To-Buy Books List 2

So I went back in time and found the old list and had discovered that I had in fact bought most of the books on that list. In fact the only series I haven't picked up is the Frankenstein Series by Dean Koontz. I'm still pretty undecided about it. I also haven't gotten The Island by Peter Benchly and Extinct by Charles Wilson. Oh and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. But thats only because I'm debating on getting it now or waiting till it hits the shelves in paperback format. I hate hardback books, they are expensive and difficult to move because they are heavy. Also they take up more space than I'd like. I think I'm going to end up getting another bookshelf anyways, I have a good many just sitting in boxes and my graphic novels have started piling up on the floor because the comic book shelf is completly packed. Alright back to where I was going..Books, that I need to buy and that I suggest you purchase as well. Who knows, they may save your life one day.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls by Steve Hockensmith.

While the first Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was a bit difficult to get through, even though I do like Jane Austen and I love Zombies, it was difficult because of Austen's writing style. Pride and Prejudice can be plain dull at some parts of the story, even with zombies. This one looks promising. If you click on the title it will take you to the Quirk Classics page and there's a book trailer you can watch. I thin the fact that it is an brand hew story and you won't be struggling with Austen's language mixing with anothers will help the book out trememdoulsy. Plus the cover is awesome.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

Like I said, I'm debating on waiting for the paperback. I assume by the time I finish this internal debate, it will be out in paperback, and it kinda solves the problem.

Star Wars: Death Troopers by Joe Schreiber

I don't read Star Wars books. Simply because there are a blue million of them and I love the original trilogy. I don't know anything about any of the other books, and even though I have been tempted to buy one or two before, I have resisted. However, as I found out resistance is futile ( how dare I!) and someone went and wrote a Zombie Star Wars book. That's right you read that right. Zombies. And Star Wars. Now go find you socks, cause I know I just blew them off. I'm waiting on paperback. Unless of course, the paperback comes out and doesn't have that awesome cover, then I will quit whining, buy the hardback and read the damn thing. Cause I mean seriously. Look at that cover. It's beautiful. I'm an art fanatic as well as a bookaholic. Cover art has lead to several of the series I am currently addicted to.

Night of the Living Trekkies by Kevin David Anderson

Now, there's not much out about this little nugget of gold yet. I'm not a star trek fan. At all. The only reasons I saw the new movie were 1. Zachary Quinto 2. Simon Pegg 3. J.J. Abrahms. All three are reasons to watch just about anything involving them in my book. However, I do live William Shatner. There's something about him that just screams, if you're even somewhat a nerd, you must know and have respect for William Shatner. I can't explain. I just get that vibe off him. Then again, maybe it's a jedi mind trick.

Sookie Stackhouse Books:

A Touch of Dead by Charlaine Harris

This one is actually a collection of short stories. I've never felt so lost in a book before I read Defintly Dead. Apparently there's a short story that sets this book up. Someone should forewarn people about that.

Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris ( Sookie #9)

I bought the first 8 books together as a set for $40.00. Excellent deal. I'm on book 7. Book 9 hit shelves in paperback form on April 6th. These waiting times are killing me.

Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris (Sookie #10)

Comes out in Hardcover this year. It'll be another one I have to debate about. I love the series, but i kinda promised myself the only books I would purcahse in hardback were the Anita Blake novels. I'm trying to keep that promise, but it's really hard.

The Dead Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

I finally got my hands on The Forest of Hands and Teeth. It was excellent. It's a young adult novel set generations after a zombie apocalypse. I'm not much into young adult, but this was an excellent piece of literature. The Dead Tossed Waves is basically the second book in the series. Again, waiting for the paperback to come out. I like all my books to match. Especially if they are in a series together. I also like the actual paperback way to these books, instead of the mass market paperback way they could have been printed.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Again with the young adult. But this time it's werewovles. I feel like zombies and werewolves have both surpassed vampires in theier appeal. But that's just how I feel. I think it comes out in paperback in May. Hope I have enough to keep me busy till then.

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

The sequel to Shiver. Comes out July 20th, 2010. Depends on how much I like Shiver as to if I wait for paperback for this one. There will also be a third in the series called Forever.

Bullet by Laurell K. Hamilton

This one will be an instant purchase the day it comes out. I love the Anita Blake series and this make #19. Flirt came out in Feb, but it was only 152 pages. It took me like 15mins to read it. I'm dying for this book to come out. At one part I started re-reading Guilty Pleasures, the first book in the series when I was on a lull and couldnt find anything to read. I try not to do that. But I have a feeling I will be re-reading that series at least once.

Divine Misdemenors by Laurell K. Hamilton

Waiting for Paperback. :( I don't care for books about fairy worlds, but Hamilton mixes thier world with ours and I love her writing anyways. Did I mention she has written a Star Wars novel? This is actually the 8th book in her Meredith Gentry series. I'm a sucker for series. Most the time just one book really doesn't do it for me. I like in depth stories. And I hate for things to end.

MEG 5: Night Stalkers by Steve Alten

So basically the only information I have about this is that it's in the works. The only reason i knew about it was because of MEG: Hell's Aquarium which I thought was supposed to be the final book in the MEG chapter. BUT on the last page of the novel there was an advertisement (?) saying the adventure continues in MEG 5: NIGHT STALKERS. I almost cried. I love these books. I love just about any book about giant sharks, or giant extinct sea creatures, or dinosaurs. It's geek love baby. You can't hide that.

That's it for now. Maybe more later?

De Blog of Procrastination. Books Mainly.

So basically, I'm procrastinating. And tonight writing a blog is my procrastination tool. Almost everything I own is packed up and ready to be put into the trailer in the morning. I have to get to the kitchen and a few other odds and ends. You never realize how much stuff you have until you have to move. I'm actually getting rid of a huge stack of books. I'm tired of toting them around and I haven't read them since I was in highschool. The majority of them are Stephen King, Anne Rice, and Dean Koontz. I'm pretty much past that point in my life. I still read a few Dean Koontz, and I kept the Dark Tower Series from Stephen King. I plan on reading it one day, I swear. I'm not even remotely interested in Anne Rice anymore, although I did keep three of her books in paperback. For old time's sake.

When it comes to vampire novels, there's two places I go. Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series and David Wellington's Vampire novels. Both excellent writers with refreshing ideas and more than enough action to keep me buying each consecutive book. I did read Stephanie Meyer's Twilight Saga. It was an excellent read, but I still prefer Hamilton's Vampire-Human-Werewolf stories. I feel like Twilight's completely over rated now. I picked up the book when I read an article in TIMES about it. By the time Breaking Dawn came out, I had to buy the book to just know how it ended. At the time I was happy with it. Now it just seems ridiculous (Breaking Dawn). But Meyer totally blew her fan base out of the water. If I was still 16 I would have probably felt just like the rest of the teenage girls. But I'm not. I'm 23, and young adult novels just don't do it for me.

I'm pretty picky about what I read these days. It seems like I've got a long list of books to choose from, but it takes me forever to finally pick a series. Especially if there is more than one book involved. Such as the Anita Blake series. It numbers 17 books with two set to come out next year, a novella, entitled Flirt, and a longer un-named novel. I've known about David Wellington's books for a few years, but never picked them up until a couple weeks ago. I started with the zombie trilogy. He has a vampire series, and a werewolf novel as well. Laurell K. Hamilton also has another series involving a faerie princess-detective. I cannot stand fairy stories, but I can't tear myself away from Hamilton's writing. It's addictive. Merry Gentry, the faerie princess novels, stands at seven with eight due out at the end of this year.

I also search for books involving creatures. Because everyone should know that creature features are among my top rated movies, as well as my top rated books. For this brand of writing I usually have to hit the classics by Peter Benchley, or go to Steve Alten. Alten's MEG series and The Loch are spectacular reads. Sharks and the Loch Ness are my all-time favorite creatures.

I always find books or artists in interesting ways. I bought a Hamilton book years ago in a Goodwill because the cover art looked intriguing. I didn't even realize I was a fan, until I picked up the Guilty Pleasures comic from Marvel. And I was hooked. The comics couldn't come out fast enough. I needed to know the rest of the story. So i started the series.

Same deal with Patricia Briggs, who writes the Mercy Thompson series I am starting shortly. She produced a pre-quel story with Dabel brothers publishing. The artwork drug me in. The story kept me there. Alot of times, I read reviews and find books that way. Sometimes it's because I accidentally clicked on the wrong link. I was looking for plot summaries for 100 Bullets, a comic from vertigo, and accidentally clicked on a link for 13 Bullets, a vampire novel by David Wellington. Poof! A new book. Things like that happen to me all the time. Just random chance I guess. The only book I've ever truly had trouble reading was Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. I love the story of Pride and Prejudice, but, let me tell you, it can be a boring read. Even with Zombies, sometimes I just wasn't that interested. Shame on me.

So I'm sitting in the floor of my bedroom, which is now empty, save for me, the vacuum cleaner, and a pile of books. Tomorrow I move to Seneca, SC. I'm excited. I like change ever now and then. And I certainly am in need of a change. I've never lived this close to my dad before. I think it will be interesting to see how everything turns out. And I'm not too far from my best friend Sarah, who lives in Georgia. She lived in Hawaii for over five years, and I got to see her very little. It'll be nice to have her this close, even if it still is in a different state.

I suppose I should get back to getting everything downstairs. I still have to wash clothes, throw the kitchen into a box, and clean all the rooms. I was going to load things into the trailer, but I believe that can wait till in the morning.

Books. Drawing. College. Zombies.

I haven't seen any new movies lately. I haven't even rented new movies. I'm behind. I have however finished a book-Strange Candy, which is a collection of short stories from Laurell K. Hamilton. Strange Candy is a great collection of Hamilton stories ranging from two Anita Blake stories to fantasy stories involving wizards and such. It's the 24th book by Hamilton that I have read. I also finished Scott Pilgrim and the Infinite Sadness (volume 3) by Bryan Lee O'Malley, as well as Beyond Wonderland from Zenescope Comics. Scott Pilgrim is being adapted into a movie right now. I can't wait. Micheal Cera is playing the part of Scott Pilgrim. It's actually a pretty interesting comic, it follows Scott Pilgrim, but in a Video Game Style Way. He has to fight Ramona Flower's 7 evil ex-boyfriends in order to date her. It's very original. I love Knives Chau. She's one of my favorite characters.

As for Beyond Wonderland, if you don't read comics, I suggest you pick this one up. It actually starts with Return to Wonderland, and then is followed up by Beyond Wonderland. They are publishing the third book in the series, Escape from Wonderland in the coming months. It actually centers around Alice's daughter, Calie, and her adventures into Wonderland. It's definitely my favorite version of the Wonderland Tale. They also have a series called Grimm Fairy Tales. Which re imagines classic fairy tales with new and sometimes frightening twists.

I applied to WestWood College, but I've decided not to go. I read alot of reviews on the Internet on how the college was a fraud and a scam. I've also read alot of good reviews, but I'm still not convinced. It's a nationally accredited school but not regionally accredited. Which basically means, that the credits won't transfer if I decide to go to another school. So I've decided to wait. UNC Asheville has a design program and so does UNC Wilmington. I'm checking into other schools as well.


I started drawing again, but I have also joined a forum with a Comic Publisher where they have Drawing Challenges every week. Everyone votes at the end of the week and offers critiques on each other's pieces. It's not a huge thing, but it's fun and is kinda nice to have other people to talk to about comics. Alot of the people I hang around with aren't big comic fans, so sometimes it can be like a one-sided conversation. I'll post the pic, and the link to the website. It's for AspenComics. Which produces the titles Fathom and Soulfire, as well as a few others. I have a bunch of other drawings on my facebook if you want to check those out.

The main problem I have been having with drawing is style. Any fan of comics can look at the drawings I have done for the most part and tell that it's based off of someone else's style. I'm been trying to get away from needed to look at other artists work in order to draw my own. I'm still using some drawings, but just for reference, like what does Superman uniform look like? Things like that.

It's difficult for me. I'm a very visual person. Usually I need to see something in order to draw it. I can pull things out of my head and just create them on paper. I just don't function like that when I'm drawing. I can write like that though. So while I decide what I want to do with the rest of my life, I'm going to work to improve my art skills. Maybe one day I'll be famous and those drawings will be worth millions. Be sure to keep them, just in case.

I had a really weird dream last night that my dog Alaska, who died in Jan of this year, came back as a Zombie. He was 10 and had surgery on one of his legs. He did fine during the surgery, but he died later that night. The vet said it was most likely because he was old and his heart couldn't take the stress. Anyways, maybe I need to lay off the Zombie movies for a while. I watched Shaun of the Dead last night before I went to sleep, so I'm sure that was a contributing factor. So no more Zombies movies for at least......oh let's say......a week.