Apr 9, 2010

Vampire & Paranormal Books of Interest

Marta Acosta, author of the brilliant Casa Dracula series has posted a YA gothic, The Shadow Girl of Birch Grove on scribd. It's free! Here's your chance to read a story from one of my favorite writers. [Read about Shadow Girl's history on Vampire Wire.]

This is a synopsis of Shadow Girl: "When foster teen Jane Williams is invited to attend elite Birchwood Academy for Girls, she thinks the offer is too good to be true. It is.

Soon she starts receiving threatening messages from an unknown enemy. She's also beginning to suspect that the pale elegant headmistress and her gorgeous sons are hiding secrets. And the longer she stays at Birchgrove, the more questions she has about the disappearance of another scholarship girl.

What's Jane willing to sacrifice for this once in a lifetime opportunity?"

It's also worth noting that Haunted Honeymoon, the final book (sob!) in the CD series will be out this fall.






Color Your Own Graphic Novel DRACULA
John Green (Adapter), Bram Stoker (Author)
 Dover Publications; abridged edition edition (August 21, 2009)

From the publisher: Dracula fans will love to sink their teeth into this version of the classic vampire tale! This unique rendition of Stoker's novel features the abridged story in a cool graphic novel format. Colorists of all ages will thrill to its retelling of a trip to Transylvania that descends into a nightmare encounter with literature's most bloodthirsty ghoul.


It has been forever since I had a coloring book in my hands, but that might change. This one looks like a lot of fun.


Below is a list of books I have recently acquired:

Bloodpressure: A Vampire Testament
by Terrence Taylor
St. Martin's Griffin; 1 edition (March 30, 2010)

From the publisher: he secret war between vampires and humans escalates and the world will never be the same again…

Christopher Jude Miller – fully grown and still human – has returned to New York to seek answers about his past.  It is there he meets Joie, a young woman connected to his past, and falls into a twisted love triangle. He and Joie also realize that the magical forces that made both their lives possible have unexpected side effects, as they discover that united they have abilities neither knew of before - including the power to cure vampires.

Created after the incidents that brought in the National Guard to contain the vampire zombie plague on the Lower East Side, Clean Slate Global is a covert ops organization formed to rid the world of vampires, run by ex-deputy mayor Jonathan Richmond.  But Richmond unleashes an ancient evil with darker motives.  It plots to use Christopher and Joie’s power to eliminate all vampires from the Earth…with the exception of its own new and improved indestructible army of the undead.




Silver Borne (Mercy Thompson, Book 5)
by Patricia Briggs
Ace Hardcover; 1 edition (March 30, 2010)

From the publisher:  When mechanic and shapeshifter Mercy Thompson attempts to return a powerful Fae book she'd previously borrowed in an act of desperation, she finds the bookstore locked up and closed down.

It seems the book contains secret knowledge-and the Fae will do just about anything to keep it out of the wrong hands. And if that doesn't take enough of Mercy's attention, her friend Samuel is struggling with his wolf side-leaving Mercy to cover for him, lest his own father declare Sam's life forfeit.

All in all, Mercy has had better days. And if she isn't careful, she might not have many more to live...

[read a recent review by Breia B. at Literaturely Speaking]



Zombies, Vampires, and Philosophy (Popular Culture and Philosophy
by Richard Greene (Editor), K. Silem Mohammad (Editor)
Open Court (March 30, 2010)

From the publisher: Since 1968's Night of the Living Dead, zombie culture has steadily limped and clawed its way into the center of popular culture. Today, zombies and vampires have taken over TV shows, comic books, cartoons, video games, and movies. Zombies, Vampires, and Philosophy drags the theories of famous philosophers like Socrates and Descartes into the territory of the undead, exploring questions like: Why do vampires and vegetarians share a similar worldview? Why is understanding zombies the key to health care reform? And what does "healthy in mind and body" mean for vampires and zombies? Answers to these questions and more await readers brave enough to make this fun, philosophical foray into the undead.





Vicious Circle (Persephone Alcmedi, Book 1)by Linda Robertson
Pocket (June 30, 2009)

From the publisher:  A girl's got to do what a girl's got to do....
Being a witch doesn't pay the bills, but Persephone Alcmedi gets by between reading Tarot cards, writing her syndicated newspaper column, and kenneling werewolves in the basement when the moon is full -- even if witches aren't supposed to mingle with wolves. She really reaches the end of her leash, though, when her grandmother gets kicked out of the nursing home and Seph finds herself in the doghouse about some things she's written.

Then her werewolf friend Lorrie is murdered...and the high priestess of an important coven offers Seph big money to destroy the killer, a powerful vampire named Goliath Kline. Seph is a tough girl, but this time she bites off more than she can chew. She needs a little help from her friends -- werewolf friends. One of those friends, Johnny, the motorcycle-riding lead singer for the techno-metal-Goth band Lycanthropia, has a crush on her. And while Seph has always been on edge around this 6'2" leather-clad hunk, she's starting to realize that although their attraction may be dangerous, nothing could be as lethal as the showdown that awaits them.



Hell Fire (Corine Solomon, Book 2)
by Ann Aguirre
Roc; Original edition (April 6, 2010)

From the publisher: As a handler, Corine Solomon can touch any object and know its history. It's too bad she can't seem to forget her own. With her ex-boyfriend Chance in tow-lending his own supernatural brand of luck - Corine journeys back home to Kilmer, Georgia, in order to discover the truth behind her mother's death and the origins of "gift".

But while trying to uncover the secrets in her past, Corine and Chance find that something is rotten in the state of Georgia. Inside Kilmer's borders there are signs of a dark curse affecting the town and all its residents - and it can only be satisfied with death...



Hearts at Stake: The Drake Chronicles
by Alexandra Harvey
Walker Books for Young Readers (December 22, 2009)

From the publisher: On Solange’s sixteenth birthday, she is going to wake up dead. As if that’s not bad enough, she also has to outwit her seven overprotective older brothers, avoid the politics involved with being the only daughter born to an ancient vampire dynasty, and elude Kieran Black—agent of an anti-vampire league who is searching for his father’s killer and is intent on staking Solange and her entire family.
Luckily she has her own secret weapon—her human best friend Lucy—who is willing to defend Solange’s right to a normal life, whether she’s being smothered by her well-intentioned brothers or abducted by a power-hungry queen. Two unlikely alliances are formed in a race to save Solange’s eternal life—Lucy and Solange’s brother Nicholas, and Solange and Kieran Black—in a dual romance that is guaranteed to jump start any romance-lover’s heart.
Even fans of the genre who’ve seen it all will find a fresh read with kick-butt characters and family dynamics that ring true for all brothers and sisters—vampire or otherwise.

2 comments:

Kathleen said...

I loved the Patricia Briggs book! A great continuation about Mercy. And thanks for this list- I just added "Hearts at Stake" and "Vicious Circle" to my wishlist.

Patricia Altner said...

I am a fan or Patricia Briggs so I'm anxious to read it. Glad to hear you gave it thumbs up. I've heard very good things about Vicious Circle. Also I really enjoyed Blue Diablo by Ann Aguirre so I want to read the 2nd book, Hell Fire.

Thanks for writing!