My Ramblings on Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris *NO SPOILERS*

Dead Reckoning
By: Charlaine Harris
Release Date: May 3, 2011
Author Website


Summary:

With her knack for being in trouble's way, Sookie witnesses the firebombing of Merlotte's, the bar where she works. Since Sam Merlotte is now known to be two-natured, suspicion falls immediately on the anti-shifters in the area. But Sookie suspects otherwise and she and Sam work together to uncover the culprit - and the twisted motive for the attack. But her attention is divided. Though she can't 'read' vampires, Sookie knows her lover Eric Northman and his 'child' Pam well - and she realises that they are plotting to kill the vampire who is now their master. Gradually, she is drawn into the plot -which is much more complicated than she knows. Caught up in the politics of the vampire world, Sookie will learn that she is as much of a pawn as any ordinary human - and that there is a new Queen on the board . . .

My Ramblings:

I want to start by saying that I'm not a huge fan of that summary (from Goodreads and Barnes and Nobles), but I couldn't find a better one, and unfortunately NookBooks don't come with the back cover info. I'm hoping that the hardcopy has a better description on it, because this one just didn't do the book justice. There is so much more going on in this book then is alluded to, and the new Queen it references is a such a small part of it all (although my suspicions are the next book will really look at her).

So with that out of the way, how did this book fare? Basically I loved it! There were a few things I wasn't down with, but in the grand scheme of the series, knowing we have a few more books headed are way, I thought it struck a good note. The main thing I didn't like was that the book really focused on Sookie and Eric (which is NEVER a bad thing), but the lack of some of the other characters left me feeling a bit empty. Where were Jason and Tara? Even though Bill was there, his part was small, and as much as I'm all over the Sookie/Eric relationship, I found myself missing Bill a bit. What the book did deal with, Sookie's fey relatives Dermot and Claude, the return of Sandra Pelt and her relationship with Eric and the blood ties and her place in the Vampire community was done really well. There was a lot of action, which was something I missed in the last book, and I liked seeing Sookie deal with how she felt about the world she was occupying. Mainly, she wants people dead (namely Victor), but isn't sure she should. What does that bit of blood lust say about her? I felt like she was finding her spot in this world finally.

Eric & Sookie together are my favorite of all the pairings (although I do love Alcide as well...)and I thought their relationship took a really great turn in this book. It seemed more, well, human. Eric is dealing with his emotions and so is Sookie, and it was fun to see them trying to figure it all out.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention my all tome favorite character, who got a ton of play here, Pam. Like Eric, in this book we see a more human side to Pam as she deals with some of the drama and heartache surrounding her current girlfriend. I don't want to give anything away, but let's just say it's emotional and heartbreaking to see her not only trying to back Eric's play, bring down a King (or in this case Victor- Regent of Louisiana, and get the girl. We see her icy wall come fown a bit and it was really refreshing. Of course she was still kicking ass when need be, but the balance was perfect.

Bottom line on this book is that is was wonderful. I can't wait to see where it goes next and how Sookie will deal with the gifts she's been given and the choices she might have to make.

Whatcha Thinking Thursday

It's time for Whatcha Thinking Thursday, hosted by me! Here's how it works. Each Thursday I'll simply blog about something book related that's weighing on my mind. Feel free to comment away if you agree or disagree (just keep it clean, okay?), or if you want to post to your site either on the same topic or about whatever it is you're thinking about go right ahead. I just ask that you link back to here. Also, make sure you let me know in the comments if you've participated so we can find you!

Admittedly, it's been a REALLY long time since I posted one of these. Not because I wasn't thinking about anything, but I really really busy with holidays and final exams and projects and all that stuff. Pretty soon months had gone by and I realized I hadn't posted WTT! At any rate- I finished homework early this week and have some time to not only think, but also post about it (YAY!!!)

So this week I'm thinking about those books that you can reread a million times and still love...

I was prompted to post about this because of the Sookie Stackhouse books. I recently read a few heavy YA books (Where She Went was one) and some Historical Fiction that really made me think (hello Fools Crow) and I really just wanted something I could read and enjoy without having to think to much, or cry over. Like a shining beacon of light there was my Sookie books. I've read them 3 or 4 times already and even still, I can read them again and really enjoy the fun that's inside. Plus, and let's be honest here, Eric Northman really can make everything better. Even though I already know how each book will end, I'm somehow still sucked into the story and the fun and the humor that's involved. I watch True Blood when it's on, but for me the books are so much better and I really enjoy revisiting them when the mood strikes. The only problem is, with so many books out in the series, I really can't read just one. Once I get started I have tor ead the whole series, which is great for my books read count, but not so awesome for things like getting housework done. Luckily they are quick reads so I can blow through one a night after the munchkin hit the sack!

There are alot of other books that I enjoy rereading- The Mist's of Avalon, Clan of the Cave Bear, The Berrybender Narratives... but all of those require a degree of effort and thought. So for a fun read, no stress, I think I will always turn to Sookie and Company!

How about you? Are there any books that you can read over and over again, that you turn to when you need to just read for fun?

Dead in the Family

Dead in the Family
By: Charlaine Harris
www.charlaineharris.com

Sookie Stackhouse has finally settled into a relationship with the Viking vampire Eric, and her errant brother Jason seems to have his life in order, too. But all the other people in Sookie’s life – Eric himself, her former lover Bill, her friend and boss Sam – are having family problems. Eric’s maker shows up with Eric’s ‘brother’ in tow, the ailing Bill can only be healed by a blood sibling, and Sam’s brother’s marriage is about to take place... or will it? The furor raised by the coming out of the two-natured has yet to settle; some people are just not ready to sit down to dinner with a man who turns into a dog. And Sookie herself is still recovering from her last ordeal. She’s definitely improving, physically and mentally, but she’s always going to have some dark moments now. The werewolves tell her that there have been strange and ominous passers-by in the Stackhouse woods; now Sookie is about to come face-to-face with one of her more distant relatives...

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So this is going to be one of my rare *meh* reviews. I love the Sookie Stackhouse series. LOVE. This book however, just didn't do it for me. There were some things that were great, which I'll mention later (end on a high note right?), but the vast majority of the book was kind of blah to me.

A few negatives before the positives. I thought this book ahd way too much crammed into it. WE had Sookie's recovery, her relationship with Eric, Eric's maker and brother (who happens to be a Romanov), the Were's issues, Claude moving in, Dermot showing up, two dead bodies, FBI agents, Bill's long lost vampire sister/lover, Tara's pregnancy, Jason's new relationship, Sam dating a were, and old lady Bellefleur on her death bed. Did I forget anything? This is the problem for me. So many little story lines, but nothing felt cohesive to me. I missed having the big mystery for Sookie to solve, or challenge for Sookie to overcome. Everything seemed a little too easy, and I felt like it was because there was so much going on that we never really got enough detail on any one thing.

Some positives: I liked that we got little insights into the history of some of the vampires. Seeing Eric's maker and the effect that he has on Eric was interesting. As Eric is seen as strong and flappable, it was a nice change to see him on the edge of losing control. Getting a little bit more about Bill's past and where he came from was great too. I felt like this book was setting him up for a new relationship, which is good because it free's Sookie up to really explore what her feelings are with Eric (outside of the bond).

I'm hoping this book is just serving as a bit of background history and filler before the next book. Answering a few questions so that we can move forward in the storyline. This probably could have been accomplished through outtakes on the website, or a few short stories, instead of an entire book though. If I had to sum it up I'd say that this was a good book, but not a great one. I'm glad I own it because it is part of the set, but I kind of wish I had waited to buy until it was out in paperback.

A Touch of Dead

A Touch of Dead
By: Charlaine Harris
www.charlaineharris.com

Did I say I was done with the Sookie books? Yeah...I was wrong. Of course I had to go grab the complete stories. That's why it's called an addiction, you can't stop yourself. Now I have to be content to sit and wait for that box from Barnes and Nobles to come with Dead in the Family sometime in early May!

At any rate, this collection holds five short stories. For the most part they were pretty good. I wouldn't say they were awesome, they read as almost out takes from the full series, but they did provide a few extra moments with the charecters.

The 5 included stories are "Fairy Dust", "Dracula Night", "One Word Answer", "Lucky" and "Gift Wrap".

"Fairy Dust" finds Sookie summoned by Claudine to help figure out who killed her sister Claudette. While the plot, and the outcome, were pretty standard fare, I liked this story beacuse you found out a little more about Claudine, her family and their business. I was happy to see where and how Sookie first got introduced to Claude as that was something I actually thought about when reading the series.

"Dracula Night" brings us a story about Fangtasia and Eric's fan-boy obsession with having Count Dracula attend his Dracula Night party. Sookie is invited to the party and ends up helping Eric as an imposter is discovered in their midst. This was another cute story, and frankly, any story that has more Eric in it is okay by me. Plus we got more Pam, which I always enjoy.

"One Word Answer" told the story of when and how Sookie heard about Hadley's death. What I liked most about this story was that it brigged the gap in the series, filling in more detail about Sookie's first encounter with the Queen of Louisiana.

"Lucky" was probably my least favorite of the five stories. I liked it as I read it, but just now I had to go look up whatit was about. It got kind of overshadowed by the other stories- at least in my mind. This story found Sookie and Amelia looking to help out Sookie's insurance agent as he tries to find out who broke into his office and if his magical abilities might be part of the problem

Lastly was "Gift Wrap"- this book brought no major revelations to the overall plot of the series. Instead we Sookie looking to help out a wounded were, and get a little extra christmas gift on the side in the process. I've seen that a lot of people like this story, but I'll admit that Naill's part in the evening left me a little skeezed out.

One thing I did appreciate was that in the intro we were told where each story fit into the over all Sookie Series, so if you wanted to you could re-read the whole series, inserting the short stories as you went along. Overall it was a good rainy Saturday read. Now...how much longer until Dead in the Family is released?

Sookie Stackhouse Series

By: Charlaine Harris
http://www.charlaineharris.com/

So normally I start my post with a description of the book, but since this is an entire series, and I've yet to come across a desription of the entire series, I'm just going to dive right in.

I really did obsessively read the entire 9 book series in about a week. In fact I picked up the last book (so far), Dead & Gone, yesterday around 5 and finished around 10, with a nice dinner break in the middle.

These book center around Sookie Stackhouse, a barmaid at Merlotte's, in Bon Temps, LA. Sookie is telepathic and has always beena bit on the outside. When Vampire's announce their existance to the world, and Sookie takes up with local Vamp Bill Compton, she is dragged into a world she never knew existed. Throughout the series Sookie is involved in the lives and issue of not only the vampire community, but also the Werewolves, Shifters, Witches, Faeries and the all to real prejudices that abound in normal life. On top of that are her various romances with Bill, Eric (Bill's vampire boss), Alcide the Werewolf, Quinn the Weretiger and others. There is lot's of action, both in an out of the bedroom. These books are definitely for the more mature reader!

What I love about these books is that they are written for the adult. Not that I don't love the YA that is out there (because I most certainly do), but it is fun to read stuff with a little more "adult content"! I also appreciate the overall campiness of the series. It kind of has an "everything but the kitchen sink" feel to it, which is excellent, because you're never quite sure what's going to happen to Sookie next, or who she might meet, because Harris has created an everything goes world that exists side by side with the real world.

The next book of the series, Dead in the Family, comes out May 4th and I can't wait. Based on how the series has gone so far I hope that Harris continue's to crank out the hilarious (and scary) adventures for Sookie for more books!

Harris has a fabulous website which has a community forum, that if you like the books are worth checking out.

The series has also inspired the HBO series True Blood (which I'm also loving, although, love the books more). HBO is currently running season 2 reruns on Sundays @ 8:00 with the new season starting June 13th.

Here are the books (in order) for the series so far:

Dead Until Dark
Living Dead in Dallas
Club Dead
Dead to the World
Dead as a Doornail
Definitely Dead
All Together Dead
From Dead to Worse
Dead and Gone

An update

So I've been fairly well MIA for over a week now- thats not to say I haven't been reading though, it's just that I have been sucked into the world of Sookie Stackhouse. I almost wish I didn't pick the books up, because once I started, well, it became a quest to read them all (and read them all now!). These are some of the funniest, quirkiest books I've stumbled across. I like the HBO series True Blood, but I'm loving these books and as soon as I finish the last one, Dead and Gone, which I'm getting from the library tonight, I will be back to do a huge mass post on my newfound love of Charlaine Harris' series. Then like any good book addict I will move on to other books, even while I'm totally counting down the days until book 10 of the series, Dead in the Family, is released during the first week of May.

On a slightly off note- it was just about one year ago that I picked up another Vampire series that I had been attempting to ignore, Twilight (and the rest of the series), which I also immediately become addicted to. Apparently March Madness does exist and for me in comes in the form of awesome, slightly cheesy, vampire novels.

Feel free to wander over to Eve's Fan Garden and check out the Author Appreciation blog posts that went up last week (here's mine: Author Appreciation Week )