[BOOK CLUB] You Suck, A Love Story by Christopher Moore

Two posts in a day? Yeesh, stop me.

So, for those of you out there following along, this month's book was You Suck, A Love Story by Christopher Moore.

If the title itself didn't peak your interest then you and I are not the kindred spirits I thought we were. Boo.

However, if you went out and got the book (whether it was because of the sexy title) and made your way through it over the last month and a half or so - let's chat.

I was wondering if the premise and story might get some eyebrows lifting, since it's basically about youngish vampires living in San Francisco who, other than vampire-ing around at night, lead pretty normal lives. But that is the beauty of this book, and it's predecessor, Bloodsucking Fiends, also by Christopher Moore (Obviously. Shut up.)

The beauty is this - if you squint hard enough and have enough cocktails, you can pretty easily imagine something like this happening to you. I did. Frankly, I'm planning a little trip to the Marina Safeway next time I'm in SF just to check around for errant Animals or an old blue whore.

There was a scene in Bloodsucking Fiends where Jody is first getting her vampire-y powers and kicks some guys ass at a laundromat. Beauty. Then in You Suck, she talks about how she prefers her life as a vampire because she can walk alone at night, in dark alleys, through rough hoods, etc and never feel scared.

I don't know about you all, but having walked to BART after working all day and half the night, I'd have loved knowing I could defend myself from the stinky riffraff that wanders those streets at night. That's just me though.

Anyway, I don't want to get all preachy and "Woman Power" on you guys, because that is boring. But I like that little side note in this entertaining read that I breezed through in a few short days. I won't lie, I eat up anything he writes, so this was another "run right out and get it because I'm getting the shakes" pick since I've finished all his other books.

It didn't hurt that this episode included a Hummer limo full of cracked out dudes fresh from Vegas, the aforementioned blue whore, the super old vampire from Bloodsucking Fiends that was so much fun the first time and some scintillating vampy love (meow). However, I could have done entirely without the stupid Abby and her wicked annoying vampire chronicles or whatever they were.

Christopher, if you're out there, this was not your best character ever. Just, ugh.

Overall though, a fun read to tie up my Christopher Moore swoonfest and properly adorn the bookshelf with his entire collection. If you dug this book and want to lay your naked steaming eyes on some more, a few of my other favorites were; Fluke, Lamb and Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove.

Think me weird all you like, these were all fabulously entertaining.

And, as always, I'm ready to swerve wildly in another direction with the next book: The Namesake, by Jhumpa Lahiri. Even though I just saw a preview for the movie based on this book (hello, annoying), I still want to read it. I'm just hoping that while I'm reading it some hammerhead doesn't come up to me and go, "Hey! I just saw that movie. Did you know that XYZ person does XYZ crazy thing that changes the whole ending?!"

Because then I would have to kick.

Meet back on 5/1 and I'll tell you how many were wounded in the reading of this book.

Cheers!