Am I a vampire or just super anemic?

Only as I'm reviewing these books do I realize just how many 'scary' books I read at the end of last year (and how many more I've just now added to my TRL). That's how you know that I'm a 'whatever I feel like reading' reader/'I'm interested in this topic for the next 3 books and then I'm going to wildly change interests' reader. [A/N: I couldn't remember the term 'mood reader' to save my life when I was originally drafting this post. I chose to leave that crazy line in there because it cracks me up.] All of this is to set up today's book which is The World of Lore: Monstrous Creatures by Aaron Mahnke. I saw an ad for this in a subway station and it wasn't the title that caught my eye but the author. I had been an avid listener of his podcast (named Lore unsurprisingly) last year and then as is my way (especially with podcasts) I had totally forgotten about it. Once I started reading the book I realized that it was essentially composed of transcripts from his podcast episodes. (Guess it's a good thing I didn't listen to all of them.) The book is broken down into categories about different creatures from folklore. Two examples: vampires and zombies. Vampires could have been created because of a disease whereby people were pale, sensitive to sunlight, and craved blood. (And then there was Vlad the Impaler who is perhaps the most well-known nightwalker. (Quick note: Nightwalker is not a cool name for a vampire like I had originally thought but I'm gonna just pretend that it is cause it's better than repeating the word vampire ad nauseum.)) Zombies were most likely inspired by victims of tuberculosis (the living dead) and the large numbers of people who were pronounced dead then subsequently rose from their graves. (This is a real thing and will perhaps explain why more people choose cremation these days.) Mahnke also discusses the history of hauntings and the popularity of the spirtualist movement among many other topics of the supernatural. He has a way of simultaneously debunking these theories while giving the impression that we should still remain open-minded. It's an interesting read especially if you haven't really delved too deep into this subject area and you want to get the rundown. 8/10

Monstrous Creatures is the first in a planned trilogy and I think there's also a tv show in the works. I guess I'm not the only one interested in the supernatural. ;-)

Source: Kobo.com

What's Up Next: Soonish by Kelly Weinersmith

What I'm Currently Reading: Gorillas in the Mist by Dian Fossey

**If you're interested in buying this book or any books really, you can click here or here. The first will re-direct you to AbeBooks and the second will re-direct you to The Book Depository. These are great websites for purchasing books (AbeBooks carries inexpensive used and out-of-print books and The Book Depository ships free everywhere in the world). Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made by following either of these links. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

Do you podcast?

Is podcast a verb or just a noun? I have no idea but I do know that after reading Welcome to Night Vale by Jeffrey Cranor and Joseph Fink that I'm likely to check out their podcast of the same name. (If you're interested in checking out the podcast before reading the book then you can go here and start from the beginning.) I had heard about this podcast and the book through the devoted community on Twitter and Tumblr. (I listened to a bit of the podcast but I have a problem committing to podcasts so I picked up the book instead.) It was strange right off of the bat but it was a good kind of strange. Anyone who has read a really intense sci-fi novel will understand the feeling that they have somehow missed a step and landed someplace entirely new. That's what this book is like. I get now why there is such a passionate fandom surrounding this desert community and its inhabitants. Where else could you read about a place where it's perfectly natural to open doors with a blood offering? If your son was a shapeshifter would you just shrug and say he was trying to find himself? Are those helicopters above your house a nuisance or a comfort? For the citizens of Night Vale the answers to these questions are no-brainers. The two main characters, Diane and Jackie, are two polar opposites who suddenly find themselves working toward the same goal.: King City. It's a weird tale of self-discovery and what it truly means to belong. ALL HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD.

**If you're interested in buying this book or any books really, you can click here or here. The first will re-direct you to AbeBooks and the second will re-direct you to The Book Depository. These are great websites for purchasing books. Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made by following either of these links. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **