Her Book Self

Book: Club Dead by Charlaine Harris

Series: Southern Vampire Mysteries; aka Sookie Stackhouse Mysteries; aka Those Books that Started the Show "True Blood"

Book Order: Dead Until Dark* (1), Living Dead in Dallas* (2), Club Dead* (3), Dead to the World (4), Dead as a Doornail (5), Definitely Dead (6), All Together Dead (7), From Dead to Worse (8), Dead and Gone (9), Dead in the Family (10), Plus assorted short stories   
* indicates a book I have read

Club Dead, the third book in Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire Mysteries, begins with trouble in paradise for psychic barmaid Sookie Stackhouse and her vampire boyfriend Bill. Bill has been wrapped up in a secret project and Sookie feels pushed aside when he leaves town, not even telling her his destination. Soon however, Sookie finds out he's in trouble and the dangerous vampires he is involved with - as well as news of the new female in his life - drives Sookie to track Bill down.

This book provided a nice change from predictability in that Sookie was cast more in the role of rescuer rather than damsel in distress (although she did wind up in peril eventually). I liked the addition of new characters and the development of some that have lingered in the background a bit and I think that one of Harris's greatest strength in this series is her characters. Sookie is a strong and likable heroine and even when the reader doesn't agree with her actions or decisions, she is still a character to root for.

I may be in the minority among fans of the genre, but personally, I like paranormal romance books for the paranormal more than the romance. I like the involvement of vampires, werewolves, psychics and shape-shifters. Also, it is the mystery aspect, more than the love stories, that has kept me interested in this series, and I remain intrigued as to where Sookie's adventures will lead her next.

I haven't actually seen any episodes of the show True Blood that is based off this series of books.  I've heard varying reports about how closely the show follows the books, but if anyone else wants to weigh in on the comparison I'd love to hear more thoughts.  For those that are unfamiliar with the books or the series, Harris bases her vampire mythology on the premise that vampires have "come out of the coffin" and live among humans as (mostly) accepted citizens.  The vamps no longer need to feed on people thanks to the development of a synthetic blood substitute called True Blood, hence the name of the hit TV show.  Overall, I like the lighthearted feel to the series and appreciate Harris's unique take on urban fantasy.