Charlaine Harris marathon
By other standards, this is not really a marathon. Specifically, I'm referring to the standards of the power readers at Play Book Tag, who can down 10 books or more in a week. By my standards, though, considering that we're only a little over three weeks into the year, and one-third of the books I've read are Charlaine Harris', I therefore declare this as a marathon.
Book 1: Club Dead
The third book in the Sookie Stackhouse series, alternatively known as the Southern Vampire mysteries. For those unfamiliar with the Southern Vampire mysteries, the first book in this series, Dead Until Dark, is the basis for the HBO series True Blood. And because I seem to be into vampires (no, not because of Twilight. Although I did enjoy reading those...), I picked up on this series right away after my brief infatuation with Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series (which I'm totally over now).
Anyway, Club Dead features a new and, perhaps, unwelcome development in the story--Sookie and Bill's relationship is on the rocks, not primarily because of Sookie's doing (though, if you ask me, she did enough). There is, however, another vampire in the romantic vicinity. I kinda like him better than Bill cause in the HBO series, he's played by this hunkalicious guy, Alexander Skarsgard, son of Stellan Skarsgard, lately seen in Mamma Mia.
Read: 1/9/09
4/5 stars
Book 2: Grave Sight
This is the first book in Harris' Harper Connelly series. Got this and the second book from my "mommy" in last Christmas' Flips Flipping Pages' exchange gift activity, and I loved it. Well, it was on my wishlist.
Harper Connelly is a lightning-strike victim who can suddenly sense dead bodies, determine who they are, and how they died. And all without the use of forensics. It's a sort of "second sight" for her, hence the title. The lightning strike happened when she was a mere teenager, so now, as a 24 year old, she hires herself out as someone who can find dead people. Her "profession" requires her to be on the road most of the time, amply escorted by her manager/stepbrother Tolliver, with whom, according to Amazon.com editorial reviews, she "shares a thinly disguised physical attraction."
Like the Stackhouse series, this one is tagged as mystery, though honestly, I read it for the "thinly disguised" romance. I realized that I can no longer abide by pure romance novels anymore (this after I was sorely sorry for reading Diana Gabaldon's Outlander), so I need to "thinly disguise" my romance fare with less fluffy genres, like mystery or paranormal.
Also, you can see the solution to this mystery a mile away, and who wants a mystery like that? Conversely, even if one can see the ending to a romance story a mile away, one sticks around for all the lovely nothings.
Read: 1/14/09
3/5 stars
Book 3: Grave Surprise
Harper Connelly continues making a living (and so does Charlaine Harris) in this second book. This time, though, it becomes personal as someone seems to be setting Harper up. She agrees to do a demonstration for a very progressive college class, and in the process, discovers the body of a missing girl she was unable to find years prior. The following day, a new body is found in the same grave, so you can imagine how bad this must look for Harper, who already suffers from a lack of faith from local officials and the general population.
Harris really harps (no pun intended) up her profile of small Southern towns in America for this series. My guess is she's tickled pink by Alan Ball's take on her Stackhouse series. Ball has said that it's "popcorn for smart people," perhaps because she sets her stories in small insular towns, replete with the usual prejudices and ignorance. Then, she adds characters who defy the limits of the town's world-view.
My psued0-critique of this book does not under any circumstances means that I did not enjoy this series. Again, bring the romance along with the grit or death and I'm a happy puppy.
Read: 1/14/09
4/5 stars
Book 4: An Ice-cold Grave
I couldn't help it, I had to finish the series, insofar as it's been written. I am so tempted to post a spoiler, but I won't.
What I will say, though, is that finally, Harper is faced with her first serial killer. Because though the first two books concerned several murders, the perpetrators seem too bland. If they were ice cream, they'd be vanilla. The murders here, though, are much darker and disturbing, and so are the characters. Maybe Harris needed to satisfy some of her audience? On several counts, I was satisfied, and that's all I will say by way of spoilers.
Read: 1/23/09
4/5 stars
Book 1: Club Dead
The third book in the Sookie Stackhouse series, alternatively known as the Southern Vampire mysteries. For those unfamiliar with the Southern Vampire mysteries, the first book in this series, Dead Until Dark, is the basis for the HBO series True Blood. And because I seem to be into vampires (no, not because of Twilight. Although I did enjoy reading those...), I picked up on this series right away after my brief infatuation with Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series (which I'm totally over now).Anyway, Club Dead features a new and, perhaps, unwelcome development in the story--Sookie and Bill's relationship is on the rocks, not primarily because of Sookie's doing (though, if you ask me, she did enough). There is, however, another vampire in the romantic vicinity. I kinda like him better than Bill cause in the HBO series, he's played by this hunkalicious guy, Alexander Skarsgard, son of Stellan Skarsgard, lately seen in Mamma Mia.
Read: 1/9/09
4/5 stars
Book 2: Grave Sight
This is the first book in Harris' Harper Connelly series. Got this and the second book from my "mommy" in last Christmas' Flips Flipping Pages' exchange gift activity, and I loved it. Well, it was on my wishlist.Harper Connelly is a lightning-strike victim who can suddenly sense dead bodies, determine who they are, and how they died. And all without the use of forensics. It's a sort of "second sight" for her, hence the title. The lightning strike happened when she was a mere teenager, so now, as a 24 year old, she hires herself out as someone who can find dead people. Her "profession" requires her to be on the road most of the time, amply escorted by her manager/stepbrother Tolliver, with whom, according to Amazon.com editorial reviews, she "shares a thinly disguised physical attraction."
Like the Stackhouse series, this one is tagged as mystery, though honestly, I read it for the "thinly disguised" romance. I realized that I can no longer abide by pure romance novels anymore (this after I was sorely sorry for reading Diana Gabaldon's Outlander), so I need to "thinly disguise" my romance fare with less fluffy genres, like mystery or paranormal.
Also, you can see the solution to this mystery a mile away, and who wants a mystery like that? Conversely, even if one can see the ending to a romance story a mile away, one sticks around for all the lovely nothings.
Read: 1/14/09
3/5 stars
Book 3: Grave Surprise
Harper Connelly continues making a living (and so does Charlaine Harris) in this second book. This time, though, it becomes personal as someone seems to be setting Harper up. She agrees to do a demonstration for a very progressive college class, and in the process, discovers the body of a missing girl she was unable to find years prior. The following day, a new body is found in the same grave, so you can imagine how bad this must look for Harper, who already suffers from a lack of faith from local officials and the general population.Harris really harps (no pun intended) up her profile of small Southern towns in America for this series. My guess is she's tickled pink by Alan Ball's take on her Stackhouse series. Ball has said that it's "popcorn for smart people," perhaps because she sets her stories in small insular towns, replete with the usual prejudices and ignorance. Then, she adds characters who defy the limits of the town's world-view.
My psued0-critique of this book does not under any circumstances means that I did not enjoy this series. Again, bring the romance along with the grit or death and I'm a happy puppy.
Read: 1/14/09
4/5 stars
Book 4: An Ice-cold Grave
I couldn't help it, I had to finish the series, insofar as it's been written. I am so tempted to post a spoiler, but I won't.What I will say, though, is that finally, Harper is faced with her first serial killer. Because though the first two books concerned several murders, the perpetrators seem too bland. If they were ice cream, they'd be vanilla. The murders here, though, are much darker and disturbing, and so are the characters. Maybe Harris needed to satisfy some of her audience? On several counts, I was satisfied, and that's all I will say by way of spoilers.
Read: 1/23/09
4/5 stars
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