Charlaine Harris 'Southern Vampire Mysteries'

[bunnypeaches]

Maybe better known as the books True Blood was based on. Anyone else read them? Any opinions?

 

[Arentil]

Hello,
I've read the first 4 books in this series. I think they're cute, and it was interesting after watching season 1 of "True Blood" to see how different they are. The books, to me, have kind of a folksy feel in the way they're written, almost like the small town gossip you know goes on there in Bon Temps. What did you think of them?

 

[bunnypeaches]

Yeah I thought more or less the same, not ground breaking literature or anything but pretty entertaining. I know what you mean about the folksy thing, it makes you feel like you know the characters better. One thing I noticed is Harris seems to forget what she's written (i. e. In book 4 Debbie Pelt is a were-lynx but in the books after that she's suddenly a were-fox) and that kind of grates on me a bit.
She does set a good scene though and I quite like the books if I'm not in the mood for anything too serious. Nice to talk to someone else about these books though, I don't know anybody who's read them

 

[Dave]

She was interviewed last week on BBC Breakfast. She said she started out writing Crime Fiction, She was looking for a change of direction when she wrote the first book. It was kicked around several publishers before she got it printed. It was an immediate success and the publishers asked her for more, and more, and now she has 12 (I think). Maybe the problems you mention, bunnypeaches, are from the pressure of churning them out so quickly? She says that the sex in the TV show is not in her books and she can't watch the TV show with her kids as they get embarrassed.

 

[bunnypeaches]

Churning them out so quickly does seem the likeliest reason for the lapses in continuity. Technically it's the editor who should catch things like that I suppose. There is sex in the books but it's not as frequent and much more tame. I've only seen a few episodes of the TV show though, so I can't really comment on that with much authority.

 

[Connavar]

The sex really was distracting in the show specially in Season 1. It felt so forced having so rabid,frequent sex scenes.

I will try the books now that i liked several characters in the tv show. Except i found Sookie,Bill a tad annoying couple.

 

[Arentil]

Fair warning, the books are very different from the TV show. (I was kind of surprised at how different.) One of the best quotes I've heard from Charlaine Harris about the differences between books & show was, when asked what she thought of how the director handled the show, etc, "he doesn't tell me how to write my books & I don't tell him how to make his show."

As far as the books being light reading, definitely! A friend of mine calls them "potato chip books." Light, fun, and you can keep reading more! (Kinda like the Tanya Huff vampire series.)

 

[Tansy]

I read them as light entertainment and race through them, I class them in the same "light read" category as Jim Butcher, Kelley Armstrong and Maria M Snyder's books and I guess Koontz's Odd Thomas series

Thoroughly enjoy them all as a distraction from life


I much prefer the books to the tv series

 

[bunnypeaches]

I much prefer the books to the tv series

Agreed, admittedly I only saw the first few episodes, but I think the books are much better. I especially didn't like who they chose to play Erik, he didn't look even a little bit Viking-y!

My guess is that Sookie will end up with Sam. But I don't know how many more books are to come.

 

[Wybren]

I have just finished reading the current 9 - I read them in 2 weeks while on holidays. I think that they are enjoyable and light reading, despite the few inconsistancies in the books ( the whole werefox/werelynx thing and that she mentions in one book that it had been 2 years since the "outing" and in another says it was 6 years even though the time between the 1st and last books is about a year in my aproximation).

I love the Erik Character, and at first I didnt think that Alexander Skarsgard was the right pick, he has grown on me somewhat.

There are at least 4 more books to come, one due out in may and then she has signed on for 3 more.

 

[Karn Maeshalanadae]

I never was a fan of True Blood and I'm leery of any vampire novels these days.....

 

[bunnypeaches]

Wybren, those inconsistencies really irritate me though. Surely someone should've noticed those before the books went to print?! And I love Erik in the books too, but I like my men manlier than Skarsgard generally, but specially if they're meant to be viking vampires they ought to be more rugged

 

[Wybren]

You would think that some one would pick up on them, surely she has plenty of beta readers who would do so. They didnt bother me too much though, because they werent really important to the plot so it was easy for me to overlook, because the rest of the story was pretty decent.

Sarsgard is better in season 2 I think, though I would have preffered them to keep Eriks hair long.

Bill bugs me though, I would have cast a younger actor for the part.

 

[bunnypeaches]

I would have cast Heath Ledger, personally If he hadn't died of course.

 

[Wybren]

Hmmmm he would have been good His buddy Jake Gyllenhaal would also have been a good choice.

I cant help looking at Jason Stackhouse and seeing Vinnie Patterson -yeah I know they were played by the same guy, it just seems like Ryan didn't have to stretch his acting capabilities for the role.

 

[El Dirko]

I just read all 9 of them within a few weeks and enjoyed them immensely, except for the last one which was too heavy on the gore and shock scenes for shock's sake.

Best wishes,
Dirk

 

[bunnypeaches]

I just read all 9 of them within a few weeks and enjoyed them immensely, except for the last one which was too heavy on the gore and shock scenes for shock's sake.

I'd agree with that, I thought the last one was a bit over the top with the gore and crucifixion and stuff too. But the 10th one's out at the beginning of June and I'm quite looking forward to it The snippets I've read online seem really good.

 

[bunnypeaches]

Anyone read the new one yet? I really enjoyed it, way better than Dead and Gone! I loved the Alexei Romanov bit, and I'm already looking forward to the next one. I generally was really happy with it, specially the line "Jason, could you please come here and push Erik's ribs back in!" that bit actually made me laugh out loud. I like that Jason had more of a part to play in this book.

 

[Jon Sprunk]

My wife L-O-V-E-S these books. All I can tell you is that Ms. Harris is a charming lady. I haven't met her in person, but she blogged about my book (so she has taste). Very down-to-earth.

 

[Wybren]

Anyone read the new one yet? I really enjoyed it, way better than Dead and Gone! I loved the Alexei Romanov bit, and I'm already looking forward to the next one. I generally was really happy with it, specially the line "Jason, could you please come here and push Erik's ribs back in!" that bit actually made me laugh out loud. I like that Jason had more of a part to play in this book.

I enjoyed the last book, I got it when it was released and took 2 days to finish (only because I had to work) I didnt enjoy it as much as some of the others but it was still good. I wished it had more too it though, and more Eric.