Monday, October 25, 2010

Guest Post: Danielle (There's A Book) Hearts Vampires!

I am honored to welcome Danielle of There's a Book today with a guest post about all things vampires!  I was so excited to see that I am not alone in my interest in vampires, and that it started at a young age, but Danielle is much more well-versed and I have added many books from what she has to say!  What books will you be adding?!?

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From Count Vlad to Bela Lugosi Dracula, vampires in all their various forms have been the center of all that goes bump in the night for ages. Yes, the newer vampires sparkle and can tolerate the daylight with fancy rings charmed by witches, but what about the originals or the kid-friendly versions? This was the first topic that came to mind when Tif asked if I would guest post for her near Halloween. I've long loved vampires and when better to talk about vampires than during Halloween?

If I'm being honest my very first venture into the world of vampires came via the classic Bela Lugosi Dracula and The Lost Boys movies. It's possible I was as young as ten or eleven when I first saw these and they only sparked a deeper interest into this sometimes creepy but always fascinating mythology. After viewing these movies I began to dig; I read anything I could get my hands on that related to vampires. Bram Stoker's Dracula, which also had a wonderful movie rendition starring the actor better known now for his role as Sirius in Harry Potter, Gary Oldman, was one of my favorite books. Beyond this I moved to the actual history behind Dracula, also known as "Count Vlad", and read as many books as I could get on the famous Count.

There came a point though when my research brought me to all the same destinations and because of this, I turned back to my love of fictional based vampire stories. Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice (and the subsequent novels in the series) became one of my absolute favorite novels from my youth. Yes, I know, youth? In fact it was my father who loaned me his copy and I think I read it at least a dozen times. The characters were written in the classic style, glamorous but dangerous and terrifying - they drew me in and never let go. From there I've devoured nearly every vampire book you can imagine; Vampireology, The True Blood series by Charlaine Harris, The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, The Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer, The House of Night series by the Casts, The Blue Bloods series by Melissa de la Cruz, Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith and so many more.

Now, as a parent, I'm excited to share the more enjoyable and funny side of vampires with my little ones. They're obviously too young to really understand the more scary aspects of vampires, but there are still quite a few books available that they enjoy. One of my favorite new "old" releases is Dick and Jane and Vampires by Laura Marchesani, it's a favorite series of my mom's and it's fun to share it with my own children in this funny way. There's also, A Vampire Is Coming to Dinner by Pamela Jane, Scream Street: Fang of the Vampire by Tommy Donbavand, and Lisa Brown's newest Vampire Boy's Good Night.

So many fantastic books and movies for this ancient mythology! From my youth until now I've always found something intriguing in the lives of vampires, be it the possibility of eternal life or the mysterious nature of the origins of vampires. These stories have been around for ages and Halloween is the perfect time to celebrate these ancient creatures.

Thank you so much to Tif for allowing me to ramble on about my love for vampires and this fantastic Halloween season!

4 comments:

  1. Tif, thank you again for having me guest post today! It was really fun to walk down memory lane and think a little more about these fantastic creatures of the night! Loved it!

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  2. Yay! I love vampires too :)

    What about L. J. Smith? And Buffy? Those were my two favourites growing up. Oh and Christopher Pike. Anne Rice is a given, obviously, and I like what you said about her vampires being written in 'the classic style', glamorous and dangerous. Thats the best kind!

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  3. I am a big fan of Count Chocula, even if he isn't a literary hero.

    Dick and Jane and Vampires looks hilarious.

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  4. The1stdaughter . . . You are so welcome!! And, thank YOU!!! :)

    toni . . . I LOVED Christopher Pike books growing up!! I'm trying to find all the books that I gave away for my collection now!!

    Gwen@ChewDigestBooks.com . . . LOL!!!! Count Chocula, now that's a classic!! :)

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