Dead to the World

Sookie has made a promise to herself; she will no longer get beaten up. It has been a rough year for her. She was greatly injured in Dallas and again when she was trying to rescue Bill. She will not be the Supernaturals' bunching bag anymore.

After a late shift she heads on home, and on the way home she sees a strange sight. When she gets closer she notices that Eric is running in the middle of the cold night only wearing pants. She stops to ask him what he is doing and his reaction is quite curious. Instead of his usual 'charm' with her - he extends his fangs and hisses at her. Startled, Sookie asks Eric what is going on, and his reply is even more confusing. He does not know who she is. Worried that something is wrong with Eric she convinces him to get into her car and then drives back home.

When she gets home she calls Pam and tells her that she has Eric. Pam's directions to Sookie are simple: stay there and don't let Eric out of the house. Starting to worry even more, Sookie does as she is told. When Pam arrives Sookie gets let in on what is going on. Witches have cast a spell on Eric and erased his memory. There are no ordinary witches though; some are weres and they all feed on Vampire blood. What's worse is they're trying to take over the Sherveport area and will stop at nothing to make sure they win. Sookie has to try and help Eric while keeping her New Year's resolution. Can she? To complicate things even more - Jason has gone missing.

I like how the series is progressing. We are getting to know more characters like Pam and Eric. I am really starting to enjoy Pam's character - she is almost like the dry British humor. One cannot forget Eric though either. Last night while thinking over this book I couldn't help but think the Eric/Sookie action reminded me too much of Anita/Jean-Claude. On one of the covers someone praised Ms. Harris for her ability to add the Anita Blake quality but make it her own. I don't know if this is exactly true. I have been watching TrueBlood on HBO and I find it very irritating. The actress who plays Sookie reminds me of nails on a chalk board. What do you guys think?

Dead to the World by by Charlaine Harris (New York: Ace Books, 2004.)

Club Dead

Sookie's boyfriend Bill, or Vampire Bill to the locals of Bon Temps, has been glued to the computer for weeks. Every time Sookie tries to glean information from him, she gets no where. One day Bill tells Sookie that if, for whatever reason, he does not return from his 'trip' that she is to swear allegiance to Eric and hand over the files he is keeping at her house. Sookie agrees.

One night after work, Sookie talks to Pam, Chow, and Eric - and they all have bad news about Bill. He is missing. They question Sookie relentlessly about his project and if she knew anything about it, for there is going to be hell to pay if they cannot recover Bill or his project. She says she does not know a thing, when she in fact does. Eric sets up a way she can go into Mississippi and recuse Bill.

She meets Alcide, her way into Mississippi and Club Dead. Club Dead is what the Shifters and Weres call the club owned by the Vampires. While at Club Dead they run into more trouble and invite the attention of the King of Mississippi - Russell. Sookie needed Russell's attention, because she believes he is the one holding Bill captive. But where? Is he even still alive?

I really enjoyed this book. Even though the last book was featured in Dallas, I felt that this book had better feel to it. This might have occurred because of the introduction of Alcide, which I secretly hope he and Sookie will get together. I must admit that when I first started reading this series, and she had to chose between Sam and Bill, I voted for Bill. But now, I don't think they would be a good fit. At times, this book feels very similar to the Anita Blake series (Eric reminds me a lot of Jean-Claude). I also enjoyed the development of Sookie; she is becoming more independent and smarter. I must admit, I love reading the Souther dialect - it makes me homesick sometimes.

One final note: I have often seen the advertisements for TRUEBLOOD and I have been curious to watch at least one show, but I do not own a television (shocking, is it not?) and I do not subscribe to Netflix. With that being said, I have seen who they chose to be Sookie and I do not like her for that part - nor Bill. From the glimpse I've seen of Bill on TRUEBLOOD he does not fit the persona I would have chosen. I've heard TRUEBLOOD is really good - is that so? For those of you who watch it - do you like it? What aspects of the show do you like? Does it follow the book series closely?

Club Dead by Charlaine Harris (New York: Ace Books, 2003.)

Living Dead In Dallas

Sookie and Bill the vampire have been an item for awhile now. Per their request, they will be left alone if they help our Eric every now and again. Eric is the boss for the local Vampire group. Sookie agrees to it even though she does not agree.

One her way to work one morning, she notices that Andy's car door is ajar, and trying to be a helpful citizen she decides to close the door. At first it won't close and when she tries again she sees the issue. Someone has left a dead body in the back of Andy's car. She immediately parks her car and calls the cops. The car was left in Sam's parking lot and Andy is a cop - things don't look too well.

Sookie has to figure out who killed her good friend Lafayette but before she can accomplish this task she has to help the Vampires of Dallas - it is Eric's request (more like command.)

The Vampires of Dallas want Sookie's help because one of their own has been missing for a couple of days. They want to find their missing friend quietly - if other vampires are aware that Stan cannot keep track of his own things might get messy.

Sookie agrees to help Stan on the condition that all humans (regardless of being guilty or innocent) must be let go - Stan unwillingly agrees to the terms. Sookie uncovers a deeper plot - someone has bugged the inside of Stan's headquarters and Sookie believes that the missing vampire was taken by the Fellowship of the Sun. Sookie agrees to go undercover with Hugo to try and uncover what happened in the church. Things don't go according to plan and what Sookie uncovers is shocking.

I have seen many of the adds on HBO featuring TrueBlood. I am not certain I want to watch that show - I never have enjoyed movies or shows made from books. It had been awhile since I had read one of the Sookie novels. This book was fun to read and nothing really stood out at me. Sookie's character is agreeable, and I find Bill to be interesting. I once rooted for Bill and Sookie but I might be changing my mind to Sookie and Sam. What do you guys think? Sookie and Bill or Sookie and Sam?