It has been a long time since my last entry. Work and job hunting have kept me very busy. But, I never stop reading so I have some book updates for those of you who are curious. I am now on the 7th of the 9 book series by Charlaine Harris. Popularly referred to as the Sookie Stackhouse novels, each one is like a murder mystery/romance/fantasy story all wrapped up in a neat package.
For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about. The Sookie Stackhouse novels are written about a modern world where Japanese scientists created synthetic blood and thereby allowing vampires to come out of hiding and be a part of the human world in exchange for promising not to harm them anymore. Sookie Stackhouse is the heroine of these novels and her talent for reading minds gets her involved in the underworld of supes (supernatural beings) that live among us. She befriends vampires, shape-shifters, werewolves, werepanthers, faeries, demons, witches, and other such make-believe creatures that are absolutely real in Harris's novels.
Each novel centers around a conflict/problem in which Sookie is somehow involved. Her talent for mind-reading is usually what helps to save the day. But sometimes it is her connections with very powerful beings that helps her out of tight spots. Unfortunately, her relationship with all these beings is usually what causes the problems to begin with.
I hope that some readers will see the value in such entertaining stories and read them for that reason alone. But if the books don't entice you, check out the HBO series based on these novels, True Blood. I hear it's not really the same as the books, but for some of us tv is a more powerful medium. Enjoy!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Bram Stoker's Dracula
For those of you who don't know, I spent my summer immersed in vampire literature and lore. I began this trip down a dark and stormy path with none other than, I hate to say it, the Twilight book series. Before you laugh or applaud secretly, you must know that I had no intention of reading the series, but after most of my intelligent female students and even some of my male students were talking about nothing but these books, I must admit I became curious. So, I took the plunge and four books later my thirst for more vampire lit was ignited. While I recommend the Twilight books, I also inform my fellow readers that it is not the most creatively written series, but it does well to entertain page after page.
Once the Stephanie Meyer books were put to rest on my overflowing bookshelf, I decided to begin where all vampire literature begins, with Bram Stoker's Dracula. It had been years since I picked this book up and attempted to read it from cover to cover. When I was in middle school, I saw The Phantom of the Opera at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis and was determined to read it and other books that were as famously recreated on stage and screen. Dracula was among these stories. But, to my middle school reader chagrin, I had to put the books down because they were more difficult to read that I had anticipated. Now as an adult with a BA in English, I had much more luck reading Dracula and understanding it.
It's still not an easy read, but the torrid tale is so dark and horrific as to make the work while reading it all that more worthwhile. One thing that makes the reading more difficult is that the story is told in a series of journal entries and letters from some four or five different characters and first names are not readily used. What is interesting is how easily I slipped from 21st century life into the Victorian-era without any trouble. That is what a well-written book should do, completely transport you from your environment to that of another, without a hitch.
The basic plot is that of a man travelling to Transylvania to work out some business with his boss's client, a Count Dracula. Once in the wagon, the main character, Mr. Jonathan Harker, knows that nothing good will come of this visit to a strange land among strange people. Harker is kept captive by his host, Dracula, and all hell breaks loose as Dracula begins to leave his mark on the important people in Harker's life. As Dracula wrecks havoc in Harker's life, Harker regains his wits after many fearful nights and is determined to destroy his captor. And so the hunt begins for the vampire known as Count Dracula. A vampire's many forms and powers are explained in the story as well, which allows you to compare the original vampire to those of today's books.
What I found most interesting about the Twilight series and Dracula, is the way in which the time period plays a huge roll in the characteristics of the vampires/monsters. Stephanie Meyer, being raised a Mormon in today's world of XXX and Romanesque debauchery, writes of vampires that abstain from drinking the blood of humans, and avoid any real relationships with humans. This is the opposite of the vampire in the Victorian era, where showing your skin was a disgrace. The Victorian vampire was full of blood lust and stirred in women a hidden sexuality unknown to them. When there is too much sex, monsters are more conservative in their interaction with humans and when there was no sex, monsters were the embodiment of something that could cause in men and women sexual deviancy.
So, if you want to learn of the original vampire and test my current theory on monsters and when they exist, pick up Dracula and find out how the obsession with the vampire in literature began.
Once the Stephanie Meyer books were put to rest on my overflowing bookshelf, I decided to begin where all vampire literature begins, with Bram Stoker's Dracula. It had been years since I picked this book up and attempted to read it from cover to cover. When I was in middle school, I saw The Phantom of the Opera at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis and was determined to read it and other books that were as famously recreated on stage and screen. Dracula was among these stories. But, to my middle school reader chagrin, I had to put the books down because they were more difficult to read that I had anticipated. Now as an adult with a BA in English, I had much more luck reading Dracula and understanding it.
It's still not an easy read, but the torrid tale is so dark and horrific as to make the work while reading it all that more worthwhile. One thing that makes the reading more difficult is that the story is told in a series of journal entries and letters from some four or five different characters and first names are not readily used. What is interesting is how easily I slipped from 21st century life into the Victorian-era without any trouble. That is what a well-written book should do, completely transport you from your environment to that of another, without a hitch.
The basic plot is that of a man travelling to Transylvania to work out some business with his boss's client, a Count Dracula. Once in the wagon, the main character, Mr. Jonathan Harker, knows that nothing good will come of this visit to a strange land among strange people. Harker is kept captive by his host, Dracula, and all hell breaks loose as Dracula begins to leave his mark on the important people in Harker's life. As Dracula wrecks havoc in Harker's life, Harker regains his wits after many fearful nights and is determined to destroy his captor. And so the hunt begins for the vampire known as Count Dracula. A vampire's many forms and powers are explained in the story as well, which allows you to compare the original vampire to those of today's books.
What I found most interesting about the Twilight series and Dracula, is the way in which the time period plays a huge roll in the characteristics of the vampires/monsters. Stephanie Meyer, being raised a Mormon in today's world of XXX and Romanesque debauchery, writes of vampires that abstain from drinking the blood of humans, and avoid any real relationships with humans. This is the opposite of the vampire in the Victorian era, where showing your skin was a disgrace. The Victorian vampire was full of blood lust and stirred in women a hidden sexuality unknown to them. When there is too much sex, monsters are more conservative in their interaction with humans and when there was no sex, monsters were the embodiment of something that could cause in men and women sexual deviancy.
So, if you want to learn of the original vampire and test my current theory on monsters and when they exist, pick up Dracula and find out how the obsession with the vampire in literature began.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Let the Right One In
During the fun weekend of Kristy's bachelorette party I was able to finish a book I had been reading for a couple of weeks. Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist was first published in 2004 in Sweden, and then translated by Ebba Segerberg into English for publication in 2007. I first found out about this story from my husband, who rented the movie from Blockbuster Online. He thought it was going to be a bloody vampire movie. When we sat down to watch the film, we found out it was something much different. The film was dubbed over in English so I'm not sure how the real actors sounded, but it was an interesting story none-the-less. In the film, you get the feeling it was meant to be a child-like love story with some vampire blood lust in between.
After watching the film, I found my way into a Borders and low and behold, found that the movie was a book first. As usual, I had no idea since this was a foreign film. What I found most interesting was that the book was said to be, "Absolutely chilling." by L.A. Banks. What was a love story on film, became a much more bloody vampire story in written form. I don't know that I can use a rating for the books I read, because I have a habit of loving them all, for one reason or another. And this book is no exception.
The book is mainly about a young boy in 1980's Stockholm who is an outsider. He is the skinny little boy who is bullied by the other kids in his class. The boy, Oskar, doesn't learn to defend himself until he meets and becomes best friends with Eli, a strange little girl that seemingly comes from nowhere. This is the central story in the book, but as the book progresses you learn more and more about how Eli's arrival effects others in this small Stockholm subdivision. Among the minor characters are a group of older alcoholics who haunt a local Chinese restaurant. Their story is filled with despair, especially as some start disappearing. You will also get to know Oskar's bullies, teachers, and mom and dad. Some will stick out as people that Oskar feels comfortable enough with to tell the truth to, almost. He always falls short of being honest with every character but Eli, and Eli, in turn tells Oskar the truth about her life as she knows it.
This story is full of strange characters who find themselves in terrible situations. But the backbone of the story seems to be the blossoming friendship between two pre-adolescent children who have found a kindred spirit in one another, despite their obvious differences. The story is sprinkled with bloody vampire encounters that are reminiscent of 30 Days of Night and new information for Americans about modern vampires in Sweden. There may be a political purpose to telling the story in 80's Stockholm, but that was lost on me since I don't know much about Stockholm in the 1980s.
If you like vampire books and enjoy foreign films, you should check out the novel and film entitled, Let the Right One In.
After watching the film, I found my way into a Borders and low and behold, found that the movie was a book first. As usual, I had no idea since this was a foreign film. What I found most interesting was that the book was said to be, "Absolutely chilling." by L.A. Banks. What was a love story on film, became a much more bloody vampire story in written form. I don't know that I can use a rating for the books I read, because I have a habit of loving them all, for one reason or another. And this book is no exception.
The book is mainly about a young boy in 1980's Stockholm who is an outsider. He is the skinny little boy who is bullied by the other kids in his class. The boy, Oskar, doesn't learn to defend himself until he meets and becomes best friends with Eli, a strange little girl that seemingly comes from nowhere. This is the central story in the book, but as the book progresses you learn more and more about how Eli's arrival effects others in this small Stockholm subdivision. Among the minor characters are a group of older alcoholics who haunt a local Chinese restaurant. Their story is filled with despair, especially as some start disappearing. You will also get to know Oskar's bullies, teachers, and mom and dad. Some will stick out as people that Oskar feels comfortable enough with to tell the truth to, almost. He always falls short of being honest with every character but Eli, and Eli, in turn tells Oskar the truth about her life as she knows it.
This story is full of strange characters who find themselves in terrible situations. But the backbone of the story seems to be the blossoming friendship between two pre-adolescent children who have found a kindred spirit in one another, despite their obvious differences. The story is sprinkled with bloody vampire encounters that are reminiscent of 30 Days of Night and new information for Americans about modern vampires in Sweden. There may be a political purpose to telling the story in 80's Stockholm, but that was lost on me since I don't know much about Stockholm in the 1980s.
If you like vampire books and enjoy foreign films, you should check out the novel and film entitled, Let the Right One In.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Blogging my way through my bookshelf
In the past few months, my life has changed in many ways. I got married, moved out of mom and dad's house, decided that I needed a career change, and lost a beloved pet and friend. One thing that remains the same in my life is reading a good book. So, inspired by the new movie Julie and Julia, I plan to read all my unread books and blog about the journey through my bookshelf.
Like many women, I have an addiction to shopping. Mine is different in that I don't spend large amounts of money on shoes, or purses, or even clothes. I spend all my extra money on books, which I feel is at least an admirable addiction. To begin with, despite my modest life in the midwest, I get to travel to places I will never have the money to see, I can travel back in time, and I get to meet many interesting new characters. This, however, does not mean that I don't have a life outside of these books. Aside from the recent wedding, I now have two jobs and a social life to juggle. But I cannot fathom a night in which I do not read before I fall asleep at night.
So I hope that for those of you who find and read this blog, I can inspire you to read new and different books and make reading a part of your daily life. If nothing else, you can read some book reviews and pretend that you know what you are talking about when you join conversations about those books.
Like many women, I have an addiction to shopping. Mine is different in that I don't spend large amounts of money on shoes, or purses, or even clothes. I spend all my extra money on books, which I feel is at least an admirable addiction. To begin with, despite my modest life in the midwest, I get to travel to places I will never have the money to see, I can travel back in time, and I get to meet many interesting new characters. This, however, does not mean that I don't have a life outside of these books. Aside from the recent wedding, I now have two jobs and a social life to juggle. But I cannot fathom a night in which I do not read before I fall asleep at night.
So I hope that for those of you who find and read this blog, I can inspire you to read new and different books and make reading a part of your daily life. If nothing else, you can read some book reviews and pretend that you know what you are talking about when you join conversations about those books.
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