I've lost several library books in different cities/states and the policy always seems to be you never owe more than the cost of the book. So late fees up until you reach the cost of the book, then you effectively buy it. I suspect that if you are willing to even consider paying the replacement costs, you will be restored in good library standing. It's not like they're in it for the $$.

The whole point of Lugosi's breakthrough performance as Dracula was that it was sexualized. That's where it changes from the previous Nosferatu presentation.

Actually, part of the novel's appeal to its Victorian (and modern-day) audience were the sexual overtones. The vampire brides? The sexual overtones of all the men giving their fluids to Lucy? Racy, racy stuff, especially for that era.

I would say that Anne Rice helped popularize a certain glamourous, romantic view of vampires, and I would have to agree that her books were more of a phenomenon than the Addams Family. (As much as I don't want to.)

Also, yes, Dark Shadows, Hotel Transylvania, and The Vampire Tapestries all came out before Interview, but the only one that came close to grabbing pop culture attention in the same way was Dark Shadows.

Things I Never Knew:

Neil Gaiman named his daughter after a drag queen in a Lou Reed song.

Made. Of. Awesome.

I finished The Strain this morning.I was expecting something different from Del Toro. Maybe more magical realism. However, I really ended up enjoyiong it. As was mentioned upthread, I liked the mixing of the vampire/zombie traditions, and I am skepitcal that it can be stretched out to 2 more books. I wish more of the book had been like the last big section of hunting and fighting.

I am still reeling at the thought that LKH is suggesting that her books and Meyers' books are in the same genre.

That's like saying that 'The Princess Diaries' is following in the footsteps of 'Debbie Does Dallas.' Or, well, probably a flawed analogy, but SWEET ZOMBIE JESUS, the only connection between Twilight and LKH's books, other than the fact that both sets of novels are excruciatingly bad, is that they feature attractive men with pointy teeth. Which, okay, is a similarity, I'll grant you - but NOT ENOUGH OF ONE.

thinks

...okay, I take it back. Although LKH writes terrible porn sans plot, and Meyers writes terrible plot sans porn, they're both writing Mary Sue self inserts (albeit different flavours of Mary Sue) and they're both writing books that have lashings of misogyny in there, along with the attractive men with pointy teeth. And werewolves.

LKH writes terrible porn sans plot, and Meyers writes terrible plot sans porn

Best summation ever.

LKH writes terrible porn sans plot, and Meyers writes terrible plot sans porn

Together, they fight crime literature.

The now-retired Justice Souter is moving out of his in-his-family-for-generations farmhouse into a new house because the old house won't support his library of thousands of books.

"He said there was just so much weight from the books, it would be too much for the house to support," Gilman said.

Now there's a book freak for you--move instead of purge!

I skipped a lot so someone might have already mentioned this but I just noticed that Barnes & Noble (in Santa Monica at least) has a Vampire Romance section. I bet they keep Meyers and LKH there.

I've run into something that looks to me like it is self published, but I want to be sure.

I is called "Wind Turbine Syndrome" and may well have a valid point. [link] It is edited by the author's husband

It is published by a publishing company called K-Select books [link]

Which has a four person board of directors, two of those board members are the author (Dr. Nina Pierpoint), and the author's husband (Calvin Luther Martin).

I cannot find any other books the publisher has put out. Nor can I find any independent web site for the publisher. All I can find is a web page on the author's own site.

But maybe the publisher HAS published other books, and is just not very web conscious. How do I double check to find out for sure whether this company is a real publisher or a disguised form of self-publishing?