Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Dead Until Dark {The Southern Vampire's - #1}

Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Gollancz
Publication date(first): 2001
ISBN-13: 978-0575089365

Synopsis taken from Goodreads:

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 kind of guy she's been waiting for all her life.

But Bill has a disability of his own: He's a vampire. Worse than that, hangs with a seriously creepy crowd, with a reputation for trouble - of the murderous kind.

And when one of Sookie's colleagues is killed, she begins to fear she'll be next.

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Opening Line:"I'd been waiting for the Vampire for years when he walked into the bar"

I bought this book more than 2 years ago when it came as part of an eight book set from the Book People for just £9.99. Nine pounds ninety nine!! For eight books. Bargain!... and then they just sat on the shelf, unopened and gathering dust. My bad.

Some time later I started to hear murmers about a great new show called True blood based on the books so I dusted off 'Dead Until Dark' and settled down to see what all the fuss what about. I got about a quarter of the way through and found it to be a real slog. Sookie just seemed way too kitchy for me and the Southern drawl that was written into every passage of speech grew old really fast. I love to listen to the down South accent, but to read it just grated on my nerves. I couldn't stand Bill and he seemed like all he did was mope about and I couldn't figure out what Sookie liked about him, and to have every miniscule fashion decision that Sookie made detailed for me in minute detail was just one big yawn. I couldn't visualise Sookie or any of the other characters and it just all seemed really unmemorable. I was thoughoughly underwhelmed but it all. I set it aside and started to wonder about the wisdom of my £9.99 'bargain'.

I did start to watch the show though. I wanted to see if it was any better. It was. It was great! I loved it! I couldn't get enough. Loosly based on the books and sooooo much better. And then season 1 ended and I was left hungry for more. OMG! How would I survive until season 2?!!

Then my eye's strayed to the bookshelves and unfinished book 1 sitting there, all dusty and unloved.

Without expecting much I set in to restart it where I left off to try and fill the gap until season 2 came around and within a few pages the strangest thing happened... I started to get sucked into it! I could finally 'see' and 'hear' Sookie and Bill, Eric and Pam, Arlene and Sam and all of the characters just came to life!

Now that I knew Sookie and could 'see' her I loved reading all about her little outfit choices and how she kept a nice house and what she spent her meagre earnings on. In fact, all the little details is what made the book readable for me. I felt like I knew Sookie now and I loved hearing all her news. Still didn't know what she saw in Bill though.....that still remeains a mystery.

Since that epiphany I've went on to watch season's 2, 3 and am part way through current season 4. I have also worked my way thorugh books 1 to 5 and am currently enjoying book 6. Without watching the show I know I'd probably never have gone back to the books. The show is only loosely based on the books so it actually feels like I've got twice as many stories to enjoy as the storylines are similar but quite different.

I'm trying to pace myself with the books though, I don't want to get too far ahead of the tv show. It's really hard, I'm enjoying them so much I just want to plough through them all!

Oh, and Eric Northman...Two words - Bite me!