Journal Entry 1 by editorgrrl from New Haven, Connecticut USA on Tuesday, May 02, 2006

2005 Berkeley Ace hardcover with dust jacket. I love the Sookie Stackhouse books--they're a mix of vampire, mystery, and romance genres with lots of humor. Read more at charlaineharris.com.

I've been reading the series out of order & loving it:
Dead Until Dark
Living Dead in Dallas
Club Dead
Dead to the World
Powers of Detection (Ace 2004), an anthology which includes "Fairy Dust," a Sookie short story
Night's Edge (Harlequin 2004), an anthology which includes " Dancers in the Dark," a Sookie-universe novella
Bite, an anthology which includes "One Word Answer," a Sookie short story
Dead as a Doornail
Definitely Dead

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Harris's rousing fifth Sookie Stackhouse fantasy-mystery (after 2004's Dead to the World) pits vampires, were-creatures, shifters and one fairy godmother against a sniper with an apparent aversion to nonhumans. If trying to discover who's behind the shootings isn't enough, the telepathic cocktail waitress from Bon Temps, Louisiana, has to cope with a few other distractions: her sexy "Were" friend, Alcide Herveaux, needs her help in his father's bid to become the next leader of the local werewolf pack; her boss, Sam Merlotte (a collie in his spare time), gets shot; her house partly burns down; and what's she to do about the handsome vampire bartender who dresses as a pirate at Sam's place? Between one mishap and another, Sookie is one busy gal. Harris does an admirable job of creating a heroine who's not only interesting but completely believable in a world of the strange and the different. Natural and humorous dialogue and a nicely paced plot that doesn't dwell so much on Sookie's old boyfriends help make this entry the best yet in the series.

From Booklist
Sookie Stackhouse just can't seem to stay away from the supernatural denizens of Bon Temps, Louisiana. In Dead to the World (2004), she found herself embroiled in vampire politics; this time around, she's involved in the machinations of the Were-people, whose pack leader has just passed away. Alcide Herveaux asks her to accompany him to the funeral, where Alcide's father declares his candidacy against a slimy, calculating rival. Angry at being drawn into the conflict, Sookie can't distance herself entirely, because a sniper has been taking shots at Were-people, and the community suspects Sookie's brother, Jason, a new shape-shifter. Sookie's love life is every bit as complicated as usual, and her collection of would-be beaux continues to grow. Also, someone wants her dead, which she learns when an assailant sets fire to her beloved house. Harris' southern vampire series remains one of the best of the breed, concocted out of just the right mixture of humor, intrigue, and excitement. Its latest entry does not disappoint. 

Journal Entry 2 by editorgrrl from New Haven, Connecticut USA on Tuesday, May 30, 2006

I read this over the weekend with Club Dead and loved it -- of course. Now I've read all the books & must wait for a new one to be published. In the meantime, I'll look for Powers of Detection (Ace 2004), an anthology which includes "Fairy Dust," a Sookie short story, and Night's Edge (Harlequin 2004), a Sookie-universe novella.
 

Journal Entry 3 by AnonymousFinder at New Haven, Connecticut USA on Tuesday, July 20, 2010

I picked this up randomly because I had always been curious about the books behind True Blood. It was cool - funny and zippy, and great establishment of the fictional world of Bon Temps. Not very memorable, though.