great video!! as other commentors have said - highly recommend the iwtv tv series! also, to add to the twilight discussion - it's interesting how usually vampires are so inherently queer, sexy, erotic, but twilight is incredibly subdued. both the books and the movies push purity culture, abstinence, pro-life etc. the author's beliefs that were injected into twilight make the comparison to other vampire fiction quite jarring.

@WillowTalksBooks

7 күн бұрын

That’s a really great point. What if the most queer-coded thing was Mormon lol

Willow listen to me, TRUST ME, you're going to LOVE the interview with the vampire amc series, enough that you'll wanna tell anyone who will listen to watch it

@WillowTalksBooks

7 күн бұрын

I’ll get to it, I swear :)

@ameliachai7026

7 күн бұрын

What do we do now every Sunday after episode 8 last week? 😢

@tariniagarwal5252

7 күн бұрын

@@ameliachai7026 idk it's just been a week I'm loosing my mind, fanfics ig ;)

@remingtongraves

6 күн бұрын

I expected to hate the television series because the deviations from the text were too numerous but this second season was nothing short of a masterpiece. I’m about to binge it again in full.

Like many The Vampire Lestat was a moment of awakening for me as a late teen. That and Lost Souls.

I love vampire stories. I love gothic literature. I love this video 😊

Probably my favorite video you have done to date, your most interesting content for me is fast becoming your insight into fiction, rather than just reviewing/recommending it. I'm a vampire fan as well, mainly the kind you're referring to where the character is always this fascinating, queer-coded balance between the monstrous/terrifying/powerful and the alluring/forbidden/sensual (and preferably sparkle-free please lol). A lot of us have to face these exact feelings coming to terms with who we are as people (escaping indoctrination and embracing the allure of being who we are), and further deal with those feelings when forced to cope with the wider culture we live in (often alternating between being hated/feared by some and then stalked/desired/fetishized by the same people covertly) and I suspect (especially in the case of Stoker) that some authors may have codifed their own experiences along this line as well into those stories. Vampires are absolutely queer as hell. And the fiction is a metaphor for lived experience in some ways, which only adds to both the allure, and the horror.

This is perfection. I’m reading vampire books for a reading vlog at the moment so this couldn’t have been better timed!

@WillowTalksBooks

7 күн бұрын

Ooh I hope it’s helpful!

This is perfect timing as I’ve just started planning my dissertation on the vampire myths through time🖤

'Dracul' in our language literally means 'the devil'. But at the time,he was indeed, the son of the dragon (some ethimological goodness). I'm impressed with your research in this matter. Nice video, I love all the vampire lore.

@WillowTalksBooks

7 күн бұрын

Oh interesting, thanks for letting me know! I got a lot of my info, including the meaning of Dracul, from a history tour of Bucharest. Guess the guide got it wrong somehow 🤷🏻‍♀️

a great reasearch journey! I will read "a dowry of blood" after having read and adored "an education in malice" on your recommendation! your careful use of words + loving your own queerness + "not being much of a royalist" are some of the aspects that give this channel its authentic exuberant fresh vivid colors. speaking of color vivacity, that beautiful shade of red really suits you! 💄

When I was 11 years old I watched Bram Stoker's Dracula and became obsessed with Dracula and read everything I could get my hands on about Vlad the Impaler. But then after this, I read anything I could on vampires as well legends through the ages as well as in Fantasy (vampires have always been my favourites to read about) plus I have found it fascinating what vampirism has stood for over the centuries showing the human mind and how the times where and how that's Inspired what we have as vampirism nowadays.

This is just what I needed to fight the exhaustion after a weekend with the family

A wonderful video. I was obsessed with vampire stories and legends when I was a kid... I even joined a Quincy Morris society (yeah, I was a geek). I bought a big book about Vlad Dracul Tepes, as well as one of those old Time/Life books of the paranormal about the history of vampire legends. I always found it so fascinating. I still do. In any case, I could go on and on and geek out, but instead I will simply say that it was fun to watch this well-researched video.

Vampire literature has always captivated me, and all these books are absolute gold! This essay video is really well done! There is another book I remember reading called Young Blood by Brian M Stableford. It was such a fever read blending genres of horror, science fiction, and psychological terror. It unsettled me a lot..

This video essay is so wonderful and fascinating and informative. Hope you are able to do more of these video essays.

@WillowTalksBooks

7 күн бұрын

I’d love to!

I was just reading a publication called "forensic pathology and the European vampire", by Paul Barber from UCLA. He has turned this into a book later on, and the Yale University Press published it. It is called "vampire, burial and death". A fantastic book that talks about the scientific explanations for the origins of the vampire legends. By the way, I really enjoy your videos and I love how well you use the language.

This was so interesting - didn't know the whole history behind vampires. I recently read Dracula and really loved it. Adding Carmilla to my tbr! Willow, love your videos - thank you so much for all you do!📖💕

Talking about vampires as outsiders that threaten us and drain us (and also the implicit critique in The Southern Book Club's Guide ot Capitalism, 38:20), really echoes the latest video of Gary's Economics. Tax the vampires!!!

@WillowTalksBooks

7 күн бұрын

Oooh I’ll check it out!

This is, to me at least, my favourite video you made so far. So much work/effort/research that i´'m sure went into this, its awesome! Now, to re-read all of the ones i've read, and read the ones i didnt haha!

@WillowTalksBooks

6 күн бұрын

Aw thank you! It’s my favourite video of mine, too :)

brilliant video as always! my two yt genres are booktube and video essays. this video was made for me thank you! (also you look great!)

I adore vampire fiction and all Willow reviews, so I adore this video. ❤

Wow!! Seriously Willow. You are such a talent.

@WillowTalksBooks

6 күн бұрын

🥹🥹🥹

How I love a good vampire stories. Read every book by Anne Rice (including the witches series) and fell in love

Brilliant. Thank you for posting. I can recommend the recent film ‘Carmilla’ starring German actress Devrim Lingnau as the titular character. She’s brilliant as Carmilla.

Wwoooops, liked before I even watched 😂 All my weaknesses in one video, you just made my Sunday morning ❤ "Because the most important thing when it comes to research is vibes" 😂😂 true story.

This was a great video. Im rereading Carmilla in August, such a fantastic book. I love how vampires have been used to criticise society

This was a ton of fun! I’ve read all the books you mentioned and appreciate your insights and thoughts. I may have to reread some of them with this great review in mind. The hard work you put into the review is evident and I could listen to you talk about vampires anytime. Thanks!

Finally watched the entire video and I've loved the Dr Frank-N-Furter moments 😂💋💄(AND the video itself!)

@WillowTalksBooks

6 күн бұрын

Tim Curry, my hero 💜

"But, then, I'm not much of a royalist." 🤣🤣🤣🌈❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🖤🙌👏

Have you read Queen Marie of Romania's writings? Her most famous works are her diaries, which were published later on, but she also wrote her impressions on Romania, as she got to know and love the country, and I think she also wrote some fairytales, but I haven't managed to get that volume.

Loved the video!

Thanks for the recommendation

AMAZING !!!!👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻💜

This was a riveting video. It took me 34 minutes before it dawned on me that you weren't in your usual corner. I thought, am I being entranced? I met Anne Rice at a book reading to get her autograph for a boyfriend. I said I thought she looked so innocent and motherly, how could she write such intense stuff. She said, that's exactly how. Im watching the Rice produced (before she passed) TV series adaptation of Interview, going on now, finally with the time to expand and explore characters as no movie possibly could, and can't wait to see how well your ideas match up. It's openly gay and Louis and Claudia are black. It's really good. Now off to buy maybe all of the books you brought out to play today. Or do you only film now at night?

I absolutely enjoyed interview with the vampire book i only read 5 book's so far

I honestly loved your video, thank you ☺ also, now, I wanna read all vampire fiction 😄 and.. I'm bi, so vampire fiction + sapphic, count me in 👌

This is fantastic! Will you do more videos like this? I think ones on witches and werewolves could be so cool!

I had commented when you first posted this video but I don’t see it here now. Hm. I did make an edit soon after. Maybe I accidentally deleted it. But what I had said was that this video made me really happy. I love vampire literature. And I added some of the selections you listed here to my reading list. Thank you. Also, have you read Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist? It’s a Swedish novel about a lonely pubescent boy who’s being harassed by other boys in school and he meets a young female vampire. They get closer and closer and eventually it’s revealed that she’s not a girl at all. She’s living as a girl but she’s actually a eunuch. She was castrated during the process of turning her into a vampire centuries before. Just mentioning this because we both seem to love the vampire as a metaphor for the queer experience. I think you might like it. Check it out if you haven’t already! Also, will you be continuing reading Anne Rice’s vampire novels? If so I can’t wait for you to get to The Vampire Armand. He’s my favorite of her vampires and his book is my favorite of the series. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.

Louis and Lastat’s relationship dynamic is toxic AF and bringing Claudia into the fold did not help things as with every toxic relationship

@WillowTalksBooks

7 күн бұрын

Yup

@ilselauwers6009

7 күн бұрын

So if vampires are queer where do you position : Let the right one in ? I ‘ve read Carmella years ago and to me it felt like a cat playing with her food . And as an anti queer / lesbian story . That sort of romance are portrayed as vile , dangerous, bad ….. I don’t understand why you say Laura is the hero ? In the end she has to be rescued….

Tak!

@WillowTalksBooks

6 күн бұрын

Thank you!!

What do you think of reading Heathcliff as a sort of proto-vampire? (I recall how much you love Wuthering Heights!)

Willow, that red Bram Stoker's Dracula book is beautiful! Is it possible to share the ISBN ?

@WillowTalksBooks

7 күн бұрын

It’s part of the Barnes & Noble Collectible Editions. You can find it here: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dracula-bram-stoker/1106658799

@ameliachai7026

6 күн бұрын

@@WillowTalksBooks thank you!

🧛🧛🧛🧛🧛💜.

My critique on Sexy Vampires, whether they are gay, straight, lesbian, bi, or trans, is that the Sexy Vampire troupe is not scary. I'm not against Sexy Vampires as a concept as long as they follow the rule of what it is to be a Vampire, and that is to look and act evil and dangerous. I always wanted to write a novel about Vampires for a very long time, but didn't know how to. That was until I discovered the Necroscope series by Brian Lumley. His Vampires are the scariest in all of literature and they were an influence on me in inspiring me to write my own novel. I believe that Vampires are at their best when they are creatures of horror and there is a lot one can do with that angle instead of just making Vampires into brooding supermodels with barely visible fangs.