Sookie Stackhouse novels

For those of you who may not know, the television show True Blood is based off of the Sookie Stackhouse Novels (also known as The Southern Vampire Mysteries) by Charlaine Harris. I've been wanting to share my views on these books since I started this blog, but it never felt like the right time.

 ^photo courtesy of Flickr^

Every year, I find myself re-reading the entire series, trying to get them all in before the next one hit the shelves in May. When I found out that this year would mark the last time I'd get to read about Sookie and the gang, the last year I'd be reading a Sookie book for the first time, I felt a little sad. These books kept me company while Josh was away at basic, they joined me on the long flight over to Germany, I even finished reading the twelfth book while in the early stages of labor. Not only had I experienced the crazy/dangerous world of Sookie, but she had joined me in many noteworthy areas in my world. I was crossing my fingers that Mrs. Harris ended her series on a memorable note.

Be warned, the books are MUCH different that the TV series. The first season was pretty good, but after that, they went their own directions. I like the books better, especially after the last couple of seasons...

There are thirteen books in this series:

1. Dead Until Dark
2. Living Dead in Dallas
3. Club Dead
4. Dead to the World
5. Dead as a Doornail
6. Definitely Dead
7. All Together Dead
8. From Dead to Worse
9. Dead and Gone
10. Dead in the Family
11. Dead Reckoning
12. Deadlocked
13. Dead Ever After

I won't go through every book, but the series follows small-town, Louisianian Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic barmaid, who has a knack for solving mysteries, usually revolving around a murder. She finds herself involved with vampires, shapeshifters, werewolves, and fairies (romantically, politically, and sometimes both), all while keeping a pretty positive attitude, even if danger is usually waiting just around the corner for her.

My favorite of the books are Dead to the World and All Together Dead. I'd definitely consider them  to be the more action packed stories in the series. As for the final book, it was kind of a bummer, if I'm going to be honest. I think Harris tried to make it like the other novels (there are usually a couple mysteries in one novel), but it didn't seem as well thought out as the previous books. I was left wanting to know what happened to the rest of the characters, Harris was so quick to end the book that there were many questions left unanswered. I guess it's a good thing she's coming out with another book- After Dead: What Came Next in the World of Sookie Stackhouse. It comes out October 29, 2013, in case you wanted to know.

I'll probably buy it, because I'm totally the type of person who gets emotionally involved with the characters I read about, and I need closure. Admitting it's the first step though, right?!