B is for (Books About) Blood

For A to Z 2018, my theme is Books About ____. If you’re stopping by from your own A to Z blog, feel free to leave a link. If you need help with how to do that, you can look here.

If you’re someone looking to read a lot of great blogs, here’s the link for the A to Z challenge.

If you’re like me and love horror, eventually, blood is going to show up. Vampires, zombies, murderers… they’re all out for blood. (Well, technically zombies are out for flesh, but it makes blood, so…)

Anna Dressed In Blood, by Kendare Blake (YA horror): This one is so bloody, it’s even in the title. Cas hunts bad ghosts and kills them all the way. When he hears the legend about Anna, he goes looking for her. She kills everyone who walks into her house, but for some reason, doesn’t kill Cas, and he doesn’t want to kill her either. Romance + horror = a fun read.

Guilty Pleasures, by Laurell K. Hamilton (fantasy): For me, this is one of the best vampire series of all time (the first 10 or so). Anita Blake’s “day job” is as a necromancer, reanimating the dead to pay the bills. As a side gig, she’s a vampire hunter who knows the dark underbelly of St. Louis and gets way too cozy with the monsters around her. There’s romance, politics, adventure, mystery, along with an interesting and kick-ass main character.

The Coldest Girl In Coldtown, by Holly Black (YA horror): Tana wakes up from a party to find just about everyone slaughtered by vampires. It’s not supposed to happen because vampires live in Coldtowns, away from everyone, so it should be safe. Only her boyfriend and a strange vampire seem to be around, so she takes them both away before they’re slaughtered by the bad vampires lurking in the basement. I love Holly Black, but this book is my favorite of hers.

Carrie, by Stephen King (horror): It’s an old book, but still one of the best horror novels out there. I loved both the 1976 and 2013 versions of this movie, but the book is still the best. Carrie is an unpopular teen with a crazy mother. When Carrie develops powers, her high school will never be the same.

What are your favorite bloody books?

Talking Dead

This week’s episode of the Walking Dead, “Say the Word,” was long on drama and short on action.

Spoiler Alert!

I was a little disturbed that they never said what happened to Carol.  Okay, I know that maybe they don’t know for sure, but did they find her body or not?  I hate when TV shows leave loose ends like that.  It could be that they’re being dramatic, but at least with Merle, we knew he wasn’t where he was supposed to be.

Certain things are starting to be a little bit more like the books.  The Governor’s daughter has appeared; I wondered when she would show up.  I also wondered if they would do the gladiator stuff with the walkers, though compared to the books, it’s been heavily sanitized.

I often wonder why movies and TV sanitize what comes across as dirty and real in books.  I realize that TV/ movie patrons are often different than people who read the same books.  It’s not that I want blood and gore and death; it’s just that when it seems right in context, I dislike it being watered down.

There’s not too much to say about this episode.  It’s a middle episode, and not one of my favorites.  I’m tired of Woodbury, and say it’s time for something to happen, or time to move on.