Didn't Mean To Be Away For So Long...

But I am slightly more than over committed at the moment, as I've started a new contract covering a friend's maternity leave and I have a couple of projects of my own to finish off, plus I have the novel writing course, which seems to be going well, although I'm not really getting the writing time I would like.

Of course I haven't stopped reading, I used my time off in September to almost complete the great Agatha Christie re-read - officially there are couple of collections of short stories to go, which I will read over the Christmas break. All I will say is that this has opened up my eyes to just how much ITV is mangling the Miss Marple adaptations, don't watch them and stick with the BBC versions with Joan Hickson as these are nigh on perfect.

One of the books I've read is the new Phil Rickman, To Dream of the Dead. If you haven't read any of Rickman's Merrily Watson series of books, do, the cast of characters is superb - Merrily is a vicar in a village on the Welsh/English border, and she's also the local exorcist. The books are dark, but full of local colour and wisdom and tackle current concerns as well as the echoes of the past - this latest books covers Christian fundamentalism, atheism, floods, archeology, local politics and drugs as they all impact on the murder of a local councillor.

Before I leave you with that recommendation, I believe that I may owe Jeff Housewife an apology. Back in August I posted a review of Twilight by Stephanie Meyer, which may have exposed Jeff to some teasing from his parents for his choices in fiction. Encouraged by my friend the book pusher (so called because I tend to leave her house with carrier bags of books) I've now read New Moon and have to say that its a far more sophisticated book than its predecessor as it explores teenager relationships - OK with vampires and werewolves thrown in for good measure.

Twilight

In case you hadn't heard the release of the latest Harry Potter movie has been postponed until next July and the movie of this book, Twilight, is being released in its place. I'd not heard of the Twilight books, but having heard that this series is 'the next Harry Potter' I thought I would investigate.

I love vampire stories, yes I am a Buffy and Angel fan, but I am not really a fan of romantic fiction and that caused me problems in reading this book as its essentially an overblown romance peppered with the kind of language I would expect from a Mills and Boon, but without the sex, apparently Mills and Boon allow their characters to have sex now! As tortured lovers Bella and Edward mentioned in the text, Edward has no problems touching or kissing Bella - he can carry her for miles - and his 'family' accept her role in his life very readily.

If you want tortured romance done with depth and emotion watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer as Angel and Buffy, as vampire and human, had more depth and emotion in their little fingers than Bella and Edward have in this entire book. As I'm not a fan of romantic fiction all the 'I love yous' got a bit wearisome, but I can see why that for certain teenagers and women this novel (and the sequels) have been so successful. But its derivative, Bella and Edward are a younger, less tortured version of Buffy and Angel and the vampire collective of Edward and his family is reminiscent of Lestat, Louis and their little family from Interview with a Vampire, but without the homo-eroticism, or any eroticism for that matter. Also I have to say that J.K. Rowling is a much better writer than Stephanie Meyer, who just doesn't have the finesse to have fun with her characters, in the way that Rowling sometimes does and that Charlaine Harris has with her Southern Vampire series.