Summer is a great time to induldge in a bit of brain candy. Easy reading that leaves you warm and fuzzy. For me this is vampire stories. Odd I know, but I'm sure I'm not the only one. This summer I've been leaning more towards shorter faster reads....not large weighty novels that vampire books can sometimes tend to be.
Title: Dead Reckoning (Sookie Stackhouse Series)
Author: Charlaine Harris
Genre: Paranormal, Romance
Source: public library
Of course I had to read this! Sookie and her crazy paranormal world are my current go to brain candy. I won't spend a lot of time on this, but I do have to say I was pleasantly surprised by this one. See, there has been a lot of talk that this will be the last True Blood novel. Honestly, I'm fine with authors moving on. They can't be expected to write in the same universe forever....it has to get boring! But I've read lots of reviews and spoken with people who bagged on this novel because of the way it ended. I won't discuss it in detail....no spoilers...but I liked how it ended. Ms. Harris wrapped up the series very intelligently. All of their current problems are concluded and all that is left is for them to make a decision. See, this time it's really up to the characters. If they make the right choices.....if Ms. Harris is appropriately inspired....they can come back together and move forward into another book. However, if the characters are content to let their lives settle where they are....then an ending is appropriate. I like this. No loose ends. No what-ifs. Perfect!
Title: Vampires: The Recently Undead
Authors included: Kelley Armstrong, Holly Black, Rachel Caine, Charles De Lint, Charlaine Harris, Tanya Huff, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Nancy Kipatrick, J.A. Konrath, Tanith Lee, Kim Newman, Susan Sizemore, Michael Marshall Smith, Jeanne C. Stein, Carrie Vaughn, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro......and many more.
Genre: fantasy, anthology, short stories, paranormal
Source: Public Library
This is a fantastic anthology! Honestly. I enjoy anthologies in general....they allow me to taste test different authors without having to commit to a full novel. But, I will admit that the stories contained in anthologies are often hit or miss. There is no tell how many will be to your liking. This anthology worked for me. Not only is it chalk full of authors who I already enjoy....they are offering up new stories (most not set in their most famous worlds) to give the reader a glimpse into something new. As a bit of summary, most of the short stories in this collection have something to do with the age of the vampires....their longevity.....how they acclimate themselves into different eras, etc. My favorite happens to be one that contains a tale about Doc Holiday. That was a part of history that I had never connected to vampires. It was fun! Nearly every tale offered something new and interesting, however, there were a few that just didn't work for me....but who knows....maybe they are your flavor?
Showing posts with label short stories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label short stories. Show all posts
Summer Reading : Vampire Edition
Posted by
Mandyfish
on Monday, June 20, 2011
Labels:
anthology,
brain candy,
paranormal,
short stories
/
Comments: (0)
Short Story Collections
Posted by
Mandyfish
on Sunday, September 26, 2010
Labels:
paranormal,
romance,
short stories
/
Comments: (3)
Anthologies conjure thoughts of large collections of short stories by authors you mostly don't know of. You'll read story after story. Some good some bad. But I don't really want to talk about those. I'm curious if there is a name for those short story collections that are usually no longer than a novel in length. They only contain around four stories all usually with the same theme. Understand what I'm talking about? I'm reviewing two below. What would you call these?
Title: Many Bloody Returns
Authors: Various, Charlaine Harris, Jim Butcher, and Kelley Armstrong highlighted.Genre: Paranormal, romance, short stories
Source: Library
This collection has the over arching theme of birthdays. Some have a stronger connection to the theme than others. Some of the stories are new, or in worlds that are new to me, while others are happily familar. For example: I'm positive I've read the Charlaine Harris' story before....Eric's excited about Dracula's birthday. It's a fun lil vignette that gives a side to Eric's character that isn't often seen in the novels. This whole collection is a fun read, but nothing phenomenal.
Title: Love at First Bite
Authors: Sherrilyn Kenyon, LA Banks, Susan Squires, and Ronda Thompson
Genre: Paranomal, romance, short stories
Source: Library
This collection only has the four stories, and they are all in worlds I've yet to set eyes on. This is partly why I chose to read this collection. I've heard good things about each author but for whatever reason haven't picked up their books. Three of the stories are about vampires and one is werewolfs. Generally, I really enjoyed this collection. While there was one story that I just had trouble getting through....an odd mix of Hispanic and Native legends smashed with a coming of age vampire hunter story.......I did enjoy the experience on the whole. I've even added Ronda Thompson's Wulf series to my library request list. This is a great collection to find a new favorite author from.
Title: Many Bloody Returns
Authors: Various, Charlaine Harris, Jim Butcher, and Kelley Armstrong highlighted.Genre: Paranormal, romance, short stories
Source: Library
This collection has the over arching theme of birthdays. Some have a stronger connection to the theme than others. Some of the stories are new, or in worlds that are new to me, while others are happily familar. For example: I'm positive I've read the Charlaine Harris' story before....Eric's excited about Dracula's birthday. It's a fun lil vignette that gives a side to Eric's character that isn't often seen in the novels. This whole collection is a fun read, but nothing phenomenal.
Title: Love at First Bite
Authors: Sherrilyn Kenyon, LA Banks, Susan Squires, and Ronda Thompson
Genre: Paranomal, romance, short stories
Source: Library
This collection only has the four stories, and they are all in worlds I've yet to set eyes on. This is partly why I chose to read this collection. I've heard good things about each author but for whatever reason haven't picked up their books. Three of the stories are about vampires and one is werewolfs. Generally, I really enjoyed this collection. While there was one story that I just had trouble getting through....an odd mix of Hispanic and Native legends smashed with a coming of age vampire hunter story.......I did enjoy the experience on the whole. I've even added Ronda Thompson's Wulf series to my library request list. This is a great collection to find a new favorite author from.
A quick taste of sexy...
Posted by
Mandyfish
on Saturday, May 8, 2010
Labels:
collection,
paranormal,
romance,
short stories
/
Comments: (0)
Title: Bite
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, MaryJanice Davidson, Angela Knight, and Vickie Taylor
Genre: Paranormal romance, short story, collection
Source: public library
My husband pointed this one out to me....and I'm glad he did. It was a quick read. All the ladies contributed short stories, all of which appear to be side explanations for their well known characters. For example Charlaine Harris' contribution is a piece titled, "One Word Answer," which is an explanation for Hadley's situation. Being a sucker for the True Blood vamps, I adored this story. Plus it cleared up a couple details I'd missed in the books.
Not to down play the other stories (I enjoyed them all, but haven't read the rest of the series that they belong to.), but I'm only going to talk about one other...LK Hamilton's. As the lead story, this was interesting. It was set in the midst of the Anita Blake series. Anita and Jean-Claude are on the rocks. What makes this one interesting (to me) is the frustratingly evident lack of sex. The last book in that series I read had Anita being sex crazed with multiple partners and still having to look for more at every opportunity. Reading a story where she walks away (all be it unwillingly)is refreshing.
Overall: Not a must read, but grab this book if you're looking for a quick fix with your favorite vamps.
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, MaryJanice Davidson, Angela Knight, and Vickie Taylor
Genre: Paranormal romance, short story, collection
Source: public library
My husband pointed this one out to me....and I'm glad he did. It was a quick read. All the ladies contributed short stories, all of which appear to be side explanations for their well known characters. For example Charlaine Harris' contribution is a piece titled, "One Word Answer," which is an explanation for Hadley's situation. Being a sucker for the True Blood vamps, I adored this story. Plus it cleared up a couple details I'd missed in the books.
Not to down play the other stories (I enjoyed them all, but haven't read the rest of the series that they belong to.), but I'm only going to talk about one other...LK Hamilton's. As the lead story, this was interesting. It was set in the midst of the Anita Blake series. Anita and Jean-Claude are on the rocks. What makes this one interesting (to me) is the frustratingly evident lack of sex. The last book in that series I read had Anita being sex crazed with multiple partners and still having to look for more at every opportunity. Reading a story where she walks away (all be it unwillingly)is refreshing.
Overall: Not a must read, but grab this book if you're looking for a quick fix with your favorite vamps.













































