You may wish to keep a bunch of freshly harvested garlic bulbs nearby when reading the books recommended by Red Room this week. I'd like to add "The Last Jewish Virgin: A Novel of Fate" by Janice Eidus to the pile. The characters drawn by the author come alive on the page, especially when read in the dark of night.

Lilith, her feminist mother Beth, the hunky art teacher Mr. Rock, and fellow student Colin, they could all be the regular cast for a Young Adult coming of age story. That is, if it wasn't for the intriguing introductory paragraph (yes, do look up a sample at your fave Internet store). Soon after I started reading I forgot about the foreshadowing (or is it a flash-back?) of the age-old mystery that surrounds the life and death of vampires. Yes, I mentioned it already, The Last Jewish Virgin is a vampire story, and if you're a fan of the genre you'll probably be focused on just that. But on another level Janice Eidus, who has an uncanny way with the voice of adolescence, presents what could be just another foray into adulthood.

To read a first person account in the voice of an adolescent that doesn't depend on the all encompassing "like", is a relief! That the author spices the narrative with adverbs instead, is something even a reader who is usually allergic to words ending with "-ly" can accept as a worthy and useful alternative to run-of-the-mill Ado-Convo-Lingo.

As for accompanying Lilith —on the page— to the Bennett School for Art and Design, it was as though I got to re-visit the art academy I attended. And again, while fans of vampire stories will look at The Last Jewish Virgin for signs of the undead, I was constantly reminded of memories of mere mortals who live on.

The Last Jewish Virgin is a fun multi-leveled un-put-downable read.