The Sookie Stackhouse Series: Book Review

I love supernatural books. I love anything with a vampire, or a lycanthrope. Especially a lycanthrope. I started watching True Blood at first, but then we canceled HBO, or I started working on that night. I can't remember. But I can thank it for introducing me to the series. I have all but the last two books and have read them through at least three times. Even on the third reading I can't put them down. I forgo sleep to finish the chapters.

If you are a True Blood watcher, you can still read the books, they are nothing like the series. At all. They went off into left field during the very first season.  So you won't feel redundant.

For anyone living under a bridge, Sookie is a telepathic barmaid in Louisiana. In her reality vampires are real. They have outed themselves because the Japanese created synthetic blood meant to be used for transfusions. The most popular brand is "True Blood." Sookie meets Vampire Bill who sucks her into the supernatural world, where she discovers that their are a lot more then vampires out there. 

I'm going to call a spade a spade, this is a romance novel. A little gorier then most, but still. Girl meets boy, loves boy, boy does something stupid, girl makes boy jealous, in a continuous loop. I would say it's a step up from Twilight (maybe 10 or 125 steps) and a step below Anne Rice vampire books. Charlaine Harris's storytelling is good, her writing is good too. Not great. Good. But she really knows how to develop a character.  For example Sookie, I like her. I want to hang out with her and talk about Erik's extreme sexiness. She's a southern girl, raised right and just trying to get by in life, burdens and all. But still keeps a smile on her face.  She's like me! Except with bigger boobs and a vampire boyfriend.

I think a summer read should be easy, but interesting and a little steamy. And the Sookie books have all these. I highly recommend them. 

What's your criteria for the perfect summer read?