I know I know... always a vampire novel (#54)

I finished yet another book before the year is up. This one was very special because it was not only a Christmas gift from my husband but it was also personalized. The book is titled Vampire Kisses and my husband and I were the stars of the book. Also in the book was my close friend, Michele and my cat, Peanut Butter. Because the company who makes the book only asked for one pets name, my husband used our dogs name when asked for a restaurant name... McFly's.
Though it was a lot of fun reading a book that I was in, it was a bit corny. I found it hard to picture my husband as the main character because he  didn't have nearly the same personality. The Michael in the book was way too old fashioned to be my husband and also... way to suave. The main character... me... was easily believable because, not only did she look like me but she was a book worm who spent most of her time at the library reading and studying. Michele is nothing like the character that was portrayed in the book, except that she was a really good friend. I felt like they were always trying to show off the fact that it was personalized by constantly saying what each character looked like every time they mentioned them. Regretfully there were no real good love scenes or "vampire" scenes. I did enjoy reading it because I had really wanted it mostly for the novelty of it. (Though the picture above is a paperback.. my husband got me the hardcover)

Another day, another vampire novel (#53)

The Morganville Vampires series just gets more and more intriguing as it goes on. I finished the fourth book, Feast of Fools and I really want to continue on to the fifth but the next omnibus doesn't come out until March... so now I have to decide whether I will wait or if I will just buy the next few books separately. Decisions, decisions. But I know that it will be way too hard to wait so the decision should be easy enough... I'll end up buying the next books now.
Seeing as the year is not up yet, I have managed to read one extra book so far and will probably be able to finish at least one more before January first. My goal from now on is to read 52+ books every  year. 52 will be my  minimum and with any luck I will be able to complete more than that.
Right now I am reading a personalized vampire novel my husband had made for me for Christmas. In the book I am a human and my husband's character is the very pale skinned, mystery man that I am drawn to. One of my cats is in the book as well as my best friend. My husband also used my dogs name when asked for the name of a restaurant. Its quite humerus reading about myself in a fictional setting.

Book 52 of 52

I completed the challenge... and may even be able to squeeze a couple more books in. I am very proud of myself right now. I had so much going on this year with work, school, interning and life. But even with all of that happening I managed to complete the challenge. I will definitely do this every year now, trying to get more books in each year. If I am able to do this... I may actually make a dent in the books I own. Sometimes I wish I could just quit work, quit school and just sit home and read 24 hours a day. Especially since it seems there will always be more books that I want to read than actual time to read them in.
I have now read the first three books in the Morganville Vampires series. I am very invested in these books now. They are a bit short compared to what I usually read but Caine doesn't allow that to get in the way of creating exciting, emotion filled books. She manages to write thoroughly without making the readers feel like there is just too much going on in a small amount of time. That seems to be the issue a lot of the time when authors write shorter novels. In an attempt to add all the details they have thought of, the book becomes a mess of confusion and craziness that ends up making the book seem silly.
I find that as I am reading these books, anytime the plot thickens or a conclusion is coming, I can actually hear intense music in my head, like in a tv show or movie, telling you that what is happening is not good and cannot end well. I can't wait to continue the series and start up the fourth book. And since I have the omnibus, I can do that very easily.

Book 51 of 52

I can't believe there is only one book left to my challenge and that it is already the end of the year. As a kid you always think the summer goes by way too fast... well, once you are an adult... the whole year goes way too fast.
I just finished reading the second book in the Morganville Vampires series, Dead Girls Dance by Rachel Caine. I really love how she writes, she draws me in to every aspect and makes me want to stay inside the book and never return to reality. This can be very difficult when you are writing about such as scary world as she is. The vampires in these books are not the ones you take to school dances or lay in an open field with in the middle of the day. They are out for blood and only blood. They rule the whole town and if you don't have Protection, you better watch your back and stay in doors when it gets dark.
I hope as the series goes on that Caine delves deeper into the history of the town because I would love to know why it is only Morganville that has vampires. How did it end up being this particular town that became infested with them? Why haven't they attempted to infiltrate other areas?
All of my reviews lately have had a ton of spoilers in them because I just can't wait to discuss them with someone but no one I know has read them... so I think I will stop here so I don't go over board with the spoilers.
As you can see I like to buy the omnibi of series when available. It lessens the amount of books I buy so instead of having 10 billion books, I only have 5 billion books. Great plan, huh?

Book 50 of 52

The end of any book series can be a very bittersweet thing. Its always exciting when a new book comes out but when it is the last one it can be devastating. The end of a series I love is the end of a world that I have lived in, loved in and hid in when my life wasn't as exciting. I hate having to say goodbye to friends and that is what the characters become to me.
I have been following Vampire Academy since the very beginning. I fell in love with Dimitri instantly, was very intrigued with Christian and had a large attraction to Adrian. (I'm always a sucker for the boys). There were always a lot of ups and downs when it came to the girls... I liked Rose a lot but felt she could be immature at times, Lissa bugged me from time to time because I felt she was selfish. But I realized that she wasn't being selfish she had just been very sheltered and didn't know how to act any other way. Eventually she was able to break free and learn how to take care of herself, as well as her friends and now her people. I respected her a lot by the end of the series.
Although Richelle Mead is still the only author that is able to fully shock me (with all other books I am always able to guess the plot), I felt that the last book's shock factor was built up real well and then when the reveal occurred... it fell short. Tasha being the Queen's murderer was shocking and I never saw it coming but I felt the moment when everyone found out was missing something. You always want to be satisfied at the end of a book and at the end of a series but sometimes it is nice to have some things to wonder about. The things left unfinished in the book were a bit upsetting for me. I wish Richelle had given Adrian something, leaving him so completely devastated and with no one to turn to actually makes me worry about what will happen to him. Like I said... I get invested in the characters, as if they are my friends. As much as I loved Dimitri, I had also fallen for Adrian. You realize that he isn't as soulless as you may think at first, he just has something major affecting him and he doesn't know how to handle it. He's the type of male character that you want to take care of. I hate knowing that there wasn't anyone there to care for him in the end.

Book 49 of 52

There were several times that I began reading this book but never managed to read it completely. Unfortunately, every time I picked it up, another book I was waiting for would be released and I would end up putting it back down. I never got much further into it than the first chapter. And of course I started to read this on Monday and on Tuesday a book I have been waiting for came out. But this time I had gotten much farther into it and I couldn't bear to push it aside so I finished it before I started the new book.
In a world that has seen a very large number of young adult vampire novels in the past 10 years, somehow Rachel Caine actually managed to do something very different. I don't feel influences from any other vampire novels, movies or shows. She has her own mind and was able to create a whole new vampire world.
The Morganville Vampires is a unique series with very like-able, distinct characters. None of the characters gets lost in the story, or seems to hide behind the others. Each one has it's own personality and it's own story and you end up wanting to know more about each of them. It's very nice to find myself afraid of vampires again. I have been seduced by the idea of vampires ever since I was young but a big part of the seduction is the fear and forbidding feeling you get from loving them. This series brings you back to that fear. The Morganville vampires are not falling in love with humans and they are certainly not sparkling. (Don't get me wrong, I love Twilight, but its refreshing to read a "scary" book again).
One thing Caine has managed to do is bring me back to being 16. In fact, her writing reminds me greatly of many events I have lived. When the romantic scenes come up I feel the crazy fluttery-ness I felt when I was young and just experiencing these things for the first time. She brings you back to that first kiss with someone you really really liked and maybe even loved. She reminds you of a time when you were naive and thought that nothing else in life would matter but this one moment... the things that don't matter much anymore but that seemed perfect at that time. (the funny thing is... I started to write this last night, and in bed over night I had a high school dream).
I really can't wait to continue with the next book in the series. I want to follow these people through to the end and stand by them every time they need to battle the bad guys, I want to go back to Common Grounds with Eve and have some hot chocolate, I want to go to class with Claire, stay up late with Michael and flirt with Shane. Caine really knows how to bring fictional characters to life so that you fully invest yourself in their day to day lives.

Book 48 of 52

I'm very happy that LJ Smith and the creators of the Vampire Diaries show decided to write books from the point of view of Stefan. In the original books, I loved Stefan. He was so mysterious and sexy and then Damon was all that x's10. In the show I am fully in love with Damon and Stefan is ok but he bugs me a bit. In the new book... Stefan's Diaries: Origins... Stefan bugs the crap out of me. Hes such a coward and so willing to do whatever he is told. He is angry when he finds out that Katherine was able to compel him but for 17 years, that is exactly what his father had done, and he didn't even have any vampiric powers. I have always been seduced by the idea of living during the 1800's. In a time where men were gentlemen and women were ladies, dating was "being called on", and anything sexy was kept to the imagination unless you were married. But on the other hand... I would never go along with an arranged marriage. Love is what makes life matter. So for him to just go along with whatever his father wanted him to do, really makes me angry.
I loved the fact that this book makes you like Katherine through most of it. Even at the end when you find out that she had killed Rosalyn and deceived Stefan a bit, you still don't feel the overwhelming hatred that the original books and the show make you feel for her. This book really showed her human side and made you wonder who she was before she died, it made you think about the life she had once lived. I hope LJ Smith decides to write something from Katherine's point of view, starting before she was turned. 

Book 47 of 52

Finally finished up book 10 of the Sookie Stackhouse series. I think one of the things that took me so long was getting into the idea of who Eric's maker was. The only thing I liked better in the show than in the books is this point. Seeing Eric and his maker in the TV show gave Eric a lot more depth and emotion, it brought out his human side. I can't wait to see what else happens in the series and in the mean time I will read the short stories about Sookie.