Dueling Vampire Girlfriends--Sookie VS Bella

Whether you are Team Edward or Team Jacob, drooling over Eric's abs or fantasizing about being Bill's Southern Belle, you have got to admit vampire fever has sucked us all in.  But, as everyone knows, there is a great divide among the fans of both the HBO True Blood series, loosely based on Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels and the Twilight movies based on the novels written by Stephanie Meyer.  Rarely will you find that someone is the fan of both.  It doesn't have to be an either/or situation, though.  Let's compare these two objects of intense vampire desire.

First Sookie, played by Anna Paquin.  Sookie is bright, confident and never afraid to express her feelings, even if that means pissing off an already aggravated bloodsucker.  She's independent and more than once she's saved someone else, even though she's considered to be a weak human.  Paquin plays the role fiercely, week after week, season after season, on the small screen, currently on season 3, with the two previous seasons available on DVD or download.  True Blood 

Bella, portrayed by Kristen Stewart, on the other hand, is dark and brooding, unsure of herself, full of that angst that goes along with not having a full realization of who she is and where she belongs.  She is dependent on having others look out for her, but her neediness provides plenty of opportunities for her knight to rescue her.  Rather than tv, Bella has helped the Twilight movies become blockbusters at the theater.  The 3rd installment, Eclipse, is set to release in a couple of weeks.  Twilight 

As different as night and day these two may seem, they both have a similar quality that is quite obvious.  They both love their men, fiercely devoted to them, regardless of how apprehensive they were getting involved with them. 

So what do you think?  Do you love both?  Hate one but love the other?  Or are you "over" vampires?

Any Given Doomsday (Phoenix Chronicles, Bk 1) by Lori Handeland

Any Given Doomsday (The Phoenix Chronicles, Book 1)

Any Given Doomsday (Phoenix Chronices, Bk 1)
by Lori Handeland.

Book Description-

Elizabeth Phoenix once used her unique skills as a psychic to help in the Milwaukee Police Department's fight against injustice. But when Liz's foster mother is found viciously murdered—and Liz is discovered unconscious at the scene—her only memory of the crime comes in the form of terrifying dreams...of creatures more horrific than anything Liz has seen in real life. What do these visions mean? And what in the world do they have to do with her former lover, Jimmy Sanducci?

Lily's Thoughts-

Almost condemning Any Given Doomsday from the beginning, I decided to plod on through and eventually found myself enjoying this somewhat of a paranormal romance meets Buffy the Vampire Killer story. Liz Phoenix, a feisty psychic orphan, is destined to be the savior of the earth. With the help of DKs, or Demon Killers, she must lead the battle between good vs. evil. I found this a rather ambitious goal of the author and, although there are entertaining aspects of the novel, I feel that, for the first book of this series, Handeland falls short. The first 1/3 of the novel was choppy, almost incoherent. The second third was better, but was riddled with flat circular dialogue that seems to just be a filler. The last third was where the meat of the story lay. Handeland has the bare bones started for a great series. Let's hope the next book does a better job at entertaining.

3 Blooms

Disclosure:  This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for a review.

The Gilda Stories: A Novel by Jewelle Gomez

 The Gilda Stories, a novel about vampires, but much more....it is a story about longing, living in the past, trying to define oneself by criteria that is inconsistent with the reality of one's existence. Gilda moves though her life, extended through vampirism, searching for a place to call home and wanting a lover who will never leave. Her conflict is her inability to leave her life as a human behind and take on the characteristics of a vampire's life. Gomez's writing is concise and gripping. I enjoyed this novel immensely. This novel has lesbian themes, although I wouldn't necessarily label it as a lesbian novel. It also delicately deals with race and class issues over a generations, from the brutality of slavery to the generalizations of theater and urban life.

4 Blooms

Disclosure:  No compensation was given for this review.