Tag Archives: Charlaine Harris

Playing Possum by Charlaine Harris

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for an apple for the creature book cover

Title: Playing Possum
Author: Charlaine Harris
Series: Sookie Stackhouse #12.6
In: An Apple for the Creature (Charlaine Harris & Toni L. P. Kelner)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal fantasy, Vampires
Dates read: 10th April 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Ace Books
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: “Oh,” she said, looking appropriately sober.

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Synopsis

Sookie Stackhouse brings enough birthday cupcakes for her nephew’s entire class but finds she’s one short when the angry ex-boyfriend of the school secretary shows up.

Thoughts

I both thoroughly enjoyed this story and felt kind of concerned by it. This is the first short story in a collection of short stories based on our experiences in school. And it has a shooter entering the school grounds. Granted, this was written and published quite a few years ago and may not have been such a hot issue… but considering the constant gunning down of children happening in America at the moment… it was more than a little concerning that the story starts with a tale about a gunman.

I’ve only briefly dabbled into the world of Sookie Stackhouse, but every time I read one of the short stories based in this world, I really want to pick up another one. It’s not great for my self-control when I have two unread Sookie Stackhouse books sitting on my bookshelf just waiting to go… especially since I’ve been told again and again that the stories get better as they unfold, and short stories like Playing Possum really support this idea.

Although this was a tale that I thoroughly enjoyed in the moment, I still find it incredibly problematic. A crazy man taking a gun into a kindergarten in revenge of a woman… it’s a strong comment on our society today that that is so normalised that a short story can be written about it. After all, if this was far fetched, it wouldn’t work in this series…

<- An Apple for the CreatureSpellcaster 2.0 ->

Image source: Goodreads

Blood Lite edited by Kevin J. Anderson

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Overview
Blood Lite

Title: Blood Lite
Author: Kevin J. Anderson, Kelley Armstrong, Joe R. Lansdale, Lucien Soulban, Christopher Welch, Matt Venne, Don D’Amassa, Mark Onspaugh, J.A. Konrath, Paul Wilson, Charlaine Harris, Steven Savile, Will Ludwigsen, Janet Berliner, Eric James Stone, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Mike Resnick, D.L. Snell, Nancy Holder, Nancy Kilpatrick, Jeff Strand, Sharyn McCrumb & Jim Butcher
In: Blood Lite (Kevin J. Anderson)
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
My Bookshelves: Comedy, Horror, Short story collections
Pace: Slow
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Edge
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: Sometimes, especially if I’ve been drinking, and I’m hungry, I revert to my basic nature.

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Synopsis

The Horror Writers Association Presents Blood Lite…a collection of entertaining tales that puts the fun back into dark fiction, with ironic twists and tongue-in-cheek wit to temper the jagged edge.

Charlaine Harris reveals the dark side of going green, when a quartet of die-hard environmentalists hosts a fundraiser with a gory twist in An Evening with Al Gore…

In an all-new Dresden Files story from Jim Butcher, when it comes to tracking deadly paranormal doings, there’s no such thing as a Harry’s Day Off for the Chicago P.D.’s wizard detective, Harry Dresden…

Sherrilyn Kenyon turns a cubicle-dwelling MBA with no life into a demon-fighting seraph with one hell of an afterlife in Where Angels Fear to Tread. NOTE: This story has been re-released in the Dark Bites anthology.

Celebrity necromancer Jaime Vegas is headlining a sold-out séance tour, but behind the scenes, a disgruntled ghost has a bone to pick, in Kelley Armstrong’s The Ungrateful Dead.

So let the blood flow and laughter reign – because when it comes to facing our deepest, darkest fears, a little humor goes a long way!

Thoughts

I’m kind of on the fence about this collection. Some of the stories in this were brilliant. Some downright weird. But all were enjoyable. Just not memorable. This is the kind of collection you read for a good, light laugh and something that isn’t going to make you think and linger in your mind’s eye after you’ve finished the story.

Although this hasn’t been my favourite collection of short stories that I’ve digested in recent times, it also wasn’t one that I ever considered stopping. I know that a collection or novel is truly horrible when I just can’t seem to pick it up and get through it. Yet I didn’t feel that way with this. I just didn’t want to completely bury my nose in these stories either. The best description I can think of for this series is easy. Easy reading. Easy to forget. But easy to spend some humorous time with.

 <- The Four Horsemen Reunion Tour ReviewThe Ungrateful Dead Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

An Evening with Al Gore by Charlaine Harris

Book Review, , , ,

Overview

Blood LiteTitle: An Evening with Al Gore
Author: Charlaine Harris
In: Blood Lite (Kevin J. Anderson)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Comedy, Vampires, Werewolves
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Pocket Books
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: We want this to be a private affair.

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Synopsis

Toddy just wants to make the world a better place. But the way she goes about it is a little… unorthodox.

Thoughts

I literally laughed out loud when I read the last line of this story. Which kind of scared my dog because I normally don’t make so much noise when I’m walking around the house reading. Or really, much noise at all when I’m home alone. I normally am very careful with the vampire and werewolf books that I read when home alone because I can get some whacked out nightmares. This is not the kind of story that makes me feel concerned about this. It’s the kind of light-hearted tale that makes me laugh. In a very weird, very loud spasm.

I love the idea that there is a couple who are passionate environmentalists. And they happen to be werewolves. And they want to change the way that those most heavily responsible for environmental degradation think. It all just works exceedingly beautifully in my brain. The fact that the “bad guys” don’t repent wasn’t in the slightest bit surprising, and I laughed to myself throughout the tale. Now I have to return to the world of reality and continue attempting to do my own part for the environment… lest a vampire or werewolf decide to take their revenge.

 <- The Sound of Blunder Review Dear Prudence Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Book Review, , , ,
Overview

Title: Dead Until Dark
Author: Charlaine Harris
Series: Sookie Stackhouse #1
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal fantasy, Vampires
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Ace Fantasy
Year: 2001
5th sentence, 74th page: I began squirming to the bed table, not happy but resigned.

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Synopsis

Sookie Stackhouse is a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. She’s quiet, keeps to herself, and doesn’t get out much. Not because she’s not pretty. She is. It’s just that, well, Sookie has this sort of “disability”. She can read minds. And that doesn’t make her too dateable. And then along comes Bill. He’s tall, dark, handsome – and Sookie can’t hear a word he’s thinking. He’s exactly the type of guy she’s been waiting for all her life…

But Bill has a disability of his own: He’s a vampire with a bad reputation. He hangs with a seriously creepy crowd, all suspected of – big surprise – murder. And when one of Sookie’s coworkers is killed, she fears she’s next….

Thoughts

I’ve had this suggested again and again and again. So I finally decided that it was necessary to read this. And I’m really glad it did. It turned into one of those good-bad guilty pleasure stories. Something that I want to keep reading, but not the jaw dropping, earth shattering story that I was half expecting. This might be because I could see a lot of parallels with Twilight. Which I hate.

Sookie is kind of a fun and entertaining voice through which to tell the story. She is witty, and a little sarcastic. And not in the slightest bit tough. Which is a complete departure from the kinds of stories that I normally read. She’s a waitress with a keen sense of intelligence and loyalty – but she does tend to lean on the men around her for support. For somebody who normally reads stories about fiercely independent women, this was actually a really lovely departure that I continuously thought about and dreamed of.

Bill honestly bores me. Which is probably the biggest problem that I have with this book. He’s just a vampire that runs around. And courts Sookie. And just someone that wasn’t really engaging. Actually, the main reason why I want to continue reading this series is Sookie and her friend Sam. Bill is handsome, dark and runs around in the dark. That is basically it. Maybe in Living Dead in Dallas he will become a little more multi-layered.

<- More Charlaine HarrisLiving Dead in Dallas ->

Image source: Amazon

Must Love Hellhounds by Charlaine Harris, Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews & Meljean Brook

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Overview
Must Love Hellhounds

Title: Must Love Hellhounds
Author: Charlaine Harris, Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews & Meljean Brook
In: Must Love Hellhounds (Charlaine Harris, Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews & Meljean Brook)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Paranormal fantasy, Short story collections
Pace: Fast
Format: Anthology
Publisher: Berkley Books
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: She might control his cock, but nothing else.

Synopsis

Follow paranormal bodyguards Clovache and Batanya into Lucifer’s realm, where they encounter his fearsome four-legged pets in The Britlingens Go to Hell.

Seek out a traitor in the midst of a guild of nonlethal vampire trackers, one intent on eradicating members of the species of bloodsuckers, in Angels’ Judgment.

Find out why the giant three-headed dog that guards the gates of Hades has left the underworld for the real world – and whose scent he’s following – in Magic Mourns.

Embark on a perilous search for the kidnapped niece of a powerful vampire alongside her blind – and damn sexy – companion and a hellhound in Blind Spot.

Thoughts

I feel so much love for this collection. Not only does it feature two of my already loved series, but it has introduced me to two more that I just have to get my hands on. The fact that all four novellas also feature a hellhound of some description… well, it just made me all the happier. And giddier. And just in general thoroughly enjoying this collection.

Although there was a great common thread throughout these four novellas, the styles and tales were completely different. I liked that they might all be paranormal fantasy, and they all had something to do with hell and demons, but they didn’t actually have all that much else in common with each other. I both loved and hated the fact that each of these tales is also part of a greater series – loved it because I have more books to fill my shelves now. Hated it because I can’t really afford to be purchasing said books.

 <- The Britlingens Go to HellBlind Spot ->

Image source: Goodreads

The Britlingens Go to Hell by Charlaine Harris

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Must Love Hellhounds

Title: The Britlingens Go to Hell
Author: Charlaine Harris
Series: Sookie Stackhouse #9.5
In: Must Love Hellhounds (Charlaine Harris)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Vampires
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Books
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: She had little use for Trovis, and she’d never hidden her opinion.

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Synopsis

Follow paranormal bodyguards Clovache and Batanya into Lucifer’s realm, where they encounter his fearsome four-legged pets in The Britlingens Go to Hell.

Thoughts

Inter-dimensional, cross planetary travel with a side of assassin type bodyguards. You can’t really get much better than that with a novella. Especially when the two bodyguards and their client (who happens to have two penises) have to go to hell. Lucifer’s domain. And fight their way in and out while finding stolen property and avoiding a sexual deviant… or ten.

It’s pretty obvious that there is going to be a hook-up at the end of this story. Most of the paranormal fantasy stories that I read have some kind of romantic and / or sexual entanglement. That was until I read the two penis comment… which just lead to a lot of questions and confusing thoughts… ones that I think are better left unsaid.

I’m not sure how this fits in with Bacon and the other Sookie Stackhouse short stories. But it was certainly an enjoyable story. And now I need to find some more of these tales…

<- Must Love HellhoundsAngels’ Judgment ->

Image source: Goodreads

Bacon by Charlaine Harris

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
strange-brew

Title: Bacon
Author: Charlaine Harris
Series: Sookie Stackhouse #8.6
In: Strange Brew (P.N. Elrod)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Vampires
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: “I understand,” Kathy murmured.

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Synopsis

A beautiful Vampire named Dahlia joins forces with a Witch named Taffy from an ancient line to find out who killed her beloved husband.

Thoughts

I’m not normally a huge fan of stories that are all about revenge – it seems like most of the time it is a twisted pursuit that leaves the perpetuators shells of their former selves. However, I liked the gradual and manipulative way in which Dahlia pursues her vengeance in this short story. Not only is it a pursuit in the name of love, but the sass and flash with which she carries out her retribution completely makes up for my usual distaste in such a story.

The invocation of Circe and her descendants in this short tale finally helped me to make sense of the name of this short story – Bacon. The true cunning and wordplay of Harris actually comes to the fore, but it isn’t until the very last sentence that this wit is shown.

<- Hecate’s Golden EyeSignatures of the Dead ->

Image source: Goodreads

Strange Brew edited by P.N. Elrod

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Overview

strange-brew

Title: Strange Brew
Authors: Patricia Briggs, Jim Butcher, Rachel Caine, Karen Chance, P.N. Elrod, Charlaine Harris, Faith Hunter, Caitlin Kittredge & Jenna Maclaine
In: Strange Brew (P.N. Elrod)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal fantasy, Paranormal romance, Short story collections
Pace: Medium
Format: Anthology
Publisher: St Martin’s Griffin
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: Murphy jumped on me then, pinning my left arm down as Meditrina started raking at my face with her nails, both of them screaming like banshees.

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Synopsis

Today’s hottest urban fantasy authors come together in this delicious brew that crackles and boils over with tales of powerful witches and dark magic!

In Charlaine Harris’ “Bacon,” a beautiful vampire joins forces with a witch from an ancient line to find out who killed her beloved husband. In “Seeing Eye” by Patricia Briggs, a blind witch helps sexy werewolf Tom Franklin find his missing brother—and helps him in more ways than either of them ever suspected. And in Jim Butcher’s “Last Call,” wizard Harry Dresden takes on the darkest of dark powers—the ones who dare to mess with this favorite beer.

For anyone who’s ever wondered what lies beyond the limits of reality, who’s imagined the secret spaces where witches wield fearsome magic, come and drink deep. Let yourself fall under the spell of this bewitching collection of short stories!

Thoughts

This was a thoroughly enjoyable collection of short stories – they all erred on the side of dark fantasy and had twists to traditional ideas that I didn’t expect. The balance of female and male chief protagonists was well thought out, with a range of characters for even the most discerning reader to fall in love with. I loved that each tale was strange and unique, but they all fit together in a fabric that made the stories flow easily into each other.

The nine authors collected together in Strange Brew contributed short stories from their larger series, but they were easily accessible if you have not read the greater series (as I hadn’t for the majority). They are a window into another world that encourages you to jump in, feet first, something that I, for one, intend to do!

<- Dark Sins Review Seeing Eye Review ->
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