An unfortunate side effect of grad school is that I have had zero spare time for reading. I mean, sure Ive got several hours a day to read papers, but I mean fun reading.
Well this past week I took a nice break from work/school/writing and I totally binged.
Seven books in seven days.
I read the entire Sookie Stackhouse box-set (still havent read the newest one), since I got drawn into the HBO series it was based on, True Blood (LUV ANNA PAQUIN!).
Holy crap you guys.
So good.
Sooooo friggen good!
They arent *just* vampire books-- theyre mystery novels that just happen to include vampires. And theyre good mysteries! Not the deus deux machina crap mysteries-- ones that actually give you clues the entire book so you can feel smart when you figure it out by yourself, or feel like an idiot when the clues dont make sense till the end. The resolution to 'Definitely Dead' was so unexpected had me literally ROFL it was so awesome.
Agh and the characters! Guys the vampires are mean. Theyre assholes! But they arent really even the 'bad guys'! The 'bad guys' are Christian Fundies, and they are so awful! Their actions in 'Living Dead in Dallas' had me shaking, and 'All Together Dead' had me sobbing. All the characters are wonderfully gray (are they good? are they bad? what are their motives??) except for the Fundies. heh.
Gawd I feel like a tick, Im so bloated on fun reading right now ;)
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Good on you. Reading is the REAL meaning of Christmas IMO!
I've been doing the exact same thing. The actors for True Blood are obscenely awesome. I'm only half way through the series, and now I'm having a hard time convincing myself that Club Dead doesn't take priority over microarrays. *sigh*
OMG CLUB DEAD WAS SO GOOD!
I just finished watching the first season of True Blood a couple weeks ago, and the Sookie Stackhouse box set should be in my mailbox sometime this week. I've been looking forward to reading it, even more so after reading your review. From what I've read, the second season of True Blood is supposed to be departing quite drastically from the books.
I am going somewhere soon where I won't have access to HBO. :( I will miss it. A few weeks ago I went up to Tulsa and caught "Let the Right One In." I highly recommend it.
yeh but bubba?!?! come on... I'm curious how the tv show will adapt the rest of the books. My guess is that everything will be set in and around Bon Temp instead of all over. The books are good but I'd say the TruBlood is a bit better :hide + it has Anna
If anyone thinks the actors in True Blood have any resemblance to Louisiana accents, you really should visit New Orleans at least once...
Many of my stories of fun times begin with "There was this one weekend in the quarter..."
Many people not from here may stop me there and ask "why were you in the French Quarter?"
My response: "It was a Friday..."
Oh you suck :(
Bossman talks about partying in NOL when he was younger-- I am so upset Ill never get to see it in its prime... We took it for granted...
Also, bad accents are part of the story line of TrueBlood. You need to finish season 1 (or book 1) :P
Yea, I got that from what I've watched so far, it's such a satire, I enjoy them. Anyway, NOLA isn't "out of its prime." It's still doing just fine, at least the places you'd want to visit are OK. The French Quarter, Warehouse District, Marigny, and such are just fine. If you do come to town, let me know, I know all the fun places.
I was there last weekend for the New Orleans Rum Pub Crawl.
Good tips are:
1) Pat O'Brien's invented the hurricanes, Lafitte's perfected them.
2) The R Bar; enough said
3) Don't wear beads unless it's early February, we will know you're a tourist
My wife and I got hooked on the True Blood show, so she went out and bought the books. Great stuff!
Any idea what this Twilight craze is all about? I heard it's about teenage vampires, who don't have fangs, who emphasize abstinence?
Thanks so much Erv !
I really enjoyed your enthusiasm! You must read books 8 ( From Dead to Worse) and please note that Book 9 (Dead and Gone) Chapter one has been leaked by the author.
DO NOT forget the short stories !!
There are secret Sookie short stories that have been published in anthologies over the past 8 years and some are VERRYYY important to understanding the over all plot.
Welcome to Sookie Stackhouse Mysteries and True Blood fandom .
Information on where and how to find the short stories, links to chapter 1 Book 9 and true Blood Season 2 spoilers and soooo much more can be found on my blog
http://lovingtruebloodindallas.blogspot.com/
I have linked back to your great review here:
http://lovingtruebloodindallas.blogspot.com/2008/12/book-binge-seven-bo…
Thanks, Dallas
All that anyone needs know about Twilight is that the vampires sparkle when they get in the sun. Yes, I said sparkle. Like glitter. If there was an afterlife, Bram Stoker would be facepalming in it right now.
Jared made a comment about the Louisiana accents being all wrong in the True Blood series by saying they sound nothing like those he has heard in NO.
Well, duh. Bon Temp is supposed to be a few miles from Shreveport, which is just about as far as you can be from New Orleans while still in the state of Louisiana. NW Louisiana has little to no Cajun influence in culture or accent.
Anna Paquin, (Sookie) is Canadian born but grew up in New Zealand, so yes, there are a few problems with her southern accent but the show is still a good adaptation of the books.
Stephen Moyer (Bill Compton) is a Brit, so his accent is a bit off also but not bad overall.
For those interested in strong female characters with 'interesting' friends, I can also recommend Patricia Briggs books about Mercy Thompson - a nice young lady, who owns a small car repair shop and occasionally turns into a coyote.
You may also be interested in Kim Harrison's "The Hollows" series that starts with 'Dead Witch Walking'