Dead And Gone

No, no don’t worry – no one has died, well, no one real anyway!!!

 

I’m talking about the book I last read! I finished it last night and Dead and Gone is the 9th Book in the True Blood series, the final one currently available. So I thought I would take some time to review the series so far…..

 

If you haven’t read the books, you may know a bit about them from the TV series. Currently showing Season 2 on FX and approaching the release of Season 3 in the states it has been very popular! Why? Well it’s more than Vampires in my opinion!

 

The title True Blood takes it’s name from the synthetic blood that has made it possible for the Vampire community to “come out of the coffin” so to speak. The story follows Sookie Stackhouse, a waitress from Bon Temps. We start the story with Sookie, and the small town, receiving it’s 1st Vampire since they came out 2 years previously. But Sookie is no ordinary waitress, she is also telepathic and is drawn towards Bill the Vampire because she realises she can’t read his mind and relishes the silence that radiates from him.

 

As you can imagine, there are lots of twists and turns and Sookie and Bill form a friendship that turns to love and sees Sookie running for her life at the end of the 1st book, Dead Until Dark. But if you think this is just another Vampire Romance, think again. There is something in this series for everyone, although it’s definitely not for the younger ones! A lot of comparisons are made between Sookie and Bella of Twilight, but I am not going to do that. I personally think both stories are fantastic but the ONLY comparison that can be made is that both contain Vampires and Shapeshifters. There the similarities end.

 

True Blood is currently 9 books, with Book 10 – Dead in The Family – released on June 11th 2010. The fact that the series is so long and has such avid followers is, in my opinion, down to the fact it contains a lot of details. The characters are developed right through the series and and there is always a new twist. But, the thing I love is that each of the books is a story in it’s own right. I personally have read them all, in order. But if you wanted to dip in and out you could. I would recommend reading the lot though because that was the authors intention.

 

As with the TV series, these books contain action, romance, sex (a friend of mine referred to the TV series as “Vampire Porn”!), comedy and an underlying story of life. It covers the changing relationships between the whole community of Bon Temps and I for one am now counting down to the release of the next book! Oh and the arrival of Season 2 DVD which is released today and on it’s way from Amazon!

 

If you’re put off by the word Vampire, please don’t be, I would recommend this series to everyone who enjoys a good dip into sheer escapism. The series even made my cousin ask me whether I thought in a few years the Vampires may really come out………….I love it on paper, but real life is good the way it is! Let me know what you think if you have read these!

And so the Hype Begins Again!!!

Ok, for those of you who know me you will know my main 2 passions in my life are my kids and my current fascination with Vampires! So I couldn’t leave it unsaid that tomorrow the trailer for the next Twilight film “Eclipse” will be released, but we have been given a 10 second sneak peak today and I have to share it!!!

Anyone else excited about this new film coming out in the summer?

My Book Addiction

I first read Twilight last year. Friends had told me to read it but the thought of Vampire fiction didn’t appeal. It’s not a genre I had ever read, or had any interest in but I bought the book with all good intentions of giving it a go. The book sat on the side in my bedroom. I moved house. The book came out of a box and sat in my living room. One night I remembered to take it to bed to start to read. Now this was strange, I hadn’t read a book in bed for years. The only time I read fiction was on holiday by the pool. This book would have to be something special to get me hooked.

For anyone who hasn’t heard of Twilight, where have you been? Even if you havn’t read it, I guarentee you will have heard others talk about it. Many of my friends, real and “virtual” online friends talk about it many times a day. It’s one of those books that triggers something inside, takes you back to your youth, makes you believe in fairy tales again.

What’s it all about? The story is written through the eyes of 17 year old Bella Swann who is moving home to live with her Dad in Forks. Bella hates Forks. It rains. It’s a small town. There are no decent shops. Her Dad Charlie is the Cheif of Police and everyone knows she is joining the school. The book is aimed at girls around Bella’s age, so reading this is a 30 year old mum of 2 I was expecting to be unable to relate to Bella. Surprisingly though, within minutes of reading I was remembering how it felt to be at school, to be the new girl. To wonder who everyone is. It is such an easy book to read.

Just when you think the book is just another teen high school book, enter The Cullen’s. Unknown to Bella, this is the local vegetarian Vampire family. From the moment she sees them, sat with food they don’t eat and not interacting with anyone else, Bella is fascinated in them, in particular Edward, who she learns is the only single memeber of the family.

This is a true tale of forbidden love. Of first love. Unearthing secrets that are rarely spoken of. It’s not just a Vampire book, you could take away the fact this a love stary between a human and an immortal, and it would still mean the same. It’s about the power of love. But don’t read this and think it’s just a love story. This is the 1st book of 4 in The Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer. This book introduces the main characters to us. We learn who Bella’s family is, meet the Forks community, and also meet some of the Quileute tribe. We learn alot about how the Cullen’s live and also enough to know that the love story we are there to witness will not have a smooth start. This book sets the perfect start point for what is to follow, giving us a bit of lust, a bit of action and leaves us wanting more.

My synopsis has by no means given the book justice. I don’t think I have yet to read a synopsis that does. But in my whole life I have read at school and since leaving school I had probably read about 20 books in 12 years. I read Harry Potter and was hooked, but I never got hooked to reading. It was a one off thing. Twilight on the other hand was more. A year after my vision of love had been blown apart, I truely believed in love again. I remembered what it was like to feel that 1st love for someone. It sparked a sense of “life goes on” in me. Since reading this book, I have read 18 more, I am never without a book on the go! I can say 100% that I am now  a book worm. Even after a night out I have to pick up my book before I go to sleep! It’s not a bad thing I know, but I have to admit it’s a shock. I have stuck to the vampire genre, its very popular at the moment and there is alot out there to choose from.

Twilight changed my life in a couple of ways, all good, but mainly I have found a new way to unwind and I believe in love again. What about you, what books have you read that have stuck with you and why?

For any of you who havn’t read this book I highly recommend it. Whoever you are, wherever you are in life, this book will spark something within you. At least you will get an easy flowing read to give you that warm feeling inside.