Top Ten Fictional Crushes

When I saw this topic I knew I just had to participate in Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by The Broke and the Bookish) this week. I love me some literary man candy. I used to do a meme called My Book Boyfriend so I have whole posts devoted to my many fictional crushes, but I managed to get the list down my faves…

1. Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Do I even need to say why?

2. Captain Wentworth from Persuasion by Jane Austen. The lady sure knew how to write amazing heroes who write amazing letters. Swooooon.

3. Westley from The Princess Bride. He’s actually the perfect man.

4. Etienne St Claire from Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. I know he’s not everyone’s cup of tea because of the whole, er, cheating thing, but he sure got my heart beating. He has great chemistry with Anna, is obsessed with history and does things like give books with hidden messages as gifts. Sigh.

5. Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. He’s so broody but still has a great sense of humour. I adore the way he treats Jane with respect and meets her as an equal. Let’s just not mention the whole crazy wife in the attic, though…

6. Mr. Thornton from North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. He just wants to be a gentleman! And be loved. I could give him so much love.

7. Dimitri Belikov from Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. He’s the strong, silent and sexy type, with badass fighting skills and a killer bod. Literally.

8. Eric Northman from the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris. He’s a tall Viking vampire with a cheeky sense of humour and a lot of, er, talent. Ahem.

9. Gilbert Blythe from Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery. He immaturely shows a girl he likes her by insulting her and spends the next five years trying to make up for it. Silly, adorable boy.

10. Alex Fuentes from Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles. This book is totally cheesy but completely hot – just like its hero, Alex.

Review: Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris

Warning: Spoilers for previous books.

I read most of Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series in a binge a couple of years ago when I was going into massive True Blood withdrawal. While I much preferred the show, I enjoyed the series and eagerly awaited the next book. I got my hands on Dead Reckoning as soon as I could, but I was left extremely unsatisfied. As a result I wasn't exactly hanging to read Deadlocked, the latest installment in this seemingly never-ending series. The fact that it got pretty "meh" reviews didn't help. But when a friend gave me a copy I figured I may as well get it over and done with. So here we are.

Deadlocked has cemented the fact that I'm well and truly over this series. Harris needs to wrap this shit up. I feel like it should have ended at least three books ago - she could have even kept the storyline in tact, coz if you remove all the inane and pointless details you cut at least a third off the length. I got so sick of reading about Sookie's chores and whether her grass was dry or her tyres were flat. At this point it doesn't even add anything to her character, other than to reinforce that without her supe buddies she's incredibly mundane.

The story, such as it was, focuses on the fairy and vampire political problems that were introduced in previous books. Unfortunately, the main characters in these situations - Claude, Niall and Eric - were notably absent from the majority of the book and much of the action happens off screen. What we're left with is a whole lot of Sookie wondering what the hell is going on, talking to various people on the phone and sometimes face to face and, well, paying bills, cooking, cleaning... sleeping. Oh, wait, that was just me, halfway through the book. There weren't even any sexy times to keep things mildly entertaining. 

I've never been a fan of the fairy plot, and was happy when I heard it would be resolved in Deadlocked. Too bad the resolution is the most anti-climactic thing I've read since Breaking Dawn. Seriously, Charlaine Harris? We had to put up with this fairy crap through multiple books for that?! So not worth it.

As for the vamp sitch, I thought the whole murder investigation and Eric's attempts to escape both being arrested and being married off would make for an interesting plot. I thought wrong. As I've already mentioned, Eric is mostly absent from the book and the plotline didn't really go anywhere. BILL was in Deadlocked more, and I wanted to throw things when Sookie started getting all friendly with him again. He freaking RAPED her. He should have stayed in Peru. I was also disappointed to see Quinn reappear. And Sam is just so dopey. I know many suspect he will be Sookie's endgame, and if that's the case I may have to hurt a book.

I'll read the next in the series, because it's the last and I want to see how everything comes together. Or if it does. But it's just not fun anymore.

Rating: 2/5

Eye Candy
At least this gave me a good excuse to post these pics (like I need one):

Pash, Pick or Pass: Hot Vamps

The Contenders
Three of my fave vamps - Edward Cullen from The Twilight Saga, Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries and Eric Northman from The Southern Vampire Mysteries.

My Choices 

Pash: Eric. Coz he pulls good string. I lurve him so, but with all the vamp politics, he's not really ideal boyfriend material. I'd sure pash the Viking out of him though.

Pick: Damon. He's a good guy at heart with all the sexiness of a bad boy. But the poor guy desperately needs some lovin'. And I'd be more than happy to oblige.

 Pass: Edward. He may have been my first vamp love, but he pales in comparison (literally) to the others.

Who out of Eric, Edward and Damon would you pash, pick and pass? Share your choices in your own post and leave a link in the comments, or reveal them directly below!

Next time: We play with The Princess Bride's leading men - Westley, Inigo and Humperdinck! 

Bookish Buys: True Blood Edition

Yes, I've got True Blood on the brain this week. I still haven't seen the new episode yet and I'm getting seriously twitchy. So I have to get my fix in other ways - like looking at this cool merch.

I actually own this necklace from Corso Studio, and it's like a True Blood fan detection device - when I wear it, I get knowing smiles from those who are fans, and strange looks from those who aren't.

I expect the same thing would happen with this necklace. Even non-Truebies would probably get it, but they might still raise an eyebrow.

This one makes me smile, because I freaking love Pam. Even though when she said this line, she was interrupting this.

 

I thought this necklace - inspired by Godric's tattoo - was pretty clever. Not sure I'd wear it myself, but props for uniqueness.


 

Here's another cool decal, this time from Mac Appeal. Apple should seriously sponsor these people, because I totally want to buy their products, just so I can decorate them.

I loved cross stitch as a kid and only recently embraced my inner nanna and got into it again. I'm currently finishing off a Peter Rabbit bookmark (yes, alongside my inner nanna sits an inner six-year-old) and have already ordered this awesome Pretty in Pink pattern for my next attempt, but if I haven't run out of steam by then I might just give this one a go - at least you only need one colour!

And I've saved the best for last. It's a Bill Compton voodoo doll! I need this, like, now, to release all my Beel-inspired aggression. I have a lot of it. Even better would be an Eric Northman stress doll that I could hug and squeeze to my heart's content. What? Get your minds out of the gutter, people!

Pash, Pick or Pass: Sookie's Harem

In honour of True Blood returning to TV this week, the contenders for Pash, Pick or Pass will be selected from amongst Sookie Stackhouse's many admirers:

My Choices

Pash: Alcide. Why? Well...

'Nuff said.

Pick: Eric, because he's sexy, powerful, intelligent, passionate, cheeky, protective, caring and, ahem, good in bed:

Pass: Bill, because I hate him so freaking much. He's manipulative, selfish and whiney. In the first book/season of the show, I actually really liked him, but as both versions of the series progressed he just got more and more douchey and waaay less attractive:

Want to play?
Go here if you want more info on Pash, Pick or Pass. Join in by sharing who out of Bill, Eric and Alcide you'd: 1) pash and dash; 2) pick for a long-term relationship; and 3) pass on altogether. Create your own post (linking back to this one) and share the direct link here, or simply comment below with your choices!

Mag Monday: True Blood Stars Cover EW

FINALLY, season four of True Blood is here! Well, not here here, but there here, as it hit US screens last night. I'm tossing up whether I want to a) stay spoiler-free and wait until I can see all the shows in one go, as I have in past years; b) read spoilers and still wait until I can see all the shows in one hit; or, c) give in to my impatience and watch each ep as it becomes available, so I won't have to worry about spoilers. I'm leaning towards the latter, because I'm dying to see how the season pans out - I hope it stays faithful to the fourth book (my fave), or I might just get stabby.

Anyway, what this ramble is eventually bringing me to is this: I love the Entertainment Weekly covers this week! The Alexander Skarsgard one is my favourite, of course - his expression cracks me up. Know what else cracks me up? Stephen Moyer's shoulder pads.

Review: Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris

This book answered a bunch of questions but left me asking even more.

Having read the entire series back-to-back over a few weeks last year, I'd been super excited about the release of the next Sookie Stackhouse book. But sadly, while it satisfied me to some extent, I can't help feeling a bit... disappointed.

Dead Reckoning follows Sookie's continuing (mis)adventures as she deals with her complex relationship with the (hot hot hot) vampire Eric, a rough patch at work, her newly-found fairy family living in her house, and more than a few crazy creatures out to get her. The thing is, none of this is particularly new; it's just variations on what's happened in previous books, and I have to admit I'm getting a bit over it. Of course, I lurved anything involving Eric, and found his part of the storyline gripping, but was unimpressed by how little it progressed and how some major issues were left hanging (obviously setting up the story for yet another book in the series). I find the whole fairy plot kind of dull, and paradoxically was frustrated by how much of the story it took up and also how much was left unresolved (again). Yes, Sookie got some answers, but most of those seemed unimportant compared to what wasn't answered.

Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the book while I was reading it, but after I finished I kind of felt like, "Was that it?!" Although a couple of big things happened towards the end, the majority if the book moved quite slowly (for instance, I was shocked when I realised I was a third of the way through - it felt like all Sookie had done was clean her house and go to work!) and overall it seems to have been more of a set up for the next book than a story within itself.

Rating: 3/5

Spoilery Talking Points

• I really, really hope Sookie doesn't leave Eric and get back with Bill, as the end seemed to hint at. I might just give up on the series if she does. I hate Bill, especially in the books.
• I'm so disappointed with the way Alcide's character has gone - he could have been a serious contender when he was first introduced, but now he's just such a tool box.
• I felt so sad for Pam! I also wanted to see more of her AND Eric. 
• Was it just me, or were the two big showdowns at the end kind of anti-climatic? Sure, they were pretty violent (especially the assassination of Victor), but it almost seemed too easy for Sookie's side. I mean, they only had one casualty, and yet completely wiped out the other side?! I know they're the good guys and all, but it to me it was a bit too much of a Meyer-style cop out.
• Did I mention I'm over the fairies? It doesn't look like they're going anywhere anytime soon, though. 
• After making a big thing about the portal being too small for anyone to travel through, it seemed dumb that they were able to dump a body - even a "small" one - in there.
• As for the cluviel dor, I predict Sookie will use it to get Eric out of his marriage to the Queen of Oklahoma. At least, I hope she does that - and DOESN'T get back with Bill. The thought also crossed my mind that she could maybe turn Eric into a human... but that's probably pretty implausible.

Eye Candy
As a massive True Blood fan (it's the main reason I read the books in the first place), I pretty much pictured the entire cast as their characters. That's coz I think, for the most part, the casting is spot-on - especially for the guys.

Sookie and her harem

A shirtless Eric, just coz

I love this pic of Jason - it sums up his character perfectly

How awesome is Pam?! I love her

 

Sure, Alcide is an a-hole in this book, but that doesn't mean we can't perve

My Book Boyfriend: Eric Northman

My Book Boyfriend is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely Missie at The Unread Reader, all about fictional boys who make us swoon. As I'm currently buried in Bon Temps via Charlaine Harris' latest Sookie Stackhouse novel, Dead Reckoning, plus drooling over Alexander Skarsgard in GQ and anxiously awaiting season four of True Blood, naturally the book guy at the front of my mind this week is none other than the amazing Eric Northman.

About Eric

• He's a vampire who's been around for more than 1000 years. When he was alive, he was a Viking.
• He's tall, built and blonde. I don't normally go for blondies, but Eric is just divine. In the books he has long hair, but I REALLY don't go for guys with long hair, so I still picture him with the short hair Alexander Skarsgard (who is the perfect Eric) sports from season two of True Blood.
• His maker was a creepy Roman named Appius Livius Ocella, and his vampire brother was the Tsarevich Alexei Romanov. His "child" is the awesome Pam.
• As the vampire Sheriff of Area Five, he's fierce, brave, calculating and powerful, but he also has a softer - and extremely passionate - side. He's very protective of those he loves and has a (sometimes literally) wicked sense of humour. 

Swoon-worthy Quotes
(Spoiler alert if you haven't read the books)

"We could go back to your house. I can stay with you always. We can know each other's bodies in every way, night after night. I could love you."

"'Sitting here on your bed, smelling your scent,' he said in a voice so low I had to strain to hear it. 'Sookie ... I remember everything... I can’t believe I felt something so strongly and was so happy for the first time in hundreds of years.'”

"My eyes flew open, and I pushed back against rock-hard shoulders. I let out a little squeak of horror. 'It's me,' said a familiar voice... 'Eric, what are you doing here?' 'Snuggling."

"'Let go,' he advised me, and I loosened my grip on his hands. 'No, not of me,' he said smiling. 'You can hold on to me as long as you want. Let go of the pain, Sookie. Let go. You need to drift away.'"

"I hurt with you. I bled with you - not only because we're bonded but because of the love I have for you."

Related
Alexander Skarsgard is just about the best thing in Zoolander.

Better still is this:

Bookish Fun: Two Things I Am Ridiculously Excited About

1. Breaking Dawn Part 1
I'll admit it: I freaking love Edward Cullen. Yep, I'm one of those girls. Sure, he's all stalkery, broody and sparkly, but goshdarnit I love the guy. It's not that I don't have issues with him. And I have many more issues with Bella and even more with Breaking Dawn. Man, do I hate Breaking Dawn. HATE it. But I've still read it three times. And I still let out a squeal when I watched this:

2. Season Four of True Blood
As much as I love Edward, I love Eric Northman about a hundred times more. He is one beautiful vamp. And I love, love, love, True Blood - it's one of my fave shows. So to say I'm excited for season four to start is a bit of an understatement. Especially because book four, which this season will be partially based on, is my favourite book in the series. The Eric/Sookie storyline is so much fun. I hope the show does it justice - I have a feeling it will: