 by admin

As we finish up oour Summer Scares! book review project, we would like to thank all of the participating websites, HorrorWorld, Hellnotes, Horror Fiction Review, and Spooky Reads.  Our next project will be in October with Halloween Horrors!.

Today we are launching our fourth annual Werewolf month.   We will be presenting reviews of werewolf fiction and sharing with librarians and readers what some of the werewolf related titles that will be coming out in 2011.   To start off Werewolf month we are running a contest sponsored by HalloweenCostumes.com with the prize being an ani motion werewolf costume which include a shirt with attached fur and a Motion Mask- the mouth and lips move when you do.  To enter head on over to the Musings of the Monster Librarian here and share your favorite werewolf moment whether it is in a books, movies, tv show, video game, or just share a werewolf experience you have had.

In the adult Werewolf section:

Brandi Blankenship reviews Dog World by Jason McKinney.  W.E. Zazo-Phillips reviews Taming of the Werewolf by Sylvia Shults.

In the young adult Werewolf section:

Shelia Shedd reviews Red Moon Rising by Peter Moore.

For our reviews with this update we have:

In the adult Zombies section:

Dawn Stahura reviews Zombies for Zombies: Advice and Etiquette for the Living Dead by David P. Murphy. Patricia O. Mathews reviews Dust by Joan Frances Turner and Married with Zombies and Flip This Zombie both by Jesse Petersen.

In the adult Horror Adventure/Urban Fantasy section:

Michele Lee reviews Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris and Death Masks by Jim Butcher.  Patricia O. Mathews reviews Dying Bites and Death Blows by D.D. Barant and Graveminder by Melissa Marr.

In our adult Killer Animals section:

Ben Franz reviews Twitch by Thomas Scopel.

In the adult Graphic Novels section:

Colleen Wanglund reviews Brimstone and Borderhounds by Brimstone and HUMAgeddon by Robert Butt.

In the young adult Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy section:

Kelly Fann reviews Arcane Sunflower by Courtney Summerlin.

In the Scary Books for Kids section:

Brandi Blankenship reviews Crooked Hills: Books One by Cullen Bunn.

Keep reading!

The Monster Librarian.

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A review of The Dead by Charlie Higson and a blog entry by him on The “Cosy Apocalypse”

Posted on June 25, 2011 by admin

In this brief update Denize Toms reviews The Dead by Charlie Higson. In addition Mr. Higson shares his thoughts on dystopian fiction in a monstrous musing blog The” Cosy Apocalypse” in our Monstrous Musings blog.

Keep reading!

The Monster Librarian

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More reviews for Summer Scares!

Posted on June 9, 2011 by admin
In the adult Horror Anthologies section:
Wendy Zazo-Phillips reviews Beneath the Surface by Simon Strantzas.

In the adult Thrillers section:
Erik Smith reviews Fifteen Minutes by William Ollie.

In the adult Vampire section:
Michele Lee reviews Demon Dance by Sam Stone.

In the adult Supernatural Horror section:
Erik Smith reviews Midnight’s Angels by Tony Richards.

In the adult Urban Fantasy section:
Kirsten Kowalewski reviews The Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz.  Michele Lee reviews Shady Lady by Ann Aguirre.

In the adult Zombies section”

Kirsten Kowalewski reviews Allison Hewitt is Trapped by Madeleine Roux.  Erik Smith reviews Dead Stay Dead by Paul Jessup.

In the adult Horror Magazines section:
Wendy Zazo-Phillips reviews Diabolique Magazine edited by Robert Simpson.
In the young adult Supternatural Horror section:
Shelia Shedd reviews The Other Side of Dark by Sarah Smith.  Michele Lee reviews Haunting Blue by RJ Sullivan.

In the young adult Vampires section:
Shelia Shedd reviews Fangs Rule: A Girls Guide to Being a Vampire by Amy Mah.

In the young adult Zombies section:
Denize Toms reviews  The Enemy by Charlie Higson

We are also running a summer reading contest. Visit our Monstrous Musings to   find out more.


Keep reading!
The Monster Librarian
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Summer Scares is here with reviews of some summer reading titles!

Posted on June 2, 2011 by admin

Welcome to our third annual summer book review project Summer Scares! (formerly know as Hazy Days of Horror).

“Summer Scares!”  is a collaborative effort to give readers of horror a guide to some of the titles that are available to read this summer.

For librarians, “Summer Scares!” is an opportunity to get reviews and information you need to recommend appropriate titles for readers and make informed decisions about collection development.  In addition to providing reviews of horror titles you might be interested in adding to your collection, “Summer Scares!” highlights participating horror fiction review sites that cover both small press and mainstream horror.

Collaborating review sites include: Horrorworld.org, Horror Fiction Review, MonsterLibrarian.com, Hellnotes.com, and Spooky Reads.

Kirsten Kowalewski offers thoughts on the dreaded H Word in our Musings of the Monster Librarian blog.

To start off Sumer Scares! we have:

In the adult Horror Anthologies section:

Rhonda Walton reviews But First The Dark: Ten Tales of the Uncanny and Strange Corridors: Ten Tales of Horror both by Frank Chigas.

In the adult Zombie section:

Brandi Blankenship reviews Zombie, Ohio : A Tale of the Undead by Scott Kenemore. Colleen Wanglund reviews Dr. Dale’s Zombie Dictionary: The A to Z Guide to Staying Alive by Dr. Dale Seslick.

In the adult Supernatural Horror section:

Brandi Blankenship reviews Loss of Separation by Conrad Williams.  Michele Lee reviews An Agreement with Hell by Dru Pagliassotti.

In the adult Vampires section:

Michele Lee reviews Burning Shadows by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro.

In the adult Urban Fantasy section:

Michele Lee reviews Night Child by Jes Battis.

In the young adult Supernatural Horror section:

Shelia Shedd reviews The Sorrow King by Anderson Prunty.

In the young adult Human Horror section:

Colleen Wanglund reviews Skulls by Tim Marquitz.

In the young adult Horror Anthologies section:

Cherylynne W. Bago reviews Bloody Horowitz by Anthony Horowitz.

Come visit our Summer Scares! page for more reviews and links to our book review partners.

Keep reading!

The Monster Librarian

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Three new reviews for May

Posted on May 23, 2011 by admin

In the adult Human Horror section Rhonda Wilson reviews The Wide Game by Michael West.

In the adult Something Different section Shelia Shedd reviews Meowmorphosis by Franz Kafka and Coleridge Cook.

In the adult Thrillers section:

David Agranoff reviews The Disappeared by David Silva.

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New reviews for May

Posted on May 16, 2011 by admin

In this update we have:

In the adult Killer Animals section:

The Monster Librarian reviews Unearthed by Gina Ranalli.

In the adult Horror Anthologies and Collected Works section:

Colleen Wanglund reviewing Bone Marrow Stew: Collected Works, Volume 1 by Tim Curran.

In the adult Vampires section:

Kirsten Kowalewski reviews An Embarrassment of Riches by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro.

In the adult Zombies section:

Erik Smith reviews Into the Dark by Patrick D’Orazio and Colleen Wanglund reviews Confessions of a Zombie Lover by Zoe Whitten.

In the young adult Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy section:

Rhonda Wilson reviews Under My Skin by Judith Graves and Michele Lee reviews Enclave by Ann Aguirre.

In the young adult Human Monsters section:

Kirsten Kowalewski reviews Nickel Plated by Aric Davis.

In the young adult Supernatural Horror section:

Michele Lee does a second look review of Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson, Kirsten Kowalewski reviews Cryer’s Cross by Lisa McMann, and Rhonda Wilson reviews Nightwalkers by Keith Kekic.

In the young adult Graphic Novels section:

Colleen Wanglund reviews Papercutz Slices #2: Breaking Down by Mia Kinney-Petrucha and Stephan Petrucha.

In the Scary Books for Kids section:

Kirsten Kowalewski reviews Monster and Me by Robert Marsh and Michele Lee reviews This Totally Bites! by Ruth Ames.

Keep reading!

The Monster Librarian

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Rhonda Wilson reviews Dracula

Posted on April 15, 2011 by admin

In the adult Vampire section:

Rhonda Wilson reviews Draculas by Blake Crouch, Jack Kilborn, Jeff Strand, and F. Paul Wilson.

Keep reading!

The Monster Librarian

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Spring into Terror update! new reviews

Posted on April 6, 2011 by admin

In this update as part of our Sprint into Terror program we have:

In the young adult Vampires section:

Shelia Shedd reviews Luxuria and Invidia by Nicci Sefton.

In the young adult Werewolves section:

Kirsten Kowalewski reviews Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce.  Darkeva reviews Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf by Curtis Jobling.

In the adult Horror Anthologies section:

David Agranoff reviews Crucified Dreams edited by Joe R. Lansdale.

In the adult Zombies section:

Michele Lee reviews Half Past Dead by Zoe Archer and Bianca D’Arc.

In the adult Supernatural section:

Shelia Shedd reviews Alice on the Shelf by Bill Gauthier.  David Agranoff does a take two review of The Samhanach by Lisa Morton.

In the adult Cthulhu Mythos section:

David Arganoff reviews The Innswitch Horror by Edward Lee

Finally we have been  posting articles on the official blog Musings of the Monster Librarian, so stop on by take a look and leave a comment.  We love hearing from our readers/visitors.
Keep reading!

The Monster Librarian

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Spring into Terror is here!

Posted on April 2, 2011 by admin

Welcome to Spring into Terror, our annual book review project were we partner up with other horror book review sites to offer up our thoughts on some horror titles for reading this spring.   We would like to welcome Spooky Reads to this years Spring into Terror.

Part one of our Spring into Terror update we have:

In the Scary Books for Kids section:

The Monster Librarian reviews Silly Rhymes for Belligerent Children by Trace Beaulieu.   Jennifer Lawrence reviews two titles in the Splurch Academy for Disruptive Boys, The Rat Brain Fiasco and Curse of the Bizarro Beatle by Jullie Gardner Berry and Sally Gardner.  Jennifer Lawrence also reviews Fear: 13 Stories of Suspense and Horror edited by R.L. Stine.  Stacey L. Wilson reviews Nocturne by L.D. Harkrader.

In our young adult Graphic Novels section:

Michele Lee reviews Zombie Power #1, Zombie Powder #2, Zombie Powder #3, and Zombie Powder #4 by Tite Kubo.

In the adult Horror Adventure and Urban Fantasy section:

Michele Lee reviews Embers by Laura Bickel

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