R.I.P

 When Carl, began the first R.I.P. Challenge in 2006, I was all in.  I think the last time I formally joined was in 2016 or 2017, but I continued to read spooky books during the fall.   If you are looking for some suggestions, here are some that I looked back and found.

Renfield: Slave of Dracula (R.I.P. #9)

A list of some of the books that I'd read for the challenge  posted in 2011

End of Watch by Stephen King

Almost anything by John Connolly or Sharon Bolton

I wish I'd kept better track of R.I.P. books, because it is such a fun challenge.  At first, I concentrated on classics, then I moved on to some more contemporary books that fit the parameters of the challenge.  I also read some middle school or YA that were good, too. 

 Now, I just look for what others are reading and add some to my list.  

My favorite holiday is Halloween and spooky/supernatural books fit the season.  I'm not quite ready to get the Halloween decorations out, but I'm certainly thinking about it.  I just ignore the Heat Advisories and think pumpkins.

Anyway, I'm checking your R.I.P. book lists and stealing your suggestions. :)

R.I.P Challenge

It is time for Carl's annual R.I.P. Challenge, and I'm going to be creating a list of possible books to read.

One of the scariest books I ever read was Peter Straub's Ghost Story.  That was decades ago, and I'm considering a reread, but don't want to be disappointed.

In the first few R.I.P. challenges, I reread several books by Wilkie Collins and was delighted to find that I loved The Woman in White as much, if not more, than the first time.  I enjoyed The Moonstone, but love The Woman in White.

One year for the challenge, I read Sax Rohmer's The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu--and a few others by Rohmer.  These stories are a hoot!

For the 2007 challenge, I read Renfield: Slave of Dracula by Barbara Hambly.  Wow--was it worth it!  The original Dracula by Stoker and many pastiches have always called to me.    Hambly's James Asher series is also very good if you like vampires.

In 2011, I made a list of some of the books I'd since 2006 for Carl's challenge, and I might want to reread one or two.  I should make a list of the books I've read since 2011.

The first few years of the challenges, I tried to read or reread classics in the genre, as well as more contemporary works like The Thirteenth Tale.  I really like a Gothic element to my R.I.P. reads.  :)

My thanks to Carl for the encouragement to read the spooky, ghostly, eerie, and mysterious!
And once again, a wonderful image for the challenge.  This one is by Abigail Larson.

And so it begins...

The World's Coolest Bookstores & Other Miscellany

Via CNN Style, this slide show of fascinating bookstores has articles describing each in more detail if you scroll down.

From the famous Shakespeare and Company in Paris to a bookstore in China where backpackers can stay overnight; from a former glove factory in Detroit converted into the largest new and used bookstore in the world to the John King Used & Rare Books, also in Detroit, which has a copy of the writings of Thomas Aquinas published in 1482 in Venice.  Beautiful pictures and interesting details.
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Have you heard of Bookbub?  Free and discounted ebooks - nice.  This article in the NY Times explains more about these one day deals.  "At HarperCollins, executives said they have seen books designated as daily deals go from 11 copies sold in one day, to 11,000 copies the next."
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OK - I have a weakness for genius kids, robots, and androids. Have therefore decided I must watch at least one episode of Annedroids to see what Anne comes up with in her junkyard laboratory.
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I've finished Visions by Kelley Armstrong, an ARC that arrived in the mail.  I read Omens last year and was so excited to have another Cainesville interlude.  I've become a big fan of Armstrong and will review it soon.  Also recently in the mail, Bitter River by Julia Keller.  Another very good book and yet to be reviewed.  And on Wed., an uncorrected bound manuscript by Louise Penny arrived:  The Long Way Home.  I haven't even started it, but it is Louise Penny so I expect to love it.

A couple from NetGalley that I'm looking forward to are now on my Kindle.  What a book glutton am I!  
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I've finished more Halloween figures and still have a few in progress.  Working on altering a book as a Book of Spells for a Halloween prop.  Love Halloween!  More details on my other blog.  

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It is getting close to time for Carl's R.I.P. challenge.  Any good suggestions for this year's R.I.P. challenge?  I'll suggest Edgar Cantero's Supernatural Enhancements which I recently reviewed.  And if you haven't read any Wilkie Collins, The Woman in White is a perfect book for the challenge--well, any Wilkie Collins, but Woman in White is my favorite.  

A few favorites from previous R.I.P. challenges:

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Renfield: Slave of Dracula by Barbara Hambly (Hambly has quite a few good possibilities)
Almost anything by Sax Rohmer (especially if you want a vintage twist)
Dissolution by C.J. Sansom (plenty of Gothic elements)

I think I've reviewed all of the above during one challenge or another.

Hope you are having a great weekend!

A New-to-me Series

The Kindred of Darkness by Barbara Hambly is an ARC I received from NetGalley.  It won't be released until March 2014, but I liked it enough to read and review the first in the series.

Those Who Hunt the Night (James Asher, Book 1)  was the Locus Award winner for the Best Horror Novel of 1989.  Open Road Media republished it in 2011. 

 The series is named for James Asher, apparently a mild-mannered professor of Linguistics and Folk Lore at Oxford, but in reality a former spy in Her Majesty's secret service, acquainted with violence and subterfuge, a necessary skill set for the novel.  

Although the series is named for James, his wife Lydia often holds the spotlight.  An heiress, Lydia caused a family uproar when she insisted on attending Oxford and most scandously, on becoming a doctor, then risked being disinherited by marrying James, who lacked the appropriate social standing.  (After James married Lydia without the promise of the money, Lydia's father dis-disinherited her, but the entire family still disapproved.)

The vampires that Hambly imagines are neither sympathetic nor sexy; they are skilled predators who, despite their quickness and strength, are strangely vulnerable if their true identities are revealed.  The sex appeal of the vampire is only a hunting mechanism, a means of luring prey.  They survive not only by blood, but by the psychic element of swallowed death...so to speak.  No nice vampires choosing to drink cautiously, because blood alone in not enough.

When London vampires are murdered, Don Simon Ysidro (a vampire since 1588) approaches James and, with the threat to Lydia, forces James to aid in the search for the killer.  

With Lydia as James' hostage to fate, Don Simon and James pursue through the killer through the London of 1907.  

Don Simon is a fascinating character:  Old World, cultivated, intelligent, and snobbish, but he retains a little of the character of his former self, and he works well with James.  Without Don Simon's knowledge, James has enlisted Lydia's help with research while trying to keep anyone from being aware of their contact.

Although I wasn't as pleased with the revelation of the source of the evil stalking the vampires (and that evil took more human lives than vampire lives), the novel provides hours of good reading and three compelling protagonists.

I read Hambly's Renfield:  Slave of Dracula for the 2007 R.I.P. Challenge, and I liked the way Hambly expanded on Bram Stoker's Dracula.

I liked The Kindred of Darkness enough to begin reading the series, and I liked Those Who Hunt the Night enough to continue with the next in the series.

Mystery/Supernatural.  Orig. publ.  1989; republ.  2011.  350 pages.

Previous R.I.P. Reads

I've tried to corral some of my previous R.I.P. Challenge books.  They are in no particular order.

Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner
The House on the Borderland by William Hope Hodgson
The Haunted Hotel by Wilkie Collins
The Wyvern Mystery by J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Death in the Garden by Elizabeth Ironsides
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins (a reread, and just as good as the first time)
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
The Woman in Black by Susan Hill
The Keep by Jennifer Egan
A Coldness in the Blood by Fred Saberhagen

Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris
The Loving Huntsmen by Sylvia Townsend Warner
Season of the Witch by Natasha Mostert
The last Apprentice by Joseph Delaney
The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins (another reread)
New Moon by Stephanie Meyer
A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
Ghostwalk by Rebecca Stott
Dissolution by C.J. Sansom
The Sisters Grimm Book One by Michael Buckley

Renfield: Slave of Dracula by Barbara Hambly
Homebody by Orson Scott Card
Rebel Angels by Libba Bray
Bat Wings by Sax Rohmer
Souless by Gail Carriger
The Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu by Sax Rohmer
The Society of S by Susan Hubbard
The Blackstone Key by Rose Melikan
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

Dark Celebration by Christine Feehan
Four and Twenty Blackbirds by Cherie Priest
Shakespeare Undead by Lori Handeland
The Haunted Abbot by Peter Tremayne
The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu by Sax Rohmer

I had to really hunt for these because I didn't label all of them as R.I.P. books. Some were excellent, some were not.  This year I'd already read a lot of Gothic or Supernatural books that I should have saved for the challenge. I'll add this years books to the list when the challenge is over.

Baltimore, or The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire

Mignola, Mike, and Christopher Golden. Baltimore, or, the Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire. I really did not know what to expect with this book; I saw it on the new book shelf at the library and remembered that it was on Carl's list of favorite books for 2007.

The first chapter shifts back and forth between the Ardennes Forest, a bloody battleground in two World Wars (but apparently set in WWI) and the story of a tin soldier belonging to a young boy. I say apparently WWI because eventually some notable differences occur. The story of the tin soldier, while containing elements of the Hans Christian Andersen story, is also part of Sir Henry Baltimore's memories of childhood and the hallucinations resulting from a severe wound and a terrible supernatural event .

From the beginning, I was impressed with the writing and thought immediately of All Quiet on the Western Front. Then there was a drastic shift from the horrors of the war as Lord Baltimore confronts an even greater horror -- one that was beyond his imagination.

The story then shifts to several years later and an inn where three men meet: three men who have been summoned by Lord Baltimore to this time and place. Each of the men have known Baltimore, each has had a direct contact with evil, and each will join Baltimore in a terrible and crucial battle. Here the elements of Dracula, the classic vampire story begin to emerge. As with The Steadfast Tin Soldier, it is not an exact fit, but a careful lifting of certain components and an adapting of those components to the tale Mignola and Golden want to tell.

I've read three excellent modern versions of the vampire story based on Bram Stoker's novel: The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, Renfield: Slave of Dracula by Barbara Hambly (recommended by Chris), and Baltimore by Mignola and Golden. Baltimore differs from the other two in several ways, but is ultimately the one with the greatest sense of malevolence. It leaves one gory battlefield in Ardennes and advances to another battlefield, one of the soul and the spirit, as a plague devastates the land. Allegorical and drawing on the Dracula/vampire legend, WWI and the flu epidemic of 1919, and Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tale, Mignola and Golden and have rendered a beautifully crafted, but chilling literary analogue complete with equally well-crafted and chilling illustrations.

Anyone interested in vampire stories should definitely add this to their list. Although, like Carl, I found the ending less than completely satisfactory, the book itself should be considered a must read for those who love Dracula, The Historian, and/or Renfield.

Fiction. Gothic horror. 2007. 285 pages.

Challenge Complete

Completed Carl's R.I.P. Challenge with 9 books read. Of course, I still have one in progress, but it will have to be a November book as I'm going to continue with a few more gothic or spooky books.

Here are the books I read for the challenge; some of which were on my original list and some of which were not:

Renfield: Slave of Dracula by Barbara Hambly
Homebody by Orson Scott Card
Rebel Angels by Libba Bray
The Last Apprentice by Joseph Delaney
The Sisters Grimm by Michael Buckley
The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
Season of the Witch by Natasha Mostert
A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
Dissolution by C. J. Sansom

My favorites are highlighted. These three were far and away the most enjoyable reads.

Great fun once again, Carl! Thanks!

2007 Reading update (updated 1/1/08)

December 10 books (106 total for the year)

The Yiddish Policeman's Union. Michael Chabon. Mystery? Alternate history? 2007. 411 pages. My review.

The Whale Road. Robert Low. Historical novel. 2007. 338 pages. My review.

The Wheel of Darkness. Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Mystery/supernatural. 2007. 385. My review.

Tips for Quilters. Rachel T. Pellman, ed. Nonfiction. 1993. 234 pages. My Review.

Your Handwriting Can Change Your Life. Vimala Rodgers. Nonfiction. 2000. 167 pages. My review.

Vivaldi's Virgins. Barbara Quick. Historical fiction. 2007. 278 pages. My review.

Shadows & Lies. Marjorie Eccles. Mystery. 2005. 333 pages. My review.

The Indian Bride. Karin Fossum. Mystery. 2005. 297 pages. My review.

The Chinese Alchemist. Lyn Hamilton. Mystery. 2007. 257 pages. My review.

Kept: A Victorian Mystery. D.J. Taylor. Historical mystery. 2007. 351 pages. My review.



November 7 books (96 total)

Friend of the Devil. Peter Robinson. Mystery/suspense. ARC 2008. 372 pages. My review.

A Boy Named Shel: The Life and Times of Shel Silverstein. Lisa Rogak. Biography. 2007. 223 pages. My review.

The Warrior. Kinley MacGregor. Historical Romance. 344 pages. My review.

Ghostwalk. Rebecca Stott. Mystery/supernatural . 2007. 284 pages. My review.

The Cliff House Strangler. Shirley Tallman. Mystery. 2007. 320 pages. My review.

On Borrowed Wings. Chandra Prasad. Fiction. 2007. 310 pages. My review.

Without a Map: A Memoir. Meredith Hall. Memoir. 2007. 220 pages. My review.


October 5 books (89 total)

Stolen Magic. M. J. Putney. Fantasy. 2005. 337 pages. My review.

60 on Up: The Truth About Aging in America. Lillian B. Rubin, Ph.D. Sociology. 2007. 172 pages. My review.

Waiting to Surface. Emily Listfield. Fiction. 2007. 307 pages. My review.

The Lace Reader. Brunonia Barry. Psychological/supernatural. 2006. 353 pages. My review.

Renfield: Slave of Dracula. Barbara Hambly. Gothic. 2006. 306 pages. My review.


September (12) 84 total

The Zookeeper's Wife. Diane Ackerman. Biography. 2007. 323 pages. My review.

Homebody. Orson Scott Card. Supernatural. 1998. 432 pages. My review.

Rebel Angels. Libba Bray. YA. 2005. 548 pages. My review.

The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch. Joseph Delaney. YA. 2005. 343 pages. My review.

The Sisters Grimm: The Fairy Tale Detectives. Michael Buckley. YA. 2007. 284 pages. My review.

The Moonstone. Wilkie Collins. Mystery. 493 pages. My review.

Long Ago in France. M.F.K. Fisher. Nonfiction. Memoir. 1997. 159 pages. My review.

Season of the Witch. Natalie Mostert. Gothic mystery. 2007. 395 pages. My review.

Dissolution. C.J. Sansom. Historical mystery. 2003. 390 pages. My review.

A Great and Terrible Beauty. Libba Bray. YA. 2003. 403 pages. My review.

Bridge of Sighs. Richard Russo. Fiction. 2007. 527 pages. My review.


August (6) -- 72 total-- (**decided not to bother reviewing 2 of the books)

The Millionth Circle. Jean Shinoda Bolen, M.D. 1999. 87 pages. **

The Spanish Bow. Andromeda Romano-Lax. Fiction. Historical. 2007. 554 pages. My review.

Mademoiselle Victorine. Debra Finerman. Fiction. Historical. 2007. 289 pages. **

An Ocean of Air. Gabrielle Walker. Nonfiction. Science. 2007. 238 pages. My review.

Among Other Things, I've Taken Up Smoking. Aoibheann Sweeney. Fiction. Coming-of-age story. 2007. 257 pages. My review.

Elizabeth of the German Garden. Leslie De Charms. Nonfiction. Biography. 1958. 424 pages. My review.

The Blue Castle. L.M. Montgomery. Romance. 1993/1926. 218 pages. My review.


July ( 13) 66 total

the guy not taken: stories. Jennifer Weiner. 2006. 279 pages. My review.

The Janissary Tree. Jason Goodwin. Mystery/historical. 2006. 299 pages. My review.

Elizabeth and Her German Garden. Elizabeth von Arnim. Semi-autographical memoir. 1898/2007. 175 pages. My review.

Stealing the Dragon. Tim Maleeny. Mystery. 2007. 365 pages. My review.

The Black Sun. James Twining. Mystery/thriller. 2006. 416 pages. My review.

Echoes of Honor. David Weber. Science fiction/ space opera. 1998. 569 pages. My review.

In Enemy Hands. David Weber. Science fiction/ space opera. 1997. 530 pages. My review.

The Sonnet Lover. Carol Goodman. Mystery. 2007. 350 pages. My review.

Messenger of Truth. Jacqueline Winspear. Mystery. 2006. 310 pages. My review.

The Chess Machine. Robert Lohr. Historical. 2007. 344 pages. My review.

Half Broken Things. Morag Joss. Suspense. 2004. 303 pages. My review.

Sandstorm. James Rollins. Adventure. 2004. 569. My review.

Shadow Cities. Robert Neuwirth. Nonfiction. Journalism/social criticism. 2005. 315 pages. My review.


June (7) 53

Sword & Blossom. Peter Pagnamento and Momoto Williams. Nonfiction. Biography/history/ memoir. 2007. 310 pages. My review.

Abandon. Pico Iyer. Mystery. 2003. 354 pages. My review.

The Book of Fate. Brad Meltzer. Political thriller. 2007. 616 pages. My Review.

Killer Weekend. Ridley Pearson. Mystery. 2007. 323 pages. My review.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall. Kate Bernheimer, ed. Nonfiction. Essays. 1998. 358 pages. My review.

Police at the Funeral. Margery Allingham. Mystery. 1931. 252 pages. My review.

The Gyrth Chalice. Margery Allingham. Mystery. 1931. 191 pages. My review.

May (5) 46

Mystery Mile. Margery Allingham. Mystery. 1930. 254 pages. My review.

Water for Elephants. Sara Gruen. Historical/mystery. 2006. 331 pages. My review.

Jubilee Trail. Gwen Bristow. Historical romance/adventure. 1950. 564 pages. My review.

Inkheart. Cornelia Funke. YA Fantasy. 2003. 534 pages. My review.

All Creatures Great and Small. James Herriot. Memoir. 1972. 437 pages. My review.

April (15) 41

Mistakes Were Made (but not by me.) Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson. Nonfiction. 2007. 236 pages. My review.

The Honor of the Queen. David Weber. Science Fiction. 1993. 422 pages. My review.

On Basilisk Station. David Weber. Science Fiction. 1993. 419 pages. My review.

The Road. Cormac McCarthy. Futuristic. 2006. 241 pages. My review.

Off Armageddon Reef. David Weber. Science ficition. 2006. 592 pages. My review.

The Lizard's Bite. David Hewson. Mystery. 2006. 417 pages. My review.

The Orchid Shroud. Michelle Wan. Mystery. 2006. 336 pages. My review.

The Silent Tower. Barbara Hambly. Fantasy. 1986. 369 pages. My review.

Coraline. Neil Gaiman. Fantasy. 2003. 162 pages.

The Amulet of Samarkand. Jonathan Stroud. YA Fantasy. 2003. 462 pages. My review.

Summers at Castle Auburn. Sharon Shinn. Fantasy. 2001. 342 pages. My review.

Mistress of the Art of Death. Ariana Franklin. Mystery/Historical. 2007. 381 pages. My review.

Evil Genius. Catherine Jinks. YA Fantasy. 2007. 486 pages. My review.

Spirit Gate. Kate Elliott. Fantasy. 2006. 445 pages. My review.

The Book Without Words. Avi. Fable/fantasy. 2005. 200 pages. My review.

March (9) 26

The Rossetti Letter. Christy Phillips. Mystery/historical. 2006. 383 pages. My review.

Blind Submission. Debra Ginsberg. Mystery. 2006. 328 pages. My review.

Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee. Charles J. Shields. 2006. 285 pages. My review.

Finn. Jon Clinch. Fiction. 2007. 283 pages. My review.

Break No Bones. Kathy Reichs. Fiction. Mystery. 2006. 237 pages. My review.

Silent in the Grave. Deanna Raybourn. Fiction. Mystery. 2007. 509 pages. My review.

The Shape-Changer's Wife. Sharon Shinn. Fiction. Fantasy. 1995. 215 pages. My review.

Palace Walk. Naguib Mahfouz. Fiction. Foreign Culture. 1956. 498 pages. My Review.

Break, Blow, Burn. Camille Paglia. Poetry/Criticism. 2005. 242 pages. My Review.

February (11) 17

(in progress: Palace Walk; Break, Blow, Burn; The Shape-Changer's Wife)

Quilted Memories. Lesley Riley. Nonfiction. Quiliting. 125 pages. 2005. My review. (very brief)

40 Fabulous Quick-Cut Quilts. Evelyn Sloppy. Nonfiction. Quilting. 2005. 159 pages. 2005. My review.

The Physics of the Buffyverse. Jennifer Ouellette. Nonfiction. 283 pages. 2006. My review.

Weight. Jeannette Winterson. Myth. 151 pages. 2005. My review.

Candide. Voltaire. Satire. 113 pages. 2003. My review.

A Corpse in the Koryo. James Church. Mystery. 280. 2006. My review.

Traveler. Ron McLarty. Fiction. 280 pages. 2007. My review.

The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden. Catherynne Valente. 483 pages. 2006. My Review.

Written in Bones: How Human Remains Unlock the Secrets of the Dead. Paul Bahn, ed. 185 pages. Nonfiction/Archaeology. 2002. My Review.

The Winter Child. Margaret Maron. 324 pages. Mystery. 2006. My review.

The Poe Shadow. Matthew Pearl. 367 pages. Historical mystery. c. 2006. My review.

JANUARY (6)

The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop. Lewis Buzbee. 216 pages. Memoir, history. My review.

Anne Boleyn: A New Life of England's Tragic Qyeen. Joanna Denny. 327 pages. Biography. My review.

Phantom. Terry Goodkind. 587 pages. Fantasy. My review.

Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found. Suketu Mehta. 542 pages. Journalism, travel, memoir. My review.

The Rest Falls Away. Colleen Gleason. 347 pages. Fiction. My review.

Voltaire Almighty. Roger Pearson. 420+ pages. Biography. My review.

Renfield Addendum

Something I intended to mention in connection with the novel was the fact that Hambly introduces Wotan (Odin) in the manifestation of Renfield's madness, especially in connection to Wagner's operatic version.

Odin, Odhinn, Woden, Wotan - Ruler of the Æsir, God of the runes, inspiration, shamanism, magic and war. God of the hanged and the Wild Hunt; God of storm, rain and harvest. A shape-shifter, he makes men mad or possessed with a blind raging fury. He produces the battle panic called "battle-fetter". Three different frenzies or madness are his gifts to humankind: the warrior in battle, the seer in trance, and the poet in creativity. Subtle, wily, mysterious and dangerous, he often ignores pacts made in honor with humans. Attended by his two ravens, two wolves and the Valkyries. Feared by ordinary people and worshiped only by princes, poets, the berzerkers, and sorcerers. Unpredictable when invoked... (from Norse Gods, Goddesses, Giants, Dwarves and Wights)

There are certain similarities that make Hambly's choice of Wotan in connection with Renfield's first obsession a good one as Renfield functions as a harbinger of Dracula, and the Wotan myth presages the Dracula myth. Another interesting aspect is the subtle connection Hambly makes with Germany's preoccupation with Wagner, especially The Ring cycle, (and Wagner's Wotan is the Wotan to whom Renfield refers) to the minor character Gelhorn who has an obsession with the superiority of the German race and a makes an almost throw-away prediction to future historical events.

Renfield: Slave of Dracula (R.I.P Challenge # 9)

Hambly, Barbara. Renfield: Slave of Dracula. I first read about this one on Chris's blog, and I'm so glad that I followed through with Chris's recommendation. Like The Historian, this novel is an extension of the Dracula story, managing both to keep to Stoker's version and to present another perspective-- from Renfield's point of view. There are some changes, but the changes are in keeping with another perspective, in much the same way that eye-witness accounts will differ according to each witness' individual experience and background.

Hambly skillfully recreates Stoker's original style and develops the story through the journals and letters of the participants with additional details supplied by Renfield's own journal. She interweaves the stories, but focuses on Renfield and his connection to Dracula so that the original story of Lucy and Mina and their defenders becomes somewhat peripheral to Renfield's struggle with his "Master."

One of the most interesting additions Hambly makes is the development of the three vampire wives. In the original, the women have a brief, but important role, yet the women never evolve into real characters. Hambly lets them emerge, stepping from the background, into influential roles. I like that Hambly chooses to elaborate on their roles, especially the role of Nomie, and make them a larger part of the story.

Parts of the first half become a bit repetitive, but didn't bother me much. Renfield:Slave of Dracula is, as Chris mentioned, an excellent companion to Dracula, a fascinating perspective on the original story.

Parts of the book are chilling, but on page 205, Renfield's notes of 8 October made me laugh out loud.

(The following list, which I think I will refer to for next year's R.I.P. challenge--if not sooner, via Patricia's Vampire Notes)

Following is a brief list of modern day novels using characters from Stoker's Dracula as protagonists.

Anno Dracula by Kim Newman.

Blood to Blood: The Dracula Story Continues by Elaine Bergstrom


Bloodline by Kate Cary.

The Bloody Red Baron by Kim Newman

The Book of Renfield : A Gospel of Dracula by Tim Lucas

The Diaries of the Family Dracul. by Jeanne Kalogridis - a series of three novels which should be read in order.
Covenant With the Vampire
Children of the Vampire
Lord of the Vampires


The Dracula Tape by Fred Saberhagen.
This novel is followed by several others that are based on the closeness of Dracula (in this series he's a good guy) to Mina Harker and her descendants.

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

Judgement of Tears: Anno Dracula 1959 by Kim Newman

Mina by Elaine Bergstrom.

Renfield Slave of Dracula by Barbara Hambly

And a podcast about vampires before Dracula can be found here.

Fiction. Gothic. 2006. 306 pages.

Finished, In Progress, and TBR

I've been busy lately and am trying now to catch up with my blog reading (and posting, I guess).

Finished Renfield (thanks, Chris, for this recommendation!) Will review soon, but if you are a fan of Bram Stoker's Dracula, this one should be on your list. An excellent R.I.P. Challenge book.

I've been reading more of Flannery O'Connor's letters (The Habit of Being: Letters of Flannery O'Connor) and am determined to finish this one before the end of the year. The letters retain their zest and with each return to them, after either brief or lengthy absences, O'Connor charms me anew. I've posted at least 10 times about these letters, and my book is full (FULL) of sticky notes and highlighting. I know that some of you cringe at highlighting and annotation, but this book will never leave my possession, and I need to be able to refer to some of the funny, humane, fascinating stuff that catches my attention. She flat-out amazes me and my admiration only grows each time I return to the book.

M.F.K. Fisher's The Art of Eating has been sidelined for a while. I'd rather eat than read about eating at the moment. As mentioned previously, this one is a long term project, nothing like the novels I (excuse the metaphor) gobble up.

Started The Lace Reader last night, and I'm enthralled. An ARC from Gary at Flap Jacket Press, I picked it up at random after finishing Renfield, because I didn't have the energy to think about choosing the next book to read, then found I couldn't put it down.

I received a copy of The Thirteenth Tale from Simon & Schuster, and since I'd read Diane Setterfield's wonderful novel last year and loved it, I passed it on to my sister-in-law. Hopefully, it will make its way through the teachers' lounge and gain wider prominence. As those of you who have read and enjoyed it know, the book is a delicious play on all of our favorite Gothic novels, from The Woman in White to Rebecca (and many others). I gave a short review here. My thanks to the folks at Simon & Schuster for sending me a copy so I could share the pleasure.

New books received from Anna at FSB: Definitive Guide to Cancer: An Integrative Approach to Prevention, Treatment, and Healing (hopefully, only to be used because of an interest in the use of alternative and integrative medicine) and The Dead Guy Interviews: Conversations with 45 of the Most Accomplished, Notorious, and Deceased Personalities in History. The first one I expect to find both interesting and enlightening. The second, I think, may need to be taken in very small doses.

From Monica at Beacon Press: 60 On Up: The Truth About Aging in America. Well, of course, this one speaks to me! On the other hand, it may also have much to offer even to those who are nowhere close, but whose parents and grandparents fall into this category. As I have a little over a year left to go before reaching that marker, I am looking not only at my own entry into this group, but at my father, aunts, uncles, friends, and teachers who have reached the "on up" portion. Sobering.

This is hilarious. Found it at Basset Knitter.

Current Stack of TBR

Here is the most current stack.

Treasure Box - Orson Scott Card (recommended by Chris; Cardathon Challenge; R.I.P. Challenge)

First Meetings - Orson Scott Card (for the Cardathon Challenge)

The Sisters Grimm: The Unusual Suspects by Michael Buckley (R.I.P. Challenge)

Renfield: Slave of Dracula -- by Barbara Hambly ( recommended by Chris; R.I.P)

The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms - by Amy Stewart (recommended by It's a Book Thing)

The Lace Reader -- by Brunonia Barry (an Advanced Reader's Copy sent by Gary at Flap Jacket Press)

Shadow and Evil in Fairy Tales-- by Marie Louise Von Franz (R.I.P. Challenge & Unread Author's Challenge)

The Zookeeper's Wife -- by Diane Ackerman

Without a Map: A Memoir- by Meredith Hall (sent by Anna? darn, I don't remember, and it doesn't have a card in it, but it is a Beacon Press book)

Dedication by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus (from Emily at Simon & Schuster)

Oops, left this one off the stack: Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World - by Mark Kurlansky (recommended by Kim at Mouse Medicine).

I now have 3 books to review...must buckle down and do it.