We have a tie! You voted for Interview with the Vampire and Twilight as your favorite vampire books!

Check out our book reviews for the winners: Interview with a Vampire here and Twilight here!

And don’t forget to check back tomorrow for the December Book Face Off: Fairies

The voting for the November Book Face Off: Vampires ends this Sunday, so don’t forget to vote for your favorite vampire book! The winner will be announced on Monday, November 30th and you’ll find out what the December book face off category is.

Right now Interview with the Vampire and Twilight are tide for first place. Think a different book should win? Vote!

Dracula by Bram Stoker
Carmilla By Sheridan La Fanu
Interview with the Vampire (The Vampire Chronicles) By Anne Rice
The Historian By Elizabeth Kostova
Vampire Tapestry By Suzy McKee Charnas
Vampire Diaries By LJ Smith
Twilight Saga By Stephenie Meyer
House of Night Series By PC & Kristin Cast
Sookie Stackhouse Series By Charlaine Harris
Sunshine by Robin McKinley

VOTE HERE

Read the Book Details here

Don’t forget to vote for your favorite vampire book/series! OBS picked 10 books to choose from. Tell us which one is your favorite and if your favorite isn’t on the list, let us know!

See the book details here

And VOTE here

By Krista Simmons at the Los Angeles Times: On the Trail of Vampires

Vampires have long been objects of fascination in history, literature and lore. With the Nov. 20 release of “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” HBO’s “True Blood” and their countless imitators, Americans are welcoming vampires into their homes again. Though many consider Transylvania to be the lair of vampirism, there’s plenty of vampire culture right here. Whether you have just come out of the coffin or long thirsted for night life, these locations offer plenty of opportunities to explore the dark side.

Exeter, R.I.: In the late 18th and early 19th centuries in New England, many believed vampires were the source of the rampant transmission of tuberculosis. According to folklorist Michael Bell, author of “Food for the Dead,” there are at least 40 documented cases in which corpses were exhumed and their vital organs burned and stakes driven through the hearts in attempts to halt the alleged vampires from spreading the disease.

The most famous case of exhumation is that of Mercy Brown of Exeter, whose brother Edwin had contracted tuberculosis. Because of the cold temperatures and the fact that she had recently died, Mercy’s heart still contained blood that was not frozen or blackened. It was decided that she was a vampire, Edwin was forced to drink her blood, and Mercy’s vital organs were burned. H.P. Lovecraft, who’s buried in Providence’s Swan Point Cemetery, wrote about Mercy’s case in “The Shunned House.” It’s also said that Bram Stoker used Mercy as reference for “Dracula.”

See More places here

via DNA India: Vampire genre never goes out of vogue, expert says

The release of New Moon, the latest in the popular Twilight series and the recent comedy Cirque du Freak: The Vampire Assistant proves that the genre of vampire films and books is a trend that will never be out of vogue, says an expert.

Amy Smith, an English professor at University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, who studies and writes about vampires in literature, has said that the vampire genre is a natural for the big screen.

“That’s because the films about the mythical undead creatures also share an ability that vampires have – they can take on many forms, from horror films to romantic dramas and even to goofball comedies. The vampire has really resonated in film and literature because the vampire is probably the most sinister and yet human-like evil creature in modern literature,” she said.

Smith, who teaches the popular course ‘Living Dead: Vampires in Film and Fiction’, added, “They look and act like humans, which allows them to live among us and trick us into becoming victims.”

Read More here

The story about the vampires in Rhode Island is really interesting. It’s nice to see vampire destinations other than Louisiana and Forks. And vampire classes at universities are getting more popular; I took one in college and more and more schools seem to be offering them. I agree that vampires never really go out of style, they just have high points; though now seems to be exceptionally high. I read Interview with the Vampire in 1999, and the only other person in my school who had read it was my best friend (I think that’s how we became friends, actually).  I really enjoyed looking at vampires from an academic stand point, it makes you appreciate the genre.

What vampire spot do you want to visit? Would you take a vampire lit class?

Hey readers! Are you fan of Anne Rice? Have a few questions for her? Well this is your chance

thanks to tainted-archive.blogspot.com

Fancy an online chat with bestselling horror author, Ann Rice?

You’ll need to visit Barnes and Noble’s Facebook page and add them as a friend and then on NOv 11th 2009 between 1pm to 5.30pm ( Eastern Time) Anne Rice will be online to answer any questions you have.

The Archive says, FANGTASTIC

source

You heard it so stay tuned!

Here is your vampire update for October 13th

Via Bertena Varney at the Examiner: The Search for the Lure of the Dead Boyfriend-Part 3-The Vampire as a Soulmate

Christine Meloni mentions in her article, “The Rise of Vampire Literature” that in vampire literature females are very accepting of any suitor. They tend not to be judgmental or fearful of the unknown but to look for their equal in any form. These females result in stronger characters than those written in the past (Meloni, 2007, p. 32). These characters and their readers fall in love with these monsters. Katharine Ramsland, professor at DeSales University describes the vampire as larger than life, charismatic entities of power and mystery that once were human. This new vampire displays abilities beyond human limitation. They can defeat death, seduce anyone at will, obliterate their enemies and still stay up all night (Ramsland, Hunger for the marvelous: The vampire craze in the computer age, 1989, p. 42). This is very seductive to the reader.

Read More here

From Scott Weinberg at Cinematical: Is Disney Prepping a Vampire Trilogy of  Their Own?

Hey, this just in: The Twilight franchise wrings a whole lot of cash out of its favorite demographic. And so it only stands to reason that Disney would want a piece of that particular pie. Which makes the following information slightly interesting and not even remotely surprising: It looks like Disney is planning a movie version of The Maker’s Song trilogy, by Adrian Phoenix. Book one is called A Rush of Wings; book two is In the Blood; and book three (due for release in December) is called Beneath the Skin.

So what makes us think that Mr. Phoenix’s books are scheduled for movie-time? Well, this article at Jim Hill Media, which explains that various “Song”-related domain names have been recently purchased by the studio.

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via Gabrielle S. Faust at Sci Fi Wire: 16 hot Movie and TV vampires that turn us into willing victims

Some vampires are just so damned sexy we can’t help but volunteer our veins. Meet the sensual, seductive bloodsuckers who star in the 12th of our 31 specials for the 31 days of Halloween.

Eric Northman, True Blood: There’s only one actor who could so perfectly portray an ancient Nordic vampire turned modern Louisiana sheriff and owner of the infamous vampire bar Fangtasia: Alexander Skarsgard. From his impeccable sense of fashion to his highlighted hair, Eric Northman is cold, calculating, cruel and completely in control in a way that is mysteriously irresistible. The perfect bad-boy vampire!

Queen Akasha, Queen of the Damned There are few actresses who could have portrayed the queen of the vampires, Akasha, in Anne Rice’s Queen of the Damned. Moving through each of her scenes with an eerie grace, like an eel slithering through dark waters, Aaliyah’s natural, exotic beauty and grace was an absolute perfect fit for the centuries-old source of all things undead.

See the rest here

The article about vampire soul mates is really interesting; it’s well researched and has some good points. And I’m only surprised it took Disney this long to cash in. I don’t know anything about the books, but I’ll have to check them out. And the 16 vampires make up a good list, except for Stuart Townsend as Lestat, because unfortunately Tom Cruise will always be my Lestat.

What do you think is the appeal of vampires? What do you think of a Disney vampire movie? Are there any vampires that should have made the list that aren’t?