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Catch me reading one of these books and most likely I will be cringing and wincing. The best books inspire curiosity, these books will give you more information that you would ever want to know about a topic. But, like a car crash, you can’t look away. You will be hooked!

Parasite Rex: inside the bizarre world of nature’s most dangerous creatures by Carl Zimmer

This book will teach you more about the world of parasites than you ever wanted to know. Like reality TV, we can’t live with them, and can’t live without them! I became interested in parasites when I read Peeps by Scott Westerfeld, which started every chapter with a description of a different parasite. But I had no idea the huge effect they had on our lives today (for instance we may develop things like allergies because humans in american society are largely free of parasites).You will be the hit at every party with the gushy information morsels you will pick up here! Be sure to read it before prom this weekend so you can wow your date with facts about how parasites impact our lives.

 The Psychopath Test: a journey through the madness industry by Jon Ronson

Now that you fear what creatures lurk inside your body, lets talk about what evil lurks inside your psyche (and more importantly, that of the guy sitting next you in biology class who enjoys dissection a little too much). This book will turn you into a paranoid psychopath spotter who looks for callous/unemotional tendencies in everyone you meet. But don’t worry, I am sure that you are a well balanced individual. Just be sure to read this one with a friend who will assure you that you are not going crazy.

Stiff: the curious lives of human cadavers by Mary Roach

Whether by parasite, at the hands of a psycopath or something more pedestrian, you will die. But then what? Roach (such a wonderful name for this author) dives into what happens to our bodies after death. She covers everything from decomposition to burial traditions around the world. Ever wonder what happens inside a coffin? Inside a cremation oven? What about those embalming fluids, what do they do? Or perhaps you are considering donating your body to science…find out what will happen to it at the hands of novice medical students.

All these books will make you totally obsessed, in the creepiest and most endearing way. I only suggest giving your friends and family warning that you will only be talking about parasites/psychopaths/cadavers for the next few days.

As a librarian I try to be widely read, sampling a little from column A, a little from column B. But like many readers, I have a literary home, a place that I come back to when I need support, or rest, or inspiration. And that place has always been books about kick-ass girls. It started when I was about ten years old and discovered Alanna, Tamora Pierce’s cross-dressing heroine. Alanna, the daughter of landed gentry, is relegated to learning sorcery after being told that girls cannot become knights. Never one to follow the rules, Alanna switches places with her twin brother Thom, and dresses up as a boy to train as a page at the castle. Alanna must keep her true identity a secret while she struggles to match the bigger boys in her fighting arts classes. Eventually, Alanna learns to use her small stature to her advantage and becomes a formidable opponent with the sword. These books are amazing and inspirational for any reader.

Ever since Alanna, I have followed many kick-ass girls with a slavelike devotion: Daine and Kel (also characters created by Tamora Pierce), Kristin Cashore’s Katsa, Susanne Collins’ Katniss and Maggie Stiefvater’s Blue. Caught by a cool cover, I recently discovered a new heroine to follow, Kaya, from Heather Brewer’s newest series The Legacy of Tril.

In a world ruled by Barrons, magically gifted fighters, and their soulbound Healers, Kaya grew up in a small unskilled village. The daughter of two Barrons-in-hiding, as Barrons are not meant to marry each other, Kaya knows nothing of the hierarchy of Barrons and Healers that keep the countryside safe from Graplars (large dragonlike creatures) until one attacks at the village fair, killing her best friend. By killing the beast, her father draws attention to the family and Kaya is forced to attend Shadow Academy to become a healer. But what Kaya is really determined to do is learn how to fight, so that no one will ever die because she was unprepared ever again. Protocol keeps Healers from learning to use a katana, but Kaya has never been one to follow protocol.

The story is pretty formulaic and the writing is pretty juvenile at times, but the plot is fast moving, and the characters are interesting. Don’t look for a well crafted work (like Nix’s Sabriel) but expect to have a fun ride with this book!

Looking for more books about girls who could kill you? Try this list!

I have begun to notice a disturbing trend in my media habits of late…serial killers are on my mind. And I thought, why should I have to suffer through this dark mire alone? So I’ll bring you down the rabbit hole with me!

Where It All Started:

The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson

A friend recommended this book to me about a year or eighteen months ago. Jon Ronson (you may also know him as the author of The Men Who Stare At Goats) delves into the dark world of psychopaths. He originally becomes interested in the test that has become an industry standard to identify psychopaths and like any normal Psych 101 student begins to see psychopathic traits in everyone. Particularly interesting is the line we draw (a fuzzy one) between the people with psychopathic traits that become serial killers and those that become the CEO’s of Fortune 500 companies. If you ever want to freak out that you or your loved ones are psychopaths…this is the book for you!

Then I Became Obsessed with Serial Killers:

Unfortunately the current media is very helpfully feeding my addiction on serial killers. Here are the most interesting books I have read on the topic recently.

My Friend Dahmer by Derf

Derf was just a goofy artist in high school and lived a typical teenage life: hanging out with friends, messing around in the yearbook office after school, etc. Years later, working for a Milwaukee newspaper as a cartoonist, Derf was shocked to hear that a high school classmate (and sometimes friend) Jeffrey Dahlmer had become an infamous serial killer. Derf explores Dahlmer’s life before he killed, what it was like to have him as a classmate and a friend. An interesting look into the life of an iconic serial killer.

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

A fictional perspective on a very scary topic, I Hunt Killers features the son of the worlds most infamous serial killer. Jazz has spent the last four years trying to forget everything his father taught him, because for the murderous Billy Dent, every day was a take-your-kid-to-work day. Unexpectedly, a body is found in a field outside of Jazz’s sleepy hometown. Jazz is convinced it is the work of serial killer copycatting his father’s crimes. He vows to use the lessons his father taught him to catch the killer while trying to deal with the psychological trauma his father inflicted before being sent to prison.

This book is an interesting look at psychopaths as Jazz recalls the lessons his father taught him, and tries to dive into the psyche of a serial killer without becoming one himself. The second book in the series, Game, comes out in April.

Where I am Going Next:

Books aren’t the only place to get my serial killer fix, thankfully my good friend Kevin Bacon is staring in a new show called The Following about a serial killer who inspires a cult from inside prison. I am anxious to see where this new show goes.

But I am a librarian, so of course I am going to keep reading! I have The Wisdom of Psychopaths by Kevin Dutton on my nightstand, ready to go…once I stop freaking out every time I have to go into the basement to change laundry. Perhaps I need to watch my My Little Pony for a while to shake the feeling that I am being watched…

It is that time of year again! My favorite books of the year! (in order that I read them)

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Who has read this and not fallen in love immediately with Augustus and Hazel? An epic love story about two amazing people with cancer. This book will make you laugh, make you cry (sometimes at the same time) and change your outlook on life. Go read it now if you haven’t already.

The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe

This was a refreshing break from the post-apocalyptic books that I had been consuming at the time. A dangerous pathogen infects a small island, killing many of the residents. What is life like when you are quarantined and half the people you know are dead?

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

What a beautifully told story about the women of WWII and the sacrifies they made. It was an emotional roller coaster but worth all the stress and panic because of the wonderful characters Wein has created. I loved every minute of it!

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Like The Scorpio Races this was a quiet book that you didn’t realize you loved until it was the last page. There are paranormal aspects (ghosts and clairvoyant aunts) and romantic elements but it is not a paranormal romance. I would classify it as a mystery more than anything else.

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

Jazz is defined by his father’s “profession” as much as any preacher’s daughter. His father is the most infamous serial killer to ever be apprehended. But now there is someone else in town, intimidating his father’s murders, and Jazz is the only one with the intimate knowledge of his father’s crime who can help the police. Need I say more?

Don’t Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon

I have been really into mysteries this year, and this book was one of my favorites! Fast paced and action-packed this book starts with Noa waking up on a cold operating table with an incision on her chest and no memory of how she got there. It only gets better from there!

Ask the Passengers by A.S. King

I have never met an A.S. King book that I haven’t loved. She has a wonderful style of pulling you in without your realizing it until you are on the last page and don’t want to say goodbye to her characters. A wonderful story about growing up in a small town and trying to figure out who you, and everyone around you, really are.

What are your favorites from the year?