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.

Welcome to Her Book Self's first monthly theme: Series in September!   My goal is to use the month of September to focus on reading books that are part of a series.  This might mean picking up on where I've left off in a string of mysteries or starting a new fantasy trilogy.  For those readers that are fans of standalone novels, don't tune out this month since I've found that there are several books that, despite being written as part of a series, work perfectly well as succinct stories and I'll be sure to make note of such in my reviews.  Also, September happens to be a month full of other festivities that will be featured here including Book Blogger Appreciation Week, Talk Like A Pirate Day, and... well, maybe it's a certain someone's birthday this month too!  If any other book bloggers want to join me and create something of a meme for "Series in September" - whether it's for one post, a weekly theme, or a full month - I put together the image above that you can feel free to use on your own blog posts, and be sure  to drop a comment here with a link to your post(s) as well! 

Welcome, September: my favorite month of the year!

I'm not sure if it's the need to have art imitate life, or just enjoying the brainy side of a good story, but I really like reading science fiction type thrillers that deal with biology and genetics.  It's such a fascinating subject to me, likely because in books it becomes a million times more exciting than real life.  Last week, I read my first novel by author James Rollins and as impressive as his storytelling is, I'm even more enamored with his handling of science.

Veterinarian Lorna Polk is more than a little surprised when Jack Menard, a man from her past, shows up at her research facility in a border patrol helicopter asking for her help.  Whisked off to examine the strange animals aboard an abandoned trawler, Lorna knows something odd is going on.  The conjoined twin monkeys, featherless parrot, and cub of a saber-toothed cat all display heightened intelligence and evidence of genetic alterations. 

From this intriguing start, the novel takes off at a whirlwind pace.  First, the adult saber-toothed cat is loose in the Louisiana bayou.  Then, it's up to Lorna and Jack to track down the people responsible for transporting the animals and discover the truth behind the strange subjects.  Meanwhile, the minds - and hired guns - behind the genetically altered creatures will stop at nothing to recapture the animals and dispose of those who know their secrets.

As a reader, I'm a sucker for a great fast-paced action story; as a scientist, I love a genetic thriller done right.  James Rollins' Altar of Eden had it all.  I was really impressed at how accurate the concepts of biology were as they entwined into fiction in the story.  High-tech science was explained in an every day manner while not coming across as being dumbed-down.  Also, Dr. Lorna Polk - a veterinarian like Rollins himself - was a strong and intelligent heroine.  She displayed realistic fear and emotion but was also action-oriented and determined at all the right moments.  Overall, Altar of Eden was a smart thrill ride from beginning to end.

It's such public knowledge that it's hardly worth the confession, but I'm a huge science nerd.  I'm curious though if non-sciencey people like these types of books.  For the lab-coat geeks, do you like reading stories that play with scientific themes?  For those that left chemistry back in the high school lab, do you ever read nerdy thrillers? 

I added a new badge to my sidebars and in case you didn't notice, it's an ad for Book Blogger Appreciation Week!  I wanted to put a plug out for it as something I'll be participating in with the hopes that other book bloggers will join in the fun as well!  Blog Award Nominations have already closed, but it's not too late to register to have your blog included in BBAW's directory and you can also sign up to interview a fellow book blogger!  Hope others will join me in what looks to be a fun week celebrating the joy of bookish blogs!

Besides the strange disappearance of some of her gardening tools, Nina Quinn has a thriving landscaping business with Taken By Surprise (think Extreme Home Makeover: Yard Edition) but the rest of her life is quickly falling apart. She's thrown her cheating husband out of the house; her teenage stepson seems to be involved with some questionable friends; and to top it all off, her best friend's father - the man who taught Nina all about gardening - has died of not-so-natural causes.

Driven to help her friends, while keeping her police detective soon-to-be-ex-husband out of things, Nina shoulders the investigation - and the ongoing search for the missing gardening equipment -  but soon finds herself entangled in more than weeds and thorns. When threats start piling up, Nina finds herself in the crossfire and knows she'd better dig up the truth fast.

Heather Webber does a great job with this fun, cozy mystery. Nina's emotional anguish as a scorned woman and her determination as a businesswoman and amateur sleuth are perfectly balanced with her lively spirit and clever wit. As the title indicates, A Hoe Lot of Trouble is a mystery that will make you laugh even as you sit on the edge of your seat, eager to know what happens next. The ending was a bit of a surprise (and perhaps a tad unlikely) but overall Webber sets the stage for a charming series and readers will be looking for a hoe lot more of Nina Quinn's adventures.

Like many, I had my first introduction to Gaston Leroux's classic work The Phantom of the Opera through the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical of the same name.  I've lost count how many times I've listened to the score over the years, and most of it I know by heart (and sing along to).  I love the story of how Christine Daaé appears on the opera stage with an amazing vocal talent and attributes her new abilities to guidance from her strange Angel of Music.  Meanwhile, the handsome young viscount Raoul recognizes Christine as his childhood friend and falls in love with her, not knowing that the rival for his affections is to be the so-called Opera Ghost - a malicious stranger wreaking havoc throughout the opera house and making odd demands of the managers.

Upon reading the novel, I did not expect to recognize the story from what I knew of the stage production and was pleasantly surprised to find that much of the text had been preserved in the adaptation.  From the major characters to the minor ones, even Madame Giry and her daughter Meg (whose singing parts I love since I can pull off a decent mezzo and can't get anywhere near Christine's high notes) appear in both book and score.  There were also plenty of details, such as the lasso the "ghost" uses to strangle his targets and the lake beneath the opera house, that the adaptation did right.  The difference that most surprised me though was how human the character of "The Phantom" is in the original novel.  In the musical, he seems much less mortal - more the mysterious Angel of Music than a real man.  Yet, in the book when he was given both a name, Erik, and a backstory, I found him less likable than on stage.  Perhaps clouding his humanity in a ghostly mystique made his atrocious acts more acceptable, but I found his character in the book violent, frightening, and much less sympathetic.  I realized that Leroux intended for Erik's voice to be his main redeeming factor - the aspect that draws Christine to him -  and this obviously came through much better in the musical than in the book. 

Another thing that I found really interesting in the book is the description of the organ.  The title song in the musical is most recognizable by powerful and dynamic chords of organ music (DAAA-da-da-da-da-DAAA....).  And though Erik is described at multiple points as playing a piano, this passage struck me as almost funny, in light of the music that ran through my head as I read:

"Contrary to what one might think, especially in connection with an opera-house, the 'organ' is not a musical instrument.  At that time, electricity was employed only for a very few scenic effects and for the bells.  The immense building and the stage itself were still lit by gas; hydrogen was used to regulate and modify the lighting of a scene; and this was done by means of a special apparatus which, because of the multiplicity of its pipes, was known as the 'organ'"

~Gaston Leroux, The Phantom of the Opera p.223

So although the musical got many things right, I'm not sure that the inclusion of organ music was as accurate as intended.  I think this quote is also demonstrative of Leroux's almost documentary style of storytelling.  At first I found it a little off-putting, but once the story began to unfold, I appreciated his commentary-type notes as both informative and educational throughout the text. Overall, I'm really glad to have read this book.  As much as I love the musical, I think familiarity with the original source material gives me an even deeper appreciation of the art created in the adaptation.

Facing financial hardship after her husband's death, artist turned teacher Meg Rosenthal packs up her life and her daughter to move to the titular town of Arcadia Falls and accept a teaching position at a boarding school. With an interest in folklore and fairy tales, Meg is drawn to dig deeper into the lives and legends surrounding the school's founders: artistic authors Vera Beecher and Lily Eberheart. Journals and letters provide a story within Meg's story and the mystery surrounding Lily's death is paralleled with the death of a student in present day.

I enjoyed how this book balanced multiple story lines. Along with Meg's and Lily's lives, a fairytale about a changeling girl - written by Vera and Lily, studied by Meg, and read to Meg's daughter Sally - is woven throughout the different plots. The symbolism in the tale is cleverly tied to multiple characters and events throughout the book.

An intricate blend of mystery, art, family, love and fantasy Arcadia Falls is an interesting and complex book. The ending resolved a little too quickly but brought satisfying conclusions to multiple mysteries and lingering questions. Carol Goodman knows how to weave an intriguing tale and Arcadia Falls will enchant readers of many genres.