True Blood does seem to be causing a stir amongst a number of friends and family. Several people have checked in with me to see if I've been watching and if I like it, given what they (think they) know about my taste in reading materials.

So what do I think?

Well ...

As you know, I'm a huge fan of the books. I have also been enjoying the series up to a point (this past week's episode being an exception -- I believe it was episode 6). But I'm having a bit of a mental jarring sensation while watching it. For those of you who are newly-acquainted with Ms. Harrison, I'll give you a bit of a crash course in how the show relates to the books. So far, at least.

Plot Point	True Blood (HBO Series)	Dead Until Dark (Book)
“V”	Drug of choice	Doesn’t exist in the books
People possessed by “demons”	Big thing with Tarra’s mother and, it appears, now with Tarra	Doesn’t exist in the books
Graphic sexual depictions	True	Not so much
Gothic, Anne Rice feel	True	False
Grandmother murdered	True	True

Character	True Blood (HBO Series)	Dead Until Dark (Book)
Sookie as telepath	True	True
Sookie’s rationale for staying in the house after grandmother’s murder	Unclear	Clear
Sookie losing virginity to Bill	True – happens after grandmother dies; very stylized and gothic and melodramatic	True – low-key; happens after grandmother dies but he is there to support her
Sookie having friends	True – in the series, her circle of friends include Sam, Arlene, Tarra and Lafayette	So-So – in the books, she is friends with Sam and Arlene … Tarra is a distant acquaintance/old friend, and Lafayette is just someone she gets along with at work
Jason as a horn dog	True	True
Jason involved in rough sex	True	So so
Jason as suspect in murders	True	True
Jason’s new girlfriend	Character created for tv series	Character doesn’t exist in the books
Jason as “v” (or other kind of drug) fixated	Exists only in the tv series	Jason, although a horn dog in the books, does not have a drug issue of any kind
Tarra as main character	True	False- she is a secondary, recurring background character in the books
Tarra as Sookie’s best friend	True	False – friend from childhood, but not a focal-point friend in the books
Tarra as strong-minded character who comes from a troubled background but who can take care of herself	True	False – Plays a character who comes from a problematic background who has daddy issues and tends to land herself into uncomfortable situations based on bad decisions she has made
Tarra with crush on Jason	True	False – no connection between Tarra and Jason in the books
Tarra, anti-vampire	True for tv series	False – she actually gets involved with a vampire in one of the later books who is a kind of “sugar daddy” for her for a while
Sam watching out for Sookie	True – but in a protective, guy, sort of from a distance way	True – more of a key figure in Sookie’s life; helps her to clean the house when her grandmother is murdered
Sam and Tarra involved	True for tv series	Sam and Tarra have no relationship of any kind in the books
Eric as a character	Dramatic, one-dimensional character (so far)	Key recurring character; has a very ironic sense of humour in the books
Arlene, anti-vampire	True	True

I’m going to keep watching – of course. But it’s an effort to suspend my disbelief and experience the series as something separate and different from the original book(s).

For those of you who want spoilers, it seems that each episode is following the path of the chapters of the book – more or less. If you can look around the obvious plot differences, you can read the book Dead Until Dark to find out what happens, who (else) gets murdered, and who the murderer is.

 

News flash!

It's not a book, but it is related to one of my favourite series of books: the Southern Vampire series by Charlaine Harris.

With Allan Ball (previously of Six Feet Under fame) heading it up and Anna Paquin starring as the lead female character, Sookie Stackhouse, the first book has been turned into season one of a new HBO show called True Blood.

Here in Canada, Season 1 will start airing on The Movie Network (TMN) starting on September 7 at 9 PM. (And for those of you who don't get cable, I'm sure it will turn up online pretty quickly as well). Given that I was addicted to Six Feet Under as well as this series of books, I'm going to try to keep my expectations in check ... but will definitely be tuning in to check it out.

Curious to read the books that started it all? I can throw my support behind the first three or four of them ... the last three were much weaker. Maybe Charlaine Harris was distracted by all the tv hoopla? ;-)

If you're in the mood to do some preparatory reading in anticipation of next week's show launch, here is what you'll want to look at:

Book 1: Dead Until Dark
my rating: @@@@

Where it all started. Except for me ... I actually read Living Dead in Dallas first. Liked it ok but it didn't really grab me. Until one day I guess I was hurting for something to read and picked up this book because I recognized the author. Sucked me in right away.

In case you're wondering, I've looked at the episode lineup for Season 1 of True Blood and it looks like it's based on this book.



Book 2: Living Dead In Dallas
my rating: @@@ 1/2

Based on my own experience, clearly this is not a book to read out of order. On its own it's ok, but you'll get a lot more out of it if you read Dead Until Dark first.

In this book, Sookie moves up a bit in the vampire hierarchy (much to her chagrin and discomfort). Wackiness ensues.




Book 3: Club Dead
my rating: @@@@

This book is good, but it's a bit more disturbing than the first two. You are reminded very clearly that Bill Compton is a vampire, and not a nice guy at that. Sookie still saves the day, but you wonder whether - given the same set of circumstances - whether you would do the same in her position.






Book 4: Dead To The World
my rating: @@@@ 1/2

Granted, I was already addicted to the series by this point. But that being said, it's one of my favourites. Without spoiling the book too much, Eric loses his memory and sense of self and Sookie (against her better judgment) helps him out.

To tell you any more would ruin it. All I have to say is that this is not the book to skip.




Book 5: Definitely Dead
my rating: @@@

Yeah ok ... so this is where the series starts to lose ground. It still has the mystery, and Sookie ends up with a new love interest, but ... I've only read it once so far. Which is the marker for me of a good book.







Book 6: All Together Dead
my rating: @1/2

IMO, this is the weakest book in the series. Huge disappointment. Weakest plot line. A few moments of Eric wickedness but otherwise it just didn't do it for me.

If you're a die-hard fan, then you'll probably want to read it just to find out what happens next to your favourite characters. But if you were to borrow it from the library rather than buying it, you wouldn't feel cheated by the experience.



Book 7: From Dead To Worse
my rating: @@

Ok, not my favourite. This is the most recent addition to the series, and in typical Charlaine Harris fashion (once she has written several books in a series) the passion has waned. Better than Book 6 -- I'll give it that. But it felt more like a visit with old friends rather than a gripping installment of a great series.

I've been busy with my course and with life lately, so I've been spending more time reading alternative press magazines than I have actual books. In fairness, I'm about halfway through a thick book right now but with everything else that's going on I'm having trouble focusing on it.

So instead, and possibly for the next few blog posts, I'm going to share some series you might want to check out.

Today's contribution is the Kitty Goes To ... series by Carrie Vaughn. The good news, given that Ms. Vaughn seems to only release one book per calendar year, is that you don't have to wait for the first four. ;-)

This is a series with a strong female lead. Kitty is a werewolf -- but not by choice. When the first book opens, she has only been a wolf for a few short years having been bitten against her will. Throughout the series, she goes from being a submissive part of a pack led by a violent and abusive man to being a strong-minded person in her own right. She is also an online radio host of "The Midnight Hour", a call-in show for supes -- supernaturals. For those of you in Canada, think "Talking Sex With Sue" for the supernatural community.

Book 1: Kitty and the Midnight Hour
release date: November 1, 2005

From the Publisher (c/o Chapters Indigo)
Kitty Norville is a midnight-shift DJ for a Denver radio station and a werewolf in the closet. Her new late-night advice show for the supernaturally disadvantaged is a raging success, but it's Kitty who can use some help. With one sexy werewolf-hunter and a few homicidal undead on her tail, Kitty may have bitten off more than she can chew?



Book 2: Kitty Goes to Washington
release date: July 1, 2006

From the Publisher (c/o Chapters Indigo)
Celebrity werewolf and late-night radio host Kitty Norville prefers to be heard and not seen. So when she's invited to testify at a Senate hearing on behalf of supernaturals, and her face gets plastered on national TV, she inherits a new set of friends, and enemies, including the vampire mistress of the city; an ++ber-hot Brazilian were-jaguar; and a Bible-thumping senator who wants to expose kitty as a monster.Kitty quickly learns that in this city of dirty politicians and backstabbing pundits, everyone's itching for a fight.


Book 3: Kitty Takes a Holiday
release date: April 1, 2007

From the Publisher (c/o Chapters Indigo)
After getting caught turning wolf on national television, Kitty retreats to a mountain cabin to recover and write her memoirs.But this is Kitty, so trouble is never far behind, and instead of Walden Pond, she gets Evil Dead. When werewolf hunter Cormac shows up with an injured Ben O'Farrell, Kitty's lawyer, slung over his shoulder, and a wolf-like creature with glowing red eyes starts sniffing around the cabin, Kitty wonders if any of them will get out of these woods alive...

Book 4: Kitty and the Silver Bullet
release date: January 1, 2008

From the Publisher (c/o Chapters Indigo)
Kitty's radio show is as popular as ever and she has a boyfriend who actually seems to understand her.Can she finally settle down to a normal life?Not if this is just the calm before the storm.When her mother falls ill, Kitty rushes back to Denver--and right back to the abusive pack of werewolves she escaped a year ago.To make matters worse, a war is brewing between the city''s two oldest vampires, threatening the whole supernatural community.Though she wants to stay neutral, Kitty is again drawn into a world of politics and violence.To protect her family, her lover, and herself, she''ll have to choose sides.And maybe become what she hates--a killer.

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted. More than a year. How does that happen? What have I been doing from May of 2007 until July 2008? How does a person lose a year in the blogosphere? It's not like I haven't been reading. Really.

I can tell you that I read each and every one of those books from my May 2007 post.

All Together Dead, by Charlaine Harris
This is, unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), a somewhat consistent type of book for Ms. Harris. I love her books. I have worked my way through all of her series. However, I have noticed that by the 4th or 5th book she seems to lose steam a bit. The writing is still good but somehow the storyline lacks ... something.

All Together Dead is no exception. In fact, I'd say it's the weakest book in the entire series.

But hey, on a positive note, in the time it has taken me to do this review the book has come out in paperback and is probably widely available through the library. ;-)

My rating: @@


No Humans Involved, by Kelley Armstrong
Now this book was MUCH better than the previous one I reviewed, above. Armstrong is a consistently strong writer and this book was no exception. There wasn't quite as much of the interpersonal, bittersweet angst that we find in some of her other books; it was also a bit darker than some of the other installments in the Women of the Otherworld series.

Have I read it more than once? No. Will I get around to re-reading it sooner or later? Possibly.

My rating: @@@


Demons Are Forever, by Julie Kenner
It's fluff. It's chick lit. It's marketed towards those Buffy (BtVS) fans who have (or are) grown up and living in the suburbs but are still thinking of adventures gone by.

With that disclaimer and attempt at literary superiority in place, here is the truth of it: I really like this series. It's part guilty pleasure and part ... nope, it's pretty much a guilty pleasure. But at least it's well-written if a little under-challenging. Works for the beach, on vacation, on a plane and even bathroom reading. Anywhere you can pick it up and put it down again without making a huge emotional or mental investment.

My rating for this book is allowing full appreciation for what it is.

My rating: @@@


The Harlequin, by Laurell K. Hamilton
Unfortunately, I just don't remember what I thought of this book. I remember it being better than the previous book, but past that ... it just didn't make much of an impression. Based on that ...

My rating: @@


Thin Air, by Rachel Caine
Such a good series. You have the romance, you have the angst, you have internal and external conflict -- and you have a female lead who kicks butt.

Don't start with this book, but do pick up this series. It's just so satisfying.

My rating: @@@@


There. It may not totally make up for vanishing for a year there, but at least it's a start.

Books I'm Looking Forward To Reading:

Have not been reading much lately.

The good news is that this has also given some of my favourite authors a chance to release some books I haven't read yet!

Here's what I'm looking forward to between now and the beginning of August:


All Together Dead, by Charlaine Harris
Latest in the Sookie Stackhouse mystery series
release date: May 1, 2007

I'm leaning towards waiting until this either shows up at the library or comes out in paperback. It's one of my favourite series, but I wasn't wild about the last book in this collection. Will let you know how it goes once I've gotten through it.


No Humans Involved, by Kelley Armstrong
Part of the Women of the Otherworld series
release date: May 1, 2007

Her last book was good. I've requested it through the library, but I might buy this one if I've read my stack of unread stuff before it arrives. Ellena is still my favourite character, but it might be interesting to see what happens with Jaime ... and Jeremy ...


Demons are Forever, by Julie Kenner
Confessions of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom series
release date: July 3, 2007

Ok, so it's "chick lit". So it's fluffy, a light read, not so much with the heavy emotions. And? Do we really have a problem with that? The first two were great: Carpe Demon, followed by California Demon. Think Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a soccer mom. Absurd, right? And that's one of the things which makes it such great brain candy. I'm hoping this latest book rocks as hard as the other two.



The Harlequin, by Laurell K. Hamilton
Anita Blake series
release date: June 5, 2007

I'm nervous about this one. I bought the last two - in hardcover, natch - and was so bored by the last one I literally started skimming it. Did I read the last three pages? Maybe; who can remember. It feels like Laurell K. Hamilton has run out of new ideas, innovative ways to push boundaries in her books. It's unfortunate.

But I'm still a fan, albeit a reluctant one at this point. I'll probably wait for it through the library system. Unless the reviews are really really good ...



Thin Air, by Rachel Caine
Weather Warden book 6
release date: August 7, 2007

Another fave series. It has moments where it borders on chick lit, but it's such an easy read with lots of action and layers of inter-connected relationships. The other five have been so consistently good that I will definitely be buying this book when it comes out.

More to come!

Lists ...

Looking for something genre-related to read? What follows are a few of my favourite books ... in no particular order ...:

1. Bitten by Kelley Armstrong
2. My Silver Metal Lover by Tanith Lee
3. Burnt Offerings by Laurell K. Hamilton
4. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
5. Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison

Bitten is the first book in the Women of the Otherworld series. It's my favourite.

My Silver Metal Lover is a stand-alone, although a sort-of sequel was released several years after this one.

Burnt Offerings is somewhere in the middle of the Anita Blake series. They're all good up to Narcissus in Chains; after that, they started losing their focus to become more of a crazy mass sex partner plus ick factor storyline and less of a kick-ass detective story line.

Dead Until Dark is the first of the Sookie Stackhouse supernatural mysteries. One of my favourite series - an easy, light read with a sense of humour. The later books seem to be losing their freshness a bit, but the first four are great and even the ones after that are readable.

Dead Witch Walking is the first in the Rachel Morgan series. I've really enjoyed every book in this series -- it isn't waning for me at all. The only one I wasn't crazy about was A Fistful of Charms ... but even that was well-written. It was just some elements of the subject matter that annoyed me.

Recently Read ...

For A Few Demons More, by Kim Harrison

Haven't posted in quite a while! It's not like I stopped reading ... although maybe I've been reading a bit less ...

The most recent book I read was For a Few Demons More by Kim Harrison. It's the fifth book in her Rachel Morgan collection, currently one of my favourite series. I as wasn't crazy about the fourth book -- A Fistful of Charms -- but this latest work more than makes up for it.

We're talking magic, we're talking decisions, we're talking poignant. The characters are evolving. I'm a little concerned about Matalina, since clearly the author doesn't have a problem with removing key characters as needed. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan? I'm guessing "yes" on that one ... LOL ...)

The main characters in this installment are the core trio - Rachel, Ivy and Jenks. Look for appearances by Glen (Edden's son), Trent Kalamak, Kisten, Piscary, Skinner and of course Rachel's alpha and insurance agent, the werewolf David Hue. And did I mention the demons? Oops.

If you're already into the series, I think you'll find this book satisfyingly bittersweet. If you haven't started the series yet, I recommend going to the library or bookstore and picking up the first one -- Dead Witch Walking.

To check out the author's site, click here.

Recently Read ...

Firestorm, by Rachel Caine
It's the latest in the Weather Warden series. I clearly have a vested interest in this series, having bought and read all of the books. But as with all of the others, I inhaled this book as soon as I got it. Was I reading something else at the time? Who can remember! I believe I was but clearly it got tossed aside in favour of one of my favourite authors.

Do yourself a favour and read the whole series, starting from Ill Wind and working your way through until you hit this one. I've done it myself - more than once!

Recently Read ...

The Traveler, by John Twelve Hawkes.
Highly recommend this book. One of the most interesting stories I've read in a long time and the writing is superb.

More than that though ... this is a book that makes you think. About just how often we are photographed every day, and what is being done with those images. It can make you paranoid. It can make you want to find some way to live off the grid. It's definitely making me want to read the next book in the series.

Anansi Brothers by Neil Gaiman, part 2

Finished reading this book a few weeks ago now - sorry!

Ultimately, it was a good book.

One of the things I love about Neil Gaiman books are the layers. You think he has wandered off the point when, with a gentle toe nudge, you understand why the story is being told the way it has been told.

Strong Caribbean folkloric theme crossed with London slightly geeky urban culture. It makes for an interesting mix.

Danse Macabre, by Laurell K. Hamilton

Originally published on Chapters.ca here.

*SIGH*
Reviewer:Bibi from Toronto
Date:13/07/2006 1:12:21 PM

This book was *not* good. I have been a long-time fan of the Anita Blake series -- I even enjoyed Micah for the kind of book it was. But Danse Macabre was ... bad. If you feel compelled to read it for the sake of loyalty and continuity, by all means go for it. But do yourself a favour and borrow it from the library instead of wasting money on the hardcover. Sure, ok, there is at least one hot sex scene in this book. And? If that was all I was looking for from a Laurell K. Hamilton book, I would have bought something from the Merry Gentry series. There is no mystery plotline. The conflict(s) feel contrived. The author frequently tells the reader what a character is thinking or feeling rather than showing us -- one of the fundamental no-no's of good writing. This book was so tedious that I literally skipped paragraphs, even pages. I got within the last 3 pages of the end of the book and couldn't be bothered to finish it for days. Maybe Ms. Hamilton has gotten bored of her characters, or of this series. If so, she needs to either take a break or do something else. Me, I'm getting her next book from the library and looking into other fine authors in this genre again.

Every Which Way But Dead, by Kim Harrison

Review originally published on Chapters.ca here.

Favourite book in the series!
Reviewer:Bibi from Toronto
Date:06/06/2006 9:16:01 PM

I love this series. But this particular book, for some reason, is the one I pick up and re-read whenever I'm between gripping novels.

Good action, emotional layers, and it fleshes out the relationships between the characters -- in more ways than one! ;-)

It does not work as a stand-alone; you have to have read Dead Witch Walking and The Good, The Bad and The Undead to know what's going on. Frankly, every so often I go on a binge and read all three again. The main character, Rachel, kicks butt. She can take care of herself even as she allows herself to lean on those around her.

In this book, her powers expand even further and she deals with the ramifications of this. Trent becomes a more sympathetic character as we get to know him better, as does Quen ... and Kisten. If you enjoy entertainment like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series (before the last few releases), Kelley Armstrong and Charlaine Harris ... you'll want to check out this book -- and the ones that came before it.

Anansi Brothers, by Neil Gaiman
Part 1

Strangely enough, I'm starting off this blog with a book not exactly in the genre I tend to read. It's got magic, it's got folklore. Too early to tell whether or not I like it yet.

So far, it's got that casual and third-person-removed feeling to it with a main character who isn't automatically likeable. His nickname is "Fat Charlie", he has a job he doesn't really enjoy but can't aspire to much more, his mother has died, his father is an embarassment.

I'm about 30-50 pages into the book, and it started to get more interesting on the subway ride down to work this morning.

More to follow.