I loved every fucking thing about this episode. Every fucking thing. 

*SPOILERS*
*TRIGGER WARNING - incest, mass shooting, blood, showers, trolling, murder, etc. etc.

I think, for readers/fans of the books The Vampire Lestat and Queen of the Damned, this episode gave us SOOOOO much. I won't lie, episode 3 was outstanding and I still think so, but this is my favourite episode so far. I've watched it three times in order to try to get my thoughts straight on everything.

The cop and the police dog. Lestat painting the cop with cocaine as if it were face powder. Almost forgetting to confiscate the bodycam (Christine reminds him). Hilarious. The montage of band hedonism before this. As Lestat would say, perfection.

Regina! Learning more about Regina - love her accent. Her seeing right through Louis and his manipulations. Calling him Posh. 

Lestat trying to pronounce Worcester correctly. Kill me now. Hilarious.

Lestat trying to phone Gabriella and it going nowhere.

Lestat and Gabrielle flashback when he finds her fucking the priest. He delivered those lines with so much sadness and disappointment. Incredible acting.

The blood shower and Armand trying to keep his eyes off the 'generous endowment'. Amazing. 

Lestat's pigtails!!! The song, Big Boss, about Armand and the way he spotlit him in the audience. Lestat's moves - those fucking hips. Called himself the show pony as he pranced about onstage. I was eating it UP.

The shooting took me completely by surprise but was so effective.

Armand and Daniel! Armand basically confessing his love for Daniel at the end of the episode.

And finally, Lestat and Gabriella surrounded by all of his ghosts in the bus. Exquisite. They released the song he was playing on his guitar (Hit the Lights) on Spotify and it's so lovely and heartbreaking.

If you aren't watching this series yet, you should be!

*This episode was written by Jonathan Ceniceroz and directed by Craig Zisk.

I GOT THE ROADIE TOTE BAG!!!

It's my birthday today and my husband, 22, and 19 all pitched in together to get me the Lestat merch I wanted. I'm so happy! Here's the other stuff I got:

The pin looks amazing on my satchel and the necklace is as lovely as it looked online. It's so subtle and well-designed, I love it. And nobody other than fans of the show will recognize that logo.

​I also got a huge Charles Dickens collection from 19:

I've read A Christmas Carol and Great Expectations but not The Adventures of Oliver Twist and A Tale of Two Cities. I'm a huge Dickens fan so I'm looking forward to this! It's a beautiful volume.

I'm actually re-reading this one. Like The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym, I read Moby Dick in my Myth and Language Class at university. It's been a long time since then and I want to revisit Captain Ahab, Ishmael, Queequeg, Starbuck, and so many more wonderful and distinct characters, including the white whale. There is a group of people who see a homosexual subtext between Ishmael and Queequeg, and although I think they are reading more into the behaviour of the time period than I would, I'm not averse to keeping my mind open. At the very least these two men are intensely joined in spirit, which is a joy to read. And I'd forgotten about the humour in the story. Parts of it are very funny.

As I mentioned, I like to read a non-fiction book at the same time that I'm reading a fiction book. This one is next in line.

I watched the documentary, Speechless, and felt no sympathy for the white professor who felt attacked by a request to join a peaceful protest that supported black students and faculty at his university. That professor (ex-professor now, I believe) referenced the author of this book as one of the left-leaning people who are promoting the ideology of (what he believes is) a radical and disproportionate examination of racism in white society.

So, of course I looked her up. And now I'm going to read her book, because, as a white woman with a ton of privilege, I feel a responsibility to educate myself about/ and uncover my own inherent racism. 

*SPOILERS*
*TRIGGER WARNING: vampire murder, abduction, sexual assault*

Well, well, well...where to begin? Amazing episode. Outstanding. This was what I was waiting for even though I enjoyed episodes 1 and 2. Sam Reid should win an award for his acting in this episode as it demonstrates an entire range of deft abilities within an hour and ten minutes. 

Beginning with a characteristic critique of the Toronto skyline and the draining of two honeymooners by Lestat and Gabriella, it proceeds through a sit-down interview between Lestat and Daniel, with Gabriella and Jarda getting up to some shenanigans in the next room, then takes a longer look into Lestat's turbulent past. Through Lestat's conversation with Daniel, we are treated to an introduction of Lestat's romance with Nicolas de L'Enfant, and then watch as Nicolas begs for the vampiric gift after Lestat's transformation, Gabriella suggests it's a terrible idea (straight from the book), and Lestat turns Nicki anyway, even though he has started to fall out of love with the young man. We then get to see what a 'disaster' this action was, and how it resulted in Nicki's vampiric demise at the hands of Armand.

I thought this all was expertly portrayed by both Sam Reid and Joseph Potter, with the latter taking his few moments of screen time and turning them into a suitably tragic and heartbreaking turn.

When Daniel presses for the story of Lestat's turning and mentions Lestat's maker Magnus, Lestat regales a romantic vision of what happened the night he was turned in the form of a music video featuring a horrific-looking Magnus against lyrics that portray the old vampire as a super fan and in love with Lestat. Tellingly, in this gilded memory, Lestat smiles as Magnus turns him into a vampire. I thought this was a really cool way to let us know that Lestat is either not recalling the truth or is embellishing/altering it for Daniel's benefit.

The dialogue between Lestat and Daniel was fantastic and the addition of Gabriella's presence effective, as during particular moments she shows concern for her son as Daniel's questions hit sensitive spots. Lestat is both hilarious and vulnerable as he proceeds to tease and torment his interviewer, before relating the powerful tale of Nicki's descent into madness and demise. After the emotional retelling, Lestat starts hyperventilating, claims to be hungry and storms out, but not before telling Daniel: "Unlike your last client, there is no delusion here.".

It is at this point that Daniel tries to watch the footage he captured only to find that there is only footage of Lestat staring at the camera. A brilliant aspect of this episode's script.

Meanwhile, Louis is hunting the Fang Gang, and at first this was an entertaining counterbalance to Lestat's affecting story, as Louis decapitates vampires, interrogates a separated head, and makes himself at home in their lair. It soon becomes a harsher reality when vampire, Killer (formerly Bruce), returns with Baby Jenks and receives payback for his treatment of Claudia (offscreen in season one).

Lestat gets into his car and zooms off as ghostly reminders of Magnus and the corpses appear in his car. He drives erratically as Ghost Magnus taunts him, and the true memories of that night return.

This is where the expertise of the writer, director, and actors truly shines. In what I see as a perfectly executed and genius move, scenes of Lestat's brutal kidnapping, assault, and forced vampiric transformation by his maker, Magnus, are interspersed with Louis' reading from the ripped out pages of the section in Claudia's diary that details what Killer had done to her. Told in a non-graphic but accurately specific way, it becomes clear that Lestat's maker sexually assaulted him prior to turning him, and that this experience was much more horrific and traumatic than he wants to believe himself, or to have others believe. The way Lestat's trauma aligns with Claudia's is heartbreaking to see, and most likely why Lestat was so adamant that he never threatened Claudia with rape on the train.

We then go to Lestat on stage performing his song 'The Loneliness' and seeing images of Nicki and Magnus in the crowd. Ghost Magnus eventually turns and leaves, symbolizing Lestat not being haunted by him anymore having faced the reality of his turning, and ghost Nicki stays whilst enjoying the performance, perhaps showing that Lestat has accepted that Nicki had to die and that it was not his fault. Interestingly, Real Gabriella turns and leaves, echoing Magnus' exit, perhaps indicating that Lestat sees her now as the abuser she is.

Finally, bandmate Alex is baring his soul at an AA meeting in Ohio and the man who decides to share after Alex is...Arun/Armand (!!!), who confesses to being an addict. 

Brilliant, chef's kiss, all the stars. Cannot wait for next week.

*This episode was written by Anusree Roy (an award-winning Canadian playwright) and directed by Claudia Llosa.​
​

My kids came through for my husband yesterday on Father's Day.

Although 22 couldn't be here, she brought him a lovely bouquet of flowers on Saturday. 19 gave him a Father's Day/Birthday gift combined which is the LEGO Mersk Container Ship. My husband's birthday is this Wednesday but he will be at a golf tournament, so 19 thought to give him the gift yesterday when he would have time to build it, which he did. I gave him a new bathrobe but I don't have a photo as he wanted to wash it. It's black with grey trim and very soft.

After husband's birthday comes my birthday, on Monday, June 29th. We are having some family over on Saturday for a big June birthday celebration (there are 3 in one month). And then it's Canada's birthday (Canada Day) next Wednesday (July 1st), with another planned family get together.

I did NOT realize the print was going to be as large as it was, lol.

This is a book I read for the first time in a Myth and Language class at university and I remember enjoying it. I should have re-read it when I was researching for my pirate series because there is alot of great 'what happens on board a sailing ship' stuff, particularly when the weather is bad. There are definitely problematic elements to it, as when the titular character finds himself on an island that is not inhabited by people familiar to him. Interesting to recognize, though, the racist and colonialist attitudes that were prevalent at the time. One of the things that Arthur and his men assess on the island is what is there that they can sell and profit from, ignoring completely the fact that the indigenous peoples living there should have first rights to all of it. Written by Edgar Allen Poe, the story is suitably haunting and unsettling and it is plain to see that Poe has a deep fascination with men being buried alive or trapped in tight confines. He did write The Cask of Amontillado, of course.

I like to read two books at the same time, and one of them is generally non-fiction. 

This one is interesting. I almost stopped reading it during the first chapter when he postulated some things concerning the toys that children are drawn to that I didn't fully agree with, but I kept reading. The chapter on gender and identity is quite good and he supports most of the things I believe. I'm not sure we align completely on our ideas about gender, and I don't think studying chimps and other apes adequately represents our uniqueness as humans. I don't believe humans are better than other animals, but that our use of language and complex tool using brain puts us in a very different category, so that discussions of gender and identity are a specifically human phenomenon.

I've decided what my next writing project will be and it's going to be a western, with vampires.

I loved writing my Northern Horizons series so much that I'm drawn back to that environment, and I also want to write more paranormal, after my pirate series, so I'm setting a vampire novel in the Canadian west. There will be horses and dogs and travel and a very lonely vampire looking for redemption. There will also be a man with nothing to lose who fights for his own future, and complicates this vampire's life in many different ways. Similar themes to those in 760 Miles but complicated by a supernatural element and an exploration of what makes life meaningful, how to live with suffering, and how to manage guilt and live to the fullest, even if you have to do things others might not understand.

I'll be taking the summer off to read and relax, but I plan to start working on The Wild Endless in September and to have a first draft by Christmas.

Ah, Gabriella...

***SPOILERS***

My criticisms first:

I'm still a bit sad they didn't use Gabrielle's gender-bending in the show because that was a big part of her story for me and likely, for other gender fluid AFAB people who read these books in the 80s.

I also feel like they cheaped out on wigs this season. I don't mind Gabriella's silver bob, but her long-haired wig and the wigs for young Lestat and his brother's were...pretty bad. I also feel like Lestat's family was portrayed as caricatures rather than three dimensional people. However, 19 reminded me that this is all told from Lestat's POV which obviously influenced his perception of these people that he hated.

What I liked:

Loved that they didn't pussyfoot around Gabriella's and Lestat's physical relationship. It's quite clear in the book that after he turns his mother, all bets are off and they quickly form an intimate relationship. Personally, I agree with Lestat's perspective that becoming a vampire changes everything, and one is no longer beholden to the moralistic restrictions of humanity. However, folks on Reddit have pointed out that on the show, Lestat seems to be in an abusive relationship with Gabriella. He tries to pull back from the sexual nature of their relationship and also in the flashback seems to possibly be regretting his and Gabriella's brutal murder of his brothers when their children return to find the horrible scene. It does feel like they are setting this up to be a struggle between his love for his mother and the affects of her selfish manipulations and predatory nature towards him.

I enjoyed Sam's performance after he kills the wolves and his mother is with him dealing with his many wounds. This was well done and right out of the book, including Gabriella's description of her detailed fantasy of going into town and f**cking all the men. Very obviously an inappropriate conversation whilst she is using the excuse of caring for his wounds to touch him in intimate places. Sam was suitably vulnerable in this scene and especially when crying out for his mother when she simply leaves him and tells him to clean himself up and come downstairs.

Really enjoyed Lestat on the bus explaining his vampirism to his bandmates and telling them why it doesn't matter that he drinks blood and sometimes kills people. I also liked the explanation of the Farm as a reliable blood source for any vampires who need it. His casually thrown-out comment about having the blood of Akasha was hilarious, since nobody knows what he's talking about.

Very cool again when Lestat freezes his audience and uses the cloud gift to fly up to Louis and give him his annotated copy of Interview with the Vampire.

The final scene between Lestat and Gabriella in the piano bar, when he sings a song in French to a montage of the two of them killing the rest of the family was both incredibly touching and so macabre. 

*This episode was written by Johnathan Ceniceroz and directed by Craig Zisk.

What am I reading on Sunday, June 14th, 2026?

I found this on a recent trip to my local Indigo, in the bargain books section (LOVE the bargain books section!). I was immediately drawn to the cover and when I realized that it was a curated collection of writings about famous cities, I knew I had to have it.

Peter Furtado takes excerpts from various diverse voices throughout history and aligns them with an alphabetical list of the best known cities in the world. It's enchanting and eye-opening. I enjoyed the way it was structured, with a brief description (by the editor) of each city and why that city was renowned. Then the date of the excerpt and a description of the author and why they found themselves in the city they were describing. 

​I think I paid $20 for this hardcover edition and it was totally worth it.

Since I've been buying books lately, actual hold-in-your-hands books, I decided it would be a good idea to go through the books I already had. I haven't done this since 2019 when we had our major renovation. I had also taken some books that my Dad couldn't bring with him when he moved into the retirement home and some from an elderly friend who downsized.

I know from experience that it's a good idea to keep a handle on the amount of books you own, because they are hard to deal with when moving. One of the things I like about living in a small townhome, is that there is not a lot of room to accumulate tons of stuff. 
​
I forgot to take a before photo but this is how things look after:

You can see clearly that I still have a ton of books left (and DVDs but that's another project).

It feels so good to get rid of things I'm not going to use. Some of the books I'd read and enjoyed but I knew I wouldn't re-read them. Others were books I was thinking I might read but, truly, I probably would never get to. My husband and 19 will be taking the dog for his bi-monthly grooming appointment and will drop off the boxes at Value Village.