I just read Kitty Raises Hell this past weekend. I agree Twoina. It's a fun read, about the same as the Sookie Stackhouse books.

I didn't care for "Bitten" but liked 2 books in the middle of that, Dime Store Magic & Industrial Magic.

LOL. Sounds good, Twoina.

I just read Kitty Takes a Holiday. I really liked it. I liked Kitty better than the woe-is-me-I'm-a-werewolf-and-I-just-want-to-be-normal self-deluding woman in Bitten. Kitty accepts she's a werewolf and goes with it No whining and moaning about the injustice of it all--just stuff happens and things change and you have to make the best of it. Pretty much my attitude about life. :)

I don't think so either, but it comes highly recommended so I'll give it a try, LOL.

You might give it a read and see how you feel. To be honest, I don't think you'd be impressed though, NU.

Oh, Danielle, I don't like the lighter UF either, and I hate that even with a murder going on, the author still manages to make it light... o.O

I'm reading Kitty Raises Hell right now. Another candy book. Yeah, they are like twinkies. Fun, good, but don't stick with me very well.

I call them brain candy.

I think the Sookie Stackhouse books are a bit light for my tastes. I felt like I ate a twinkie for dinner after I read it. Even with the serial killer bit. I like one short story I read, but I really disliked the short story in Wolfsbane and Mistletoe. Overall, I don't dislike the series. They aren't bad, but won't be one of my favorite series.

OK, thank. I'm a bit hard to please too. I find the current crop of vamp novels are mostly the same and I want to read something that's original, that stands out.

I watched the show then came back to read the books, I thought the first book was...meh. I wasn't crazy about how selfish Sookie could be and well, I thought the writing was very teen-minded and somewhat shallow. Keep in mind I am very hard to please when it comes to books like these. I will say that I am going to conitue reading them sense everyone I've talked to says they get better as Mr. Harris goes.

Nona, what did you think of the first one? I haven't read them yet.

I'm going to take a few of your suggestions and continue reading Sookie Stackhouse, I picked up book 2 and shall start it sometime this weekend.

I picked on my younger brother when we were kids...but then again, we annoyed each other constantly. But then we'd be best friends (for a few minutes, anyway lol).

Me either. I hate injustice of any kind.

I didn't get teased or bullied but I still could never stand by and let it happen to anyone. I always stuck up for the underdog and still do. I befriended the person being picked one, I felt they needed at least one person who wouldn't use or abuse them. I have a deep-rooted sense of compassion. And I cannot stand injustice.

I got teased a lot when I was growing up. Probably why I root for the Underdog as well, Werner. I can't stand to see someone made fun of or treated badly by others.

As a schoolkid, I was always picked on and bullied; and at the time, it tended to make me more vengeful than forgiving. But growing up that way did leave me with a strong sympathy for the underdog, and a willingness to stand up for people (and animals) that are being pushed around and hurt.

Like Chris, I grew up to write "horror" (if vampire fiction qualifies :-)). And villains in my fiction definitely tend to get their comeuppance, big time! I'm sure childhood experiences play a role in that.

Cool, man. And at work I threaten my coworkers that if they don't do as I ask I'll put them in my next horror story, too! I'm kinda warped like that... :P

Chris wrote: "I was never the sole source of torment for bullies growing up but have been picked on when I was young...and I grew up to write horror. Hmmm..."

Lmao!! I actually laughed when I read that.

I've been picked on and harassed before but I never let it get to me and I don't have a problem with it anymore.

I was never the sole source of torment for bullies growing up but have been picked on when I was young...and I grew up to write horror. Hmmm...

Thanks Jackie! We really got off of the topic of vampires.... I tend to do that in a lot conversations. :)

Michael wrote: "Well I was just bullied when I was little and I went through quite a few medical problems so I help others to make their lives easier and I feel good about it. I was really motivated at relay for l..."
I know the feeling michael I am the youngest and the darkest of 3 boys so I was always teased and made fun of, but like you said there is no reason to be bitter, you just ignore the mean and bad people, that's what I did and still do, and I'm 54 now.

They had teens back then?

;-)

That's a bit young but it's always been a problem, even when I was a teen.

Lol well the rest of my generation is having babys in my school. It's ridiculous!

LOL
That's amazing, to be able to learn from other's mistakes. I wish I could have done that. Both you and Michael are very special people, I am honored to be in dialogue with you both. You give me hope for your generation.

I was really just brought up to be nice to others and kind in general. This sounds really cheesey but I am really blessed to be born into my family.

I am also really mature for soon to be sixteen (YAY!), I think this might be because my sisters are ten and sixteen years older and my brother is fourteen years older than me, so I might be more mature just because I grow up really young when they were teens and it seemed stupid the things they were doing. Actually thinking about it now, the some of things they are doing now are stupid....

That's a really great attitude. You have a maturity that's beyond the teen years.

Thank you, I was only a little bitter but then I thought why be bitter when It was nobodies fault?

Being bullied is awful and I'm so sorry you had to go through that, as well as medical problems. It's a rare breed of person who can turn adversity into something positive when it's so easy to become angry and bitter. I applaud you. Your parents must be so thankful to have such a wonderful son. And I'm sure some of the credit necessarily goes to them, because they obviously raised you with morals and ideals.

Well I was just bullied when I was little and I went through quite a few medical problems so I help others to make their lives easier and I feel good about it. I was really motivated at relay for life by my friends mother and an infant that had cancer and his mother was giving a speech about it.

I think I want to adopt you too, Michael.
How is that both you and Levi are not like most of your counterparts? How do you not get caught up in the self aborption that other teens do? What keeps you grounded, firmly in reality?
I'd appreciate it if you can share any insights that maybe I can pass along to my kid. As far as kids go, he's pretty good, but I have to nudge him to get him to do selfless acts. He wouldn't do it on his own.

I'm not self absorbed, I stayed up all night walking for relay for life for my friends mothers team. It was well worth it even if my sleep schedule is messed up now. I run many clubs and events at my school also. But most teenagers are self absorbed

I agree, Jackie. There is something about Edward. He's very captivating.

Yes, Jackie, that's how I took your comment about slapping her --I knew you're too kindhearted to want to really hurt anybody, even if she is fictional! I just wanted to make sure everybody knew that any of my interventions would be just as benevolently intended. :-)

No offense Levi, you are the exception to the rule. Can I adopt you? I'm in need of a good kid, mine is driving me batty, LOL

Werner, I didn't want to physically hurt Bella, just slap some sense into her, like you see in old movies when a woman is hysterical, they'd slap her, to help her get a grip on herself. Same for Bella, but more like, can't you see what you're doing? The funny thing is, in the last book, what many perceived as selfish, I empathized and understood her actions; it wasn't part of the triangle but still she was hurting both Edward and Jacob yet again.

Ahem! I am not self absorbed! I do ten hours of community service a week, I will have you know. And all my friends get birthday cards and/or presents. But, yes sooooooooooooooooo many teenagers are too self absorbed.

Well, Jackie, I expect to get Eclipse for Christmas, so I'll try to read that one soon after the first of the year. From what you say about how she handles her triangle situation, I just might find myself wanting to slap her at times. :-) (Strictly as a friendly way of getting her attention and encouraging better behavior, of course!)

New Moon is actually the book that made me like the series because of the deep emotion and because Jacob interested me more, of course, LOL.

I think she's realistic in some ways. All the good qualities she possesses, the ones Werner mentioned, are not realistic. Teenagers are entirely too self absorbed to even consider others much less put them ahead of themselves.
Don't get me wrong, I actually like Bella, I just wanted to slap her with the way she treats Edward.

:D I really agree with you Werener. Your post just made me think that almost every single person is selfish in someway, if you say your not there has be someway you were. Throughout the books though I never had that bad of a problem with Bella, for me she was really whiny in New Moon and that was it for me I think, that makes sense, too.

Bella is a somewhat realistic character unlike what some people think. I've heard many times that she is to obssesed with Edward and that is not realistic. But if you think about he was her first boyfriend, and a good one at that. I can't think of some other reasons why she isn't realistc, if anyone has some post them and we can debate.

Yes, those things are true, but where Bella is selfish is in the triangle with Jacob and Edward, having to have them both and not let go of either, meanwhile hurting them both deeply. All because Bella wanted them both and that's all that mattered to her...what Bella wants. That's supremely selfish and even though she talks endlessly about loving Edward, you don't do that to the person you love.
Keep reading Werner, by the end you'll go from shaking her to slapping her too, LOL

Bella can definitely let depression get the better of her, instead of coping with it properly, and I can see how this could be characterized as "whiny." I've only read the first two books; but there were times (especially in New Moon) that I wanted to take her by the shoulders and shake her, too. :-)

Personally, though, I honestly don't see Bella as supremely selfish. Yes, she does devote a lot of mental attention to her own feelings and needs when she's going through an emotional crisis (which is pretty often). But she frequently displays actions that are quite unselfish, actually. She moved to Forks (a place she detests) in the first place to allow her mom a more unfettered freedom to be with her new husband. When she was threatened by a vampire with tracking skills who wanted to kill her, she was quick to put distance between herself and her dad, for his protection; and she didn't hesitate to offer her own life in exchange for her mom's. When she believed Jacob to be in danger of getting sucked into a cult, she exposed herself to potential vampire attack to go to him with the idea of helping him. And she put her own life on the line to save Edward from the Volterri. Repeated willingness to risk or accept death for others isn't usually characteristic of selfish people. (Granted, these are all people she cares about deeply; but selfish people tend not to care deeply, either.) Then too, she accepted the responsibility of looking after her mother in many ways for a lot of years, and readily took on domestic duties in her dad's house (which plenty of teens in that situation wouldn't have).

I always liked Jasper the best.... he's the best looking in the film too ;)

Bella is whiny, but I put up with it (Growing up with two older sisters helped). But New Moon was definately a pain to get through.

Bella: "Boohoo boohoo, my boyfriend left me. I'll just go into zombie mode for about six months..."

Thank god for Alice!

Ahhh...being young, silly, foolish....naw, I'm happy being in my 40's...lol

Yeah, check 'em out....the first book in the series is called 13 Bullets. Very graphic but tautly written. Short for a novel, too, but worth the money, trust me.

Chris wrote: "Well, she was a teenage girl...aren't many of them kinda whiny and emotional? "

LMAO...My daughter will be 20 next month and yes many, many times she was that way. She's sitting next to me now and even agrees with that.
I have not read Wellington's vamps, but will look into them, thanks

Well, she was a teenage girl...aren't many of them kinda whiny and emotional? <runs like hell now>