Sookie's Supernatural Showcase

I can honestly say that Charlaine Harris's Living Dead in Dallas is not what I expected. Sookie's world started out with just vampires, and then she found out that Sam's a shapeshifter. In this book she meets even more shapeshifters (including some honest to goodness werewolves) and a maenad (I can't remember if that's how it's spelled) named Callisto, that is freaky beyond belief. Who knows what else she'll run into. Speaking of vampires, I went to the midnight premiere of Eclipse last night. Best of the movies so far! I loved, loved, loved it! I think they handled all the story elements very well and Riley actually scared the bejeezus out of me. It was so good that I really want to see it again. I don't know if I can convince my husband to do that though! So, my next book is Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. It is not a vampire book. It is actually about fallen angels which is interesting. I've only read the first chapter, but so far, I really like it!!

Creepy Undead Vampire Things

I finished the second House of Night book yesterday. Yeah, I was totally right about Neferet. She's doing something to the fledglings that die and basically reanimating them somehow. So now, they're some kind of undead vampire hybrid. They are seriously disturbing. Worst of all, Zoey's best friend Stevie Rae is now one of the creepy undead vampire creatures. (They never gave them an official name in the book, so I have no clue what to call them right now. I'm sure they give them an official name in one of the other books). Now I'm reading another vampire book. This time it's one of Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire books, Living Dead in Dallas. I've only actually read about a page of it, so I have no opinion as of yet. Speaking of vampires, I am going to the midnight showing of Eclipse this Tuesday night. So excited! There seems to be a general consensus that this is the best of the movies, so far. My husband is going with me. I can't believe I convinced him to go with me, but I guess he just loves me that much!!

House of Night(mares)

I have been reading the second book in the House of Night series, Betrayed. Well, it's obvious that something fishy is going on. (Isn't there always). It seems to be something with Neferet, Zoey's mentor. Then again, it could be the mysterious Loren Blake...Things are not crystal clear yet, but that's okay. I'd rather things be a little murky. I don't like when books are too obvious. I like for there to be a little mystery. That's what a good book has to have really. I don't like to know what's going to happen as soon as I open the book. That's no fun!!

Home Sweet Home

I have returned from my Orlando vacation a very tired and somewhat tan person. I will go ahead and tell you, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal's Islands of Adventure in Orlando is absolutely amazing!! If you like the books or the movies, you have to visit this theme park. Butterbeer and pumpkin juice both taste amazing! Zonko's Joke Shop and Honeydukes are full of fun candy and all sorts of neat doo-dads. I bought a Pygmy Puff. It's very big and pink and I named him Mr. Bojangles. Hogwarts Castle is simply breathtaking, both inside and outside. The ride inside the castle, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, is incredible! It is a one-of-a-kind ride that puts you in the action. You encounter Dementors, spiders, dragons, a Quidditch game and more! The whole place is just mind-blowing! I cannot wait to go back (we're hoping next summer). Also, I finished reading Stephenie Meyer's The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner. I can honestly say, I did not want to see that girl die. I really think she could have found a happy life with the Cullens or at least been happy away from all those crazy newborns. I really wish Stephenie Meyer would write more novellas like this that explore more of the Twilight universe. I started reading the second book in the House of Night series, Betrayed by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast. I'm only about two chapters in, so nothing big has really happened yet. I enjoyed the first book, so I'm pretty sure this one will be at least okay.

Done Before the Deadline

I must say, I'm pretty proud of myself. I finished the third Dark Visions book well ahead of my deadline! I actually finished it yesterday and have already begun reading Stephenie Meyer's The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner. But before I begin talking about that, I need to wrap up my feelings on the Dark Visions trilogy. Overall, a very interesting story. There were enough twists to keep you guessing, but it all resolved itself very nicely. I felt like everyone's story ended the way it needed to. The idea of psychic vampires is very interesting, and I liked the way the book treated it as if it were probably the origin of all the vampire myths. People just confused "life energy" to mean "blood" instead of literal energy. Speaking of vampires, in The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, Stephenie Meyer introduces us to some vampires who are very different from the one's we are used to seeing from her. These are vampires in their truest sense. Wild and bloodthirsty, something we've only had glimpses of in her world before. I'm less than 30 pages into the novella and I have already seen some incredibly crazy vampires and learned that these vampires haven't really been clued in to the facts about their existance. For example, the main character Bree, thinks that sunlight will burn her to a crisp. However, if you've read any of Stephenie's books you know that her vampires do not burst into flame or turn to dust if exposed to sunlight. They merely sparkle. Bree has yet to learn that fact about her kind, and it's my understanding that she and the other newborns have been led to believe that the sun is a danger to them. I know how this story will end, but that doesn't make me want to read it less. In fact, it makes me more curious to find out how exactly she ended up in the clearing with the Cullens on that fateful day. Why did she surrender? What were her thoughts upon seeing Bella, a human, surrounded by vampires? What was her last thought as she watched the Volturi guard close in on her in her final moments?

One More to Go!

I finished the second book in the Dark Visions trilogy! This omnibus edition is hugely thick, so I really want to finish this last book before we leave for vacation. Which means I need to finish it in five days! I can do it, no big deal. Except for the fact that I have a sort of job interview on Wednesday that I've got to prepare for!!! I have to finish it before I leave the house on Saturday morning because I will not have time to finish it during the day on Saturday. My hometown has a Blueberry festival every June and we are going this Saturday. Then, we are going to stay at my friend's house on Saturday night so that we don't have to wake up super super early on Sunday morning for our flight. (She lives a lot closer to the airport than we do). So, Friday night is my deadline. I think I can do it; I'm pretty sure I can. I don't want to haul this huge book with me. I want to take the next two books in my stack. Even combined, they are much smaller than this one. Wish me luck!!

I Can Smell Florida Already

So, that air horn that I thought I heard last night, apparently I did not imagine it. I was not the only one at the house that heard it. My husband went fishing with his brother, dad, and uncle today, so I went shopping with my sister-in-law. First stop: Barnes & Noble (not my first choice of bookstore, but it was the only one near the other stores we wanted to go to). I had to go there and pick up a copy of The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer. Of course, going into a book store for one book is pretty much impossible for me. I ended up buying two more. I actually haven't had a chance to read anything at all today. Unfortunate, but true. I hope to be reading in my bed in a little while. I am very much looking forward to next Sunday. I can't wait to be in Florida. I am going with my husband and my two best friends to Universal Studios. We will be at the grand opening for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter! Can't wait!!! I might not blog at all that week; I don't know. I make no promises.

A Blog From the Bay

It's currently just past 11:00pm and I swear I just heard someone blow an air horn. Granted, I am at my in-law's camp in Bay St. Louis, so there could be a perfectly good reason that someone just blew an air horn. Then again, it's probably just someone who is really drunk. We are spending a couple of days down here just to get out of the house (and go shopping with my sister-in-law). The boys went out and went fishing today, but Christina and I decided to stay on dry land. (She's pregnant and didn't think she could handle being on the waves, so I decided to keep her company). We decided to sit outside and read in the afternoon sun. The temperature and the light were just perfect for a quiet afternoon of reading. I am still reading Dark Visions (I've gotten to the second of the three books), and they are getting very good. However, I didn't actually get much reading done. I ended up watching the birds fly around and the fish jump out of the water. It was just really peaceful out there today. And other than the aforementioned air horn, it has been pretty peaceful tonight as well.

Something Sinister

So, I'm almost finished with the first of the three books in the Dark Visions omnibus edition, and I can tell you, something sinister is going on (isn't there always?). These books revolve around five teenagers with psychic powers. One character I find very interesting is basically a healer. He has a rather innocent view of the world (in some ways) and the main character, Kait, has a very big crush on him. Gabriel is another of the five students. He's very closed off to the other students and actually pretty scarey. He's just out of jail on parole. I don't really know how he can be out of jail when he's murdered two people, but whatever. He is definitely a little off, but I'm hoping he turns himself around eventually.

Two in One

Some how, I have finished two books since the last time I was able to write here. I finished reading Journey to the Center of the Earth the day before yesterday and immediately started reading Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott. So, I'll take them one at a time.

I was pleasantly surprised with Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne. I usually have issues with classic literature. I, for some reason, cannot stomach Jane Austen. It bores me to tears. I know that just by saying that, people are going to wonder how in the heck I can be a woman and not like Jane Austen. Well, so what? It's just not my thing. Give me H.G. Wells any day and I'll read it in a second, but Jane Austen? No thanks. So, I was glad that I took to Jules Verne with such ease. I had always wanted to read Journey to the Center of the Earth, but I was hesitant because I was afraid I'd be disappointed. Happily, I was not disappointed and finished the book in a few days. I have to admit that I did find the narrator slightly annoying at times, but they were few and far between. I'm now thinking about reading 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea since I enjoyed this book so much.

Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott is a small book. I read in in about 24 hours. It was very easy to read, almost too easy at times. The chapters were short so you always felt as if you were accomplishing something. I have to say, the book seemed a bit underdeveloped. I thought most of the characters seemed very one dimensional at times. I also knew exactly how the book was going to turn out by the end of the second chapter. I felt like I'd read the book a hundred times before. It seemed like a lesser version of something Sarah Dessen would write. Actually, it was exactly her type of story, just not nearly as well written.

Now, I've already started reading my next book. It's an omnibus edition of L.J. Smith's Dark Visions. This book contains all three novels: The Strange Power, The Possessed, and The Passion. One good sign is that I'm already about 80 pages into the first book and I can't tell you what's going to happen at the end. I like that in a book. I have about 29 more books in my stack in my bedroom, but it's about to become 30 again this Saturday when The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer comes out. It will go on the top of my stack insteadof the bottom. Also, I'm thinking about re-reading one of my favorite books, Old Magic by Marianne Curley. I've had that book since high school and I love it! My copy is very tattered, and they've just re-released it with a new cover, so I'm thinking of investing in a new copy. I don't know, we'll see. I'll talk about the book more when I decide to re-read it. Don't worry I'm sure it will be very soon. :)