I Forgot to Savour It...

Lately, I've been a little bit, uh, obsessed, with Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels. You know, the ones that HBO's TrueBlood are based on? They follow Sookie, a mind-reading waitress in rural Louisianna as she navigates the newly revealed supernatural world - vampires, weres, witches and fairies - oh my! If you've been following along, you'll remember when I first discovered the tv series and spent a whole day watching the entire first season, when I bought and read the first book in the series, when the books completely took over my life, when I considered threatening postal employees because the latest realease had not arrived yet, and finally, when it arrived and I was so excited I took pictures with it.

I had big plans to take it slowly and savour this one, because as far as I know, Ms. Harris has not announced when the next one is coming. I even waited and didn't start reading on Friday night when I got the book, knowing it would go too fast.

Well I started on Saturday morning and finished on Sunday night. "Dead and Gone" went fast.


I don't want to spoil too much for anyone who hasn't read it. (By the way, if you're reading something else, you're wasting your time - start reading this series ASAP!) Let's just say I was pleased. No big departure from the previous books, this series certainly has an established style that it sticks to - but I am a fan of that style. In order not to ruin it, my review is like this:

ERIC!!! (ack! swoon! whaa?) Woah - Arlene! Bill!?!! Holycrapfairiesarecreepy!

Those of you who've read it (*ahem* EP *ahem*), thoughts?
Those of you who have told me you have the first book in the series but have not read it (*cough* Olga *cough*), get on it - you've got a lot of catching up to do!
Those of you who for some bizarre reason have not thought to pick up a copy of these books - seriously, get your butt to the book store or library! They're entertaining and light while being thrilling and sexy. And at least for me, they're consuming, they take over my life, I get emotionally involved, I have a GIANT literary crush on a certain former Viking.

I'll Be MIA for a Few Days...

It arrived today!! Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris! Look how excited I am! I need to remember to savour it, though, as I don't know when the next is coming. But I'm going home on Sunday, so I'll get to spend next week reading it on the porch - we'd better have good weather!

Seriously, guys, are you reading this series yet?

I'm (Impatiently) Waiting!

Okay, seriously, Chapters, I pre-ordered the new Charlaine Harris book Dead and Gone, a month ago. It came out on Tuesday. Where is my book?? I could have gone to the store and purchased it multiple times by now! The website finally says it has shipped in full, so maybe this is Canada Post's fault. I've gone downstairs in my pjs every day since Tuesday to check the mail, and I've got nothing. It's Thursday, but if I don't get it tomorrow, so that I have it for the weekend, somebody will be in trouble. Listen, guys, just give me my Sookie Stackhouse book and no one gets hurt.

My Latest Obsession

I've been a bad blogger. I know. I'm sorry.
And I'll likely continue to be a bad blogger for a little while longer.
Would you like to know why?
I have a new obsession.
The Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris... You know, the books that True Blood was based on?
Let me tell you, the books are even better than the series. Oh. My. Goodness.
I have lost sleep over this series, I've stayed up to the wee hours of the morning reading, and still not been able to sleep afterward because I've continued to think about them.
They are just that good.
Right now, I'm reading Definitely Dead, the 6th book. I have one more to read, until the next one comes out in paperback at the end of the month, and then another one comes out in May... the author says she's not done yet, which makes me terribly happy.
I am no good at book reviewing. I doubt I ever will be any good at it. All I can tell you is that these books are incredible and if you haven't read them yet, do so immediately.
And with that, I will likely be MIA for a little longer while I spend all of my free time reading these books. I'll still be Tumbling and Twittering, so if you're missing me, come see me there!

Recap

So life has been busy lately, thus I've been MIA from the blogging world. Here's what's new with me:

• Mom's surgery went really well. She had it on Monday and was okay to go home on Thursday! Her nurses were fantastic and everything went really smoothly. I am unbelievably relieved that this is finally over.
• I've been working overnights. I expect it will be a while before I have a normal sleep schedule again. We have been short staffed the past 2 nights, so I have been stationed by myself at the main desk of the shelter, which I love. When there are no new intakes and all of my work is done, I get to chill with a snack, listen to some Dave Matthews, and read or play around on the internet while everyone else sleeps.
  
• I bought the first book in the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris, it's the book that True Blood is based on. I am almost through it already and I loved it! I went to Chapters tonight and bought the next 3 in the series.
• Maurice the turtle is living at my apartment now! The cat hasn't tried to kill him yet, so all is well! He likes staring at me while I do stuff around the apartment, he's funny! I will introduce you properly soon.
  
• My littlest sister is on a March Break school trip to Spain and Italy right now. The middle sister is still in Australia. I am stuck in Toronto... and slowly going stir crazy.
• BUT, I got a ticket to see the Dave Matthews Band in June! I'm crazy excited, especially because their new CD comes out only days before. However, the crappy part is that I'm going with 2 other friends, and Ticketmaster wouldn't allow us to puchase more than 2 tickets together for inside the pavilion, so I am sitting one section over from my two friends... here's hoping we can sweet talk the people around us to let us all sit together...
  
• I started a Tumblr, because I clearly need to spend more time on the internet. It's Tumbling Down the Rabbit Hole, go follow me!
• Oh! How Lovely! Shops is giving away a set of bodhicitta Recycled Glasses, very cool! Go enter!
  

I Wanna Do Bad Things With You

I spent my entire day today watching the entire first season of HBO's True Blood. I've already talked about how much I love vampires (I've tagged 13 blogs with "Twilight"). For years I've been reading vampire fiction and lusting over them, and Twilight completely solidified that love in the fall, so I figured I couldn't go wrong with True Blood... I mean, check out that sexy poster!

I really liked it, which I suppose one could have assumed judging by the fact that I watched 12 episodes in one day. It was like Twilight for adults - the basic girl falls for vampire, has canine-esque guy friend who is into her, vampire and guy friend have to join to protect girl... all very similar to our favourite teenage vampire saga, and a bonus of no stupid sparkles, breathy staring at each other scenes, and the girl can take care of herself. That being said, it also includes a whole lot more sex, nudity, and drugs than the sexual tension that the teen vampires tiptoed around. It is definitely an adults only vampire saga.
True Blood is set in small-town Louisiana, which I have been enamoured with for years (perhaps since seeing Skeleton Key? I'm not sure, but I've wanted to go for years because it seems like a sexy place).


Thanks to the development of Tru Blood artificial blood, vampires have been able to come out of the coffin and show themselves as a species, lobbying for the vote and equal rights. The discrimination against vampires is still strong, however, and the storyline revolves around the brutal murders of human women who are associating with vampires.


My favourite part of the storyline has to be the relationship between Sookie, a human, and Bill, a vampire (our Bella and Edward). They made me so happy like Edward and Bella did, we follow them from the time they meet through their turmoltuous relationship that is created by their differences. They have to overcome their own fears and prejudices and those of their own kind and learn to risk and trust in order for their relationship to work.

There are, of course, many other aspects of the storyline that will keep you sucked in and wanting more. Season 2 doesn't start until later this year, and I can't wait! Catch up now while you can guys!
And, if all of my sexy pictures and my semi-coherent (I'm on cold meds) descriptions didn't draw you in, watch the opening credits. They are amazingly well done and make me want to move south immediately, and they touch on all of the shows major aspects: life and death, sex and religion, the natural and the unnatural.