What Book? Wednesday Question: Vampire tales abound these days, especially with the release of the True Blood series and the Twilight movies. However, there are plenty of books out there surrounding vampires, some way before Stephenie Meyer even thought about writing Twilight. With the release of these very popular books and movies/shows surrounding them, there has become a public demand for the vampire tale. So, what vampire novel would you recommend that is not by Stephenie Meyer or Charlaine Harris?

What Book? Wednesday Answer: After I had read The Twilight Series, I was itching for more young adult teen romance.  I wasn’t really that interested in adult vampires, like Charlaine’s Harris’ tales or Anne Rice tales.  I was looking for a quick read that reminded me of Meyer’s novels, without really being her novel.  I found it in Annette Curtis Klause’s The Silver Kiss.

This charming tale is about a young girl, Zoe, whose mother is dying of cancer.  Death is all Zoe can think about and it is the one thing in her life that she is completely fearful of, yet it is sitting on her front door. Then she meets Simon, a vampire whose longs to be dead.  His existence is lonely and melancholic.  Zoe and Simon come together in their bond over death: hers fearful, his longing. Yet, the two learn from one another about death, and the pleasure and pain it can bring.

The Silver Kiss is an incredibly easy read.  It is short and the prose is simple.  Yet, the material of the book is deep and can be pulled a part to reveal a very real thing that almost all of us will face one day: death.  Will it be welcome or will we slam the door on it?  This book is about how two teenagers answer that question.

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