Bookfreak Review-Charlaine Harris's Definitely Dead

Because of my dear love of literature, I wondered to myself, "Self, why are you not writing up your thoughts on the books you read? You are sharing just about any other random minutia of your life, why not that?" And I could find no real good answer, because I always enjoy things more when I can share them. I hoofed it over to Barnes & Noble Tuesday to pick up the brand new Charlaine Harris's Definitely Dead. Why hoof it? Because that was the book's release date, and the Sookie Stackhouse series is one of my favorites. The other reason I hoofed it was that Tuesday was also the release date for the new Tool album, 10,000 Days and I had to pick up two copies for my husband. Why two? Because he swore up and down that he would need two because he'd wear out the first one and needed a backup. As I am a book freak, he is a music freak, so he gives me no grief about it. It works out well. While I was there, I also picked up another book I've had on my Amazon wishlist, Lilith Saintcrow's Working for the Devil, because the world would assuredly tilt off its axis if I left a bookstore with only ONE BOOK.

Definitely Dead, by Charlaine Harris

This is the sixth book in Harris's Southern Vampire series, starring the ever-delightful telepathic barmaid, Sookie Stackhouse. I'm a huge fan of the series, and recommend them often. Mostly because I think it deftly straddles a couple of genres and works well as a intro for people who usually like romance, mystery, or fantasy. Harris is one of the few authors who really brings you in to Southern culture, also, which I found to be validating and authentic. This aspect has been confirmed during lenghthy discussions with my girl, B, who found it interesting as someone from elsewhere.

The sixth book begins a new relationship for Sookie with the character of Quinn, introduced in the fifth book as a mysterious, very tall, very muscley, very bald, and very charismatic shapeshifter who turns into a tiger. It doesn't get more badass than that, really. He doesn't turn into a puny lapdog, or a bat, or even a wolf. He turns into a 450 pound tiger. Sweet. Can you imagine if somebody messed with you? I'd be all "My boyfriend's gonna TEAR YOU APART", and it would be true...LITERALLY. So hot (but not in a fetishy-furry way, thank you). Anyway, so Quinn shows up and asks her out on a real date. That in itself is practially fantasy material. Back in the old days, when I was dating guys didn't have the guts to ask a girl out. It was always, 'hey, you and your friends wanna meet up with me and my friends at this bar?'. What is that?!? Fortune favors the bold, guys. Suck it up and grow a pair. And the saddest part is girls let them get away with it! Why? Because the alternative is to sit at home and become and spinster. So reading about some fantasy land, where big strapping hot guys with good jobs and awesome paranormal powers risk a little rejection and ask a girl out on a real date. The idea of such a place makes us all sigh, shake our heads at such wild and wonderful ideas, and daydream about such a land, which would also have Godiva truffle and Jimmy Choo trees, and populated with unicorns and pegasuseses (pegasi?). Where our hair is always Pantene commercial perfect, where we are all a size 6, and zits, wrinkles and calories are just a myth.

I'm sorry, where was I? Oh yeah, the book. So it's great, Sookie maintains a grounded, identifyable and charming voice that takes you through the myriad twists and turns of her story through little Bon Temps all the way to New Orleans (Pre-Katrina). She is one of the few practical and un-annoying heroines in fantasy literature, thinking her way through Were abductions and vampire coups.

The book is all goodness. Exciting story, interesting characters, my girl Sook staying true to herself and remaining one of the characters I'd most like to have dinner with. The only thing that could have made it better would have been...more of it.

I've decided to score my reviewed books by how "Sweet!" they are, and the best way to do that is obvious.

Four out of five Napoleons, because it would have been sweeter if it was longer, not because the plot needed more development, but because I just like it so much.