September was a pretty average reading month, I read 4 books which has helped keep me ahead of  my reading goal. At my current pace I should successfully finish 50 books this year.

September Reading List

37. The Inn at Rose Harbor by Debbie Macomber (Sept 3) – See Full Review Here

38. Living With the Dead (Women of the Otherworld #9) by Kelley Armstrong (Sept 13)
I somehow skipped this one as I read the Women of the Otherworld series, but because the books switch narrators, reading them out of order isn’t as much of an issue as it is with some other series. I personally prefer the books that focus on the werewolf pack as opposed to the demon women, but this Hope story was a good page turner, with a mystery that I didn’t figure out.

39. The Sookie Stackhouse Companion (Southern Vampire 10.5) by Charlaine Harris (Sept 16)
The Sookie short story is only OK, but the Companion portion of the book is outstanding! It includes excellent recaps of the previous books along with a helpful timeline. And the character bios are fantastic. A great reference for any fan of the series.

40. The Maze Runner (Maze Runner #1) by James Dashner (Sept 29) *e
I wasn’t sure what to think about this one at first… It’s like the YA book version of LOST. It starts off with the protagonist (and the reader!) in a very confusing place, and the lack of information was frustrating at times. But with plenty of action, interesting characters and lots of intrigue, I was hooked by the end of the story. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

(An *e at the end of a title indicates an e-book.)

After falling pretty far behind on my reading goal in June, I managed to get 5 books read in the month of July, so I’m almost back on track. I really enjoyed 4 out of the 5 books I read in July, so I’d say it was a good reading month!  (An *e at the end of a title indicates an e-book.)

July Reading List

25. The Gathering (Darkness Rising #1) by Kelley Armstrong (July 7)
Kelley Armstrong never fails to entertain me, and this first installment in The Darkness Rising trilogy was no exception! As with all of Armstrong’s books, The Gathering features great characters and a strong mythology.  And as a continuity nut, I love the ties to the Otherworld series.

26. Max (Maximum Ride #5) by James Patterson (July 10)
Despite its many flaws, I’ve always been a fan of the Maximum Ride series. One of the things I loved about Max’s story is that it’s an adventure with a purpose and no romance. Sadly, this book marks the introduction of teen angst to the story, and it’s definitely NOT what the series needed. I do still love the characters and their mission, but could do without all the “Ohh, Fang kissed me…” whining and moaning.

27. Deadlocked (Southern Vampire #12) by Charlaine Harris (July 14)
We’re almost at the end of Sookie’s story, and the books are suddenly trying to wrap everything up. Which is both good and bad… good because we’re getting some answers and Sookie’s life is FINALLY finding direction, but bad because it feels a little like the original roadmap got lost and we’re heading to a new destination that the author just decided upon at the last minute. Deadlocked was still an enjoyable read despite the fast-tracking.

28. The Enchantress (Secrets of the Nicholas Flamel #6) by Michael Scott (July 27) *e
A disappointing final installment in the Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series. – See my series recap here

29. Fever (Chemical Garden #2) by Laren DeStafano (July 31)
This book was so different from the first installment in the Chemical Garden series it almost felt like part of a different series at times. Which was actually quite refreshing! No sophomore slump here. DeStafano manages to keep the story a fresh and unpredictable, and while I wasn’t always sure where Fever was taking the Chemical Garden story, now that I know I can’t wait to read Sever, the final book in the trilogy.

Last month I managed to finish 6 books, but the list was a little smaller in February. I almost got four books in this month, but didn’t end up finishing the last one in time. I think the fact that I read all YA books in Jan. and mostly adult books in Feb. probably made the difference.

February Reading List

7. Dead Reckoning (Southern Vampires #11) by Charlaine Harris (Feb. 5)
Normally I love a Sookie story, and am pretty forgiving of some of the series faults. But this book just felt like filler. Not a lot happened, and too much time was spent on mundane activities (Sookie shaves her legs!). But it does seem like things are lining up and the story is working towards a conclusion.

8. Chosen (House of Night #3) by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast (Feb. 12)
This series is really just fluff, but for some reason I love it. Even when I’m shaking my head as I’m reading, I just can’t put the books down. #3 in the series was no exception.

9. Anything by Michael Baron (Feb. 19) – Full review here

According to GoodReads, I’m still on track for my goal of 50 books in 2012.

Death’s Excellent Vacation
by Charlaine Harris & Various Authors

Death’s Excellent Vacation is a collection of short stories that all have supernatural elements and a vacation theme. I’m not generally a big fan of short stories (I’m a series girl), but with shorts from two series that I follow, I was eager to check it out and see what fun little tales Charlaine Harris and Katie MacAlister had created to go along with their Southern Vampire and Guardian novels.

There are 13 short-stories in the Death’s Excellent Vacation anthology. Here’s my VERY brief thoughts on the ones that I read.

1. Two Blondes – Charlaine Harris – (A Southern Vampire/True Blood story) – I pretty much always love a Sookie story. There was nothing special about this one, just a quick silly romp with Sookie & Pam. I enjoyed it.
2. The Boys Go Fishing – Sarah Smith – I didn’t like this one very much.
3. One for the Money – Jeaniene Frost (Night Huntress story) – I really enjoyed this one! So much so that I will now be checking out the Night Huntress Series!
4. Meanwhile, Far Across the Caspian Sea… - Daniel Stashower – This one didn’t hold my attention, resulting in a DNF.
5. The Innsmouth Nook – A. Lee Martinez – Another DNF
6. Safe and Sound – Jeff Abbott – An enjoyable story.
7. Seeing is Believing – L A Banks – I also enjoyed this one.
8. The Perils of Eferjim – Katie MacAlister (An Aisling Grey Guardian story) – I love this series, and always find Jim entertaining. A fun little Guardian story.
9. Thin Walls – Christopher Golden – This was borderline porn. Well, not really, but there was far more icky sex than I want to read about!
10. The Heart is Always Right – Lilith Saintcrow – I was enjoying this one, but found it dragged on a bit so I skimmed the middle and skipped ahead to the end. Not bad.
11. The Demon in the Dunes – Chris Grabenstein – DNF.
12. Home from America – Sharan Newman – DNF. And this marked the end of my reading this book. I’m not a huge fan of short stories, so this doesn’t really have anything to do with the quality of the stories; I just needed to get back to something a little more in depth.
13. Pirate Dave’s Haunted Amusement Park – Toni L P Kelner – Reviews I read said this one was good, but I never quite got there.

Have you read Death’s Excellent Vacation? What did you think? Are you a fan of anthologies? Do you enjoy short stories based on your favorite series?

Dead in the Family (Southern Vampires #10)
by Charlaine Harris

*Please be aware, this review contains spoilers!

Summary

After the world-altering events of Dead and Gone (book #9), there’s still a lot of unrest and upset in Sookie’s life. The fairies and the Weres are displeased because both sides have suffered losses that tie back to Sookie in one way or another. Being married to Eric comes with it’s own set of problems as well. Who knew in-laws would be a part of the package?

Review

Though not as high-stakes as some of the other Southern Vampires books, I loved Dead in the Family. It’s a nice change of pace for Sookie to go almost an entire book without being seriously injured, and her life was only threatened once in this story! While I was sad to see Amelia go, I absolutely love Claude as Sookie’s new roommate and I hope they continue on with this arrangement. I’m not all that hyped about Sookie and Eric’s marriage, only because it doesn’t seem like something that Sookie has chosen, or would even choose again if she had the option. But as a means of helping keep Sookie safe, I can see the value in it. Personally, I like to have a bit more Bill in my Sookie stories, but I did enjoy the set-up with Bill’s sister, and I’m intrigued with where the Bill/Judith story will go in the next volume. (I’m also looking forward to seeing Sam and Jannalyn break up, because that girl seems like trouble!)  It was nice to see Sookie and Jason finally working together in the supernatural battle that seems to be their life, I hope we get to see their relationship continue to build in a positive way.

Verdict

Dead in the Family makes another great installment in the Southern Vampire series! I’m just sad to have to wait for more!

*Dead in the Family is book #7 for the TwentyTen Reading Challenge.

A Touch of Dead
by Charlaine Harris

A Touch of Dead consists of 5 short stories that fall in various places in the Southern Vampire Series, featuring heroine Sookie Stackhouse. I absolutely love that Harris has collected up all of the Sookie short stories into one volume. Now I really wish all the other series that I read would do the same thing!

The stories in A Touch of Dead are thoughtfully given to us in chronological order, making it easier to place them in their correct spot in the series as you read.  Some give us a little more back-story about events that we’ve read about in the series, while others just tell a fun little Sookie side-story.

The stories in the order the occur in Sookie’s life are “Fairy Dust” (from Powers of Detection), “Dracula Night” (from Many Bloody Returns), “One Word Answer” (from Bite), “Lucky” (from Unusual Suspects), and “Gift Wrap” (from Wolfsbane and Mistletoe).  I’m assuming these stories were also written in that same order because they get better and better as they go along.

“Fairy Dust” tells the story of how fairies Claudine and Claude lost their triplet Claudette. While I enjoyed getting back-story on the Fairy twins, I found the mystery to be a bit confusing. I was tired when I read this story, so that could have something to do with it, but this was my least favourite of the bunch.

“Dracula Night” is a fun little story that has Sookie joining Eric and Pam at Fangtasia to celebrate Dracula’s birthday. No real information in relation to the series, but a cute story nonetheless.

“One Word Answer” gives us much-wanted back-story on how Sookie learned of her cousin Hadley’s death. I was thrilled to finally learn how Hadley’s death fit into the greater story told in the Southern Vampire novels.

“Lucky” is another cute story that doesn’t have much bearing in the series, but is still a very enjoyable read. Featuring Sookie and her new housemate Amelia, “Lucky” has the two ladies playing a little supernatural detective as they try to uncover who has been messing with the local insurance agents. Fun stuff that had me wishing Sookie played detective more often!

“Gift Wrap”, the final story in the collection tells the story of Sookie’s most recent Christmas. A great little story that had me smiling, “Gift Wrap” features a new character that I’d love to see more of – despite the fact that that doesn’t seem likely to happen, and a bit of twist that made for a great ending.

Overall, A Touch of Dead is a very enjoyable read, and a must have for any Sookie lover!

From Dead to Worse (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 8 )
by Charlaine Harris

Now this is the way I like my Sookie Stackhouse stories… filled with action, intrigue, familiar faces and a little bit of romance! After the less than impressive All Together Dead, I found From Dead to Worse to be a vast improvement. The 8^th book in the Southern Vampire series finds Sookie back home in Bon Temps, and back to her regular life. Or as regular as a telepath who hangs out with vampires and werewolves’ life can be! Amelia is still living with Sookie, which gives her someone to interact with at home, and adds an interesting female character who’s (almost) always on Sookie’s side. Since I’ve often felt that there is a definite lack of female characters in the Southern Vampire series, I really enjoy the addition of Amelia to the series.

After all the loss and devastation in New Orleans, change is afoot in the vampire world. While Sookie would prefer not to be involved in Vamp politics, her associations always manage to land her right in the middle of things. To make matters worse, the Weres are caught up in a battle for leadership of their own, and they want Sookie’s assistance as well. And just when you think her supernatural obligations are at the max, we meet a long lost relative (or two!) that add a whole new wrinkle to Sookie’s already complicated life.

From Dead to Worse does an excellent job of advancing all the various plot lines that have been planted in the previous novels, bringing some to a satisfying close, while also opening things up for some new characters and dramas. Filled with all the great characters we have come to know and love over the years, along with a healthy dose of danger and excitement, and of course a few chuckles along the way, From Dead to Worse is one of my favourite Sookie books to date. I can’t wait to get my hands on Dead and Gone, the 9^th instalment in the series, to find out what happens next!

Welcome to the first of what we hope is many giveaways! Everyone likes free stuff, right? Whenever we’ve got loot to share, that’s just what we intend to do. Can’t promise it’s always gonna be as fun as this one but, hey, it’ll always be free.

Today’s giveaway is your chance to check it out the first book in Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire Series!

I haven’t read any of the books myself but Jody’s a huge fan and I know plenty of others who love it as well. We wanted to give someone else the chance to fall in love with it. As some of you may know, the HBO series, True Blood, is based on the books so we’ve got a little combo gift bag for the TV/Book lovers out there.

It includes:

• TruBlood Bag
• “Real Blood Is For Suckers” T-Shirt (Red, XL)
• True Blood Bookmark
• Charlaine Harris’ Dead Until Dark (Southern Vampire Mysteries, No. 1)

 
To enter use the comments below to recommend one book to us by April 10th.
If you use Twitter and want an extra entry, tweet about the giveaway and include @raelee or @justjody in your tweet so we’ll be able to find it. Example: I’m totally gonna win this Southern Vampire Series bag of goodies from @raelee: http://tinyurl.com/chsrsu

All Together Dead (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 7)
by Charlaine Harris

As a long-time fan of the Sookie Stackhouse series (yes, long before there was a True Blood), I’d been anxiously awaiting All Together Dead, the 7^th instalment in the Southern Vampire series for some time.

Sadly, I was mostly disappointed by this latest effort. My first reaction was that it felt as if the book had been written by someone else. All the great characters are still there, but they just don’t sound quite right. This certainly did not stop me from reading the book, but I didn’t burn through All Together Dead as fast as I normally do with the Sookie novels, and I often had to re-read bits of dialogue before they made sense. In the end, it was a good story, but getting to the end wasn’t as enjoyable as it normally is with Charlaine Harris’s books.

I’m guessing one of the reasons for the shift in the tone is that the story involves New Orleans, and I suspect All Together Dead was written – but not published – BEFORE Katrina struck, and then required some hasty re-writes in order to accommodate the tragedy. This is no fault of the writer’s, and I had actually been wondering how they were going to handle the hurricane since the last book took place almost entirely in New Orleans, and many of the characters came from there. Ms. Harris did a good job of recognizing the tragedy, and working her story around it, but that doesn’t change the fact that parts of the book didn’t quite flow. The stories that were took place back in Bon Temps felt truncated, like they should have had more time allotted to them. And the overall mystery was full of big, glaring clues that left me frustrated with the characters for missing them.

I also wonder if the fact that the series has now been made into a TV show is starting to factor into the development of the story? Sometimes All Together Dead had the feel of a TV show that has been tinkered with by the network. You know, the “this character needs more of a story – get her in a relationship”, or the standard “we can’t have our leads getting together before the end of the series, so let’s give her some new love interests” type of changes. Obviously I’m not sure about this, it’s just the feeling that I sometimes got while reading.

All that aside, there were still some great things about All Together Dead. Sookie has grown quite a bit in these last 2 novels, and I think that’s important for the future of the series – things need to advance in order to keep the stories interesting and believable. I love that she has a new roommate, and that she’s becoming more of a prominent figure in the supernatural world. I enjoyed getting to know Barry the other telepath, and liked that he and Sookie figured out how to work together to achieve better results. And I’m actually a big fan of Quinn, so I also enjoyed the growth of their relationship as well.

Overall, the character development was great, and I’m eager to see where Harris will take Sookie and her supernatural crew in the future, but All Together Dead was not the best instalment of the series.