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The Sookie Stackhouse Companion (Sookie Stackhouse)

3.69 of 5 stars 3.69 · rating details · 5,679 ratings · 468 reviews

The #1 New York Times bestselling author presents the definitive guide to the world of Sookie Stackhouse.

Charlaine Harris has topped the bestseller charts and has become a nationwide phenomenon, thanks to the unconventional-and otherworldly- life of Sookie Stackhouse. Now, in her own words, Sookie gives readers a look at her family, friends, enemies, adventures, and-of c

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Published (first published August 30th 2011)

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Dec 27, 2011 Richard rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Rating: 3.75* of five

The Book Report: Exactly what the title says: a companion to the series of novels through book 11. Character synopses, book synopses, Q&A with Miss Harris, Q&A with Alan Ball who created True Blood based on the characters in the novels, a chronology of the whole canon including short fiction. Plus an original novella!

My Review: For all the non-novella material: Nicely done, no surprises.

The novella, "Small-Town Wedding", sees Sookie on her way to the much-delayed wed...more Rating: 3.75* of five

The Book Report: Exactly what the title says: a companion to the series of novels through book 11. Character synopses, book synopses, Q&A with Miss Harris, Q&A with Alan Ball who created True Blood based on the characters in the novels, a chronology of the whole canon including short fiction. Plus an original novella!

My Review: For all the non-novella material: Nicely done, no surprises.

The novella, "Small-Town Wedding", sees Sookie on her way to the much-delayed wedding of her boss Sam Merlotte's younger, non-shape-shifter brother to a fully human girl in small Wright, Texas. Sam's mother Bernie was shot by her second husband when the shape-shifter community came out the way the vampires did, and Bernie hasn't been forgiven by the town since it all came down, not least because her second husband was popular and is now in jail.

Sookie is, as always, walking into a fireworks factory while givin' off sparks. She arrives lookin' all prettfied and Sam's various womenfolk start the grill to roast her history and plans out of Sookie. They seem disappointed that she's not the future Mrs. Merlotte, but they don't even get halfway down the sad ladder because the wedding's being used in a bitter and cynical way by evil Fellowship of the Sun-ites to test how hard and how effective it will be to get mobs to protest and prevent shifter marriages.

The wedding takes place, the evildoers are thwarted, and tolerance is barely, barely winning the day. But Harris's larger message, that folks with spare hatin' time need to find themselves some useful work in this life and start makin' the world a better place, resonates strongly with me. It is a commonsensical response to the world that I wish more of humanity shared. Harris's vampire and shifters and other supes are stand-ins for all the glorious variety of humanity that exists, and the responses of the good or the bad characters to that variety is so real and so nuanced that it almost hurts to read. Harris doesn't let one single character or person or group off any hook, she just shows her readers what the other side of the argument is really thinking and feeling, good and bad. She works on the assumption that understanding lessens anger.

Know what? She's right. Dammit to hell!(less)

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Dec 24, 2011 Mark rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The phenomenon of the Sookie Stackhouse books (eleven to date and counting) in recent years has been a real success story for those readers wanting a more adult version of vampires. Though the books are not as explicit as the HBO TV series based on it, True Blood, it is clear that the achievement of both has been mutually beneficial.

And usually with success comes the spin-offs, the merchandising, the additions for those who want to explore more.

This book is one of those. As a Companion, it fill...more The phenomenon of the Sookie Stackhouse books (eleven to date and counting) in recent years has been a real success story for those readers wanting a more adult version of vampires. Though the books are not as explicit as the HBO TV series based on it, True Blood, it is clear that the achievement of both has been mutually beneficial.

And usually with success comes the spin-offs, the merchandising, the additions for those who want to explore more.

This book is one of those. As a Companion, it fills in those little details that obsessive fans just want to know.

Such details can be quite diverse. There’s the usual expected elements here - a miscellany of characters, places and key events, a detailed time line and summary of the books up to Dead Reckoning, comments by the author on how the books came about and what she was trying to achieve with them, and a detailed map of town of Bon Temps.

What makes this more interesting are the other elements. So, for example, within the summary of the books up to Dead Reckoning we also have some intriguing ‘secret’ telephone conversations transcribed between vampires Bill and Eric, which no doubt fans will enjoy. We also have Sookie’s family tree, a short story, an interview with Charlaine based around website questions (from clearly quite dedicated fans), Sookie Stackhouse Trivia Quizzes (thankfully with answers) and, believe it or not, cookbook recipes. So if you want to know how to make and serve Perdita’s Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce (page 275) or Classic Southern Sweet Tea (page 278), obviously to be eaten and drunk whilst reading the books, then here’s your chance!

Overall then, it’s a lot of fun. Often these books are produced with little thought or perhaps at best ephemeral usefulness, but as these sort of books go, this is one of the better ones. Obviously being written in part by the author helps, but there’s enough of the new and the unusual to make it a book that fans with knowledge will keep dipping into, but also might tempt those who have heard of the books/TV programme and have yet to take the next step.

On the negative side, not that there’s much, it is a novel-sized book rather than a coffee-table illustrated guide and as it is based on the books rather than the TV series (though the series does get mentioned and there’s a nice interview with TV’s producer Alan Ball) so those expecting glossy pages and pictures to illustrate are going to be disappointed. I suspect a companion TV series guide, not to mention a Second Companion book (that Charlaine is sure ‘is on the shelves’) may do the job there.

For fans only, perhaps: but worthy of their attention.

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May 10, 2013 Riekardt Van der wath rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"As you probably already know, I'm a huge Sookie Stackhouse fan. I love reading her stories, love the world, the many characters, and just losing myself in the latest installment. So, when I found out The Sookie Stackhouse Companion was going to be released, I couldn't wait to check it out!

I've been taking my time, slowly making my way through it during the last few weeks. It's jam-packed full of very interesting things about this world. I really enjoyed reading Charlaine's input into not just...more "As you probably already know, I'm a huge Sookie Stackhouse fan. I love reading her stories, love the world, the many characters, and just losing myself in the latest installment. So, when I found out The Sookie Stackhouse Companion was going to be released, I couldn't wait to check it out!

I've been taking my time, slowly making my way through it during the last few weeks. It's jam-packed full of very interesting things about this world. I really enjoyed reading Charlaine's input into not just her writing process, but also how she eventually got Sookie out there into the world. I love reading the behind-the-scenes stuff, and there's plenty here. Not just about Charlaine and her many worlds, but also about the True Blood TV show and why Alan Ball loved it so much he had to make it a show.

There's some very cool stuff here--lots of valuable information.

Another thing that I particularly liked is the Life In Bon Temps section, which pretty much summarises all of the Sookie stories in order. This means that when hubby asks me if the latest True Blood season is (even remotely) close to the book, or I want to remind myself, I don't need to skim through the actual books, I can just check it out here. Awesome!

Oh, and after each book summary there are some conversations, notes, and emails between Eric and Bill, which are a great way to fill in the blanks of what's going on behind Sookie's back. Very cool.

There's also a new story included in this Companion.

Small-Town Wedding fits between Dead In The Family and Dead Reckoning, and takes Sookie and Sam out of Bon Temps and into Wright, a small town in Texas. They're going to attend Sam's brother's wedding, which should be a joyful event... but turns out to be another nightmarish incident in Sookie's life. After the werewolves and shifters came out to the public, a lot of people developed a new prejudice against them. And this town seems to be filled with those people...

I really enjoyed this tale, and read it in one sitting. I particularly enjoyed spending time with Sam and Sookie, just being friends. Also, the closure she finally finds with Quinn was a great touch to the story.

Just like everything else in Sookie's world, the Sookie Stackhouse Companion is another excellent addition to this fantastic series. I had a blast reading it, enjoyed the author's insights, and I'm pretty sure that I'll be referring back to this book in the future. (less)

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Jan 12, 2013 Brianna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: supernatural

This companion contains a Sookie Stackhouse novella, Small-Town Wedding, in which she accompanies Sam to his hometown in Texas to attend his brother's wedding. This isn't long after the shifters come out to the public, and his hometown is extremely divided over the issue, and the fact that his step-father is in jail for shooting his mother makes the issue so much worse, as his step-dad was very liked in the community and there are several people who dislike the fact that he is in jail. So Sookie...more

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Sep 21, 2012 Dana rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a complete compendium of Sookie's facts. There are Q & A's. from Charlaine Harris, the author and Alan Bell the creator of True Blood. There are descriptions for each book and a large glossary of Sookieville. There are some recipes that have tantalized the reader from the books.

Included also is the novella - Small-Town Wedding.

Sookie travels to Wright, Texas with Sam as his date when his brother gets married. Sam's mother got shot by his step-father when the shape-shifters came out t...more

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Aug 15, 2012 Wendy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Thank god I read this book! I guess I came a little late to the Sookie phenomenon, but I'm all caught up now. I really enjoyed "Small Town Wedding" the short story. I also enjoyed the interview with Charlaine Harris. I especially liked the part where she said she would stop putting crucial parts of Sookie's story into collections of short stories! I had no idea this was happening! I always wondered why she never wrote about Sam's brother's wedding or when Sookie met the Queen of Louisiana in her...more

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Jul 03, 2012 Whitney rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, read-in-2011, fantasy, paranormal-romance, fiction

I gotta say, I wasn't expecting too much from this, but was pleasantly surprised to discover I absolutely loved it! The novella "Small Town Wedding" was wonderful! While not necessary to understand the rest of the novels, I still felt the novella in it's own way moved the novels in the series forward as well as gave you more insight into many things; including Sam's personal life, the revel of the shifters, and Sookie & Sam's friendship.

I found the trivia and recipes to be lots of good fun...more

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May 23, 2012 Jo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-and-science-fiction

I am not reviewing the Companion book as a whole as I have disliked almost every companion book for any of my favorite series that I’ve seen, and now usually avoid the things (& other than the new novella included, this one doesn’t change my opinion on the things). I did, however really like reading the novella at the beginning of the book about Sam's brother’s wedding. “Small Town Wedding” takes place before “Dead Reckoning”, and really explains the tension levels regarding the two-natured...more

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May 19, 2012 Tiffany rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Let's see, what do you need to know about this one? I guess we'll start with, is it entertaining/enlightening? Yes, to an extent, about as much as you'd likely expect. Is it an "essential read"? Probably not. Why do I answer as I did? This book has one new Sookie Stackhouse novella in it, focusing on Sookie and Sam's long-awaited trip to his brother's wedding, where trouble awaits (of course). It offers as much entertainment and fun as you'd expect from a novella-sized mini dose of Sookie. The r...more Let's see, what do you need to know about this one? I guess we'll start with, is it entertaining/enlightening? Yes, to an extent, about as much as you'd likely expect. Is it an "essential read"? Probably not. Why do I answer as I did? This book has one new Sookie Stackhouse novella in it, focusing on Sookie and Sam's long-awaited trip to his brother's wedding, where trouble awaits (of course). It offers as much entertainment and fun as you'd expect from a novella-sized mini dose of Sookie. The rest of the book is somewhat enlightening, but not anything I'd consider "critical," even for die-hard fans. There are mini-interviews with Alan Ball about the "True Blood" TV show, and with Charlaine Harris about the Sookie Stackhouse series. There's also a complete series timeline/summary section (complete through "Dead Reckoning"), which basically just repeats what is in the books but does give a solid actual date for all the events, and an alphabetical index of all the characters and entities in the series, which could come in handy if you forget who someone is or something. There's also series trivia, a recipe section, and some short essays about the Charlaine Harris fan club, Sookie's experiences, all of Charlaine Harris's writings, and so on (including a definitive guide to where the short stories fit in the reading order/timeline). There's also a map of Bon Temps, and a Stackhouse family tree. They're a little fun, but not really necessary.

Really, that's about it. So, unless you're dying for every single variation of every scrap of info you can get, you'd likely only truly be strongly interested in the novella. If the book is worth it to you just for that, then go for it. The rest of the content is nice, but not anything to weigh a reading/purchasing decision on, unless you feel a strong need for an alphabetized character index or whatever.

I do hope nobody misunderstands me though. I think this companion book is quite well done for what it is, and they did a good job putting it together and giving fans the info they may want or need, with some extras, just as any good series companion book should do. However, like all such books, the need the majority of fans will feel for it is probably somewhat low. It's the kind of thing most will likely borrow from somewhere or someone to flip through once, but won't necessarily add to their keeper shelves as readily as they might with the main series books.

I hope this made sense, and helped a bit.(less)

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Dec 24, 2011 Steven Peterson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have to confess: I have begun to be jaded by this series. Too many "wars"; too many deaths; too many repetitive themes. But this book helps get my enthusiasm growing again.

This volume places the Stackhouse series of novels and short stories into a larger perspective. Some is kind of amusing (a map of Sookie's home town, Bon Temps). Some is pure Sookie (a novella about Sam and Sookie attending a wedding, in which the hatred to non-humans becomes the driving force). The novella is nicely done. T...more

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Nov 09, 2011 Geraldine O'Hagan rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. In all fairness, I should never have read this book, since I loathe Sookie Stackhouse with a passion. However I’m nothing if not a completist, and the series was given to me for free, so I have ploughed my way through 11 novels so far, plus this thing.

It starts with a novella about Sookie’s much-mentioned trip to Sam’s brother’s wedding. To be honest, this wasn’t really summat I’d bemoaned the lack of in the books proper. All Sam’s boring relative are introduced and we are told in detail what S

...more

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Sep 20, 2011 Shannon Kitchens rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have to say, that I was disappointed with his book. When I first heard of it's release, I was intrigued, but didn't run out and buy it. Then I saw at copy while I was shelving at the library and thought I'd give it a try. At least I knew I would enjoy the new novella (which I did). When I looked through it, my interest was peaked by the different selections and I thought I would really enjoy this.

I did enjoy "Small Town Wedding", though it was odd to read because it's set before<.i> the...more

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Sep 10, 2011 Larissa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own

Welcome to Bon Temps, a cosy little town where a freakishly high number of supernatural's call home and where life is anything but easy and laid back. For Sookie, a telepath, life has drastically changed since the vamps came out of the coffin a few years back. More specifically her life changed the night she met her first vampire, Bill, and ever since then she has never looked back.

Several years, and books, later Sookie is still solving, plotting and uncovering murders in her own unique corner o...more

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Sep 09, 2011 Jennifer Rayment rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Good Stuff

* Enjoyed the latest Sookie novella included. It was such a nice story that shows the love and respect that Sam and Sookie have for each other
* Love the recipe section filled with tons of fun southern recipes with familiar True Blood names. Will be making the Perdita's Bread Pudding with Bourban Sauce (My fav dessert) and Portia's Sweet Potato Pie in the next couple of weeks
* The "Life in Bon Temps" time-line is a fantastic addition and will be handy as a quick read before you r...more

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Sep 07, 2011 Stacie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Set up in several divided segments, this is a delightful surprise of little extras for Sookie fans.

"Small Town Wedding" novella is a bonding experience for Sookie and Sam. Quinn makes an appearance for what I assume is closure for readers. I loved getting a new Sookie story. Admitting outloud to Jannalynn her love for Eric and where she stands seems to be the pinnacle point of this parraelling to the events of the day, but the shortfall is some of that sarcastic wit that I love. It is still a n...more

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Sep 04, 2011 Bookmom rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Can a companion book for a long running series that will be ending in the next one or two books really be worthwhile to a reader? I had my doubts but was pleasantly surprised at what I found.

My pre-order for this book was placed long before the release of Dead Reckoning and hearing that the series would be coming to an end. I found I was distancing myself from the characters when reading Dead Reckoning; most likely as a defense mechanism to deal with the grief. So when I got my notice that the...more Can a companion book for a long running series that will be ending in the next one or two books really be worthwhile to a reader? I had my doubts but was pleasantly surprised at what I found.

My pre-order for this book was placed long before the release of Dead Reckoning and hearing that the series would be coming to an end. I found I was distancing myself from the characters when reading Dead Reckoning; most likely as a defense mechanism to deal with the grief. So when I got my notice that the book had been shipped, I found myself wishing I'd saved some money. But I'm glad I've got it.

This book is loaded with information ranging from the author's writing career, to separate interviews with Alan Ball (TrueBlood) and Charlaine using reader's questions, Southern Recipes (definitely found a few I want to try), an unpublished Sookie story (Sam takes Sookie to his brother's wedding) , trivia tests (and I thought I knew the series fairly well - hah!) , a greatly shortened version of each book along with added personal correspondence between Eric and Bill as it relates to the happenings in each book. Not enough? How about a map of Bon Temps, a list of every character ever mentioned in the books and who they are. There are also sections on Sookie's take on vampires, the two-natured and fairies, an explanation for the Sookie and related short stories, and a section regarding the fan club. Whew!

So did I find the entire book useful? Well no. Much of that will depend on how much you already know about the books and the author. Some of it was new to me or nice to know. Things like the "Readers Digest" version of each book wasn't necessary for me, although I did enjoy the personal communication between Eric and Bill that followed each story.

And the chances are really good you won't sit down and just read about every character ever mentioned in the books, found in the last chapter of the book. It's obvious a great deal of work went into this section that takes up a third of the book. My only complaint with the format is that if you are trying to recall a character's name in a particular book to use in a discussion, good luck. You've got over 150 pages to wade through.

The short story is definitely worth reading. Small Town Wedding takes place before Dead Reckoning and is roughly 76 pages long. It was obvious we'd missed something when reading Dead Reckoning, and the level of fear and anger that some are feeling knowing that the two-natured not only exist but live in their town is really showcased in this story and is important to the overall series.

I enjoyed much of the information provided in the book along with the short story. It was definitely a worthwhile purchase.
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Jan 12, 2012 Chance rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Most of my review score comes from the included novella, Small-Town Wedding. This story finds Sookie accompanying Sam to his hometown for his brother's wedding. This event has been mentioned in both Dead and Gone and Dead in the Family, so it's nice to finally see it happen. The story also closes up a few loose ends that have been dangling from Living Dead in Dallas, including the return of two characters from that book, plus a couple others.

Overall this is a great story. It doesn't suffer from...more

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May 19, 2013 Kelli rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

While I adore Sookie and more importantly, Eric, I picked this book up at the library on a whim. I was walking down the aisle and my 3 year old just so happened to pull it off the shelf. My name is on the wait list for the final installment of the series, "Dead Ever After." When I realized this book contains a plot summary of each book, I was ecstatic. Reading one book a year in a series, you can tend to forget what is going on or things about the characters. I am so glad I picked this up and go...more

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May 18, 2012 Lynda Tatad rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If you read as many books as I do in a year (100+), there are many times when you won't always remember exactly what happened in the previous back when it was a 1-2 year wait for the newest book in the series. Plus, in the case of Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series... Many of her fans also watch True Blood, which is based on this series. But, it has veered off and created new stories separate from the books, and they are from an earlier time in the series than the current books.

This is...more If you read as many books as I do in a year (100+), there are many times when you won't always remember exactly what happened in the previous back when it was a 1-2 year wait for the newest book in the series. Plus, in the case of Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series... Many of her fans also watch True Blood, which is based on this series. But, it has veered off and created new stories separate from the books, and they are from an earlier time in the series than the current books.

This is where these types of Companion books are a huge help! I really enjoyed the novella where Sookie joins Sam for a family wedding. Sam's family in the books are nothing like his True Blood family, the Mickens, thank goodness! This story takes place after the shifters have come out to the public, so the wedding is not without some problems.

After the story is the Timeline of the entire series, including the short stories and where they fit with the order of the novels. Each novel's storyline is told in enough detail to help you remember the plot lines and get you caught up with what happened before! This is not a substitute for actually reading the stories, but if you don't have time for a re-read, this is a perfect way to refresh your memory! Especially as I might have to wait for 57 other library patrons to read the newest book before I get my chance!

After the Timeline, there are some recipes for food and drink items mentioned in the series, there's an interview with Alan Ball, some Q&A with Charlaine Harris, and I really enjoyed reading about her fan group, the Charletons! If you need a refresher about who ALL of the characters in the books and short stories are, that is included in detail of who they are and how they appear in which story. The most major of the characters have the most details, which almost covered events in the timeline. I found myself scanning over most of this, but would stop at names that interested me.

Overall, I think this is a great book to have on hand to have as reference material if you need to refresh your memory, as well as enjoying all the fun extras! (less)

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Jan 12, 2012 willaful rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: only diehard fans of the series

Shelves: story-novella-or-anthology, snoozeville, nonfiction

I started this on audio and enjoyed the narration of the first part, a Sookie story called “Small-town Wedding.” But the next section, a timeline of the events of every book in the series, was about as interesting to listen to as the “begat” section of the Bible, so I switched to ebook. Which wasn’t much better, but at least I could easily skip.

The timeline also includes a filling in of off-screen conversations/emails from the books (not written by Harris) and who would have thought something c...more

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May 14, 2012 Helena Magalhães rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved this book. Since I’m just waiting to receive the next Sookie book on my mail, it was so good to read this recap of the previous books. It wasn’t boring at all! It made me remember so many details that I couldn’t possibly recall otherwise. As these books are so amazing, I usually don’t put them down until I finish them, which makes it harder to remember some details afterwards (also because it’s such a rich world!).

The secret conversations between Bill and Eric are awesome (I’m repeating...more

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Mar 29, 2012 Alex rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sookie-stackhouse, short-stories, urban-fantasy, vampires

The actual worthy content of this book is thin on the ground, and it's probably a useful companion but there's no real reason to buy it. The short story that opens it is one of Harris' better works, although the overt "Christianity as salvation" message was obnoxious. Then, I don't live in the South so what do I know?

The rest of the book is a mish-mash of timelines, recipes(!), FAQs and, bizarrely, a woman recounting what the Charlaine Harris fan club means to her. A true internet testimonial. I...more

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Mar 12, 2012 Sonja Isaacson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

I'm not sure what I was expecting from this book, but it does have nearly everything. A short story, recipes, map of Bon Temps, Q & A with Alan Ball and Charlaine Harris, family tree, a list of all the characters. I liked the timelines with brief recaps of what happened in the books and also the list of short stories and where they go in the series.

My first problem is that the series hasn't ended yet. There COULD just be one more book so then not a whole lot more information would be added....more

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Feb 28, 2012 Kristin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: series, vampires, fantasy, read-in-2012, reviewed

This was a pretty cool book. I think every series, particularly long-running ones, could benefit from such a book. I have been telling everyone who will listen recently that instead of a teaser chapter from the next book in a series, books should reprint the final chapter from the previous book in the series so we can remember what happened! The brief summaries/timelines for the first 11 books was AWESOME, and I'm sure I'll refer to it again before I read book 12. I also liked the novella includ...more

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Sep 20, 2011 Elizabeth (Miss Eliza) rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011_challenge_vampire, 2011_challenge_horror_urban_fantasy, signed_editions, charlaine_harris, vampires, authors_i_have_met

If this book proved one thing to me it's that, while I consider myself a Sookie fan, I'm truly a dilettante. I learned more than I ever wanted to know about Sookie, truly.I enjoy the books, they are fun, do I need a Sookie Encyclopedia? Perhaps a pared down one because the general plot lines and characters are getting unwieldy and out of control. Do a need more than three hundred pages of this? Hell no. While I agree it is fun to have reference books to your favorite authors, these really aren't...more If this book proved one thing to me it's that, while I consider myself a Sookie fan, I'm truly a dilettante. I learned more than I ever wanted to know about Sookie, truly. I enjoy the books, they are fun, do I need a Sookie Encyclopedia? Perhaps a pared down one because the general plot lines and characters are getting unwieldy and out of control. Do a need more than three hundred pages of this? Hell no. While I agree it is fun to have reference books to your favorite authors, these really aren't meant to be read cover to cover but only picked up on occasion for a query here or there. Consisting of some fun elements, like a map of the town (which seems to have too little distance between some locations like Sookie's and Merlotte's) and correspondence snarkiness that takes place during the books between Eric and Bill, it also contains questions and answers with Charlaine and Alan Ball that are deathly dull and a recipe section. Now that's what I find odd. Recipes! Now, I can see that with all the mention of food in the books that a recipe book for the series is a good idea... but... do a separate darn book don't put it in a book that I don't want anywhere near food or a kitchen, especially when the foods use a lot of deep fryers. The mere thought makes my blood boil and the risk to any book, even if it's one I'm not overly wild about. No books near anything that has heat or flames or grease people, jeez.

The main reason to buy this book though is not the minutiae of every character that was ever mentioned or ever had a line, or even the book summaries which by the final book are so long and incoherent, you can see how this series is getting the better of it's author, the reason is the short story. Well... it's really more of a novella. I originally thought when we first had mention of Sam's little brother's wedding that it might be a full book, heck, it would be more plot than some of the more recent installments. But instead we got a little novella, which showed more about Sam, resolved some issues with Quinn and Sarah Newlin, and felt more like Sookie than a lot of the short stories do. It was a quick little story that once again made me wish that Sookie ends up with an actual human like Sam. But like all the short stories it just seems like a way for us to spend more money on this ever greedy franchise. These books are fun quick reads and that's all. This Companion seems to be giving the series more weight than it rightfully has. A "companion book" indicates something of note, something worthy of further discussion and research, and I don't know if Sookie and her vampires are that... but perhaps I'm wrong and all those people who watch True Blood and actually liked it past the second season will disagree.(less)

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Jan 08, 2012 Laura rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Meh... This was okay, it's really aimed at hardcore fans. Funnily enough I would have put myself in or very close to that category but after reading this I realise maybe I was once but not so much any more. That's not to say I love me some Sookie but the series as a whole doesn't grip me as much as it used to.

The best thing about this book is the short story in the beginning, A Small Town Wedding where Sookie goes with Sam to his brothers wedding. Even though neither Sam's brother or his bride-...more

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Nov 18, 2011 Cheryl rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a book for dedicated fans only. I recieved it as a present, and, even though I did like the Sookie books, a companion book is not something I would have bought.
The Sam and Sookie novella will appeal to anyone who enjoyed the series, but it is far from Harris' best work.
As for the rest of the content - the kindest word I can come up with is superfluous.
A less kind word would be filler.
An even less kind word would be crap.
Impossible trivia quiz?
Don't care.
Fan club president/stalker i...more

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Oct 12, 2011 Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 03, 2012 Vanessa 'Pixi' Kraus rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Sookie Lovers, Vampire Adicts

Shelves: fantasy, paranormal, vampires, fairies, romance, saw-movie-or-show, warewolves

I'll be honest, I didn't read the whole thing (and for a girl with OCD that's a big deal, lol). The 'novella' was a bit raw like most of Charlaine's short stories tend to be. I didn't like the fact that it was published out of order - hence the OCD in me. The novella was published 3 months after the 11th book but to be read chronologically it should be read before the 11th book. I also found a lot of the book to be very pointless unless I hadn't read the series in a long time and didn't want to...more

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Sep 08, 2011 Tammy Thompson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Sookie Stackhouse Companion is a must read for any fan of not just the books, but of True Blood as well. The absolute best part, is at the end of each book synopsis, there are the secret communications between Eric and Bill. OMG laugh out loud funny, captures them so well. Phone, mail and email conversations that might not add anything to the individual stories but are definitely a nice addition.

The book starts out with a new Sookie short story, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Along with detaile...more

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About Charlaine Harris

Charlaine Harris has been a published novelist for over twenty-five years. A native of the Mississippi Delta, she grew up in the middle of a cotton field. Now she lives in southern Arkansas with her husband, her three children, three dogs, and a duck. The duck stays outside.

Though her early output consisted largely of ghost stories, by the time she hit college (Rhodes, in Memphis) Charlaine was wr...more Charlaine Harris has been a published novelist for over twenty-five years. A native of the Mississippi Delta, she grew up in the middle of a cotton field. Now she lives in southern Arkansas with her husband, her three children, three dogs, and a duck. The duck stays outside.

Though her early output consisted largely of ghost stories, by the time she hit college (Rhodes, in Memphis) Charlaine was writing poetry and plays. After holding down some low-level jobs, she had the opportunity to stay home and write, and the resulting two stand-alones were published by Houghton Mifflin. After a child-producing sabbatical, Charlaine latched on to the trend of writing mystery series, and soon had her own traditional books about a Georgia librarian, Aurora Teagarden. Her first Teagarden, Real Murders, garnered an Agatha nomination.

Soon Charlaine was looking for another challenge, and the result was the much darker Lily Bard series. The books, set in Shakespeare, Arkansas, feature a heroine who has survived a terrible attack and is learning to live with its consequences.

When Charlaine began to realize that neither of those series was ever going to set the literary world on fire, she regrouped and decided to write the book she’d always wanted to write. Not a traditional mystery, nor yet pure science fiction or romance, Dead Until Dark broke genre boundaries to appeal to a wide audience of people who just enjoy a good adventure. Each subsequent book about Sookie Stackhouse, telepathic Louisiana barmaid and friend to vampires, werewolves, and various other odd creatures, has drawn more readers. The Southern Vampire books are published in Japan, Great Britain, Greece, Germany, Thailand, Spain, France, and Russia.

In addition to Sookie, Charlaine has another heroine with a strange ability. Harper Connelly, lightning-struck and strange, can find corpses… and that’s how she makes her living.

In addition to her work as a writer, Charlaine is the past senior warden of St. James Episcopal Church, a board member of Mystery Writers of America, a past board member of Sisters in Crime, a member of the American Crime Writers League, and past president of the Arkansas Mystery Writers Alliance. She spends her "spare" time reading, watching her daughter play sports, traveling, and going to the movies. (less)

More about Charlaine Harris...

Books by Charlaine Harris

Living Dead in Dallas (Sookie Stackhouse, #2)

Dead to the World (Sookie Stackhouse, #4)

Dead as a Doornail (Sookie Stackhouse, #5)

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