Book 65 of 2008: Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Book Description:

Sookie Stackhouse is a cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana, but she keeps to herself and doesn't date much because of her "disability" to read minds. When she meets Bill, Sookie can't hear a word he's thinking. He's the type of guy she's waited for all of her life, but he has a disability, too--he's a vampire with a bad reputation. When one of Sookie's coworkers is killed, she fears she's next.

My Opinion:

I'm typically not one for re-reading books only because there are SOOO many books still out there that I haven't read at all, but after having watched the first season of TRUE BLOOD I really wanted to re-read this book to see how the series truly compared to the book as I couldn't remember all the details of the book. I just looked and this book originally came out back in 2001 but I didn't discover the series until early 2006 so that was when I first read this book. It was amazing how much I had forgotten of the storyline within just about 3 years! I have to say that HBO did a great job with the series, but there are some major differences in the series and the book. The most disappointing thing that was left out of the show was the the character of Bubba! I'm HOPING that he will pop up in later seasons, but he first appeared in this book which is what season 1 was based upon and he wasn't in the show as of yet. *sigh* Another major change in the series was what happened near the end with the final "battle scene" with the killer. To avoid spoilers I won't say what the differences were here, but it did differ. Outside of that, the series added in a lot of storyline to the characters of Jason, Tara, and Lafayette... as well as a little extra to a few other characters, but other than that the story flowed quite closely to the book. There was another death within the book that supposedly Bill caused in the show that caused a big stink between the vampires, but in the book he didn't cause it... that seemed a little strange to have been changed to me, but while watching the show it made sense. So... even though a bunch of odds 'n' ends changes were made, the show flowed really well and made sense. I also liked that the show used some of the exact dialogue from the book. So... overall I think they did a great job in making the show based from the book. I'm not disappointed! And in re-reading the book... this still stands to be one of my favorite series and held up well as a re-read. I will probably read each of the books in this series again following up watching the seasons of the shows as they come out to compare them, so it'll be slow going, but I think it's neat comparing the differences.

Trailer for TRUE BLOOD:

Book 64 of 2008: Diary of a Sex Fiend: Girl with a One Track Mind by Abby Lee

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Book 63 of 2008: The Puppy Papers by Puppy Sharon and Steven Toushin

Book Description:

The Puppy Papers is an instant classic in its genre. While the Story of O and the Beauty Series are fantasy, The Puppy Papers is reality.

There is no other book or story that captures so well the honest and real quest of a women's search for her Master in the alternate world of the BDSM lifestyle. The Puppy Papers is an interesting, well-constructed story geared towards the adventurous woman, the vanguard reader, and those thirsting for a story on the cutting edge of sexuality.

The Puppy Papers takes place in the present, as puppy and her prospective Master get to know and learn about each other. This true story follows an average Midwestern woman through her conversational emails with her Master as she describes to him her journey in the world of BDSM with men who called them selves Masters. In their conversations puppy discuses her childhood sexual explorations on how she learned about her body, a subject that women do not discuss. She tells about her discovery of boys, teenage life, her complicated relationship with her church, marriage, motherhood and her professional life, and eventually her profound SM sexual awakening as she cruises the new sexual frontier, the Internet.

Puppys awakening opens her eyes to new sexual worlds, to those desires and needs that laid dormant with in her. She explains her need to submit mentally, emotionally, and sexually as well as her sexual kinks and submissive masochist needs.

The Puppy Papers through open and honest communication allows the reader to follow puppy on her journey in the world of BDSM to find her Master, a man she needs to please and serve. In her liberating awakening, Puppy reveals her life, with wonderment, humor, and a refreshing humility, as she takes us on her quest for completeness to learn, experience and understand this overwhelming need inside her. Puppy is a remarkable woman unaware of her remarkable story who harbors no guilt, remorse or regrets about her needs and choices in life.

My Opinion:

This was an interesting look into one woman's life and journeys through self-discovery. Sharon shared so many of her adventures openly with her Master (as well as us readers) in order to allow him to understand her better. The book truly shows how she opens up to her Master and grows to love him and trust him fully. The D/s lifestyle is taboo for many people, but is actually a very beautiful thing if you truly look at it closer and or have experienced at some point in time yourself. It's one of those things I've learned you don't just judge by a first impression... and honestly, I have learned not to judge most sexual activities without first understanding WHY they are so intriguing to certain people. What interests some people may not interests others, but that doesn't mean they're necessarily "gross" or "evil". I recommend this book to anyone that is curious about the D/s lifestyle and/or anyone that is open-minded enough to look outside of a vanilla sex life to try other things. As this book shows, there are varying levels of D/s so what you expect it to be may not be what it truly is.

Book 62 of 2008: Vigilantes of Love by John Everson

Book Description:

The collection includes 15 dark fantasy and horror tales, including the title story, written especially for this collection and "Lovesong" a 5th Place winner in the 2000 World Horror Convention Fiction Contest. Included are tales reprinted from the anthologies TransVersions and Freaks, Geeks & Sideshow Floozies, and the magazines Sirius Visions, Crossroads, Eulogy and Plot, as well as a number of original works.

My Opinion:

Yet another great anthology by John Everson. This collection isn't as dark as his NEEDLES & SINS collection so I did enjoy it a bit more, but this one is still a great read! Several of the stories in VIGILANTES OF LOVE left me with a warm feeling in the heart as the stories were just rather "sweet", which is very different from what I'm used to reading by Everson (think sacrificial orgies, demons, etc...) Within this collection, I'd have to say that my favorite stories (I won't include AFTER THE FIFTH STEP since I read it within NEEDLES & SINS already) would have to have been (in order):

Lovesong
A Lack of Signs
Christmas, the Hard Way
Seven Deadly Seeds
Trick and Treat
Hard Heart

I enjoyed the other stories as well, but these really stood out to me.

The sad thing about finishing this book is that I just realized I only have 1 more John Everson book left to read. Outside of that, there are only a few odds 'n' ends short stories out there. So... hopefully he'll be writing some new stuff soon 'cause I need more books to read!!! (yeah, yeah... I have other authors to read, but I need more by my favorite! *grin*)

Book 61 of 2008: Brides of the Impaler by Edward Lee

Book Description:

When Cristina and her husband moved into the brownstone, they thought it would be their dream house. But almost immediately something began to beckon to her. She can feel it calling her, luring her, filling her dreams with newfound passion, unbridled lust and promises of ecstasies she'd never thought possible. Soon there will be no turning back, for the time has come for the unholy ritual performed by the…BRIDES OF THE IMPALER

My Opinion:

I had a really hard time sticking with this book and therefore put it down several times in exchange for other books, but in the end really enjoyed this book. I think my struggles with this one had to do with there being so many different characters involved and so there were so many different storylines that were being jumped around from. As the story progressed I got more and more involved so that helped, but I still found myself struggling a little with remembering exactly who was who at times. The book also picked up the tempo erotically at towards the second half which, of course, also helped better the read. Overall, I think BRIDES OF THE IMPALER was a very enjoyable read, but for someone wanting to check out Lee's books, I'd recommend MONSTROSITY over this one. I read it a while back and couldn't put it down!

Book 60 of 2008: Wait till Your Vampire Gets Home by Michele Bardsley

Book Description:

To prove her journalistic chops, Libby Monroe ends up in Broken Heart, Oklahoma, chasing down bizarre rumors of strange goings-on--and finding vampires, lycanthropes, and zombies. She never expects to fall in lust with one of them, but vampire/single dad Ralph Genessa is too irresistible.

My Opinion:

It's been a while since I read any of the books in this series so I had kind of forgotten the characters, but I still fell into place with the story quite well. I really enjoyed Libby and Ralph's characters. The add-in of dragons into this book was different from the usual vampire/werewolf paranormal romance books I'm used to reading so that was a nice change, though I still love my vamps the best. This was a really fun, quick read and I'm looking forward to see what happens next with the characters in the book. There were a lot of funny moments in this book and the Jeff Strand book reference was a very nice touch made by Bardsley in the book!

Book 59 of 2008: Sacrifice by John Everson

Book Description:

Ariana is on a killing spree. Dressed in a black vinyl catsuit, she lures men to hotel rooms, where they will leave their bodies behindin multiple pieces. That's the part of the story that the newspapers know. The "Sunday Slasher," as she's dubbed for her habit of leaving behind a corpse every Sunday morning, doesn't just have a wealth of misanthropic bones in her body. She's also got a hunger for ultimate power and control. Through ritual sexual sacrifice, she aims to open the door between this world and the domain of the powerful, but violently perverse Curburide demons. She will be their queen, and they will rape the world.

Joe Kieran is a young reporter who has just left the East Coast port town of Terrel with a demon on his back. Literally. Having forged a covenant with the demon, Malachai, to save the lives of two women, he now has a constant invisible companion, albeit one who is less than trustworthy. When Joe picks up Alex, a teen hitchhiker on her way to the Rocky Mountains, he soon finds that he's been setup by Malachai. Alex is more than just a perky runaway; she has the ability to talk to ghosts, something her right-wing parents forced her to hide. But now she will need that talent more than ever; as Malachai sets them all on the path that can only lead to... Sacrifice.

My Opinion:

After having chatted with John Everson, I knew to expect SACRIFICE to be a bit more intense than COVENANT was, but I didn't quite expect what I got. This book was simply amazing!!! I will warn that this is definitely not a book for those with a weak stomach or those that don't like graphic gore or sex in their reads because there are plenty of both in this book. If those things don't bother you and you want an intense, wild ride, well... this is definitely the book to read! (granted, I recommend first reading COVENANT since it is the predecessor to this one )

In COVENANT I grew to like all the characters who lived in Terrel, but in SACRIFICE... I *loved* all the characters! Everson did a fabulous job in really giving a background story on many new characters (especially 3 of the key roles in the book: Ariana, Alex, and Jeremy) and I really felt connected in some way to all of these characters.

The final chapter of this book disappointed me in for a couple of reasons...

1) I was saddened by the final "sacrifices" of the book.

2) I hated that my adventures with these characters was now over. I could've read on about their lives and adventures for a MUCH longer time.

With all that said, I have now found my new favorite book. Last in that spot was THE SINISTER MR. CORPSE by Jeff Strand, but my true love is actually erotic horror and that is what John Everson has provided me with SACRIFICE. I send many kudos John's way for such a fun-filled ride and look forward to all future releases. And to those that have yet to check out his books, I again say... what are you waiting for?!?!?!