The Must List, September 22

1. Literal Movie Trailers by Tobuscus
These are just hilariously fantastic. I can't get enough of them. When I finally got around to watch Tron Legacy, the actual movie, I sang the literal trailer all the way through. Check out the one below, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and then watch the several others to complete your day. Skip the video game ones... they're not nearly as good.

2. "Home Grown" Figures
One of these is the latest item to decorate my home! I just love them. They're so freaking adorable. A bee made out of a lemon. I bought a poodle made out of cauliflower for my grandmother. A seal made out of an eggplant, and more! You can get a whole barnyard or underwater cast to decorate your bookshelf, kitchen, or bedroom! I highly suggest it. This is Zest, and I can't get over how cute he is!

3. "Sherlock" Season 2 on Instant NetFlix
I don't know if it's "Instant NetFlix" or "NetFlix Instant," but either way I'm so excited they put the next season of "Sherlock" on there! Benedict Cumberbatch - what a name!! - as Sherlock Holmes is back for another modern, sleuth-solving season. I've only gotten through the first half of episode one before Stuart and I were about to pass out from the exhaustion of this week, but it's already been outstanding!!! I can't wait until he gets home to watch more.

4. The Damon and Elena Kiss on "The Vampire Diaries"
I know I'm like a season behind on this uproar, but still!!!!!!!!! OMG!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, yes, see ya Stephan!! Move on out, boy, it's Damon's turn!!! I've been waiting for this moment for two and half seasons. On the other hand, I have a suspicion that Stephan will eventually will return with a fervor, and then Elena will just go running back to him. NO SPOILERS, ANYONE!!! I haven't finished the season yet, so keep your mouth shut for just a little longer. No one shall ruin this for me like James Lipton ruined the end of Harry Potter for me.

5. The Smoothie Machine in the University Center
This thing is awesome. Three smoothie flavors and a plethora of milkshake flavors, this is my new favorite toy to get an icy treat during my school day. I've had to curb my obsession or else I'm going to run out declining balance in the next two weeks, but they're oh so delicious!! Still, my heart belongs to Freshen's. I still haven't been since it's been reopened. I need to get down there, pronto!

6. Rainbow Cake
This was sweetest, sugary-est cake I've ever eaten... and when I say "eaten" I mean that I took like four bites because it was just too much sugar!! Thankfully, I had some photographers to help me finish it off on our trip down to Waynesville. Isn't it fabulous?

54. Stephan's Diaries - Origins

Book 54: The Vampire Diaries - Stephan's Diaries Vol 1. Origins based on the novels by L. J. Smith and the TV series developed by Kevin William and Julie Plec (A-)

We return once again to Stephan and Damon Salvatore in their very first adventures as told in this novel Origins. The tale starts when vampire Katherine Pierce arrives to Mystic Falls. Her beauty and allure send the Salvatores head-over-heels for her, and the brotherly feud begins.
Once before, I read the story of the brothers' feud in the first original Vampire Diaries novel. It is nothing like this story, which was changed and completely flipped upside down for this novel. Stephan's Diaries was written after the television show premiered, the show which had a very interesting and darker twist on why Damon and Stephan are such at odds. Origins bounces off the show's ideas and changes Smith's original intentions until they are unrecognizable but thankfully much, much better!!
I still wish there was an inside look to Katherine or Damon's thoughts. Once again, the reader is subjected to Stephan's story, which isn't nearly as interesting as Katherine's or Damon's. Stephan merely walks around and thinks about Katherine and how much he loves her. It isn't until the final chapters in the book that Stephan gets into the action and makes the fatal mistake that begins the Salvatore brothers' battle against each other. Damon is the one whose actions are mysterious and make the reader long to know more about him. His characteristics are far more enticing, exciting, and interesting than Stephan, whose loyalty to his father makes him bland and boring. Stephan is more of a storyteller than a heroic character. Stuff seems to happen to Stephan, but Stephan doesn't do anything about it.

52. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner

Book 52: The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: an Eclipse Novella by Stephenie Meyer (A-)

Seriously, I'm not planning all this vampire fiction reading. It's just happening this way.

Honestly, after the disappointment of Breaking Dawn, the Twilight Saga's ending novel, I was worried about Meyer's attempt to write a spin-off for a character from Eclipse. Bree battled against the Cullen clan as a distraction for vamp Victoria to carry out her revenge against Edward and Bella. Bree makes only a brief appearance in the large novel that focuses and is told from Bella's point of view. According to Meyer, she felt a special connection to the character when editing the novel. From it, The Short Second Life... was born.
Bree's story begins in her third month as a vampire. She keeps to herself and tries not to die by the hands of her fellow newborn vampire brethren. Their tempers are deadly, literally. One night, Bree is sent out to hunt and becomes friends with Diego, the favored right hand vamp of their leader, Riley. They travel around the city of Seattle together and discuss the holes in Riley's regular speeches. Then, they discover Riley's first lie: they don't burn up in the sun! Instead, they glitter! Diego and Bree decide to team up together and discover the truth about Riley and their creator Victoria. What is really going on? Why are they being made? What other vampire myths aren't true?
This short story was a wonderful, descriptive inside look at what was going on in Seattle while Eclipse focused on Forks. I was quite impressed by how well Meyer was able to separate herself from Bella and write a completely new voice in the same story.
The beginning was a bit shaky. I thought the cave scene where Diego and Bree discover how they sparkle in the sun was a bit quick and understated. Instead, Meyer focused on Bree's thought process. Because Bree was so in the dark about everything, however, it couldn't be nearly as in depth as a character like Bella. So, the passages of Bree's thoughts and feelings are extremely repetitive until the final scene. Still, Meyer did a commendable job exploring this new side of vampires and breathing additional 'undead' life into a new character. I would love to see a short film based on this piece.

51. Stephan's Diaries - Bloodlust

Stephan and Damon Salvatore

Book 51: The Vampire Diaries - Stephan's Diaries, Vol. 2 Bloodlust based on the novels by L. J. Smith and the TV series developed by Kevin Williamson and Julia Plec (B+)

Yes, that's the actual title!
So before I realized The Vampire Diaries is a horrible book series as compared to the television series, I bought one of the Stephan Diaries spin-off books. And, it's surprisingly better! It's like Smith didn't write it at all. Finally, there's more action in the book than in a single episode of the TV show! ...Well, that might be stretching it a little bit.
Volume 2 of Stephan's Diaries picks up right after Stephan and Damon Salvatore have been turned into vampires. They barely make it out of Mystic Falls alive and catch a train to New Orleans in the thick of the Civil War. Immediately, Stephan, who is the darker brother in this series, begins feeding on innocent victims while Damon refuses to drink any blood at all. He is tormented by Katherine's death and Stephan's betrayal by turning him into a vampire. The brothers have a falling out and separate. On his own, Stephan finds a coven of vampires who take him in and begin teaching the values of keeping a low profile. However, Damon's in trouble and it's up to Stephan, differences aside, to save his brother and bring out the inner monster in Damon.
Really, did Smith write this book? Because it's written like the TV show's writers wrote the novel! It's interesting, the dialogue is complex, and the characters are fantastic. We are introduced to Stephan's future best friend, Lexi, a saucy female vamp whose personality no one can dislike. I was quite impressed by the staggering difference in the two series.
The story is still lacking in a way. It is told from the first person of Stephan, and I think that takes away from how dynamic the story could have been. I would have liked to get Damon's and Lexi's opinions, too! Or even the human love interest Callie.
Hey, where's the series for Katherine? That'd be very, very interesting... depending on who wrote it!
If you need more Vampire Diaries, read Stephan's Diaries. Just ignore the original series! Seriously!

45. The Vampire Diaries - The Struggle

Book 45: The Vampire Diaries - The Struggle by L. J. Smith (C+)

<3 Damon

Ok once again, WHAT? The television series just got that much better because this novel completely falls on its face. There must be one heck of a screenwriting team behind the TV show because there is no way they got the awesomeness of the script from the books. I am once again disappointed, and I don't think I'll be reading The Vampire Diaries original series anymore. I do have one of the spin-offs - Stephan's Diaries - that I'm going to give a try.
The Struggle took a deep downfall from The Awakening. At least with The Awakening, the reader was being introduced to the characters and learning about the town. Now with The Struggle, you already know the story and it's basically the exact same as the first book: Stephan has a wall up, Damon is pissed off, Bonnie talks in a scary voice whenever she gives a premonition, and Elena is just pathetic. Seriously, how can such an awesome, strong, confident character on TV be based off a materialistic, bitchy, mess of a girl from the book? It is so disappointing. I really don't understand how these books got to be so popular.
Out of 234 pages, only two major things happen: the emergence and development of the character Damon and trying to get back Elena's diary from Carolina before she outs Stephan as a murderer in front of the whole town during Founder's Day. The rest... blah, blah, blah, blah!!! 'Oh, Stephan, I love you!' 'Oh, Elena, we can't be together because it's too scary!' 'Oh, Elena, be my Princess of Darkness! And, don't ever talk to your friends or family again or I'll drain them of blood.' It gets old real quick! And then Stephan proposes and Elena accepts??!! Unrealistic and stupid!!!
These characters suck (no pun intended!)!! Watch the television series!

44. The Vampire Diaries - The Awakening

Book 44: The Vampire Diaries - The Awakening by L. J. Smith (B)

I am absolutely in love with the CW TV series based on this book! However, the book... not so much. I feel like Smith doesn't have the skill to write as well as she could, but the novel has become popular because it's another one of those boy-vampire-meets-human-girl novels. It really is a knock-off of Twilight, but there's no loving Cullen family. Instead, there are feuding vampire brothers.

Damon (L), Elena, and Stephan (R)

Elena is your stereotypical high school queen! She is everything anyone would want to be - beautiful, skinny, blonde hair, cheerleader, Homecoming Queen, and any man can be hers! She even has an entourage following her throughout her school day. Her dark feelings about her parents' sudden death in a car crash are hidden away in her diary. Along comes Stephan Salvatore - handsome, Italian, and vampire! He resists Elena at first, but eventually succumbs to her identical beauty to a past love, Katherine, that he and his brother, Damon, murdered. Katherine, unable to decide between the love she felt for both brothers, changed them both into vampires, which led to Katherine's withering away to dust by the sunlight and the Salvatore brothers' forever-long feud.
However, when Stephan comes to Fell's Church, VA, murders occur in high numbers. An old man is attacked, a high school girl has her neck slashed, and the high school history teacher is drained of blood. Stephan can't explain it. He's often found blacked out in the woods, in the cemetery, in the high school boys locker room. He is racked with guilt at his inability to control his thrist for blood and decides to leave town when Elena declares her love, even after he tells her what he is.
Ok, pause! Here is another crazy, stupid girl who doesn't run when a bloodthirsty monster announces he's undead and wants to snap her neck and drain her. Bella, are you listening to me right now? In the television spin-off of this novel, Elena actually pushes Stephan away for two episodes before the inevitable "I'll love you forever no matter what you are." Here, Elena is completely blind and stupid and probably possessed by something unnatural at the way she throws herself at Stephan without thinking! Even Bella had more self control than that. And, I'm not saying that's horrible fiction, I myself being a Twilight fan, but the way Smith wrote Elena... it was just dumb! It's like the girl who goes back again and again to the guy who beats her up. Ladies, take a stand!!! Dump the testosterone-filled loser and quit chasing after the vampire!! In both situations, your life is in peril! 
The show is definitely so much better than this book! The show not only has beautiful actors playing the vampires (oh Ian Somerhalder, you are my Edward Cullen) but they really expand the very simple plot of the novel. I've only made it through The Awakening and I'm on the second season of the show, but the series makes a whole lot more sense and is more entertaining on TV than I think it'll ever be in the book.