Psycho

It is September, which means it is officially time to start celebrating Halloween. But we don't want to overdo it with the horror just yet. So I figured I'd pick a nice little thriller to ease into it:

You by Caroline Kepnes

You begins when a gorgeous young woman walks into the East Village Bookstore where Joe Goldberg works. Immediately infatuated with her, he googles the name on her credit card and uses the information on her social media profiles to ease himself into her life and make her fall in love with him. 

When I first read the description my initial thought was: "Well this sounds a lot like another series I know and love." Then I looked up more information, and came across the news that a lifetime series starring none other than Penn Badgley – aka Lonely Boy himself – is in the works.  Figuring that it would be rather unlikely that one of the stars of the show would sign up for a Gossip Girl rip-off so shortly after its finale, I decided to give You a chance despite the similarities...and let me just say, I was in for a shock (the best kind).

While the premise is a little reminiscent of Gossip Girl, the writing is definitely not. Told from Joe's point of view, You takes readers on a dark journey into the mind of a completely deranged individual, which is a scary but also very fascinating place to be. In the tradition of great unreliable narrators like Lolita's Humbert, Joe also has a way of making the readers sympathize with him.  Because as insane at he is, he is also extremely intelligent, witty and incredibly charming.  

On top of that You is also a great commentary on social media, and will probably make you rethink the way you use Facebook and Twitter. You never know who might be reading your posts…

For fans of: 

American Psycho, Lolita, R.L. Stine's Eyecandy 

Peace, Love and Lobsters

Laura 

Into The Woods

Suffering from post Halloween Depression? Then you came to the right place.

There are two types of scary scenarios that can occur in the woods: The first being anything involving witches, trolls, or other fairy tale villains, and the second being chased around by a chainsaw or (or machete) wielding killer. And whichever you prefer (or scares you more) I've got the perfect book for you:

Once Upon a Scream Edited by Dan Shaurette

This fairy tale anthology isn't for kids. Some of the creepy tales are new takes on old favorites (Rumpelstiltskin, Cinderella, Pinocchio, and even the Tooth Fairy) and others are original stories, but all of them are great. Ranging from humorous to downright disturbing, some will make you smirk and others will you shiver, and if you enjoy horror with a fantasy twist then you don't want to miss out on this collection.

SlasherCamp For Nerd Dorks by Christoph Paul

Jason Vorheesberg is your typical young adult  underdog hero: awkward, dorky, bad with girls, and suffering from a crippling case of slasher anxiety …wait what? Slasher Camp for Nerd Dorks is set in a dystopian society where the population is divided into “Slashers” and “Finals”, and Jason–a slasher–needs a little help. So his mom sends him to slasher camp where losers become killers. The book is as ridiculous as it sounds, but it's witty satire at it's best. It might not be for everyone but if you enjoy shows like Scream Queens, or the movie the Final Girls then you will love this clever story.

Peace, Love, and Lobsters 

Laura  

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from me to you,

I hope you're all having a fun, safe and of course scary weekend!

...and yes, of course the dinosaur trend translated to my decorations.

Happy haunting!

Peace, Love, and Lobsters

Laura

Last Minute Costumes

…that aren't Eleven from Stranger Things (although I'm definitely not against it).

TV or Movie characters always make good last minute costumes, because most looks can be recreated with things you already own. But it is still important to pick a character with a very distinctive look. Because no matter how perfect a recreation is, there's always that risk of looking like you forgot to put on a costume (especially to people who don't know that you don't dress like Rory Gilmore on a daily basis). So here are three easy and foolproof ideas:

Angie Tribeca 

Get a pantsuit that's just a little too big, a police officer set from the toy store, and most importantly bangs! If you're not a brunette I'd go with a cheap wig, but if you are then clip on ones (or scissors) will do the job just fine. Bonus points if you find a friend with an orange jump suit and a fancy belt who can go as Diane Duran. Oh, and if you're not watching the funniest show on TV, then you need to drop everything and fix that right now.

Chanel #3

I love her to pieces, and there are so many options for this. Sorority Girl #3, Med Student #3, or my personal favorite (and probably the easiest costume) Mental Patient #3. You need grey sweats (1&2), slippers, and a hospital gown, and of course the iconic earmuffs. Comfiest costume ever.

Corey from Empire Records 

I've always wanted to do this, and someday I definitely will.  Liv Tyler's iconic outfit is one of the easiest, but most recognizable looks ever.  Fuzzy sweater (over a red bra if you're a perfectionist), plaid skirt, worker boots, and done. Now all that's missing is your empire records employee badge and maybe a Rex Manning record if you wanna go the extra mile and get a little crafty.

Happy Halloween!

Peace, Love, and Lobsters

Laura

picture sources 1, 2, 3 

Pumpkin Perfect

Orange is a tricky color to pull off. Reminiscent of pumpkins and falling leaves it should be the ultimate fall color, but it also is so bright and summery that it just tends to look a little wrong with fall clothes …or worse like you're trying a little too hard to look like an extra on Halloweentown.

But "Playing Koi" from Essie's fall collection is the answer to this conundrum:

Not bright but dark and rusty, Playing Koi is the perfect way to to incorporate some orange into your fall-style without looking like you forgot to adjust your manicure to the season.

Peace, Love, and Lobsters

Laura   

Murder Mystery

If there's one thing I love more than fictional mysteries, it's a good true crime story. Scratch that,  it doesn't even have to be good. Any low budget "mockumentary" will entertain me for hours (I promise i'm not a sociopath). So it doesn't come as a surprise that this fascination would draw me to the one thing I could never get into: Podcasts.  

It's not that I don't like the concept, I'm just not good at listening to them (the same goes for audio books). Unless I'm listening to them while doing a mindless activity like painting my nails I will either get distracted and wander off or just fall asleep.  

My Favorite Murder by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark changed that:  

Two best friends discussing notorious murders as casually as their favorite nail polish.  It's brilliant, a little scary, hilarious without being tasteless, and oh so familiar because it's pretty much how conversations with my friends tend to go.  What really makes these fascinating are, however, not the famous pop culture mysteries, but the "hometown stories" from friends and fans – as these twisted tales often don't make it past the local paper. Maybe it's the familiarity, maybe the subject matter, or maybe the unique way it's done – but suddenly I have no problem listening to a 90 minute episode without getting distracted halfway through. More please. 

That said, I know that talking about "favorite murders" might not sound quite right. So it is important to remember that "favorite" in this context is used to express fascination and curiosity and not approval.  

Check out My Favorite Murder on iTunes,  

and follow them Twitter for updates.

Peace, Love and Lobsters
Laura

Slasher Girls & Monster Boys

October is just around the corner, which means it's only a couple of weeks until Halloween, and since it is never too early to get into the spirit it's the perfect time to get a head start on that Halloween reading list. And when it comes to horror, nothing beats a good anthology.

Slasher Girls and Monster Boys features 14 stories that all draw inspiration from a classic book, film, or song – not necessarily from the horror world – and use it to create something new …and terrifying. 

Even though I am a huge horror fan, I trend to be rather picky about the kind of horror I enjoy. So most anthologies end up being really hit or miss, but with this one I can honestly say that there wasn't one story that I felt like skipping. Every single one–even those with themes I usually don't care for–was so well written that it kept me interested (and chilled) throughout. Plus, my favorite part of it was probably to identify what each story is based on. Here are a couple of my personal highlights:

The Birds of Azalea Street by Nova Ren Suma

The first story of the collection, is about teenage girls, a creepy neighbor and birds (lots of birds). On the eerie instead of the scary side, it's perfectly situated at the beginning of the book, as it sets the mood without being too much.

Verse Chorus Verse by Leigh Bardugo

This one takes place in a rehab facility and deals with the pressures and sacrifices that come with being a teen idol. The theme definitely makes this one stand out a little, and without spoiling anything I have to say that the inspiration for this story is right up my alley.

The Flicker, The Fingers, The Beat, The Sight by April Genevieve Tucholke

Tucholke is the only one of the authors I was actually familiar with, so I expected to like this one. And I wasn't disappointed. The story mixes one of my all time favorite books with a famous urban legend. That said, it isn't anything new, but sometimes a feeling of familiarity can make things scarier than they actually are. So in a way this works in the story's favor.

Stitches by A.G. Howard

This might be the goriest out of the stories. The imagery is nothing for the faint hearted, but if you're not turned off by a little blood (and severed limbs) it's an excellent read with a very classic horror feel.

All in all, I was really impressed with this anthology and would recommend it to anyone who loves a good scare.

Peace, Love, and Lobsters

Laura

5 October Things

October is my favorite  month of the year, and these are my favorite things about October:

Team Nightmare's Halloween Routine
I don't really follow Dancing With the Stars, but I never miss the Halloween Special. This year the group numbers were my favorite part, and while I also really enjoyed Team Who You Gonna Call's take on the Ghostbusters, Team Nightmare was outstanding!

via

The Lost Girl  

Woah...  that's what I thought after reading the first few Chapters of R.L.Stine's newest Fear Street novel. I read too much "grown up" horror to actually be frightened by anything that could happen on Fear Street, but that's why I love them, I read them to relax. But he really amped up the horror in this one...and I just couldn't put it down.  It's the good old Fear Streat…just a little scarier.

The Final Girls 
In The Final Girls the daughter of a 1980s Scream Queen gets pulled into her late mother's most famous movie,  lots of "how to survive a slasher flick" hilarity ensues.  Campy horror at it's best.  

Butternut Squash 
I was never big on pumpkins (shocking I know), but lately I've been crazy about squash. It has become my go to dinner. I usually just cut one up, throw it in the air fryer, and put some chili salt on it …but if there's time I also like to make a nice pasta.  

Chocolate Covered Sunflower Seeds

Someone needs to take them away from me…

Have a Great Halloween!

Peace, Love, and Lobsters

Laura  

Time Traveling Jack O'Laterns

It's time for my favorite post of the year,  the annual presentation of my Jack O'Lanterns.  And there was just no way I could not make a Back to The Future pumpkin this year.  I actually went to a screening of all three movies on the 21st  (for those not familiar with the movies, October 21, 2015 is the date Marty and Doc Brown travel to in the second movie), and the first thing I did when I came home was to look for Back to The Future pumpkin designs.  My initial plan was to make a DeLorean, but I just couldn't find the right pumpkin for it, so I present the amazing Doc Brown (and a couple of Halloween classics):

Are you carving pumpkins this year (maybe even some Back To The Future ones)? Tweet me pictures!

…and check out the Pumpkin Tag for more.

Peace, Love, and Lobsters

Laura

Pumpkin Patch

I spent my saturday looking at some really awesome pumpkins, and of course I have some pictures to share:

There were big monsters, and tiny creatures…

A spaceship and an eagle…

And this endless sea of pumpkins:

And now it's time to work on my own creations, which I'll post later this week. 

Peace, Love, and Lobsters
Laura

Halloween Playlist

Since I did the whole mellow (well as mellow as it gets for me), cuddle by the fireplace fall playlist last year, I decided to put together something a little different this year: A Halloween Playlist!

Now, not every song on this screams Halloween, but they all bring back Halloween memories. Like the Ramones cover reminding me of my favorite scary movie as a kid, or the bittersweet lyrics of Acadia taking me right back to all the Halloween mischief we caused.  And let's be honest, the new Dead Weather album had to be in there because it's the perfect haunted house soundtrack.

Enjoy!

Listen to it on Spotify

Peace, Love, and Lobsters

Laura 

Dancing Skeletons

It's October!  Also known as my favorite month of the year, because it means that it's finally acceptable to break into full Halloween mode. And while I did my Halloween shopping, I came across a few amazing pieces from Worn By:

Dancing Skeletons Dress

Dancing Skeletons Shirt

Dancing Skeletons Legging

How perfect is that print?  I'm a huge fan of anything that's edgy but subtle, and even my mom who's usually not a fan of anything with skulls or bones on it,  loved this.  Take the dress for example, style it with riding boots and a navy blazer for a classic look, but wear it with black booties and a pointy hat and you're set for any Halloween Party.  

…And the shirt with the matching leggings, would obviously make the best Halloween pajamas ever.

Peace, Love, and Lobsters

Laura 

Return of the Pumpkin Heads

If you've been around for a while, you know that the Sunday before Halloween is my favorite day of the year  because it's pumpkin day! 

This year I made a vicious cat, a barbaric pirate, and... there's no way I can sell daisies as scary, is there?

Are you carving pumpkins this year? Tweet me pictures!

Check out the Pumpkin Tag for more.

Peace, Love, and Lobsters
Laura

"Meep Meep"

I wasn't going to post any Halloween tutorials this year, but then a little guy in a furry vest and a taste for chicken came along and changed my mind:

You guessed it:  Freak Show's "Meep the Geek"

I was heartbroken when they killed him off so soon, but he surely left an impression, and since the Meep look is super easy to recreate I figured I could honor him with a Halloween tutorial: 

Click here to see where to get everything

A pair of faded denim or chino shorts, some white tights or leggings, a worn out flat boot, and you have the basics. The blue fur vest (or a jacket if your Halloween activities take you outside) can be found on Ebay or – if you have time to look around – in thrift stores. The chicken hat is available on Amazon, and Meep's other hats, can be recreated with some cardboard, a couple of feathers and a glue gun.

If you want to go the extra mile and still have some left over Easter candy, you could even take some Peeps (don't worry you can buy them online all year round), and use a syringe to inject them with red frosting to make them bleed when you bite their heads off.  

Happy Halloween!

Peace, Love, and Lobsters

Laura

Pictures: FX