Favorite Thing #19: The Historian

Although it was published in 2005, I just recently read The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova at the recommendation of both my sister and the D-Train. Since they both recommended it within the span of two days and both mentioned the word Vampire when describing the book, I figured I would give it a try.

The novel is narrated by a female character whom the reader never really gets to know. But through her, we learn about her father's quest for the real truth behind the Dracula legend. Dracula in this book was theorized to have been a real person, Vlad the Impaler. The book is told through a series of letters written by the narrator's father and her father's mentor Professor Rossi as they attempted to learn about the significance behind a book containing only a dragon and the word Drakulya. I would consider the book Historical Fiction as a lot of the research that the narrator's father and Professor Rossi unearth about Vlad the Impaler is historically accurate or could be historically accurate. In ways, it reminds me of the Da Vinci Code as it attempts to fictionally explain a common myth through actual historical facts and artifacts.

The book was not only an interesting read but it kept me on the edge of my seat. (It even caused me to have a nightmare that Dracula was in my spare bedroom coming for me when I fell asleep reading it in a sick stupor). Its also a nice departure from the normal vampire=tortured romantic hero books. I highly recommend the book to anyone who wants to be on the edge of their seat, and learn a little in the process. Obsession with all things vampires not required

Favorite Thing #16: Vampires

It seems that vampires are everywhere in the media lately. From the Twilight obsession to HBO's show True Blood, you can't go a day without being reminded that vampires are the new, hot trend in entertainment. In my opinion, vampires have continuously been pop-culture icons. I'm not sure what makes them so fascinating, especially: it could be the element of danger that all us women love, the fact that they are most always gorgeous, the fact that they have had hundreds or even thousands of years of experience or that they are frequently portrayed as falling hard in love once they do. When a vampire tells you he will love you forever, he literally means forever. Since I love any and all things vampires (especially hot vampires), I thought I'd give a synopsis of my favorite vampires from screen and paper.



5. Bunnicula ( Bunnicula Series by James Howe)
A cute and cuddly white bunny with blood red eyes, fangs and a penchant for draining vegetables of all their juice. His vampire-like attributes and appearance scare the family cat, Chester, enough for him to go through a series of attempts to kill the vampire bunny (the best of which involved trying to kill him with a steak …)



4. Eric Northman (Sookie Stackhouse Series by Charlaine Harris)
While people may pick Bill over Eric because he was Sookie’s first love, I find him as dry and boring as his name. Give me mischievous Eric any day. A true Lothario, he tricks Sookie into drinking his blood so that they can be connected for all time, and constantly tries to get her into bed with him. Yet at the same time, he does incredibly thoughtful things like have her driveway fixed and buy her a beautiful new coat when hers gets covered in blood and ruined. A vampire with a heart of gold is nothing new to literature, but Harris’s lighthearted portrayal is. I can’t wait to see how he is portrayed in True Blood, the new HBO series based on the Sookie Stackhouse books, but judging by the actor they picked, he should be as deliciously exciting as he is in print.

3. Lestat de Lioncourt (Interview with the Vampire)
While tempted to exclude Lestat from the list due to my hatred of all things Tom Cruise, I had to include him as this probably is one of Tom Cruise’s least puke worthy performances. One of the great anti-heroes of all times, Lestat makes you hate and love vampires all at the same time with his bratty behavior, and God-like complex.

2. Edward Cullen (Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer)
Sexy, sparkling, romantic and brooding – what more can you ask for. Edward denies the monster within him, becoming a “vegetarian vampire” along with the rest of the Cullen clan. He even refrains from drinking Bella’s blood (His Tua Cantante) and falls in love with her. So in love, that he is willing to forgo his happiness to allow her a chance at a normal life. So in love that when he thinks Bella is dead, he tries to kill himself rather than live in a world where Bella does not exist. He devotes his life to protecting her, even though she is a terribly annoying, clumsy, whiny girl. Edward also refuses to sleep with Bella until they are married. He’s just a Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy. The only thing that keeps him from being the top fictional vampire of all time is his egotistical attitude that he always knows what is best for someone else. He left Bella because he thought she was better off without him, and we were forced to suffer through hundreds of pages of her pining away for Edward, whining the whole time.

1. Count von Count (Sesame Street)
The all time best fiction vampire title belongs to Count von Count.

Widow’s peak – check
Fangs – check
White Dress Shirt and Cape – check
Creepy Transylvannian Accent and Laugh– check and check

You may be thinking that these are all characteristics of other vampires, most notably Bela Lugosi’s interpretation of Count Dracula, but what makes the Count the greatest vampire of all time, besides all of the classic vampire characteristics, is his obsession with counting. A fictional vampire with OCD! This appeals directly to me, as I have also been accused of having OCD, as I separate and count things before I eat them. If you have ever seen me eat Dots or M&M’s, you know what I am talking about. I also once rode all the way to Boston from Braintree on the subway, counting the subway stops out loud in the Count voice. Cailin was less than thrilled. Thirteen, thirteen more stops. AH AH AH!