Frightful Friday is a weekly meme in which I feature a particularly scary or chilling book that I’ve read that week. Feel free to grab the button & join in! Be sure to include a link to your post in the Mr. Linky at the bottom of this post!
This week’s book:
Vampires are the rage in fiction & on screen lately. We all know the characteristics of vampires, right? They’re pretty pale-skinned, dislike the sun, can’t stand garlic or silver. However, did you know that there is more than one type of vampire, and that not all vampires are afraid of sunlight?
Biblio Vampiro: A Vampire Handbook is a great little guide to the blood-sucking undead. It is broken down into the following sections:
- 10 Vital Ways to Spot a Vampire
- How to avoid a vampire: Did you know that the type of wood you should use to make a wooden stake depends on the type of vampire you are trying to kill? Some require oak, others require yew.
- The three golden rules (if you see a vampire): protection, distraction & diversion
The section I found most entertaining is the section on types of vampires. Who knew there was more than one!
For example the Strigoii vampires of Romania are the vampires we are most familiar with. They walk at night, dislike garlic, & cannot enter a home without being first being invited.
The Aswang vampires of Philippines, on the other hand, don’t even resemble humans. They have a dragon-like appearance with bat wings & a large snout. Aswang aren’t the undead, either, but corrupted spirits of those you were never born. Aswang sucks blood or sweat; it can survive on either.
One of the most entertaining types of vampires are the Sampiro vampires from Albania. They are believed to be the souls of those who were not buried with the proper ceremony of the Albanian Orthodox Church. But what makes these vampires entertaining is their appearance: 3-4 hours after burial, the Sampiro will rise, still wearing their burial shroud. However, now they are sporting high heels in which they are forced to walk around in. In addition, it makes kissing noises to attract its prey. What a sight, eh?
Another interesting vampire type is the energy, or psychic, vampire, said to be the spirits of dead witches. These vampires don’t drink blood, but draw off energy from their victims instead.
Biblio Vampiro closes with a section on vampire tales; some familiar to me, some unknown.
Overall, Biblio Vampiro is an entertaining read. The language is pretty simple, so I think this would be appropriate for middle-grade all the way through adulthood. It’s rich with vivid photographs & illustrations, keeping the attention of any reader.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in vampires.
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