The Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer

 

 

Bella Swan moves to Forks, Washington to give her mother time with her new husband. He travels a lot with his minor league team. She believes the time with her father will be good for them. It's been a long time since she's visited. However, the new kids, the Cullens, catch her eye. Especially the mysterious Edward. He is the youngest of the group and of course he seems to have taken a similar, if reluctant, interest in her.

It turns out that the boy who looks at her with golden eyes, is no boy at all; but a vampire with a hundred years of life experience. As they dance around each other, Bella realizes that she is in love with Edward and the feeling is mutual.

Now a danger neither of them predicted threatens to tear them apart, how far will Edward go to save Bella?

 

New Moon

It's Bella's birthday and she is not in the mood to be reminded of it when having a boyfriend who never ages. Alice has planned a party and the consequences of such a decision are staggaring. Jasper can't control himself when Bella cuts herself opening one of her many presents, Edward saves her from him only to injure her further. As they leave the party, Bella begs Edward in one last futile attempt to change her. After one last kiss, a sad 'I love you', and a feeling of dread; Bella watches him leave.

Days later, Edward returns and bids Bella goodbye. He states that he cannot endanger her futher by staying, says that they had 'fun', and asks her to promise him not to do anything dangerous or reckless while he's away. At least for Charlie's sake and he promises to never return.

Heartbroken, Bella slides into despair and collapses in the forest where Edward left her.

Defeated, Bella goes through the motions of every day life, frightening her father to the point where he states he's going to send her Jacksonville to be with her mother. Determined to stay in Forks, she calls up Jessica and goes to a movie.

Bella soon finds that dangerous activites bring back Edward's memory so she saves a couple of bikes before they get taken to the junk yard. Jacob is the only person she can turn to now while they repair the bikes together and he gives her lessons. He believes their relationship is turning into something more, Bella lets him down gently stating that she can't give him what he needs.

Soon after he disappears and she is left alone again, especially after he promises to never leave her as Edward had done.

Jacob returns later to tell her what has happened to him and whom their chasing. As it turns out, Victoria is seeking revenge on Edward. By killing Bella, she would have avenged her mate. So Jacob disappear's again to hunt for the redhead.

After a failed attempt at cliff diving, Bella is escorted back to the house only to run into Alice. After a lengthy conversation about how Bella was not trying to kill herself, a phone call, and an announcement that Edward is headed for the Volturi; Bella runs off with Alice to save Edward from the Volturi and himself.

How far will Bella go to save the man she loves?

After Edward's return, things are still a bit strained between he and Bella. He has one condition he wants fulfilled before he changes her. Edward has asked for her hand in marriage, Bella is reluctant to agree because of what has become of her parents relationship. To her, she doesn't need a piece of paper to prove how much she loves Edward; after all she is asking for him to change her.

However, something more pressing is on the horizon. Series' of killings begin happening in Seattle, the Cullens begin to worry about the Volturi coming to see that Bella has yet to be changed. Carlisle and Jasper recognize the murders as the work of newborn vampires. Bella immediately becomes worried for her father since he is investigating and looking for a missing person. Riley Biers.

As the mystery begins to unfold and both the Cullens and the wolves struggle to protect her, Bella is caught in a tough decision between who she loves more. Jacob admits his feelings, tries to get her to admit what she's hiding inside, all the while the newborns continue to grow in numbers. A war is coming.

Bella makes her decision and finally says yes to Edward's proposal, however she adds her own condition. She wants him to make love to her while she's still human, he reluctantly agrees...

 

When you loved the one who was killing you, it left you no options. How could you run, how could you fight, when doing so would hurt that beloved one? If your life was all you had to give, how could you not give it? If it was someone you truly loved?
To be irrevocably in love with a vampire is both fantasy and nightmare woven into a dangerously heightened reality for Bella Swan. Pulled in one direction by her intense passion for Edward Cullen, and in another by her profound connection to werewolf Jacob Black, a tumultuous year of temptation, loss, and strife have led her to the ultimate turning point. Her imminent choice to either join the dark but seductive world of immortals or to pursue a fully human life has become the thread from which the fates of two tribes hangs.

Now that Bella has made her decision, a startling chain of unprecedented events is about to unfold with potentially devastating, and unfathomable, consequences. Just when the frayed strands of Bella's life-first discovered in Twilight, then scattered and torn in New Moon and Eclipse-seem ready to heal and knit together, could they be destroyed... forever?

The Sookie Stackhouse Series by Charlaine Harris

The Sookie Stackhouse Series

The Books

Book One - Dead Until Dark Meet Sookie Stackhouse, a plucky waitress working in the small town of Bon Temps, Louisiana. She’s thrilled about meeting her first vampire but this is short-lived because someone (or something) has started killing several of the local women in the community.

Book Two - Living Dead in Dallas When a vampire asks Sookie Stackhouse to use her telepathic skills to find a missing vampire in Dallas, she agrees under one condition: the vampires must promise not to kill any of the humans involved. Little does she know that her own life may be in danger.

Book Three - Club Dead Sookie’s boyfriend has been very distant. As in “where the heck is he?” distant. Now she’s off to Mississippi to locate him and find out what he’s up to. What started out as a straightforward mission soon turns into an adventure chock full of complications and surprises.

Book Four - Dead to the World When cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse sees a naked man on the side of the road, she doesn’t just drive on by- she tries to help. Turns out the poor thing hasn’t a clue who he is. Unfortunately, in order to restore his memory Sookie has to go up against a merciless group of spell casters.

Book Five - Dead As a Doornail Something weird is happening to Sookie’s womanizing brother Jason. Even worse, looks like someone is dead set on killing off members of the local supernatural community, and the local authorities have decided that Jason is the prime suspect for the murders.

Book Six - Definitely Dead There’s a new man in Sookie’s life and also a new problem: she just inherited everything from her recently undead cousin, who died under mysterious circumstances. Unfortunately, Sookie’s sleuthing leads her to a potentially deadly meeting with the Vampire Queen of Louisiana.

Book 7 - Altogether Dead Sookie is asked to attend a vampire summit and serve as a sort of telepathic bodyguard. However, once there, Sookie has to decide which side she’ll stand with; perhaps there’s more to this vampire story of revenge than she’s been led to believe.

Book Eight - From Dead To Worse After a deadly disaster at the vampire summit Sookie is all too eager to have things back too normal again. But when she returns home she learns that there’s unrest within both the werewolf and vampire communities.

Book Nine - Dead And Gone When a certain supernatural race decides to “come out of the closet” Sookie tries to help stop the violence. However there’s a new group of creatures in town and they’re bigger and badder than anything Bon Temps has ever seen.

Book Ten - Dead In The Family Sookie’s love life is going well even though she’s still angry and a bit sad about recent violence events. However, while she attempts to help some of her friends a group of baddies make plans to carry out their grudges against her.

Book Eleven - Dead Reckoning Sookie witnesses an attack on Merlotte’s and partners with Sam to find the culprit – and the twisted motive for the attack. Meanwhile, Eric and Pam aren’t happy with their new master – and plan to do something about it. Caught up in the politics of the vampire world, Sookie soon learns she’s being used as a pawn – and that there’s a new Queen in town . .

The #1 New York Times bestselling author presents the definitive guide to the world of Sookie Stackhouse. Charlaine Harris has topped the bestseller charts and has become a nationwide phenomenon, thanks to the unconventional-and otherworldly- life of Sookie Stackhouse. Now, readers will have the opportunity for an in-depth look at Sookie, her family, friends, enemies, adventures, and-of course-the lovers who set her world on fire. Readers will: • Tour Bon Temps via the detailed map in the book, the one created by Charlaine herself! • Read transcripts of Eric and Bill's private conversations • Examine all the branches of Sookie's family tree • Learn the fine points of the distinctions between vampire, shifter, and fae • Get must-have Bon Temps recipes, including Caroline Bellefleur's famous chocolate cake • Test themselves with trivia questions from the series

Favorite Writers-Lori Foster

Lori Foster

Lori L. Foster is a best-selling American writer of over seventy romance novels as Lori Foster. She also writes Urban Fantasy novels using using her first and middle initials, L.L. Foster. She and her husband have 3 sons, and a grandson. They live in rural Ohio, where they share their home with a multitude of animals.

Biography

Lori L. Foster married her high school sweetheart after they both graduated Northwest high school in 1977. She did not attend college. They settled in Ohio, and have three sons (all born in the early to mid 80s). She held various jobs as a saleslady, a grocery store clerk, and a Procter & Gamble material handler before having children and staying at home to raise them. She became enamored with the romance genre several years later, when she was sick at home with pneumonia and her sister brought her a bag of romances to read. Within two years she had a desire to write romances of her own. Five years after that, she had finished over ten manuscripts and finally sold one. Her first published novel was released by Harlequin in January 1996. Her second book launched the Harlequin Temptation Blaze series, and several years later she was also chosen to launch the Temptation Heat series. Since then she has written for several single title houses, including St. Martin's, Berkley, Kensington, and HQN. Foster has written articles for a variety of publications and, in the past, had a column in RWR on editor interviews. In 2007, Lori branched out into the Urban Fantasy genre using her first and middle initials, L.L. Foster. The second L.L. Foster book was named Amazon's Number 1 Editors' Pick in romance.
Single Novels

• Impetuous (1996)
• Outrageous (1997)
• Scandalized! (1997)
• Fantasy (1998)
• Taken! (1998)
• Tantalizing (1999)
• In Too Deep (2000)
• Sex Appeal (2001)
• Never Too Much (2002)
• Too Much Temptation (2002)
• Married to the Boss (2003)
• Unexpected (2003)
• Truth or Dare (2006)

Winstons & Visitation Series

1. Tangled sheets (1999)
2. Tangled dreams (1999)
3. Tangled images (1999)
4. Wild (2002)
5. Say no to Joe? (2003)
6. Fantasy (1998)
7. The Secret Life of Bryan (2004)
8. When Bruce Met Cyn... (2004)
9. Just a Hint: Clint (2004)
10. Jamie (2005)

Winston Brothers Series

1. Tangled sheets (1999)
2. Tangled dreams (1999)
3. Tangled images (1999)
4. Wild (2002)

• The Winston Brothers (2001) (Tangled Sheets / Tangled Dreams / Tangled Images / Wild)
• Wildly Winston (2006) (Tangled Sheets / Tangled Dreams / Tangled Images / Wild)

Kelly Brothers Series

1. The Secret Life of Bryan (2004)
2. When Bruce Met Cyn... (2004)

Sommers Sisters Series

1. Fantasy (1998)
2. The Secret Life of Bryan (2004)

Visitation, North Carolina

1. Say no to Joe? (2003)
2. The Secret Life of Bryan (2004)
3. When Bruce Met Cyn... (2004)
4. Just a Hint: Clint (2004)
5. Jamie (2005)

Men To Rescue Series

1. Beguiled (1999)
2. Wanton (1999)
3. Caught in the Act (2001)
4. Treat Her Right (2001)
5. Mr. November (2001)
6. Trapped (2003)
7. Riley (2003)
8. Uncovered (2004)
9. Tailspin (2004)

• Fallen Angles (2004) (Beguiled & Wanton & Uncovered)

Sawyer Family Series

1. Little Miss Innocent? (1999)
2. Annie, get your Guy / DUET (2001)
3. Messing around with Max / DUET (2001)

• Tempted (2005) (Little Miss Innocent? / Annie, Get Your Guy / Messing Around with Max)

Buckhorn Brothers Series

1. Sawyer (2000)
2. Morgan (2000)
3. Gabe (2000)
4. Jordan (2000)
5. Casey (2002)

• Once and Again (2002) (Sawyer & Morgan)
• Forever and Always (2002) (Gabe & Jordan)

Law Series

1. Jude's Law (2006)
2. Murphy's Law (2006)

SBC Fighters Series 1. Causing Havoc (Feb. 2007) 2. Simon Says (Aug. 2007) 3. Hard to Handle (Feb. 2008) 4. My Man, Michael (Feb. 2009) 5. Tail's Of Love (June 2009) 6. Double The Pleasure (Dec. 2009) 7. Double The Heat (Dec. 2009) 8. Back In Black (Feb. 2010 Bad Boys in Anthologies Brava Brothers Series

1. Never Too Much (2002)
2. Too Much Temptation (2002)
3. Christmas present

Watson Brothers Series

1. Bad Boys on Board (2003)
2. Bad Boys to Go (2005)
3. Bad Boys in Black Tie (2004)

Dean Brothers Series

1. Jingle Bell Rock (2003)
2. Wants for Christmas / Turning up the Heat / Baby, It's Cold Outside / Blue Christmas / Nutcracker Sweet)
3. When Good Things Happen to Bad Boys (2006)
4. Perfect for the Beach (2004)

Brava Girlfriends Series

1. Kiss Me Again (2005)
2. Night (2001)
3. I Love Bad Boys (2002)
4. I Brake for Bad Boys (2002)

• Truth or Dare (2006) (Satisfy Me / Indulge Me / Drive me Wild)

Twins' Bad Boys

1. Bad Boys of Summer (2006)
2. A Very Merry Christmas (2006)

Collections

• Say Yes and the Cinderella Solution (2001)
• Scandalous (2004) (Scandalized! / Sex Appeal)

Omnibus in Collaboration

• Impetuous (1996)
• Sizzle! (1999)
• Hot Chocolate (1999)
• Charmed (1999)
• All I Want for Christmas (2000)
• Sinful (2000)
• Say Yes / The Cinderella Solution (2000)
• Hot and Bothered (2001)
• Heat of the Night (2002)
• Jingle Bell Rock (2003)
• Under His Skin (2003)
• Men of Courage (2003)
• Lip Service (2004)
• Trapped! / His Inconvenient Wife (2004)
• The Truth about Cats and Dogs (2004)
• Summer Temptations (2004)
• The Night Before Christmas (2005)
• Star Quality (2005)
• Men of Courage II (2005)
• Unzipped (2005)
• Santa, Baby (2006)
• The Power of Love (2008)
• Tails of Love (2009))
• Out of the Light, Into the Shadows (2009)

Favorite Writers- Lora Leigh

Lora Leigh

Lora Leigh (born March 6, 1965 in Ohio and raised in Martin County, Kentucky, USA) is a New York Times bestselling author of erotic romance novels. She is most highly noted for The Breeds series and The Men of August. Now lives in PA.

The Breeds

1. Tempting the Beast (Feline Breeds) (Ellora's Cave) (2003)
2. The Man Within (Feline Breeds) (Ellora's Cave) (2005)
3. Elizabeth's Wolf (Wolf Breeds) (Ellora's Cave) (2005)
4. Kiss of Heat (Feline Breeds) (Ellora's Cave) (2005)
5. Soul Deep (Coyote Breeds) (Ellora's Cave) (2007)
6. The Breed Next Door (Hotspell Anthology) (Berkley) (2006)
7. Megan's Mark (Feline Breeds) (Berkley) (2006)
8. Harmony's Way (Feline Breeds) (Berkley) (2006)
9. Tanner's Scheme (Feline Breeds) (Berkley) (2007)
10. Wolfe's Hope (Primal Heat Anthology) (Ellora's Cave) (2004)
11. Jacob's Faith (Wolf Breeds) (Ellora's Cave) (2004)
12. Aiden's Charity (Wolf Breeds) (Ellora's Cave) (2007)
13. In A Wolf's Embrace (Beyond The Dark Anthology) (Berkly) (2009)
14. Dawn's Awakening (Feline Breeds) (Berkley) (2008)
15. A Jaguar's Kiss (Shifter Anthology) (Berkley) (2008)
16. Mercury's War (Feline Breeds) (Berkley) (2008)
17. Christmas Heat (The Magical Christmas Cat Anthology) (Berkley) (2008)
18. Coyote's Mate (Coyote Breeds) (Berkley) (2009)
19. Bengal's Heart (Feline Breeds) (Berkley) (2009)
20. A Christmas Kiss (Hot for the Holidays Anthology) (Berkley) (2009)
21. Lion's Heat (Feline Breeds) (Berkley) (2010)
22. Styx's Storm (Berkley) (October, 2010)
23. Primal(February, 2011)
24. Navarro's Promise(April, 2011)

Men of August

1. Marly's Choice (Ellora's Cave) (2003)
2. Sarah's Seduction (Ellora's Cave) (2004)
3. Heather's Gift (Ellora's Cave) (2005)
4. August Heat (12 Quickies of Christmas Anthology) (Ellora's Cave)

Nauti Boys

1. Nauti Boy/Nauti Buoy (Berkley) (2007)
2. Nauti Nights (Berkley) (2007)
3. Nauti Dreams (Berkley) (2008)
4. Nauti Intentions (Berkley) (2009)
5. Nauti Deceptions (Berkley) (2010)
6. Nauti & Wild (Nauti & Wild Anthology) (Berkley) (August, 2010)

The SEALs

1. Reno's Chance (Honk If You Love Real Men Anthology) (St Martin's Press) (2005)
2. Dangerous Games (St Martin's Press) (2007)
3. For Maggie's Sake (Real Men Do It Better Anthology) (St Martin's Press) (2007)
4. Hidden Agendas (St Martin's Press) (2007)
5. Killer Secrets (St Martin's Press) (2008)
6. Atlanta Heat (Rescue Me Anthology) (St Martin's Press) (2008)

The Elite Ops Series

1. Wild Card (St Martin's Press)
2. Maverick (St Martin's Press)
3. Heat Seeker (St Martin's Press)
4. Black Jack (St Martin's Press)
5. Renegade (St Martin's Press)
6. Live Wire (St Martin's Press)

Extras

1. Night Hawk (St Martin's Press)
2. Enigma (St Martin's Press)

Bound Hearts Series

1. Surrender (Surrender To Fire Anthology) (Ellora's Cave)
2. Submission/Seduction (Books 2 & 3) (Ellora's Cave)
3. Wicked Sacrifice (Books 4 & 5) (Ellora's Cave)
4. Shameless Embraces (Books 6 & 7) (Ellora's Cave)
5. Forbidden Pleasure (St. Martin's Press)
6. Wicked Pleasure (St. Martin's Press)
7. Only Pleasure (St. Martin's Press)
8. Guilty Pleasure (St. Martin's Press)

The Legacy Series

1. Shattered Legacy (Ellora's Cave)
2. Shadowed Legacy (Ellora's Cave)
3. Savage Legacy (Ellora's Cave)
4. Dragon Prime (Related to Legacies) (Ellora's Cave)

Wounded Warrior

1. Cooper's Fall (Real Men Last All Night Anthology) (St Martin's)

Men of Summer

1. Loving Lies (Samhain Publishing)

Chronicles of Brydon

1. Broken Wings (Cerridwen Press)

B.O.B.s

1. B.O.B's Fall (Ellora's Cave)

Cowboys and Captives

1. Cowboy And The Captive (Cops & Cowboys Anthology) (Ellora's Cave)
2. Cowboy And The Thief (A Wish, A Kiss, A Dream Anthology) (Ellora's Cave)

The Wizard Twins

1. Menage A Magick (Ellora's Cave)
2. When Wizards Rule (Ellora's Cave)

Law and Disorder

1. Moving Violations (Ellora's Cave)

Blood Ties

1. Knight Stalker (Manaconda Anthology) (Ellora's Cave)

Non-Series

• Fyre Brand (Surrender To Fire Anthology) (Ellora's Cave)
• Time Share: Amelia's Journey (Ellora's Cavemen: Tales From The Temple 1 Anthology) (Ellora's Cave)
• Sealed With A Wish (White Hot Holidays Volume 1 Anthology) (Ellora's Cave)

The Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich

Overview

Janet Evanovich admits that Stephanie Plum's character is inspired by her own, in both history and "similar embarrassing experiences." Evanovich says, "I wouldn't go so far as to say Stephanie is an autobiographical character, but I will admit to knowing where she lives." Like Evanovich, Stephanie originates from Trenton, New Jersey, the city where the series is set. Stephanie grew up in the Chambersburg neighborhood known to locals as "the Burg", and - like Evanovich - attended Douglass College, although Stephanie graduated "without distinction". The Burg is often portrayed in the series as a close-knit community, from which people rarely leave. Stephanie often finds former classmates and neighbors still living in the Burg, only a few streets away from their childhood home. After graduation, Stephanie married Dickie Orr, then promptly divorced him after discovering him in their new home, cheating on her with rival Joyce Barnhardt on their brand new dining room table. At the beginning of the first book, One For the Money, Stephanie has been laid off from her job as a lingerie buyer, she is being forced to sell off her appliances one by one in order to pay her rent, and her car is repossessed. This last straw prompts her to turn to her cousin Vinnie, owner of Vincent Plum Bail Bonds, for a job. She originally hopes to find a file clerk job at the Bail Bonds office but the position was taken, and the only position available is as an apprehension agent or bounty hunter. Vinnie refuses to hire her, but she manages to convince him to give her a shot by threatening to blackmail him.

Family

Grandma Mazur
Grandma Mazur is Stephanie's maternal grandmother. In Two For The Dough her real name is Edna. She lives in Stephanie's parents' house ever since her husband died of heart failure. In Lean Mean Thirteen Grandma Mazur uses his real name: Harry. She is a woman unwilling to grow old, ever. Stephanie relates to Grandma Mazur more than any other member of her family. Beginning in Two For the Dough, Grandma Mazur begins to tag along on cases with Stephanie, often pulling a gun out of her purse at inappropriate moments. Grandma Mazur also frequents the local funeral parlors because they are the social center of the neighborhood. She sometimes peeks underneath the casket lid to see the dead body, causing hysteria in the parlor. Grandma Mazur is also the official owner of Big Blue, a '53 powder blue Buick that men love and women hate. The car is virtually indestructible, and Grandma Mazur got it from Stephanie's Grand Uncle Sandor. She moved in with Stephanie for a short periods of time during "Hot Six". She also occasionally watches pay-per-view porn, on account that "The Weather Channel doesn't have enough action". In several interviews, Evanovich says the inspiration for Grandma Mazur is "loosely based on my Aunt Lena and my Grandma Fanny," adding "She's who I want to be when I grow up."

Valerie
Valerie, Stephanie's older sister who moved to California after getting married, is mentioned briefly in the first six books as being the perfect daughter. For the first six books, Valerie lived in California. In Seven Up, Valerie moves back in with her parents after a failed marriage, her two daughters - Angie and Mary Alice - in tow. Angie is much like Valerie was at her age, and Mary Alice has a vivid imagination more like her Aunt Stephanie. Valerie tries to become a lesbian in book seven but doesn't like it. Her husband is mentioned, but never appears in the books, as having run away with Angie's and Mary Alice's babysitter. In Hard Eight, Valerie becomes bumbling lawyer Albert Kloughn's (Pronounced, CLOWN) receptionist, and the two begin a relationship. In Visions of Sugar Plums Valerie becomes pregnant with Kloughn's daughter, whom they name Lisa. In Eleven on Top, Valerie and Kloughn cancel their wedding after a stressful bout of wedding planning, but are eventually tricked into getting married in Plum Lovin' after Val gets pregnant with Kloughn's second child.

Stephanie's parents
Her mother, Ellen, and father, Frank, have the type of relationship built to last. Her father gets served first in exchange for getting to pretend he controls the house, and to keep him from stabbing Grandma Mazur with his fork. Her mother gets to cook and rule the house. Her mother thinks Stephanie should have a relationship like hers but Steph is skittish about marrying again. Her mother also wants Stephanie to get a nice, safe job and reminds her regularly, "They're hiring at the button factory!" Her father seems less concerned about Stephanie and her job. Stephanie's father also drives a cab part time to get away from Grandma Mazur and, later in the series, Valerie and Albert Kloughn when they move into Stephanie's parents' house.

Bob
Bob is a big golden retriever a policeman acquaintance conned Stephanie into dog-sitting for in Hot Six. The arrangement becomes permanent when the owner refuses to reclaim the dog, and Bob became a part of Stephanie's life. By Seven Up, Bob had decided to move in with Joe Morelli, and he and Stephanie now have shared ownership of him. Bob has been described as a big, orange bottomless pit. He'll eat just about anything (including various items of clothing- thongs, socks, shoes and more!) and usually leaves big dog piles wherever he goes... which is why Stephanie likes to walk him on Joyce Barnhardt's lawn.

Rex
Stephanie's roommate/hamster. Spends most of his time sleeping in his soup can or running on his wheel. Known to bite when scared or frightened.

Romantic relationships

Joseph Morelli
Joe Morelli is Stephanie's on-and-off boyfriend, a former bad boy turned vice cop. He is also known as Officer Hottie or the Italian Stallion. Her history with Morelli started with a "choo choo" incident when she was six. At the age of sixteen, Stephanie lost her virginity to Morelli in the Tasty Pastry shop behind the éclair stand, after which he never called (but left quite a few flattering messages in bathroom and stadium walls around town). Three years later she saw Morelli and ran over him with her father's Buick, breaking his leg. A few years later in One for the Money Morelli was suspected of murder and was her first FTA, and Stephanie chased him around town, much to his annoyance. Eventually, she turns him in (after locking him in a freezer truck with three bodies) and clears his name. In Three To Get Deadly, she notices that he's stopped flirting and trying to get her into bed. After she asks him why, Morelli claims that "A man would have to be a total masochist to be interested in you", but by the end, he is interested in her again. Their relationship has since evolved into a romance that runs alternately passionately hot and ice cold. At various times, both Stephanie and Morelli have seriously considered marriage, but never at the same time. They both know they're not ready for commitment, but often comment on the idea together and have lived together more than once. Their relationship runs cold as a result of many arguments - usually over her job (She's been known to stress Morelli enough that he tends to takes Rolaids & Maalox and tells her that he is quickly deteriorating because of her) and they eventually lead to her relationship with Ranger. Being that both were born & bred in Trenton, whatever happens to/around her usually has a number of others calling Morelli to inform him - cars being blown, bodies being found, etc. He's said that he doesn't even need to listen to the radio anymore; he knows she's always involved (usually by some illegal means) and that he always gets calls about her and the latest situation she's in. By the later books, Morelli has resignedly accepted it to be almost normal, but it doesn't make him any less stressed or worried. Morelli has told her that he trusts her, but he doesn't trust Ranger (same with Diesel) and she often has bouts of jealousy when Morelli's name is said with other women. She's been prone to sneaking around his house to spy when that happens. Later on, it appears that he has finally accepted her job (Not so much the Ranger part), but it doesn't keep him less worried or try less to protect her. In the more recent books, he often tag-teams with Ranger for her protection, much to her extreme annoyance at being shuffled back and forth between the two men like luggage. Stephanie also stays at his house often, which he inherited from his Aunt Rose. She comments on how he's different from his infamous Morelli male relatives and has domesticated since his "wild-oat sowing days." In Seven Up, Stephanie and Joe announced their engagement under pressure from their families, but called off the wedding in book seven. When asked if Stephanie and Morelli will end up in a permanent relationship, Evanovich responds, "I don't want to tie Stephanie down to Morelli yet. Maybe some day, but certainly not for several more books." In Twelve Sharp, Stephanie is finally able to tell Morelli that she loves him, but omits the part about how she loves Ranger as well.

Ranger
Ranger is Stephanie's fellow bounty hunter and tutor and sometimes known as Batman because of his mysterious ways. Ranger is Cuban-American, and drives a rotation of very expensive black cars (Stephanie has lingering questions about the origin of Ranger's car-supply, but he will only say 'Don't ask'). He is the C.E.O. of RangeMan, Inc., a security company (among other things). Ranger's real name is Ricardo Carlos Mañoso; in High Five we learn he has a daughter named Julie. Julie's mother is named Rachel and a stepfather named Ron; Ranger got her pregnant one night when he was in the military and on leave. Ranger married her and gave the baby his name and financial support. The two were divorced when the baby was born, but he visits when invited. Stephanie's relationship with Ranger, somewhere between boyfriend/girlfriend and teacher/pupil, provides much of her day-to-day stress, along with the almost constant threat of car bombing. Ranger says he loves Stephanie "in his own way" but isn't the marrying type. Even if she is on with Morelli, it doesn't stop Ranger from kissing or flirting with her, nor does she do much to discourage his advances. Regardless of his rivalry with Morelli, he has said that "Morelli is a good man" and is the marrying type Stephanie wants. Ranger does high-dollar or high-risk recovery for Vinnie, and sometimes lends Stephanie a hand with some of the more dangerous or slippery FTAs. He often assigns employees to guard or track her when she is in serious danger. Ranger "bleeds money" every time Stephanie requires protection, which is frequently; she minds, but he doesn't so much - she actually appears as a line item in his budget (where she's listed under "entertainment"). In some of the later novels, Stephanie moonlights for RangeMan during safety or financial dilemmas. As a result of him often coming to her aid or rescue, she has built up quite a tab with him and he has said that one day, he will collect. She also has a key to his seventh-floor apartment and sometimes goes there when she feels threatened. To him and his Merry Men, Stephanie is considered his "personal property" and he often tag-teams with Morelli for her protection. By "Twelve Sharp", after being kidnapped with Julie by a Ranger copycat, Stephanie realizes that she loves both Morelli and Ranger. More than once, she has acknowledged that she can't ever have the full family life she wants with Ranger (He has made it clear more than once that he won't settle down), but continues to associate with him anyway - much to Morelli's dismay.

Diesel
Diesel appears in the four holiday novellas: Visions of Sugar Plums, Plum Loving, Plum Lucky, and Plum Spooky. Originally born Swiss, he is described as "over six feet of gorgeous, hard-muscled, slightly tanned male" with brown eyes and thick, unruly sandy blond hair with a dangerous set of dimples. Although not nearly as significant as Morelli and Ranger, Diesel and Stephanie share a mild flirtation. But like Morelli and Ranger, he also has affectionate nicknames for her and is just as every bit amused at the situations she finds herself in. He has special abilities and his job is to track down fugitives with supernatural abilities, called Unmentionables. He pops up every once in a while in Stephanie's life and always sleeps in her bed when he's in town (staying at her apartment and sometimes going over to dinner at her parents'). In Plum Lucky, when Stephanie mentions Diesel to Ranger, Ranger shows exasperation and when asked if he doesn't like Diesel, simply says, "We don't hang out together." After finding out about Stephanie's involvement with Diesel, Ranger warns her about Diesel's enemies. Stephanie has made it clear that she is not looking for a relationship (already possessing a boyfriend, to whom she is "practically married" Twelve Sharp, and another, even more mysterious man in her life, whom she has admitted she also loves), but it hardly stops Diesel from making moves - sleeping on top of her in bed, somehow stealing her bra (while she's still wearing it), etc. In Plum Spooky, she and Diesel babysit Carl the monkey and get stuck caring for other monkeys they pick up as well. When Ranger finds out that Diesel has been carting the monkeys around, he "looked like he might burst out laughing again." After she is seen with him at Pino's in Plum Spooky, Morelli gets several calls informing him and is also none too happy about Diesel's living arrangements with her when he's around. But like Morelli, Diesel resorted to Pepto-Bismol worrying over Stephanie's safety in "Plum Spooky" (after telling her he was getting an ulcer because of her). He thinks it's amusing that she's so gullible about his paranormal abilities. Despite her ongoing romantic entanglements with two men already, Diesel doesn't mind trying to get her into bed as well and constantly flirts with her.

Friends and colleagues

Lula
Lula was introduced as a minor character working as a hooker in the first book in the series, One For the Money. In Two For the Dough, she becomes Vinnie's filing clerk and Stephanie's sometimes partner. Stephanie refers to her as a plus-sized black woman who attempts to shove a size 16 body into size 10 spandex. She reappears in later books after she begins to work as a file clerk at the bail bonds office. The other file clerk quit after Vinnie attempted to sexually harass her. Lula is a poor file clerk, and frequently accompanies Stephanie when she is going after bonded clients who haven't shown up for their court appearance (known colloquially as Failure to Appear, or FTAs). By the 11th book, Lula has worked her way up into being a full time bounty hunter and takes over for Stephanie after she quits working as a bounty hunter. Eventually Stephanie returns to the job, and Lula goes back to being the file clerk and Stephanie's sometime partner.

Connie Rosolli
Connie is Vinnie's receptionist/guard dog. Her ties to the Mafia are hinted at but never fully explored. She is short and curvy with a hairy upper lip. Stephanie went to school with her little sister Tina. She is occasionally described as Betty Boop with a moustache.

Mary Lou
Mary Lou Stankovic is Stephanie's best friend. Married to Lenny Stankovic with children and a dog. Stephanie occasionally pays her a visit, usually to talk about Morelli. Maiden name is Mary Lou Molnar.

Vinnie PlumVinnie is the owner of Vincent Plum's Bail Bonds, where Stephanie is employed. He is also Stephanie's cousin, and he can barely tolerate his employees. He's rumored to have had a romantic relationship with a duck and is usually locked away in his office talking with his bookie; taking a snooze or having a conversation with his "Johnson".

List of Books In Order

• (1995). One For the Money
• (1996). Two For the Dough
• (1997). Three to Get Deadly.
• (1998). Four to Score.
• (1999). High Five.
• (2000). Hot Six.
• (2001). Seven Up.
• (2002). Hard Eight.
• (2003). Visions of Sugar Plums. A short Christmas special.
• (2003). To the Nines.
• (2004). Ten Big Ones.
• (2005). Eleven on Top.
• (2006). Twelve Sharp.
• (2007). Plum Lovin'.
• (2007). Lean Mean Thirteen.
• (2008). Plum Lucky.
• (2008). Fearless Fourteen.
• (2009). Plum Spooky.
• (2009). Finger-Lickin' Fifteen.
• (2010). Sizzling Sixteen.
• (2011). Smokin' Seventeen.

 

Each book in the series will be featured at some point. Keep checking this blog!

The Level 26 Books by Anthony Zuiker

CSI's creator, Anthony E. Zuiker, has written the very first "digi novel". It's name is Level 26 Dark Origins. This page is in no way affiliated with Mr. Zuiker, but it's to promote an amazing book and encourage other fans to check the books out.

Book One-	Law enforcement categorizes killers on a scale of one to 25, with 25 being the sadistic psychopath. However, one brutal serial killer, code-named “Sqweegel,” has earned his own special designation of Level 26. Only one man—federal agent Steve Dark—has ever gotten close to catching him, but the effort cost Dark the lives of his foster family and drove him into self-imposed retirement. Now the agency wants him back on the case and, it would seem, so does Sqweegel. John Glover has a wonderful time narrating Zuiker's debut thriller; his committed delivery runs the gambit from serious to lighthearted, maniacal to deadly serious. Even if the story leans toward the cliché and the breaks directing listeners to webisodes are intrusive and irritating, the delivery is engrossing. It should be noted that some sections of the book are disturbing, and Glover's performance only makes them doubly so. Not for the fainthearted. A Dutton hardcover. ~Publishers Weekly The book is disturbing, well written and scary as hell. I am just now getting into the book and I'm hooked. I'll review it once I'm finished, but let me go ahead and tell you that yes, it's worth buying, yes, it's worth watching the videos and yes, it's going to scare the hell out of you.~PiperGrissom
Book Two-	The second book in the groundbreaking bestselling trilogy, from the creator of the CSI franchise. Steve Dark was once a lost soul, torn between his family and his one-of-a-kind talent for hunting and catching serial killers-especially those so-called "level 26" killers whose depravity exceeds law enforcement's official scale of evil. In his reluctant pursuit of justice Dark once crossed the ultimate line, a line that might cause a lesser man to lose himself completely. Not Dark. When the world took everything from him, when it destroyed the very thing Dark once lived for, it brought a moment of clarity that few before him have witnessed, and sparked a transformation that, several years later, is only just complete. Dark is now a man on a mission. A mission that no longer requires law enforcement support. A mission unbound by authorities, moral or otherwise, and supported by a mysterious benefactor with unknown goals of her own. A mission that, at long last, allows him to embrace his destiny. Dark is finally ready- ready to take justice to the next level.~Amazon.com Review to come

Thrillers/Mysteries "The Spenser Series" by Robert B Parker

Spenser (his first name is never revealed) is a fictional character in a series of detective novels initially by the American mystery writer Robert B. Parker and later by Ace Atkins. He is also featured in a television series (Spenser: For Hire) and a series of TV movies (Spenser (TV films)) based on the novels.

Fictional biography

Spenser was born in Laramie, Wyoming and is a Boston private eye in the mold of Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe, a smart-mouthed tough guy with a heart of gold. Unlike Marlowe, Spenser maintains a committed relationship with one woman (Susan Silverman). Although he is an ex-boxer (who likes to remind readers that he once fought the former heavyweight champ Jersey Joe Walcott) and lifts weights to stay in shape, he also is quite well educated, cooks, and lives by a code of honor he and Susan discuss occasionally—though as infrequently as he can manage. Spenser bears more than a passing resemblance to his creator, Robert B. Parker. Both are Bostonians, and both spent time in Korea with the U.S. Army. Unlike Parker, however, Spenser hardly grows older. He was 37 when introduced in The Godwulf Manuscript and is now (mid-October 2006) some 49½ years old, according to the "Bullets-and-Beer formula", aging 12½ years for about 36 years of real time. This requires some retconning—Spenser stopped making reference to his military service in the Korean War as an eighteen-year-old, as he did in the first novels — although in 2006's Hundred Dollar Baby Spenser mentions being on "R and R" in Japan before going back to the war, although exactly which war is not made clear. The other major character in the Spenser novels is his close friend Hawk, an equally tough but somewhat shady echo of Spenser himself. Spenser and Hawk met as boxing opponents in a preliminary bout in the Boston Arena (now known as Matthews Arena). Each man believes he was the victor." Hawk may be modeled on the sidekick in Book Five of Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene; Artegal, the knight of justice, has a helper named Talus who is an invincible man of iron.

Spenser was a former State trooper assigned to the Suffolk County DA's Office (although some novels state that he also worked out of the Middlesex County DA's Office, for example in Walking Shadow and the pilot episode of Spenser: For Hire said he was a Boston Police detective), and regularly seeks help from (or sometimes butts heads with) Martin Quirk (originally a lieutenant, later a captain) of the Boston Police Department. Among his other police contacts are Sgt. Frank Belson and Detective Lee Farrell, both homicide investigators under Quirk's command; Healy, a captain of the Massachusetts State Police; and Samuelson, an LAPD lieutenant (later promoted to captain, as mentioned in Back Story). Scotch is Spenser's drink of celebration. This is mostly having to do with an encounter with a bear while bird hunting in his teens. Spenser seems to agree with William Faulkner's assessment of scotch — "that brown liquor which not women, not boys and children, but only hunters drank." After his mother's death (which occurred prior to Spenser's birth — he was an emergency C-section), Spenser was raised by his father and two uncles (his mother's brothers), all of them carpenters, who do not appear in the series. When Spenser was about "ten or twelve", his father, his uncles and Spenser moved to Boston which Spenser's father considered "the Athens of America." Spenser received a football scholarship to Holy Cross, where he played strong safety. Spenser dropped out because he didn't like being ordered around by the coach. His family unit beyond his near-fraternal relationship with Hawk is essentially Susan Silverman, an unofficial foster son named Paul Giacomin, and a series of dogs named Pearl (who is named after Spenser's childhood dog of the same breed). Silverman, originally a high school guidance counselor, continues to assist Spenser in his cases after becoming a Harvard-trained Ph.D. psychologist. Giacomin, initially an awkward, unsocialized teenager, becomes a professional actor/dancer. Author Parker has been photographed on the Spenser series dustjackets with a dog identical to the Pearls.~wikipedia and Robert B. Parker's Official website

Novels

• The Godwulf Manuscript (1973)
• God Save the Child (1974)
• Mortal Stakes (1975)
• Promised Land (1976)
• The Judas Goat (1978)
• Looking for Rachel Wallace (1980)
• A Savage Place (1981)
• Early Autumn (1981)
• Ceremony (1982)
• The Widening Gyre (1983)
• Valediction (1984)
• A Catskill Eagle (1985)
• Taming a Seahorse (1986)
• Pale Kings and Princes (1987)
• Crimson Joy (1988)
• Playmates (1989)
• Stardust (1990)
• Pastime (1991)
• Double Deuce (1992)
• Paper Doll (1993)
• Walking Shadow (1994)
• Thin Air (1995)
• Chance (1996)
• Small Vices (1997)
• Sudden Mischief (1998)
• Hush Money (1999)
• Hugger Mugger (2000)
• Potshot (2001)
• Widow's Walk (2002)
• Back Story (2003)
• Bad Business (2004)
• Cold Service (2005)
• School Days (2005)
• The Hundred Dollar Baby (2006)
• Now and Then (2007)
• Rough Weather (2008)
• Chasing the Bear: A Young Spenser Novel (2009)
• The Professional (2009)
• Painted Ladies (2010)
• Sixkill (2011)

Each book in the series will eventually be featured on this blog-one at a time.
 

Thrillers: "The Millennium Series" By Steig Larsson

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

*The 1st edition Swedish cover*


The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (original title in Swedish: Män som hatar kvinnor – "Men Who Hate Women") is an award-winning crime novel and locked room mystery by Swedish author and journalist Stieg Larsson, the first in his "Millennium series". At his death in November 2004, Larsson left three unpublished novels that made up the trilogy. It became a posthumous best-seller in several European countries as well as in the United States. Larsson witnessed the gang rape of a young girl when he was 15. He never forgave himself for failing to help the girl, whose name was Lisbeth – like the young heroine of his books, herself a rape victim, which inspired the theme of sexual violence against women in his books.

Introduction

This novel supplies a genealogical table to understand the relationships of the five generation-old Vanger family who, in the novel, are under investigation. Robert Dessaix of the Sydney Morning Herald writes:

An epic tale of serial murder and corporate trickery spanning several continents, the novel takes place in complicated international financial fraud and the buried evil past of a wealthy Swedish industrial family. Through its main character, it also references classic forebears of the crime thriller genre while its style mixes aspects of the sub-genres. There are references to Astrid Lindgren, Enid Blyton, Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers, as well as Sue Grafton, J.R.R. Tolkien, Val McDermid, Elizabeth George, Sara Paretsky, and several other key authors of detective novels. A journalist and magazine editor in Stockholm until his death, Larsson reveals a knowledge and enjoyment of both English and American crime fiction. He declared that he wrote his opus for his own pleasure in the evenings after work.

With the exception of the fictional Hedestad, the novel takes place in real Swedish towns. The Millennium magazine featured in the books has characteristics similar to that of Larsson's magazine, Expo, which also had financial difficulties.

Plot

Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden's wealthiest families disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided by the pierced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption.

Reception and awards

A tale of contemporary culture and corruption, the novel was released to great acclaim in Sweden and later, on its publication in many other European countries. In the original language, it won Sweden's Glass Key Award in 2006 for best crime novel of the year. It also won the 2008 Boeke Prize, and in 2009 the Galaxy British Book Awards for Books Direct Crime Thriller of the Year, and the prestigious Anthony Award for Best First Novel. Larsson was posthumously awarded the ITV3 Crime Thriller Award for International Author of the Year in 2008. As of June 3rd, 2011, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has sold over 3.4 million copies in hardcover or ebook formats, and 15 million copies altogether.





~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The Girl Who Played With Fire

*The 1st Edition Swedish Cover*


The Girl Who Played with Fire (Swedish: Flickan som lekte med elden) is the second novel in the best-selling "Millennium series" by Swedish writer Stieg Larsson. It was published posthumously in Swedish in 2006 and in English in January 2009. The book features many of the characters that appeared in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, among them the title character, Lisbeth Salander, a social misfit, and Mikael Blomkvist, an investigative journalist and publisher of Millennium magazine. Widely seen as a critical success, The Girl Who Played with Fire was also (according to The Bookseller magazine) the first and only translated novel to be number one in the UK hardback chart

Plot

Mikael Blomkvist, crusading publisher of the magazine Millennium, has decided to run a story that will expose an extensive sex trafficking operation. On the eve of its publication, the two reporters responsible for the article are murdered, and the fingerprints found on the murder weapon belong to his friend, the troubled genius hacker Lisbeth Salander. Blomkvist, convinced of Salander’s innocence, plunges into an investigation. Meanwhile, Salander herself is drawn into a murderous game of cat and mouse, which forces her to face her dark past.

Reception

The English version was published in January 2009 and immediately became a number 1 bestseller. It received reviews from most of the major UK newspapers. Many reviewers agreed with Joan Smith at the Sunday Times that this novel was “even more gripping and astonishing than the first”. Carla McKay at the Daily Mail said that, like its predecessor, the book is "not just a thrilling read, but tackles head-on the kind of issues that Larsson himself railed against in society". Most of the reviewers concentrated mainly on the character of Lisbeth Salander, with Mark Lawson at the Guardian saying that "the huge pleasure of these books is Salander, a fascinating creation with a complete and complex psychology". Boyd Tonkin in The Independent saying that "the spiky and sassy Lisbeth Salander – punkish wild child, traumatised survivor of the "care" system, sexual adventurer and computer hacker of genius" was "the most original heroine to emerge in crime fiction for many years"








~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornest's Nest

*The 1st Edition Swedish Cover*


The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest (original title in Swedish: Luftslottet som sprängdes, in English: The air castle that was blown up) is the third and final novel in the best-selling "Millennium series" by Swedish writer Stieg Larsson. The novel is the sequel to The Girl Who Played with Fire. It was published posthumously in Swedish in 2007 and in English in the UK in October 2009.

Plot

Lisbeth Salander—the heart of Larsson’s two previous novels—lies in critical condition, a bullet wound to her head, in the intensive care unit of a Swedish city hospital. She’s fighting for her life in more ways than one: if and when she recovers, she’ll be taken back to Stockholm to stand trial for three murders. With the help of her friend, journalist Mikael Blomkvist, she will not only have to prove her innocence, but also identify and denounce those in authority who have allowed the vulnerable, like herself, to suffer abuse and violence. And, on her own, she will plot revenge—against the man who tried to kill her, and the corrupt government institutions that very nearly destroyed her life.Once upon a time, she was a victim. Now Salander is fighting back.

Real Characters from Larsson's Life

• Svante Branden, Helps Lisbeth Salander "by denouncing the fraudulent analysis of Dr. Peter Teleborian and the arbitrary internment to which he had subjected her." Stieg Larsson and his life partner Eva Gabrielsson were loaned a student room by the real Svante Branden who, after neighboring Larsson in Umeå, was a psychiatrist and a friend. In her book "There Are Things I Want You to Know" About Stieg Larsson and Me Gabrielsson writes that the character and the person were a lot alike because Svante "was against every form of violation of human rights and freedom. When Stieg made him one of the heroes of The Millennium Trilogy, it was a way of paying homage to him."
• Anders Jakobsson, the doctor who admits Lisbeth Salander to the emergency room of Sahlgrenska University Hospital, performs her surgery, and helps her significantly throughout her hospital stay. The real Anders Jakobsson was a longtime friend of Stieg Larsson and Eva Gabrielsson. His name was changed in the novel to Anders Jonasson after Anders Jakobsson ran into Erland, Larson's father, in a supermarket and told him how he felt about Gabrielsson being denied all that Stieg left behind in his death. This story has been confirmed by the living Larssons and the publisher of the novels. (From WikiPedia)

Reception

The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest listed at the top of Amazon.com's bestseller list before arriving in bookstores, extremely unusual for an English language book in translation. The Millennium series is described in a New York Times review as "utterly addicting", and this, the third in the series received a good review. Salander is described as "one of the most original characters in a thriller to come along in a while". The combination of her resourcefulness, intelligence and apparent fragility underlies her ability to win the battle to have her re-institutionalized. The compelling character of Salander and her past, completely explained in the volume of the trilogy, is a counterpoint to Blomkvist's more mundane character, writes the reviewer. The novel itself is compared to John LeCarre's cold-war thrillers. The Los Angeles Times reports that The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest confirms the popularity of the series with the claim, "It's an authentic phenomenon". Writing for The Guardian, Kate Mosse declares The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest is a "grown-up work for grown-up readers", which she, unlike the The Los Angeles Times, shows a well-presented plausible narrative. Writing for The Washington Post, Patrick Anderson claims the third in the series "brings the saga to a satisfactory conclusion"

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Lolita is a novel by Vladimir Nabokov, first written in English and published in 1955 in Paris and 1958 in New York, and later translated by the author into Russian. The book is internationally famous for its innovative style and infamous for its controversial subject: the protagonist and unreliable narrator, middle-aged Humbert Humbert, who becomes obsessed and sexually involved with a 12-year-old girl named Dolores Haze for whom his private nickname is Lolita. After its publication, Nabokov's Lolita attained a classic status, becoming one of the best-known and most controversial examples of 20th century literature. The name "Lolita" has entered pop culture to describe a sexually precocious girl. The novel was adapted to film by Stanley Kubrick in 1962, and again in 1997 by Adrian Lyne. Lolita is included on Time's list of the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to 2005. It is fourth on the Modern Library's 1998 list of the 100 Best Novels of the 20th century. It also made the World Library's list of one of The 100 Best Books of All Time.
The novel is a tragicomedy narrated by Humbert, who riddles the narrative with word play and his wry observations of American culture. His humor provides an effective counterpoint to the pathos of the tragic plot. The novel's flamboyant style is characterized by double entendres, multilingual puns, anagrams, and coinages such as nymphet, a word that has since had a life of its own and can be found in most dictionaries, and the lesser used "faunlet." One of the novel's characters, "Vivian Darkbloom", is an anagram of the author's name.
Several times, Humbert begs the reader to understand that he is not proud of his union with Lolita, but is filled with remorse. At one point, he listens to the sounds of children playing outdoors, and is stricken with guilt at the realization that he robbed Lolita of her childhood. When he is reunited with the adult Lolita, he realizes that he still loves her even if she no longer is the nymphet of his dreams. Some critics have accepted Humbert's version of events at face value. In 1959, novelist Robertson Davies excused the narrator entirely, writing that the theme of Lolita is "not the corruption of an innocent child by a cunning adult, but the exploitation of a weak adult by a corrupt child. This is no pretty theme, but it is one with which social workers, magistrates and psychiatrists are familiar."~wikipedia

Films about Lolita

• In "The Missing Page", one of the most popular episodes (from 1960) of the British sitcom Hancock's Half Hour, Tony Hancock has read virtually every book in the library except Lolita, which is always out on loan. He repeatedly asks if it has been returned. When it is eventually returned, there is a commotion amongst the library users who all want the book. This specific incident in the episode is discussed in a 2003 article on the decline of the use of public libraries in Britain by G. K. Peatling.

• In the Woody Allen film Manhattan (1979), when Mary (Diane Keaton) discovers Isaac Davis (Allen) is dating a 17-year-old (Mariel Hemingway), she says, "Somewhere Nabokov is smiling". Alan A. Stone speculates that Lolita had inspired Manhattan. Graham Vickers describes the female lead in Allen's movie as "a Lolita that is allowed to express her own point of view" and emerges from the relationship "graceful, generous, and optimistic".

• In the 1999 film American Beauty, the name of protagonist Lester Burnham—a middle-aged man with a crush on his daughter's best friend—is an anagram of "Humbert learns". The girl's surname is Hays, which recalls Haze. Tracy Lemaster sees many parallels between the two stories including their references to rose petals and sports, arguing that Beauty's cheerleading scene is directly derived from the tennis scene in Lolita.

• In the Jim Jarmusch film Broken Flowers, Bill Murray's character comes across a young, overtly sexualised, girl named Lolita.

Popular Music about the novel

• In The Police song "Don't Stand So Close to Me" about a schoolgirl's crush on her teacher, the teacher "starts to shake and cough/just like the old man in that book by Nabokov."

• In the title song of her mainstream debut album, One of the Boys, Katy Perry says that she "studied Lolita religiously", and the cover-shot of the album references Lolita's appearance in the earlier Stanley Kubrick film. Perry has admitted on multiple occasions to a fascination and identification with the Lolita character and concept. However, the song's lyrics connote a cautionary attitude towards boys as a consequence of reading the novel.
  Though both Marilyn Manson and Belinda claimed the novel as the inspiration for their music, the heart-shaped glasses to which both refer appeared originally in the poster art of the 1962 film adaptation and later on some paperback copies of the novel.

• Marilyn Manson's song Heart-Shaped Glasses (When the Heart Guides the Hand) was indirectly inspired by both the novel and the heart-shaped glasses worn by Lolita in the poster for Stanley Kubrick's film. In a BBC Radio One interview, Manson said he had been reading the novel as a consequence of now having a much younger girlfriend, Evan Rachel Wood. She consequently showed up to meet him one day wearing heart-shaped glasses (which she also wears in the music video of the song). With more direct reference to Nabokov's story, Mexican singer Belinda's 2010 song "Lolita" says that although Nabokov wrote of the heart-shaped glasses it was actually Lolita who invented them. (The glasses appeared originally in the poster art of Kubrick's film of Lolita but the same painting has been on some paperback covers of the book). Belinda's song appears on her the Carpe Diem album, and has been a theme song of two Mexican television series, the telenovela Camaleones and the soap opera Niñas Mal (bad girls).

A closer look at the films based on Lolita (will include spoilers for the novel so beware)

Lolita~1962

"How did they make a movie out of Lolita?" teased the print ads of this Stanley Kubrick production. The answer: by adding three years to the title character's age. The original Vladimir Nabokov novel caused no end of scandal by detailing the romance between a middle-aged intellectual and a 12-year-old nymphet. The affair is "cleansed" ever so slightly in the film by making Lolita a 15-year-old (portrayed by 16-year-old Sue Lyon). In adapting his novel to film, Nabokov downplayed the wicked satire and sensuality of the material, concentrating instead on the story's farcical aspects. James Mason plays professor Humbert Humbert, who while waiting to begin a teaching post in the United States rents a room from blowzy Shelley Winters. Winters immediately falls for the worldly Humbert, but he only has eyes for his landlady's nubile daughter Lolita. The professor goes so far as to marry Winters so that he can remain near to the object of his ardor. Turning up like a bad penny at every opportunity is smarmy TV writer Quilty (Peter Sellers), who seems inordinately interested in Humbert's behavior. When Winters happens to read Humbert's diary, she is so revolted by his lustful thoughts that she runs blindly into the street, where she is struck and killed by a car. Without telling Lolita that her mother is dead, Humbert packs her into the car and goes on a cross-country trip, dogged every inch of the way by a mysterious pursuer. Once she gets over the shock of her mother's death, Lolita is agreeable to inaugurating an affair with her stepfather (this is handled very, very discreetly, despite the slavering critical assessments of 1962). But when the girl begins discovering boys her own age, she drifts away from Humbert. One day, she leaves without warning. This is humiliation enough for Humbert; but when he discovers who her secret lover really is, the results are fatal. We are prepared for the ending because the film has been framed as a flashback; what we are not prepared for is Stanley Kubrick's adroit manipulation of our sympathies and expectations. An incredibly long film considering its subject matter, Lolita is never dull, nor does it ever stoop to the sensationalism prevalent in the film's ad campaign.

Cast

1. James Mason Humbert Humbert
2. Shelley Winters Charlotte Haze
3. Sue Lyon Lolita Haze
4. Peter Sellers Clare Quilty
5. Marianne Stone Vivian Darkbloom
6. Diana Decker Jean Farlow
7. Jerry Stovin John Farlow
8. Suzanne Gibbs Mona Farlow
9. Gary Cockrell Dick Schiller
10. Terry Kilburn Man
11. Copper Penny
12. Roberta Shore Lorna
13. Shirley Douglas Mrs. Starch
14. Roland Brand Bill
15. Colin Maitland Charlie
16. Cec Linder Physician
17. Irvin Allen Hospital Attendant
18. Lois Maxwell Nurse Mary Lore
19. William E. Greene Swine
20. C. Denier Warren Potts

Directors

1. Stanley Kubrick

Producers

1. James B. Harris

Writers

1. Vladimir Nabokov

Trivia

James Mason was the first choice of director Stanley Kubrick and producer James B. Harris for the role of Humbert Humbert, but he initially declined due to a Broadway engagement. Laurence Olivier then refused the part, apparently on the advice of his agents. Kubrick considered Peter Ustinov, but decided against him. Harris then suggested David Niven; Niven accepted the part, but then withdrew for fear the sponsors of his TV show, Four Star Playhouse, would object. Mason then withdrew from his play and got the part. Harris denies claims that Noel Coward also rejected the role.

Tuesday Weld was considered for the title role.

Peter Sellers modeled the voice of his character Clare Quilty on that of his director, Stanley Kubrick.

Sue Lyon was chosen for the title role partly due to the size of her breasts. Stanley Kubrick had been warned that the censors felt strongly about the use of a less developed actress to portray the sexually active 14-year-old.

The famous heart-shaped sunglasses that Lolita wears appear only in publicity photos taken by Bert Stern; Lolita wears cat eye sunglasses in the movie.

Since the censors would allow nothing close to a suggestion of **********, Lolita's age had to be increased from 12 in Vladimir Nabokov's original novel to 14 for the film. They also objected to a scene where Humbert Humbert was to gaze at Lolita's picture while in bed with her mother Charlotte; in the end, the scene was filmed with Charlotte lying fully dressed on the bed and Humbert lying beside her wearing a robe.

Vladimir Nabokov's original screenplay diverged greatly from the novel, but only a portion of it was used by Stanley Kubrick, even though Nabokov gets screen credit. Nabokov later published it as "Lolita: A Screenplay". The unused screenplay featured an Alfred Hitchcock-like cameo for Nabokov, who is referred to as "that nut with a butterfly net" (Nabokov was well known as an amateur lepidopterist). Although he generally admired the movie adaptation of his book, Nabokov regretted the waste of his time in writing a screenplay which was altered so drastically during filming.

Claire Quilty's role in the screenplay was greatly expanded from that of the novel.

In the novel, Lolita is a brunette. In the film, she is a blonde.

One ending that was considered was to have Humbert and Lolita get married in a state that allowed young people to wed; this ending was considered in order to appease the censors.
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Lolita~1997

 

 

Cast

• Jeremy Irons (Ben Silverstone, young) as Professor Humbert Humbert
• Melanie Griffith as Charlotte Haze
• Dominique Swain as Dolores "Lolita/Lo" Haze
• Frank Langella as Clare Quilty
• Suzanne Shepherd as Miss Pratt
• Keith Reddin as Reverend Rigger

Director:

Adrian Lyne

Writers:

Vladimir Nabokov (novel), Stephen Schiff (screenplay)

Trivia

Hospital scenes filmed in Austin High School in El Paso, Texas.

Since actress Dominique Swain was only 15 at the time of filming, a pillow had to be placed between her and Jeremy Irons' lap during all their scenes together.

Interior shots of Clare Quilty's home were filmed in Chinqua Penn Plantation in Reidsville, NC.

Dustin Hoffman was originally signed to play Humbert Humbert before being replaced by Jeremy Irons.

As Dominique Swain was not yet an adult woman when the movie was filmed, an adult body double had to be used for some of the sex scenes.

The film had a hard time in finding a distributor. When filming finally began, New Line Cinema was the distributor, but they dropped the film from distribution when they saw an early cut. It later got a limited cinema run, through a small independent distributor, before finally making a big premiere on the Showtime Entertainment TV channel.

In the novel, Lolita is only 12 when Humbert first meets her. In the film, her age was changed to 14. The same thing happened in Stanley Kubrick's Lolita.

Charles Chaplin's relationship with his second wife Lita Grey was reportedly the inspiration of the novel "Lolita" as she was underage when they first started their relationship.

Classic Novels "Dracula" by Bram Stoker

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Dracula is an 1897 epistolary novel by Irish author Bram Stoker, featuring as its primary antagonist the vampire Count Dracula. It was first published as a hardcover in 1897 by Archibald Constable and Co.


Dracula has been assigned to many literary genres including vampire literature, horror fiction, the gothic novel and invasion literature. Structurally it is an epistolary novel, that is, told as a series of letters, diary entries, ships' logs, etc. Literary critics have examined many themes in the novel, such as the role of women in Victorian culture, conventional and conservative sexuality, immigration, colonialism, postcolonialism and folklore. Although Stoker did not invent the vampire, the novel's influence on the popularity of vampires has been singularly responsible for many theatrical, film and television interpretations since its publication.~wikipedia~

Major Characters

Count Dracula: A Transylvanian vampire who has been feeding off of the blood of peasants for centuries. He is the ideal adversary for Van Helsing and his team of holy warriors. Polite, refined and brilliant, he was a great warrior and leader of armies. His powers - including the ability to change form, extraordinary strength, resistance to many methods of death and certain amounts of mind control - make him difficult to defeat. Popular culture has made 'Dracula' synonymous with 'vampire.' In this, his first appearance, however, he is much more. He is the greatest vampire, who in life had been a man of legend. Were he merely a vampire, the book would have been quite short. He is a monster with the unique combination of supernatural powers and extraordinary human characteristics that makes him a threat to humans everywhere.

Jonathan Harker: A young solicitor from London. His outward demeanor conceals a man of courage and action. His point of view is the first presented, and he is the first to have the misfortune to meet Dracula. While most of the book is seen through Seward's eyes, Jonathan is in some way the romantic protagonist, as it is he who marries Mina and it is he who kills Dracula (simultaneously with Morris). After Dracula initiates Mina, Jonathan changes from a self-doubting, thinking man into a bloodthirsty warrior, always sharpening his knife.

Mina Murray (later Mina Harker): Jonathan's fiance, later his wife. If Van Helsing is the brains of the team, then Mina is the soul. In the Professor's words, 'She has a man's brain - a brain that a man should have were he much gifted - and a woman's heart. The good God fashioned her for a purpose, believe me, when he made that so good combination.' Mina is loved by all for her sensitivity and her incredible mind. Again and again, she proves herself to be the equal or superior of every character in the novel. Nonetheless, she is old-fashioned, and wants nothing more than to be a good wife to her husband and a good woman in the eyes of God.

Lucy Westenra: We never find out enough about Lucy to know why she is so sought after. Nonetheless, every man who meets her wants to marry her or save her life, or both. Dracula himself chooses to initiate her. She accepts her adulations with the giddiness of the young girl she is, but with the seriousness of one who knows she is dealing with fragile human emotions. Lucy is the feminine figure of the novel. While Mina acts as wife, sister or mother, Lucy dies single, a little girl forever. It is the violation of Lucy's innocence, more than the imprisoning of Jonathan or even the killing of children, which gives the others the motivation to wage war on Dracula.


Dr. John Seward: Seward is the doctor who unsuccessfully courts Lucy and runs the asylum that becomes the headquarters for the vampire-fighting team. Seward's writings are featured more than any other's in the manuscript. He is not as smart at Van Helsing, as lucky in love as Jonathan or Holmwood, or as brave as Quincey Morris. Nonetheless, he is the perfect narrator for the story: Seward is smart and brave enough, and informed and inquisitive enough, for the plot of the story to unfold naturally through his eyes.


Honorable Arthur Holmwood (later Lord Godalming): Arthur is the one whom Lucy chooses to marry. Van Helsing takes a particular liking to him. However, like Lucy, we do not see deeply into his character. He is clearly a sensitive man, and his emotions are tried as his fiance, her mother and his own father all die within a short period of time. His father passes him a distinguished title and both his father and Lucy's mother leave him large estates, all of which he handles with an unpretentious and sensible attitude. He finances the vampire hunt and lets everyone use his title to gain access to information about Dracula. He also has the strength and conviction to destroy the undead Lucy, thus freeing her soul.

Quincey P. Morris: Quincey is a cowboy from Texas and an old friend of Arthur Holmwood's and John Seward's. In some ways, he is an early-American stereotype. He calls ladies 'little girl' and he calls Seward 'Jack'. He is tough, brave, and polite, though slightly unrefined. He chews tobacco when he gets nervous. There are certain aspects of Morris' personality, however, which escape the Wild West stereotype. He is remarkably romantic, like most of the men in the novel. He also wants to be helpful whenever he can. It is his seeming lack of importance that shows his personality. The others all have something great at stake; Morris, aside from his love for Lucy, is removed from the situation. Nonetheless, he joins the fight with as much commitment as the rest. He becomes the team's martyr.

Dr. Abraham Van Helsing: A philosopher and a metaphysician, and one of the most advanced scientists of his time, Van Helsing is iron-willed and the only one with the knowledge to do battle against Dracula. This is not only because he has years of varied study behind him and has an incredible sense of logic and the intellectual capacity to understand what is going on. One of Dracula's main weapons is the fact that no sane man would ever believe a blood-sucking monster really exists; but the professor never doubts it. Also, Van Helsing has the weight of moral authority on his side. He believes that he is doing God's work and must do so to save all humanity. Interesting note: Bram is short for Abraham--the author and this character share the name.

More Information

The Dead Un-Dead was one of Stoker's original titles for Dracula, and up until a few weeks before publication, the manuscript was titled simply The Un-Dead. Stoker's Notes for Dracula show that the name of the count was originally "Count Wampyr", but while doing research, Stoker became intrigued by the name "Dracula", after reading William Wilkinson's book Account of the Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia with Political Observations Relative to Them (London 1820), which he found in the Whitby Library, and consulted a number of times during visits to Whitby in the 1890s. The name Dracula was the family name of the descendants of Vlad II of Wallachia, who took the name "Dracul" after being invested in the Order of the Dragon in 1431. In the Romanian language, the word dracul can mean either "the dragon" or, especially in the present day, "the devil". Dennis McIntyre, director of The Stoker Dracula Organisation believes the word Dracula comes from the Irish 'Droch Ola' which means bad blood.

Dracula Quotes

"I read that every known superstition in the world is gathered into the horseshoe of the Carpathians, as if it were the centre of some sort of imaginative whirlpool; if so my stay may be very interesting."
- Bram Stoker, Chapter 1, Dracula
"As the Count leaned over me and his hands touched me... a horrible feeling of nausea came over me, which, do what I would, I could not conceal."
- Bram Stoker, Chapter 2, Dracula
"The fair girl went on her knees and bent over me, fairly gloating. There was a deliberate voluptuousness which was both thrilling and repulsive, and as she arched her neck she actually licked her lips like an animal... I could feel the soft, shivering touch of the lips on the supersensitive skin of my throat, and the hard dents of two sharp teeth, just touching and pausing there."
- Bram Stoker, Chapter 3, Dracula

"But, oh, Mina, I love him; I love him; I love him!"
- Bram Stoker, Chapter 5, Dracula

"The man was simply fastened by his hands, tied one over the other, to a spoke of the wheel. Between the inner hand and the wood was a crucifix..."
- Bram Stoker, Chapter 7, Dracula

"a man, tall and thin, and ghastly pale... I crept behind It, and gave It my knife; but the knife went through It, empty as the air."
- Bram Stoker, Chapter 7, Dracula

"there, on our favourite seat, the silver light of the moon struck a half-reclining figure, snowy white... something dark stood behind the seat where the white figure shone, and bent over it. What it was, whether man or beast, I could not tell."
- Bram Stoker, Chapter 8, Dracula

"Between me and the moonlight flitted a great bat, coming and going in great, whirling circles."
- Bram Stoker, Chapter 8, Dracula

"The blood is the life!"
- Bram Stoker, Chapter 11, Dracula

"I shall cut off her head and fill her mouth with garlic, and I shall drive a stake through her body."
- Bram Stoker, Chapter 15, Dracula

"With his left hand he held both Mrs Harker's hands, keeping them away with her arms at full tension; his right hand gripped her by the back of the neck, forcing her face down on his bosom. Her white nightdress was smeared with blood, and a thin stream trickled down the man's bare breast, which was shown by his torn open dress."
- Bram Stoker, Chapter 21, Dracula

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