google-site-verification: google935433b691795853.html KRISTY BERRIDGE: 2012-09-23

Saturday 29 September 2012

Jazz Bar


Okay so I've done it again, I missed Follow Friday. But don't I always justify my missing of this venture with some weird and wonderful exploration of strange terrain in my otherwise relatively dull existence?
Recently my Follow Friday desertion was due to a pyjama party - thirty year old women sipping wine, singing bad karaoke and scaring the shit out of me with a late night viewing of The Exorcist. This time my absence was due to visitation to a jazz bar.
I don't personally listen to jazz. Don't get me wrong, I've got absolutely nothing against it, it's actually quite soothing but not exactly the kind of beat that gets you bouncing to your feet and head banging until the wee hours of the morning (not that I head bang). It was pleasant, unexpected and something I've never tried in the past. Though admittedly it did feel like happy hour at the retirement home.
There I was in my skinny jeans, up-do, and impressively cruel high heels sipping cocktails with my friends, only to be surrounded by a sea of geriatrics. Just about all of us were carded, though I suspected it was mostly because of the bartender's cataracts and our ability to walk around the bar without a walking frame. We probably looked like toddlers to the regulars.
To top it off, our hostess was clinging desperately to her youth, forcing the sagging flesh of her once ample cleavage into a barely there triangle bikini. I especially loved how she topped the outfit off with a see-through leopard print camisole and a side of slick perspiration to highlight every groove and line of disapproval on her craggy face.
Enter a photographer. Whether intentional or not, he snapped away like a Japanese tourist with endless film, possibly shocked to the core that anyone under thirty crossed the threshold and stayed longer than a pit-stop at the restroom.
All in all the drinks were good, the food was good and the company (my mates) was excellent. The band put on a good show despite the fifteen minute intervals for bathroom breaks, and I even appreciated the fact that I could hear the person next to me at all times. But hopefully my Follow Friday will be back on board by next week. I don't expect another romp with the senior citizens anytime soon, though I look forward to the next adventure my friends will undoubtedly talk me into.
Happy weekend everyone,

Kristy :)

Monday 24 September 2012

Book Review: Thirst by Claire Farrell

Thirst for me was undeniably an enjoyable novella. At 149 pages, it was succinct, suitably written with a clear concept from start to finish.
We follow the story of Ava Delaney, a willowy red-head living on the brink of society. She hides from human interaction, fearful of the dark seed that blooms within. She is what the vampires call a hybrid - half human, half vampire, otherwise known as a day-walker. She craves fresh blood, a constant, aching need that drives her virtually crazy, her only form of calm is to count - count the heartbeat of a would-be victim.
Ava hates the very essence of herself, determined to avoid human contact and beat the burning thirst within. Unfortunately, in trying to avoid and or help the very thing that her vampiric side covets, she winds up with a thrall - a human called Carl, a poor soul lost to her very whims.
The book sees her explore her nature to extent, remaining true to her protective instincts and urge to help those who cannot help themselves. I enjoyed her consistency and the writer's ability to stay on track with topics - a clear cut story line with inevitability in keeping with the character's chosen paths.
Despite this novella being perfectly on target for flow of interpretation, I felt slightly cheated by lack of descriptive content. Sometimes it was hard to picture certain characters, grasp their moods, or envisage the scenes when the novella only allows so much time for detail.
The story itself was built on basic subject matter, a blossoming introduction in which the author makes very clear that there is definitely more to Ava Delaney. The action was plentiful, though brief as every other aspect of this novella projects, and I must admit, I am a little curious to see if this relatively sedate girl will unfurl into a dangerous vixen. At least, I certainly hope so.
I rate this book three out of five fangs. I enjoyed it, and I am curious about future works, but I wasn't completely engaged from beginning to end.

Synopsis:

Ava Delaney calls herself a hybrid - a living, breathing human who happens to have vampire poison running through her veins. The only thing greater than her thirst for human blood is her capacity for guilt. She does her best to avoid the human world, for everyone's sake.
When Ava accidentally enslaves a human while saving him from a vampire, she realises she has to look for help setting him free. Despite her misgivings, she expands her world but finds herself dragged into a possible vampire civil war. With the help of some new friends with ambiguous loyalties, she tries to find a way to keep her human, and herself, alive.