{read: vampires and history} Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

Although I'd heard many good things about Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, it bogged down in the middle for me and only the promise of a great ending kept me reading. For me, the most interesting part was the introduction. A failed novelist (author Seth himself) is the proprietor of a small town general variety store, and he's put his dreams of writing a novel aside for dreams of family and running the store. In short, life has gotten in the way of who he wanted to be when he graduated from college. Then one of his regular customers, Henry, leaves him with several very old books, which turn out to be Abraham Lincoln's secret diaries. Henry takes Seth on a tour to convince him that vampires are indeed real and leaves him to write about Abraham and his secret life as a vampire hunter. This intro hooked me and pulled me into the book, and I found the beginning part of Abraham's life interesting, although the plot soon became predictable. The insertion of vampires into history and the recasting of Abraham Lincoln as a vampire hunter was clever and done well, the plot bogged down in the second section of the book for me and I lost interest. I kept reading to see what twist the ending might have, although I could anticipate it as it got closer. I did like the final chapter and thought the ending was quiet but well done. 

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith (Grand Central Publishing, 2010)
My rating: 3 stars

{read: vampire fiction} The Radleys by Matt Haig

I confess that the vampire craze has passed me by. I tried to read the popular Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer but couldn’t make it halfway through the first book. The fascination with blood-sucking vampires is just something that hasn’t bitten me. However, I did enjoy this book about current-day vampires living in London, trying to be just like the neighbors. British author Matt Haig brings to life the struggles of a family that just wants to be “ordinary” like the other neighbors. The parents have abstained from blood-sucking, whether it be each other’s blood or that of ordinary humans, despite the ill effects it causes: headaches, weakness, rashes. They just don’t feel well. But they (especially the wife, Helen) think it’s more important to abstain than to feel healthy, so they do. In fact, they’ve been abstaining so long and so successfully that they’ve never told their children that they are vampires. Although their son suffers from rashes and abnormally pale skin that burns in the palest sunlight, the secret must be kept -- until their daughter decides to become a vegetarian. She can’t understand why animals always run away from her and think maybe this will help. Unfortunately, depriving herself of all meat has a tragic side effect. When a boy starts to molest her at a party, she bites his hand to get away … and then she can’t stop. Before she knows it, she’s killed him and ripped him apart, eaten his flesh. Horrified, she calls her mother. Her parents rush to the rescue. And, of course, they end up confessing their secret to their children.

The plot unwinds from there as the parents try to keep their daughter safe from the authorities and all four struggle to figure out how to mesh their “normal” lives with their vampire cravings. After all, how long can you really deny who you really are?

Although I’m not a vamp lit fan, I enjoyed this quick read because some of the plot twists were surprising and yet felt exactly right. The characters were easy to identify with, and it was a pleasant trip into another world. Isn’t that what all good books should be?

The Radleys by Matt Haig (Canongate Ltd., 2010)
My rating: 4 stars