• Author(s): Charlaine Harris
• ISBN: 978-0-441-01777-5
• Publisher: Penguin Group/Ace Books
• Release Date: 11/12/2008

So vampires aren’t really my thing. Never have been. I never liked Anne Rice, I never really got the draw. I read Bram Stoker, but…

Then Twilight came along and someone said it was the next Harry Potter, so I read it. And I LOVED it. I guess it was all downhill from there. I admit it though, I have an addiction and I eat books. Figuratively, of course. I read all 9 of the Southern Vampires Mysteries (also known as the Sookie Stackhouse books, also known as the True Blood books) in a week. I couldn’t stop myself. They were funny, they were mysterious, and they were SO easy to read. Let me tell you why…

Charlaine Harris’ world consists of quite a cast of characters. But it begins with one girl, Sookie (who can read minds) and one vampire, Bill, in the Louisiana backwater of Bon Temps. Vampires have just recently come out of the coffin, so to speak, thanks to a Japanese company creating synthetic blood. Vampires are touting themselves as the victims of a rare disorder that makes them allergic to garlic and sunlight. But with the emergence of the synthetic blood, they have announced themselves to the world, and have entered mainstream society. This has complicated the lives of law enforcement, to say the least, but it has been a brain expanding experience for the rest of the world. If vampires exist, what else exists?

Sookie and Bill are on the road to becoming an item, no matter how much it’s frowned upon. Human/vampire relationships are treated much the same as biracial couples in the 50s and 60s and gay couples of the recent past. Harris makes a fabulous nod to being open-minded and non-judgemental with this couple. What begins as a love story quickly changes to constant danger and mystery for our no-nonsense barmaid.

I’m obviously not going to summarize the entire set of 9 books here. I will just say that there is a nice mix of action, gore, romance, mystery and local history to keep you entertained. It is the perfect book (or books) to take to the beach. And when you need a new fix of Sookie, you can always tune into True Blood on HBO. The nice difference here is that the show doesn’t exactly follow the books, so you almost get a double dose of the Bon Temps world!

I hope what I’ve set up here has made you at least want to check out the series. There’s a huge cast of characters and you never know who will be introduced next, or where someone’s story line will go. Harris writes with ease, and the story reads like an email from your best friend.  It’s a great story and a great summer read.