An Apple for the Creature by Charlaine Harris-Review

An Apple for the Creature edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner

I love the anthologies edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner. I have read all of them.  This is the newest one and I loved it too... here is the goodreads description:

What could be scarier than the first day of school? How about a crash course in the paranormal from Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner, editors of Home Improvement: Undead Edition? Your worst school nightmares—taking that math test you never studied for, finding yourself naked in school assembly, not knowing which door to enter—will pale in comparison to these thirteen original stories that take academic anxiety to whole new realms.

 In #1 New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris’s story, "Playing Possum," Sookie Stackhouse brings enough birthday cupcakes for her nephew's entire class but finds she's one short when the angry ex-boyfriend of the school secretary shows up.

 When her guardian, Kate Daniels, sends her undercover to a school for exceptional children, teenaged Julie learns an all-new definition of "exceptional," in New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews's "Magic Tests."

 For those who like fangs with their forensics, New York Times bestselling author Nancy Holder offers "VSI," in which FBI agent Claire is tested as never before in a school for Vampire Scene Investigation.

And in New York Times bestselling author Thomas Sniegoski's "The Bad Hour," Remy Chandler and his dog Marlowe find evil unleashed in an obedience school.

You'll need more than an apple to stave off the creatures in these Sand nine other stories. Remember your first lesson: resistance is fruitless!

 Includes stories by: ILONA ANDREWS, AMBER BENSON, RHYS BOWEN, MIKE CAREY, CHARLAINE HARRIS, DONALD HARSTAD, STEVE HOCKENSMITH, NANCY HOLDER, FAITH HUNTER, TONI L.P. KELNER, MARJORIE LIU, JONATHAN MABERRY, THOMAS SNIEGOSKI

Wow that was a long description! Anyways... I adore anthologies.  I like to be able to just sit down sometimes and finish a story in one hour.  (One of the reasons I love King, he writes short story books all the time).  I also love to be introduced to new authors.  This book had some amazing stories.  One complaint I have this time around is a few of them 5 or 6 were stories that ended up in the air. So it was up to our imagination. While I don't mind these types of stories I prefer the short stories I read to end in a pretty bow.

I noticed on the goodreads reviews that most people it would seem didn't read the whole book and only read the short story called Magic Tests by Ilona Andrews.  Apparently this is a popular series!  For real... go looks at the reviews.. Magic Tests is the story everyone is talking about.  While I did think the story was good I didn't think it was the best one in the book.

Personally I thought the best short story in this book was called Ifhigenia in Aulis by Mike Carey. OH WOW!!!  This story was put together so well I still can't believe it was a short story.  It is about some children who are put in a odd school guarded by military.  Turns out that these are children born of woman who were pregnant when they turned into zombies.  So they have both human and zombie traits.  I wish this was a whole book!!!

I would recommend all the anthologies Harris and Kelner edits.  They are usually good and usually themed pretty fun too.  Here is the other anthology I have reviewed (though I have read them all)
Home Improvement: Undead Edition

The crystal ball says:

Clouds are covering! A read that lets me down every now and then but peaks out of the clouds!

EDIT***** check out the comments!! Tony L.P. Kelner totally commented on my blog!!!

Sarah J Maas will be taking YOUR questions!

Hello all!  It's that time again... where an author takes YOUR questions.  This month we have Sarah J Maas who is the author of my Young Adult Book Club's November pick, Throne of Glass !!  Please join us in welcoming here and asking her anything you want!!  I am so excited she has decided to stop on by and participate!!  She will be coming by on November 14th!!

Q&A with Sarah J Maas

  Exciting!

Favorite Fictional Character-Halloween Edition

Favorite Fictional Character is a meme started by Ryan at Wordsmithonia he started my Favorite Fictional Character posts out of love for some of the greatest characters ever dreamed up, some of which never get the recognition they deserve. They have all moved, inspired, taught, or in one way or another shaped his thought process and my taste. It's because of these characters that he loves to get lost in a good book, be enthralled by a movie or TV show, or be moved by a poem or song. They all mean something to him and from what he's seen he's not alone in that.

I visit Wordsmithsonia every Wednesday to see what fun new character pops up! My favorite time of year is Halloween!!  And Wordsmithsonia does a special for Halloween!!

This week... since it is the last week of this meme for Halloween I am going to pick Maleficent.  What a magnificent villain.  Best villain from all the Disney movies.  Her scenes in Disney are some of the darkest out of all Disney villains.  You won't see evil characters like that in Disney anymore.  Too many parents would complain now-a-days.

This character is just the coolest ... I mean she turns into a DRAGON! 

She goes up against fairy's and has no shame to curse the Princess Aurora just because she wasn't invited to a party!  To quote her : "You poor simple fools, thinking you could defeat me. Me, the mistress of all evil."  There is no way to tell if she really has horns covered up or if her headpiece is just made out of cloth.  she can shape shift, shoot lighting, and teleporting.  She is also one of the best villains in the Kingdom Hearts video game series (which I wish would stop being only made for the DS).

She has always been my favorite villain.. even though Cinderella is my favorite Disney movie with Sleeping Beauty coming in second.  It is probably the generation I grew up in where these movies were so popular.  Now people want something different then the traditional Disney movie plots.  They want more action and less story.

 

I am also really happy about there being a movie about Maleficent!  Starring Angelina Jolie.  Who I think will be bad ass at the role! I don't know much about the movie yet except it is told from Maleficent's perspective.  Maybe it will be like the book/Broadway musical Wicked which I also love! 

 

 How can you not love this villain???

Dear Teen Me

 

 

 

I have been checking out the feature over @Lost in the Library and have really enjoyed reading the different people who have stopped by and written a letter to their teen selves.  I also decided to join in...  today you can stop on by there and see my note: Dear Teen Me.

I am also going to post it here:

Dear Teen Me:

Hello… I remember you.  Sometimes doing things you didn't want to do to fit in.  Yea you!  There's a few things that I think you should know though I know you won't listen.

You know your body?  The one that is skinny.. so skinny you won't even wear shorts.  Wear those damn shorts.  In less then 10 years you will be the only one out of your high school friends who hasn't gained 30 lbs.  You will still be the same weight as in high school and you will love it.  So embrace it now.  And those bad boys you keep dating.. YUCK!  Though you know what?  Go ahead and date them so you know who not to date and who to marry.  But don't just have sex with just anyone!! 

 Also… that 40 hours a week you are putting in at McDonalds like they need you?  Please Mcdonalds will run just fine without you… trust me they will still be there 20 -50 years later!!  So tell them 40 hours is way too much.. 20 hours a week will be just fine.  Plus $4.25 an hour is NOTHING!   Don't feel lonely.. learn how to be friends with yourself.  Eventually you will be your own best friend.  Be KIND.  Be respectful to mom and dad.  You are constantly battling with them and someday you will realize they really are the best parents out of all your friends.  The time they made you take back the Christmas lights you stole?  Yea… first off that was a terrible thing to do, and second mom and dad were trying to make you a better person.  

Love yourself, and LOVE life.  Just because in high school you aren't the cheerleader or one of the preppy people it will be just fine.   I am so proud of who you turn out to be. 

Your best friend,

yourself 

I am not the best writer but there it is! What would you say to yourself?

Looking for someone to read a young adult book with?

It's time to stop on by and vote for the Young Adult Book Club's December book club pick.  We tend to have a lot of fun in the group and lots of authors stop by for a Q&A with YOU!  Sarah J Maas will be stopping by Nov 14th for a Q&A for a November book Throne of Glass!  So stop on by and join us and have some fun!

Poll

What book would you like to read in December?

Call Me Hope by Gretchen OlsonVery LeFreak by Rachel CohnIf You're Reading This, It's Too Late by Pseudonymous BoschA Mutiny in Time by James DashnerThe Wish List by Eoin ColferThe Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn MacklerStorm by Brigid KemmererThe Ruins of Gorlan by John FlanaganThe Pale Assassin by Patricia ElliottFrom the Notebooks of Melanin Sun by Jacqueline Woodson

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Locke and Key Volume 5 by Joe Hill Review

 

Locke and Key Volume 5 Clockworks by Joe Hill 

This is the latest Locke and Key out until volume 6.. which has no release date so I am patiently waiting to see how this series will end!  Here is the goodreads description:

Colonel Adam Crais's minutemen are literally trapped between a rock and a hard place; in the first days of the Revolutionary War, they find themselves hiding beneath 120 feet of New England stone, with a full regiment of redcoats waiting for them in the daylight... and a door into hell in the cavern below. The black door is open, and it's up to a 16-year-old smith named Ben Locke to find a way to close it. The biggest mysteries of the Locke & Key series are resolved as Clockworks opens, not with a bang, but with the thunderous crash of English cannons.

So for those of you following my blog this is the last Locke and Key review you have to see for a while. Yes I know... I keep posting them. But the next one doesn't come out for a while so it's your lucky day!!

This volume is sooo revealing!  You actually start to feel bad for the villain on these graphic novels!  I don't want to add spoilers in here so I won't.  A few more keys are seen in this one.. but mainly you get to see all the keys used.  Especially in the past in this book.. which I always love a good flashback in books.  The more I read these novels the more Rodriguez's art sucks me in.  It is now becoming soo creepy.  Here is some of the variety of illustrations that you will find in this volume:
 This amazing drawing is looking inside someone's mind:

And here is a scary picture!!!

Looks like this volume came out in June of this year so I won't get my hands on the next one for a while.   

Want to see my review on the other volumes?  Here they are!
Welcome to Lovecraft Volume 1
 Head Games Volume 2
  Crown of Shadows Volume 3
Keys to the Kingdom Volume 4

Crystal Balls says:

 

Locke and Key Volume 4 by Joe Hill-Review

Locke and Key Volume 4 Keys to the Kingdom by Joe Hill

This is one of my all time favorite graphic novel series.  These comics are what I have been looking for in graphic novels!  Here is the goodreads description:

Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez's Locke & Key unwinds into itsfourth volume in Keys to the Kingdom With more keys making themselvesknown, and the depths of the Locke's family's mystery ever-expanding, Dodge'sdesperation to end his shadowy quest drives the habitants of Keyhouse evercloser to a revealing conclusion.

OK another amazing arc in the Locke and Key series. I just love that we are discovering more and more keys. Though... sometimes I get a little confused so I have to check the back of the book to remember what keys do. Though this time around I noticed some keys aren't featured in the back and I am not sure why. Like my favorite key is the one with the red mask on it, and I don't see it in the key index in the back of the book! I looked for an image of it on the web too and this is the only one I found (without taking a picture of my book)... it is on the bottom third one on the left. 

 

 The art in this issue is interesting... I like how Rodriguez switches up his art work and even give homage to Calvin and Hobbes. The ending of this volume is an amazing cliff hanger... at least I have volume 5 in my hands.  But after that one who knows when I will get to read volume 6.  I have found no real information on the internet about it.  Though Joe Hill did tweet me back when I asked him how many volumes lock and key will have!  

 

So that is way cool... well that he answered me not that there will be only 6 volumes.  I wish there was going to be more!!!

Want to see my other reviews in the series?

 Welcome to Lovecraft Volume 1

 Head Games Volume 2
 Crown of Shadows Volume 3
Clockworks Volume 5


Crystal Balls says: