Tag #4 : 15 Bookish facts about me

  I was Tagged by Yosra abdelkader briki , don't hesitate to pay her a visit on her booktube channel  here 

1/The more books I buy the better I feel .

2/ If I enter a bookstore or a Thrift shop (second hand bookstores) know for sure that I'll buy a book , no matter how penniless I might be , sometimes I even sacrifice the money of cab rides to buy it and then go back home on foot . (that's how much I am dedicated to books)

3/ I rarely check Goodreads or take into account other people's reviews , unless the statement or the review was made by an author that I highly appreciate . if it something recommended by Stephan king or Anne rice know for sure that it is a fantastic Book to own . otherwise no other reviews count for me .

4 / Paperback or Hardcovers? It doesn't matter .

5/Art work of a book do matter , but I couldn't careless about it as long as the content of the book is gripping and fantastic .

6/ I hate to see books that are badly treated and torn or even slightly folded in such or such page , PEOPLE THERE IS SOMETHING CALLED BOOK MARKERS and it can literally be anything from a piece of paper or a business card  to a proper bookmark or bits of highlighting papers from a stationery store . they are efficient and they don't ruin your books .

6/ I never take notes on the book itself or write on it or highlight parts of it , unless I am leaving a message to the person i am giving (sending) the book to and it's usually on one of the blank papers in the forefront of the book or in the back ...


7/ I am a daily reader , but it can vary , I can read anywhere from 4 pages to 200 pages per day depending on my mood and whether I have enough time or not . But a daily dose of reading is necessary to me .

8/I don't give away my books or lend them to anyone  , unless it's a book exchange that I wanted to make or someone that I highly trust when it comes to books (meaning a proper bookworm who will know how to treat my book and give it back on time) there are certain books that I will never ever give to anyone no matter how much I trust them .

9/ I rarely re-read books , and even if I do it's just specific passages or poetry verses .... the only exception for me would be  to re-read the Millenium trilogy for Stieg Larsson  in it's native language (Swedish)

10/ I would love to read arabic books : I just need to be directed to the right contemporary writers that are worthwhile .  the last book I read in Arabic was Sleepless nights  - سهرت منه الليالي -
by Ali douagi and this was a year ago

11/ Owning a very old edition of a book  for me , is indescribable, it's like I won the lottery ! In this matter I have one of the very first editions of Lasher and I also own a copy of Shakespeare's work from the 1800s a green Old school edition  by Ginn and Heath

12 / I am infatuated with old and rare books ; I would pay considerable amounts of money to own old  and rare editions . It doesn't matter how much they are worn and tattered . 

13/ Waterstones is a bookstore that I wouldn't mind spending all my life in . 

14/ I only read PDFs or epubs when I don't have the physical copy . specially if I am reading a trilogy or a serie and I happen to have missed a book from it or two ! 

15/ When I am immersed in the universe of the book I am reading , I  forget about everything around me including food and drinks , that's why I mostly drink or eat my snacks prior to reading ! 

Bonus bookish fact :  I am turning my niece into a bookworm and I am so proud of her ! Last time out of all of my books she picked the one dearest to me (Vampire : The twilight world its vampire anthology by Sir  Simon Marsden) and she told me to read to her from it , saying to me that one day she would love to have her own little library like auntie ,  This has been one of the most precious moments I had with her . 

Happy reading and enjoy your books and reading nooks 

I will leave you with this question : 

I am expecting to see your answers in the comments down below . 

The Lives of the Mayfair Witches Trilogy: Full Review

 I initially intended to  review  each book separately , but it felt unusual, because Trilogies leave such a severe weight on you and gets you hooked from beginning to end , It wasn't even possible to ponder on each book alone . 

the three books of the Trilogy are as follow : 

1- The Witching Hour

2- Lasher

3- Taltos 

To start off this trilogy has been a roller coaster of emotions , I initially bought Lasher from a thrift shop thinking it was a stand alone written by Anne Rice which is something unlikely to be true (because she is an avid writer of chronicles and series), only to discover after few days that It was part of a Trilogy named the Mayfair Witches . A former work colleague brought me the First book which he owned  (in French)  and concerning the third Book I had to deal with a PDF version of it because I still can't find a physical copy yet . 

The funny thing is that this trilogy criss-cross with the Vampire Chronicles which makes it even more alluring to me -Knowing that one of the Mayfairs was bound to turn into a vampire somewhere along the way- . This may sound confusing for those who are not familiar with the Universe of Anne rice 

Let's start first by clarifying certain points and presenting the Mayfair Family ,

1 -Family Tree : 

The Mayfairs are an Old family who hail from Donnelaith, Scotland and who nowadays live in New orleans . An eccentric family with lots of secrets and peculiar hidden genes and abilities to the point of being referred to as Witches . 

The female line is the  important side of the family  .  The main reason why they kept the family name "Mayfair" through centuries and ages, is the fact that the baby was baptized with the  Mayfair name even if the father doesn't hold the name . the legacy of the family will only go on to a Mayfair. If a family member doesn't hold the name then it's out of the question that , that person will  be given any ounce of the legacy (but s/he is welcome to live under the family's  roof). the peculiar genes are hidden in those highlighted in pink and Green . The ones in Blue will be dealt with further in this article . 

The Mayfair Queens/Witches are bound to a spirit called  Lasher ,this spirit is the reason behind their enormous wealth . 

An emerald necklace is part of the legacy which is passed down to the Heiress of the family which is the direct descendent of Suzanne Mayfair on the maternal line of descent of course (in this the current  Heiress  in the first two books was Rowan) 

The Witching Hour was a book concerned with the historical side of the Mayfair Family told by Scholars of the Talamasca .(which is an old occult order that observes supernatural and paranormal phenomenas ) This order has been previously mentioned in the Vampire Chronicles several times it is a vital part of the Trilogy as well . It is a book in which Michael and Rowan discover the history of the Mayfairs . 

Lasher  is the book focused on the character of Lasher that's to say knowing more about it through Julien and the spirit's own memory when  it became  flesh again . This book  highlights  the coming to the flesh of the Spirit Lasher and the outcome that this event had on the Family and on the Talamasca . 

Taltos is the Third and last proper book of the Trilogy (although there are three more books from the Vampire chronicles that criss-cross with the Mayfair Family and specially Mona Mayfair and her descendants .) this book was dedicated to the origins of the Spirit and the story behind this creature who can come back again from the dead through planning a very intricate bloodline that allows it to be flesh again . In this book we also get acquainted with the Peculiar character of Ash and few new Mayfair family members such as Mary Jane and her Granny . as well as new Talamasca novices. This book finally opens the portal to know enough information about the giant Helix and the Taltos as a race . 

Needless to say that all three books were emotionally packed to the brim , beautifully written -whether read in French or English- . It was quite gripping and tension filled . I personally enjoyed the three books from beginning to end . 

some parts were just unbelievably stunning and need to be  mentioned in this article . 

2- Call it coincidence (I think not) : 

I was flabbergasted when I came across the name "Stuart Townsend" knowing that, that person in particular does exist in real life and already played the Role of a main character in one of the movies based on Anne Rice's vampire Chronicles (He played the Role of Lestat in Queen of the damned)  which eventually pushed me to try to make sense of the situation and look up  details about this -coincidence if we can say so- and this is what I found on the personal website of the Actor Stuart Townsend .  

. 

Stuart Twonsend's Website 

During a visit to the author at her house in New Orleans, Townsend says that Rice gave him a copy of The Witching Hour and told him to turn to page 486.(in my copy of the book it was page 370) "So I did, and there it read 'The Life of Stuart Townsend'!" he says. "And I was like, 'Oh, Anne, that's so sweet that you put me in one

of your books,' and she said, 'Stuart, I wrote that book 11 years ago.'" Townsend grins and raises his eyebrows. "Kind of made me feel like I was on the right track, you know?"

it is one of those moments that renders everything magical and poetic to the core . 

3- poetry at its finest : 

What I also love about Anne Rice is that she mixes prose and poetry together and this is a central poetry piece to the trilogy which makes a lot of sense once you re-read it after you finish the whole Trilogy : 

One will rise who is too evil 

One will come who is too good. 

'Twixt the two, a witch shall falter 

and thereby open wide the door.

Pain and suffering as they stumble

Blood and fear before they learn.

Woe betide this springtime Eden

Now the vale of those who mourn.

Beware the watchers in that hour 

Bar the doctors from the house 

scholars will but nourish evil 

Scientists would raise it high.

Let the devil speak his story 

Let him rouse the angel's might

Make the dead come back to witness 

Put the alchemist to flight .

Slay the flesh that is not human 

Trust to weapons crude and cruel

For dying on the verge of wisdom 

Tortured souls may seek the light .

Crush the babes who are not children 

Show no mercy to the pure 

Else shall Eden have no springtime 

Else shall our kind reign no more .

4- Intertextuality :

Anne Rice also has the tendency to play with intertextuality ; Norse myth as well as Celtic myth was in play all the time , the references to other poets , artists ,  politicians , historical  figures was permanent 

" The bank of the Medici was then the greatest bank in the world. Everywhere in florence men and women were literate and thoughtful and talkative ; this was the city which had produced the poet Dante and the political genius, Machiavelli ; the city which produced Fra angelico and Giotto , Leonardo Da vinci and Botticelli . A city of great writers , great painters , great princes and great saints.... Perhaps a city unique in all the world ... The english king Henry VIII had abandoned the true faith ... the black plague was still with us "  the second book Lasher was by all means filled with such references and I enjoyed each and everyone of them . 

It is a trilogy full of surprises and fantastic references , and phenomenal vocabulary .

The rest is for you to discover while you decide to read the Lives of the Mayfair Witches . 

Asylum by Patrick McGrath #FullReview

Planning to Write this , I discovered that the book was turned into a movie -back in 2005- so I jumped and watched  the movie .

As always I am going to be discreet and spoiler-free so that you can enjoy it when you get hold of the book or watch the movie .

Asylum is a contemporary thriller by Patrick McGrath , It is "A New York times notable book of the year" .  It has all the elements  of a fantastic Gothic & thriller novel from the setting of the English countryside to the Welsh hills and moors , from the detached way of narrating to the strongly  passionate feelings communicated in it .  Asylum was a page turner , tension-filled , and it had such a chilling vibe to it . It mixed both , old school  and contemporary elements of the Gothic and Thriller genres .

Most of the Events in the novel took place inside an institution for the criminally insane as the title obviously suggests it . Edgar Stark has been incarcerated for killing his wife and disfiguring her  after discovering that she was unfaithful to him . A young Couple and their Child  moves in , to the estate of the Asylum ; Deputy Superintendent  Max  Raphael and his wife Stella and their child Charlie . 

The meeting between Stella and Edgar triggers a series of unexpected events which utterly changes the life of the whole family and the future plans of Max . 

In his Masterpiece, MacGrath ,chooses to keep you on your toes and eager to know more , at first , he gives you the impression that he is telling you a lot and that he is not leaving any space for suspense but you are mistaken my friend . He might foreshadow some acts or events but he never tells the whole things upfront or  straightforwardly . He might give you the impression that he is telling you everything plainly but he isn't. he tells too much and says nothing in the same time , which is such a gripping style . 

This Novel is beautiful inside out , The content was heartbreaking and hypnotic and the paper cover is as aesthetically brilliant as the content itself  .

Asylum is one of those rare contemporary books that succeeded in ensnaring me .

On The other hand the Movie Adaptation was poor . Well I didn't  have high expectations , but it  felt like a low budget movie , although the cast of the main characters was really good . The cast was as follow : Marton Csokas as Edgar Stark , Natasha Richardson as Stella Raphael and Ian McKellen as Peter cleave , and Hugh Bonneville as Max Raphael . In the making of the movie , they skipped a lot of events and they rushed and twisted others, the final twist was nice though ! The movie adaptation lacked the sense of mystery and suspense, It looked more like a romantic drama than a Psychological thriller . They could've  done better .

The Wild Truth #Full Review

This article had to be written .
I haven't posted anything for a while now, and this is my last read , so it make sense.

You have most likely seen the movie or heard about the book " Into the Wild"

This book right here "The Wild Truth"  is the inside insight to what  drove Christopher J. McCandless - a.k.a Alexander Supertamp - to do what he put his mind to do , this book has been written by his loved young sister Carine.

For quite sometime Jon krakauer's  "Into the wild" have been taught in schools around Virginia and the USA in general

Chris -Alex-  is a full grown ,mature man who had an objective , and who set his mind on something precise and he accomplished it in his short lifetime.

- Chris 'Alex' in his well known pose , that people keeps imitating whenever they went near the site of the Fairbanks city bus , as a tribute to his adventurous soul -

You have no idea about the raw emotions this book made me feel , I went from being excited , to feeling bitter , from sobbing to laughing and feeling content at times , I felt driven and compelled to take matters in my own hands again and I read it in less than a week . I committed to it like no other book I have read in the last few months , Maybe because the real story itself intrigued me , or the person in question has been  one of the greatest figures I have ever came across  .

I admire Chris McCandless not only for his courage but for the legacy he left ,  for his existentialism and transcendentalism, for his love for adventure and simplicity ,for his love for reading and most of all for his rebellious spirit . He never wanted to be the center of attention , he never sought fame or glory , he was just a genuine soul seeking the Truth .

- Carine trailing the same areas her brother have been living in -off the grid-, after more than a decade and a half   - 

I always wondered about why he set off into the wild and cut his family ties , that was always a big question mark . Carine's book cleared up a lot of unanswered questions .  It explained a lot of the things that were "better" left unsaid back  in those days ,after all when Chris died Carine was just a highschool student. I don't want to let the truth out in this article ,because reading  it from Carine's perspective  would be way better.

 I want my review to be spoiler free for those who ignore Chris' Story ; I feel that everyone should know it.

This might sound like a very biased review , but I  can't help it,  I relate to Chris and Carine in the weirdest way possible , Although I have never been in their shoes, I still see them as role models . A role model doesn't have to be perfect, It is that person who is not afraid to show and share his vulnerabilities , its that person , who no matter how many times s/he have been beaten and broken will stand again and carry on the journey and embrace the drastic and radical changes that may occur .

and as Chris used to put it in his own words : 

I would let you discover the rest on your own , Don't hesitate to buy or borrow  the book if you ever come across it in a bookstore ,or if you ever find it in a public library .

On this note I'll leave you these gems :

1.A family Tribute to Chris
2.The pictures displayed at his wake.
3. Chris being all protective to his Sister Carine.
4.Chris Enjoying the Wilderness
5,Satisfaction and Happiness is shown on his genuine smiling face while enjoying the company of a wild  animals.

Reading Updates and Monthly Favorite

Reading Updates : 

The Lost Tales of Mercia By Jaydon Woods "Review" : 

I finished reading this few weeks ago ; These Tales were worth the Read . 

Historical fiction is by far one of my favorite genres ,These Tales turned out to be a prelude to a whole Series, that centers around Eadric the Grasper . 

These tales were random accounts of a long forgotten history of Engla-lond and their wars with the invading Viking Danes .

Each can be taken as a stand alone as well , if you are eager to know about ancient tales from a forgotten time , The Lost  Tales of Mercia is the place to start .

Doctor Who : Nightshade  by Mark Gatiss "Review": 

I finished  reading this book last Sunday ,

Doctor who adventures never ceased to amaze me whether on TV or in books . This book is part of the"New adventures of Doctor who" , the start was a bit slow  , then after few pages in ,the book was on fire (not literally lol) but you know what I mean . Its sometimes hard to place the adventures of the book at hand,  in the already existing time line of the show . but then if you focus on the companions you'll eventually know which Doctor the book revolves around.

The Doctor in this book is the Seventh doctor portrayed  on  screen by Sylvester McCoy , but while reading , I , for several times had William Hartnell and Peter Capaldi's faces in mind . solely because it lured me into thinking of one or the other . This book showed me that the core of the doctor is always the same , no matter how many faces he wears ,no matter how many times her regenerates , no matter how different he wants to be from his previous regenerations  , deep down ,it is always that old Time Lord from Gallifrey, who stole a TARDIS and ran away with his Granddaughter Susan . 

The Vampire's witch saga by Jennifer Abrahams : 

This was a quick read and still a read in progress , the writer only published three chapters (I think) and I ate them yesterday  for lunch , haha .
The author sets the chapters separately as book#1 book#2 ... but all I can honestly see is quick chapters . of 15 to 20 pages max .

This relatively brand new young adult novel centers around  a college girl "Skyla" and her Friend Brooke , and how their life was altered after a tarot card reading . 

To be honest the start was promising and intriguing, but then ,while reading the second book then the third , it didn't keep me on edge at all . The writing and the plot's flow was monotonous for the 3 chapters I read, , at times I  wanted to like it; when it started  involving other characters . I wish the writing was more detailed and had some suspense in it .  The writing was sometimes confusing as well , not to mentioned that  there was some  spelling mistakes or rather typos. The Grammar Nazi in me would like to think that they were typos . 

Sweet dream ,Silver screen by Moxie Mozcal :

I finished reading this Novella of 50 pages, last night before going to bed.  Sweet dream, Silver Screen by Moxie Mozcal is a film noir inspired Novella , what I love the most about it, is the  mystery and at times the absurdity of certain acts or events, the gruesome aspect to it is quite vulgar which is quite expected from such a genre . For me this read was like revisiting Mulholland Drive which is  one of David lynch's movies, that was also centered about two girls and a mysterious box .

The soul's code : in Search of Character and calling by James Hillman  "Stand By" : 

I m currently putting on STAND BY a non-fiction book called  "The soul's code : in Search of Character and calling" . Because it honestly needs all of my attention and focus, and for now I can't fully focus on it . Its best to read a chapter or two every now and then , and deeply reflect on them rather than just reading it all together. I took the decision ,  not because I don't enjoy reading it but because the content and knowledge is so dense , that the reader should take some time out . maybe the reviews on Goodreads will explain it better .

Currents Reads :

  I am currently reading Full Metal Alchemist.  A manga that I  always wanted to either read or watch as an Anime , I reached the 6th chapter which isn't that much to be honest ,I can't help but fall in love with the two brothers though.

Monthly Favorite : 

My monthly favorite is an App ,that I stumbled upon last week , its called "Manga Rock" , A huge amount of Manga is available in the store , its up to you to pick and choose . they also provide users with new updates and new available chapters .

the three things mentioned in their Ad , are SO TRUE .

Amélie Nothomb : My Belgian French-speaking Love

This was love at first Book .

Baroness Amélie Nothomb is a French Speaking Belgian Writer from a great lineage  of diplomats and writers ,  My love for her started when I borrowed her book 'AntéChrista' , from the French House "Maison de France" ( its the French consulate and Média-bibiliotheque/Library)

I instantly fell in love with her writing style , so I kept them coming , there was this whole collection of her books in the Library and I just couldn't help but going on a reading spree of her books , I consumed around 11 books in less than 2 months , I technically borrowed 2/3 books each 2 weeks sometimes I read the books I got prior to the deadlines and then I go again and borrow more !

I will leave AntéChrista without a preview , because i don't want to ruin it for you guys .

The second book was "Tuer le père" or "kill the father" , when you read the title for the first time , you'll most likely think of Freud's Oedipus complex , your intuition is not  entirely false . 

This book is about a teenage boy who have been abandoned by his mother and her boyfriend, Being an aspiring magician 14 year-old Joe  , met a couple and they eventually took him in as an adopted son , the couple  then ,had to adjust to having a teenage boy around , the rest is for you to discover , if you ever see the book grab it and give it a chance .

After these two books I kept on reading more and more of her work , I dived into older books like :

Hygiène de l'assasin - Hygiene of the assassin ,was her first Novel :

A famous novelist Prétextat Tach has Elzenveiverplatz syndrome a kind of cancer invented by Amélie in her book . Many journalists rushed to interview him after knowing that he only has two months to live . after the first few interviews, the reader realizes that Tach is an obese and obnoxious misanthrope of the worst kind: sarcastic , intolerant and  a misogynist , who can not tolerate any kind of questions about his private life . He has the audacity to turn  the interview into the most disgusting experience a journalist can ever have , but what will happen when Nina shows up ?

Her second novel was Les Sabotage Amoureux - Loving sabotage :

As the daughter of a Diplomat Amélie experienced so much in her life , and lived in different countries and cities which allowed her to use that in her writings , this book is situated in Bejing, China , This Novel follows the seven-year-old narrator living in communist China .Along with the numerous children of various nationalities spend their time fashioning an elaborate and ruthless game of war, designating the East German contingent as the enemy. Among these children is the indifferent Elena, who the narrator quickly becomes infatuated with and goes to great lengths to win her adoration.

Then came Les Catilinaires - The stranger Next door : 

which was about a retired couple Emile and Juliette Hazel , no body lives near their retirement home except an old doctor and his wife , so out of politeness the Hazels payed a visit to their only neighbors , Thus they came in contact with Palaméde Bernadin and his wife Bernadette , things took a different path when Palaméde took a weird habit of paying them a visit on a daily basis from 4pm to 6pm , being present in their household but without uttering a single word for his whole stay .

Attentat 

This  is another Novel I loved , this -as most of other novels written by Amélie- deal with the recurrent question " what is a norm? " Amélie created  two apposing characters Ethel and Epiphane as a pretext to discuss the issue of Societal norm . this main question engenders more questions , do we make our own judgments or are they strictly dictated by the society we live in  ? Are one's views on a given topic, fact, or idea a result of personal reflection or the absorption of a societal concept which has not yet been refuted? what is normality ?

Quote : 

"Mes parents sont frère et sœur comme leurs parents. Dans ma famille, on est crétin des Alpes depuis des générations. Cette consanguinité s'arrêtera avec moi : même ma sœur me trouve trop moche."

Métaphysique des tube -The Character of Rain  :

This Novel is most likely  an autobiography of Amélie , this Novel describes the world as seen by a three year old child born in Japan to a Belgian Family it deals with topics of language acquisition , bilingualism ,self-awareness  and developmental psychology . In Japanse Culture babies and toddlers under the age of 3 years are treated as Okasoma (Lord Child or Little Gods).

Quote:

"Notre unique spécificité individuelle réside en ceci : dis-moi ce qui te dégoûte et je te dirai qui tu es."

"Il existe depuis très longtemps une immense secte d'imbéciles qui oppose sensualité et intelligence. C'est un cercle vicieux: ils se privent de volupté pour exalter leurs capacités intellectuelles, ce qui a pour résultat de les appauvrir. Ils deviennent de plus en plus stupides, ce qui les conforte dans leur conviction d'être brillants - car on n'a rien trouvé de mieux que la bêtise pour se croire intelligent."

Cosmétique de l'ennemi - The Ennemy's cosmetic

I am just gonna leave you with this quote from the book

"Without wanting to, I have committed the perfect crime: nobody saw me coming, except for the victim. The proof, I am still free."

Journal d'hirondelle -Swallow's journal :

This is by far my utmost favorite Novel written by Amélie , its about a hit-man who calls himself "Urbain" who got an assignment to kill a minister and his family (His referring to the minister) then bring back the Minister's briefcase, Urbain has no moral problem with his job , But things get complicated in the process , and he gets his hands on the content of the briefcase which turned out to be a personal diary "journal intime" , Urbain's life changed completely due to its content (the rest is for you guys to discover I don't want to give all of it out)

Quote :

"Mais allez étudier par cœur ne serait-ce que les solos de basse de Radiohead, qui sont à peine une couche de mystère ! Le casque sur les oreilles, je m’isolais dans une sorte de caisse sensoriel où j’écoutais en boucle Amnesiac, Kid A et Hail To The Thief. Cela agissait comme une seringue m’inoculant en continu la drogue la plus délectable…"

Voyage d'hiver - The Winter Journey :

Arriving early to the airport he decides to write down his plans before he boards his last flight.

 Near the end of Le voyage d'hiver the narrator, Zoïle, explains that when he goes through with what he has planned he will be thinking of the Schubert song-cycle, Winterreise.
I will leave the rest for you to discover .

Meanwhile there are still several short stories and novels written by Amélie that I still didn't read yet and that are worthy of being bought , i'll try to get hold of them as soon as I can .

 YES ,her face is  almost on most of her book covers whether hard copies , ebooks or regular paperbacks , deal with it .

Tag #3 : Halloween Creatures

Vampires

Lestat de Lincourt: from Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles

Lestat is my Utmost favorite in this List (I must confess the Doctor has to step down a notch) ,
I have been an avid fan since I first watched Queen of the damned when I was twelve or thirteen years old .then I discovered Anne Rice's Chronicles and wanted to know more watched all the movies that involved his character , tried to get hold of the books and you know the drill , when you are an avid fan of someone . 

Akasha : From Anne Rice's Chronicles

Akasha has a special place in my heart as well being played in the Movie Queen of the Damned by Alyiah was terrific , her character was fantastic in the Chronicles as well

Eric Northman : from The Southern Vampire  mysteries/Sookie Stackhouse novels (& True Blood)

Eric Northman or my Favorite Viking-vampire , His character have undergone a lot of changes
from being the Vampire sheriff over Bon temps vamps to being crazy over Sookie Stackhouse , to losing his memory and then to regaining it and be a bad ass all over again 

Pam Ravenscroft: also known as Pamella Swynford De BeauFort : From The southern Vampire  Mysteries (&True Blood)

Pam is the right hand of Eric and the most Badass-kickass Female Vampire I have ever encountered,
her attitude , manners and ways are  worthy of a Badass Queen .

Werewolves

Alcid Herveaux : From the Southern Vampire  Mysteries (& True Blood)

 Alcide is a terrific Werewolf , A pack master at first , then a Loner at the end . his presence and charisma was overwhelming during the show .

ShapeShifters

Sam Merlotte: Also from the Southern Vampire  Mysteries/Sookie Stackhouse Novels (&True Blood)
Sam has the ability to literally shapeshift into anything he wants , any animal , any insects LITERALLY  ANYTHING .
the easiest or the shift he feels comfortable with and that he masters the most  is to  shift  into a dog . 

and this is the best shapeshift that he has ever done

Witch/Wizard

Severus Snape: from The Harry Potter Books 

Bellatrix Lestrange: From The Harry Potter Books

Demons

Memnoch the Devil from Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles

Archangels

Gabriel :

From the Movie Constantine , Played by my All time Favorite Tilda Swinton 

In this movie , Gabriel is represented by an androgynous female , the leap here wasn't only because it was represented by a female but because Gabriel was represented as an evil Character .

Hybrids 

Warlow :

From Sookie Stackhouse Novels / The southern Vampire Mysteries (&True Blood)
(Half Vampire Half Fairy basically day walking vamp) *SPOILERS ALERT* don't read further if you don't wanna ruin it for yourself .

Warlow  is a long lost Fairy , who encountered  Lilith by chance , she changed him into a vampire but because he is originally a fairy (and not a human) he kept his ability to walk under the sunlight . after being turned by Lilith into a vampire and went back to his village, he  killed all of its inhabitants , save for the Little Niall , who happened to be sookie 's Great Grand father (that's where she gets her fairy abilities from) Warlow made a pact with Niall , that the very first female Heir in the family will be destined to marry him ... but you'll have to read the chronicles or watch the show to know the rest *wink wink*

Jack Harkness: 

From the Doctor Who series , John Barrowman is one of my favorite male actors Playing the Role of a 51st Century kid who Travels through time and space after a certain incident with Rose and The doctor he became Immortal ,his life span and notion of time and getting older takes longer way longer than usual . what makes him a Hybrid is the flow of Alien energy he received during that incident which made him immortal .

and Lately I got acquainted with the Character of Ashildr in Doctor Who's new episodes

Ashildr : 

She is originally a viking Shield Maiden , who due to her encounter with the doctor and her stubbornness she went into war with a very strong civilization , but due to her imagination and strong sense of creativity  and the help of the Doctor she saved her village from the Alien invasion , she died because it practically sucked her energy , the Doctor intervened and he brought her back to life . using a medical/technological devise that the Aliens Left behind , which  subsequently made of her a Hybrid . a human with Alien technology.

DemiGods

Achilles: 

who doesn't know him ? if you know your way around Greek Mythology you've certainly heard of him . If you watched Troy you will know him as well , he was played by Brad Pitt in the movie .

 

Aliens 

Ohoooo ! don't get me started ! I have a long list of these ! mostly from Dr Who as i am an avid Who fangirl , I don't only watch the show but i also read the available books .

Time Lords : 

The Doctor : 

The Doctor is a Time Lord from the Planet Gallifrey , constellation of kasterborous , he has a regeneration cycle of 12 faces basically twelve different humanoid bodies or as the Doctor puts it "Humans look like time lords not the other way around" .

The Master : 


The Master is also a Time Lord , but he is the Arch'Nemesis of The doctor. he has a cycle of twelve regenerations as well ,so far we have seen 9 of his faces , The Last being a Time Lady .

Other Aliens : 

Silurians : 

They are a Lizard-like and humanoid-ish creatures who lives in the depths of the earth and who avoids contact with humans . they are said to be the real inhabitants of earth long before humans came to existence.

Cyberman :

 These are Alien Cyborgs and one of the deadliest Enemies of the Doctor , their sole aim and mission  is to "upgrade" humans to be like them . considering themselves to be the best "species" in the universe 

"you will be like us , you'll be upgraded"

Daleks 

These tin cans that you can see in the pictures below , may seem harmless and a bit colorful for those who are not familiar with the Doctor-who Universe .

These are  my all time favorite Evils The Daleks and their Emperor Davros  from the Planet Skaro .
These are also Cybrogs-mutants . they are originally  The Thals and the Dals , they were very old and  advanced civilizations , and they reached a peak in Technological discoveries and material ,  but they ended up going  to war against each other . Left with nothing and on the brink of extinction, Davros the Only and Sole survivor devised a way to make his progeny live on . They are one of the prominent Adversaries of The Doctor.

and last but not least our favorite and classic Xenomorphs or  our regular Aliens from The Alien saga and Prometheus , I don't need to make any further explanations about them its useless !