2010 in books

My 50 Books in a Year post is here. I only read 42 this year (not counting the one I'm currently reading), which is better than last year, but still not good enough. Oh, well.

Absolute favorite of the year: The Safety of Objects by A.M. Homes

Published to overwhelming critical acclaim, this extraordinary collection of short stories established A. M. Homes as one of the most provocative and daring writers of her generation. Here you'll find the cult classic "A Real Doll," the tale of a teenage boy's erotic obsession with his sister's favorite doll; "Adults Alone," which first introduced Paul and Elaine, the crack-smoking yuppie couple whose marriage careens out of control in Homes's novel Music for Torching; and "Looking for Johnny," in which a kidnapped boy, having failed his abductor's expectations, is returned home.

Brilliantly conceived, sharply etched, and exceptionally satisfying, these stories explore the American dream in ways you're not likely soon to forget. Working in Kodacolor hues, Homes offers an uncanny picture of a surreal suburbia-outrageous and utterly believable.

There isn't much to say about this one. I suggest everyone read this. I'm in love with her writing, and I cannot wait to read more books of hers. (P.S. 'This Book Will Save Your Life' by her is very, very good, too)

One that so lived up to the hype: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Mikael Blomkvist, a once-respected financial journalist, watches his professional life rapidly crumble around him. Prospects appear bleak until an unexpected (and unsettling) offer to resurrect his name is extended by an old-school titan of Swedish industry. The catch--and there's always a catch--is that Blomkvist must first spend a year researching a mysterious disappearance that has remained unsolved for nearly four decades. With few other options, he accepts and enlists the help of investigator Lisbeth Salander, a misunderstood genius with a cache of authority issues. Little is as it seems in Larsson's novel, but there is at least one constant: you really don't want to mess with the girl with the dragon tattoo.

We all know most books just don't live up to the hype, but this one definitely did. It was very exciting to read, and it kept me guessing and wanting more. I've also read the second book in the series, 'The Girl Who Played With Fire,' which was just as good. I cannot wait to read the third one in 2011.

New crush: Lover Eternal (Black Dagger Brotherhood #2) by J.R. Ward 

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war raging between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret bound of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Possessed bu a deadly beast Rhage is the most dangerous of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

Within the brotherhood, Rhage is the vampire with the strongest appetites. He's the best fighter, the quickest to act on his impulses, and the most voracious lover-for inside him burns ferocious curse cast by the Scribe Virgin. Owned by this dark side, Rhage fears the time when his inner dragon is unleashed, making him a danger to everyone around him.

Mary Luce, a survivor of many hardships is unwittingly thrown into the vampire world and reliant to Rhage's protection. With a life-threatening curse of her own, Mary is not looking for love. She lost her faith in miracles years ago. But when Rhage's intense animal attraction turns into something more emotional, he knows that he must make Mary his alone. And while their enemies close in, Mary fights desperately to gain life eternal with the one she loves...

Rhage is to die for! My friend Kathy got me into these series, and I've read every single one of them this year. They're all good. And the brothers are all sexy and dangerous in their own way, yet Rhage was my biggest crush of the year.

 * * *

I was trying to come up with other categories, but it seems I've mostly read series this year, so this is all I've got. My New Year's resolution is to finish reading the books that I bought and haven't gotten around to yet!

Click pic to go to post.

Amazon knows best.

I do love Amazon, don't get me wrong. They send to my country no matter what, and that's my #1 criteria when it comes to online shopping. They do, however, neglect the fact that my sister and mom and friends use my account to browse for things, and I get recommendations that are ridiculous for me. This time though I think this is one of mine.

Out of these, I've only read Atonement, and it's definitely among my favorite books. Has anyone read any of the others? Never Let Me Go is on my wishlist. I haven't seen the movie though and I don't know whether it's good to read the original or the movie tie-in edition. Thoughts?

Book Review: Club Dead by Charlaine Harris

Club Dead (Sookie Stackhouse #3) by Charlaine Harris

Things between cocktail waitress Sookie and her vampire boyfriend Bill seem to be going excellently (apart from the small matter of him being undead) until he leaves town for a while. A long while. Bill's sinister boss Eric has an idea of where to find him, whisking her off to Jackson, Mississippi to mingle with the under-underworld at Club Dead. When she finally catches up with the errant vampire, he is in big trouble and caught in an act of serious betrayal. This raises serious doubts as to whether she should save him or start sharpening a few stakes of her own ...

So... This is the third book in the Sookie Stackhouse series, and Sookie isn't getting any less annoying. But I should've already made piece with that, no? Plus, the action really does pick up, and there's definitely a lot more Eric, so I shall try not to complain too much.

In Club Dead, things are not well between Sookie and Bill. Hooooray! They should always have a fight so we don't have to read about them getting mushy together. But anyways... Things aren't well between them because Bill's keeping secrets from Sookie, and then he goes and gets himself in trouble. And who's there to help her get Bill back? There's the yummy Eric, of course, and a yummy new character, Alcide, who's a werewolf.

Now, the HBO Alcide I wasn't too crazy about because he looked too Turkish for my taste. But I unconsciously kept picturing him as I read the book, and too warm and fuzzy not to like. So far, at least. The only thing I disliked about him is how fast he starting wanting Sookie. How come every single man she meets wants her right away? I guess in Charlaine Harris's world annoying and whiny equals hot sex material. Who knows? I definitely do hope we see more of Alcide though. We cannot get rid of Sookie since she's the main character, so let's just get rid Bill and have more Alcide instead, shall we? I WISH.

Another character I'd like to see more of is Pam. She has this sick sense of humor that I'd definitely want to read a lot more about. If there's a flashback into her past or something, that'll make my day because when it comes to her, we know nearly nothing.

Toward the end, all that started happening at the gas station and ended at Sookie's house seemed a bit overdone to me, but then I realized Harris is setting up for the next book, so I guess I can forgive that.

Kulüp Ölüsü - Charlaine Harris

Biricik sevgilinizin başının belada olduğunu düşünürken, beyefendiyi bir başkasıyla,
iş üzerinde yakalasanız ne yapardınız?

Sookie Stackhouse'un sevgilisi bir vampir. İsteyerek hayatına dahil ettiği tek vampir de o. Bill. Yalnız bu aralar Bill biraz uzak. Başka bir eyalette olduğu için uzak, başka bir sebep yok! Fesat ve seksi patron Eric'inse ölümsüz çalışanını nerede bulacağına dair bir fikri elbette mevcut. Sookie’nin kendini derin yeraltı dünyasındaki Ölüler Kulübü'ne katılmak misyonuyla Jackson, Missippi'ye giderken bulmasının sebebi de bu. Ölüler Kulübü, vampir sosyetesinin en itibarlı üyelerinin hoş vakit geçirmek ve biraz da 0 grubu kan yumulmak için gittiği tehlikeli bir buluşma noktası. Sookie sonunda sevgilisine kavuştuğunda -ki, son derece ciddi bir ihanet aşamasında-Bill’i kurtarsa mı, yoksa kendi elleriyle mi haklasa, karar veremeyecek!

Sookie'nin gıcıklığının çaresi olmayan bir hastalık olduğunu kabullenmem lazım sanırım artık. Aksiyon son noktadaydı bu üçüncü kitapta, ve Bill neredeyse hiç yoktu meydanda, o yüzden çok da şikayet etmemem lazım aslında. Bu kitapta Sookie ve Bill biraz limoni. Bill kızdan gizli gizli işler yapmaya başlayınca 'ben kraliçeyim ahoy!' modundaki Sookie hanım trip atıyor, Bill de birdenbire ortalıktan kayboluyor. Sonradan anlıyoruz ki kaçırılmış tabi. Ben bir de ona ek olarak 'kim kaçırdıysa bırakmasın sakın!' dedim içimden, o ayrı. Daha sonra da kızı boş bulunca Eric'in daha bir yavşamaya başlayacağı aklıma geldi ve geri aldım düşündüğümü. Eric ya. Ah, Eric ya! Bir de yardım etti kıza Bill'i bulsun diye. Ama uyanık tabii, kendine de faydası var Bill'i bulmanın. Seviyorum bu karakteri.

Yeni tanıştığımız kurt adam karakter Alcide'i de sevdim. Dizide onu oynayan adamda çok bir Türk amca tipi var. O yüzden ıyk mıyk demiştim ama kitapta dayanamıyor, seviyor insan. Böyle sıcak mıcak bir adam kendisi. Tek gıcık yani Sookie'ye hop diye aşık olması. Cidden Charlaine Harris'in dünyasında gıcık ve mızmız hatunların çekici sanıldığını düşünmeye başladım. Ne kadar supernatural adam varsa hasta kıza, sinir olmamak elde değil! Bir tanesi de ıyyyy iğrençsin falan dese fena mı olur? Ben sevinirim kendi çapımda şahsen. Neyse... Umarım Alcide'i daha fazla görürüz. Hatta Bill'i atalım Alcide kalsın. Sookie'den kurtulma şansımız hiç yok ana karakter olduğu için ama en azından Bill'i sallasak? Gıcıklar iki yerine tek olsa?

Water for Elephants: the movie is coming!

Though he may not speak of them, the memories still dwell inside Jacob Jankowski's ninety-something-year-old mind. Memories of himself as a young man, tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. Memories of a world filled with freaks and clowns, with wonder and pain and anger and passion; a world with its own narrow, irrational rules, its own way of life, and its own way of death. The world of the circus: to Jacob it was both salvation and a living hell." Jacob was there because his luck had run out - orphaned and penniless, he had no direction until he landed on this locomotive "ship of fools." It was the early part of the Great Depression, and everyone in this third-rate circus was lucky to have any job at all. Marlena, the star of the equestrian act, was there because she fell in love with the wrong man, a handsome circus boss with a wide mean streak. And Rosie the elephant was there because she was the great gray hope, the new act that was going to be the salvation of the circus; the only problem was, Rosie didn't have an act - in fact, she couldn't even follow instructions. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.

 This was one of the books I read in 2009, and I was very, very disappointed with it. I love anything to do with circus life, and the time period (America during The Depression) was great. Even the main character's back story and everything were just what I would love to read about, but it focused way too much on the love story. The circus got left behind. And I did not like that.

The trailer for the movie based on the book has been circling the Internet for a while now, and of course I checked it out. Not because I liked the book, but because Robert Pattinson (I've had a crush on him since Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) and Christoph Waltz (does anyone NOT love this man after Inglorious Bastards?) are both in it.

I'm sharing it for you all to check it out. This is one of the few times I'd say don't even bother with the book even though I know a million people who'd kill me for saying just that. Oh, well. We'll eventually see if the movie's any good.

50 Books in a Year 2011 Challenge

I keep seeing so many great challenges around blogs, but I haven't found one I can participate in. This has nothing to do with the challenges themselves, of course. It's mostly due to my location in the world and how lengthy and expensive it gets to acquire new books and books in English in general...

Which brings me to the '50 Books in a Year" challenge. When I used to blog on LiveJournal, this used to be very popular. So, in my desperation to join a challenge, I did a search around the Internet and couldn't find any other blogs that host it. I decided to start my own, and I hope some people join in.

1. The goal of this challenge is to read 50 books within 365 days. Very reasonable, no?

2. Anyone can join in. You can enter your name in Mister Linky below or leave a comment-- whatever you like.

3. Everything counts: any genre, eBooks, AudioBooks, re-reads, textbooks, books read for other challenges.... As long as it exists and you read it, it works! (Essays, single short stories, etc. do not count, obviously.)

4. Challenge begins on January 1st, 2011 and ends on December 31st. Books read before or after do not count.

5. You do not have to make a list and stick to it. Go ahead and make a list if you like, of course, but you don't have to stick to it.

6. When you share your links, please share the link to your challenge post.

I've also made a smaller banner if anyone wants to link it on their sidebar or something:

Hope you guys join in. Enjoy!

50 Books in a Year: 2011

If you'd like to join in, please visit this post.

Click on book titles to go to reviews.
I use the GoodReads rating system while rating books:
1/5 stars: I didn't like it
2/5 stars: It was okay
3/5 stars: Liked it
4/5 stars: Really liked it
5/5 stars: It was amazing

1. Jane Austen: A Life Revealed - Catherine Reef (4/5)
2. Charlotte's Web - E.B. White (5/5) - (re-read)
3. Memoires d'une jeune fille derangee - Frederic Beigbeder - (2/5)
4. City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1) - Cassandra Clare - (5/5)
5. City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments #2) - Cassandra Clare - (5/5)
6. Deja Dead - Kathy Reichs - (2/5)
7. City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments #3) - Cassandra Clare - (5/5)
8. Firelight - Sophie Jordan - (1/5)
9. Dead to the World (Sookie Stackhouse #4) - Charlaine Harris - (2/5)
10. Dead Souls - Nikolai Gogol - (2/5)
11. The Black Dagger Brotherhood: An Insider's Guide - J.R. Ward (5/5)
12. ROOM - Emma Donoghue (5/5)
13. Owl in Love - Patrice Kindl (1/5)
14. The Blackberry Bush - David Housholder (5/5)
15. No One Writes to the Colonel - Gabriel Garcia Marquez (5/5)
16. Shibumi - Trevanian (4/5)
17. Masters & Slayers (Tales of Starlight #1) - Bryan Davis (5/5)
18. Esther's Inheritance - Sandor Marai (3/5)
19. Little Bee - Chris Cleave (3/5)
20. Dead as a Doornail (Sookie Stackhouse #5) - Charlaine Harris (4/5)
21. Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World - Haruki Murakami (4/5)
22. Sputnik Sweetheart - Haruki Murakami - (4/5)
23. OH YES! - Kaan Sezyum - (1/5 - read half-way)
24. Veronika Decides to Die - Paulo Coelho (5/5)
25. Definitely Dead (Sookie Stackhouse #6) - Charlaine Harris (3/5)
26. The Phantom Tollbooth - Norton Justed (5/5)
27. Dr. Olaf van Schuler's Brain - Kirsten Menger-Anderson (1/5)
28. Just Kids - Patti Smith (4/5)
29. All Together Dead (Sookie Stackhouse #7) - Charlaine Harris (2/5)
30. Kürk Mantolu Madonna - Sabahattin Ali (5/5)
31. The Comfort of Strangers - Ian McEwan (5/5)
32. Kneller's Happy Campers - Etgar Keret (5/5)
33. Being There - Jerzy Kosinski (5/5) 
34. The Vampire's Secret (Savannah Vampire #2) - Raven Hart (4/5)
35. The Road - Cormac McCarthy (5/5)

In My Mailbox (#6)

In my Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren in which bloggers share the books they have received each week.

 Thrift store finds:

1. Mc Call's Needlework Treasury

2. Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

3. Nancy Drew - The Broken Anchor by Carolyn Keene

Work related reading. Taken out from my sister's school's library: Excellent Public Relations and Effective Organizations.

Once more, with the official cover!

Crazy-for-Books is not loading for me today for some reason, so I'm gonna have to hop around tomorrow. In the meantime...

Remember when I got all excited when they released the synopsis for the 9th Black Dagger Brotherhood book, Lover Unleashed? Well, now we have the official cover, and I'm even more excited. On the left is the US cover, and the one on the right is the UK version. The release date for the book is March 29th, 2010.

 

Payne, twin sister of Vishous, is cut from the same dark, seductive cloth as her brother. Imprisoned for eons by their mother, the Scribe Virgin, she finally frees herself-only to face a devastating injury. Manuel Manello, M.D., is drafted by the Brotherhood to save her as only he can-but when the human surgeon and the vampire warrior meet, their two worlds collide in the face of their undeniable passion. With so much working against them, can love prove stronger than the birthright and the biology that separates them?

I cannot wait.

Book Review: Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris

Living Dead in Dallas (Sookie Stackhouse #2) by Charlaine Harris
Waiting tables, sweeping floors, reading minds and solving mysteries for the undead. It's all in a day's work for Sookie...

Cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse is on a streak of real bad luck. First, her co-worker gets murdered and no one seems to care. Then Sookie is attacked - and poisoned - late one night by some weird and apparently mythical beast. She only survives because the local vampires roll up and graciously suck the poison from her veins (like they didn't enjoy it). But in return the blood-suckers need a favor.

Which is why Sookie ends up in Dallas, using her telepathic skills to search for a missing vampire, on the condition that her undead friends don't do anything, well, vampiric while she's there. Easier said than done. All it takes is one delicious blonde and one small mistake for things to turn deadly...

Whoa! My friend JuJu was most definitely right when she told me the books get much better after the first. Living Dead in Dallas is the second book in the Sookie Stackhouse series, and there's a lot going on, for sure. First, Sookie and Bill go off to Dallas on a "mission" because vampires seem to need Sookie's mind-reading power a lot more than I thought they would. And then they have a fight, and Sookie finds herself back home, but, of course, hell just keeps breaking loose, which is definitely something I've enjoyed a great deal.

I must admit, I'm really loving the plot. However, Sookie's annoyance level just keeps increasing. She's the worst kind of insecure girl: the one who thinks she's 'the shit' and then realizes she's not when something doesn't go her way. Her lover, Mister Vampire Bill is even more annoying, really. First, he's way too serious all the time. And when he seems to be breaking loose or if he cracks a joke, I find myself wishing he just wouldn't. Let's move onto the better characters...

ERIC. Just ERIC. I think it has a lot to do with my watching the show first and then continuing with the books. Of course, I'm picturing Alexander Skarsgård through and through and getting way too into the parts that feature Eric. If I were Sookie with Eric being all over me, I'd have dumped Bill way long ago. Anyway... I'm realizing more and more how the show is actually quite a bit different than the book, and I'm enjoying that as well. The details (except for those if Sookie's disgusting outfits and slutty thongs) are definitely much, much better. Especially Eric’s sex-party clothes toward the end of the book are to die for. I could probably go on and on about him, so I’m just going to say he’s overall luscious and leave it at that.

There are two things that really, really bugged me, though. First is the overuse of the word ‘ominous’: well, hellooooo, there are vampires, and these ones can’t go out in the sunlight and sparkle, so anything ‘ominous’ has to be a given. I might be overreacting, but I also think there is more than one word to describe different things. The second thing that really bugged me is Sookie trying to use words from her Word of the Day Calendar in daily conversation. And she actually gets all excited when she uses ‘refute’ while talking to Bill. I thought these two would be one-time things, but I’ve already read two chapters of the third book and sadly saw that ‘ominous’ and Word of the Day words continue.

* * *

Şehir Ölüsü (Güneyli Vampir Romanı 2) - Charlaine Harris

Sookie Stackhouse güzel tabii. Ama herkes beyninin peşinde!

Vampirin teki gelip Sookie'den telepatik güçlerini kullanarak bir başka kayıp vampiri bulmasını istediğinde, Sookie bu görevi yerine getirmeyi ancak tek bir şartla kabul ediyor. Kan-emiciler, insanları rahat bırakacaklarına dair kesin söz vermeli!

Barmen kızımız Sookie Stackhouse'un bu aralar şansı pek yaver gitmiyor. Önce iş arkadaşı öldürülüyor ve bu durumu görünürde kimse umursamıyor. Derken, canavar ruhlu bir yaratık tarafından zehirli bir kırbaçla kamçılanıyor. Ve tam o sırada devreye kanından zehri emmek için vampirler giriyor -sanki kan emmek işlerine gelmezmiş de kıyak çekiyorlarmış gibi!

Sookie borçlanıyor tabii. Dolayısıyla bu kan-emicilerden biri ondan iyilik isteyince de geri çeviremiyor. Aradan çok geçmeden soluğu Dallas'ta alan Sookie telepatik güçlerini kullanarak kayıp vampiri bulmaya çalışıyor. Ayrıca bu konuyla alakalı bazı insanlarla da görüşmek zorunda. Yalnız bir şartı var. Vampirler uslu duracaklarına ve bu insanlara zarar vermeyeceklerine söz vermeli. Tabii söylemesi kolay. Vampir tayfasının yoldan çıkması için gereken tek şey leziz bir sarışın ve işlerin katliam boyutu kazanmasına yarayacak minik bir hata…

Sookie Stackhouse'u bir tokatlayıversem daha mutlu insan olabilirim sanırım. Ama JuJu haklıymış, cidden ilk kitaptan sonra olaylar birdenbire hızlanıyor ve daha heyecanlı bir hal almaya başlıyor. İkinci kitap Şehir Ölüsü’nde Sookie ve Bill bir ‘vampir işi’ için Dallas’a gidiyorlar. Bir sürü acayip şey geliyor başlarına tabii. Vampirlerin Sookie’nin düşünce okuma yeteneğine bu kadar ihtiyaç duyacaklarını düşünmezdim hiç ama duyuyorlar işte. Her neyse... Dallas’ta bir kavga ediyorlar ve Sookie kendini evde buluyor. Orda da bitmiyor tabii başlarına gelenler. İyi ki de bitmiyor!

Olaylar şahane ama Sookie hala sinirimi bozuyor. Kendini bir bok zannedip de tek başına kalınca öyle olmadığını anlayan şapşallardan kendisi. Vampir Bill de bir ayrı gıcık. Tam birbirlerini bulmuşlar resmen! Bill ağabeyde de sürekli bir ciddiyet... Kendini saldığı veya espri yapmaya çalıştığı zaman da n’olur yapmasın diye yalvarırken buluyorum kendimi. O yüzden daha iyi karakterlere geçelim...

ERIC. Sadece ERIC. Bütün olay ERIC. İtiraz istemiyorum. Sanırım kitapları okumadan önce diziyi seyretmiş olmam bunda büyük rol oynuyor ama doğal olarak Eric ismini her okuduğumda Alexander Skarsgard geliyor gözümün önüne. Onun olduğu bölümleri okurken bir mest oluyorum, anlatamam. Kitapların diziden daha farklı olması da hoşuma gitti. Sookie’nin iğrenç kıyafetleri ve tangaları dışındaki detaylar çok daha iyi. Özellikle Eric’in kitabın sonuna doğru gittikleri seks partisinde giydiklerine bayıldım. Çok leziz bir adam ya, başka ne diyeyim ki?

Karanlık, vs. anlamlarına gelen ‘ominous,’ kelimesinin gereğinden fazla kullanılması sinirimi en çok bozan iki noktadan biri. Selam Charlaine’ciğim, vampir kitabı yazıyorsun. Ve bu vampirler bazıları gibi günlük güneşlik havada sokağa çıkıp da pırıl pırıl parlamıyorlar. E heralde ‘ominous’ şeyler olacak! Bir diğer sinir nokta da Sookie hanımın ‘Günün Kelimesi Takvimi.’ Bill ağabeye ‘refute’ kelimesini satınca nasıl da seviniyor anlatamam. Yazık. Ezik. Üçüncü kitabın ilk iki bölümünü de bugün okudum ve gördüm ki bu ‘ominous’ ve ‘Günün Kelimesi Takvimi’ olayları devam ediyor. Ne yapalım... Kader.

Kyuuto! book-shopping spree

I was going to write a review for Living Dead in Dallas since I've finished it last night, but I got side-tracked and book-shopped instead.

These two I've been eyeing for a long time online now:

 

These two Vogue Knitting books are what started it all, actually. I got an e-mail from Vogue Knitting International,  and I thought I'd get them while they were on sale. But guess what? The shipping was going to be more than what the books were costing me, so I got them at BetterWorldBooks instead. This way, they're going to take about a month to arrive, but, hey, at least I'm not totally broke, right?

P.S. Apparently, 'kyuuto' means 'cute' in Japanese. Hence, the title of this entry.

Book Review: 101 Dinosaur Jokes by Phil Hirsch

101 Dinosaur Jokes by Phil Hirsch

Did dinosaurs know how to use the telephone?

Probably -- after all, the croco-dials!

With dinosaurs, you're sure to get the last laugh. Let the creatures of 101 Dinosaur Jokes tickle your funny bone and you'll chuckle yourself into extinction!

I feel bad giving this any kind of rating at all because it's officially the silliest book I've ever read in my entire life. It did feel like it was meant for kids, but I didn't find that out until I got home and checked GoodReads-- because, you know, you never know.

In general, I have no idea what to say about this one. I did 'chuckle' quite a bit, and I'm pretty sure it wasn't because how funny the joke was. It was because how silly I felt reading it.

For example:

- Why don't we see any flying dinosaurs today?
- No air traffic controller would clear one for landing.

See what I mean?

***

Bunu bir de Türkçe yorumlamamın hiç bir manası yok. Saçma sapan, şapşal bir kitaptı kendisi.

It's Monday; what are you reading? (4)

I suck at weekly book memes, don't I? At least I remembered this one this week.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading, is hosted at One Persons Journey Through a World of Books, and it's where bloggers gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

This week I'm reading Living Dead in Dallas (Sookie Stackhouse #2) by Charlaine Harris.

Waiting tables, sweeping floors, reading minds and solving mysteries for the undead. It's all in a day's work for Sookie...

Cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse is on a streak of real bad luck. First, her co-worker gets murdered and no one seems to care. Then Sookie is attacked - and poisoned - late one night by some weird and apparently mythical beast. She only survives because the local vampires roll up and graciously suck the poison from her veins (like they didn't enjoy it). But in return the blood-suckers need a favor.

Which is why Sookie ends up in Dallas, using her telepathic skills to search for a missing vampire, on the condition that her undead friends don't do anything, well, vampiric while she's there. Easier said than done. All it takes is one delicious blonde and one small mistake for things to turn deadly...

 Sookie Stackhouse güzel tabii. Ama herkes beyninin peşinde!

Vampirin teki gelip Sookie'den telepatik güçlerini kullanarak bir başka kayıp vampiri bulmasını istediğinde, Sookie bu görevi yerine getirmeyi ancak tek bir şartla kabul ediyor. Kan-emiciler, insanları rahat bırakacaklarına dair kesin söz vermeli!

Barmen kızımız Sookie Stackhouse'un bu aralar şansı pek yaver gitmiyor. Önce iş arkadaşı öldürülüyor ve bu durumu görünürde kimse umursamıyor. Derken, canavar ruhlu bir yaratık tarafından zehirli bir kırbaçla kamçılanıyor. Ve tam o sırada devreye kanından zehri emmek için vampirler giriyor -sanki kan emmek işlerine gelmezmiş de kıyak çekiyorlarmış gibi!

Sookie borçlanıyor tabii. Dolayısıyla bu kan-emicilerden biri ondan iyilik isteyince de geri çeviremiyor. Aradan çok geçmeden soluğu Dallas'ta alan Sookie telepatik güçlerini kullanarak kayıp vampiri bulmaya çalışıyor. Ayrıca bu konuyla alakalı bazı insanlarla da görüşmek zorunda. Yalnız bir şartı var. Vampirler uslu duracaklarına ve bu insanlara zarar vermeyeceklerine söz vermeli. Tabii söylemesi kolay. Vampir tayfasının yoldan çıkması için gereken tek şey leziz bir sarışın ve işlerin katliam boyutu kazanmasına yarayacak minik bir hata…

'Charlaine Harris'in hayali ve yaratıcı dünyasına bayılıyorum!'
-Christine Feehan

'Anita Blake hayranları Sookie Stackhouse'u pamuklara sarmalı.'
-Publishers Weekly 'Leziz.' -Denver Post

'Charlaine Harris oyuncu bir edayla değişik türleri bir araya getirip kendi parlak kreasyonunu yaratıyor.' -Rocky Mountain News

'Charlaine Harris, eşsiz bir perspektiften bakarak hayata hem korku hem de espri katıyor.' -Tanya Huff

Vampire 'revolution?'

Gecenin Çocukları by Ulaş Işıklar
İnsanın en temel duyguları arasında yer alan korku çeşitli sanat dallarının ve kültürel ürünlerin konusu olmuştur. Gerçek olaylardan, hayali korkulardan, mitolojiden ve dinlerden beslenen bir mirasa sahip korku kültürünün en çağdaş ve popüler örnekleri sinemada karşımıza çıkmaktadır. Korku kültürünün ve sinemanın en eski arketiplerinden birisi ‘yaşayan ölüler’ olarak da nitelendirilen vampirlerdir. Sözlü kültür, edebiyat ve tiyatroda üretilen vampir miti ve karakteri, çeşitli ülkelerin sinemalarında tarihsel koşulların taleplerine göre farklı formlarda yeniden üretilmiştir. Toplumların geçirdiği sosyal, kültürel, siyasal ve ekonomik değişimler sinemadaki türleri, dolayısıyla korku türünü ve vampir filmlerini de etkilemiştir.

Bu kitap, korku sinemasında yer alan vampir karakterinde meydana gelen değişim ve dönüşümü incelemektedir. Çalışmanın temel iddiası ise, sinemada vampir karakterinin toplumsal, ideolojik ve kültürel öğeler tarafından biçimlendiği ve vampir filmlerinin üretildiği dönemin ideolojik ve kültürel anlamlarını temsil edildiği bir alan olduğudur. Bu filmler, ticari kaygıları ön plana almakta ve popüler kültürünün prensiplerine uygun bir anlayışla üretilmektedir.

This is a new book, written by a Turkish author. It analyzes the vampires in movies and how they develop/change through the years. The point it tries to make is that the vampire movies reflect the cultural position of societies at that time...

I will not be reading this, but I'm curious as to who does. Would you?