Book Thirteen "Definitely Dead" by Charlaine Harris

The sixth book in this series, starts out with Quinn, a weretiger, meeting up with Sookie and asking her out. She figures it is a good idea to date someone other than a vampire, so she agrees to the date. Everything goes really well, until they are attacked by bitten werewolves.

To further complicate things, Sookie must go to New Orleans, to clean out her cousin Hadley's apartment, who recently passed away. Hadley was a vampire, so this would have been her second death. As she is cleaning out the apartment, both she and the landlord, Amelia, are attacked by a freshly turned vampire who had been stuffed in Hadley's closet.

They both survive, but the incident puts both women in the hospital. While Sookie is waiting to be seen by a doctor, she gets a visit from Bill and Eric. Both men get into a heated debate over who cares for Sookie more, and Eric forces Bill to admit the real circumstances of there chance meeting the first time at Merlotte's. Apparently Bill was supposed to find Sookie for the Queen of Louisiana, by any means necessary.

While in New Orleans, Sookie must also meet with the Queen, who had actually been intimate with Hadley. With the help of Amelia (who also happens to be a witch), they put a spell on the apartment so they can reinact what happened to Hadley the night of her death.

Quinn also comes to visit her while she is in New Orleans, but unfortunately, their reunion is shortened when they are kidnapped by werewolves. The Pelts (Debbie Pelt's family) have paid the werewolves to bring Sookie to them so they can torture her until she admits that she killed Debbie. When Sookie gets the upper hand with them, she admits that she did kill her, but that it was in self-defense. She refused the let them go until they promised that they would let her be.

Once everything is packed up and she is ready to head back home, Amelia admits to her that she turned her boyfriend into a cat on accident. She fears that the other witches in her coven will punish her for doing magic above her capabilities. So she and Bob(the boyfriend/cat) end up going back to Bon Temps with Sookie.

Book Twelve "Dead as a Doornail" by Charlaine Harris

The books starts out with a full moon, and Sookie is pretty sure that her brother, Jason, is going to be turning into a panther. She has been worried about this ever since she found her brother being held hostage by another werepanther with bites all over him. Relief comes her brother tells her how much he likes to change.

But the relief doesn't last long, when she gets new that different shifters are being shot around Bon Temps. Sam, Calvin, and Sookie all end up getting shot by this mystery sniper who has some hatred toward shifters.

Sookie also has drama with two of the main men in her life. Eric, who still doesn't remember anything while he was cursed, is desperate to find out what happened while he was in her care. She is also having issues with Alcide, who is dealing with the death of his leader, Coronal Flood. There is now a running for the next pack leader and the two wolves running are Patrick Furnan and Jackson Herveaux (Alcides father). He feels that he can con Sookie into helping him because he has pieced together that she killed Debbie.

Book Eleven "Dead to the World" by Charlaine Harris

It is New Eve in Bon Temps at the beginning of Dead to the World, and Sookie Stackhouse has made an resolution to not get beaten up in the new year. After all of the drama that has entered her life since becoming enthralled in the world of vampires, all she really wants to do is have some simple alone time.

This doesn't last long due to the fact that she finds Eric running barefoot in the woods as she is driving home. She stops the car to check on him, and realized that he has no recollection of her. In fact he has no recollection of anything. Sookie eventually gets ahold of Pam, Eric's second in command. When they finally meet up, Pam informs them that they had been having a dispute with the local witches in the Shreveport community, and unfortunately they had put a curse on Eric.

After much discussion, they decide that Eric must stay with Sookie until the entire ordeal is cleared up. Eventually their relationship begins to get heated. However, not all is well in paradise, since Sookie's brother Jason has been missing for the past few days.

Eventually the witch dilemma gets out of hand and the vampires and the werewolves and to join forces to defeat them. There is a huge brawl with does not end in the witches favor. After all of this is done, Pam takes the head witch with her to get her to break the spell on Eric, while Sookie and Eric head back to her house for safe keeping until his memory returns.

They are greeted by Debbie Pelt (Alcides ex-girlfriend) and a gun, when they enter Sookie's house. Debbie shoots but Eric blocks the bullet. This gives Sookie just enough time to get her brother's gun from behind the water heater, and finish Debbie's life, in self defense. As Sookie cleans up the aftermath, Eric disposes of the body and the car.

When Sookie wakes up the next morning, she finds that Eric is back to his normal self, with no recollection of the time he spent at Sookie's house. But he knows that there has been a change in the relationship that they once shared, but Sookie isn't willing to fess up.

With the help of her boss Sam, Sookie finds her brother, Jason, is being held hostage on the outskirts of town by a group of shape-shifting panthers. He has been bitten several times, but he is not in danger of death. She takes her brother home, after the leader of the panthers swears to take care of the problem himself.

Book Ten "Club Dead" by Charlaine Harris

So I am officially hooked on these Sookie Stackhouse books. They are quick and easy reads, and I feel that I might be loosing brain cells by reading them. I can't seem to get enough of them however. Plus it has been really nice to read some books that I don't have to put much thought in to.

Club Dead is the third book in the Sookie Stackhouse saga. It starts with complications in Sookie and Bills love life. He has been distant, and Sookie has even more to worry about when Bill says that he has work that must be done in Seattle, and he will be gone for the next few weeks. Before he leaves, he tells her that he must hide his computer in her house.

Sookie eventually figures out that Bill is in trouble when a werewolf shows up at Merlotte's and tries to kill her. Come to find out, Bill has been having an affair with Lorena, another vampire. Lorena works for the vampires of Mississippi, and in a crazy turn of events, she has given Bill over to these vampires to torture him in an attempt to get the information from his computer.

Although Sookie is enraged with Bill, she decides that she must attempt to save him with the help of Eric, and another werewolf name Alcide. Eric has been pursuing Sookie for quite some time now, and things become more intense when Alcide begins to develop feelings for her as well.

Somehow or another, Sookie manages to save Bill's life and kills Lorena (in self defense). She thinks that she is in the clear on her way home from Mississippi, until a pack of werewolves from Jackson begin trailing her, to try and link her to a mysterious death of one of their own. After all of the dust begins to settle in her life, she makes the decision to pursue relationships with Bill, Eric. or Alcide.

Book Nine "Living Dead in Dallas" by Charlaine Harris

I needed another easy read for this week. It has been a rather rough winter, and I think I am beginning to suffer some seasonal depression. I've felt out of it all week, and it seems as though every book I choose to read, is horribly depressing. So in order to keep myself from having a drinking problem, I decided to take it easy this week and read another Charlaine Harris book.

Living Dead in Dallas is the second book in the Sookie Stackhouse saga. After making a deal with Eric, one of Bill's vampire associates, Sookie is forced to help him out of a bind. Her and Bill go to Dallas in search of a missing vampire. She bites off more than she can chew when she realizes who has the missing vampire.

Sookie is also dealing with the mysterious death of one of the short order cooks at the bar she works at in Bon Temps. Despite the fact that she can read minds, it turns out that it will take more than her telepathy to figure out who the murderer is.

This book was a very fast and easy read. It is suspenseful enough to keep my attention, without any serious subject matter. You don't have to think too much while reading these books, which is what I need sometimes. I have decided that I will need to start watching True Blood.

Book Eight "Favorite Wife" by Susan Ray Schmidt

So I have really been into the HBO series Big Love as of late. As I was watching it a few weeks back, I realized that polygamy is a topic that I really don't know much about. I figure that the biggest reward I am taking from this challenge is knowledge of subjects that I would usually not know much about otherwise. So I downloaded the memoir Favorite Wife to learn a little more.

Susan was fifteen years old when she married Verlan Labaron. Verlan had five other wives previous to Susan and was worn thin from that. Not to mention, he is also one of the leaders of the church compound that his family had founded in Mexico. Knowing no other lifestyle but polygamy for most of her life, Susan is filled with excitement on her wedding day. She has finally found her spot in the celestial kingdom.

However, life as a polygamist's wife proves to be quite difficult. With five other wives in her family, money is extremely tight. Verlan is rarely even home, and when he is, the wives must alternate their time spent with him. He has 27 children when Susan is first welcomed to the family, and he continues to marry other women. By the age of 16, Susan has already had her first daughter and has another child on the way.

Susan's problems also spread farther than her fast growing family. Ervil Labaron, Verlan's older brother has separated from the church and their prophet Joel. Ervil is power hungry and begins recrutting members of the church to join his violent cult in an attempt to seek blood atonement for individuals that they believe are not following Joseph Smith's teachings. Susan's family is torn apart by Ervil, and death threats become more and more prevalent after the murder of the Prophet, Joel Labaron.

I feel that I learned a lot from this book. I never understood how anyone could stand for polygamy. I suppose this is because I never really thought of it as a cult. The brainwashing and the promise for eternal salvations brings it all to light. It is hard to believe anything else exsists when you are born into such a lifestyle.

Book Seven "Dead Until Dark" by Charlaine Harris

I decided the best way for me to do some quick catch up reading would be to indulge in some reading for pure entertainment. One of my clients had recommended anything from Charlaine Harris(the author of True Blood), stating that they are quick, fun reads that one could finish of in the course of a weekend. I also decided a book like this would be a nice break from the depressing book streak I have been in.

I needed a book that would take me away from the real world, and this book did just that. Dawn Until Dark is told in the word of Sookie Stackhouse, a waitress in Bon Temps, Louisiana. Cursed with the power of telepathy, Sookie has lived in a solitary world of working and living with her Grandmother. She was looking for trouble when Bill walked into her bar.

The book is based on a society were vampires not only exist, but have rights just like any other human. Bill happens to be the first vampire to come to Bon Temps. He was originally from the area before he became a member of the undead right after the Civil War.

Sookie and Bill begin a new, and of course, complicated romance. It is even further complicated by a streak of female murder victims in the small town. As more women end up dead, the more the locals begin to point there fingers at the vampire.

If you are looking for a book with substance, then you might want to steer clear of this one. But it is quirky and it does have a suspenseful plot, so it does keep your attention. I enjoyed it, as I usually enjoy occasionally reading a book that I learn absolutely nothing from. There are seven books in this series written by Charlene Harris. I think I will save them for the weeks that I am feeling burnt out on this challange.

Book Six "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini

I am running a few days behind with this book, and I must finish my next book by Sunday, so this will probably be brief. Not to mention, this book has left me emotionally drained for the past few days.

Hosseini, who is also the author of The Kite Runner, has written a story of Two Afghan women. Both were raised a generation apart, and both have lived very different lifestyles. However, they are brought together after different warlords have turned Kabul into a war torn city. After the death of both of her parents, 15 year old Laila is forced into marrying Rasheed, who has been married to Mariam for the past two decades.

Rasheed is horribly abusive. With no where else to turn, Mariam and Laila are forced to stay with him, especially after the Taliban took rule over Kabul, stripping women of any of the few rights that they had to begin with. After years and years of abuse, Mariam decides to take her destiny into her own hands.

Although I find this to be an amazing book, it is a very hard read for me. Towards the end of the book, I would almost cringe whenever Laila and Mariam were offered any bit of hope, because it usually came crumbling down. However, the novel is beautifully written, and it is an eye opener.

Book Five "Driving with Dead People" by Monica Holloway

Due to the nature of this book, my review will most likely be brief. After the depressing nature of my last selection of book, I was looking for something more light-hearted. I though Holloway's memoir had a interesting title, and all of the reviews told of a quick read that is humorous and slightly quirky.

The book starts out with an 8 year old Monica, who is amidst a very dysfunctional family. She has a neglectful and abusive father, and a mother who lives in her own fairytale land. It starts out as a sort of dark comedy, with her making light of her abusive childhood. However, as she begins to get older, deeper and darker secrets of her childhood begin to surface.

I enjoyed the book and thought it was an excellent read, despite the fact that it was difficult subject to read through. I suppose I have just been on a streak of auto-biographical books over children with really awful parents. The previous reviews were misleading to me. Maybe they weren't aware that this was a memoir...

Book Four "My Lobotomy" by Howard Dully

Having an interest in the subject of psychology is probably what drew me to this book. After reading previous reviews from other readers about the graphic nature of this book, I was a bit concerned. Although I did find it to be a graphic book, it was a quick read for me because I couldn't seem to put it down.

My Lobotomy is a memoir of Howard Dully's life. We was born in the late 4o's to a mother with a wealthy family and a father from the wrong side of the tracks. His mother was a very nurturing and loving parent up until she died when Howard was 5. His father, who was never the affectionate kind, was left to raise Howard and his younger brother, Brian.

Shortly after his mother died, his father remarried to a woman named Lou who also had two boys, Cleon and George. They all moved into one home, and eventually Lou gave birth to another little boy Kirk.

This household however, was far from perfect. Although none of the other children seemed to be a burden, Howard was always seeming to get into trouble. Although he was a bit of a energetic child, Lou had it out for him. She would punish him for wrong doings of the other children, as well of things that she had made up in her head.

Eventually she begins to see Dr. Freeman, telling him that her step-son is probably schizophrenic. After two months of evaluations and interviews with other people who know Howard, it is decided that he will need an ortbital lobotomy.

Fortunately the surgery doesn't do any permanent damage to Howard. He is still labeled as a trouble making child who Lou wants nothing to do with. He is passed on from family member to family member. Eventually he is put in foster car. When that doesn't work, he is place in juvenile hall for a few weeks, until they decide to put him in a mental institution. Although psychiatrists have proven time and again that Howard is of sane mind, he continues to stay there because the state has nowhere to put him.

When he is finally of adult age, he has no idea how to live on his own. No one has taught him how to survive in the real world. He starts getting into drinking and drugs. He lives of a monthly check the state gives him, and whatever women he is with at the time that will pay his way. When he needs more money he writes bad checks. He is arrested countless times. In his mind he understands the difference between right and wrong, but he doesn't comprehend the severity of his actions.

Finally, in his early 40s he meets a women named Barbra and begins to change his life around. Eventually he begins to study lobotomys and even gets his old files from Dr. Freeman. They are filled with lies and deception from his now deceased step-mother. He even makes a radio documentary over his life and the issues that is surgery has created for him.

This book delves into problem with absurd procedures such as lobotomies and electroshock therapy. But it also is a prime example of the cycle of bad parenting. Both his father and step-mother and very rough childhoods, and they handled parenting the same way. Instead of giving there children the nurturing that is fundamental in a child that probably only had ADHD, they decided that something was so wrong with him, that a doctor needed to start ice picking at his brain.

I found this to be a fascinating book. I do however, want to warn everyone that this book could be a hard read for anyone with a sensitive stomach. It does cover some pretty gruesome details during his childhood.

Book Three "Plain Truth" by Jodi Picoult

This past week, I had some trouble picking a book to read. Nothing seemed to jump out and speak to me the way that I felt they should. I was telling a co-worker about my dilemma, and she suggested that I read anything by Jodi Picoult. I had heard good things about this particular author, but had never read anything by her.

Although I have always been told to never judge a book by it's cover, I always seemed to be swayed by it. I chose Plain Truth because of the serene landscape on the front of the book. However, the plot of the book couldn't be farther from serene and peaceful.

The book starts with a dead newborn found in a barn in the Amish community in Paradise, Pennsylvania. Medical Examiners are lead to believe that they infant was murdered, and all signs point to Katie, the 18 year old daughter of the farm owner. Katie, however, has no recollection of giving birth or ever being pregnant.

Eventually she is arrested and charged with first degree murder. It is at her preliminary hearing, when she meets lawyer Ellie Hathaway. The only way to get Katie out on bail is for Ellie to have complete custodial car for her. Thus, Ellie ends up living in the Amish community for the next 4 months while trying to get Katie acquitted of this heinous crime.

Eventually, memories start to come flooding back to Katie. She slowing starts to remember details minor details of the pregnancy that she tried to force out of her mind. Eventually she even remembers giving birth to the child at 2 am in her fathers barn. However, she has no recollection of killing her child. All she remembers is giving birth, cutting the umbilical cord, and holding her baby right before she passed out of exhaustion. When she work up 30 minutes later, the blood was cleaned up and the baby was no where to be seen. Thinking that her prayers from god were answered, she ran back to the house, hid her bloody nightgown and went back to bed.

The storyline has more twists and turns and eventually leads to a startling conclusion that I will not be writing about as to not spoil it for others. I will say that it was a good, easy read. It is probably a perfect book for a weekend read.

Book Two "Eat Pray Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert

I decided for my second book, that I wanted to read a book with a little more depth to it. A co-worker of mine had recommended Eat Pray Love. I've been feeling a little overwhelmed with life, and this uplifting and inspirational book sounded like a perfect read.

Elizabeth, who is recently divorced and heartbroken over another broken relationship, is looking for a different lifestyle. Being a very type A personality, she is desperately searching for way to rid her conscience of all of the guilt, anger, and shame that came with her past relationships. She decides to travel the world for a year, visiting Italy, India, and Indonesia to work on her spiritual health.

Her first destination is Italy, where she mainly works on happiness. She learns the Italian language and travels throughout the country, although she spends the bulk of her time in Rome. She finds pure pleasure in living a life void of schedules, appointments, and time restraints. She spends time with new and fascinating friends, and finds true joy in the Italian cuisine.

After her visit in Italy, she travels directly to India where she plans on spending 6 weeks in an Ashram that is ran by her guru, then the rest of the time traveling throughout India. After finishing most of her allotted time at the Ashram, she decides that is where she needs to spend the remainder of her stay in India. Through yoga and meditation, she learns to fight her inner demons. She also learns how to control all of the guilt, anger, and shame that she had been fighting with for the past few years.

The last four months of her trip is spent in Bali, Indonesia. It is there that she spends time with a medicine man named Ketut. He teaches her more meditation techniques, that help her to find balance in her life. She makes friends with another healer by the name of Wayan, a poor single mother who has fought against the patriachy in Bali in an ugly divorce. While in Bali, she also meets a Brazillian man who ends up being the man of her dreams.

Although I felt the ending was slightly predictable (woman finds man to take care of her and lives happily ever after), I did enjoy this book. I felt that her time in India was most benificial to me. It seemed as though she was fighting the same thoughts and emotions that get to me on a daily basis. It was overall a good read.

Book One-"My Horizontal Life" by Chelsea Handler

Life has been a little rough for me over the past couple of months. This probably influenced my decision to make my first book of the year My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler. Her show has gotten me through many a sleepless night, and a few good laughs seemed like a perfect way to ring in the new year.

Handler is known for her raunchy, sarcastic sense of humor, and this book is no exception. The book is basically a memoir of her sex life, and all of the craziness it entails. It begins with her older sister daring her to take a picture of their parents in the throws of passion, a bet where punishment is inevitable. This theme continues through her own sex life. She is constantly ending up in one absurd situation after another, then scrambling to find her way out of it. She eventually comes to the conclusion that it would be best to refrain from sex in order to prioritize her life.

This book should probably not be read by anyone who is easily offended. I, however, find myself laughing out loud while reading it. I find comfort in reading the stories of someone who has been in crazy, and even sometimes upsetting situations, yet she can still laugh at herself.

In Desperate Need of a Challange....

So last year the majority of my time was filled with school and wedding planning. Now that both are finished, I have found myself with a lot of spare time on my hands. Since I am a Type A Personality, I feel as if I'm going to rip my hair out if I don't find something to occupy my time.

So I've decided to try the 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge. I have always loved to read, but it usually gets pushed to the side for some other project. I'm sure I will find myself just as busy in 2010, but I would really like to make reading a priority again.

My first book of this challenge is My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler:)