The Vampire Voss by Colleen Gleason

The Vampire Voss (Regency Draculia #1) by Colleen Gleason

Completion Date: January 19, 2011
Reason for Reason: NetGalley ARC; Buddy read with Ames from Breezing Through

Regency London - a dizzying whirl of balls and young ladies pursued by charming men. But the Woodmore sisters are hunted by a more sinister breed: Lucifer's own. Voss, also known as Viscount Dewhurst, relishes the sensual pleasures immortality affords. A member of the Dracule - a cabal of powerful, secretive noblemen marked with a talisman that reveals their bartered souls - the mercenary Voss has remained carefully neutral...until Angelica. Angelica Woodmore possesses the Sight, an ability invaluable to both sides of a looming war among the Dracule. Her very scent envelops Voss in a scarlet fog of hunger - for her body and blood. But he is utterly unprepared for the new desire that overcomes him - to protect her

When I saw that Netgalley was offering up review copies of the newest book by Colleen Gleason I was very excited to get a chance to read it early. I was a big fan of her previous series. Ames is also a fan, so I encouraged her to get a copy so we can review it together. The entire review is posted below, but it is also cross-posted at Breezing Through. Enjoy!

Kelly: Colleen Gleason, the author of this book, is an example of how much blogging works. If it wasn’t for her presence in the blogging world, I probably would never have read her. She is shelved in the romance section, which I never visit, and even if I did I hardly ever see her on the shelf. I think I did buy one of her books at the store, though, because I seem to remember mentioning in a post how I snuck into the romance section for it. Just reading and enjoying Gleason is a big deal, especially a few years ago. Now I do venture into the romance department a bit, but before I never would have at all. This book I found to be more of a romance than the Gardella series, though.

As someone that reads a lot of romance novels and spends time in the romance section, what do you think?

Ames: I agree that social media is definitely a good tool to reach out to new readers. And I’m glad it has you venturing into the romance section from time to time. It definitely worked in the reverse that I venture out more often to different sections as well, fantasy and young adult being the main ones.

In regards to Vampire Voss being more romance-y than the Gardella series, I agree. The set up of it is definitely more in line with the genre. Unfortunately, I found the romance aspect of The Vampire Voss to be weak.

Kelly: I wasn’t really all that interested in the romance. It was just sort of there and you knew it was probably going to play out a certain way. When I read the book I was more interested in seeing how the vampires were portrayed and to experience the time period. There was a lot that was worthwhile overall, but there were a few things that were a bit weak, too.

Why did you find the romance aspect weak?

Ames: I was more interested in the world building and the vampire stuff more too. The romance was weak in my opinion because I didn’t feel any chemistry. Why were these two characters so drawn to each other? We were just told they were. And Angelica was afraid of Voss for quite a bit of that time. I think that’s what bothered me too, how long she was kept in the dark about Voss.

Kelly: Yes, it was a strange romance. It was inevitable, but at the same time I was rather clueless why. I think it should have been explored in more detail or with more enlightenment. Instead, we knew who Voss really was for quite some time before Angelica was let in on the secret. I liked Voss, though, for whatever I thought about the romance. He was an interesting character. He played himself as a dark character, but he had a side to him that he attempted to keep hidden that was nicer. Angelica, too, was a good, strong female character. I never really had any major complaints with her. Her ability was strange, but not over the top. I am not so sure I would like to possess the same abilities, but that is just me.

What did you think of Angelica and Voss as characters?

Ames: I liked Voss. Yeah he was a 100+ year old vampire but he was open to change. I like how he wasn’t uber-perfect. An example of that is when the Mark overtook for a moment and he bit Angelica. There was a real dangerous aspect to him that way. Also, looking at his past, he realized he made some mistakes and he was looking for something different.

Angelica. I’m a bit torn on Angelica. But I think just in regards to her reaction to Voss. Every other way, she was strong and smart. When it came to Voss, not so much. Also, I feel like her ability was made a big deal out of at the beginning and then towards the last half of the book, it wasn’t as important. Like once Voss got what he wanted from her, her ability...and her to a certain degree, didn’t matter anymore.

That’s another thing. I had to remind myself about ⅔ of the way in WHY Voss was even interested in Angelica in the first place.

Kelly: Yes, Voss was admirable in wanting to change after all the years of living. I liked that about him, too. As to Angelica, I suppose I had forgotten that her ability all but erased itself from the book. It was mentioned a lot in the beginning, but then after a while it was just sort of hovering in the background. I think it would have been interesting if it had played a bigger role and it wasn’t just about the vampires abilities. Angelica and her sisters had interesting abilities that I would have enjoyed seeing more from.

What did you think of the secondary characters that played a part?

Ames: I thought a few of the secondary characters were frustrating beyond belief. I couldn’t stand Maia , Angelica’s sister and Chas, their brother. Chas doesn’t even show up until the last half of the book and that tells you something that I couldn’t stand him.

Maia I thought was irritatingly stubborn and tried to be bossy but was just annoying. I know she’s coming from a perspective of wanting more respect from the people around her, but I felt like she went about it the wrong way.

Chas. I felt like his storyline came in too late. All this other stuff is going on and then boom, Chas and his lover are introduced and they get a sex scene and it just seemed a bit out of place for me. I can see this couple getting their own book, but felt their introduction was in an awkward place. And what frustrated me with him was his secrets. He was trying to protect his sisters, but he’s been gone leading this other life and they’ve made do without him. He should have given them some credit and told them what was going on so they could have been better prepared.

Dimitri was an interesting character but I could see right away how his story was going to play out - and looking at the next book, I wasn’t wrong.

Kelly: Oh, yes, I couldn’t stand Maia either. I understand where she was coming from, but she drove me nuts. That’s why I am a bit worried about the next book. It’s a bit apparent that she will play a central role, so I am a bit worried about how things will go. And, yes, Chas... That’s a strange and undeveloped storyline. I feel like he should have been in the book before he was, but if he was then it probably wouldn’t have changed a lot of what happened and then Angelica and Voss might not have ended up together. So, I can understand why he wasn’t in it sooner, but he is a mystery at this point. He’s a Vampire Hunter in love with a Vampire. Obviously, there needs to be a bit more elaboration on why that happened. And, you are right. Normally he takes off and leaves his sisters with little to no supervision when anything possible could happen because of his work. He should give them more credit! They are obviously very able to take care of themselves, but they should have been made aware of the dangers that could present themselves.

Dimitri is interesting, but he also seems like a very stereotypical male figure from classic literature. I could see Mr. Darcy and Mr. Thornton in him easily, but the vampire version. I think Gleason was trying to make him seem more appealing by making him familiar, but then not at the same time. I am not sure if it will work, but I guess it is something to figure out in book two when he plays the central role.

So, what do you think of the book overall? Will you be reading book two?

Ames: Well I found the world-building and the Dracule culture Gleason created to be very interesting. But my enjoyment over that was detracted from by my frustration with some of the characters and the romance. If the romance was made to be more of a background thing with a focus on the other stuff - I would think about reading book 2. As it is, I think I’ll wait to see what others say about book 2 right now. Maia would be a difficult character for me to get over.

What about you, are you planning on reading the 2nd book?

Kelly: Probably, because I did find Dimtri intriguing, but I am not so sure I will enjoy Maia all that much... She sort of annoyed me and probably an entire novel with her in it would be exasperating. That being said, I want to see how the vampire culture storyline develops and I am actually sort of wondering what is the story with Chas and his vampire romance. I am not sure that there has been enough of an explanation of it all yet. I think for the next book I am more curious about the on-going story than the one that will be developed, but that can change. Voss was not very complicated, but there is obviously a story about Dimitri that is sort of hinted at and I want to know the details...

Anything else that you want to mention?

Ames: Grades? This one gets a C- from me. It was ok, there was an interesting concept buried in there with some meh characters.

Kelly: I don’t really give grades, but I will say that I prefer the Gardella Chronicles better. Like you said, the concept is interesting, but the characters sort of brought the story down.

This book counts for the TwentyEleven Reading Challenge.

Spitfire Women of World War II by Giles Whittell

Spitfire Women of World War II by Giles Whittell

Completion Date: February 26, 2011
Reason for Reading: Sassymonkey said I would like it, and I trust her!

The story of the unsung heroines who flew the newest, fastest, aeroplanes in World War II -- mostly in southern England where the RAF was desperately short of pilots. Why would the well-bred daughter of a New England factory-owner brave the U-boat blockades of the North Atlantic in the bitter winter of 1941? What made a South African diamond heiress give up her life of house parties and London balls to spend the war in a freezing barracks on the Solent? And why did young Margaret Frost start lying to her father during the Battle of Britain? They -- and scores of other women -- weren't allowed to fly in combat, but what they did was nearly as dangerous. Unarmed and without instruments or radios, they delivered planes for the Air Transport Auxiliary to the RAF bases from which male pilots flew into battle. At the mercy of the weather and any long-range enemy aircraft that pounced on them, fifteen of these women died, among them Amy Johnson, Britain's most famous flyer. But the survivors shared four unrepeatable years of life, adrenaline and love. The story of this 'tough bunch of babes' (in the words of one of them) has never been told properly before. The author has travelled to four continents to interview all the surviving women pilots, who came not just from the shires of England, but also from the U.S.A, Chile, Australia, Poland and Argentina. Paid GBP 6 a week, they flew up to 16 hours a day in 140 different types of aircraft, though most of them liked Spitfires the best.

Jackie Cochrane

I am so happy that I FINALLY read this book! I have to admit I had intended to review it before now when it was still fresh, but inspiration never seemed to strike. It is mainly because I had a problem with my eReader. I loved it when I bought it, but I will never read a non-fiction book on it again. As I am writing my review, I am always flipping around through the book to find little facts and I love an index. This is not something that is as important with fiction books, so I never considered it. The index for this book is really just a list of topics with no page numbers and no way to jump back to where it is discussed. It bothers me immensely, to the point where I am going to be buying a couple books in a bit and I am actually considering buying a paperback copy of this one. I should have in the first place...

Amy Johnson

Now that I have that out of the way, I loved this book. Non-fiction is actually my first love. Specifically Canadian or British history set during the World Wars. Add in a women angle and I am there with bells on! Obviously I read other things, but these are the types of books I will buy with no hesitation. This book also gets points because I actually have always had this quiet little dream of learning how to fly a plane. It probably will never happen because I have a hard enough time driving a car, but it is still there in the back of my mind. To read about these women who had such a chance was fascinating for me! Who knows, if I had lived back then I may have learned. These women may not have been flying in combat, but they were just as at risk. Many of them were improperly trained to fly the planes they were assigned to operate.

Women Pilots

The thing I liked about this book is that the author tried to put a face to every pilot. It could have been overwhelming keeping all the names straight, but I actually found it fascinating. Some of the pilots, like Amy Johnson, received more pages than others, but for the most part she made sure to give a character sketch of all the women. Some were also still alive at the time that this book was written so she could go and visit them and hear their stories firsthand. This story-telling aspect made its way to the pages, so it made the book very readable. World War II opened up many opportunities for women that had not existed before the war, but they still had to fight for every chance. It was a huge deal when they were allowed to fly Spitfires. They had previously been considered too powerful for women, but the rule was loosened a bit.

Dorothy Furey

There was so much to learn by reading this book. I was engrossed from the very beginning. Normally non-fiction books take me a bit longer to read, but this one I found almost a page-turner by the end. When I finished it, I ended up staying up really late to see how everything played out. This is a book I will definitely want to visit with again! The pictures included are just some of the women involved in the book.

Jackie Sorour

Maureen Dunlop

This was a very famous photo

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell & A Fine and Private Place by Peter S. Beagle

At first glance, these books probably couldn't be any different. The thing is, I tried to read both of them and they both really didn't work for me. It's obviously me because I know so many people that love both books, but I just couldn't stick with them.

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

Completed: February 10, 2011

Reason for Reading: The Great Reading Swap; Buddy Read

When her father leaves the Church, Margaret Hale is uprooted from her comfortable home in Hampshire to move with her family to the North of England. Initially repulsed by the ugliness of her new surroundings in the industrial town of Milton, Margaret becomes aware of the poverty and suffering of local mill workers and develops a passionate sense of social justice. In "North and South", Gaskell skillfully fused individual feeling with social concern and in Margaret Hale created one of the most original heroines of Victorian literature.

This book perfectly exemplifies why I do not read very many classics. I found myself very uninterested in the characters, the writing, or the direction in which the book takes. I tried, though. I just found myself reading parts of it and rather zoning out. After a while there was a lot of skimming occurring as I tried to figure out what I was missing. I wanted to love it, because Ana wanted me to read it and she enjoyed it... I just didn't. For one thing, I really don't like the way she writes. It didn't draw me in at all. Then, Margaret rather annoyed me. I almost liked her in the very beginning because I had hope, but then the pages went on and she just wound up boring me. Then, there were things that happened that I thought were pointless and unncessary for the overall story. It just seemed that try as I might, this book didn't really work for me at all...

Anyway, I only posted this very brief post because it is a book for the Reading Swap and because Amanda also didn't like the book and is posting her thoughts on it today, too. She might be better at figuring out what to say than I am.

So, what did I miss? What is it that you love about North and South?

Moving on...

A Fine & Private Place by Peter S. Beagle

Completion Date: February 10, 2011

Reason for Reading: Fun..

Conversing in a mausoleum with the dead, an eccentric recluse is tugged back into the world by a pair of ghostly lovers bearing an extraordinary gift—the final chance for his own happiness. When challenged by a faithless wife and aided by a talking raven, the lives of the living and the dead may be renewed by courage and passion, but only if not belatedly. Told with an elegiac wisdom, this delightful tale of magic and otherworldly love is a timeless work of fantasy imbued with hope and wonder.

Once upon a time I was in a bookstore and I came across a book called The Last Unicorn. I HAD to have it. It sounded so good and I thought for sure I would love it. I didn't... Then, enter blogging and all sorts of people singing the praises of Beagle. These were people that I respected and generally shared interests with. So, I felt guilty and tried to read The Last Unicorn again. I thought maybe I was in a weird mood or maybe I missed something. It didn't work for me the second time either. Then, I started to see Beagle and his books mentioned even more and I decided that I was going to try another one of his books. Maybe that was the problem. It didn't work for me either...

There is just something about the authors writing that I cannot get into it. It doesn't pull me in at all and then I find myself bored with the story. I always want to love the story and always find myself thinking that if the story was written by someone else with a different style, I would love it. The ideas are always great. The book descriptions always sound amazing and the reviews I see always make me want to rush out and read him, but I think I am going to have to admit that Beagle is just not for me. I did give him two tries, though...

So, your turn, what makes you love Beagle so much?

The Sherlockian by Graham Moore

The Sherlockian by Graham Moore

Completion Date: January 26, 2011

Reason for Reading: Counts for the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge.

In December 1893, Sherlock Holmes-adoring Londoners eagerly opened their Strand magazines, anticipating the detective's next adventure, only to find the unthinkable: his creator, Arthur Conan Doyle, had killed their hero off. London spiraled into mourning — crowds sported black armbands in grief — and railed against Conan Doyle as his assassin.

Then in 1901, just as abruptly as Conan Doyle had "murdered" Holmes in "The Final Problem," he resurrected him. Though the writer kept detailed diaries of his days and work, Conan Doyle never explained this sudden change of heart. After his death, one of his journals from the interim period was discovered to be missing, and in the decades since, has never been found.
Or has it?

When literary researcher Harold White is inducted into the preeminent Sherlock Holmes enthusiast society, The Baker Street Irregulars, he never imagines he's about to be thrust onto the hunt for the holy grail of Holmes-ophiles: the missing diary. But when the world's leading Doylean scholar is found murdered in his hotel room, it is Harold - using wisdom and methods gleaned from countless detective stories - who takes up the search, both for the diary and for the killer.

During the month of January I finally started the Sherlock Holmes series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I have read one of the books in Laurie King's series, but knew I really had to settle down with the originals before getting carried off to the spin-offs. That being said, I heard good things about this book and my library had it in ebook format, so I decided to give it a try. While I did like it, though, I found myself really wanting to read more in the original series. It also reminded me that I really need to read Agatha Christie one of these days.

This book takes place in two time periods. Half is told in 2010 about a Sherlock Holmes enthusiast who is trying to solve the mystery of the missing diary of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It had claimed to have been all ready found, but then the person who found it was found murdered and the diary was no where to be found. Harold White thinks that because he reads lots of mystery novels he is the best person for the job, so he launches an investigation with the help of one of Conan Doyle's descendants and a struggling reporter.

The other half of the book is told from the perspective of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This is the real reason that I read the book. I was curious about the author behind the successful series and thought it would be fun to see a fictional take on him attempting to solve his own mystery. During this time he has gotten tired of Holmes and is attempting to move away from that period of his life, but people are determined that he continue on. They are constantly sending him letters about their own mysteries, but he ignores them. Then, he receives a bomb that destroys his office and suddenly he thinks he is Sherlock Holmes. Only, he isn't, and he quickly learns that things are not quite as easy as Holmes makes them out to be.

In the modern period, people are very curious about why Conan Doyle first kills off Holmes and then drastically changes his mind and brings him back again. While the reader is let in on what happened during that period, the journal that would reveal it to Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts is the one that is missing from his collection. It adds to the allure wondering what did happen during that period. On the one hand, they want to find the diary, but on the other hand it would be like something was lost if it was found.

I have discovered that I quite love Sherlock Holmes as a literary character, but I have to admit that I was rather surprised by how people reacted back then when Conan Doyle killed him off. That should happen more often in the world today. People caring that much about books to go into mourning when favourite characters die. It just goes to show you how much has changed in 100 years. Moore wrote Conan Doyle as rather humourous and I enjoyed that many of his scenes included Bram Stoker. They played off each other rather well.

Overall, I liked this book, but I still like the originals better and am looking forward to reading on in the series!

Cross-Posted at Historical Tapestry.

The Fallen Kings Cycle Book 1: The Sworn by Gail Z. Martin

The Fallen Kings Cycle Book 1: The Sworn by Gail Z. Martin

Completion Date: January 10, 2011
Reason for Reading: Received an ARC from Hachette Book Group through NetGalley

Summoner-King Martris Drayke must attempt to meet this great threat, gathering an army from a country ravaged by civil war. Tris seeks new allies from among the living - and the dead - as an untested generation of rulers face their first battle. Meanwhile, the legendary Dread are stirring in their burrows after millennia of silence and no one knows what hand wakes them and whom they will serve when they rise.

Now, Drayke turns to the Sworn, a nomadic clan of warriors bound to protect the Dread. But even the mighty Sworn do not know what will happen when the Dread awake. All are certain, though, that war is coming to the Winter Kingdoms.

THE SWORN is the beginning of a new adventure set in the world of The Chronicles of the Necromancer.

One of the things that really bothered me about 2010 was how little fantasy I read. I have decided to make reading more in 2011 an unofficial goal. With this in mind, I was browsing through the catalogue at NetGalley and saw this book by Gail Z. Martin. I have heard of her before and have the first book from her other series on my TBR pile, but for whatever reason never got to it. While this is a spin-off series, it didn't seem necessary to have read her other books first, so I decided to give this one a try. I am so happy I did! I put the book aside with about 50 pages left to go to sleep, and I wound up sneaking out to the living room at an ungodly hour to see how the book ended. I was so caught up in the story I had to know!

I have this thing with not reading the description of books that I plan on reading soon if I can help it. I picked this book entirely because I recognized the authors name. I had no idea what the book was even about. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. What I ended up with is a very good fantasy story with a paranormal connection. I felt no disadvantage from not reading her other series because she filled in the details if she felt they were important. I do plan to go back and read the other series now, though.

In the beginning, I was a little overwhelmed with all of the characters. I read a few chapters before they started repeating themselves again. As a result it did take me a bit to get caught up in the story, but once I did I was hooked. It was just refreshing to read a really good fantasy again. I feel like that didn't happen nearly enough in 2010. Even though there are a lot of characters, by the end I had everyone straightened out and now I am curious what will happen to them in the future. I do think that sometimes there was too much detail given about minor characters, but that is just because there are so many major characters to keep straight. In another book I would think that was a good thing. It might turn out that those major characters are important in later books.

When I was in the midst of this book I was reading a very detailed description of a woman and I commented on how you can tell this book is written by a man. The thing is, it isn't. It just slipped my mind who the author was for a moment. I am a girl who likes guys, so I really could careless how well-endowed a woman is in a book. Unfortunately, fantasy is stereotypically a male-dominated world and authors cater to that accordingly. I think that was my only major problem with the book and that is not really the authors fault. It is mainly just a pet-peeve of mine. Other than that, what you have here is a book that I really enjoyed and an author that I look forward to reading more from. The sequel, out in 2012, will definitely be on my priority list.

This book is listed to go on sale February 1, 2011.

E-Books and Me: A Discussion

For Christmas, the cc bought me an eReader. I had only sort of wanted one since they came out, but he had a good argument. My books won't fit in our place and are still mostly residing at my mother's house. Maybe later this year we will finally have enough room, but just in case that doesn't happen I can put books on an eReader and then I don't have to worry about space. Then, I can resume buying books once in a while and actually know where they are AND maybe get them read. He made a good point and I agreed that I wanted an eReader for Christmas. I still bought books, though. All the books in my list of books I was looking forward to in 2011? I pre-ordered them all and they will be physical books. They are series and authors that I love and will want to hang onto for years to come.

Just because I was getting an eReader, though, I had no idea what I was going to do with it once it arrived. Would I even like it? Would it be something I love for a moment and then get tired of? I opened it up on Christmas Day and discovered that I love it. It came loaded with 100 classics and I always feel like I don't read enough classics. Why buy them, though, when they are available free? It is much more affordable to read them on an eReader. It is not taking away from authors, either, because they are dead. I feel no guilt. Plus, I am currently making a list of books I have read either through my eReader or the library that I want to own. If I see them at a second-hand store, I will buy them then. If not, they are just books that I will buy when I have more space.

I actually have reasons for why I like eReaders:

• The big one is space. I don't have room for everything that I read... Once I read a book I do tend to decide if I want to keep it or discard it, but sometimes that doesn't help much.
• Money! I want to read classics, so this way I can read them for free and buy the ones that I really love at a later date if I want to.
• Font size. I hate really little font in books. I will either not read or put off reading a book because of it. With an eReader you can change the size and this means I am reading books I probably would never have read otherwise.
• Page count. I am really good with books in the 300 to 400 page range. Bigger than that, though, I tend to start them and never finish them! With an eReader you have no idea how big a book is. I just read and don't worry about it. With paper books I am constantly checking to see how many more pages a chapter is or how many more pages the book has left. The eReader counts down the pages and tells you how far you are from the end. I actually read ebooks faster!

Those are just the reasons that come to mind. What is it that you love or don't love about eReaders? I have seen lots of posts about the subject, but I am still curious about this issue.

Another thing I have seen circulating is piracy issues. Some authors have found ways around this by supporting the free downloading of books. Last night I downloaded a whole series of books by Lois McMaster Bujold from Baen Books. I am excited because I have always wanted to read the series, so now I can read them and then decide if I like them or not. If I do, you can bet that I will buy them. If I don't, then, well, I didn't waste money. I don't feel guilty if I get a few free books here or there, though. I used to buy books just based on recommendations, but I have to be picky about that nowadays. When you don't have space for anymore books you have to do what works. There are sites that are even starting to make the first book in series available for free. I think that is an awesome idea because if I like the first book I will buy it and then buy all the rest of the series... I have to have complete sets!

What are your thoughts on free ebooks? Do you think they have their benefits, or are they a bad idea entirely?

Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman by Sam Wasson

Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman by Sam Wasson

Completed January 9, 2011
Reason for Reading: Whim...

Audrey Hepburn is an icon like no other, yet the image many of us have of Audrey—dainty, immaculate—is anything but true to life. Here, for the first time, Sam Wasson presents the woman behind the little black dress that rocked the nation in 1961. The first complete account of the making of Breakfast at Tiffany's, Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M. reveals little-known facts about the cinema classic: Truman Capote desperately wanted Marilyn Monroe for the leading role; director Blake Edwards filmed multiple endings; Hepburn herself felt very conflicted about balancing the roles of mother and movie star. With a colorful cast of characters including Truman Capote, Edith Head, Givenchy, "Moon River" composer Henry Mancini, and, of course, Hepburn herself, Wasson immerses us in the America of the late fifties before Woodstock and birth control, when a not-so-virginal girl by the name of Holly Golightly raised eyebrows across the country, changing fashion, film, and sex for good. Indeed, cultural touchstones like Sex and the City owe a debt of gratitude to Breakfast at Tiffany's.

In this meticulously researched gem of a book, Wasson delivers us from the penthouses of the Upper East Side to the pools of Beverly Hills, presenting Breakfast at Tiffany's as we have never seen it before—through the eyes of those who made it. Written with delicious prose and considerable wit, Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M. shines new light on a beloved film and its incomparable star.

I have no idea why I read this book. I have never seen the movie, read the book, or seen Audrey Hepburn act. I have never heard of the author of this book before. I am not a huge fan of the classic movie franchise or the old-time big stars. Actually, I just saw my first Marilyn Monroe movie last week. I just was flipping through the library eBook selection, which is really sad, and adding what sounded sort of interesting to my wish list. Then, I moved 5 of them to the holds area and this was one of them. So, what are my thoughts after finishing this book? I have now added both the book Breakfast at Tiffany's and the movie version to my library holds. I even added a couple other Audrey Hepburn movies. I am actually going to watch classic movies!

I am surprised by my interest in this book. It really is a subject I knew next to nothing about. I wasn't even entirely sure what Breakfast at Tiffany's was even about. Last night, though, I was trailing the cc around the place reading him some of the things that I learned. This is why I need to read more non-fiction in 2011. It becomes a sharing experience! Now, I need to reiterate that I am not very well-read on this subject, so I have no idea what someone that loves this era and the movies that came from it would think. I just know that I learned a lot and if I want to learn more, the author included pages and pages of sources for all his info. I was just really amazed about the whole process of making this movie. Trying to sneak it through the censors was something that I never thought about before. Well, mainly because up until yesterday I didn't know that Hepburn played a call-girl in the movie. It was things like this that I was discussing with the cc last night. He included some of the scenes that were cut and the reasoning behind it.

I'd like to think that the author captured the players well. I like how he set this book out as a movie script. In the beginning his lists all the characters, the scenes, and includes a map. Then he divides it into sections like a script would. Even the end keeps up this theme. For another book, it wouldn't work at all, but for the idea of this book it worked really well. I just found myself surprising interested in most of what happens in the book. I could careless about Audrey's marriage, but I did appreciate how she was trying to balance being a mother and being an actress. I even enjoyed the pages dedicated to the famous song 'Moon River'. I might not have seen the movie before, but I have heard that song before. I also like how without necessarily going into a lot of detail, we learn about all the people that were related to Hepburn and this movie. I think it made the book more enjoyable.

I am glad I read this book on a whim. I never would have read it otherwise! Now, of course, my question to my readers is what classic movies should I see? I put the following on hold, but I am always up for more recommendations!

Breakfast at Tiffany's

My Fair Lady

Funny Face

Sabrina

The Seven Year Itch

Casablanca

(So, this book didn't get very good ratings on Barnes & Noble... I assume by people that might actually know what they are talking about. I liked it... It was a good introduction, I think, but maybe not for those that know more than me...)

Tempting Darkness by Rene Lyons

Books Completed: 65
Completion Date: April 2007
Publication Year: 2007 in eBook format
Won in 2007
Book Three of the Templar Vampire series

Trapped in the dark, can two lost souls find their way back to the light?

Book Three of the Templar Vampire series

Once a proud Templar Knight, Lucian of Penwick lost his faith when God damned him as a vampire. Tormented by guilt, he is dragged back to his ancestral home and forced to confront the sins of his past. As he struggles to uphold his oath, Lucian knows if he falters, it’s not just his own soul on the line…

Ripped from life as she knew it, Jessica Vargo is held prisoner in a world of darkness and torment. Deep in the bowels of a medieval castle, the line between myth and reality blurs and the only one she can trust is the seven-hundred-year-old vampire.

But as darkness tempts, can Lucian and Jessica find their light?

Look Rene, I FINALLY reviewed your book. I won this book in a contest, and I will point out that it is book three in her series, so you probably want to read the first two books in the series first. The first one is currently out in paperback and the second one is going to be released soon in paperback, I believe this month. After reading this one, I acquired the other two to read as soon as I get a chance.

This book is not my usual read, but I thought I would give it a try. It was actually not what I expected, and while I do not see me reading a lot of books in this genre, I really think I will be reading more Rene Lyons. The heroine is not annoying, that is a big thing for me. I hate the whinny girls in books, I am more fond of girls with backbones. They guy does not count because he is a vampire, and they have supernatural abilities anyways, so it is a given that he has more staminia than the average person. Overall, this was a different sort of read for me, but I think that Rene has potential, so it was worth it. I will at least read the other two books in the series, but we will see what happens after that.

3.5/5