Charlaine Harris is on a roll! Dead to the World is the 4th book in the Sookie Stackhouse series. This one was another winner! I enjoyed it even more than the last one.
In this book, Sookie comes across a naked man on the side of the road. She stops to help him and realizes that he is the leader of the vampires in her area. She knows him quite well, but he has not idea who she is. He is scared and alone, and has no idea who he is or how he ended up walking down that road naked. Sookie goes on quite the adventure trying to figure out who did this to Eric and why. Not only does she have a mystery on her hands with the vampires, but her brother goes missing, too. Now she has to help Eric get his memory back and find her brother before time runs out.
I was so happy to see the characters that I loved from the last book in the series back in this one. In addition, there are more new characters introduced that are fantastic. Sookie just keeps getting better and better. I LOVED this book. I love that this author is willing to really shake things up in her main characters world. I love that she isn't predictable and will make choices that the reader does not expect. I have become a huge fan and will recommend this series to all of my friends, even those not interested in vampires and other supernatural themes. Fantastic book. I just can't say enough about it!
Happy Reading!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Club Dead
Club Dead is the third book in the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris. Another romp with the lovable Sookie and her unique "friends". This series just keeps getting better and better. Charlaine Harris' characters are fantastic.
In this edition, Sookie's vampire boyfriend has been working on a secret project. When he goes missing, his "supervisor" comes to her and explains that he has betrayed her. On orders from the vampire leader in Bon Temps, she follows Bill to Mississippi, mingles with the vampires and other supes (supernatural beings) there and discovers a whole other world. In the end, she can't rely on anyone else to save herself or Bill and has to become the hero herself. She also has to make some decisions about her relationship with Bill and whether or not they have a future.
This was another fantastic book. I absolutely loved the new characters introduced in this book. I hope to see them continued in future books. I love Sookie even more after this addition to the series. She kicks ass! I am hooked on this series and have ordered the rest of the books that are available. This author won't be able to write them fast enough for me!
Happy Reading!
In this edition, Sookie's vampire boyfriend has been working on a secret project. When he goes missing, his "supervisor" comes to her and explains that he has betrayed her. On orders from the vampire leader in Bon Temps, she follows Bill to Mississippi, mingles with the vampires and other supes (supernatural beings) there and discovers a whole other world. In the end, she can't rely on anyone else to save herself or Bill and has to become the hero herself. She also has to make some decisions about her relationship with Bill and whether or not they have a future.
This was another fantastic book. I absolutely loved the new characters introduced in this book. I hope to see them continued in future books. I love Sookie even more after this addition to the series. She kicks ass! I am hooked on this series and have ordered the rest of the books that are available. This author won't be able to write them fast enough for me!
Happy Reading!
Friday, October 16, 2009
Living Dead in Dallas
The second book in Charlaine Harris' series featuring Sookie Stackhouse, Living Dead in Dallas, was just as entertaining as the first book in the series. These novels are a fun, lively read and I am hooked on Sookie and her adventures!
In Living Dead in Dallas, the head of the Vampire culture in her area gives her a job to do. He loans her out to a vampire group in Dallas, where her gift can be useful. Sookie's gift is the ability to hear others thoughts. Before she and her vampire boyfriend travel to Dallas to aid the other vampire "nest" in discovering a traitor, one of Sookie's coworkers is murdered. Sookie must travel to Dallas, help the vampires there and then come home and try to figure out who murdered her coworker.
This novel really covers two mysteries under one cover. So far, these mysteries have not been the kind that you can figure out in the first chapter. Their resolution is not a total surprise, but you I didn't know the true culprits either until the end. With this particular novel, because there are two separate mysteries to solve, just when you think the story has wrapped up you realize that you still have a third of the book to read. New "otherworldly" creatures are introduced, and Sookie has her hands full with the head of the local vampire community, too. This was a fast paced, exciting book. As soon as I closed the cover, I reached onto the bookshelf for the third book in the series. I just can't get enough.
Happy Reading!
In Living Dead in Dallas, the head of the Vampire culture in her area gives her a job to do. He loans her out to a vampire group in Dallas, where her gift can be useful. Sookie's gift is the ability to hear others thoughts. Before she and her vampire boyfriend travel to Dallas to aid the other vampire "nest" in discovering a traitor, one of Sookie's coworkers is murdered. Sookie must travel to Dallas, help the vampires there and then come home and try to figure out who murdered her coworker.
This novel really covers two mysteries under one cover. So far, these mysteries have not been the kind that you can figure out in the first chapter. Their resolution is not a total surprise, but you I didn't know the true culprits either until the end. With this particular novel, because there are two separate mysteries to solve, just when you think the story has wrapped up you realize that you still have a third of the book to read. New "otherworldly" creatures are introduced, and Sookie has her hands full with the head of the local vampire community, too. This was a fast paced, exciting book. As soon as I closed the cover, I reached onto the bookshelf for the third book in the series. I just can't get enough.
Happy Reading!
Monday, October 12, 2009
Dead Until Dark
Dead Until Dark is the first book in the Sookie Stackhouse series by author Charlaine Harris. This series is the basis for the TV series True Blood. Having seen just two episodes of True Blood, I was very interested in the books. Dead Until Dark did not disappoint.
Sookie Stackhouse is a waitress in a local bar, in a small town in northern Louisiana. She has a disability, or a gift, depending on how you look at it. She can read minds. A vampire walks into the bar one night and Sookie can't hear his thoughts. She is immediately intrigued and attracted to the silence. But when young women start showing up dead, she begins to wonder who she can trust and if she will be the next victim.
The book was fast paced and fun, and Sookie is instantly likable. It was a mix of genres - mystery, horror and romance, satisfying to many readers. Had I not seen a little of the television show, I may have been a little confused at first in the book. Some details are glossed over, casually and quickly mentioned before moving on. However, by about 40 pages in I was hooked and did not find any more of those confusing moments. The book is different from the TV series, at least the two episodes that I saw. I say that with very limited experience with the TV series, and I understand why the changes were made. The storyline, as it is presented in the book, may not lend itself to be played out in the same order in the television show.
I truly enjoyed this book from start to finish and can't wait to sink my teeth into the next one in the series. Happy Reading!
Sookie Stackhouse is a waitress in a local bar, in a small town in northern Louisiana. She has a disability, or a gift, depending on how you look at it. She can read minds. A vampire walks into the bar one night and Sookie can't hear his thoughts. She is immediately intrigued and attracted to the silence. But when young women start showing up dead, she begins to wonder who she can trust and if she will be the next victim.
The book was fast paced and fun, and Sookie is instantly likable. It was a mix of genres - mystery, horror and romance, satisfying to many readers. Had I not seen a little of the television show, I may have been a little confused at first in the book. Some details are glossed over, casually and quickly mentioned before moving on. However, by about 40 pages in I was hooked and did not find any more of those confusing moments. The book is different from the TV series, at least the two episodes that I saw. I say that with very limited experience with the TV series, and I understand why the changes were made. The storyline, as it is presented in the book, may not lend itself to be played out in the same order in the television show.
I truly enjoyed this book from start to finish and can't wait to sink my teeth into the next one in the series. Happy Reading!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
The Beach House
The Beach House is a novel by James Patterson and Peter de Jonge. The novel is about a man's quest to find the truth about what happened to his brother. The main character, Jack, is a promising law student whose brother, Peter, dies in a supposed accident or suicide. Jack and his family don't believe Peter's death was either an accident or suicide. Jack begins to investigate exactly what happened to his brother and gets himself, his family and friends tangled into a massive web of cover ups, and people who will do anything to keep the truth from coming out.
James Patterson's books tend to have excellent plots, but are typically a little unrealistic and brought around to conclusion way too easily. This book was no exception. That doesn't mean that it wasn't entertaining or interesting. Quite the contrary. In this book, the Every Day Guy goes after the Untouchables. It is a story that every one of us loves to get into. A story where we root for the characters to defeat the undefeated. The mystery in this book is a compelling one, and Patterson and de Jonge bring us around to a conclusion that leaves the reader satisfied.
This was a fast, entertaining, easy read. If you are a James Patterson fan, I would recommend it.
Happy Reading!
James Patterson's books tend to have excellent plots, but are typically a little unrealistic and brought around to conclusion way too easily. This book was no exception. That doesn't mean that it wasn't entertaining or interesting. Quite the contrary. In this book, the Every Day Guy goes after the Untouchables. It is a story that every one of us loves to get into. A story where we root for the characters to defeat the undefeated. The mystery in this book is a compelling one, and Patterson and de Jonge bring us around to a conclusion that leaves the reader satisfied.
This was a fast, entertaining, easy read. If you are a James Patterson fan, I would recommend it.
Happy Reading!
Friday, October 2, 2009
You Had Me at Halo
You Had Me at Halo by Amanda Ashby was a novel that I purchased for under $3 at a small bookstore in Reading. It looked like a fun, light, silly read; something that would not require brain power to read. Boy was I right!
The premise of the book is that the main character dies in what appears to be a suicide. She gets to heaven and has a lot of issues to work out from her earthly life before she can move through the ranks and get to a peaceful place. So, the powers that be send her back down to earth in someone else's body to work out those issues in 48 hours.
The novel had an interesting viewpoint on heaven and how things might work up there. Other than that it falls pretty short. It is supposed to be a romance, I think, but it isn't very romantic. The author tries to have tension between the main character and a potential love interest but it never really gets there. The idea and plot for the book are original, but the writing doesn't measure up. It isn't cohesive, the characters are not realistic or consistent, and some of them aren't even likable. The ending is one that the reader will want, but doesn't make much sense. That is just about the only thing that is consistent with the book. Not one I would recommend.
Happy Reading!
The premise of the book is that the main character dies in what appears to be a suicide. She gets to heaven and has a lot of issues to work out from her earthly life before she can move through the ranks and get to a peaceful place. So, the powers that be send her back down to earth in someone else's body to work out those issues in 48 hours.
The novel had an interesting viewpoint on heaven and how things might work up there. Other than that it falls pretty short. It is supposed to be a romance, I think, but it isn't very romantic. The author tries to have tension between the main character and a potential love interest but it never really gets there. The idea and plot for the book are original, but the writing doesn't measure up. It isn't cohesive, the characters are not realistic or consistent, and some of them aren't even likable. The ending is one that the reader will want, but doesn't make much sense. That is just about the only thing that is consistent with the book. Not one I would recommend.
Happy Reading!
Mr. Darcy, Vampyre
Amanda Grange is the author of the Pride & Prejudice spin off novel, Mr. Darcy, Vampyre. This was a book club pick, directly following Pride & Prejudice. I enjoyed it almost as much as I enjoyed it's inspiration.
Mr. Darcy, Vampyre picks up where Pride & Prejudice leaves off. Elizabeth and Darcy are married and begin their wedding tour. Things start smoothly, but very soon Mr. Darcy's strange behavior concerns Elizabeth. They travel far from home, into some pretty scary places. Adventures ensue, and eventually Elizabeth learns the truth. What will become of her marriage and her future?
A lively, fun tale. I recommend it as the perfect follow-up to the original novel. When I finished Pride & Prejudice, I wanted more. This novel answered that call in a very original way. I am intrigued by the whole industry created by the desire to know "what happened next" to Elizabeth and her family. This will not be the last P&P follow up novel that I read. I plan on devouring Amanda Grange's other spin off novels soon.
Happy Reading!
Mr. Darcy, Vampyre picks up where Pride & Prejudice leaves off. Elizabeth and Darcy are married and begin their wedding tour. Things start smoothly, but very soon Mr. Darcy's strange behavior concerns Elizabeth. They travel far from home, into some pretty scary places. Adventures ensue, and eventually Elizabeth learns the truth. What will become of her marriage and her future?
A lively, fun tale. I recommend it as the perfect follow-up to the original novel. When I finished Pride & Prejudice, I wanted more. This novel answered that call in a very original way. I am intrigued by the whole industry created by the desire to know "what happened next" to Elizabeth and her family. This will not be the last P&P follow up novel that I read. I plan on devouring Amanda Grange's other spin off novels soon.
Happy Reading!
Dreamland
Dreamland is a young adult novel by Sarah Deesen. It is a novel about a teenage girl and the struggles she goes through when her older sister runs away from home, and she finds love. Having to live in her sister's shadow was nothing compared to living with her absence. It makes her even more invisible to her parents. As she struggles to find out who she is, without her sister (with whom she was very close), she finds love in a boy from another school. What follows is a path of destructive behavior that she cannot find her way out of. The novel is about friendship, family and love, and about finding your own dreams in spite of what someone else wants for you. I think it also sends a message to teenagers about the dangers in certain relationships and how our choices can drastically affect our futures.
This novel was hard to read as a parent. Watching this girl go down a dangerous path, while her parents are not looking, was very difficult to witness. She starts out with such a good head on her shoulders, but one person changes that. Her relationship with this one boy threatens her friendships and her relationship with her parents, and ultimately her life. It was scary to think of what could happen when a teenager doesn't tell anyone about what is going on in her life. She gets so involved and falls so heavily, that even though she knows things are bad, she does nothing to stop them. In the end, her recovery from these events takes a long time.
The sister makes some choices that affect her future, as well. She was set to go to an ivy league college, and leaves town because she doesn't feel like this was her dream. She feels it was what her parents wanted. She leaves this incredible future behind for a boy. I think the author was trying to get the reader to sympathize with the sister's character, but I just couldn't do it. It was so hard to read about those choices and try to sympathize, because as an adult and a parent all I could see was what she was throwing away. I could only imagine how I would have felt if these were my children.
I think the author romanticized life a bit, and I suppose most novelists do. But I think that is dangerous in a young adult novel. None of the struggle the sister must have faced was noted in the novel, and it does not go far enough into the future to truly show how her choices affect the rest of her life. This is not a book I would really want my teenage daughter to read. If she ever did, I would need to discuss the books themes with her, specifically the older sister's path, to ensure that she understood that life isn't that simple.
Overall it was a good book, and maybe an important one for parents to read. It is certainly important to read it if your children have.
Happy Reading!
This novel was hard to read as a parent. Watching this girl go down a dangerous path, while her parents are not looking, was very difficult to witness. She starts out with such a good head on her shoulders, but one person changes that. Her relationship with this one boy threatens her friendships and her relationship with her parents, and ultimately her life. It was scary to think of what could happen when a teenager doesn't tell anyone about what is going on in her life. She gets so involved and falls so heavily, that even though she knows things are bad, she does nothing to stop them. In the end, her recovery from these events takes a long time.
The sister makes some choices that affect her future, as well. She was set to go to an ivy league college, and leaves town because she doesn't feel like this was her dream. She feels it was what her parents wanted. She leaves this incredible future behind for a boy. I think the author was trying to get the reader to sympathize with the sister's character, but I just couldn't do it. It was so hard to read about those choices and try to sympathize, because as an adult and a parent all I could see was what she was throwing away. I could only imagine how I would have felt if these were my children.
I think the author romanticized life a bit, and I suppose most novelists do. But I think that is dangerous in a young adult novel. None of the struggle the sister must have faced was noted in the novel, and it does not go far enough into the future to truly show how her choices affect the rest of her life. This is not a book I would really want my teenage daughter to read. If she ever did, I would need to discuss the books themes with her, specifically the older sister's path, to ensure that she understood that life isn't that simple.
Overall it was a good book, and maybe an important one for parents to read. It is certainly important to read it if your children have.
Happy Reading!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)