Yay

I just added my first two link exchanges. Check them out in the sidebar!

In other news, it is nearly the end of July! Which means the July Book Blowout is nearly over. I've managed fifteen, five over my target.

The Laughing Corpse

The Laughing Corpse by Laurell K Hamilton

Summary
Harold Gaynor offers Anita Blake a million dollars to raise a 300-year-old zombie. Knowing it means a human sacrifice will be necessary, Anita turns him down. But when dead bodies start turning up, she realizes that someone else has raised Harold's zombie--and that the zombie is a killer. Anita pits her power against the zombie and the voodoo priestess who controls it. Notice to Hollywood: forget Buffy the Vampire Slayer; Anita Blake is the real thing.

Expectations
I really enjoyed the first book with the exception of one irritatingly unexplained character, Phillip. I was looking forward to reading this.

Writing Style
Hamilton draws you in with the delightfully kickass female character of Anita, providing a detailed and rich first person tale. It's fast-paced, witty, and perfect.

Plot
Pleasantly different from the previous book; although it's about murder and the supernatural, it puts a different spin on things, and it is interesting the way that Anita learns about her own powers. My only problem- not enough Jean-Claude!

Characters
Anita is a joy to read; powerful but with real weaknesses. We learn more about the people around her in this book. I liked the character work in this novel more than in the first!

Overall
Delicious novel, but I couldn't help feeling cheated out of more Jean-Claude.

4 Stars

Fear Not

I'm still alive, I just haven't felt like writing a review. I'm still reading, though! Since my last review I have read:

1. 'The Rose Revived' by Katie Fforde
2. 'Romancing Mr Bridgerton' by Julia Quinn
3. 'Bridget Jones's Diary' by Helen Fielding

I have read thirteen books for the July Book Blowout! With two days to go, I hope to finish two more books :)

The Vampire Lestat

The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice

Summary
'Ah, the taste and feel of blood when all passion and greed is sharpened in that one desire!' Lestat: a vampire - but very much not the conventional undead, for Lestat is the truly alive. Lestat is vivid, ecstatic, stagestruck, and in his extravagant story he plunges from the lasciviousness of eighteenth-century Paris to the demonic Egypt of prehistory; from fin-de-siecle New Orleans to the frenetic twentieth-century world of rock superstardom - as, pursued by the living and the dead, he searches across time for the secret of his own dark immortality.

Expectations
I had read The Interview With The Vampire and had been quite disappointed. It hadn't been as exciting as I had hoped. However the story and the characters had captivated me and I was looking forward to reading more about them.

Writing Style
Rice has the most fantastic way of providing rich detail. Detail of feelings, setting, character... this book is one of the richest I have read in terms of description. I loved the style! It was darkly gothic and more captivating than the first book.

Plot
Lestat tells his colourful history, revealing how he was made, his relationships with the people he loved, and ultimately the origins of the vampire. The plot moves more quickly than the previous novel, and the varying, contrasting settings provide the perfect background for the grim, dark tale.

Characters
Lestat's character is explored in greater detail here, and the reader understands fully his actions in the first novel. He is delightful in that he needs to know what will happen if he breaks a rule. He is not necessarily a good person but he is a likeable narrator and that is very important. The characters surrounding him are fantastically written, my favourites being his mother, the cold and distant vampire, and his lover, Nicki, who descends into madness after being made into a vampire by Lestat.

Overall
A fantastic book, much better than the first. I wondered about the relationship between Louis and Lestat seeming unlikely at the end, but apart from that it was perfect.

4 Stars

I Only Have Fangs For You

I Only Have Fangs For You by Kathy Love

Summary
One thing you have to know about my brother Sebastian: he loves being a vampire. After all, what's not to love? He's eternally twenty-five. He's single, and frankly, he's a chick magnet. Yeah, undeath is good. The only thing he's serious about is his nightclub, Carfax Abbey. It's the sort of dark, happening spot where vampires can really let their fangs down. You know, hiding in the shadows, feeding, giving pleasure to unsuspecting mortals, being all cool and vampirey. Whatever. My brother Rhys and I have tried to get Sebastian to clean up his bad-boy ways like we did, but then he went and called us "fang-whipped." Okay, Bite Boy, chew on this...The ultimate righteous reformer, Wilhemina Weiss, is on a mission to shut down Carfax Abbey. She doesn't approve of my bro's biting ways. It seems the spirited, sexy-without-knowing-it vampire is working undercover as a cocktail waitress in his bar while waging a secret war to bring him down. Sebastian's A-positive he can convince Miss Goody-Vampire-Two-Fangs that nothing beats the ecstasy of a good vampire bite. She's certain she can resist him for as long as it takes to reform him.

I gotta tell you, the suspense would kill me - if I weren't already undead. Now, Mr. "Has anyone ever told you you've got a beautiful neck?" is in way over his. He's finally met a girl who may not be his type, but she's way more than his match. Not that he's (cough) fang-whipped (cough) or anything. No, not my baby bro. One thing's for sure, I've never seen Sebastian so completely at someone's mercy in my life. And frankly, I'm enjoying every minute of it.

Expectations
It seemed like a funny read; I hadn't read the other two so I wasn't sure I'd understand what was going on.

Writing Style
Witty, quirky and utterly delightful. The writing combined the viewpoints of both characters, making it balanced. Very well-written book.

Plot
The relationship between Mina and Sebastian is filled with simmering chemistry from the beginning, when she enters his club as a waitress who is determined to sabotage it, due to the fact he is regarded as one of the most dangerous vampires in the city. The relationship develops quickly and it is charming as the characters reveal themselves.

Characters
Sebastian is a delightful character; an egotistical male who has never met his match. Wilhemina, or Mina, is his opposite; slightly strange and not stereotyically beautiful. They bounce off each other easily, leading to lovely scenes.

Overall
A great read. My only problem is that it ends rather suddenly. However, the tale is well-crafted and hilarious, and a pleasure to devour.

4 Stars

Everyone Worth Knowing

Everyone Worth Knowing by Lauren Weisberger

Summary
The in-crowd wears Gucci but one girl wears her heart on her sleeve...From the bestselling author of THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA comes a no-holds barred expose of the world of the Manhattan super-rich. Bette gets paid to party ! Well, to plan them, anyway. And she can hardly believe her luck. Running with celebs, gaining VIP access to Manhattan's hottest spots and meeting 'everyone worth knowing' is a million miles away from her old banking job. Overnight, New York has become her sexy late-night playground. But quicker than you can say Birkin bag, Bette turns up in the gossip columns as girlfriend to a notorious British playboy. It's news to her -- but news that delights her publicity-hungry new boss. Her family and old friends, however, think it's not very Bette. What happened to the girl they know and love -- who always had time for romantic novels, 80s music and junk food, not to mention them? As her new and old worlds threaten to collide, can Bette say goodbye to the glamour and the Gucci, the parties and the Prada, and step back into the real world -- and find a prince who's got a heart to match his charm?

Expectations
Loved 'The Devil Wears Prada' and 'Chasing Harry Winston', and I was expecting this novel to match their fast-paced and witty style.

Writing Style
Unfortunately this novel lacks the Weisberger wit and the narrative drags, making it slow and boring.

Plot
Girl lands 'dream' job; girl sells out on her friends; girl dates loser; girl falls in real love and quits job. It's cliched, and this version has no original spin.

Characters
Bette, the main character, is irritating and just doesn't come across as nice. Her love interest is more likeable but the problem is that there is no chemistry between them. The supporting characters seem colourful but are not explored in much depth.

Overall
A let-down. It took me ages to read this book.

2 Stars

July Book Blowout Mini-Challenge #2

1. Title and author of the book
The Vampire Lestat- Anne Rice
2. What year is the book set in?
The last year mentioned was 1780.
3. What happened on this day in that year? Go to google and type in the date ie 13 July 1952 and see if you can find a news item for that day
The Batlle of Earle's Ford, North Carolina
Apparently...
4. Where is your book set?
Last location mentioned was Cairo.
5. Have you visited that place before? If yes tell us something about your trip. If no, look the location up on google and tell us an interesting fact about the city/country.
I haven't visited but I would love to! Apparently the population is 6.8 million.