Banned Book Week!

Banned Books week begins on September 23rd and we at McLean&Eakin suggest you feed the cause by reading something somebody doesn't want you to read. No, this isn't an invitation to dip into that newest Gossip Girls Book your mom forbids you to read! This is a chance to discover a new world that was once forbidden to us. Some of our favorite Banned Books are: To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, The Giver, by Lois Lowry, and (can you believe it?!) Where's Waldo?

To see a full list of all the banned books you could tick someone off by reading, check out the American Library Association: http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bannedbooksweek.htm

It's Never too Early for Scary Books!

If you're anything like me, you cannot wait for Halloween to get here. So I decree the end of September and the whole darn month of October Scary Book Season!
If you're into heart-thumping, pulse-racing, I feel queasy because this is so scary, then read:
Carrie, by Stephen King (If you've seen the movie, but haven't read the book, you haven't begun to understand creepy! Carrie is telekinetic and has a warped home life. This is a macabre classic with explosive results.)
I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson (Written in the 50s, I Am Legend takes place in the 70s and is the terrifying tale of the last man on Earth. What happened to all the other people? Why, they were all transformed into Zombie/Vampire people and every day they try to eat the last man. Described as the scariest and best vampire book since Dracula, this book can be found in our classics section.)
Crooked Tree, Robert Wilson (The old Native American legend of Bear Walkers comes to light in this shuddersome novel which takes place in our neck of the woods--literally! You won't go camping without Bear Mace ever again.)

If you fancy an intense psychological thriller, a book that pulls you into itself and won't let go, then read:

Tell No One, by Harlan Coben(A man and his wife go on vacation, but the wife disappears suddenly and without notice...now, 15 years later, the dude gets these calls from his otherwise-presumed-dead wife. Is it really she, back from the dead, or does he now have a very sinister stalker?)

I'm Not Scared, by Niccolo Ammaniti (A little boy in Italy finds what he thinks is the dead body of a boy his own age, but he is too afraid to tell anybody else. Very original, very intense.)

Looking for some great Ghost Stories, tales of horror and pain, legends of supernatural? Read:

Will Storr vs.the Supernatural, by Will Storr(Crazy-man journalist takes an adventure through the spookiest haunted houses and true ghost stories of America. His metaphysical sherpa? A self-proclaimed "demonologist"!)

The Homecoming, by Ray Bradbury (The classic short story is back, but set to ink with illustrations and hair-raising images that pump this goulish story full of life. It's a brand-spanking new edition and a must-read for Halloween.)

If you're looking, instead, for a seriously funny, scary book, then look no further than:

The Witches, by Roald Dahl(This is a book for all ages--which generally means it's meant for kids, but this time I really mean all ages! Dahl is a master storyteller and this book will have you studying the faces and feet of your neighbors to make certain you're not living next to a witch! But, you probably are. Witches, as Dahl assures us, are everywhere.)

World War Z, by Max Brooks--aka Son of Mel (Similar in theme to I Am Legend, we once again find ourselves having survived a Zombie Pandemic! Brooks tells this story straight-faced and at times paints a very realistic picture of what our world would be like after another major war...albeit this one is with the raveneous un-dead. If you liked the movie Shawn of the Dead and/or the 9/11 commision report, World War Z is the scary book for you!)