Vampire Challenge Recap

I knew the Vampire Challenge would be hard, but I didn't think it was impossible.  I thought I read close to 20 vampire books a year, but in actually, I only managed 5.  I think I'll stick with challenges that encompass a wider variety of supes.  Here's what I read:

1. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

2. A Touch of Dead by Charlaine Harris

3. Nightschool: The Weirn Books 1 by Svetlana Chmakova

4. Primal Desires by Susan Sizemore

5. Nightschool: The Weirn Books 2 by Svetlana Chmakova

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

Nightschool: The Weirn Books Vol. 2

Title: Nightschool: The Weirn Books 2

Author: Svetlana Chmakova
Publisher: Yen
ISBN: 978-0-7595-2860-4
Why Read?: For Fun
Challenges: Vampire

Thoughts: Svetlana Chmakova has got to be one of my favorite English-language manga-kas.  Her work is so much fun with a style that is all her own!  In the second installment of Nightschool, the mystery just keeps getting deeper and we learn a little more about all of the characters and the school itself.  I cannot wait to read volume 3.
Rating: 5 stars

Primal Desires

Title: Primal Desires

Author: Susan Sizemore
Publisher: Pocket Star
ISBN: 978-1-4165-1336-0
Why Read?: For Fun
Challenges: TBR Pile, iChallenge, Vampires, 100 Books in a Year

Thoughts: I like Sizemore's writing style. However, I really have no clue what this book was about. It was easy to read, but I think I started too late in the series although paranormal romance series tend to work as standalones. I was a little confused as to the relationships between all of the characters.
Rating: 2 stars

A Touch of Dead

Title: A Touch of Dead
Author: Charlaine Harris
Publisher: Ace
ISBN: 978-0-441-01783-6
Why Read?: For Fun
Challenges: Horror & Urban Fantasy, iChallenge, Vampire, 100 Books in a Year

Thoughts: Despite their popularity, I have never read any of Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse novels. However, I have read some of her short stories featuring Sookie and find that they are laced with humor, making for fun reads. A Touch of Dead compiles all 5 shorts (as of 2009) - "Fairy Dust", "Dracula Night", "One Word Answer", "Lucky", and "Gift Wrapped". I have read the last three before, but this was my first time reading the first two. I enjoyed all of them immensely, but "Lucky" was by far my favorite for the excellent story and twists. The one thing you get reading these stories in A Touch of Dead rather than in the anthologies they originally appeared in is run full-page illustrations before each story that are a delight.
Rating: 5 stars

Vampire Challenge

I have a few vamp books on my shelves, so I thought I would try Parajunkee's View's Vampire Challenge 2011. I don't know if I'll get 20, but that's why it's a challenge, right?

1. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

2. A Touch of Dead by Charlaine Harris

3. Nightschool: The Weirn Books 1 by Svetlana Chmakova

4. Primal Desires by Susan Sizemore

5. Nightschool: The Weirn Books 2 by Svetlana Chmakova

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.