Romancing The Vampire

Father's Day is on the horizon and the hubby is taken care of. His poor PC is painfully slow and has developed an attitude so I decided it was time to get him all techno-geeked out with a new laptop. All done and crossed off the to-do list. Yeah!

Oh, but wait... Now I have to figure out what to get my dad. This is a bit more challenging and even though he loves gift cards I always feel like a loser when I give him one as they don't take much thought. So, as I'm pondering this dilemma the dear hubby calls. He's needing assistance on what to get his mom for her birthday which happens this year to fall on - yep - you guessed it...Father's Day! Yeah.

The MIL is impossibly hard to buy for and never remotely excited about any gift she receives. I inform said spouse that I have enough problems to solve and am on the hunt for a gift for my dad. Big mistake! He feels it would be so very easy for me to kill two birds with one stone and shop for her at the same time. Yeah me.

So here, in the middle of my work day, I'm standing in the book store considering the ideal dad gift. (The MIL doesn't read so I was going to have to throw more than one stone.) I wander the aisles and something catches my eye. Romancing The Vampire From Past To Present.

Here's the overview:

"Long before Edward Cullen and the Twilight phenomenon, there was Angel, Barnabas Collins and Bela Lugosi, and many others in between. They are vampires the undead. Add an infusion of Bella, Buffy and Carla Laemmle, then sprinkle in unforgettable characters such as Renfield and little Eddie Munster, and you have a capsule of how cinematic vampires are viewed by today s world. But there were vampires walking this earth long before the invention of movies and television. In this book, author David J. Skal weaves a narrative history of vampirism, from the ancient Aztecs through the writings of Bram Stoker, Anne Rice and Stephenie Meyer. But what makes this book even more unique are the replicas tucked inside sleeves and pockets. There are removable photos of Bram Stoker, Carmilla and Lord Byron. For movie buffs, it has posters from Nosferatu, Dracula Has Risen From The Grave starring Christopher Lee, and Bram Stoker s Dracula along with a replica of Stoker s Dracula notes. Take a walk through the history of the undead, with romance, horror and blood along the way."

This puppy is huge, heavy and a vampire pictorial delight! Loaded with pockets and pull-outs, it resembles a scrapbook and covers everything from Bela to Buffy and Vlad to movie vampires. There's even a paper, vintage style vampire mask complete with elastic headband at the back of the book. And it's as if the Great Pumpkin himself knew how challenging my day had become he granted me a bonus. The book was a mere $4.99!

Needless to say, I scooped up a copy (a well deserved gift for yours truly) and I intend to spend tonight discovering all the little treasures it holds inside.

Oh, and don't worry. I found the perfect book for my dad.

As for the MIL? She's getting garden frogs for her birthday and hubby is pleased. To-do list...Done!

Haunt on!