The News

Unless you're living under a rock by now you've heard the news. For the one or two that haven't, at approximately nine ante meridian eastern time, Stephenie Meyer officially announce Midnight Sun will be released on August 4, 2020.

Cheers, yippee, yahoo, and all of that.

You may notice the sarcasm that manages to express itself, even in that short seven word sentence. I want to be excited for this book. But, the truth is, I'm not... not even a little bit.

The longer I think about it. The less enthused I am by the fact that it's finally coming out. And before anyone asks the magic three letter word, the truth is,  I don't know. I want to be excited. But perhaps it's about the fact that it's been almost twelve years since the release of the partial draft and somewhere along the line, I've just stopped caring.

Or perhaps it's because of the numerous, very well written, Midnight Sun continuations that are on FFN. Part of me truly believes that several of those authors are better than Meyer herself. 

Or perhaps it's that I was hoping, maybe foolishly, for something else Twilight related. Meyer always said that there was a possibility of a future story featuring Jake and Renesmee... and part of me hoped. Also, after writing Life and Death, she did say she was considering writing other retellings, so I thought this release might be an "insert new characters" Bella/Jake story. Or, as was implied with The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, there were characters, plural, that stuck out to her, so maybe it was going to be another character's novella.

Maybe, I was secretly hoping for the sequel to The Host...

Instead, we get the long awaited Midnight Sun.

And I should be excited.

But, as I read the summary, I feel like it's setting me up for a let down. It promises darkness, and though I have seen Meyer write really good fantasy, really good romance, really sci-fi... I have never seen her write dark. In fact, one could say, her previous works suggest she deliberately avoids it. And unless she's gotten a lot more brazen since she wrote Life and Death The Chemist, I'm just not seeing it.

And that's the problem.

I think if the summary was marketing it as the young adult romance I'm almost a hundred percent certain it's going to end up being, I might be more exited

About Books

So lets talk books. Specifically, long book series that are out that I've been reading. Some I've been reading a long time and several I only started reading more recently.

•  Elemental Assassin Series by Jennifer Estep (18 books, 4 novellas, 3 novelettes, and 8 free reads)
•  Chicagoland Vampire Series by Chloe Neill (13 books, 4 novellas, 1 novelette, and 1 spin-off series [Heirs of Chicagoland] with 2 books)
• Shifters Unbound Series by Jennifer Ashley (11 books and 12 novellas)
• KGI Series by Maya Banks (11 books and 1 novelette)
• Lucy Kincaid Series by Allison Brennan (15 books, 5 novellas, and 1 prequel series [No Evil] with three books) 
• Eve Duncan Series by Iris Johansen (25 books and 2 spin-off series [Kendra Michaels and Catherine Ling] with a total of 11 books and 1 novella)
• House of Night Series by P.C. and Kristin Cast (12 books, 4 novellas, and 1 spin-off series [House of Night: Other World] with 3 books)
• Blue Bloods Series by Melissa de la Cruz (7 books, 2 novellas, and 4 spin-off series [The Beauchamp Family, Wolf Pact, The New Blue Bloods Coven, and Summer on East End] with a total of 7 books, 4 novellas, 1 novelette, and 1 free read)
• Morganville Vampire Series by Rachel Caine (15 books and 22 shorts)
• Vampire Diaries Series by L.J. Smith (13 books, 7 shorts and 2 spin-off series [Stefan's Diaries and Evensong] with a total of 6 books and 2 novellas)
• Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead (6 books, 2 shorts, and 1 spin-off series [Bloodlines] with 6 books and 1 short)
• Dead Is Series by Marlene Perez (8 books)
• Wicca Series by Cate Tiernan (15 books)
• The Last Vampire Series by Christopher Pike (9 books)
• A Shade of Vampire Series by Bella Forrest (82 books and 2 spin-off series [A Shade of Kiev and A Shade of Dragon] with a total of 6 books)
• Creepy Hollow Series by Rachel Morgan (9 books and 3 novellas)
• The Hollows Series by Kim Harrison (14 books, 2 novellas, 7 shorts, and 2 graphic novel prequels {Blood Work and Blood Crime})
• Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter Series by Laurell K. Hamilton (26 books, 8 shorts, and 1 graphic novel prequel {The First Death})
• Jane Yellowrock Series by Faith Hunter (13 books, 1 novella, 1 novelette, 25 shorts, and 1 spin-off series [Soulwood] with 4 books)
• Walker Papers Series by C.E. Murphy (9 books, 2 novellas, and 5 shorts)
• Mercy Thompson Series by Patricia Briggs (11 books, 1 novella, 1 short, 1 graphic novel prequel {Homecoming}, 1 graphic novel spin-off {Hopcross Jilly}, and 1 spin-off series [Alpha & Omega] with 5 books)
• Kate Daniel Series by Ilona Andrews (10 books, 7 novellas, and 2 spin-off series [World of Kate Daniels and The Iron Covenant) with a total of 2 books)
• Kitty Norville Series by Carrie Vaughn (14 books, 2 novella, 5 shorts, and 1 spin-off series [Cormac & Amelia] with 2 novellas)
• Night Huntress Series by Jeaniene Frost (7 books, 6 shorts, and 3 spin-off series [Night Huntress World, Night Prince, and Night Rebel] with a total of 7 books)

I'm sure that I've forgotten one or two of the longer series that I've been reading, and I still have at least three that I plan to read in the future (Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward, Greywalker by Kat Richardson, and Lords of the Underworld by Gena Showalter). 

You may notice, all but three of them are supernaturally inclined, and there's a fair mix of Pre-teen, YA, Adult, and Erotica.

It seems, no matter which series I'm reading from, there are some things that happen across the board. Now, I will admit, the vast majority of these are from female perspectives - and this is not done on purpose. The thing is, I really like fantasy, supernatural, etc, and most of those books be the author a male, female, or a duo, seem to be written from the female perspective. Honestly, I love finding books from male perspectives that are in the realm of fantasy (vampire, werewolf, shifter, walker, fairy, witch....) but they are few and far between.

Loss of a mentor/parent/teacher/best friend. It's rare - extremely rare - for a series to kill off a spouse/mate/partner. But the same cannot be said for the background character who helps make the major character. And if the character is left alive, then their virtually written out of the series... Which is honestly too bad, because I could probably read entire series' about those characters. 

It brings me to the next bit, the lack of self made characters. So many characters are the way they are (per the stories) because someone else raised them to be that way. Whatever happened to someone finding their own way? 

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Now then, of the book series listed above, which is my favorite? Ones that are still ongoing (even if it's only an occasional short being released) get more immediate attention, and usually my favorite is whichever series has something coming out soon. (I.E. Jeaniene Frost's next book in the Night Rebel spin-off is set to release in January.... is it January yet?)

Book Highlight

So I've mentioned before that I'm a huge supporter of the LGBT community and since this is pride month, I thought I'd highlight a favorite slash author of mine.

And that is Garrett Leigh.

For people who don't know who Garrett Leigh is, she's a slash author with possibly some of the best books I've ever read, both slash and non. She's written and published a total of 30 full-length stories, with a 31st coming soon, and 6 shorts.

There isn't even one of them that's bad in my mind.

In some ways, I don't know where to start when it comes to talking about her writing. I suppose though, I should start with the beginning. Her first book ever was Slide, which went on to have two more stories and three shorts (Rare and Circle; Marked, Freed, and Air). The series, called Roads, is about Pete, an emt, and Ash, a tattoo artist. And the series shows they're journey to finding each other and, more importantly, keeping each other. The original books in this series have recently undergone an overhaul to re-finesse the finer details in her first books. I've read both versions and they're both good.

Her most recent book is Kiss Me Again which literally came out today (as such, I haven't finished reading it yet... about halfway through, paused to write this). It deals with Ludo, who has bi-polar disorder, and Aiden, an arborist (a tree doctor), and their budding relationship which starts out in the hospital. It is truly a beautiful story with dozens of feels and so far I am greatly enjoying the read.

Honestly I could go through every one of her books and praise them all and truly believe people should read all of her stuff. But, if I was to recommend just three, those would be:

Finding Home, which is her only YA book, and I think because of the fact that it is YA, it's truly a measurement of how good of an author she really is, because it is just as captivating (if not more) as all the rest of her books.

The second one would be Only Love. This book is the ultimate testament of emotional pain and feels and is probably one of the most beautiful books I've ever read.

Finally, the third one I'd recommend is Misfits, which may not be for everyone as it is a polyamorous story, but I truly believe it shows a beautiful tale of the ability to love more than one person and how sometimes three people in a relationship can truly be feasible.

My Favorite Book Series with Vampires

So, this is a straight list of my top favorites. Most of these I've been reading for years.

1. Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine
2. Rachel Morgan Series by Kim Harrison
3. The Elemental Assassin Series by Jennifer Estep
4. Jane Yellowrock Series by Faith Hunter
5. Thirst Series by Christopher Pike
6. House of Night by P.C Night and Kristin Night
7. Blue Bloods by Melissa De La Cruz
8. Chicagoland Vampires by Chloe Neill
9. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
10. The Immortals by Allyson Noel
11. The Witches of East End by Melissa De La Cruz
12. Drake Chronicles by Alexandra Harvey
13. Wings in the Night by Maggie Shayne
14. Darkest Powers Trilogy by Kelly Armstrong
15. The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod by Heather Brewer
16. Wicked Games by Michele Hauf
17. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
18. Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
19. Evernight Series by Claudia Gray
20. The Vampire Diaries by LJ Smith

You may notice that the Twilight Saga, who I write about all the time, didn't make this list. There is a reason behind that. Essentially, I almost never write about the things I truly love (there are always exceptions to that though)

Book Recommendations

So, PBS just released they're top 100 great american reads. The top book was listed as To Kill A Mocking Bird by Harper Lee.

I could easily list my top 100 books or even my top 1000, but many of those fluctuate as I read new books, re-read old ones, or my mood in general changes. So instead I'm just listing my top five which really hasn't changed at all in more than half a dozen years, and my number one pick has been in that spot for about fifteen years.

5. Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz.

The book description: Esperanza thought she'd always live a privileged life on her family's ranch in Mexico. She'd always have fancy dresses, a beautiful home filled with servants, and Mama, Papa, and Abuelita to care for her. But a sudden tragedy forces Esperanza and Mama to flee to California and settle in a Mexican farm labor camp. Esperanza isn't ready for the hard work, financial struggles brought on by the Great Depression, or lack of acceptance she now faces. When Mama gets sick and a strike for better working conditions threatens to uproot their new life, Esperanza must find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances-because Mama's life, and her own, depend on it.

My thoughts: I first read this book when I was in my freshman year of high school, and though I've never read it to completion again, this book has stuck with me. It was probably one of the first books I ever read that made me take major look at the reasons why people sometimes cross the border, especially illegally.

4. The Pit and The Pendulum by Edgar Allan Poe

The book description: The story is about the torments endured by a prisoner of the Spanish Inquisition, though Poe skews historical facts. The narrator of the story describes his experience of being tortured. The story is especially effective at inspiring fear in the reader because of its heavy focus on the senses, such as sound, emphasizing its reality, unlike many of Poe's stories which are aided by the supernatural. The traditional elements established in popular horror tales at the time.

My thoughts: I've read this short story a dozen times, maybe more. Some people don't appreciate the darkness in this story but I find it to be one of the most interesting reads out there.

3. If I Stay by Gayle Foreman

The book description: In the blink of an eye everything changes. Seventeen ­year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall what happened afterwards, watching her own damaged body being taken from the wreck. Little by little she struggles to put together the pieces- to figure out what she has lost, what she has left, and the very difficult choice she must make. Heartwrenchingly beautiful, this will change the way you look at life, love, and family. Now a major motion picture starring Chloe Grace Moretz, Mia's story will stay with you for a long, long time.

My thoughts: Since this book has come out, I have read it four times. This book is one of the most moving, beautiful and tragic books that I have ever read. I love the book and it brings me to tears every time I read it.

2. 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

The book description: Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker—his classmate and crush—who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah's voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out why.

My thoughts: I've read this book no less than ten times since it came out. This book brings to life the reality of the consequences of one's actions  It will truly make a person wonder about jus what way their words and actions can affect those around them.

1. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

The book description: Pecola Breedlove, a young black girl, prays every day for beauty. Mocked by other children for the dark skin, curly hair, and brown eyes that set her apart, she yearns for normalcy, for the blond hair and blue eyes that she believes will allow her to finally fit in.Yet as her dream grows more fervent, her life slowly starts to disintegrate in the face of adversity and strife.

My thoughts: It is truly one of the most disturbing and depressing books I have ever read. It is beautifully written with a flair of surreal as well as a heavy dose of realism. I think every person should read it at least once, and I will never read it again.