And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt. - Sylvia Plath
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Tuesday, August 30, 2005,8:22 AM
My encounters with vampires
So here I am actually sitting at the computer while I eat breakfast (code for Emma's asleep)and I figure I should post something on my blog. So I decide to say something about the vampire books I read this summer. I should probably say that I'm not a fan of vampires - I haven't read Anne Rice and I gave up watching Interview with a Vampire after about 10 minutes. So the fact that I read two vampire books this summer is a bit odd. But these weren't your typical pseudoerotic bloodsucking variety.
The first one I read was Sunshine by Robin McKinley . I had to make myself read it because I love Robin McKinley, but, like I said, dislike vampire books. But of course since it was Robin McKinley it was wonderful. She has this amazing talent for creating alternate worlds - and this one happens to be populated with vampires. The main character, Sunshine, is a baker who thrives on the element of sunshine which makes things interesting when she gets mixed up with vampires. It is actually a good look at the nature of evil and of how nothing is inherently evil but can be used for either good or evil. There is adventure and some scary elements here, but nothing overwhelming.
Then I also picked upThe Historian by Elizabeth Kostova which has been on the bestseller lists all summer. It too proved to be a fascinating read. It is set up like a history documentary and follows three generations of a family as they stumble upon and are drawn into researching the Dracula legend. Every time they come close to a clue something dangerous happens to push them away. It is a very well written tale and the unfolding of the story holds your attention. As a reader you find out bits of the story at a time until the whole picture is revealed at the end. Although it has horrific elements, it is not scary. For unlike most vampire books it is not a fantasy novel - it is "historical" fiction.
So there are my encounters with vampires this summer. Will I read more? - most likely no. But these were good books that I would recommend.
The first one I read was Sunshine by Robin McKinley . I had to make myself read it because I love Robin McKinley, but, like I said, dislike vampire books. But of course since it was Robin McKinley it was wonderful. She has this amazing talent for creating alternate worlds - and this one happens to be populated with vampires. The main character, Sunshine, is a baker who thrives on the element of sunshine which makes things interesting when she gets mixed up with vampires. It is actually a good look at the nature of evil and of how nothing is inherently evil but can be used for either good or evil. There is adventure and some scary elements here, but nothing overwhelming.
Then I also picked upThe Historian by Elizabeth Kostova which has been on the bestseller lists all summer. It too proved to be a fascinating read. It is set up like a history documentary and follows three generations of a family as they stumble upon and are drawn into researching the Dracula legend. Every time they come close to a clue something dangerous happens to push them away. It is a very well written tale and the unfolding of the story holds your attention. As a reader you find out bits of the story at a time until the whole picture is revealed at the end. Although it has horrific elements, it is not scary. For unlike most vampire books it is not a fantasy novel - it is "historical" fiction.
So there are my encounters with vampires this summer. Will I read more? - most likely no. But these were good books that I would recommend.
Labels: Book Reviews
Vlad the Impaler, huh?
So is a personal interview with a vampire next on your agenda? :)