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Dracula Daily Emails
I am Dracula. And I bid you welcome to my house’
He is deathly pale. His fingernails are cut to sharp points. His teeth protrude menacingly from his mouth in clouds of rancid breath… Yet even Count Dracula’s unnerving appearance and the frightened reaction of the local peasants fail to warn Jonathan Harker, a young man from England, about his host. Little does Jonathan know that this is a land where babies are snatched for their blood and wolves howl menacingly from the forest, where reality is far more frightening than superstition. What’s more, it’s going to be up to him to stop the world’s most bloodthirsty predator…
Bram Stoker’s Dracula is an epistolary novel - it’s made up of letters, diaries, telegrams, newspaper clippings - and every part of it has a date. The whole story happens between May 3 and November 10. So: Dracula Daily will post a newsletter each day that something happens to the characters, in the same timeline that it happens to them.
Now you can read the book via email, in small digestible chunks - as it happens to the characters.
He is deathly pale. His fingernails are cut to sharp points. His teeth protrude menacingly from his mouth in clouds of rancid breath… Yet even Count Dracula’s unnerving appearance and the frightened reaction of the local peasants fail to warn Jonathan Harker, a young man from England, about his host. Little does Jonathan know that this is a land where babies are snatched for their blood and wolves howl menacingly from the forest, where reality is far more frightening than superstition. What’s more, it’s going to be up to him to stop the world’s most bloodthirsty predator…
Bram Stoker’s Dracula is an epistolary novel - it’s made up of letters, diaries, telegrams, newspaper clippings - and every part of it has a date. The whole story happens between May 3 and November 10. So: Dracula Daily will post a newsletter each day that something happens to the characters, in the same timeline that it happens to them.
Now you can read the book via email, in small digestible chunks - as it happens to the characters.
268 pages, Unbound
Published May 3, 2022
175 people are currently reading
124 people want to read
About the author
Bram Stoker
2,696 books5,903 followersIrish-born Abraham Stoker, known as Bram, of Britain wrote the gothic horror novel
Dracula
(1897).
The feminist Charlotte Mathilda Blake Thornely Stoker at 15 Marino crescent, then as now called "the crescent," in Fairview, a coastal suburb of Dublin, Ireland, bore this third of seven children. The parents, members of church of Ireland, attended the parish church of Saint John the Baptist, located on Seafield road west in Clontarf with their baptized children.
Stoker, an invalid, started school at the age of seven years in 1854, when he made a complete and astounding recovery. Of this time, Stoker wrote, "I was naturally thoughtful, and the leisure of long illness gave opportunity for many thoughts which were fruitful according to their kind in later years."
After his recovery, he, a normal young man, even excelled as a university athlete at Trinity college, Dublin form 1864 to 1870 and graduated with honors in mathematics. He served as auditor of the college historical society and as president of the university philosophical society with his first paper on "Sensationalism in Fiction and Society."
In 1876, while employed as a civil servant in Dublin, Stoker wrote a non-fiction book (The Duties of Clerks of Petty Sessions in Ireland, published 1879) and theatre reviews for The Dublin Mail, a newspaper partly owned by fellow horror writer J. Sheridan Le Fanu. His interest in theatre led to a lifelong friendship with the English actor Henry Irving. He also wrote stories, and in 1872 "The Crystal Cup" was published by the London Society, followed by "The Chain of Destiny" in four parts in The Shamrock.
In 1878 Stoker married Florence Balcombe, a celebrated beauty whose former suitor was Oscar Wilde. The couple moved to London, where Stoker became business manager (at first as acting-manager) of Irving's Lyceum Theatre, a post he held for 27 years. The collaboration with Irving was very important for Stoker and through him he became involved in London's high society, where he met, among other notables, James McNeil Whistler, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In the course of Irving's tours, Stoker got the chance to travel around the world.
The Stokers had one son, Irving Noel, who was born on December 31, 1879.
People cremated the body of Bram Stoker and placed his ashes placed in a display urn at Golders green crematorium. After death of Irving Noel Stoker in 1961, people added his ashes to that urn. Despite the original plan to keep ashes of his parents together, after death, people scattered ashes of Florence Stoker at the gardens of rest.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bram_Stoker
The feminist Charlotte Mathilda Blake Thornely Stoker at 15 Marino crescent, then as now called "the crescent," in Fairview, a coastal suburb of Dublin, Ireland, bore this third of seven children. The parents, members of church of Ireland, attended the parish church of Saint John the Baptist, located on Seafield road west in Clontarf with their baptized children.
Stoker, an invalid, started school at the age of seven years in 1854, when he made a complete and astounding recovery. Of this time, Stoker wrote, "I was naturally thoughtful, and the leisure of long illness gave opportunity for many thoughts which were fruitful according to their kind in later years."
After his recovery, he, a normal young man, even excelled as a university athlete at Trinity college, Dublin form 1864 to 1870 and graduated with honors in mathematics. He served as auditor of the college historical society and as president of the university philosophical society with his first paper on "Sensationalism in Fiction and Society."
In 1876, while employed as a civil servant in Dublin, Stoker wrote a non-fiction book (The Duties of Clerks of Petty Sessions in Ireland, published 1879) and theatre reviews for The Dublin Mail, a newspaper partly owned by fellow horror writer J. Sheridan Le Fanu. His interest in theatre led to a lifelong friendship with the English actor Henry Irving. He also wrote stories, and in 1872 "The Crystal Cup" was published by the London Society, followed by "The Chain of Destiny" in four parts in The Shamrock.
In 1878 Stoker married Florence Balcombe, a celebrated beauty whose former suitor was Oscar Wilde. The couple moved to London, where Stoker became business manager (at first as acting-manager) of Irving's Lyceum Theatre, a post he held for 27 years. The collaboration with Irving was very important for Stoker and through him he became involved in London's high society, where he met, among other notables, James McNeil Whistler, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In the course of Irving's tours, Stoker got the chance to travel around the world.
The Stokers had one son, Irving Noel, who was born on December 31, 1879.
People cremated the body of Bram Stoker and placed his ashes placed in a display urn at Golders green crematorium. After death of Irving Noel Stoker in 1961, people added his ashes to that urn. Despite the original plan to keep ashes of his parents together, after death, people scattered ashes of Florence Stoker at the gardens of rest.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bram_Stoker
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 201 reviews
September 19, 2024
Now this was probably my most experimental read I’ve ever accomplished. Literally a year ago on substack I stumbled upon a compiler giving essentially a pieced together full collection of the book of Dracula but in the forms of the emails and correspondents that occurred on that day of the year. Honestly what a fantastic and creative idea and while I do struggle to remember everything spanning such a broad distance, nothing has made me more interested and curious to now hopefully read strokers classic novel and fill in those gaps. But this was just a simple, broken up, wonderful little literary accident I’m glad I stumbled upon.
November 7, 2022
Yes, I'm among those who read Dracula via the Dracula Daily newsletter. And yes, I had a great time. I have had...poor experiences with classics in the past and I've heard many mixed things about Dracula in particular, so I was a little hesitant at first, but it turned out to be amazing. The combination of regular emails and post-update memes and discussion on tumblr was absolutely the best possible way to experience it - even if it did take half a year to read, and I did fall off the wagon for a while after that really long October 3rd entry.
Despite the pop culture omnipresence, I knew nothing about the actual plot beyond "there's a vampire I guess?" I've never even seen a single of the movies. And I'm honestly pleasantly surprised. It's about friendship and the power of meticulous record-keeping and knowing the train schedules.
There are the usual caveats for 19th century novels - lots of racism and xenophobia, weird treatment of mental illness, general medical inaccuracies, etc. All the expected ones. But what pleasantly surprised me is how much agency and how big of a role do female characters have, especially Mina. For all that she says she is not one of the "new women," for all that the men try (and fail) to leave her out of the adventures to protect her, she is smart and competent and a total badass.
Would I have enjoyed it if I had read it as a normal book? Probably not. The spontaneous internet bookclub with all its fanart and useful pointers for first time readers and jokes about paprika, trains, and the allmighty polycule was essential for my enjoyment, and taking it slow, day by day, made quite a few moments hit harder than they would have otherwise.
If it happens again next year, I highly recommend joining.
Enjoyment: 5/5
Execution: 5/5 for the format, 4/5 for the book
More reviews on my blog, To Other Worlds.
Despite the pop culture omnipresence, I knew nothing about the actual plot beyond "there's a vampire I guess?" I've never even seen a single of the movies. And I'm honestly pleasantly surprised. It's about friendship and the power of meticulous record-keeping and knowing the train schedules.
There are the usual caveats for 19th century novels - lots of racism and xenophobia, weird treatment of mental illness, general medical inaccuracies, etc. All the expected ones. But what pleasantly surprised me is how much agency and how big of a role do female characters have, especially Mina. For all that she says she is not one of the "new women," for all that the men try (and fail) to leave her out of the adventures to protect her, she is smart and competent and a total badass.
Would I have enjoyed it if I had read it as a normal book? Probably not. The spontaneous internet bookclub with all its fanart and useful pointers for first time readers and jokes about paprika, trains, and the allmighty polycule was essential for my enjoyment, and taking it slow, day by day, made quite a few moments hit harder than they would have otherwise.
If it happens again next year, I highly recommend joining.
Enjoyment: 5/5
Execution: 5/5 for the format, 4/5 for the book
More reviews on my blog, To Other Worlds.
November 10, 2023
This was a May to November book affair, a daily dose of Dracula, sent directly to my email, on the date of the journal entry from the original text. Some days there were no reports from Jonathan Harker, Mina, or Van Helsing; other days the journal entries came fast and furious. I loved reading the classic gothic tale in this fashion! I remember my dislike for the dense prose when I first read this during my high school days.
Very recommended!
Very recommended!
April 30, 2023
Knygą skaičiau jau ne pirmą kartą, bet nauja buvo tai, kad išbandžiau Dracula Daily siūlomą skaitymo formatą: tomis dienomis, kai buvo parašyti knygoje pateikiami dienoraščių įrašai ar laiškai, programa atsiunčia atitinkamą teksto dalį į el. paštą. Buvo tikrai labai įdomu sekti „Drakulos“ veiksmą realiu laiku! Jeigu dar nebandėte, rekomenduoju užsiregistruoti: https://draculadaily.substack.com/about. Paslauga nemokama! Pirmas laiškas atkeliaus gegužės 3 d., paskutinis – lapkričio 7 d. Knygos tekstas pateikiamas anglų kalba.
Žinojau, ko maždaug tikėtis, bet vis tiek maloniai nustebino Bram Stoker puikiai kuriama šiurpi atmosfera. Gaila, kad antroje knygos pusėje jos gerokai sumažėjo – tos vietos, kai veikėjai kasdien renkasi vis iš naujo tartis ir planuoti tolesnius Drakulos įveikimo žingsnius, šiek tiek prailgo. Dėl to ir skaityti baigiau tik dabar – klaida buvo skaityti kartu su vyru, jis ties tais ilgais, ištęstais skyriais pasavo, pradėjom atidėlioti, ir nors buvo likę vos keli skyreliai, užtempėm iki pat dabar, kai pagaliau atsisėdau ir viską, kas buvo likę, perskaičiau viena.
Šypseną šiek tiek kėlė naivus to meto įsivaizdavimas apie medicininius dalykus, dramatiškos veikėjų kalbos ir meilės prisipažinimai, visi čia tokie kilnūs, gražūs, pasiaukojantys, bet turint galvoje, kokią neįtikėtiną įtaką ši knyga padarė šiuolaikinei kultūrai, labai daug ką atleidau ir vertinu 4 žvaigždutėm. Susipažinti su šiuo klasikiniu kūriniu tikrai verta ir reikalinga!
Žinojau, ko maždaug tikėtis, bet vis tiek maloniai nustebino Bram Stoker puikiai kuriama šiurpi atmosfera. Gaila, kad antroje knygos pusėje jos gerokai sumažėjo – tos vietos, kai veikėjai kasdien renkasi vis iš naujo tartis ir planuoti tolesnius Drakulos įveikimo žingsnius, šiek tiek prailgo. Dėl to ir skaityti baigiau tik dabar – klaida buvo skaityti kartu su vyru, jis ties tais ilgais, ištęstais skyriais pasavo, pradėjom atidėlioti, ir nors buvo likę vos keli skyreliai, užtempėm iki pat dabar, kai pagaliau atsisėdau ir viską, kas buvo likę, perskaičiau viena.
Šypseną šiek tiek kėlė naivus to meto įsivaizdavimas apie medicininius dalykus, dramatiškos veikėjų kalbos ir meilės prisipažinimai, visi čia tokie kilnūs, gražūs, pasiaukojantys, bet turint galvoje, kokią neįtikėtiną įtaką ši knyga padarė šiuolaikinei kultūrai, labai daug ką atleidau ir vertinu 4 žvaigždutėm. Susipažinti su šiuo klasikiniu kūriniu tikrai verta ir reikalinga!
November 11, 2024
And you thought /you/ had a rough six months?
This was so fun. The audiobook (stylized as a radio play) produced on the Re:Dracula podcast was exquisite. I fell behind multiple times (and finished a few days late) but I had a blast.
I look forward to rereading Dracula for real :D
This was so fun. The audiobook (stylized as a radio play) produced on the Re:Dracula podcast was exquisite. I fell behind multiple times (and finished a few days late) but I had a blast.
I look forward to rereading Dracula for real :D
November 10, 2023
I have started Dracula multiple times, but always found myself bogged down early on and ended up putting the book right back down. When I heard a friend talking about Dracula Daily, I thought this might be how I could finally get through it. I was correct. While this is by no means now among my favorite classics, I’m glad to have read it. And receiving the next fragment to my inbox each day that aligned with when said fragment was dated in the book was a lot of fun. It made me feel like part of the story in a way that was very unique.
What do I say about a book that has so shaped pop culture past and present? First of all, I was surprised by how little time Dracula himself spent on the page. I understand it, because this is an epistolary novel and we are getting our information largely from letters and diary entries, but I still found it surprising. I was also surprised by the very anticlimactic ending. I just expected more from a story that has rooted itself so firmly into our cultural psyche. And the colloquialisms bothered me immensely. That’s a writing choice that I just can’t seem to ever appreciate, no matter how hard I try.
I do have to say that I was also pleasantly surprised in various ways. Mina’s character was much more present, and more highly respected by the men in her life, than I expected. There was a sincerity to the camaraderie between Mina, Jonathan, Dr. Seward, Quincey, Arthur, and Van Helsing that was incredibly charming. I also found the book to be far more blatantly Christian in theme and language than I anticipated.
This wasn’t a bad book, but it in no way compares to others often equated with it, like Frankenstein and The Picture of Dorian Gray. There’s a beauty to the writing in those two works that feels absent here, in my opinion. I know that there are people who absolutely adore this book, but I sadly don’t fall into that camp. I can respect it. I can even appreciate large portions of it. But Dracula doesn’t speak to my soul in the same way as Frankenstein. That being said, I’m glad to have read it, and to have found a fun delivery system in Dracula Daily.
What do I say about a book that has so shaped pop culture past and present? First of all, I was surprised by how little time Dracula himself spent on the page. I understand it, because this is an epistolary novel and we are getting our information largely from letters and diary entries, but I still found it surprising. I was also surprised by the very anticlimactic ending. I just expected more from a story that has rooted itself so firmly into our cultural psyche. And the colloquialisms bothered me immensely. That’s a writing choice that I just can’t seem to ever appreciate, no matter how hard I try.
I do have to say that I was also pleasantly surprised in various ways. Mina’s character was much more present, and more highly respected by the men in her life, than I expected. There was a sincerity to the camaraderie between Mina, Jonathan, Dr. Seward, Quincey, Arthur, and Van Helsing that was incredibly charming. I also found the book to be far more blatantly Christian in theme and language than I anticipated.
This wasn’t a bad book, but it in no way compares to others often equated with it, like Frankenstein and The Picture of Dorian Gray. There’s a beauty to the writing in those two works that feels absent here, in my opinion. I know that there are people who absolutely adore this book, but I sadly don’t fall into that camp. I can respect it. I can even appreciate large portions of it. But Dracula doesn’t speak to my soul in the same way as Frankenstein. That being said, I’m glad to have read it, and to have found a fun delivery system in Dracula Daily.
May 18, 2022
I really enjoyed this book. I liked the tone of the beginning best, when Jonathan was in the castle and Dracula hadn't gone to London yet. As I've mentioned in reviews before, I enjoy epistolary styles of writing. I really liked the character of Renfield and how he was incorporated into the story.
The book definitely could have been shorter. Some parts reeaaalllyyy dragged in the middle. That being said, the final showdown could have been longer.
The book definitely could have been shorter. Some parts reeaaalllyyy dragged in the middle. That being said, the final showdown could have been longer.
December 7, 2022
First thing first, questa che vado a commentare è in realtà una rilettura. Ho infatti avuto modo di leggere Dracula per la prima volta cinque anni fa, durante il mio primo semestre universitario, e l’ho trovato un romanzo indigeribile. Troppo confuso, troppo noioso, strutturato a casissimo e decisamente troppo poco affascinante rispetto all’etichetta di grande classico della letteratura dell’orrore che gli si attacca. Me lo sono trascinato per settimane, chiedendomi più e più volte perché avessi deciso di iniziarlo, e quando l’ho concluso l’ho messo a posto con una sensazione di leggerezza non da poco.
Lo scorso aprile, però, un mio amico mi ha parlato di Dracula Daily e io, un po’ titubante, mi sono rilanciata nella lettura proposta da questa particolare newsletter. Di base, il romanzo è stato smontato e ricostruito secondo la cronologia delle missive che lo compongono, che a loro volta vengono inviate via e-mail nei giorni prestabiliti – cosa che ha reso la lettura molto più snella e piacevole da seguire, nonché sensata. Oltretutto, alla newsletter è associato anche un forum, a cui purtroppo non ho dato molto peso ma che il mio amico in questione ha adorato perché gli ha permesso di inquadrare ancora meglio il contesto storico – e ha prodotto molti meme, ma dettagli.
La rilettura nel complesso è andata molto meglio di quanto mi aspettassi – ultime settimane a parte, dove ero troppo presa per concentrarmi a dovere sulle mastodontiche mail conclusive. Continuo a trovare Dracula un romanzo che non fa per me a causa della generale farraginosità del ritmo – o è troppo lento, o va a spron battuto –, degli evidenti problemi che Stocker aveva con la sessualità e il genere femminile e di un generale gusto di fine Ottocento che nel mio caso va a roulette russa – o lo adoro, o possiamo passare anche a qualcosa di diverso, soprattutto quando si parla della letteratura inglese. Tuttavia, la struttura epistolare portata in vita lo rende molto più brillante, tanto che in certi giorni l’ho trovato davvero di ottima compagnia e con una buona tensione narrativa.
In conclusione, Dracula Daily super promossa se volete approcciarvi alla lettura di questo classico – o come me desiderate dargli una seconda chance. Dracula in sé rimane per mio gusto un romanzo noiosetto che sente il peso del tempo, ma ho capito meglio perché sia definito un classico della letteratura dell’orrore e l’ho apprezzato un pochettino di più. Di certo la lizard fashion con cui il conte Dracula che scala le torri del suo castello ha contribuito non poco.
3/5 ⭐
Lo scorso aprile, però, un mio amico mi ha parlato di Dracula Daily e io, un po’ titubante, mi sono rilanciata nella lettura proposta da questa particolare newsletter. Di base, il romanzo è stato smontato e ricostruito secondo la cronologia delle missive che lo compongono, che a loro volta vengono inviate via e-mail nei giorni prestabiliti – cosa che ha reso la lettura molto più snella e piacevole da seguire, nonché sensata. Oltretutto, alla newsletter è associato anche un forum, a cui purtroppo non ho dato molto peso ma che il mio amico in questione ha adorato perché gli ha permesso di inquadrare ancora meglio il contesto storico – e ha prodotto molti meme, ma dettagli.
La rilettura nel complesso è andata molto meglio di quanto mi aspettassi – ultime settimane a parte, dove ero troppo presa per concentrarmi a dovere sulle mastodontiche mail conclusive. Continuo a trovare Dracula un romanzo che non fa per me a causa della generale farraginosità del ritmo – o è troppo lento, o va a spron battuto –, degli evidenti problemi che Stocker aveva con la sessualità e il genere femminile e di un generale gusto di fine Ottocento che nel mio caso va a roulette russa – o lo adoro, o possiamo passare anche a qualcosa di diverso, soprattutto quando si parla della letteratura inglese. Tuttavia, la struttura epistolare portata in vita lo rende molto più brillante, tanto che in certi giorni l’ho trovato davvero di ottima compagnia e con una buona tensione narrativa.
In conclusione, Dracula Daily super promossa se volete approcciarvi alla lettura di questo classico – o come me desiderate dargli una seconda chance. Dracula in sé rimane per mio gusto un romanzo noiosetto che sente il peso del tempo, ma ho capito meglio perché sia definito un classico della letteratura dell’orrore e l’ho apprezzato un pochettino di più. Di certo la lizard fashion con cui il conte Dracula che scala le torri del suo castello ha contribuito non poco.
3/5 ⭐
November 7, 2022
What a rush! What a fun way to read an epistolary novel, with each day's entry delivered straight to my inbox. While reading this, over the past few months, I discovered that I know very little about the Count or his anti-climactic undoing.
Dracula is such a loser. A wannabe. A poser. His plan went horribly wrong because it was a horrible plan. Mina Harker's secretarial acumen and fiendish awareness of train schedules made short work of the Count's desperate attempt to eat more Londoners. Dracula, himself, is not sexy. He is not romantic or tragic. He is not even interesting. He is dumb. He is gross. This is now a Count Dracula hate account. He severely underestimated his lawyer. He did not know that J. Harker, esquire at law, also wields a kukri knife! Nor did he know that his lawyer's wife's friend's ex-lover is a cowboy who shoots first and asks questions later. It's really too bad for Dracula that social media and internet stalking weren't a thing in the late 19th Century. He really did not think this through.
Dracula is such a loser. A wannabe. A poser. His plan went horribly wrong because it was a horrible plan. Mina Harker's secretarial acumen and fiendish awareness of train schedules made short work of the Count's desperate attempt to eat more Londoners. Dracula, himself, is not sexy. He is not romantic or tragic. He is not even interesting. He is dumb. He is gross. This is now a Count Dracula hate account. He severely underestimated his lawyer. He did not know that J. Harker, esquire at law, also wields a kukri knife! Nor did he know that his lawyer's wife's friend's ex-lover is a cowboy who shoots first and asks questions later. It's really too bad for Dracula that social media and internet stalking weren't a thing in the late 19th Century. He really did not think this through.
November 16, 2022
read with dracula daily by matt kirkland.
mina is a boss bitch. also, the lucy westenra polycule has my whole heart. this email series was pretty engaging and it was a great thing to look forward to after a long day.
it's kinda problematic and repetitive... a little lengthy too, at times. but i'll overlook everything because i love jonmina (the only straight couple i'll die for) and our queer ass polycule :)
4 stars!
mina is a boss bitch. also, the lucy westenra polycule has my whole heart. this email series was pretty engaging and it was a great thing to look forward to after a long day.
it's kinda problematic and repetitive... a little lengthy too, at times. but i'll overlook everything because i love jonmina (the only straight couple i'll die for) and our queer ass polycule :)
4 stars!
November 7, 2022
i cannot recommend dracula daily enough. what an unparalleled reading experience. i’m probably rereading it next year (and posting a longer review then too) because i definitely skimmed some parts but it was a fantastic time!!
Read
November 7, 2022If you're reading this from the future I def recommend time travelling to join the 2022 Dracula Daily and following along and tumblr, great experience, would recommend. Dunno if I would've stuck out of the book at my own pace, it does meander a fair bit.
November 9, 2023
The novel Dracula is made up of a collection of letters and notes that are dated from May 3rd to November 7th. A couple years ago, the newsletter Dracula Daily has the brilliant idea to actually send an email for each day represented in the book, so that you could follow along in "real time". I decided to join in this year when Bloody FM put out a podcast production called Re: Dracula, which is fully voice acted and produced with sound effects and music.
Not every single day has entries, with a few long stretches of time with none at all, so I was able to mostly keep up with it day to day, maybe falling behind a week at most a couple times. It was a fascinating experience! It gives you a lot of time to reflect and anticipate, and a good friend of mine was following along at the same time, which made for some fun discussions. The podcast is great and really immerses you in the setting and characters.
I had never read this before, so it was interesting to see what aspects I know about through other vampire stories and what has been changed over the years about the Dracula mythos.
There are a ton of memorable and effectively creepy moments throughout, but also there are long bits that aren't particularly entertaining and feel drawn out. Not all of it held my attention, and I think perhaps if I read this traditionally I wouldn't rate it as highly as I have done for the daily format. I'm glad I spent the time to try this out.
Not every single day has entries, with a few long stretches of time with none at all, so I was able to mostly keep up with it day to day, maybe falling behind a week at most a couple times. It was a fascinating experience! It gives you a lot of time to reflect and anticipate, and a good friend of mine was following along at the same time, which made for some fun discussions. The podcast is great and really immerses you in the setting and characters.
I had never read this before, so it was interesting to see what aspects I know about through other vampire stories and what has been changed over the years about the Dracula mythos.
There are a ton of memorable and effectively creepy moments throughout, but also there are long bits that aren't particularly entertaining and feel drawn out. Not all of it held my attention, and I think perhaps if I read this traditionally I wouldn't rate it as highly as I have done for the daily format. I'm glad I spent the time to try this out.
Read
November 10, 2022proud member of the 2022 dracula daily bookclub 😇
November 7, 2023
despite being misogynistic, this book is ultimately about worshipping women, and I can get behind that
January 3, 2025
This is more of an experience read for me instead of a re-read so as a result I will not be leaving a review for the story of Dracula as that can be found under the actual title by its original author. Instead I will be reviewing this read more for its format and presentation to the reader as these appear more of the focal than the actual story itself, which is just an extra treat at this point.
I haven't quite read or know all the facts that led Matthew Kirkland to set-up Dracula Daily Emails but I feel that I can safely bet that most, if not all, the readers of this newsletter have already read this classic before while for one reason or another taken up this challenge. In my case it was more curiosity, desire of a new reader experience and a failed hope that I could either get my sister or husband to participate in a group classic read that has led me down this path.
Dracula Daily Emails takes the dated entries, records, messages, etc. that readers find making up the original story while putting them in chronological order that isn't so random as the original thus allowing the story to be experienced in a more natural timeline. Furthermore to up the ante the reader will find they can only read the story based upon the date of the entries like the various past serials unless they choose to read the book of the same name and power through, which seems to defeat the purpose of this format in my opinion.
Anyway Matthew Kirkland starts the experience for the reader about two weeks before the entries start on May 3 by providing readers with a link to a novella titled Dracula's Guest if they should choose to read it. Having been an original first chapter before it was cut due to length, this short story provides a small mini-adventure for readers to get their whistles wet.
After that readers will start to receive emails as of May 3 until Nov 7 when the story winds up while this is where it gets to be a bit different. On each email sent, the reader is provided the date and a small blurb that provides the reader with either an action of the main writer for that day, a nod to the means of recording tool or just a small summarizing detail before going into the actual entries. The reader will find that some of the terminology used in these blurbs are a bit more modern such as the usage of podcast in one instance for Dr. Seward. These can be skipped for the reader who may not want to deal with them.
At the same time what has been nice is the fact that Matthew does also include special notes at the bottom of some entries that most normally give the readers a heads-up that there is a drought of reading emails for a while. As a result although still looking to see if any messages have arrived it doesn't bother me as much that I am without anything to read on those days as a result of the prior warning. And since of this amount of time that can pass between entries it does give me just a bit more realization just how much longer it took for this story to actually unwind in "real life" if you would instead of the seemingly quick jump found in the book as you tackle it from cover-to-cover in just a few days.
As a result I must say that I am really appreciative that someone did actually come up with this way of telling the story of Dracula for it gives the reader perspective and a chance to really enjoy the story more realistically with its much slower cadence as it builds up to what we know must be the end.
And yet at the same time the wait, the tension and drama will be something else once those entries start to arrive to the reader who will be stuck day-after-day with cliffhangers. At this point in July I almost cannot wait to see how that will unwind....
I haven't quite read or know all the facts that led Matthew Kirkland to set-up Dracula Daily Emails but I feel that I can safely bet that most, if not all, the readers of this newsletter have already read this classic before while for one reason or another taken up this challenge. In my case it was more curiosity, desire of a new reader experience and a failed hope that I could either get my sister or husband to participate in a group classic read that has led me down this path.
Dracula Daily Emails takes the dated entries, records, messages, etc. that readers find making up the original story while putting them in chronological order that isn't so random as the original thus allowing the story to be experienced in a more natural timeline. Furthermore to up the ante the reader will find they can only read the story based upon the date of the entries like the various past serials unless they choose to read the book of the same name and power through, which seems to defeat the purpose of this format in my opinion.
Anyway Matthew Kirkland starts the experience for the reader about two weeks before the entries start on May 3 by providing readers with a link to a novella titled Dracula's Guest if they should choose to read it. Having been an original first chapter before it was cut due to length, this short story provides a small mini-adventure for readers to get their whistles wet.
After that readers will start to receive emails as of May 3 until Nov 7 when the story winds up while this is where it gets to be a bit different. On each email sent, the reader is provided the date and a small blurb that provides the reader with either an action of the main writer for that day, a nod to the means of recording tool or just a small summarizing detail before going into the actual entries. The reader will find that some of the terminology used in these blurbs are a bit more modern such as the usage of podcast in one instance for Dr. Seward. These can be skipped for the reader who may not want to deal with them.
At the same time what has been nice is the fact that Matthew does also include special notes at the bottom of some entries that most normally give the readers a heads-up that there is a drought of reading emails for a while. As a result although still looking to see if any messages have arrived it doesn't bother me as much that I am without anything to read on those days as a result of the prior warning. And since of this amount of time that can pass between entries it does give me just a bit more realization just how much longer it took for this story to actually unwind in "real life" if you would instead of the seemingly quick jump found in the book as you tackle it from cover-to-cover in just a few days.
As a result I must say that I am really appreciative that someone did actually come up with this way of telling the story of Dracula for it gives the reader perspective and a chance to really enjoy the story more realistically with its much slower cadence as it builds up to what we know must be the end.
And yet at the same time the wait, the tension and drama will be something else once those entries start to arrive to the reader who will be stuck day-after-day with cliffhangers. At this point in July I almost cannot wait to see how that will unwind....
November 7, 2022
This is a book I have been avoiding for ages. Every time I picked it up I looked at the epistolary format and put it down, saying 'one day I'm more in the mood'.
And then came Dracula Daily, receiving emails on the days the entries were written and would absolutely recommend this format (even if there are a few drawbacks).
I loved to see how utterly different this book is from many of the well known adaptations.
Spoiler Examples are: van Helsing is a middle age professor with so many titles he uses etc, and uses communion wafers as almost weapons.
Jonathan Harker being an absolute simp for his fiance turned wife and going from 'this is weird but good manners and my job stop me from going away from the situation' to 'I have a kukri knife and I WILL use it, good society be damned' . Also the traumatic anime white hair.
The Texan cowboy.
Lucy and Mina being gal pals 4ever.
Mina Harker having the braincell and the plans even within the obvious sexist plot contrivances.
Two characters know the train schedules by heart like it is a normal thing one does ("I am the train fiend" is a sentence in the actual book).
And so much more.
And then came Dracula Daily, receiving emails on the days the entries were written and would absolutely recommend this format (even if there are a few drawbacks).
I loved to see how utterly different this book is from many of the well known adaptations.
Spoiler Examples are: van Helsing is a middle age professor with so many titles he uses etc, and uses communion wafers as almost weapons.
Jonathan Harker being an absolute simp for his fiance turned wife and going from 'this is weird but good manners and my job stop me from going away from the situation' to 'I have a kukri knife and I WILL use it, good society be damned' . Also the traumatic anime white hair.
The Texan cowboy.
Lucy and Mina being gal pals 4ever.
Mina Harker having the braincell and the plans even within the obvious sexist plot contrivances.
Two characters know the train schedules by heart like it is a normal thing one does ("I am the train fiend" is a sentence in the actual book).
And so much more.
November 7, 2023
Nov 7 ...and with that we're coming to an end.
I think we sould all allow ourselves to read some books more slowly, savour them and experience them over time.
this was a great experience, there were times when I didn't feel like reading but i did it anyways because i did want to stay up to date. there were other days when i almost couldn't wait for the next update because i was so invested. some days i worried because there wasn't an update. some days i worried because there was one.
we all know Dracula in a way as the "OG" Vampire, the one and only. but somehow this book wasn't what i had expected at all. yes, this book is old, and with that comes some outdated notions and ways. but there were also times when i almost couldn't believe this wasn't modern, because some things where just too relatable. and maybe that's what this book is actually about: being human, and well, that doesn't go out of style i guess.
PS: going in i thought tumblr was exaggerating the homoerotic subcontext, but holy cow they all are literally soooo bi (except Van Helsing. I feel like he's the token homosexual there. i mean he's literally "friends" with Hans Christian Andersen...)
I think we sould all allow ourselves to read some books more slowly, savour them and experience them over time.
this was a great experience, there were times when I didn't feel like reading but i did it anyways because i did want to stay up to date. there were other days when i almost couldn't wait for the next update because i was so invested. some days i worried because there wasn't an update. some days i worried because there was one.
we all know Dracula in a way as the "OG" Vampire, the one and only. but somehow this book wasn't what i had expected at all. yes, this book is old, and with that comes some outdated notions and ways. but there were also times when i almost couldn't believe this wasn't modern, because some things where just too relatable. and maybe that's what this book is actually about: being human, and well, that doesn't go out of style i guess.
PS: going in i thought tumblr was exaggerating the homoerotic subcontext, but holy cow they all are literally soooo bi (except Van Helsing. I feel like he's the token homosexual there. i mean he's literally "friends" with Hans Christian Andersen...)
November 25, 2022
Okay so admittedly, I finished this about three weeks late and had to double/triple/quadruple up on entries to catch up. Blame moving house right amongst the long chapters!
But...oh my goodness this was amazing! I've read Dracula before but at my usual breakneck speed, so this was a completely new experience that brought it to life in the most incredible way.
If you have the patience, I highly recommend signing up for next year.
Mina is an absolute Queen, I definitely didn't respect and appreciate it her like this last time. What she goes through, and how she expresses her feelings about it is so, SO well written. She breaks my heart. Jonathan and Dr Van Helsing are great characters, real gentlemen. Lucy...such a tragedy.
I didn't follow along with the memes/tumblr side of things simply because I didn't find out the internet had gone nuts for it until I was already most of the way through. A collective global book club does sound fun though.
I probably won't read it again next year. Maybe. I had a great time though.
But...oh my goodness this was amazing! I've read Dracula before but at my usual breakneck speed, so this was a completely new experience that brought it to life in the most incredible way.
If you have the patience, I highly recommend signing up for next year.
Mina is an absolute Queen, I definitely didn't respect and appreciate it her like this last time. What she goes through, and how she expresses her feelings about it is so, SO well written. She breaks my heart. Jonathan and Dr Van Helsing are great characters, real gentlemen. Lucy...such a tragedy.
I didn't follow along with the memes/tumblr side of things simply because I didn't find out the internet had gone nuts for it until I was already most of the way through. A collective global book club does sound fun though.
I probably won't read it again next year. Maybe. I had a great time though.
November 7, 2022
Drakuul sai siiski täna läbi! Ja ma isegi lõpetasin ta õigel ajal, vaatamata raskustele oktoobrikuus, mil peatükid olid pikad-pikad. Olin täiesti unustanud kogu selle Rumeenia-seikluse, samas kui tegevus vanal heal Inglismaal oli võrdlemisi hästi meeles, vist ka filmide abiga. Madam Mina!!! Mõtlesin siin, et kui vampiiridele on nii oluline öö ja päikeseloojangud, oleks täiuslik neil tegeleda polaarööga aladel, aga samas kui kõik vampiirid polaarööseks arktikasse kogunevad, pole seal suurt midagi süüa peale ehk põhjapõtrade, igatahes oleks väärt uurimist vampiirimigratsioon. Ka siinmail oleks talvel palju raskem vampiiri kätte saada, kui selleks on ainult mõni tund päevas. Highlight olid suvised kirjad Jonathanilt, tüütum osa kogu selle kamba planeerimine ja ohhetamine kusagil lõpusirgel.
November 21, 2022
Sometimes a family can be a vampire-hunting polycule who gives eachother blood transfusions and reads each others' diaries.
What an interesting way to read Dracula. Had a lot of fun waiting to see what would happen next and speculating with my friends. The homoerotic subtext was fun; I did question if Stoker literally ever talked to a woman *ever* in his life. The racism was unpleasant but I was warned about it beforehand at least. I'm truly surprised that Dracula is in the story hardly at all, more of haunting the margins. The complete lack of denouement definitely weakens the text for me, but at least we've got our Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Renesmee Way baby in the epilogue.
What an interesting way to read Dracula. Had a lot of fun waiting to see what would happen next and speculating with my friends. The homoerotic subtext was fun; I did question if Stoker literally ever talked to a woman *ever* in his life. The racism was unpleasant but I was warned about it beforehand at least. I'm truly surprised that Dracula is in the story hardly at all, more of haunting the margins. The complete lack of denouement definitely weakens the text for me, but at least we've got our Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Renesmee Way baby in the epilogue.
November 8, 2023
In 2022 I followed Dracula Daily in substack/email and that was a great way to read this novel but this year I listened to the podcast Re: Dracula which was basically an audio drama of the text in the Dracula Daily format and I would highly recommend that method!
In total I’ve read Dracula three times so it’s up in the air if I’ll read it next year when the email rolls out again but it was fun
In total I’ve read Dracula three times so it’s up in the air if I’ll read it next year when the email rolls out again but it was fun
November 7, 2025
"I have learned not to think little of any one's belief, no matter how strange it be. I have tried to keep an open mind; and it is not the ordinary things of life that could close it, but the strange things, the extraordinary things, the things that make one doubt if they be mad or sane."
November 7, 2022
Dracula Daily is such a cool, innovative way to experience this book. It made me prioritize rereading an old favorite, which was such a treat.
November 7, 2023
Reading it with Dracula Daily is one of the best reading experiences I've ever had.
October 20, 2024
If this book has no haters, then I’m dead.
November 7, 2024
Where it all begins.... This was fun to do over the year!
November 7, 2025
This felt like homework.
December 28, 2025
Fun way to experience Dracula. It takes longer but it changes with the seasons which I thought was a nice way to experience it. Would do it again!
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