Vampires, Werewolves and Fairies

I don't know about the rest of you but I am tired of reading stories about vampires, werewolves and fairies. I realize the paranormal craze has reached new heights since the release of Meyer's Twilight series but I have to ask, how much is too much? Don't get me wrong, I have purchased and enjoyed several new paranormal reads (Twilight being amongst them) but lately it seems I can't walk into a bookstore or library without seeing an elaborate table display for books about vampires. 

It reminds me of when the Sex and the City HBO series first aired and everyone fell in love with Carrie’s fabulous lifestyle. Before you knew it, new TV shows were popping up on every major network about a single white female who lives in a thriving metropolis. When she is not on the search for true love, she manages to squeeze in enough time to write an article for the trendy magazine she freelances for. I'm sure you can think of a few shows that easily fit this criteria. My point is, when ‘the power that be’ see a formula that works, they will beat it into the ground. Thus … the flood of vampire novels arriving on the market.  

Many will remember our interest in vampires was peeked in 1976 by Anne Rice's Interview With the Vampire (one of my favorite books). Rice was among the first to depict vampires as not simply vicious predators but emotional beings who were enslaved by their existence. Rice’s novel was released several years before I was born but WOW… what a classic! Nobody can describe the inner thoughts of a character quite the way Rice does.

In 2001, Charlaine Harris created a strong following with her Sookie Stackhouse series, a story about Louisiana vampires and shape-shifters. In wake of Twilight’s success, in 2008 the Stackhouse series was turned into an HBO show (True Blood). It's viewing audience is fairly faithful.

The recent obsession with vampires has opened the door for other series such as Fallen, The Vampire Diaries, Vampire Academy, City of Bones, etc. The list goes on and on. As a result of the paranormal fad, authors who might not have normally gotten marketing exposure are now benefiting from the aftermath of Twilight mania. They are finding their books strategically placed near Meyer's books (and all the spin-offs). This is a very good thing.   

It should be said here, never has there been a better time for an aspiring writer to get published in this genre. Publishers everywhere are pushing their paranormal titles to the forefront to cash in on the trend before it burns itself out. 

All that being said, I am ready for the next cult culture obsession to take hold of America. If you're not, I'd wager you will be within the next year. As for me, I've had my fill of dead people falling in love with weird loners. In the real world, there is a name for that; it's called necrophilia. 

  

The Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series

After watching the movie Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging I developed an interest in reading the book. I made the mistake of getting all the audiobooks and listening to them back-to-back. I say this was an error on my part because the books are meant for a younger audience and therefore listening to the inner thoughts of a teenage girl continuously became a little draining at times. 

I will quickly review each of the books, which should provide you with a snapshot of what you are in for should you wish to read Rennison’s teen stories. For a young teen series the books are kind of long (between 250-300 pages), considering the target audience would be from 13 to 16 years of age. I figure the age of 16 years as a max demographic because the height of drama in these books centers around kissing and I think anyone 17 years or older is at least ‘entertaining’ the idea of sex but, being a teen book, sex is obviously not mentioned in this series.

So all that being said … gets go!

 

Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging (Book #1) is the first book in the series. Here we meet Georgia Nicolson for the first time, her family and the Ace Gang (her circle of girlfriends). Written journal-style, we see the world through the eyes of a fourteen year old girl who feels her parents are very uncool, the world centers around her friends, and kissing (snogging) boys is life’s greatest adventure. When a new boy moves to her small English town, Georgia immediately falls for Robbie (a.k.a. Sex God). The book progresses with Georgia struggling desperately to gain the affections of SG.

On a quick note, out of nowhere Georgia begins calling her parents Vati and Mutti. Hilarious!

This was a nice intro to the series. I sympathized with Georgia’s infatuation with SG and her weird family. Some of the side stories were a bit dull and didn’t seem to play into the overall plot. I thought a little too much time was spent talking about her cat, Angus, but all in all the book was fairly interesting.

 

On the Bright Side, I'm Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God (Book #2) continues Georgia’s adoration of Robbie the Sex God. Not to give anything way … but I really would have liked to actually read some dialogue between Georgia and SG. As the relationship progresses I didn’t really understand why SG would like her. Georgia is tongue-tied everything they see each other and she doesn’t say anything revealing during their brief interactions. I had to keep referring to the first book to figure out at which point did he develop interest in her. I never found it.  Another thing I thought odd was the doctor character (mentioned as a George Clooney replica). I’m an American, so I have little understanding of how health care is handled in England but I thought it was unrealistic the reasons Georgia’s mother kept sending her to doctor’s office. 

This wasn’t one of my favorite books from the series. I kept wanting the learn more about SG and Dave the Laugh but there are quite a few distractions in this books (i.e. the parents, the demonic little sister, teachers and other school administrators). On the bright side (no pun intended), we get to meet Dave the Laugh in this book. 

 

Knocked Out by My Nunga-Nungas (Book #3) The connection between Georgia and SG, which puzzled me in the previous books, is a non-issue with the character Dave the Laugh. What I lacked understanding between Georgia and SG I understood with Georgia and Dave the Laugh. 

This book had a few funny parts in it. I like that Georgia is obsessed with how big her nose is. The ending is abrupt but clearly leaves the door open for the next book. Overall this was a light and easy read. 

 

  

Dancing in My Nuddy-Pants (Book #4) I believe this was the book that lost me. Georgia considers her boy options and goes on a trip to Paris. My issue with this installment is, after three books, the character has not matured. The same inner thoughts that were engaging in the first novel have sadly become tiresome. 

I had a hard time finishing this book. The plot was thin and the side stories fell short of being interesting. The story seemed to drag and often got misdirected. Not one of Rennison’s better editions. 

 

 

Away Laughing on a Fast Camel (Book #5) Just when I thought I was completely turned off this series, the fifth book pulled me back in with the arrival of Masimo (a.k.a. the Luuurrve God). It is understandable why Georgia becomes taken with him.  Even I became a little starry eyed when Masimo entered a scene. Dave the Laugh is an entertaining character and he becomes a very reliable friend to Georgia. 

Rennison’s series takes a turn for the better. Away Laughing on a Fast Camel (where does this woman get her titles?) is one of the better books in the series. I enjoyed it a lot. 

Then He Ate My Boy Entrancers (Book #6) picks up where the last book leaves off. Without giving away too much, Georgia does some traveling. I have to be honest, this section was a bit dull so I skipped over it BUT I was really happy to see Robbie (Sex God) reappear … kind of. I won’t say too much but this is a rather enjoyable book with a good ending. I was eager to read the next release.

 

 

 

Startled by His Furry Shorts ( Book #7) nearly lost me again. The plot is pretty weak. The only bright spot for me were the sections specifically related to the boy(s) in Georgia’s life. Other than that, I was beginning to dislike Georgia. She’s pretty rude toward her friend Jas and their friendship was awkward in this book. The author was a bit over the top on the slang usage and by the middle of the book I was ready to give up. The only redeeming factor was the ending scene, which was pretty interesting. Other than that, I wasn’t too excited about this book.

 

 

Love Is a Many Trousered Thing (Book #8) sparked my interest in the series again. Georgia has her hands full with possibly three guys seeking her attention but the connection between two of the boys is still strange to me. I keep asking myself “Why do they like her?” whereas the answer is very clear with the third boy. For the first time I felt like we got a hint of sexual tension. Or maybe I just have a dirty mind???

Overall, this was a good book. Even though Georgia still has not grown as a character, the situation around her has become a little more sophisticated, which is a great relief. This is probably my most favored book in the Georgia Nicolson stories.

 

Stop in the Name of Pants! (Book #9) is the book that had me a little giddy over Georgia’s boy issues. She is having issues with all of them and can’t seem to keep her feelings under control. I will say Masimo (the Luuurrve God) is HOT. I’m drooling. Perhaps because I have a weakness for Italian men but for whatever the reason I was really digging him. That being said, although I like the direction the story took with Georgia’s personal life (Rennison actually spent more time developing the love triangle than she has in previous books) there are still side stories that don’t seem to mesh well with the overall theme. I found myself flipping through quite a few pages. I will say this, the last few chapters made the book worth reading.

Wrapping it up…

Rennison has a huge following of readers who love this series. It is understandable why it appeals to certain audiences. Some books are better than others but for the most part the series is somewhat entertaining. One issue I do have with the main character, Georgia, is over the course of nine books she doesn’t mature mentally. She approaches ever situation with the same awkwardness and childish manner she presented in the very first book. This is amusing in some instances and a bit frustrating in others. Another point I will mention quickly is that Georgia invents a lot of words (i.e. wisdomosity, glaciosity and confusiosity) and after a while my eyes began to glaze over. 

To summarize, the Georgia Nicolson Confessions has it’s high points. If I had to do it all over again I might have started with the last two books and been just as satisfied. There is a large focus on her family and her cat (all of which I did not find interesting) but in the end I’m glad I was exposed to Rennison’s collection.