Book Club selection for May

Our book club has been on a short hiatus, but enough is enough, and it's time to kick off our summer reading book club. I'm excited to get back to business and look forward to discussing different books each month. So let's cut to the chase: 

 The book club selection for May will be Forever Vampire by our very own Michele Hauf!

Here's a quick description:

Vail the Unwanted is a pureblood vampire. But raised in Faery, he has neither home nor peace, and when his aid is sought in the recovery of a priceless diamond gown, his price is information. Specifically the whereabouts of his accursed father. His goal is revenge, and the supernaturally sexy Lyric, the icy blond vampiress with whom he must work, is a distraction he can't afford.

Outwardly as cold as the diamond dress in which she was kidnapped, Lyric has her own secrets. Desperate to break free from her criminal family, she aligns herself with the brooding Vail. Together they seek justice while each secretly works for freedom and a fresh start. For Lyric that means holding herself apart, even from the smoldering blue-eyed Vail. For Vail, it means a battle to the death for revenge—and for a temptress he can't deny.

Want to read the first 2 chapters? Visit Michele's website!

Dates to remember:

 May 4th Character inspiration

May 11th Beautiful Creatures world

May 16th book club discussion

Book Club news and Lestat

It would seem that even with my stellar organizational skills and despite my endless planning via notebooks, sticky notes and synced calendars, I failed to properly announce our next book club selection. If you happened to miss the sidebar display, our next book for discussion is Anne Rice's Interview With The Vampire, one of my all time favorite books,  and we will be talking about it on December 6th.

Throughout the month I will be posting little tidbits about the book and movie, starting with:

Who makes the better Lestat?

Awhile back, last month I think, the fantabulous Marta Acosta, author of the witty and charming Casa Dracula series, held a poll for The Ultimate Hawt Vampire over at her Vampire Wire blog...we all saw who the winner was so I won't mention that Henry Fitzroy fans are diabolical and supremely organized. During the result phase of his contest Marta mentioned something about the two actors that have played Lestat, Tom Cruise in Interview with the Vampire, and Stuart Townsend in Queen of the Damned. 
This got me to thinking, dangerous, I know. Both lent something unique to the role but I definitely think Stuart captured the sensuality and devil may care attitude, not to mention that he made a great rockstar. He's a great actor and I enjoy most anything he does. I didn't hate Tom Cruise, although I remember being opposed to he idea before I saw the film, and at times he really was Lestat, selfish and charming all at once.

So my question to you: Who played the better Lestat?

Celebrating a classic!

That's it! You guessed it! Bite Club is turning one and to celebrate we have chosen to read the book that started it all...Bram Stoker's Dracula. So join us on October 26th and 27th for our discussion days...we'll have lots to talk about and since we all have different versions of the book we can compare and contrast to see who has the best copy.

Michele will be posting as she completes each chapter, not to talk plot, but to bring up any cool tidbits that she finds interesting. Paprika anyone? If you haven't read the book...hop over to your local library or hit the sales shelves at the bookstore (great time of year to pick up a copy cheap). It's a fascinating vampire horror tale that also provides a wonderful look at the Victorian age.

And to make this party even more exciting we'll also be hosting our first ever Dracula Event!

We asked various authors, bloggers, and readers the simple question, "How were you influenced by Bram Stoker's Dracula?" Each day we will feature a different answer, plus throughout the month we will have a few special guests, maybe a few reviews, and even a couple of contests. So be sure to stop in each day...you never know what you might find!

Our next book club selection is...

I'll Be Slaying You by Cynthia Eden!

This is one of those fangirl moments for me because I really enjoy all of Cynthia Eden's paranormal romance titles- Midnight Sins is my favorite to date, although I am sincerely looking forward to trying her non-paranormal suspense title, Deadly Fear. So needless to say, I am so excited to be hosting Cynthia here at Bite Club and having the chance to discuss I'll Be Slaying You.

Book Description (from website):

Cynthia Eden returns to the realm of the Other, where the supernatural bounty hunters of Night Watch work hard and play harder…

Sandra “Dee” Daniels is a vampire’s worst nightmare. Sure, she couldn’t get up to five-six in the highest heels money can buy—not that she ever wears heels. But the monsters in her past and the stake in her boot are enough to keep most bloodsuckers interested in staying undead out of Baton Rouge.

But there are changes afoot on her turf. Rumors of a Born Master in town—a vampire so powerful he can make the streets run with blood. And a new face in Dee’s dive bars and alleyways—Simon Chase, a strong, sexy shadow with a haunted past of his own. Simon knows a lot about the dark side of Dee’s work. He knows even more about how to make her body spark with desire. But the hot lust shimmering between them is only the beginning. Because Simon also knows a secret that will change Dee’s life—if she can live long enough to uncover it.

To read an excerpt, click here.

Important dates to remember:

*Contest- August 19
*Author spotlight and guest post with Cynthia Eden- August 24
*Q&A with Cynthia- August 31
*Book club discussion- September 7

Discussion Questions for Night Myst by Yasmine Galenorn

DQ 1:

As with most books that begin a new series Night Myst had many different elements to sort through including numerous characters and a lengthy backstory. Certain areas of interest are:

a) Cecily and all her baggage- taking over for Marta, finding Heather and Peyton, the issue of evolving magic and shifting to an owl, her relationship to Grieve and their past lives/history, and her new role as leader of the 'rebellion' against the Indigo Court. Rhiannon and Kaylin fit here too.

b) the coming war between the Crimson Court and the Indigo Court, to which I'd include all the vampire characters like, Lannan, his sister Regina, Chatter, and Gregory. Plus I'd stick Leo, the boyfriend dayrunner, in this slot too. Then you have the Queen of Rivers and Rushes, Lainule, and her involvement in Cecily's life and the war. Add Cecily working for the Crimson Court and not telling Grieve. Plus you have the added intrigue of a possible virus that poisons the Vampiric Fae- seemed more science fiction and less magic to me.

What elements grabbed your interest? Which characters did you like most/least? What are your thoughts on the melding of vampires, fae, and magic?


DQ 2:

Why do you think that Cecily was so angry at Lannan after he fed from her? Was it because he was nice to her (brought her milk and cookies) when before he seemed cold and calculating? It just seemed like so much more than a 'resistance to becoming a bloodwhore' issue to me. She was angry that she had these visceral reactions to something she previously rejected and accuses him of being nonchalant. Both of them seemed to be conflicted to some degree, like they expected different outcomes. Did his explanation help or hurt? How did you interpret that scene?

Lannan raised his head, his golden hair falling forward as a perplexed look crossed his face. "Do you want it to mean something?" he asked softly. (page 247)

DQ 3:

Would you trust Ulean to guard your back after learning that she originally belonged to Lainule (a character that obviously has an agenda)and never said anything?

DQ 4:

How many secrets can you forgive before trust is severely compromised? Grieve has so many facets that it's hard to identify the real man and even harder to know if he is truly part of the Indigo Court. It's obvious that he loves Cecily and that she loves him but how much of that is from their past lives? Would you trust Grieve with not only your heart but the lives of everyone around you?

DQ 5:

Would you classify this book as a Paranormal Romance or an Urban Fantasy?

Book Club Reminders: Night Myst by Yasmine Galenorn

I interrupt this Saturday morning, which I am sure is already blazing hot, to bring you this important book club reminder:

We will be discussing Night Myst by Yasmine Galenorn on Thursday, August 12th and Friday, August 13th! I'd love to hear your thoughts about the book, even if you don't answer any of the discussion questions- stop by and talk!

And no, I did not realize that this was another spooky, superstitious Friday the 13th when I scheduled our event, and I'm not even sure how it fits in with the grand scheme of things, but just to be safe...avoid all crazed looking tall dudes with machetes. Good advice for any day of the week.

What's on tap?

Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris


I'm super excited to feature Charlaine Harris this month! Throughout the month we will be talking about all the characters in the Southern Vampire series, comparing and contrasting the books versus the HBO series, True Blood, and along the way we'll be launching a new feature. Beginning June 14th Jen will be bringing us the latest from True Blood in weekly episode recaps.

And wait, there's more!

In a few days I'll be announcing the next contest for a copy of Dead in the Family so be sure to watch out for that...and for those that are impatient like me, here's a hint...the contest begins on Monday.

Important days to remember:

June 7th Contest information announced

June 11 True Blood season 3 teaser

June 15 Author spotlight

June 22 Men of Sookieverse

June 24 Women of Bon Temps

June 25 Show vs. book vs comic

July 5th and 6th Chat days for Dead in the Family


And in other exciting news:


*Our first side read for June will be Halo Hunter by Michele Hauf. Michele will be stopping by to give one lucky commenter a free e-copy of the book on June 8th!

*I'm thrilled to be hosting Chloe Neill with a stop on her blog tour for Twice Bitten! Chloe will be a guest blogger on June 29 and she'll be holding a contest!! Twice Bitten hits store shelves on July 6th and you won't want to miss the chance to win a copy of this book. Chloe Neill was my favorite new author of 2009 and because I love this series, her Chicagoland Vampires will be our end of the month side reads.

Introduction to discussion

We've spent the month of May reading and Falling, fly from author Skyler White and for the next 2 days I will post a series of discussion questions for everyone to comment on. This month we also have the added bonus of answering questions that Skyler created herself and posted on her website. I wanted to venture from our beaten path and more thoroughly explore this book, examining not only intent and interpretation as per Skyler, but also the simple nuances that made this such a beautiful book to read.

Reading this book was an emotional journey of discovery for Olivia and Dominic and to do these characters justice, I found myself slowing down for the first time in ages, savoring each word, pondering each idea, and exploring my own thoughts on hope and love, having and wanting, wanting and needing, living or dying. Skyler's next book, In Dreams Begin, comes out in November and I find myself impatient at the thought of waiting that long.