Many Bloody Returns and Dead Until Dark

Many Bloody Returns

edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner
published 2007
completed April 2010

So...I needed an anthology for Jenners Take Another Chance Challenge.  I didn't really know where to start so I used the Book Blog Search Engine and typed in anthology.  I know.  Super creative, right?  So this book kept coming up for whatever reason.  I don't really read vampire fiction but I thought I'd give it a try.

There were thirteen short stories, all involving vampires and some sort of birthday.  It wasn't terrible, but I found it dull.  I guess this genre just isn't for me.

The most interesting was Charlaine Harris' short story.  Sookie Stackhouse attended a birthday party for the original Dracula at Fangtasia, the local vampire bar.  The story was a little too short, but it gave me a good glimpse into the characters from her Southern Vampire Series.

Part of the challenge was to select an author from the anthology and read one of their full length novels.  Harris' short story wasn't perfect but some of the book bloggers I respect have found this series entertaining.  I decided to read the first book of her Southern Vampire Series with Sookie Stackhouse to complete the challenge.

Dead Until Dark

by Charlaine Harris
published 2001
completed April 2010

Sookie Stackhouse is a barmaid and a telepath.  She meets Bill Compton, a vampire, and a relationship begins.  Meanwhile, there is a serial killer on the loose targeting women who are involved with vampires.  Sookie is hoping that the serial killer is caught before the serial killer gets to her.

Dead Until Dark moves along at a pretty good pace and the mystery was entertaining.  It may just be me, but I didn't figure out who the serial killer was until the very end.  The writing isn't anything fantastic and Harris has a few annoying tendencies (describing unnecessary things), but it held my attention.  I like the characters, although Sookie can be a bit irritating.

There is quite a bit of violence but it isn't overly descriptive.  On the other hand, the sex in this book is VERY descriptive and I found myself skimming those sections.  There isn't too much language from what I remember, but I wouldn't recommend this for teens.

I'm still not sold on vampire fiction.  For someone who does enjoy it, I think these books would be perfect.