Vampires take Vacations Too!

It seems that these days supernatural themes are very popular. That, and I really enjoy reading about monsters and that kind of thing. So today we're looking at a short piece that seemed to hold promise.

101 Tips for Traveling with a Vampire
Joleene Naylor
24 pages

This short piece has a highly humorous tone to it. I'm guessing though, that rather than being a stand alone short, it was intended to be a supplement to the authors other work. Which annoyed me slightly. I had no idea when I added it to my reading list that it was going to give me more questions than answers. Yes, I am being honest when I say that it annoyed me slightly.

On the bright side there's enough cute funny tidbits to make it worth reading. For example:

"Before you buy your vampire friend an undead rubber ducky, make sure they have a sense of humor."

All in all it honestly wasn't bad. But previous exposure to the authors works may be beneficial in order to fully appreciate the piece. Though I can't give a rating for her other work, this piece is appropriate for a general reading audience.

^_~

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2012!

It's been interesting the past few months, sharing what I read with you. And I have enjoyed it. I plan on enjoying it for quite a bit longer in fact. I'm not going anywhere just yet. But I do want to thank those of you that are reading. I am thankful to have such wonderful people visit this page.

Now, I'm going to remind you about a few small things, that I mentioned what seems like eons ago. The reason that I am going to do this is because I feel it's important for anyone who reads to know that there are plenty of options available.

Our current economy, (yes I say Ours, because it effects everyone)means that when we pick something to read we are forced to be more selective. At least, when we are purchasing hard copy media. Digital media abounds in various formats, and there's a large amount of it out there. Various formats and types too.

I personally have found a lot of enjoyment by utilizing my eReader to peruse a good number of pieces, some of which you've learned of, some of which you've yet to be told about. but I want to remind you about the sources I use to get new things to read.

Project Gutenberg. ( http://www.gutenberg.org )
This site has a large variety of different pieces available. A good number of them are pieces that have passed out of print, or their copyright has become null. So you'll find a good number of classic pieces, as well as some lesser known older works here. I like to browse here when I feel nostalgic.

WOWIO ( http://www.wowio.com/ )
This website is nice for people looking for afford-ably priced books. They give out free books now and then as well, and they have a section of pieces they call Brain Bytes that are nice for self educating, or reading to provoke thought. If you enjoy comic books, they have a good number of graphic novels available at their site, some in color, some in black and white.

Smashwords ( http://www.smashwords.com/ )
I LOVE this website. Why? Because you never know what you're going to get. I've found quite a few authors via this site that I positively ADORE. If you're not sure what kind of books you're interested in, you can search by topic. What I also like about this site is the large variety of file types that the different pieces are available in.

A Winter Court Story

I am quite content with my decision to share the following piece with you, because even though it isn't exactly a holiday story, it revolves around The Winter Fairy Court, referred to by some as the Sidhe. While it is not singular in it's presentation of various fairy actions, we get a fast paced story.

The Winter Princess
Stacey Jaine McIntosh
180 pages

If you can make it past the first spelling error, you're looking at a decent story. Partly the story seems to be a diary, due to the types of language and information used. But it also tends to bounce through various perspectives, moving between different characters. Sometimes it's a bit difficult to know who is speaking at first. That all said, it seems to be directed at the now popular "teen" audience.

In the beginning, we learn that our main character is a pregnant teenager. (that said, maybe it's not appropriate for all readers). By page 12 you'll get the idea that unlike the now cliche vampire vs werewolf scheme many stories have going on, we're dealing with a triad. Werewolves v.s. Vampires v.s. Fairies.

Honestly though, besides the spelling mistakes, I found the story quite appealing. The author takes liberties by utilizing various fae lore, but it creates and enjoyable piece as a whole. The main character is a strong female character, although at times I was led to wonder what motivates her actions. At times the various male characters seemed bi-polar, but that generally had to do with them not being human.

There is a decent number of references to sex in this book, which while playing to it's teen audiences desires, may not be appropriate for early teens. The idea of consequences, is well presented, as well as the fact that revenge sometimes affects more people than us alone.

Just so you know, I did toy with calling this post "Sex, Drugs, and a Fairy War". But I figured a less comical title would be appropriate.

Anyway, if you read this piece, I do hope that you enjoy it.

The October Quick Reads

A lot honestly, I just keep forgetting to put the books back on the shelf here for you to see. Today I read a handful of short stories, all of which were fairly different. But they all had something in common, they have characters familiar to the Halloween scene that is going on this month.

Each were enjoyable in their own ways, and each one had a different theme. Most are available free via Smashwords if you are interested in reading them. Or if you have a nook they can be found on the Barnes and Noble website.

The Vampire Shortstop by Scott Nicholson
This story is charming and sad at the same time. It's about little league and as the title states, a Vampire Shortstop, but it also shows how a town reacts to a player that is different. If any of your kids play the game, they may enjoy it as well, but please read it before you let them read it as the story might be a bit strong for some age groups.

Why I Slept Through Halloween by H Jason Schulz
Schulz makes fun of a bunch of stereotyped actions and events that happen in a teens life in this short but amusing tale. Unlike most, it has a clear and simple show of action and consequence. I'd recommend it for readers 12 and up, though younger readers may enjoy it as well.


Ouija Be My Friend? by Tarmin P. Lupo
This fast paced story leaves the reader on a cliffhanger to decide for themselves what happens. Featuring a Ouija board in an unexpected place (a nursing home), you get taken on a fast roller coaster of who did it moments. You could end up surprised, or you might just laugh. Recommend this for ages 14 and up, as there it can be seen as fairly dark.

Hecate's Collar of Bones by Jill Zeller
This story is a look at life and death from the eyes of someone that works very close to Death. It looks at how he views the world around him, and the realizations that come from being so close to Death. It is a pleasant, clean story. But not recommended for young readers.

Vatican Vamps by Megan Hammer
This story takes a quick peek into the lives of vampires that do not crackle pop and sizzle in the confines of a church or holy space. That in and of itself seemed interesting. If you are one of those people who enjoyed Twilight, it may be a fun read as it is a different approach. Even if you didn't care for twilight, it had an awesome twist ending.

Some Summonings are Suspect by Jeffery Somogyi
The title of this story left me wondering what to expect. I got something a lot different than i had expected too. I got laughs. I was expecting a horror story, which yes, there are elements of horror, but this particular story seems to be presented as a mockery. It is adorable, but like The Vampire Short Stop I would recommend reading it before letting your child read it, as some of it might be a bit much for them.

Well, that's a short view of what I've recently read, when I finish the next book I'm reading I will get back to you. Have fun, and enjoy the written word! Pick up a book, they do your mind good.

To start a bookshelf......

We're going to need some books.

There's no limit to the things that you can do digitally these days. Everything seems to be changing as people strive to go green, or save money. Not that there's a reason to complain about the desire to do either of these things.

What's wonderful though for those of us that enjoy books are all of the pdf and e-book readers that are becoming available. True they're initially an expensive investment. But they open you up to thousands of new books you might not otherwise read. Most of which will only cost you the amount of time it takes to collect them.

Now, That may sound silly to you now. But think about how much money you spend on books each year. Let's say you buy one book each month, you can easily spend upwards of $84.00 a year, figuring an average book cost of $6.99 a piece. Honestly that's a very low balled price since I myself have been known to purchase books that cost more that tewnty bucks a piece.

Anyway, what's really nice these days are all the websites that grant access to books in various digital formats, free of charge. True, not all the books available in this manner are by authors you can automatically recognize. But there are a huge number of the worlds classic literature pieces available for anyone to download and enjoy. One site that provides classics in various digital formats is Project Gutenberg. ( http://www.gutenberg.org )

Now I know some of you likely have read your fill of classic pieces, and may have no interest in reading them. You're probably asking what kind of places are there available for you to get books at? Me, I've located two sites that have worked well on satiating my desire for new books. Both of the following sites I'll be writing about provide both free and reasonably priced books.

WOWIO ( http://www.wowio.com/ ) has everything from history bites to romance novels. And depending on who is sponsoring the site at any given time there is a huge variety of different books available free to their site members. What they do, is the sponsor pays for the book, and you receive the book of your choice with an advertisement for the sponsor included in the file. This leads to a reader being able to create a diverse library for free.

Smashwords ( http://www.smashwords.com/ )is different than WOWIO in that it offers books by independent authors. Indie writing can be very enjoyable to read. Some authors offer pieces for free in order to get people interested in their writing. Other authors list their books at low almost non committal prices. This is nice for those of us who are uncertain about what kind of book we are getting, allowing for a comfortable creation of a mild fandom.

Of course these are only a small number of the sites available to readers. So... why is this important anyway? I'm going to be writing here about the books I read. Hard copy books as well as digital editions. If you have any book recommendations, or a site to recommend, feel free to let me know!

CHEERS!