I wish I could be a New York Times bestselling author. I know Charlaine Harris is one ‘cause it says so on the cover of her book. And I find myself wondering, was she best-selling before or after they made the TV series? Whatever, she must’ve been pretty popular or why would they have used her books.

I wish… but when I read the Sookie Sackhouse novels I know I never will be. Charlaine Harris has a wonderful way with words. She creates a truly intriguing and believable character with a distinctive voice, and sticks to them. Then she creates a whole wide world—a strange and crazy world that simply can’t be true, except it’s almost real, and a world that stays so true to itself it can carry not just one book but a whole expanding series.

Reading Living Dead in Dallas, second in the series, I find Sookie’s world really is expanding quite dramatically. There’s geographic expansion as the story moves temporarily to Dallas. There’s mythical expansion as Sookie is attacked by a creature from beyond the pale. There’s emotional expansion as simple (vampire) love becomes complex patience and caring. There’s character expansion as potential bad guys reveal their hidden depths. And there’s humor too, delightful, quirky, very human humor in a more-than-human world.

I wish I could be a New York Times bestselling author, but I can’t complain. As long as Charlaine Harris remains on the lists, publishers and stores will sell cheap copies of her books to keep me reading. And that’s fine by me. ( )

Living Dead in Dallas continues the story of Sookie Stackhouse, as she travels to Dallas, deals with other supernatural creatures, and continue to try and find a balance in her unconventional relationship with vampire Bill. While these kinds of books aren't my normal read, I picked up the first Sookie book because I am a big fan of the TV series True Blood. I read it last year, barely enjoyed it, but decided to check out Living Dead in Dallas to see if they get any better. After waiting about 5 months for it to become available at the library, I finally got to read it. I will fully admit the writing is not very sophisticated and the plot is only a little better than the writing. Sookie is not a character I personally find relatable or even all that likable. She repeats herself a lot, seems a teensy bit too navie, and is way too moral for a girl having crazy sex with a vampire.Still, this book was much more enjoyable than the first in the series. Its an entertaining quick read if you're looking for something fun and light, and definitely made me interested in checking out the next book. ( )

I enjoy the humor that Harris uses in her writing. It is also interesting to see Sookie grow into her new role as Bill's significant other and as a working telepath. Although she sees the drawbacks of being the girlfriend of a vampire and what that means for her future, Sookie still loves Bill.
An enjoyable read in a genre that is not normally my cup of tea. Glad I'm giving these books a try. ( )

 In some ways better than the first book in the series. With a lot of the main characters already established Ms. Harris was able to devote some time to Sookie's growing realization that Bill is really not human and she can't expect him to always react the way a human would. Sookie also meets another telepath, the vampires of Dallas, and more shapeshifters. Her investigation into the disappearance of a Dallas vampire has a few complications and Sookie sees that becoming a part of the supernatural world is definitely not going to be a piece of cake. If you enjoyed the first book in this series be sure to read Living Dead in Dallas.

Poor Sookie Stackhouse has a slew of issue in book two of the Southern Vampire Mysteries/True Blood/Sookie series. She’s still dating Vampire Bill, who has been begrudgingly accepted in Bon Temps, but that’s about the only good thing going for her. On top of being attacked by a maenad (a boozy hussy who worships Dionysus), she’s shipped off to Dallas to use her “talent” of mind-reading to find out who (or what) has kidnapped a vampire from the Dallas nest. With that puzzle solved she returns to Bon Temps to see if she can find out who killed a man and planted him in Detective Andy Bellefleur’s car one night. She’s quite the busy bee in Living Dead in Dallas. On top of all the sleuthing, it’s also apparent that she’s very addicted to sex, since every man (living or dead) seems to make her libido spin. Goodness, now that I realize everything that was going on in this book I wonder how it’s only 291 pages. Oh yeah, the writing isn’t exactly… Pulitzer worthy? Amongst other things.

Book two is better than Book one (Dead Until Dark), because the plot is more intense, and the vampires are more attractive. There’s also a new group of shapeshifters introduced (including werewolves!), which is fun and I hope am sure they’ll return in the future. So, if you liked Dead Until Dark, you should definitely continue with the series. I do not feel that these books deserve all the hype they’re getting, if I’m honest with you, but yes, I will continue to read them. Maybe it’s a waste of time, but I like vampires, and I like the television show, and for a quick escapist read, it’ll do. ( )