The Post-Christmas Blog Post...

[Our super pretty Xmas Tree]

In true 2011 fashion, the past week has flittered by and I've barely noticed its passing.

Where does the time go?

I'm on leave from work until next week. During this time I'd planned to achieve a many wonderous thing, but already it is Thursday and I've not yet done even half of what I'd planned.

[Xmas cards decorate the dining room mantel]

Xmas Day was a warm one in our sunny, windy, thunderstormy part of Australia. It reached 36*C in our little town, and due to the thunderstorms brewing it was humid all day until around 9pm in the evening when we had a quick patter of rain followed by a cool change. So, the day after Xmas was wonderfully pleasant, as have been the days that have followed it, although tomorrow is supposed to be back into the high-30s, and it is possible that we'll have temperatures in the 40s for the next week or so.

[Useful Xmas gift #1: Don Burke's Organic Gardening]

But back to Xmas Day: A BBQ breakfast, followed by a feast of a midday meal, followed by a feast of an evening meal left us feeling quite gluttonous!

I love to give useful, practical Xmas gifts, and I tried to do that again this year, but I also received some wonderful useful gifts in return. I've already put Don Burke's Organic Gardening book to use and planted seeds for the next lot of planting, as well as having planned my vegie patch for autumn.

[Useful Xmas gift #2: Homemade preserves and dukkah]

And this morning for breakfast I had quinoa bread spread with a generous serving of homemade pear and vanilla jam, which my sister made. I didn't know she was quite so clever in the kitchen and it was delicious!

Now I'm spending this warm afternoon writing some letters, watching a bit of TV, cooking (in the slow cooker), and reading. I've four full days left free from the confines of paid employment and I intend to get myself back on track with all that I have planned...

Tomorrow I think I'll made some nachos. Gosh, it's been years since I've had those! I'll have to share the recipe...

How are you spending your holidays?

Club Dead by Charlaine Harris.

Club Dead by Charlaine Harris


My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Eric looked down at me. He seemed to have a hickey on his neck. I opened my mouth, and then shut it again. Better not to comment.

"I don't like having feelings." Eric said coldly, and he left.

That was a tough exit line to top.

Club Dead is the third instalment in the Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampire series by Charlaine Harris. You remember Sookie, right? The Bon Temps barmaid with the telepathic abilities and the Vampire boyfriend named Bill? Yes? Good.

This novel begins innocently enough, with Sookie enjoying semi-domestic bliss (as domestic and blissful as it could be with a Vampire, I suppose) with Bill in Bon Temps. Bill has discovered computers and the internet, and Sookie's worried that he's turning into a bit of a geek.

As it turns out, that is the least of her worries.

Bill is under strict, secret instructions from the Vampire Queen of Louisiana, and not even the Vampire boss of Area 5, Eric Northman, knows of it. When Bill leaves town for a few days but then suddenly disappears, Eric seeks Sookie's help in locating him amongst the undead underworld of Mississippi, which sees her risking her life to save her boyfriend from an untimely demise. Not only is danger present at every turn, but Sookie also finds herself having to grapple with the development of romantic feelings for her charming guide Alcide (a Were); the almost-unwanted attentions of Eric the Vampire; and the heartwrenching truth of her boyfriend Bill's betrayal.

Each novel in this series builds on the personalities, perspectives and histories of the characters, and whatever the situation in the previous two books, it is not necessarily the case in the third. Things are changing at a dramatic pace, and Sookie's world is quickly turned on its head, giving the otherwise perky Bon Temps barmaid a hell of a lot to think about - and her readers in turn. It is through the encounters that Sookie has with the Vampire Eric that the author hints at there being more to this character than what meets the eye (the never-judge-a-book-by-its-cover scenario).

For me, Club Dead is the novel that sees this series turn from a fun pastime into a major bookish obsession. Characters that once appeared simple and satisfying have become far more complicated than I originally anticipated they could be, which is an intriguing turn of events of which Sookie too is fast becoming aware. In Club Dead, Sookie can no longer hide behind innocence and naivety, being forced to make very adult decisions when faced with some nasty truths about the world in which she finds herself.

FYI: Team Eric. Totally.

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Dracula in Love by Karen Essex.

Dracula in Love by Karen Essex


My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Dracula in Love claims to be a retelling of the Mina-Dracula relationship from Bram Stoker's classic novel, Dracula. However, the story told by Essex is at best misleading and at worse implausible and annoying. Here's why:

1. The characters are inconsistent. Their personalities were all over the place, not a single one of them constant.

Jonathan Harker was a good man, then a bad man, then a good man. Morris Quince was a rotten scoundrel who wasn't.

The doctors from the lunatic asylum who treated women for sexual promiscuity were insane sexual deviates. The irony is lossed on no one, I'm sure. I'm still trying to figure out how this fits into the story as a whole, though.

But let us not forget the supposed "heroine" of the story, Mina Murray Harker, who has this unenviable ability to change her mind in the most drastic and dramatic fashion. I found it impossible to like her.

2. The connection between the characters was difficult to fathom, on so many levels. Many of the events that took place in Dracula in Love simply do not make sense when considered in light of the story as a whole. At the time, I quite enjoyed Essex's descriptions of the asylum, but in retrospect I struggle with understanding its purpose.

3. Despite the title, the Dark Prince himself (that is, Dracula) is almost completely absent for most of the book. He turns up for the last quarter, but then his role in the story is annoyingly and frustratingly told predominantly through dialogue. I couldn't help but feel that the author was in a hurry to finish, either to meet a deadline or simply because she could no longer be bothered with the story. A pity.

4. The reincarnated Sidhe concept had potential: It was a neat idea, but poorly executed. I think Essex could have achieved more with this storyline had she not waffled on and got distracted by other things earlier on in the piece. This portion of the story felt rushed and confusing. I think it was supposed to be that awe-inspiring supernatural twist to the story, but the author's inability to think it through ensured it completely fell flat.

5. The author seems to be lacking focus as the book has far too much filler, making the plot and characters seem inconsistent and undeveloped, especially at the end. Half the time I wasn't even sure I knew what she was talking about! Not even the ending was redeeming: Like most of the story, it was simply confusing and implausible.

6. I had expected a supernatural love story set during one of my favourite periods in history (Victorian England), but what I got instead was nothing more than misleading erotica: Dracula in Love contained a whole lot of lust, but little Dracula and absolutely no love whatsoever.

A disappointing read overall.

 



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