Too bad it took me a little while to realize that The Unconsecrated in “The Forest of Hands and Teeth” were essentially zombies. I was spooked, to put it mildly, but by that point the book had already hooked me and I knew it would be impossible to stop.

“The Forest of Hands and Teeth” tells the story of Mary. She lives in a village in the woods, surrounded by fences that keeps The Unconsecrated out. The Unconsecrated, as I said before, are essentially zombies and they roam the Forest of Hands and Teeth, constantly threatening the village and its people. Mary has led a simple life in her village, helping her family and waiting to be married. Then one day, when patrolling the perimeter of the fences, Mary’s father gets taken by The Unconsecrated and is assumed to be “infected.” Her mother then falls into a depression and one day gets too close to the fences and is bitten by an Unconsecrated. She chooses to join the others outside the village and suddenly Mary’s life is in a tailspin.

In the village, a woman cannot live on her own, so when no one wants to marry Mary, she is forced to live with the Sisterhood (basically nuns) in their Cathedral. Once in the Cathedral, a series of events cause Mary to begin questioning the Sisterhood and her entire life in the Village. And then the fences are breached by The Unconsecrated and everything Mary ever knew is gone.

OK, so it all sounds a little weird (and zombies are scary), but this book is absolutely addictive. I spent many nights awake until the wee hours, lost in the story. I just could not put it down, and that doesn’t happen often (especially after spending hours poring over text books).

Carrie Ryan wastes no time getting into the story and doesn’t babble unnecessarily. I really liked the character of Mary and the whole supernatural aspect of this novel, too. It’s a science fiction novel by category, but reminds me of an Audrey Niffenegger novel. That is, that Ryan can seamlessly bring her readers into this new world without even questioning its existence. She covers every base and keeps you too busy with the story to even wonder. The combination of the story, the pacing and the writing kept me completely hooked and unable to put it down.

This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a thrilling adventure. Plus, the sequel comes out in March and I cannot wait!

[Every week, CC and John bring you some of the weirdest, funniest, saddest things he hears on his college campus. Join the Overheard revolution!Leave your own overheard convos in the comments or send ‘em over!]

(Guys in a liquor store, looking at whiskey.)

Guy 1: Evan Williams? Who the f*** is Evan Williams?

Guy 2: Hey! Look at me! Evan Williams! I’m like Jack Daniel, but I scored 40 points higher on my SATs!

(Girls at a party.)

Girl 1: Fart jokes are, like, the apogee of comedy. Funny every time.

Girl 2: Yeah, it’s like, “To be or not to – ” *PPPPHHHHRRPPP*

(Girl and boy, looking into a storefront.)

Girl: Uh, what? Are you talking about child pornography?

Boy: No! I was talking about the martini glasses!

(Girl, to her boyfriend.)

Girl: I don’t want you. I want science fiction.

(Furious father, from upstairs.)

Dad: God damnit! Who put a cheese stick in the washing machine?

(Girl, toasting marshmallows on a porch.)

Girl: I’ve actually had entire relationships from beginning to end through text messages. It’s better that way.

(Two guys, walking across the street in a small Mass. city.)

Guy 1: Sensors show that all the women here are flat-chested, Captain!

Guy 2: Warp factor nine, Mr. Sulu! Get us out of here!

(Girl, on the phone.)

Girl: They’re only dating when they’re in the same zip code. It’s like they’ve got giant magnets inside their lips.

(Two girls in a pizza restaurant.)

Girl 1: Nothing big is cute.

Girl 2: One foot toddler? Cute. One hundred foot toddler? Gross.

Girl 1: Wait, one foot toddler?

(Two guys, under a rock wall.)

Guy: Dude, this isn’t your girlfriend. This is rock climbing. You use these two fingers.

(Girl, composing a text message. Rough)

Girl: Should I put a smiley? I don’t know. What if he doesn’t like smilies?  Is a smiley too happy? What about a winky? No, that’s really creepy. What about an exclamation point?  But that’s like, “ah.” But a period is like “uh.” God! I hate my life!

(Guy, watching four girls move a table out of an apartment.)

Guy: Hey, uh, can I help you girls with anything?

Girl: Yeah, you can spend nine months carrying unborn humans  in your belly for us.

“The Historian” by Elizabeth Kostova is a LARGE book. I have the hardcover copy and let me tell you, this thing is by no means dainty. At a whopping 642 pages, you’re in for the long haul with this one. But what a fast-paced, exciting and intriguing haul it is!

Kostova takes the classic story of Dracula and weaves it into a story about the hunt for the real man, Vlad the Impaler, who supposedly did discover a way to become immortal. With vivid descriptions of the majestic countries of the Eastern Bloc (if you’re ever been, you will be drooling with jealously) and scary dives into crypts and ancient castles, Kostova is sure to please a history or travel buff purely with her settings.

The characters fit the plot perfectly and are very well-written; not a stone is left unturned. So well written in fact, I had no trouble imagining the frail Professor Rossi or the beautiful Helen, who insists on putting on a brave face at all times.

Anyone who has an interest in the supernatural will appreciate this a bit more than Dan Brown’s work. All the characters in this book whole-heartedly believe in the possibility of vampires and I admit, it’s hard not to get drawn in yourself.

If you’re up for some high-energy adventure to tide you over until “Angels and Demons” hits theatres or you just love a well-researched historical fiction or just love traveling, “The Historian” by Elizabeth Kostova will not let you down!

I love science. Figuring out how things work, studying anatomy, mixing chemicals; I love it all! So naturally, I dabble in the Science Non-Fiction section at my local bookstore. I know what you’re thinking: books about science are written by hundred- year- old men with big, scraggly beards who use big confusing words and even more confusing concepts. But that’s where you’re wrong!

Sure, you can find those kind of books if that’s your thing (for those who love science a little too much…), but there are also some really interesting ones written in totally understandable English. And guess what? They’re interesting and funny!

Mary Roach introduced me to the world of enjoyable science reading with her book about human cadavers, Stiff. I’m sure some of you shuddered at the word “cadaver,” but if you can handle it, this book is FANTASTIC! That lead me to Roach’s second book Spook, which is about the paranormal and a lot less gory. I loved both, so when I heard Mary Roach had a new book coming out this past summer, I was over the moon! And she didn’t let me down.

Written with her usual smart wit, Mary Roach creates a fun and interesting look at the scientific side of sex with her latest book, Bonk.

Topics range from Kinsey’s experiments (so interesting and this book only made me want to research them more) to the biological function of the female orgasm to even sex toys, without ever making you feel awkward or talked down to as a reader. She is able to take both serious and funny topics and turn them into interesting, informative chapters. And her research is meticulous. The woman covers her bases, especially when it comes to the studies she checks out. Heck, she and her husband even partake in the horizontal mambo for one!

Mary Roach has a rare gift: she is able to take scientific topics with the potential to be horribly boring and create fun, enjoyable, yet educational reads. As I said, she is the reason I venture to the science section. Roach is like that one teacher in high school who paid attention to you and showed you that you could survive your most hated subject and even grow to love it. She has truly found her calling as a writer and I cannot wait for her next book.

I had a lot of nightmares as a kid. Thanks to these nightmares and various frightening films I’ve developed a hilarious set of OCD habits such as opening and closing closet doors before sleeping and checking behind the shower curtain before I saddle up to the toilet (you laugh but one day someone is gonna be in there and then who’s the dumb one!)

My imagination is easily inspired. For a while I couldn’t even watch a commercial for a horror movie because I knew those 30 seconds were enough to create an entire world of horrific fantasy that I’d be trapped inside for the rest of the evening. The one thing more unnerving then horror characters and sharks (I don’t swim in the ocean, at all, ever) is muppets.

Not all muppets, Kermit is fine, Fozzy, whatever. I’m talking about those LSD muppets that creators slip in films and TV shows, mixed with other cute, lovable creatures. They lure you in with Grover and then BAM, some abomination walks onto the screen that’s burned into your mind forever. Some horribly disfigured, warbly voiced monstrosity that may as well be drenched in blood, because thats how you’ll remember them, regardless.

Here’s five of the worst perpetrators.

5) Sesame Street’s Big Bad Wolf

He first appeared in a mock ‘News Report’ that Kermit was doing about the story of the 3 Little Pigs, but eventually was cast in a full time role in my brain as the monster that lived in the crawlspace behind our dryer. His nose and mouth are almost crocodilian in length, making him a hybrid death machine that can not only eat you whole, but smell (and enjoy) your fear.

4) Sesame Street’s Yip Yip Aliens

Who the f*ck invented these? I’ve seen like 3/4th’s of every science fiction movie ever and I’ve never observed a more frightening rendition of creatures from another planet. They have no body, and their circular mouths are contorted into a look of excruciating pain. The sound they omit — ‘Yip Yip‘ — over and over gives them an almost zombie-like demeanor. Incapable of love or communication, their race knows only war.

3) Skeksis from ‘The Dark Crystal’

Bird reptiles that appear to have some type of bizarre bone disease and turn infantile when they die/age. As someone who grew up around wild turkeys, the thought of gangs of intelligent, upright walking, violent minded birds hit very close to home.

2) The Rockbiter from ‘The Never-ending Story’

Could you have designed a more horribly disfigured face? My cousins would loop this scene and force me to watch it as a form of torture.

1) The Fiery Gang from ‘The Labyrinth’

A gang of forest dwelling, possible serial rapist apes who sing about ’showing you a good time’ while removing their limbs and creating a gallery of horrifyingly twisted body shapes. Then they try to rip your head off, in an effort to make you more like them. Awesome, just awesome.

[Got any childhood fears induced by muppets? We want to know]

I’m not joking. Seems like scientists have recently discovered how to get cute little monkeys to control a small robotic arm to help them grab food. A small grid “about the size of a large freckle” was surgically implanted in a few macaques, allowing them to use cognitive thinking to make a robot arm grab stuff they want. Scientists believe this is a huge step towards finding better ways to help human amputees.

Dr. John F. Kalaska, a neuroscientist at the University of Montreal, believes this new experiment, no matter how young, might someday help “patients with severe motor deficits to interact and communicate with the world not only by the moment-to-moment control of the motion of robotic devices, but also in a more natural and intuitive manner that reflects their overall goals, needs and preferences.”

I’m sure Kalaska and all the other scientists are right, but for some reason, I just can’t stop thinking about monkeys in sunglasses systematically destroying the earth with giant, mind-controlled machines of death.

…I guess I need to lay off the SciFi channel.

Its science fiction time, friends!

A small lab in California claims to have cloned the embryos of two men, making it the “first documented demonstration that ordinary cells from an adult human can be used to make cloned embryos mature enough to produce stem cells”.

Although the lab says it destroyed the embryos after 5 days, they insist they have all their records and assure the public that the tests were performed numerous times. Experts have supposedly acted very “coolly” to this announcement, partly because of a clone hoax executed by Korean scientist Hwang Woo-suk a few years back, and partly because the creation of cloned embryos has happened before. The big announcement, researchers agree, would be if a new stem cell line has been created.

Supporters of stem cell cloning say this new development will allow for treatment of certain diseases and possible “transplant material for conditions like diabetes and Parkinson’s”, while protestors don’t like the idea of scientists creating life and then destroying that life in labs.

Even though science has never been my thing (how many times did I fall asleep in Chemistry 105? Uncountable), the idea of cloning stem cells sounds both exciting and pretty freaking scary. The curing of deadly diseases? Good. The possible reproduction (as in, someone with the exact same face, body, and genetic make-up as their donor) of human life inside a Petri dish? Weird.

Unless they decide to start cloning Brad Pitt and Jake Gyllenhaal.

That would be fine.