Haunting Books You Should Read This Halloween

Everyone knows that Stephen King has the genre down pat, but there are a lot of other bone-chilling horror novels worth losing sleep over out there. Now that Halloween is almost upon us, lock yourself up in your room and feast on these horrific delights—just be sure you don’t turn the lights out afterwards.

1.The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson (1977)

Why do people always fall for the huge, old house that obviously has its deep, dark secrets? Based on a true story (although that certainly has led to plenty of lawsuits), the book revolves around the horrors that the Lutz family encountered in a house where Ronald DeFeo, Jr. murdered his family in 1974. The Lutz family moved in about a year later, and because of the terrifying paranormal activity that surrounded the house, they eventually left after 28 days. After visions of glowing red eyes, demonic imaginary friends, and waking up at the ungodly hour of 3:15am every night, who wouldn’t run out of there screaming?

Wear That Pink Ribbon: Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and aside from wearing a pink ribbon, here are some of the things you need to know about the most common female invasive cancer in the world.

Basic overview: What do you need to know?

Developed from breast cells, breast cancer occurs when a malignant tumor forms in the breast’s lobules or from the milk ducts. The first symptom is usually a lump felt by the woman on her breasts, and while most breast lumps are non-cancerous, it’s always best to seek medical attention just to be sure. Another sign may be some sort of pain in the armpits unrelated to the monthly period of a woman, a rash around the nipples, or perhaps an unusual discharge from the breast. The breast size or shape may become irregular, and the nipples may become inverted or sunken. The skin on the area may also flake or peel.

Age with Grace: Health To-Dos For Women in Their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s

Aging is a privilege, and we must all learn to greet our golden years with grace. Here’s how to stay fit and healthy no matter what your age is.

NaNoWriMo: 5 Steps to Getting Your Novel Done Right

November might mean Christmas trees and stuffed turkeys for most people, but for writers, it’s something else entirely. It’s here—the dreaded month all frustrated authors have been waiting for all year. NaNoWriMo brings sweat, tears, and countless hours holed up in a room like a hermit with the sound of fingers tapping keyboards well into the night, but it also brings the irreplaceable triumph of finishing a 50,000-word novel by the end of the month—if you know what you’re doing. Instead of rushing through the 30 days unmotivated and unprepared, get that rotting old story idea from outside of your head onto actual paper with these NaNoWriMo tips for success.

World Teachers Day: 8 Fictional Teachers Who Taught Us Unforgettable Life Lessons

Teachers are awesome—we all know that. They’ve taught us during our formative years and helped shape us to become who we are today. We have our favorite mentors, but there are those who, despite being fictional, have taught us life lessons we will never forget. Don’t you wish you had these teachers in real life?

1 . Mr. Feeny  from Boy Meets World

“But to me, a real hero is someone who does the right thing when the right thing isn’t the easy thing to do." Honestly. If all neighbors were as totally cool as Mr. Feeny, I’d be at my backyard, talking to him all day, too. George Feeny wasn’t just Cory Matthews’ teacher in school—he was also Eric Matthews’ life coach. Without Mr. Feeny, who knows what would have happened to Eric? It’s Feeny’s no-nonsense wisdom that made us walk out of every Boy Meets World episode as a bit of a better person than when we came in.  "If you let people's perception of you dictate your behavior, you will never grow as a person," he says.

Besides, if there were no Mr. Feeny, there would be no Feeny call—and who wants to live a life having never heard that?

Funko POP Culture: Where Geeks Unite

Image source: https://www.vanillaunderground.com

Pass by any hobby shop or corner toy store and you’ll see it—rows and rows of collectibles, boxed in little uniformed cuteness, the only toy line where Batman, Elsa, Lumpy Space Princess, and Sheldon Cooper are side by side. It’s the magic and wonder of Funko’s Pop! Vinyl Figures, and because nobody can resist the call of their adorableness, Funko has succeeded in uniting toy collectors and geeks all over the world.

Where it all began

Big square heads, black beaded eyes, and standing poses 3.75 inches tall—these are what people everywhere are going crazy for. Washington-based toy company Funko has stuck to this template because it works. All of the figures are classic, charming, and hard to resist. The collectibles have gone from beloved comics characters to television actors, and even sports athletes and music icons, which is why the toy line has made Funko Pop collectors out of everyone—geeks and non-geeks alike. Practically every franchise has a Funko Pop version, with the company securing 180 licenses including Star Wars and StarCraft, and it’s hard to believe how it all started.

Upcoming Video Game Releases for October 2015

While most people busy themselves with Halloween this month, we hardcore gamers look forward to new releases that will keep us hooked to our consoles all night. Here are some of the upcoming games to look forward to this October 2015.

1. Halo 5: Guardians

Yes, yes—we know you all can’t wait to get your hands on the latest installment of the Halo franchise. Fortunately, the game is officially coming out this October 27th. Following the story of Spartan-II Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, Halo 5: Guardians is set after the Spartan Ops from Halo 4, and will focus on the operations and various investigations of the Blue Team. Apart from this, Halo 5: Guardians will feature playable character Agent Locke, who will go on a mission to locate the Master Chief after the mysterious disappearance of the Blue Team. The perspective of this “legendary manhunter” will switch with that of the main protagonist throughout the game.

Exclusive to the Xbox One console, Halo 5: Guardians will run at 60 frames per second (FPS) with a four-player online campaign co-op mode. Sadly, there won’t be any offline gameplay and local networking options, as well as split-screen cooperative campaigns. According to producer Josh Holmes, the Halo 5 engine will use a “new progressive resolution system that allows us to dynamically scale the resolution at which we render the game.” Still, Halo 5: Guardians will feature more player mobility and new enhancements called Spartan abilities, so that’s got to be exciting, right?