Now being offered as a BOOKRING. (See journal entry below.)
I am willing to LEND books from my personal collection on the condition that you send them back to me when you're done. Please see my profile for details.

The second book in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series, continues to thrill!

=========================

The novels of New York Times bestselling author Laurell K. Hamilton take readers into the dangerous life of Anita Blake, animator and vampire hunter--a woman as good at raising the dead as she is at slaying the undead. Now, a creature from beyond the grave is tearing a swath of murder through St. Louis. And Anita will learn that there are some secrets better left buried--and some people better off dead...

"They were treating me like I was a very dangerous person.
At five-three I am not imposing. Raise the dead, kill a few vampires, and people start considering you one of the monsters. Sometimes it hurt. But now... it had possibilities. 'Do you really think I came in here unarmed?' I asked. My voice sounded very matter-of-fact... 'Want to bet your life on it?'"

Starting a BookRing for the first 4 books in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series. See the forum posting at http://www.bookcrossing.com/forum/20/1318548 for details and links to the offered titles.

PM me if you'd like to join. Be sure to specify which rings you want to join since each book will be shipped separately, as well as your shipping preferences. If you're joining the ring after it's already begun shipping, know that your place in the list will be determined based on your geographic location in conjunction with what is best for the other participants.

Note that while I'll certainly take your shipping preferences into account during list ordering, I don't like to always stick the same person with International shipping costs. So if you're going to participate in the rings for the entire series, at least 10 of which will be International rings, you should plan to have to ship Internationally at least once, unless there are enough others to pass the cost around to.

Ring Participants, in final shipping order (modified 17-Aug-2006)
· NeedSun, Ontario, Canada (ship Intl)
· Aramena (formerly casseytara), Oklahoma, USA (ship Intl)
· AngelKitty, Colorado, USA (ship US)
· CdnBlueRose, Colorado, USA (ship Intl) requested to be skipped
· midwinter, Arizona, USA (ship US)
· morpha, Oregon, USA (ship Intl)
· Pyan, Wisconsin, USA (ship Intl/surface)
· geniedances, Texas, USA (ship Intl) (to Aus. via GPM)
· catsalive, NSW, Australia (ship local)
· gypsyrose02, Western Australia (ship Intl/pref Aussie)
· Rhenium3, Czech Republic (ship pref Europe, else okay)
· Sunneschii, Switzerland (ship Europe)
· sweetf, UK (ship Intl/surface)
· Margih, Finland (ship Europe)
· CandyDarling, Finland (ship Intl)
· jessicaloveyou, Singapore (ship Intl)
· GateGypsy, BC, Canada (ship Intl)
· fungirl503, OR, USA (ship Intl) acquired her own copy
· thegoaliegirl, OH, USA (ship pref US) acquired her own copy
· MaryZee, MD, USA (ship Intl)
· Withoutwings, FL, USA (ship Intl)
· CheriePie, Massachusetts, USA <== returned to me

• The above list order may be modified at any time to accomodate new participants or those who wish to leave the ring. So you should always refer to the list included in this journal entry before mailing the book out after you've finished with it.
  
• After messaging the next person in the list for their address, you should allow at least a week for a reply (to allow for vacations). You may want to send more than one PM if they don't reply to the first one since I've experienced firsthand issues of BookCrossing PM's not being delivered. In Search Of (ISO) posts in the Bookring Forum also work well. If they haven't replied after 1 to 1-1/2 weeks, skip them and move on to the next person in the list.
  
• Please post a journal entry here (1) when you first receive the book so we all know it has arrived safely, and (2) after you've finished reading it and are ready to send it along. Of course, please include your thoughts and opinions on the book itself too. :)
  
• For courtesy sake, please try not to hang on to this book for more than 4-6 weeks as others are also waiting to read it. If you don't think you can get to the book in that timeframe, you can request to be skipped over and added to the end of the ring instead. Just use your best judgement so as not to hold up the ring.
  
• Remember that at the end of the list, THIS BOOK SHOULD BE RETURNED TO ME, not released into the wild. I enjoy rereading my favorite books over time, and lend them out to other people in my life too, who are not necessarily members of BookCrossing.

INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING
Do not assume that surface shipping is always the most efficient choice. For many International destinations from the US, a single paperback can be shipped in a small Global Priority Mail (GPM) envelope for only $5, about $1 more than surface mail to the same destination. And rather than the 4-6 weeks quoted shipping time of surface mail (often longer), GPM takes only 3-5 days and includes a delivery confirmation number too. I strongly suggest that anyone joining any of my rings consider this shipping option when mailing overseas from the US. The minute any one of my PC books gets lost in shipping is the day I'll stop offering bookrings for my PC books altogether.

I'll specifically arrange the ring order so that the inital overseas journey from the US goes to a country that accepts the Global Priority Mail option, and if you're the one responsible for that trip, you'll probably be hearing from me directly as well. The list is ordered most efficiently, to minimize both shipping costs and times.

THANKS AND HAPPY READING!

Released on Wednesday, December 22, 2004 at about 3:00:00 PM BX time (GMT-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada) at Bookring Controlled Release in Controlled Release, Controlled Release Controlled Releases.

RELEASE NOTES:

Sent to NeedSun on 22-Dec-2004 via Economy Letter Post. (I'm curious to see how much longer it takes than Airmail since I can pretty much drive to the Toronto area from Boston in about 8-10 hours, though the PO claims this service takes 4-6 weeks. I doubt it though.) This was mailed along with Dead-in-Dixie, the 3-in-1 omnibus edition of the first 3 Sookie Stackhouse books.

This book landed in my hands yesterday and I am definitely looking forward to reading it.

I love the way these books are written with short, very succinct sentences and the thoughts of Ms Blake, so sarcastic and caustic. I thought this book was better than the first because in the first book , the poor girl was pummeled from the first page to the last, I found it hard to keep taking.

CheriePie, thank you for introducing me to Anita Blake. I will hold on to the book until you tell me to release it.

This book was put in the mail to Aramena Friday, March 4. Hopefully, she will enjoy it as much as I did.

Arrived yesterday! I just started reading Middlesex, which is a pretty long one, so I'll go ahead and start this one soon and read them concurrently.

I liked this book much better than the first one, and now I know I defintely want to read all of the books in the series! What an amazing cast of characters, and non-stop action right up until the end!

This is on it's way to AngelKitty today!

Wow, even better than the first one. Gotta love the continuity of the series, (haven't read much in the way of modern-day mixed with fantasy) and the reality of Anita's character. It's great to see the vulnerability of such a strong woman.

Again, I'm intrigued by the legal and political ramifications of possible "Undead-Americans". Not a subject I've seen much on, and I hope it gets expanded. My husband and I have had some *very* strange conversations, probably due to my reading this so soon after Fast Food Nation about the working conditions of zombies, and how ethical (and practical) it would be to use them in hazardous conditions such as mining and underwater excavation. Most of Anita's comments imply that zombies feel no pain, but they do retain memories (as they can be questioned), prompting me to wonder if they count as "alive". Granted, Anita's zombies specifically do not have souls, but that's a boundary for fantasy. If this were to happen in real life, would there be groups rallying for undead rights in the workplace? Also, Dominga's zombies DO have souls, but where do we draw the line? And (here's where that Fast Food Nation comes back into play) exactly what kind of meat do the zombies need to eat to keep from rotting (I think this was addressed in the first book)? Would it be safe to feed them "remnants", remnant-fed cattle, or other animals that were deemed unsafe for humans and food-source animals? How complicted an instruction can a zombie handle? Granted, they could probably load boxes on (forgive the pun) the graveyard or other undesirable shifts, but the unions would block that quickly. You wouldn't want them in foodservice, even handling the crates. They probably can't handle complicated machinery needed to do mining, etc. The only real practical purposes I can think of are: mining without machinery, and pseudo search-and-rescue (ie, a worker is trapped in an area filled with toxic fumes or something similar, and a zombie is sent in to retrieve it. We already know that they are very strong, and that they can sense the presence of the person they are sent after if they get close enough).

On the other hand, maybe I'm *really* over-thinking this, and should just enjoy the good clean fun of it. Dominga Salvador as a kindly-looking grandmother is a great villian cover, and villians who get away with atrocities because they aren't technically illegal tend to really get my goat.

I am SO glad cheriepie offered this one up as a bookring, as it would have taken me forever to get to it otherwise.

CdnBlueRose has asked to be skipped, so this is on it's way to midwinter .

I liked this book a lot better than Guilty Pleasures. I know Anita is called the Executioner and Vampire Hunter, but being an animator is her true calling, and zombie tales are where she shines.
This book was far and away creepier than Guilty Pleasures - who wouldn't run screaming at the thought of awaking to a zombie at your bedside, or staring down the mangled ball of parts the voodoo queen threw together?
I'll even admit to needing to sleep with a night light last night :)
I think all the characters have hit their stride here - Hamilton can focus on plot rather than establishing backstory, and it really clicks.
Looking forward to reading more in this series!
*****
Sending off to morpha today

This came a few weeks ago and I read it instantly, but it got lost along with Guilty Pleasures in a pile of books. I will mail both books together to Pyan today.

I actually found the pacing of this book to be a bit of a relief as Anita was not constantly in action for every page of the book. I really enjoy the growing sexual tension between Anita and Jean-Claude. The graveyard scene at the end was mind-blowing!

I received in the mail today & I'm upset because it was sent to me without any PM asking whether I still wanted to receive it & requesting my address. I didn't want it; nor the other book sent with it.

Please don't send a ring to the next person without knowing if they still want to receive. In addition to that consideration, people may have moved or be on vacation.

Right now my life is in chaos, I have two friends in the hospital and no time for rings. If I'd been contacted, I would have requested to be skipped. Now, I have to pay postage to send these on to the next person when they should have been sent directly to the next person.

Edited to Add: I've PM'd grover3d.

Received PM from grover3d requesting she be skipped.

PMing geniedances.

Received address from geniedances -- will mail out later this week.

RELEASE NOTES:

Mailing to geniedances -- enjoy!

In book 2, Anita's abilities advance to a degree that seems to surprise her as well as those who know her well. Capabilities that she has been fighting to avoid are no longer avoidable. The "relationship" with Jean Claude takes on a different shape. This is a page turner from beginning to end!

has been sent to catsalive in Australia

This arrived quickly, and with 3 other bookrings. I'm on a ring for Book 1 which hasn't arrived yet but I can borrow it from my library if necessary. Thanks geniedances.

It took me a bit to get into this but once I did I found it better than the first book. I like the short chapters, it makes it easy to pick up and put down the book at a logical break. That being said, I stayed up until 1.30am to finish it this morning - I was intending to go to bed at 10.30pm. Oh well, I'll go to bed early tonight.

Off to gypsyrose02 next.

Posted to gypsyrose02 this morning. Thanks CheriePie.

arrived today. thanks catsalive.
yet another ring to add to my pile. when it rains, it pours. will get to asap. loved the first anita blake book, so should enjoy this one.

couldnt finish this book. Have gone off reading at the moment (shock, horror!) Have a lot of pressure in all aspects of my life at the moment, so am trying to relieve some of it, by posting out all the rings in my house at the moment. thanks for including me. shall get it in the post asap.

i read it, i read it, i read it! sorry, ill stop doing my little dance of joy. i loved it. glad cheriepie convinced me to finish it. cant wait for the next one! thanks for putting up with me. will be going out to rhenium3 next week.

on its way.

Hey guys! So sorry, with the xmas rush and all that I forgot to register the book! I hope you weren't worried CherriePie. It is alive and on it's way to it's next victim! :)

Love it more and more. This one is very bloody! But I won't give away any details. Anita kicks a$$!

The book arrived at my home while I was on holidays, thank you for sending the book!:-D

I absolutely loved the book! The book contains some great ideas, also about trying to make everything reasonable! And the legal aspects - It's great!


So great I just bought the next volume.... I fear I'm addicted and can't wait for the ring!;-)

Received yesterday, thanx.

Another good book in the series, highly enjoyable.

Received in the post today, thanks :)

This was even better than the first Anita Blake -book. Perhaps because the main character, Anita, is now more familiar.. Or then the story is just better. I don´t know and I don´t care, I just love it! The last chapters were really page turners. I´d like to give all ten stars to this book but what if the third book of the serie is better again?! Well, now I just have to wait to receive the third one.. But, this book is already taken to the post office so CandyDarling80 doesn´t have to wait longer for this one :)

Thanks again CheriePie for the ring and sorry for I kept this a little too long.

Received the book in the mail today. I really want to start reading right away, but I have 8 bookrings ahead of this one...

I loved the second installment in the Anita Blake series just as much as the first! I can't wait to read more!

I was glad to see that this book was about zombies, and it was interesting to learn more about what being an animator is. What I didn't like was how the part where Anita met Jean Claude felt like it was taken out of the previous book. The scene in the Laughing Corpse (the bar, not the book) was too much like the scene in Guilty Pleasures in the previous book. It didn't fit in smoothly enough in this book. I also hated Jean Claude. I blame that on Christine Feehan, whose books (for example Dark Challenge) have probably ruined vampire romances for me... Laurell K. Hamilton is an excellent writer, and I hope her vampires won't feel as cliched in the future. And I don't want to read ever again about vampires who force women into submission, especially if the women end up enjoying it anyway. (Sorry for ranting, but the scene where Anita was in Jean Claude's office just rubbed me the wrong way.)

Another thing that offended me in this book was how the author contrasted voodoo with Christianity. She implied that it was Christianity that prevented Anita from becoming an evil animator, and if Dominga had been a Christian, she wouldn't have been evil. Sorry, but that's a load of bs. There are too many Christians out there, who are just as evil as Dominga, even though they might not be raising zombies... Every person must make moral decisions for themselves, and believing in a certain religion won't make you either good or evil.

And while I'm complaining, why were so many voodoo terms spelled in such a weird way? For example vévé was spelled verve and loa was spelled lao. There were other examples too, but I can't find them right now...

I'm sorry for writing such a negative review about a book I loved so much! Everything else was great. Loved the mystery aspect, as well as the horror aspect. I'm really looking forward to see the characters and the world develop. And I have to say the ending of The Laughing Corpse was probably the most satisfying ending ever! ;)

I sent the book to GateGypsy today.

It's here! I shall read it quickly, I'm sure, given I have 1-hr-15-min-long bus-commutes to and from work **laughs** Thanks so much for sharing!

**********************************************************

I'm all proud of myself 'cause I finished it... I finished it several days ago, but I just haven't had the chance to get to the computer to journal about it 'til now.
I, too, must echo the others in saying that I really enjoyed this one. I like the short chapters, and even the choppy-sentence style. I feel it makes it informal, easy to slip in and out of, quick to read. It's definately the not writing style that I possess, so it's nice to experience something different. I kept thinking of how this style is much the sort that my friend is trying to emulate, and wondered if I should get him to read these, too **laughs** I'd like to know his opinion.
I'm a sucker for a zombie story. I love 'em. I'm also enjoying the mix of real-world/fantasy, which Hamilton also used in her Merry Gentry series. (She seems particularly fond of petite/short, spitfire women who like guns for heroines, eh?) The vampire bit is less up my alley, really but I don't resent it. I was really glad this story focussed mostly on her sleuthing and animating, though, to be honest. Still, regardless of whether more of the books focus more on the vampire part of her story or not, I'm still really looking forward to reading them all!
CheriePie, thank you so much for sharing these. It's a real treat! I'm really looking forward to the next one.

I have Fungirl503's address, so I'll post this book to her tomorrow (Friday the 28th) 'cause it's my day off work. Enjoy!

Received safely in the mail today. This will be next up as soon as I finish my current read, probably by next week.

This is definitely the right time of the year to read this scary story. Not too much more to add to what others have already written. I enjoyed this one more than Guilty Pleasures, which I thought had too much non-stop violence (for me, anyway). I've read the first 3 Merry Gentry books, and this series seems much darker than those. However, this was a very compelling read - started on Friday, driven to finish this on Monday, without any lengthy stretches to read over the weekend, but I could hardly put it down. I'm being compelled to continue with this series, too.

Mailed out to WithoutWings on 10/19. Thanks for sharing, CheriePie!

I loved it. I'm hooked now! I can't wait for the next book. Thanks for sharing!

This much loved book is now back home with me, and will return to my Personal Collection bookshelf. This is one of the ones that made it all the way through all participants without needing to be replaced, and though it looks a little worse for the wear, it actually held up remarkably well. Thank you to everyone who participated. And Happy Holidays to all!