Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine Harris

Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine Harris
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 4 days

Pages - 305

Publisher - Orion Publisher

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

From Charlaine Harris, the bestselling author who created Sookie Stackhouse and her world of Bon Temps, Louisiana, comes a darker locale - populated by more strangers than friends. But then, that’s how the locals prefer it...
Welcome to Midnight, Texas, a town with many boarded-up windows and few full-time inhabitants, located at the crossing of Witch Light Road and Davy Road. It’s a pretty standard dried-up western town.

There’s a pawnshop (someone lives in the basement and is seen only at night). There’s a diner (people who are just passing through tend not to linger). And there’s new resident Manfred Bernardo, who thinks he’s found the perfect place to work in private (and who has secrets of his own).

Stop at the one traffic light in town, and everything looks normal. Stay awhile, and learn the truth...



My Review

Welcome to Midnight Crossing, a small town in book one of a new (well new to me) series. We have a psychic or is it a scammer? a witch and a vampire all living in the one wee town because Midnight Crossroad is the perfect place to go when you need to get away. A missing person, a new arrival, a very special wee cat, some small minded people, some trouble and a whole lot of someone has something they are keeping to themselves.

So I haven't read any of her other books, this was my first, I am led to believe some of these characters appear in other series but I don't think any spoilers are here. Friendships, relationships, magic, murder, mayhem, a little bit of mystery and an absolute wee show stealer in the cat. I love animals and this wee pair of paws is a special little star so I hope to see more in the other books.

Short chapters, a bit of a cozy mystery type feel with little snippets dark than a usual cozy. I did like it and will be reading more of her stuff, pretty sure I have the vampire books up the stair, 3.5/5 for me.

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Dracula by Bram Stoker

Dracula by Bram Stoker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 5 days

Pages - 382

Publisher - Signet Classics

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Dracula is perhaps almost as interesting regarded historically as the product of a specific time as it is engaging to continuing generations of readers in a 'timeless' fashion. In her introduction Byron first discusses the famous novel as an expression not of universal fears and desires but of specifically late nineteenth-century concerns. At the same time she is entirely attuned to the ways in which, however much Dracula is a Victorian text, Dracula is a very twentieth-century character, a representative of modernity and of the future.


My review

Guys this has been on my shelves for donkeys years! Cannot believe I hadn't read it before now :O We all know the story, we have saw the movies. Jonathan Harker is headed to meet and stay with Dracula as part of his job and Dracula is the client. This is a huge task for Jonathan and he is committed to doing a great job. As we all know who and what Dracula is but poor Jonathan does not and we follow his journey via his diary entries. We also hear from Mina, his fiance's through her diary entries, in fact all the entries/stories/sides of the tale are in diary format.

Atmospheric, spooky and although a bit of a slower pace than many of the books we devour nowadays it keeps your attention and the suspense throughout. I have just watched two of the movies (I had seen before) and it is interesting to see the changes and takes from the book, mostly it stays true to the important parts.

I am no a fan of the classics at all, I find them a struggle to get through yet I did enjoy this one, took me a wee bit longer than a normal book would, espesh one so thin. A different time and style of writing but I think if you are a fan of Dracula and don't mind diary entries style of writing you will also enjoy the book.

Perfect for this time of year, revisiting an old fave and of course Van Helsing is in it (I won't eve be able to visualize anyone but Price when I read him in books, indeed why would you want to). 4/5 for me this time, if you struggle with the classics but want to read one, look no further!

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World Book Night 2012 - Are you participating?

Well this is my first year. I have picked up my books and tonight I am labeling them all for Monday. I had said I will be giving them away to randoms, at work and maybe one or two via my website. My books are John Ajvide Lindqvist's Let The Right One In.

I am really looking forward to this and having a chance to introduce people to reading and a new author/genre. I haven't read the book yet myself (I will) but have seen the movie and with all the vampire hype I am sure this will entice one or more people to pick up a book when normally it would be tv all the way.

Technically as it isn't until Monday I still have all my books but 2 are spoken for and one of which is to someone who never reads but is going to give it a go (the books are fairly thick so I am delighted.)

Are you taking part? If so what are you doing and what is your book?

Happy book night when it comes and I hope you all have a blast

Review - Double Dead by Chuck Wendig

Double Dead by Chuck Wendig

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Blurb From Goodreads

Coburn’s been dead now for close to a century, but seeing as how he’s a vampire and all, it doesn’t much bother him. Or at least it didn’t, not until he awoke from a forced five-year slumber to discover that most of human civilization was now dead—but not dead like him, oh no.

See, Coburn likes blood. The rest of the walking dead, they like brains. He’s smart. Them, not so much. But they outnumber him by about a million to one. And the clotted blood of the walking dead cannot sustain him. Now he’s starving. And nocturnal. And more pissed-off than a bee-stung rattlesnake. The vampire not only has to find human survivors (with their sweet, sweet blood), but now he has to transition from predator to protector—after all, a man has to look after his food supply.

My Review

Aw I so wanted to love this book, the idea is pure brilliance however the story just didn't cut it for me (to be fair I had huge expectations). Some of it is really good to be honest for example we get to know how the disease started and spread and I love that and find it is usually lacking in zombie books (and movies). All questions that were raised throughout the book is answered which is another huge must for me.

However there was so much I disliked, for this to be a fair and honest review I had to give a two star rating. The vampire is a poor show compared to what we have viewed over the years, he gets his butt handed to him more often than not. His attitude really sucks for the most part (I did start to warm to him near the very end) and some of the dialogue seemed just a bit over the top although some of it was funny. That said the things I didn't like my o/h thought was quite funny (I read it out to him) so I definately think that whilst I thought the book was ok some readers will love it.

The other characters are varied and have some good traits but again there was noone who stood out for me or stayed with me, well maybe creampuff :D The way it ended I think there will be more to the series, will I get it? Yes I think so and hope that Coburn is more endearing and a better vampire than our first meeting. The writing of the book is very easy to follow and barring the swearing (which doesn't bother me but sometimes it just seemed over the top and there for the sake of it) I quite enjoyed the authors style of writing. 2/5 for me this time but I am very picky so if your a zombie and or vampire fan give it a try

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