BE: Sookie Stackhouse vs. True Blood

True Blood Season 4I love the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris; so I was equally happy to hear it was being made into a television show. Well, I was happy until I heard it was going to be on HBO (which I don’t have), but honestly that is the best place for it to be. True Blood is definitely a hit, and while it is based on the books, the show isn’t the same. Yes there are similarities, but when it comes to television, things that take pages to say in a book, can be done in seconds on screen. So there are going to be differences.  But what do you think – are you happy with the changes? Did they totally screw something up? Is Ryan Kwanten who you pictured as Jason?  Larissa (from Larissa’s Bookish Life), Day (from Paperback Dolls) and I want to know.  So please join us at Talk Shoe on June 6th at 9pm EST and let’s talk about it.

Call-in Number: 724.444.7444
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Set in the fictional town of Bon Temps, Sookie Stackhouse, a waitress, discovers a new world of creatures when she falls in love with Bill Compton, a vampire.

Creator:Alan Ball
Stars:Anna Paquin (Sookie), Stephen Moyer (Bill), Alexander Skarsgård (Eric), Sam Trammell (Sam), Ryan Kwanten (Jason), Rutina Wesley (Tara), Nelsan Ellis (Lafayette), Deborah Ann Woll (Jessica) and Kristin Bauer (Pam).

Warning: We will be focusing on the series as it relates to True Blood, so spoilers are going to happen. We’ll try to keep the hardcore spoilers to a minimum, but there are no guarantees.

Haven’t read the series yet? What are you waiting for?! Here are the books, in order:

Dead Until Dark

CHarris-Dead Until DarkSookie Stackhouse is just a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. Until the vampire of her dreams walks into her life-and one of her coworkers checks out….

Maybe having a vampire for a boyfriend isn’t such a bright idea.

A fun, fast, funny, and wonderfully intriguing blend of vampire and mystery that’s hard to put down, and should not be missed.

Living Dead in Dallas

CHarris-Living Dead in DallasCocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse is on a streak of real bad luck. First, her co-worker gets murdered and no one seems to care. Then Sookie is attacked – and poisoned – late one night by some weird and apparently mythical beast. She only survives because the local vampires roll up and graciously suck the poison from her veins (like they didn’t enjoy it). But in return the blood-suckers need a favor.

Which is why Sookie ends up in Dallas, using her telepathic skills to search for a missing vampire, on the condition that her undead friends don’t do anything, well, vampiric while she’s there. Easier said than done. All it takes is one delicious blonde and one small mistake for things to turn deadly…

Club Dead

CHarris-Club DeadThere’s only one vampire that cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse is involved with (at least voluntarily) and it’s Bill Compton. But when she catches him in a serious act of betrayal, she’s not sure whether to save him-or sharpen some stakes.

Dead to the World

CHarris-Dead to the WorldWhen telepathic cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse sees a naked man on the side of the road, she doesn’t just drive on by. Turns out the poor thing hasn’t a clue who-or what-he is, but Sookie knows. It’s the vampire Eric Northman-but now he’s a kinder, gentler Eric. And a very frightened Eric, because it soon becomes obvious that whoever took his memory now wants his life.

Dead as a Doornail

CHarris-Dead as a DoornailWhen Sookie’s brother Jason’s eyes start to change, she knows he’s about to turn into a were-panther for the first time. But her concern becomes cold fear when a sniper sets his deadly sights on the local changeling population-and Jason’s new panther brethren suspect he may be the shooter. Now, Sookie has until the next full moon to find out who’s behind the attacks, unless the killer decides to find her first.

Definitely Dead

CHarris-Definitely DeadAs a person with so few living relatives, supernaturally gifted Louisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse really hated to lose one. But she never thought it would be her cousin Hadley, a consort of the Vampire Queen of New Orleans. Since Hadley was a vampire, she was already dead – weird! And now, as unexpected heir to Hadley’s estate, Sookie discovers that someone doesn’t want her snooping around, going through Hadley’s possessions and her past. But why? And who?

All Together Dead

CHarris-All Together DeadLouisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse has her hands full dealing with every sort of undead and paranormal creature imaginable. And after being betrayed by her longtime vampire love, Sookie must not only deal with a new man in her life-the shapeshifter Quinn-but also contend with the long-planned vampire summit.

The summit is a tense situation. The vampire queen of Louisiana is in a precarious position, her power base weakened by hurricane damage to New Orleans. And there are some vamps who would like to finish what nature started. Soon, Sookie must decide what side she’ll stand with. And her choice may mean the difference between survival and all-out catastrophe.

From Dead to Worse

CHarris-From Dead to WorseAfter the natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina and the manmade explosion at the vampire summit, everyone—human and otherwise—is stressed, including Louisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse, who is trying to cope with the fact that her boyfriend Quinn has gone missing.

It’s clear that things are changing—whether the weres and vamps of her corner of Louisiana like it or not. And Sookie—Friend to the Pack and blood-bonded to Eric Northman, leader of the local vampire community—is caught up in the changes.

In the ensuing battles, Sookie faces danger, death, and once more, betrayal by someone she loves. And when the fur has finished flying and the cold blood finished flowing, her world will be forever altered.

Dead and Gone

CHarris-Dead and GoneExcept for Sookie Stackhouse, folks in Bon Temps, Louisiana, knew little about vamps-and nothing about Weres. Until now. The Weres and shifters have finally revealed their existence to the ordinary world, and the backlash may have claimed the life of someone Sookie knew. But her determination to find out who is responsible for the murder is put aside in the face of a far greater danger. A race of unhuman beings- older, more powerful, and more secretive than vampires or werewolves-is preparing for war. And Sookie will find herself an all-toohuman pawn in their battle…

Dead in the Family

CHarris-Dead in the FamilyAfter enduring torture and the loss of loved ones during the brief but deadly Fae War, Sookie Stackhouse is hurt and she’s mad. Just about the only bright spot in her life is the love she thinks she feels for vampire Eric Northman. But he’s under scrutiny by the new vampire king. And as the political implications of the shifters’ coming-out are beginning to be felt, Sookie’s connection to one particular Were draws her into the dangerous debate. Also, though the doors to Faery have been closed, there are still some fae on the human side-and one of them is angry at Sookie…very, very angry…

Dead Reckoning

CHarris-Dead ReckoningWith her knack for being in trouble’s way, Sookie witnesses the firebombing of Merlotte’s, the bar where she works. Since Sam Merlotte is now known to be two-natured, suspicion falls immediately on the anti-shifters in the area. Sookie suspects otherwise, but her attention is divided when she realizes that her lover Eric Northman and his “child” Pam are plotting to kill the vampire who is now their master. Gradually, Sookie is drawn into the plot-which is much more complicated than she knows…

About Jackie 3282 Articles
I am a 30-something SAHM with two adorable boys and a supportive husband who is very tolerant of my reading addiction. I love to read and easily go through about a dozen books a month – well I did before I had kids. Now, not so much. After my first son was born, I began to take my hobby of reviewing a little more serious and started Literary Escapism to help with my sanity. I love to discuss the fabulous novels I’ve read and meeting all the wonderful people in the book blogging community has been amazing.