Vampires have taken over my life!

Where did my fascination with vampires truly start? I mean, I genrally don't like science fiction. I'm not a fan of most sci-fi tv shows or movies, I don't like comics, I never read Anne Rice. The only reason I watched Interview With a Vampire is because at the time I appreciated Brad Pitt. So what exactly kicked off my vampire obsession?

It began with the book The Historian. It's by Elizabeth Kostavo (may be spelled wrong). I'm a big fan of history. That being said, I find it difficult to just read text book history. I like it better when it is told through the eyes of characters, or biographies, or at the very least through well-researched fiction. This is why I love the historian. The book is not about vampires, per se, but more about the hunt. It's richly layered and has intense character development. I don't want to give it away to the one person who will actually read this blog, but it is an amazing book. What does this have to do with Vampires? Well, it is about Dracula. The real Vlad Dracul, the real legends surrounding Transylvania and other old European countries and how the originial vampire legend came to be. I read it twice. That was the first book I read that dealt in any way with vampires, and I am proud to say I read it twice.

That was a while ago. Enter the Twilight Saga. I devoured the books, but was left with a sense of "what's all the fuss about?" Then I saw the first movie, and was devastated at how horrible it was. I have seen movies on Lifetime that were made better with more acting in them! But, since Twilight was a book first, I didn't let the horrid movie put me off. No, I just felt that the last two books sort of rambled, and could have been better as one book, with a lot of unnecessary stuff cut out. And I felt that the last book had a lot of stuff inappropriate for the age group that was targeted as an audience.

While I mulled over the Twilight ups and downs, I was turned onto the Sookie Stackhouse books. I read all 9 in a week. I was enthralled. Was I team Erik or team Bill? Did I like the fairies? Did I like the supes? Was I team Sam? I think what appealed to me here is that these books are simple. Of course the heroine has had 9 books worth of near-death experiences, which is probably a bit much. But they are part romance too. Will Sookie pick Erik? Will she find a human to love? Will she go back to Bill? Then I watched the tv show, True Blood. UGH. Again, I hate it. Even if I overlook the obvious stray from the books that is bound to happen when you take nine 300 pg books and turn them into several seasons of tv, but it's HORRIBLY acted. I think anybody else could have done better. Kirk Cameron in the chritian version could do better, IMO!.

Enter the release of New Moon, movie two. I find myself dragging friends to the premiere at midnight, standing in line for hours. I liked this movie. It may not have received good reviews, but I think it is a flippin' masterpiece in comparison to the first movie. Sure, Kristen Stewart still can't act, but it works here because she is supposed to be lackluster and dull, she's depressed. The movie did not stray far from the book. I think it's nice for fans, because without the original fans, the readers, there wouldn't have been a movie. For whatever reason, this movie set off a frenzy! I re-read all 4 books in a week----TWICE! I watched that horrible first movie night after night! UGH.

Then I started to analyze it. I decided Edward is a stalker. Bella is not very strong, for a female lead. Jacob is whiney. Charlie is an ostrich. The characters may not be great, but the fundamental heart of the story is the love between Bella and Edward. We've all been there. We fell in love that first time, and we wanted to live forever. We wanted to know that we could suspend that moment in time, never having to hurt or heal or die! That's what appeals to me. Despite the flaws. And also, I'm all for anything that gets kids reading. Really, I am.

So, maybe I'm not in love with vampires. Maybe I'm just a sucker for a good love story. If you know me, you know that I have a history that tells me this is true, at least in part.

Vampires, or no vampires, reading remains my favorite pasttime. I love to share books and discover new authors, good or bad. :)