Author, Charlaine Harris
Series, Sookie Stackhouse Mysteries

Scary books scare me and I’m very hesitant to pick any up but the cartoonish covers suggested Sookie Stackhouse wasn’t going to keep me up at night. That and my Sister had been telling me for a while now that this series was entertaining to read. She was right – of course.

HBO thought Sookie Stackhouse was entertaining also; “TRUEBLOOD” is into Season 2, which really tells you just how leery I am of scary things (six years behind everyone else).

There are Vampires, Witches, Werewolves, and lots of other mythical beasties. Some are bad, some good and none are all bad, nor all good, including Sookie.

The short stories were enough for me to pick up the actual series, currently 9 books. The Author impresses me with the complexity of the mysteries, the volume of characters, and the minor story threads that add to the jumble of motives and incidents. It is entertaining and light, easy to read and the stories are wrapped up neatly enough that you aren’t required to purchase the next book in the series to find out what happened, but you will.

Lastly, as a caution, the series touches on topics of humanity that are tragic, painful and real. It is also sexy and graphic, so READ it before passing it along.

Link to the Author, http://www.charlaineharris.com/

Link to the Publisher, http://us.penguingroup.com/

Link to the Cover Photo, http://www.charlaineharris.com/

Link to the HBO site, http://www.hbo.com/trueblood/season2/

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This article is an opinion of the Author’s.

© alias Hubbaloo and www.Hubbaloo.wordpress.com, October 2009, to Date. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to alias Hubbaloo and www.Hubbaloo.wordpress.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

I was thrilled when this song was played in an episode of HBO’s True Blood, Season 2. This was the song in Merlotte’s when newly-turned vampire Jessica met mama’s boy Hoyt. Here’s the lyrics:

Sex and Candy by Marcy Playground

Hanging ’round
Downtown by myself
And I had so much time
To sit and think about myself
And then there she was
Like double cherry pie
Yeah, there she was
Like disco superfly

I smell sex and candy here
Who’s that lounging in my chair?
Who’s that casting devious stares in my direction?
Mama, this surely is a dream

Hanging ’round
Downtown by myself
And I had too much caffeine
And I was thinking ’bout myself
And then there she was
In platform double suede
Yeah, there she was
Like disco lemonade

I smell sex and candy here
Who’s that lounging in my chair?
Who’s that casting devious stares in my direction?
Mama, this surely is a dream
Mama, this surely is a dream
Yeah, mama, this must be my dream

Reading other people’s blogs (most notably The Story Siren and Medieval Bookworm) made me decide my blog needs a bit of a consistent humanizing element to it.  Non-opinion posts that just give you a general sense of who the hell this person is who’s yacking to you about books, movies, and general opinions.  To that end I’ve decided to start this new (hopefully consistent) feature–Friday Fun!–in which I will ramble about general Amanda-stuff.  I hope you enjoy.

This week I became the proud owner of both a menorah and a 3 foot tall fake Christmas tree.  I can hear my family now.  “Whaaat?!  You bought a fake tree?!”  But you see, a fake tree is easier and cheaper, so I’m happy.  I’ll also need to skip the tinsel for the first year ever due to the presence of the kitty.  She totally would eat the tinsel and we’d get to spend a lovely night in the MSPCA ER.  As for the menorah, it’s the first time I’ll be the one in charge of lighting it.  For the last five years, it was always a roommate or hallmate who did, so I’ve taken it upon myself to learn the Hanukkah prayers.  My friend Nina helped me get the basics, but I found this website last night to help me practice when she’s not around.

I am a major online holiday shopper, and a lot of the presents I’ve been buying arrived this week.  I have quite the stash in my closet, and I need to acquire wrapping paper so they can wind up under the tree.  Seeing all the wrapped presents is one of my favorite things.  I’ve looked for wrapping paper twice so far, but finding non-holiday-specific ones for my Chrismukkah celebrations hasn’t been going too well.  And no, I don’t like snowman paper.

On the sour note, last night my downstairs neighbors complained about me walking around my apartment.  Yes, walking.  Personally my first reaction is that they should suck it up and deal because they knew what they were getting into when they chose an apartment that’s not on the top floor.  It’s not like I was dancing or running circles or something.  Upon reflection after she left, however, I realized that the new kitty addition does have a tendency to run circles (and bounce off walls and randomly do dances) in the evening, and perhaps this is what the neighbors have been hearing.  I can sort of sympathize with this, but it doesn’t seem to me there’s much I can do about it.  It’s not my fault the landlord has wood floors on the top floor of the apartment building.  I’m thinking of stopping by and letting them know it’s probably the cat they’re hearing, so they at least know (unless that’s unnecessary?), but in the meantime, any suggestions on how to deal with the neighbors?

This weekend my plans are a bit up-in-the-air, but I do plan on decorating the tree, hanging out with my boyfriend and maybe some friends, and reading more.  It’d been a long time since I’ve read a series, and I’m really enjoying the cozy familiarity I’m starting to feel with the main characters in both The Dark Tower and Sookie Stackhouse.  Of course I also have a couple of movies on my radar to watch.  You’ll just have to wait til next week to find out what they are!

Peace!

My Sister has me reading the Sookie Stackhouse series, which is fun and entertaining.  They nestle right in with the easy, light reading so necessary for these busy weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

So, what’s yummy, yummy?

Tomato Soup.

I pulled this off www.allrecipes.com and have to agree, it’s simple and tasty, but entirely dependent on the tomatoes.  If you can’t find any bursting with flavor, this recipe will turn out flat and dull.  The only change I made was to drop the clove count to 2, and I added 2 cloves of garlic (pressed with the knife, but still whole), and I omitted the sugar.

See the reference to Vampires?  Tomato soup is brilliant red like blood, garlic is a repellant; I haven’t figured out the wooden stake yet, but I’m looking forward to your suggestions… 

And, the busy time?  This soup is fast, easy and satisfying so you can get back into the stores for shopping, or back to decorating, or baking, or visiting…

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Garden-Fresh-Tomato-Soup/Detail.aspx

A while has passed. Michael will tell you that he has had swine flu, and whilst it is true that he has been suffering from sickness and generally flu-like symptoms for approximately a month now, I don’t feel that I can write honestly and boldly that swine flu has struck the Flynn household. Oh, wait, I obviously can write it boldly, at least. Go figure.

In the interim I have struggled with looking after Henry – I’ve put in considerably more solo hours than I am used to and I do look at him and wonder whether he’s ok with that. I mean, I’m not as good at the sitting on the floor, getting up, running around general craziness of movement that Henry is used to. That’s not to say I didn’t try, mind. He is such a beautiful little boy. I love that he adores peas to the point of demanding them whenever he sees his Nanna.

We’ve decorated the tree for Christmas (no chocolates are to be found left upon it within Henry’s reach), the fairy lights are illuminating our window and generally making us look festive to passers-by. Presents have even been bought … not all of them, but some have at the very least. Nothing has been wrapped so far. I really need to actually post Jen’s Yule gift, as it is just sitting finished in my room mocking me with its’ loveliness. I hope she agrees. My other postworthy gift is unfinished at this point, if I can’t get it finished in time to post then I might have to sweet talk my mother into dropping it round to Emily’s parents’ house in Westgate when she goes there after Christmas.

I read all the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris and have to say that I got confused a lot. People’s relationships to each other changed a lot, and I don’t just mean girlfriend swapping antics here! Maxine Fortenberry starts the series as Hoyt’s grandmother and later becomes his mother. Disturbing. Dead to the World was my favourite – and if anybody here wonders why I would enjoy the pages of antics between Sookie (who I totally relate myself to, both of us being fair, busty and odd) and Eric (tall, blonde, A VIKING, funny – one of the few vampires who appeared to understand humour, the other being his “child” Pam).

Anyway, I haven’t died… but if I did, I’d hope that vampires were somehow involved in my death.

Ahem….

Tomorrow Soon I will post about the pair of mittens I’m making (I made one yesterday), Michael’s secret crochet talents, my general-brain-meltingness of the last few days, why Henry loves to cook with Mummy and other fascinating things.

Next week I have another ultrasound-guided injection into my left wrist, as well as a college interview “event”; I’m so worried by the word event in the letter, do you think there’ll be dancing of some kind? If so, I’m going to hope that it isn’t tap. I can’t imagine I’d be too fantastic at tap in my current state.

Apparently I’m not a genius, says Michael, and he just told me I’m not the cleverest person he’s ever met. Well, ok, I shan’t ask but I think I will assume hope that I am at least in the Top 5.

So I have not posted anything for a whole month, for blogging standards thats pretty poor. All I can say is that Waterstones are to blame. I decided to purchase the Sookie Stackhouse boxset for the bargain price of £30 (RRP £40 although now its online for £20! Damn it!) from my local Waterstones. It was an impulse buy, I was in there looking for good Christmas presents and the boxset just looked really cool. I have always prefered the Harper Connelly series by Charlaine Harris but I was won over by the boxset. AND WHAT A SET!! It turns out her first book is nowhere near as good as some of the others! I am head over heals in love with the character Eric Northmann who is fantastically ruthless,  cheeky and the sexiest fictional character I’ve ever come across! I am halfway through the eight books and seem to find that I am unable to read anything else! If you put one thing on your Santa list this year I heartily recommend this boxset, I give it 10 out of 10 stars, and I’d give Eric 12!!

Summary:
Someone is shooting shifters in the parish, and the Werepanthers are suspicious of Jason.  Sookie sets out to clear his name, but things get a bit more complicated when it becomes clear someone has their eye not only on the shifters, but also on her.

Review:
Although the back cover claims this entry into the Sookie-verse is full of entertaining plot-twists, it actually reads as a been there, done that, plot.

Jason is in trouble, again.  Sookie’s fairy godmother has to save her, again.  Someone isn’t what they seem. Again.  Sam still has the major hots for Sookie (though I’ll never understand why.  She seems to just use him repeatedly when she needs help).  Bill still wants Sookie even though he’s sleeping with someone else, and Alcide is still kind of a jerk.

I think the problem with this book is that it doesn’t move the overarching plot forward much at all.  There is a tiny development in the Sookie/Eric plotline, but that’s all.  I guess I could forgive this if the individual storyline was new and exciting, but it’s not.  Ooo, someone’s targeting the supes.  Big deal.

In spite of all these complaints, I still want to keep reading the series.  This book read more like a clunker episode of a tv series you really love than a death toll.  I expect things will improve in the next book, and this was just a mystery idea that went bad for Harris.

2 out of 5 stars

Source: Bought on Amazon

Previous Books in Series:
Dead Until Dark, review
Living Dead in Dallas, review
Club Dead, review
Dead to the World, review

Sookie Stackhouse…

…what a terrible name. I’ve recently powered my way through the entire Sookie Stackhouse series (excepting the collected shortstories and most recent instalment(still in hardcover)), and I have to say I enjoyed it immensely. Years ago I had read the first two books, long before there was an HBO series, and I can’t say I was really into it. The books at first had been a little more tongue in cheek, and a little less literature than i was keen on and I put them down as easily as I had picked them up.

Then came True Blood, as an HBO show I assumed it would be good, I loved Sopranos, Rome, and a half dozen other things they had produced, and I wanted a series to watch with my fiancee that I hadn’t seen before, so she couldn’t ask me what was going to happen next…of course I had read the book, so I could guess. Ironically, watching the show made me want to read the books again, and it made me want to not watch the show. What an overly dramatic pile of crap. I re-read the first few installments, and then I read the rest

The adventures of Sookie Stackhouse, telepathic barmaid from rural southern america, and her boyfriend Vampire Bill – sound foolish? No doubt. A guilty pleasure? To be sure, but once you get drawn into the funny twisted world of Stackhouse, it’s hard to get out. The drama, the heartbreaks, the unending variety of strange supernatural is way over the top, but harlaine harris treats it like the Olympic High Jump, getting “over the top” is the point, and she’s winning a gold.

It’s going to kill me to buy a couple hardcovers to have the rest of the stories, just because I hate to have a series in more than one format (a little OC about this sort of thing) but I doubt I can wait till they hit the softcover. After reading Dead Until Dark, Living Dead in Dallas, Club Dead, Dead to the World, Dead as a Doornail, Definately Dead, All Together Dead and From Dead to Worse, how can I wait for Dead and Gone?

Since I have started to obsess over my newest favorite show True Blood, Charlaine Harris has since become a new and favorite author of mine.

Charlaine Harris Official Website. (Learn more about her!)

How To Celebrate:

Bake some vampire cupcakes. (I’m a cupcake girl

I HIGHLY recommend reading The Sookie Stackhouse Series, but also check out her website for more books that you can sink your teeth into!!!

What’s your favorite Charlaine Harris book or series?

Who is your favorite CH character?

I think you know my favorite book and series which of course so far is The Sookie Stackhouse Series.

Favorite Characters: Sookie Stackhouse, Sam Merlotte, Eric Northman, Vampire Bill, Bubba, and Godric to name a few. Actually what made me fall in love with the Sookie series in general were ALL the characters. It actually makes (me at least) hard to choose sometimes.

Summary:
Just because Sookie has broken up with Bill doesn’t mean her relationship with the supernatural world is over–especially when she finds Eric naked and suffering from amnesia on the side of the road.  When she discovers from Pam that a league of evil witches have their sights set on ruling Shreveport, she agrees to hide Eric while the vampires, werewolves, and Wiccans attempt to fend off the witches.  To top it off, Sookie’s brother has gone missing, which may or may not be related to the near-war going on.

Review:
While the books in the series so far have been improving, Dead to the World is definitely a step back.

The individual plot lines aren’t so bad, but Harris doesn’t do a good job of keeping them integrated and flowing.  The book reads as if it has too many sticks in the fire.  Just too much happens in such a short book.  The reader is left feeling a bit of whiplash from the rapidly changing storylines and situations.

I knew Sookie would have a rebound after Bill, but I’d hoped Harris would be more creative than having that rebound be Eric.  Don’t get me wrong.  I like Eric better than Bill, but I also enjoyed the tension between him and Sookie.  I wish that had lasted longer.  Similarly, I don’t think giving Eric amnesia was a wise character development choice.  I’m pretty sure anyone with amnesia plopped into the supernatural world would be a cowering mess.  That doesn’t tell us anything about who Eric is underneath his persona.  Sookie’s interactions with him therefore felt so fake that I not only couldn’t take real interest in them, I was also a bit grossed out by the falseness of them.  I didn’t expect Sookie’s rebound to be emotional, but I did expect it to be more real.

On the other hand, Sookie’s character development takes a nice turn.  Without Bill in the picture, she may have expected the supernatural world to pretty much leave her alone.  Instead she finds out they still depend on her.  Through the various situations, she starts to become a more empowered version of herself, and I enjoyed seeing that.

The best part of the book by far is Jason’s plot-line.  I can’t say much more or I’ll give away the secret, but suffice to say that I hope True Blood gets to this part of the story sooner rather than later.

While I’m irritated by some of the character development choices Harris has made, I am still enjoying the world she has created.  I am hoping though that the series returns to the tight, witty writing found in Club Dead.

3 out of 5 stars

Source: Bought on Amazon

Previous Books in Series:
Dead Until Dark, review
Living Dead in Dallas, review
Club Dead, review

Ormai è certo: True Blood ripartirà a giugno 2010 in America e nel frattempo fioccano spoilers che arrivano direttamente dal creatore della serie, Alan Ball e da alcuni sceneggiatori come Alexander Woo e Raelle Tucker.
Dichiarano innanzitutto che la serie seguirà in modo del tutto fedele il terzo libro della saga della Harris dal titolo “Club Dead” ma in questo caso non ci sarebbero molte news da dare, basterà leggere il libro. Ma siamo sicuri che questa dichiarazione rispecchierà la terza stagione? Vediamo un pò…

Quelle menti geniali non ci terranno molto sulle spine e ci diranno praticamente subito chi c’è dietro il rapimento di Bill mentre gira voce che Eric sfoggerà in tutto il suo splendore con pochissimi vestiti addosso… Ma qualche assaggio già l’abbiamo avuto nei sogni della nostra beneamina Sookie…

Nuovi personaggi, come era ovvio, nella nuova stagione che porteranno scompiglio a Bon Temps mentre è annunciato anche il ritorno di vecchie glorie: il più atteso (anche se solo nei flashback) e forse il più benvoluto dal pubblico è quello di Godric, ma anche Pam resterà accanto al suo creatore Eric. Pare invece che gli americani non gradiscano molto il personaggio della Regina interpretata da Evan Rachel Wood, ma ad ogni modo, dovremo tenercela in quanto il suo personaggio per ora è considerato “regular” nella serie.
Inoltre è stato aperto il casting per cercare l’attrice che interpreterà Caroline Compton:  la moglie di Bill sarà molto sorpresa nello scoprire che suo marito non è morto durante la guerra civile…
Come abbiamo già detto in precedenti articoli, la parte da protagonista delle vicende sarà affidata sempre a Sookie: per la cameriera telepatica (anche se in effetti al Merlotte’s ha lavorato poco ultimamente) ci sarà un viaggio introspettivo alla scoperta di sé stessa:

“Ci saranno più ipotesi e congetture su quello che lei può essere e per questo sarà portata a scoprire chi sia davvero“.
Tutta la stagione sarà incentrata proprio sulla sua identità e il che porterà in modo naturale a concentrarsi meno sul rapporto che ha con Bill anche se le dichiarazioni di Alan Ball sono ferme su questo punto: il loro rapporto non morirà.

Oh my, a life without True Blood stretches before me like a unpeeled hunk of string cheese. Why did I have to greedily gobble down the rich bloody goodness night-after-night like a, well, vampire on a feeding spree? Now, alas, the second season is watched and I am alone, deserted, and with no excuse to drink red wine by myself on a Sunday night. No more SUKH-ie declarations from an increasingly dull Bill Compton and no more V-Man magic.

I thought Season 2 did an excellent job of developing the narrative without entering the this-is-getting-so-stupid-I-really-don’t-give-a-shit-anymore realm (Heroes anyone?). And more Lafayette and Hoyt action can’t be bad.

I’d love to put together a little homage to the title sequence. I really need to find somewhere that will develop 120mm film in Melbourne for a cost that doesn’t want to make my eyes bleed blood tears, or does anyone know of any cool Photoshop actions for digital-to-film conversion?

A DC Direct mostrou suas estatuetas da série de televisão True Blood. Com lançamento previsto para julho de 2010, a coleção inclui Sookie Stackhouse e os vampiros Bill Compton e Eric Northman. Cada peça, com aproximadamente 15,5 centímetros, custará lá fora 70 dólares (cerca de 120 reais).

E aí, faltou a estatueta de quem?

Ya me he terminado la segunda parte de True Blood. Cada vez más me parecen libros más bien normalillos, sin nada excepcional.

Igual soy yo, que estoy acostumbrada a libros largos y los cortos me saben a poco y me parece que no pasa nada en todo el libro.

Metiéndome más en esta segunda parte, tengo que decir que es un poco más floja que la primera, es que de verdad que me parece q no pasa nada, aunque en realidad se supone que pasan cosas.

Ahora que sale a la luz la segunda película de la saga Crepúsculo, las historias sobre vampiros me parecen más tontas. Y veo las diferencias y parecidos que hay entre las dos historias, teniendo en cuenta que los vampiros de Crepúsculo no duermen nunca, están despiertos de día, pueden hacer vida normal aunque haya sol y no les pasa absolutamente nada.

Volviendo a vivir y morir en Dallas, esta vez le han dado más protagonismo a la protagonista (como debe de ser) y Bill se pasa medio libro durmiendo. Es que creo que el libro entero pasa en una noche y un día. La verdad es que Bill me parece una parte del libro que se puede obviar y el resultado sería el mismo.

A lo mejor lo he entendido mal, pero es que el “malo” de los vampiros (Eric) me parece hasta simpático y todo. Mira que me lo imagino, alto y rubio, y vestido con unas mallas rosas y un polo del mismo color…. (sí, esto pasa en el libro).

[spoiler]

La última “escena” de la ménade, me parece más tonta todavía. El Sam por ahí desnudo, la tía matando con la mirada (o eso parece que hace), los otros quemando la casa…. No me he enterado si han matado a alguien o que, ¿es que los asesinatos no tienen consecuencias en Bon Temps? ¿ encuentran a alguien muerto en un coche o en una casa ardiendo y no pasa nada? ¿acaso el primer libro no iba de gente que moría y la investigación? ¿Tiene que morir alguien en todos los libros?

[/spoiler]

Conclusión: voy a leerme el tercero porque lo tengo en casa. Pero no creo que me vaya a comprar los cinco siguiente (a no ser que no haya nada mejor en la librería la próxima vez que vaya, claro)

Eso sí, si tengo la oportunidad de ver la serie, la veré. Tengo curiosidad.

PD. Es posible que vaya a ver Luna Nueva mañana.

Summary:
Bill has been acting oddly distant with Sookie lately, so she isn’t exactly pleased when he announces he’s going to Seattle on a mission for the vampire queen of Louisiana.  She soon finds out from Pam and Eric, though, that Bill lied to her.  He’s actually been in Jackson, Mississippi with his one-time vampire lover, Lorena.  He’s also been kidnapped.  Something he’s been secretly up to has put them all in danger, so Sookie must put aside her anger for now and try to help the vampires free Bill and prevent a vampire war between the kingdoms of Mississippi and Louisiana.  Along the way, Sookie gets to know a whole lot more about the werewolves–not to mention about Eric.

Review:
I have to hand it to Harris, I expected there to be trouble in paradise for Bill and Sookie, but I didn’t expect it this soon or this serious.  Reading Club Dead made me realize this series isn’t about Sookie’s relationship with Bill, but about Sookie’s gradual entry into the supernatural world.  Bill just kind of served as a door.  I tend to be a bit of a romantic, but I’ve never really liked Bill nearly as much as the other supernatural guys, so let me just say–woohoo!

The plot is complex.  There are multiple mysteries for Sookie to figure out on top of dealing with her emotions about Bill’s betrayal and her odd popularity among the supernatural guys.  I enjoy the fact that she was never desired by human guys, but is among the the supernaturals.  It’s akin to the awkward growing up girl finding her niche in her 20s.  At first Sookie thought it was just Bill who has the major hots for her, but it turns out she’s a hot commodity with lots of the supernatural guys, but it isn’t just about her looks.  They like Sookie for her personality.  Something it seemed to me Bill never seemed to appreciate much.

Harris does a good job writing a unique werewolf world.  Whereas the vampires are notoriously cold emotionally, the werewolves are hot-blooded.  They’re passionate, strong, and animalistic.  Harris has them mostly working blue collar jobs, but excelling at it.  Sookie’s escort, Alcide, runs a highly profitable family general contracting business.

My only complaint is that Harris doesn’t seem to trust her readers to remember the rules of the world she’s created.  We get told yet again that silver chains can hold a vampire down, shifters aren’t out yet, Sookie had a hard time in school, the Japanese created synthetic blood, etc…  It’s annoying, and it makes it feel like Harris thinks she needs to dumb down the story for her readers.  I understand a quick rehash at the beginning of the book to remind us where we left off, but as for everything else, I think the reader can be trusted to remember that silver chain nets are dangerous to vampires.  Those parts are easily skimmed over though, and the res of the book makes up for it.

I originally was uncertain that Harris could keep Sookie Stackhouse’s world interesting for seven books.  I envisioned repeated “Bill and Sookie solve yet another mystery” outings, but I am glad to say I was mistaken.  As the books continue, more of the world is revealed, and Sookie’s life becomes more complicated.  I’m looking forward to what she’s going to reveal next.

If you enjoy the gradual building of a world around a strong female character, you will enjoy the direction this series is headed.

4 out of 5 stars

Source: Bought on Amazon

Previous Books in Series:
Dead Until Dark, review
Living Dead in Dallas, review

Noe sier meg at frk. Stackhouse vil måtte gå en tur innom apoteket for å gå til innkjøp av Vivag etter gårsdagens gravlundserotikk på NRK3. Skittent. Han kunne da i det minste vasket seg i skrittet?
Vivag og aller helst en voldtektsundersøkelse på legevakten. For helt hypotetisk, om man ufrivillig blir bitt av sin vampyrkjæreste under samleie, går vel relasjonen over i voldtekt? Med tanke på mørketallene i voldtektsstatistikken er det nok heller trolig at samleiet blir kategorisert som “uheldig” fremfor “ufrivillig”. Så da får vi håpe Sookie i det minste tar hånd om den garanterte soppinfeksjonen hun står overfor imorgen.

I finally finished my law degree this week! After my last exam I settled down at home, exhausted, with a glass of champagne and cracked open Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris, which I had been saving for when I was finished and stress free to enjoy. The Sookie Stackhouse Series has helped me get through the second half of a very difficult semester by giving me something to look forward to doing at night after studying all day. Sookie is easy to relate to as a heroine despite her telepathic gift; she’s brave and independent with a bunch of steamy beaus on continual rotation, unlike the pining, somewhat pathetic Bella from The Twilight Saga. Sookie’s quick wit and attitude make spending an evening in Bon Temps, Louisiana with her and her ragtag bunch of human and supernatural friends and enemies a laugh-out-loud experience. Now that I’ve finished Dead and Gone I’m a bit sad to have no more Sookie books until May 2010. To both celebrate how much I’ve enjoyed this series and commiserate finishing all the currently published books in it I’ve decided to give two blog readers the chance to win a novel of their choice from The Sookie Stackhouse Series. This giveaway is open internationally; I’ll be shipping straight through Book Depository so to be eligible to enter you just have to live in one of the long list of countries they ship to. To enter simply comment on this post and tell me which vampire book is your favourite (any vampire book will do, not just those in the Sookie Stackhouse series) and why. In your comment you must also include your email address and the name of the Sookie book you want to win. I will contact you via your email address to request your mailing address should you win. For one extra entry write a post on your blog about this giveaway. For another extra entry add me to your blog roll. Remember to comment that you have done either of these to ensure your extra entry has been recorded. I will draw out the winners and announce them on this blog on Friday December 11.

To assist you in choosing which book you want here is a list of the series in chronological order: 1. Dead Until Dark, 2. Living Dead in Dallas, 3. Club Dead, 4. Dead to the World, 5. Dead as a Doornail, 6. Definitely Dead, 7. All Together Dead, 8. From Dead to Worse, 9. Dead and Gone.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thank goodness, I enjoyed this one much more than the previous Sookie Stackhouse book!

Sookie has her love life under control, and is pursuing only one man– Quinn, a were tiger. She’s dealing with feelings from past relationships (or almost relationships), and that’s fine. We have an explanation for her rather extreme attractiveness to supernatural men.

I like how her relationship with Eric is playing out– she’s making it clear she isn’t falling in line as one of his subjects. Both are dealing with emotional fallout from past events, and are struggling for a grip on what this means to them.

I was interested in the background we get on Bill. I like the new character of Amelia.

Better yet, we have a plot or two! There were actual mystery/adventures that held my interest. There were also details of how vampire society works, and I always like that part of the world-building.

Looking around the net a bit, I found out there is a short story that falls between Dead as a Doornail and this one that fills in some of the details that I was wondering if I’d missed somewhere.

I read Dead as a Doornail for the Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge. This is book 6 of 9.

Other reviews:

• Alison’s Book Marks
• Chick Loves Lit
• Bellas Novella
• A Reader’s Random Ramblings
• Moonlight to Twilight Blog
  
• Ashley’s Library

I’ll be your water bathing you clean
The liquid piece
I’ll be your ether you’ll breathe me in
You won’t release
Well I’ve seen you suffer, I’ve seen you cry the whole night through
So I’ll be your water bathing you clean
Liquid blue

I’ll be your father, I’ll be your mother,
I’ll be your lover, I’ll be yours [x2]

I’ll be your liqour bathing your soul
Juice that’s pure
And I’ll be your anchor you’ll never leave
Shores that cure
Well I’ve seen you suffer, I’ve seen you cry for days and days
So I’ll be your liqour demons will drown
And float away

I’ll be your father, I’ll be your mother,
I’ll be your lover, I’ll be yours [x3]
Yours…