There's nothing like reading a great book in the lazy days of summer, especially when you have a chance to win some great prizes...

Starting June 14, tell us the title of a book you've read and be entered to win $50 Book & Brier gift certificates. Regular draws will take place at all RPL locations throughout the months of July and August. The Grand Prize - an evening at Beer Bros Bakery & Cuisine along with tickets to the Globe Theatre - will be drawn on September 10.

So don't forget to pick up your entry forms from any RPL branch or if you prefer, bookmark this link to enter online.

This contest runs from June 14 to August 31 and is only open to Regina and area residents.

Having trouble keeping pace with our blog? Simple solution is to subscribe to our XML feed. What is that?

XML or RSS feeds automatically inform readers of when your favorite blog has been updated without you having to check back on the blog on a regular basis. Still unsure? Check out this simple video called RSS in Plain English that explains what they are and how easy it is to subscribe to a website or blog.

Intrigued? Then click on the following image located on the bottom right hand side of this blog to subscribe. Your feeds can then be sent to a RSS reader such as Google Reader or Bloglines.

Or if you like, you can also receive the RSS feed via your email account through a simple service as FeedMyInbox. (Note: you will need to use the blog's actual url http://www.reginalibrary.ca/blogs/index.php?blog=13 to use this service).

Having trouble keeping pace with our blog? Simple solution is to subscribe to our XML feed. What is that?

XML or RSS feeds automatically inform readers of when your favorite blog has been updated without you having to check back on the blog on a regular basis. Still unsure? Check out this simple video called RSS in Plain English that explains what they are and how easy it is to subscribe to a website or blog.

Intrigued? Then click on the following image located on the bottom right hand side of this blog to subscribe. Your feeds can then be sent to a RSS reader such as Google Reader or Bloglines.

Or if you like, you can also receive the RSS feed via your email account through a simple service as FeedMyInbox. (Note: you will need to use the blog's actual url http://www.reginalibrary.ca/blogs/index.php?blog=13 to use this service).

As you may be aware, RPL has moved to a new province wide consortium (One Province One Library Card), which also means a new catalogue.

This new system provides access to MANY more books (more horror than you can shake a stick at!) Hard to find titles, as well as out of print editions can now find their way to you by a simple click of the Request button.

Links for older blog posts will have broken, but we will try to restore as many of them as we can (although our first priority is to ensure that new posts are properly linked to the new catalogue).

Something else you may notice - there is not just one,
but two versions of the catalogue:

1) Encore (with a Google-like search bar and interface and Amazon-like layout, including the option to "tag") and

2) the Classic (the more traditional looking catalogue where you can access your account, re-new items, check on your holds list, etc.)

If you have any questions or concerns about these changes, please do not hesitate to fill out the following online Comments form:
http://www.reginalibrary.ca/contactus.html

The Cryptkeeper

The enthusiastic and knowledgeable crew over at Bloody-Disgusting.com refer to themselves as "Your #1 Source For Horror" - and you know what? They're not just bragging; they really do deliver. I use this website all the time to keep abreast of horror news, reviews and interviews. What's coming out in theaters? What's new to DVD? Will there be a Saw VII? There are insightful articles, endless trailers, and "Best" lists to die for. For example: Top Ten Cheesiest Horror Movie One-Liners.

My one criticism is that the site is exclusively focused on movies. The contributors are obsessed film buffs so very rarely will you get anything on what's being published. Except for Graphic Novels - the site has a great section called Graphic Content. Oh! and they also do video games :-)

Now the crew over at Bloody-Disgusting want to recognize the top horror bloggers on the Web with an official BD Horror Bloggers Award. I think this is an awesome idea. There are LOADS of horror blogs out there - good, bad and ugly - and this is a fantastic way of celebrating the truly good ones.

Stay tuned for nominations and winners!

The Cryptkeeper

Here are some helpful hints
on how to become a zombie ... without actually being bit by one!

1. wikiHow - How to Look Like a Zombie

2. How to make a zombie costume with make-up

3. How to make zombie make-up

4. How to do zombie make-up

5. Video results for zombie make-up (Google Videos)

If you are venturing out into zombie territory this Halloween, don't forget to watch this safety video brought to you by the guys from Common Craft - Zombies in Plain English.

The Cryptkeeper

In October 2004, the American cable channel Bravo TV aired a miniseries entitled: 100 Scariest Movie Moments. The films represent a broad spectrum of choices, but with few surprises. It's been re-airing every year around Halloween, but I've yet to see it air in Canada (I could be mistaken).

The documentary's major value is its scores of interviews with the horror industry's top talents, including segments with: Stephen King, Wes Craven, John Carpenter, George Romero, Guillermo Del Toro, Bruce Campbell, Rob Zombie, and Tobe Hooper. Del Toro's commentary on what scares him is awesome.

I've managed to gather up the 95 of the 100 clips someone had so kindly uploaded to YouTube. I can't imagine YouTube is going to allow these clips to remain up indefinitely. Stuff like this tends to get removed due to copyright infringement, so enjoy it while you can!!!

Here's the Top 10:

10) Wait Until Dark
9) Night of the Living Dead
8) Carrie
7) The Silence of the Lambs
6) The Shining
5)The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
4) Psycho
3) The Exorcist
2) Alien
1) Jaws

I'm actually a bigger fan of Carrie than The Shining. I'm disappointed The Evil Dead didn't rank higher (#76) -- while it has its share of camp and cheese, there are a few brilliant spots of horror in that movie. And it has Bruce Campbell, c'mon!!!!!!! I LOVE Jaws, one of my favorites of all time, but as a "scariest movie moment" ... certainly not top dog. I'd have to go with The Exorcist. That movie STILL freaks me out - but I was raised Catholic ;-)

The Cryptkeeper

Under the Dome COMING SOON!

Stephen King

Release Date: November 10th, 2009

Stephen King's latest novel, Under the Dome, hits stores on November 10th. Rest assured that Regina Public Library will be getting many copies to meet the anticipated demand. The book is currently showing in the catalogue as "on order" so please feel free to place a hold now. There will also be copies available in our Popular Picks collection for short term loans, so don't get discouraged if you are far down the holds list.

Like The Stand, IT, and King's other famous epic door-stoppers, Under the Dome weighs in at a whopping 1088 pages! Word is, fans won't be disappointed. Check out this early review published in Library Journal .

The Cryptkeeper says: I can't wait for this one ... I'm so excited. The only fly in the ointment is that I've signed up to take the NaNoWriMo challenge this November, so I'll have to wait until December to read it! It's going to be so hard to wait!