Naked Hobo

Just finished this collection of short stories about lady vampires. Here is a synopsis courtesy of the Barnes and Noble page.  The story of the vampire is one that has been told and retold throughout the centuries, often undergoing radical changes along the way, until what once was a terrible, bestial creature of darkness has been transformed into a sensual, passionate creature that is often misunderstood by the world at large. Most often the realm of male authors writing about male vampires, over the last century the genre has seen a refreshing swing toward authors of both sexes exploring the other side of the vampiric gender—the women of the night.

The sixteen stories collected within these pages are among the very best of their kind, from many of the best fantasy and horror authors writing today. From an encounter with a predatory spouse in a New England storm to a continuation of the Dracula story featuring a completely different tale of love, longing and loss, these stories explore both what it is to be female, human—and vampire, and often all at the same time.

I enjoyed it quite a bit.  It is hard to remeber clearly some of the earlier stories as I started this book, read the first 7 stories and then lost the book for the next 4 months.  If you are a vampire fan though, give it a read, 7 1/2 axes.

My first Oprah recommendation.  This was a fantastic read.  Centered around a group of people in the mid to late 12th century and the building of a cathedral in the town of Kingsbridge.  The book has war, murder, rape, arson, treason, deceit, love, honor, treachery, assassinations, and a lot about church architecture.  It is long, just shy of the 1000 page mark, but it doesn’t feel it.  It reads quickly and the pacing is well done, never seeming to bog down no matter the topic at hand, be it the thrills of an attack on the town, or the discussions of the types of stonework that will be used.  I am generally not  abig fan of historical fiction, but this book kept me reading and I killed it off after about 4 days.  Best book I have read in a while, 9 axes out of 10.

Just finished “Anansi Boys” by Neil Gaiman. The more of his work I read the further he moves up my list of favorite authors. He is far and away my favorite current author. He just has such a wonderful style to him that I don’t really find any where else. I also love his blend of fantasy with the modern world, done in this book as well as in “Neverwhere” and “American Gods”.

The book itself is about Fat Charlie Nancy, a mild mannered, easily embarrassed, young man that has his entire life changed when his father drops dead on a Florida karaoke stage. Soon his life unravels as his unknown brother Spider shows up and makes everything change. The story is well paced and a wonderful tale, spinning old time mythology and fantasy alongside our world. Like most of his work it comes across as both familiar and still genuinely unique. To make things different and more confusing, the Viking scale of books goes from 1-10. This books scores a very well deserved 8 axes out of 10.