Dead Until Dark book review

For those who don't keep up with such things, there is a burgeoning subgenre of fantasy/horror romance fiction out there. Dead Until Dark, the first in a series of the Sookie Stackouse novels, is far from any Anne Rice novel. It is quite different, and that is why I liked it. The main protagonist in Dead Until Dark is a 25-year-old high school-educated Louisiana waitress named Sookie Stackhouse who lives with her grandma and is able to read minds. It is either an ability or a curse, depending on how Sookie looks at it. I think it is a great twist to have a human with a gift.

A Japanese biomedical group has created synthetic blood substitutes that finally allow vampires to live "mainstream" among humans. Sookie is a bit of a spinster because her mindreading complicates relationships. By strange coincidence, she can't read the mind of her small town's newest vampire resident–Bill-and those same powers prevent Bill's "glamour" from working on her. Soon enough, an unlikely romance begins. And then there is also the murder mystery happening all around Sookie and all hell breaks loose. But even the murder mystery wasn't scary; yet another reason I enjoyed this book very much.

Not only that, but this book gives the reader a glimpse into the minds of small town, Southern Americans. I like the characters in that they are just ordinary people...surrounded by vampires. The only thing that I didn't like is that Sookie seems a bit too simple and uneducated. But then again, if she were smart, she wouldn't be dating a vampire now would she?

I give this book a rating of a 4 out of 5. A short, easy read with just the right amount of drama, romance and suspense.

Outlander part 2

The first half of this book is very different from the second half. The violence I described in the earlier post didn't happen again...at least not between Claire and Jamie. There was other forms of violence though. I found the homosexuality very strange. I'm not sure why this was put in the book, unless for pure shock affect. Or perhaps the writer is trying to explain that this stuff happened back then as it does today.

I have some questions that I will discuss in the bookclub. I was confused a bit on a few things. But all in all, it was a page turner. I couldn't stop reading! There was heart break, excitement and of course steamy love scenes. For those of you who aren't in to hearing an intimate description of a love scene, then this book isn't for you because it is filled with it. But it was a great book even without all of that. I think the author uses that to describe the love that Jamie and Claire have for one another and just how deep it goes.

I would read the next book, but I'm in school right now and I fear I would neglect my studies...as I already have for this one! Once I start reading a book that I like, I cannot put it down. If you have the time to read an almost 700 page book, go out and get it. Loved it...can you tell?

Outlander Part 1

Outlander is a story about a woman who lives in post WWII, 1945. She served as a nurse with the British forces, and has just been reunited with her husband after 6 years. They go to Scotland to have a "second honeymoon" and Frank (the husband) seems more interested in tracking his lineage through Scotland. Claire falls through a crack in a rock circle similar to Stonehenge and is transported to Scotland circa 1735.

Ok, so I realize I'm only half way through the book but I have a couple issues with it so far.

1) I think the "marriage of convenience" is completely unromantic. Granted, Jamie and Claire appear to care for one another but I've seen no display of actual love, said or otherwise. Jamie just seems eager to lose his virginity and "enjoy" himself with Claire all over the Scottish countryside. Claire seems to have lost her desire for her real husband and is enjoying getting lost in her new one. I realize that her marriage to Frank was not all that exciting and they had been apart for so long.

2) How can Claire go on as if she's not been transported through time? I'd do almost anything to get back to the rock circle and get back to my real life. And she seems to fit right in which I find unlikely (not that slipping through a time portal is likely). She does try to "escape", unsucessfuly a few times. However, she's a very smart woman and it seems she could lure someone in taking her there for some reason.

3) I'd like to see much more inner struggle with Claire. I'd like to "hear" her thoughts as she's with Jamie...is she thinking about Frank at all? Does it bother her that she can't properly shower??? Things that would certainly bother me. In fact, I'd like a little more description from the author on a lot of things. I find it hard to picture in my head what she has written. And find it hard to put myself into the story and therefore hard to "get into" it.

I know I don't know the whole story yet as I'm only halfway through the book. But I was extremely turned off by the whipping she recieved by Jamie, him not feeling the least bit sorry about it, and then the very violent love-making (scratch that), sex that followed when they returned to the castle. For some reason that really bothered me...and the way he kept saying she was his...I don't know. I was literally sick to my stomach after that. I know it was a much different time but my "women's rights" side has come out in full affect. :-)

More to follow...