How about Team No-Plot-Holes?

(this is a cross-post from my regular blog)


I kid, I kid...I don't actually advocate burning of the Twilight books. Unless, of course, I'm freezing to death. Or just really chilly. Now, like the guy in the above photo, I admit that I haven't actually read the series. I watched a bunch of people I follow on Twitter react with derision after reading the final book, and have heard from many sources that the writing is pretty abysmal. I may eventually read them, but don't hold your breath. Also? Robert Pattinson is really, really not attractive. Sorry. And watching someone while they sleep? That's not romantic and sexy. That's stalking, and it's both creepy and the reason we have restraining orders.

So! I thought it would be fun to post about five books that I recommend instead of Twilight, or to pick up if you've read Twilight and need another vampire / werewolf story to feed your addiction:

5. Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett
I put this one at number five because while I did find it enjoyable, I think it's one of the Discworld books that works better if you've read some of the others. Some of the books in the series can almost stand alone, and others are a bit more meaningful if you've already been introduced to the characters. That said, I don't think any Discworld book is totally inaccessible as a first encounter with the series.

4. Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause
I like that in Blood and Chocolate, the girl is the werewolf, and the boy she falls for is the human. Main character Vivian isn't completely without flaws, but I didn't have trouble putting up with her. The story has a little less impact to it than the ones I placed above it, but I do remember that I liked the book. I haven't seen the film version, but the wikipedia summary leads me to believe that the screnwriters took a lot of liberties. Might be a fun one to watch for creeps, though.

3. the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris
Also known as the Southern Vampire Mysteries, this series served as the inspiration for the HBO series True Blood. I wrote a review of the first book, Dead Until Dark, back when I read it:  "The heroine, Sookie Stackhouse, is no Sunshine, but she's a good character. In some ways, she's similar to Sunshine, in that both are pretty ordinary girls--not geniuses, not knockout babes, not karate champions. Where Sunshine had a magical heritage, Sookie has a magical talent--she can read people's minds. Because of this, she has few friends and zero romantic experience. When she meets an "out of the coffin" vampire, things change, and before long, Sookie's trying to solve a mystery and stay alive long enough to figure out whether or not a vampire boyfriend is what she really wants.

My only objections to this story: unnecessary (in my opinion) murder of a family member, even more unnecessary murder of a pet, and a vampire named Bill. My friend Tamsyn, who gave me the book, pointed out that Harris was likely trying to create an alternate take on the stereotypical vampire tale. Instead of femmy glam vampires named Lestat or whatnot, she created a vampire who represented a typical 1870s American Southerner. I'm okay with that, but wish she'd called him Will or Liam or even William. I just don't dig the name Bill, having once had a horrible coworker by that name.

Pressing through my misgivings about the name turned out to be worth it, and the story was really enjoyable. I was surprised but not incredulous when the murderer was revealed, which is always really nice in a mystery. There was also one really unexpected and funny moment where it is revealed that a certain extremely famous, dead but occasionally still spotted singer still kicks around as a creepy pet-fancying vampire. I'm definitely going to look for the second book in the series the next time I'm in the mood for a sexy mystery."

Possibly best of all -- if you're looking for something to carry on with now that Twilight is over -- there are now nine books in the series. I sent my friend Rachel the first book and she called me a crack-pusher for getting her addicted.

2. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
I read this book on the recommendation of the fabulous Kerri Anne, and I loved it. LOVED it. The book makes a significant but not unwelcome change to the archetype, featuring werewolves whose transformation is triggered not by the full moon, but by the coming of winter. Unfortunately, the werewolves in question live in Minnesota, where winter doesn't screw around. Fantastic, believable characters and a tightly-woven plot made for a serious page-turner. I had this book with me the day I had to sit in the waiting room at the lab for four hours to have blood draws done, and the time flew. If that's not a hardcore endorsement, I don't know what is.

1. Sunshine by Robin McKinley
I absolutely loved Sunshine. Not only is it my favorite vampire book ever, but it's also probably on the top ten list of books I've read in the past few years. There's a slightly more extensive review here, which concludes thusly:  I usually don't go for vampire stories, but I enjoyed this one immensely and would recommend it to anyone. It's got enough magic and undead for the sci-fi / fantasy fan and more than enough down-to-earth, believable characterization for those who tend to prefer non-fantasy fiction.


If you've read any other great vampire or werewolf books, please leave a comment. I'm always open to suggestions for new books to read!

Too bad I didn't see this cake before I got married!

Neat, huh? In reality, we wouldn't have been able to afford it, and our cheesecakes were better anyway since MB doesn't even like cake. But! It's still pretty spiffy.


I also liked this one, even though it has nothing to do with books:


I know a girl who lives in Minnesota, and she says that the cityscape is a pretty good representation of the skyline of Minneapolis.


In other news, I realize it's been way too long since I blogged any books. I've been reading, just not taking the time to write about what I've read.

When I went to San Francisco last month, I took a whole stack of books with me, just in case. One of the best choices I made, bookwise, was to grab Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix at the last minute. It got me through my short flight to O'Hare, my three-hour layover, and almost all of my four-hour flight from Chicago to San Francisco. I've read it before, but only once, and that was back in the summer of 2003. Since the movie is coming out next month, I figured it would be a good idea to re-read. I liked it very much, although, as last time, I felt like smacking Harry a few times for his overwrought and misplaced adolescent rages. And I still think Sirius's death was a cheap tearjerker move. She's got one more book in which to convince me otherwise.


On the way home, I was extra glad to have books when my flight got cancelled and I got rebooked for a 1:19 PM flight instead of the 6:35 AM flight I started with. I read Charlaine Harris's Dead Until Dark during my extremely long wait, and I liked it quite a lot. The heroine of this "Southern Vampire Mysteries" series, Sookie Stackhouse, is no Sunshine, but she's a good character. In some ways, she's similar to Sunshine, in that both are pretty ordinary girls--not geniuses, not knockout babes, not karate champions. Where Sunshine had a magical heritage, Sookie has a magical talent--she can read people's minds. Because of this, she has few friends and zero romantic experience. When she meets an "out of the coffin" vampire, things change, and before long, Sookie's trying to solve a mystery and stay alive long enough to figure out whether or not a vampire boyfriend is what she really wants.

My only objections to this story:  unnecessary (in my opinion) murder of a family member, even more unnecessary murder of a pet, and a vampire named Bill. My friend Tam, who gave me the book, pointed out that Harris was likely trying to create an alternate take on the stereotypical vampire tale. Instead of femmy glam vampires named Lestat or whatnot, she created a vampire who represented a typical 1870s American Southerner. I'm okay with that, but wish she'd called him Will or Liam or even William. I just don't dig the name Bill, having once had a horrible coworker by that name. Besides, it's hard to take a vampire named Bill seriously when I kept thinking of Terry Pratchett's Death calling himself Bill Door in Reaper Man.

Pressing through my misgivings about the name turned out to be worth it, and the story was really enjoyable. I was surprised but not incredulous when the murderer was revealed, which is always really nice in a mystery. There was also one really unexpected and funny moment where it is revealed that a certain extremely famous, dead but occasionally still spotted singer still kicks around as a creepy pet-fancying vampire. I'm definitely going to look for the second book in the series the next time I'm in the mood for a sexy mystery.


After I finished Dead Until Dark, I moved on to Haven Kimmel's The Solace of Leaving Early, which the bibliophile recommended to me a few years back and even gave me for my birthday in the hope that I would remember to read it. I finally remembered, and I'm glad I did. Though parts of it felt heavy and a little over-academic, Solace is overall a very sweet, very unexpected story. It's pretty clear from the very beginning which two characters are going to find themselves falling in love, but what happens in between was refreshingly different. With a protagonist (the somewhat oddly named Langston Braverman) who is at times almost unlikeable, it was surprising just how drawn in to the story I felt, and I think it speaks well for Kimmel's writing that she let Langston's fragility show through her outer eccentricities and overbearing academic-ness. On its surface, the story is a bit unbelievable, but in reality it works, and works well. It's not a book you'd turn to for a quick, light read, but next time you feel up for something that takes you a little deeper, I recommend giving this one a try.