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Sookie Stackhouse
The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories
For the first time together in one volume, the complete short story collection starring Sookie Stackhouse—with a new introduction from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the series, Charlaine Harris.
For the first time together in one volume, here is the complete short story collection starring Louisiana's favorite telepathic waitress, Sookie Stackhouse—from #1 New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris. New fans can fill in the gaps in their Sookie lore while old friends can revisit some of their favorite moments and characters. From investigating the murder of a local fairy to learning that her cousin was a vampire, from remodeling her best friend's house to attending a wedding with her shapeshifting boss, Sam, Sookie navigates the perils and pitfalls of the paranormal world.
Belly up to the bar at Bon Temps's favorite watering hole and hear stories that will make you wish Sookie never left, including...
"Fairy...
For the first time together in one volume, here is the complete short story collection starring Louisiana's favorite telepathic waitress, Sookie Stackhouse—from #1 New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris. New fans can fill in the gaps in their Sookie lore while old friends can revisit some of their favorite moments and characters. From investigating the murder of a local fairy to learning that her cousin was a vampire, from remodeling her best friend's house to attending a wedding with her shapeshifting boss, Sam, Sookie navigates the perils and pitfalls of the paranormal world.
Belly up to the bar at Bon Temps's favorite watering hole and hear stories that will make you wish Sookie never left, including...
"Fairy...
378 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 21, 2017
735 people are currently reading
3410 people want to read
About the author
Charlaine Harris
203 books37k followersCharlaine Harris has been a published writer for over forty years. Her first two books were standalones, followed by a long sabbatical when she was having children. Then she began the Aurora Teagarden book, mysteries featuring a short librarian (eventually adapted for Hallmark movies). The darker Lily Bard books came next, about a house cleaner with a dark past and considerable fighting skills.
Tired of abiding by the mystery rules, Harris wrote a novel about a telepathic barmaid that took at least two years to sell. When the book was published, it turned into a best seller, and DEAD UNTIL DARK and the subsequent Sookie books were adapted in Alan Ball's "True Blood" series. At the same time, Harris began the Harper Connelly books. Harper can find the bones of the dead and see their last minute.
When those two series wound to a close, the next three books were about a mysterious town in Texas, called Midnight.
A change in publisher and editor led to Harris's novels about a female gunslinger in an alternate America, Lizbeth Rose. The Gunnie Rose books concluded with the sixth novel.
She's thinking about what to write next.
Tired of abiding by the mystery rules, Harris wrote a novel about a telepathic barmaid that took at least two years to sell. When the book was published, it turned into a best seller, and DEAD UNTIL DARK and the subsequent Sookie books were adapted in Alan Ball's "True Blood" series. At the same time, Harris began the Harper Connelly books. Harper can find the bones of the dead and see their last minute.
When those two series wound to a close, the next three books were about a mysterious town in Texas, called Midnight.
A change in publisher and editor led to Harris's novels about a female gunslinger in an alternate America, Lizbeth Rose. The Gunnie Rose books concluded with the sixth novel.
She's thinking about what to write next.
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October 15, 2025
A companion collection of all the short stories that fill in the small gaps between the Southern Vampire series written by Charlaine Harris. Exciting, tantalizing, snippets into some well-known characters and some not so known characters. If you are like me, you can never get enough of an amazing series. The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories gives fans just like me some deeper insight into this world.
“Fairy Dust”
“One Word Answer”
“Dracula Night”
“Lucky”
“Gift Wrap”
“Two Blondes”
“If I Had a Hammer”
“Small-Town Wedding”
“Playing Possum”
“In the Blue Hereafter”
I received this ARC copy of The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories from Berkley Publishing Group - Ace. This is my honest and voluntary review. The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories is set for publication November 21, 2017.
My rating: 4 stars
“Fairy Dust”
“One Word Answer”
“Dracula Night”
“Lucky”
“Gift Wrap”
“Two Blondes”
“If I Had a Hammer”
“Small-Town Wedding”
“Playing Possum”
“In the Blue Hereafter”
I received this ARC copy of The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories from Berkley Publishing Group - Ace. This is my honest and voluntary review. The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories is set for publication November 21, 2017.
My rating: 4 stars
November 21, 2017
I am usually disappointed when my favorite books are adapted for television or movies. Sookie Stackhouse was a favorite character of mine before HBO started their seven seasons of True Blood. As usual, the film version bore very little resemblance to the books. The first season was pretty close.....but it veered completely off course after that. In my mind, the books and the show are two completely different stories. HBO changed major plot points, added characters, and left out major portions of the books. And unfortunately most of the things they left out, or changed substantially, were my favorite parts of the series. Not that I didn't enjoy True Blood....I did. I was just disappointed they didn't follow the books. Not surprised. Just disapppointed. Now that the show is over, I want to revisit this entire series and put Sookie, her friends, and Bon Temps back into my mind the way Charlaine Harris created them.
While she was writing the series, Harris published several short stories set in Sookie's world. They added some nice side stories to the series, and were nestled into sweet themed anthology collections alongside stories by other authors I love like Jim Butcher and Rachel Caine. It's a bit difficult to go back and read all the stories since they were originally published in several different books. Then I saw a blurb for this new book -- yay!! All of the Sookie short stories collected in one book!
For anyone who wants to read the entire series in chronological order, the Southern Vampire series wiki page has a list that includes both the books and the short stories: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sou...
For those who watched the HBO show but haven't read the books -- I highly recommend reading this series, with these additional stories. There are 13 books in the series, written from 2001 - 2013. The books are SO much better than the television series! I highly recommend the Southern Vampire series to anyone who likes supernatural, urban fantasy. Sookie Stackhouse is a waitress in Bon Temps, LA. She tends to keep to herself because she can hear other people's thoughts. Her abilities tend to make people think she's strange. She's always wanted to meet a vampire ever since they came "out of the coffin," revealing their existence to the world. One night she meets Bill Compton....a vampire who has moved into his old family home in Bon Temps. Her life will never be the same!
There are no new stories in this book....it's a re-release of 10 previously published short stories. Readers can enjoy them all in one place, rather than spread between several anthology books. For me, that's great because I have been waiting to reread the series until I had all of the short stories and I was a couple books short of having them all. I'm just a bit OCD like that when it's time to a revisit to a favorite series. And I can have my Sookie shelf in my bookcase....without having to add anthologies that include other stories.
This means I can move Sookie up to the top of my TBR and start re-reading!! :) I originally read this series with my husband. When new books arrived we used to argue over who got to read it first. Once we even played a boardgame to determine the winner. I lost, of course, and my husband got to gloat for an entire week about how he knew what was happening and I didn't. ha ha :) I ordered a copy of this book today....so soon I will have another fresh new Sookie book arriving on my doorstep to grace my keeper shelf. I'm sure once hubby sees me re-reading the first book he will want to join in and revisit Bon Temps too.
For more information on the author and her books, check out her website: http://charlaineharris.com/
**I voluntarily received an advanced readers copy of this book from Berkley Publishing via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.**
While she was writing the series, Harris published several short stories set in Sookie's world. They added some nice side stories to the series, and were nestled into sweet themed anthology collections alongside stories by other authors I love like Jim Butcher and Rachel Caine. It's a bit difficult to go back and read all the stories since they were originally published in several different books. Then I saw a blurb for this new book -- yay!! All of the Sookie short stories collected in one book!
For anyone who wants to read the entire series in chronological order, the Southern Vampire series wiki page has a list that includes both the books and the short stories: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sou...
For those who watched the HBO show but haven't read the books -- I highly recommend reading this series, with these additional stories. There are 13 books in the series, written from 2001 - 2013. The books are SO much better than the television series! I highly recommend the Southern Vampire series to anyone who likes supernatural, urban fantasy. Sookie Stackhouse is a waitress in Bon Temps, LA. She tends to keep to herself because she can hear other people's thoughts. Her abilities tend to make people think she's strange. She's always wanted to meet a vampire ever since they came "out of the coffin," revealing their existence to the world. One night she meets Bill Compton....a vampire who has moved into his old family home in Bon Temps. Her life will never be the same!
There are no new stories in this book....it's a re-release of 10 previously published short stories. Readers can enjoy them all in one place, rather than spread between several anthology books. For me, that's great because I have been waiting to reread the series until I had all of the short stories and I was a couple books short of having them all. I'm just a bit OCD like that when it's time to a revisit to a favorite series. And I can have my Sookie shelf in my bookcase....without having to add anthologies that include other stories.
This means I can move Sookie up to the top of my TBR and start re-reading!! :) I originally read this series with my husband. When new books arrived we used to argue over who got to read it first. Once we even played a boardgame to determine the winner. I lost, of course, and my husband got to gloat for an entire week about how he knew what was happening and I didn't. ha ha :) I ordered a copy of this book today....so soon I will have another fresh new Sookie book arriving on my doorstep to grace my keeper shelf. I'm sure once hubby sees me re-reading the first book he will want to join in and revisit Bon Temps too.
For more information on the author and her books, check out her website: http://charlaineharris.com/
**I voluntarily received an advanced readers copy of this book from Berkley Publishing via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.**
Read
November 15, 2017Anthologies that have stories by a single author are wonderful for catching up on stories that have been published in a variety of sources and you may have missed one or more. All of these stories have been previously published in other, multi-author anthologies. I'd read most but there were some I hadn't. Many of the short stories involve mysteries. Each story is prefaced with a short note from Ms Harris, with a brief intro on the story and placing it in the series timeline. The stories range in length, with the longest one being a hundred pages and the shortest one being twenty-two pages. Sookie is the star of all but one of the stories, showcasing her talents. People have a tendency to underestimate Sookie and I enjoy seeing her show them up. While I enjoyed the stories, I had read many of the books and knew the main characters and the world. I don't think it would work as well if you're new to the world.
Fairy Dust 3 stars. A dead fairy and missing money. Sookie did a nice job asking questions, the solve was a surprise, and I'd forgotten about the allergy. It wasn't gripping but it was pleasant.
One Word Answer - 3 stars. Clever story. Once again, Sookie is smarter than she seems.
Dracula Night - 3 stars. Eric's excitement about having Dracula attend his party is both silly and relatable. The 'mystery' was meh but nice background on Dracula.
Lucky - 3.5 stars Nice little mystery, Sookie's getting good at solving them. Good use of both Sookie and Amelia's powers.
Gift Wrap - 3 stars. Weird, yet sweet Christmas story. I was never a fan of Niall or that whole story line.
Two Blondes - 3 stars. It was fun to see have Pam and Sookei have a night out.They have an odd friendship and the story showcased that nicely. The events didn't make a whole lot of sense but they let Pam and Sookie shine.
If I Had a Hammer - 2 stars. Depressing, moody story. It was nice to see Tara and JB bu tthe story was muddled and dark.
Small-Town Wedding - 3 stars. A novella, not a short story. Sam and Sookie go to the wedding of Sam's brother. But weres, including Sam's mother, were recently outed and tensions in town are high. Nice use of motorcyclists and a decent look at the tensions and hostility towards people perceived as outsiders, but the story was a little long.
Playing Possum - 3 stars. Events in this story are much too current as they involve a shooting at a school. I wish Hunter had played a larger part in the story but at the same time, I wish this hadn't happened to him. Still, Harris did a good job portraying Hunter and Sookie's use of their powersin teh situation.
In the Blue Hereafter - 2.5 stars. Sookie is a side character in this story. The focus is on Manfred, a psychic from her Harper Connelly books , who later went on to star in the Midnight Texas books. The story was slow, meandered, and just didn't grab me.
Fairy Dust 3 stars. A dead fairy and missing money. Sookie did a nice job asking questions, the solve was a surprise, and I'd forgotten about the allergy. It wasn't gripping but it was pleasant.
One Word Answer - 3 stars. Clever story. Once again, Sookie is smarter than she seems.
Dracula Night - 3 stars. Eric's excitement about having Dracula attend his party is both silly and relatable. The 'mystery' was meh but nice background on Dracula.
Lucky - 3.5 stars Nice little mystery, Sookie's getting good at solving them. Good use of both Sookie and Amelia's powers.
Gift Wrap - 3 stars. Weird, yet sweet Christmas story. I was never a fan of Niall or that whole story line.
Two Blondes - 3 stars. It was fun to see have Pam and Sookei have a night out.They have an odd friendship and the story showcased that nicely. The events didn't make a whole lot of sense but they let Pam and Sookie shine.
If I Had a Hammer - 2 stars. Depressing, moody story. It was nice to see Tara and JB bu tthe story was muddled and dark.
Small-Town Wedding - 3 stars. A novella, not a short story. Sam and Sookie go to the wedding of Sam's brother. But weres, including Sam's mother, were recently outed and tensions in town are high. Nice use of motorcyclists and a decent look at the tensions and hostility towards people perceived as outsiders, but the story was a little long.
Playing Possum - 3 stars. Events in this story are much too current as they involve a shooting at a school. I wish Hunter had played a larger part in the story but at the same time, I wish this hadn't happened to him. Still, Harris did a good job portraying Hunter and Sookie's use of their powersin teh situation.
In the Blue Hereafter - 2.5 stars. Sookie is a side character in this story. The focus is on Manfred, a psychic from her Harper Connelly books , who later went on to star in the Midnight Texas books. The story was slow, meandered, and just didn't grab me.
January 15, 2024
After a whirlwind series about the supernatural, Charlaine Harris uses this piece to collect some of the short stories that have appeared in various publications. Sookie Stackhouse made a name for herself and these pieces help fill gaps in the larger story arc and entertain series fans to no end. Harris proves her abilities to pen shorter pieces that pack just as much punch.
Note to review readers: I have added reviews to this short story collection of those pieces I had not read or reviewed before. While the list below is not completely in line with the contents of this book, reviews of other short stories included in these pages can be found under
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... and
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Two Blondes #11.5:
Sookie and Pam find themselves in Tunica, Mississippi for a simple vacation sightseeing and gambling. However, they get pulled into helping out someone else in the vampire world. Posing as strippers, Pam and Sookie end up learning more about a large betrayal before the two men involved are found murdered. Will these two be able to escape unharmed?
If I Had a Hammer #12.5:
Always wanting to help, Sookie and Sam agree to help with a small building project for Tara and her husband, JB du Rone. When they locate a bloody hammer, stuffed into a wall, everyone is a little nervous. There was a horrible murder in the community years ago, which could be tied to this weapon. Now, a ghost is here to tell their version of events.
Playing Possum #12.6:
Sookie arrives to celebrate her nephew’s birthday at his school. Things take a turn when an angry individual shows up and demand answers, putting Sookie and many of the children at risk.
In the Blue Hereafter #12.7:
Manfred Bernardo is also a psychic and finds himself attending a minor-league baseball game, where he meets Sookie Stackhouse, a local legend in Bon Temps, Louisiana. They begin talking and soon Manfred learns a great deal more about the woman. Together they use their powers to ensure something horrible does not happen.
The full-length novels were a treat for me to read, as they pushed me out of my comfort zone. Now, I turned to some of the short stories that added flavour to the series and helped Charlaine Harris flesh-out her ideas. The narrative flow differs between stories, but all are buoyed by strong ideas and a forward momentum. With added depth to characters and more perspectives, Harris increases understanding and propels things forward quite well. Toss in a few plot twists and you have a great collection of short stories that are sure to impress series fans. There are more to come, which has me eager to explore.
Kudos, Madam Harris, for cementing some of your stories with more and introducing readers to some new material.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
Note to review readers: I have added reviews to this short story collection of those pieces I had not read or reviewed before. While the list below is not completely in line with the contents of this book, reviews of other short stories included in these pages can be found under
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... and
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Two Blondes #11.5:
Sookie and Pam find themselves in Tunica, Mississippi for a simple vacation sightseeing and gambling. However, they get pulled into helping out someone else in the vampire world. Posing as strippers, Pam and Sookie end up learning more about a large betrayal before the two men involved are found murdered. Will these two be able to escape unharmed?
If I Had a Hammer #12.5:
Always wanting to help, Sookie and Sam agree to help with a small building project for Tara and her husband, JB du Rone. When they locate a bloody hammer, stuffed into a wall, everyone is a little nervous. There was a horrible murder in the community years ago, which could be tied to this weapon. Now, a ghost is here to tell their version of events.
Playing Possum #12.6:
Sookie arrives to celebrate her nephew’s birthday at his school. Things take a turn when an angry individual shows up and demand answers, putting Sookie and many of the children at risk.
In the Blue Hereafter #12.7:
Manfred Bernardo is also a psychic and finds himself attending a minor-league baseball game, where he meets Sookie Stackhouse, a local legend in Bon Temps, Louisiana. They begin talking and soon Manfred learns a great deal more about the woman. Together they use their powers to ensure something horrible does not happen.
The full-length novels were a treat for me to read, as they pushed me out of my comfort zone. Now, I turned to some of the short stories that added flavour to the series and helped Charlaine Harris flesh-out her ideas. The narrative flow differs between stories, but all are buoyed by strong ideas and a forward momentum. With added depth to characters and more perspectives, Harris increases understanding and propels things forward quite well. Toss in a few plot twists and you have a great collection of short stories that are sure to impress series fans. There are more to come, which has me eager to explore.
Kudos, Madam Harris, for cementing some of your stories with more and introducing readers to some new material.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
October 26, 2017
Is Charlaine seriously still trying to make money off of a series she destroyed, because she stopped caring during the last three books??? Please don’t waste money on this and continue to support this woman. If you want to read it, you should borrow a copy from your local library. And, P.S., there is already a short story collection called A Touch Of Dead, that has half of these stories in it.
October 20, 2017
*I received this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
I forgot to keep notes on each story as I went, so I can't quite remember everything, but I remember somewhat enjoying this as a whole. I should mention that before this reading I had never read any of these stories before and I read them along side the series, in order. So, below are my thoughts on each story.
Overall, I did like this and really appreciated the first page of each story which tells the reader when they should read this installment.
Fairy Dust
I really enjoyed this one. I always loved reading about the fairies! Plus, Claudine!! Also, we learned more about their business and their triplet. It was fast-paced, but I forgave that since it is a novella.
Dracula Night
Anyone cringe/laugh while reading this because they thought of Vlad from Night Huntress... no? Just me?
With any vampire series, Dracula needs to be addressed. I truly enjoyed this rendition since it is so different from what we usually read about him. This was chuckle worthy and seeing Eric in this light made me like him more.
One Word Answer
Okay, this answered my question of "Did I miss something???" This I feel should have been made into the main story because it seems quite vital and is brought up in Definitely Dead.
I didn't quite get it??? It seemed just weirdly written out to me.
Didn't quite enjoy this one.
Lucky
This was quite funny. I enjoyed this one. I liked Sookie and Amelia working together and how the insurance agent was trying to help his business and his clients! Not important to the story, but enjoyable :)
Gift Wrap
Creepy? Sweet? Bitter-sweet? I have mixed feelings about this one. Niall always sits on my moral fence making me question if he is doing right or wrong. This is one of those times which made me question it, even if the story is sweet. I'm not sure if it makes sense in the series though.
Two Blondes
Any story focusing on Sookie and Pam is a win for me, tbh. I love them. Some of the events might not have made 100% sense, but *shrugs* I'll take it. It is funny and smile-inducing.
Small-Town Wedding
This is when I really started realizing how the story would end. It is referenced in the main story, so it is worth a read, but I would say it also kinda spoils the ending.... at least the first explanation page. But, it is one of the best installments in this collection. I really enjoyed reading it.
If I Had A Hammer
This one almost seemed misplaced to me... I might have said to read it one book later. To add a new kind of supernatural element to the series this late in the game seemed a bit... I don't know, I just felt weird about it. Psychics AND Ghosts introduced a few books before the end of the series and then they aren't brought up in the main story. This is one I'm kinda 'meh' about.
Playing Possum
I really enjoyed this one, even if I didn't like the setting. I loved when we got to read about Hunter, there wasn't enough of him in the series, but this story would have been so damaging to him, I think. It was intense and enjoyable though.
In the Blue Hereafter
This isn't a Sookie Stackhouse story. It is told from the POV of Manford from a different story. He talks to Sookie and helps her out and I guess she helps him too? I liked seeing Sookie from a different POV, but she seemed so different it was weird haha. Still the same, but I guess we see how relaxed she presents herself. Could skip it if you want, I wasn't a huge fan of this one, probably because I didn't understand Manford.
All in all a decent collection of stories even though I was pretty meh about a few and thought it ended on a weird note. I would have picked or written a different last story.
I forgot to keep notes on each story as I went, so I can't quite remember everything, but I remember somewhat enjoying this as a whole. I should mention that before this reading I had never read any of these stories before and I read them along side the series, in order. So, below are my thoughts on each story.
Overall, I did like this and really appreciated the first page of each story which tells the reader when they should read this installment.
Fairy Dust
I really enjoyed this one. I always loved reading about the fairies! Plus, Claudine!! Also, we learned more about their business and their triplet. It was fast-paced, but I forgave that since it is a novella.
Dracula Night
Anyone cringe/laugh while reading this because they thought of Vlad from Night Huntress... no? Just me?
With any vampire series, Dracula needs to be addressed. I truly enjoyed this rendition since it is so different from what we usually read about him. This was chuckle worthy and seeing Eric in this light made me like him more.
One Word Answer
Okay, this answered my question of "Did I miss something???" This I feel should have been made into the main story because it seems quite vital and is brought up in Definitely Dead.
I didn't quite get it??? It seemed just weirdly written out to me.
Didn't quite enjoy this one.
Lucky
This was quite funny. I enjoyed this one. I liked Sookie and Amelia working together and how the insurance agent was trying to help his business and his clients! Not important to the story, but enjoyable :)
Gift Wrap
Creepy? Sweet? Bitter-sweet? I have mixed feelings about this one. Niall always sits on my moral fence making me question if he is doing right or wrong. This is one of those times which made me question it, even if the story is sweet. I'm not sure if it makes sense in the series though.
Two Blondes
Any story focusing on Sookie and Pam is a win for me, tbh. I love them. Some of the events might not have made 100% sense, but *shrugs* I'll take it. It is funny and smile-inducing.
Small-Town Wedding
This is when I really started realizing how the story would end. It is referenced in the main story, so it is worth a read, but I would say it also kinda spoils the ending.... at least the first explanation page. But, it is one of the best installments in this collection. I really enjoyed reading it.
If I Had A Hammer
This one almost seemed misplaced to me... I might have said to read it one book later. To add a new kind of supernatural element to the series this late in the game seemed a bit... I don't know, I just felt weird about it. Psychics AND Ghosts introduced a few books before the end of the series and then they aren't brought up in the main story. This is one I'm kinda 'meh' about.
Playing Possum
I really enjoyed this one, even if I didn't like the setting. I loved when we got to read about Hunter, there wasn't enough of him in the series, but this story would have been so damaging to him, I think. It was intense and enjoyable though.
In the Blue Hereafter
This isn't a Sookie Stackhouse story. It is told from the POV of Manford from a different story. He talks to Sookie and helps her out and I guess she helps him too? I liked seeing Sookie from a different POV, but she seemed so different it was weird haha. Still the same, but I guess we see how relaxed she presents herself. Could skip it if you want, I wasn't a huge fan of this one, probably because I didn't understand Manford.
All in all a decent collection of stories even though I was pretty meh about a few and thought it ended on a weird note. I would have picked or written a different last story.
October 17, 2025
While housebound dog-sitting earlier this month, I watched 4 or 5 seasons of "True Blood." The beginning seemed familiar and when I checked my books list I found I had read the first book in the series but none of the others. I used these stories to nod off to sleep. They were mostly effective.
September 17, 2017
Electronic ARC provided by NetGalley.
"The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories" does just what it says, compiling all of the various Sookie short stories (and one novella) in one place for the first time. I had read a few of these before, but I very much enjoyed reading them again and getting to catch up on the ones that I had missed previously. The stories fit between various moments from the main series, and give us the chance to revisit many favorite characters. Harris has done a great job of creating stories that are varied in tone, cast, and setting.
The standout here is probably the novella "Small-Town Wedding", where Sookie attends the wedding of Sam's younger brother in small town Texas. The wedding becomes a focal point for conflicts between the townsfolk and the newly revealed shifter community, and contains some great character moments for both Sookie and Sam.
Towards the end of the Sookie series I felt like the plot was starting to drag. I'm happy to say that reading this set of short stories reminded me why I liked this series so much in the first place. It was fun to revisit these characters, and I'm now looking forward to whatever new series Charlaine Harris writes next.
"The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories" does just what it says, compiling all of the various Sookie short stories (and one novella) in one place for the first time. I had read a few of these before, but I very much enjoyed reading them again and getting to catch up on the ones that I had missed previously. The stories fit between various moments from the main series, and give us the chance to revisit many favorite characters. Harris has done a great job of creating stories that are varied in tone, cast, and setting.
The standout here is probably the novella "Small-Town Wedding", where Sookie attends the wedding of Sam's younger brother in small town Texas. The wedding becomes a focal point for conflicts between the townsfolk and the newly revealed shifter community, and contains some great character moments for both Sookie and Sam.
Towards the end of the Sookie series I felt like the plot was starting to drag. I'm happy to say that reading this set of short stories reminded me why I liked this series so much in the first place. It was fun to revisit these characters, and I'm now looking forward to whatever new series Charlaine Harris writes next.
no-thank-you
November 10, 2017If you've gotten this far, you probably already know (and have) A Touch of Dead with the first five shorts.
Fairy Dust - Dracula Night - One Word Answer - Lucky - Gift Wrap
Most likely though, you're like me and purchased the 10 anthologies these shorts appeared in over a span of 14 years. You also bought AToD, because we still had hopes then and had to have all the Sookie.
But like me, you are still wicked angry over her complete disregard of her own works during the "True Blood" years/last five books.
This ones a pass for me.
Fairy Dust - Dracula Night - One Word Answer - Lucky - Gift Wrap
Most likely though, you're like me and purchased the 10 anthologies these shorts appeared in over a span of 14 years. You also bought AToD, because we still had hopes then and had to have all the Sookie.
But like me, you are still wicked angry over her complete disregard of her own works during the "True Blood" years/last five books.
This ones a pass for me.
December 4, 2017
I loved going back to this characters and all their drama, I will never get tired of these stories or characters.
July 10, 2025
While I've been enjoying a Sookie Stackhouse series reunion by experiencing the series on audio for the first time, I figured this was a good time to pull down off the shelf my unread copy of The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories and read them as they occurred in the series chronological order between listens.
All appear to introduce characters either already met, but some aspect of their character is further revealed or there is an introduction to characters who will be significant in a future book.
Mysterious people and situations give Sookie plenty more adventures in the well-developed shorter pieces.
“Fairy Dust” #4.1
Claudine comes to Sookie asking for her help to solve her sister, Claudette's murder. In which Sookie learns about the gorgeous fairy triplets and a strip joint called Hooligan's.
“Dracula Night” #4.3
The vamps only celebrate two holidays a year and Lord of Night's birthday is one. Will Dracula grace Eric's party and will Sookie's new party dress and the new bartender survive the night?
“One Word Answer” #5.1
Something of a prequel to the events in Definitely Dead. Sookie learns from the mysterious supernatural lawyer, Mr. Cataliades that her cousin Hadley was made vampire, was a fav of the vampire queen, and in her final death made Sookie her heir. Sookie susses out Hadley's killer and learns the political savvy of the one-word answer.
“Lucky” #7.1
Sookie and Amelia, her witch friend, and Hurricane Katrina refugee are asked to help solve a mystery for an insurance agent who generally has the best luck- helps that his witch heritage can draw good luck to him.
“Gift Wrap” #8.1
Sookie is alone at Christmas and- but wait, a mysterious wounded shifter in the woods is the start to an unforgettable Christmas eve and that is topped by a surprising family Christmas with a newly met great-grandfather for Sookie after all.
“Two Blondes” #9.1
Pam and Sookie take a vacay trip to the Mississippi casinos. Sookie is dubious and sure enough there is a catch landing Sookie and Pam in the soup at a strip joint.
“Small-Town Wedding” #10.1
A novella-length side adventure for Sookie and Sam when they head to his tiny hometown in Texas for his brother's wedding. The wedding gets some nasty bigots out, but also some warm allies and friends in support. Sookie is cozy with Sam's family and gets some closure with Quinn.
“If I Had a Hammer” #11.1
Sookie and Sam help Tara and her husband remodel their house after the birth of the babies and accidentally unveil evidence of a long ago crime and a ghost. Sookie pairs with the mysterious babysitter to help get rid of their ghost problem.
“Playing Possum” #13.2
Tired Sookie steps up to bring cupcakes to her cute little cousin's kindergarten class only to tangle with a school shooter with the help of apples and a witch.
“In the Blue Hereafter” #13.3
A crossover story with Manfred Bernardo, a side character in the previous Harper Connelly series and main character in the soon-to-be Midnight, Texas series is a psychic and sometimes con artist entering Sookie Stackhouse's world. He's been sent by his dead grandmother to Bon Temps, LA for some obscure reason. He bumps into a gorgeous telepath at a softball tournament and, with her help, figures out the purpose of his trip.
There are other side stories and novellas in the Sookie Stackhouse world, but I enjoyed this complete collection of all the ones that involved Sookie in one book. I'd read some of these in previously released anthologies, but a few were new to me (or at least I think they were new to me). Most were well-developed and I really enjoyed them though there were a couple that felt they needed a tad bit more. All in all, I think Sookie Stackhouse series fans are the target audience and will get the most out of these since they assume the reader is familiar with the storylines and casts of characters in the novels of the series.
My full review will post at The Reading Frenzy 6.25.25.
All appear to introduce characters either already met, but some aspect of their character is further revealed or there is an introduction to characters who will be significant in a future book.
Mysterious people and situations give Sookie plenty more adventures in the well-developed shorter pieces.
“Fairy Dust” #4.1
Claudine comes to Sookie asking for her help to solve her sister, Claudette's murder. In which Sookie learns about the gorgeous fairy triplets and a strip joint called Hooligan's.
“Dracula Night” #4.3
The vamps only celebrate two holidays a year and Lord of Night's birthday is one. Will Dracula grace Eric's party and will Sookie's new party dress and the new bartender survive the night?
“One Word Answer” #5.1
Something of a prequel to the events in Definitely Dead. Sookie learns from the mysterious supernatural lawyer, Mr. Cataliades that her cousin Hadley was made vampire, was a fav of the vampire queen, and in her final death made Sookie her heir. Sookie susses out Hadley's killer and learns the political savvy of the one-word answer.
“Lucky” #7.1
Sookie and Amelia, her witch friend, and Hurricane Katrina refugee are asked to help solve a mystery for an insurance agent who generally has the best luck- helps that his witch heritage can draw good luck to him.
“Gift Wrap” #8.1
Sookie is alone at Christmas and- but wait, a mysterious wounded shifter in the woods is the start to an unforgettable Christmas eve and that is topped by a surprising family Christmas with a newly met great-grandfather for Sookie after all.
“Two Blondes” #9.1
Pam and Sookie take a vacay trip to the Mississippi casinos. Sookie is dubious and sure enough there is a catch landing Sookie and Pam in the soup at a strip joint.
“Small-Town Wedding” #10.1
A novella-length side adventure for Sookie and Sam when they head to his tiny hometown in Texas for his brother's wedding. The wedding gets some nasty bigots out, but also some warm allies and friends in support. Sookie is cozy with Sam's family and gets some closure with Quinn.
“If I Had a Hammer” #11.1
Sookie and Sam help Tara and her husband remodel their house after the birth of the babies and accidentally unveil evidence of a long ago crime and a ghost. Sookie pairs with the mysterious babysitter to help get rid of their ghost problem.
“Playing Possum” #13.2
Tired Sookie steps up to bring cupcakes to her cute little cousin's kindergarten class only to tangle with a school shooter with the help of apples and a witch.
“In the Blue Hereafter” #13.3
A crossover story with Manfred Bernardo, a side character in the previous Harper Connelly series and main character in the soon-to-be Midnight, Texas series is a psychic and sometimes con artist entering Sookie Stackhouse's world. He's been sent by his dead grandmother to Bon Temps, LA for some obscure reason. He bumps into a gorgeous telepath at a softball tournament and, with her help, figures out the purpose of his trip.
There are other side stories and novellas in the Sookie Stackhouse world, but I enjoyed this complete collection of all the ones that involved Sookie in one book. I'd read some of these in previously released anthologies, but a few were new to me (or at least I think they were new to me). Most were well-developed and I really enjoyed them though there were a couple that felt they needed a tad bit more. All in all, I think Sookie Stackhouse series fans are the target audience and will get the most out of these since they assume the reader is familiar with the storylines and casts of characters in the novels of the series.
My full review will post at The Reading Frenzy 6.25.25.
January 16, 2024
After a whirlwind series about the supernatural, Charlaine Harris uses this piece to collect some of the short stories that have appeared in various publications. Sookie Stackhouse made a name for herself, but she is not the only character worthy of some added stories. Harris focuses the early part of the collection on Dahlia Lynley-Chivers, a gorgeous vampire with an attitude to boot. Harris adds some Sookie stories and keeps things intense for all readers.
Note to review readers: I have added reviews to this short story collection of those pieces I had not read or reviewed before. While the list below is not completely in line with the contents of this book, reviews of other short stories included in these pages can be found under https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Tacky:
When Dahlia Lynley Chivers is asked to be a bridesmaid, she discovers the world of the supernatural is quite different than those of the human realm. Weres, vampires, and a slew of others keep things interesting and forces the caterer to be varied. This collection of sometimes enemies will require a delicate balance and Dahlia is there to ensure nothing ruins the bride’s special day.
Bacon:
Dahlia had a controversial marriage to a werewolf. When her husband died, Dahlia felt gutted, but also wanted to ensure that his death did not go unresolved. Now, Dahlia reaches out to a witch for some help finding her husband’s killer and exacting revenge.
The Britlingens Go to Hell:
In this unique story, the reader can follow paranormal bodyguards Clovache and Batanya as they enter Lucifer’s realm on a mission. While they make their way deeper into Hell, encounters with hounds will soon be the least of their concerns.
Dahlia Underground:
Dahlia has never feared making herself known, though she is aware of the need for subtlety. During a freak accident at a vampire hotel that finds many die and Dahlia buried in some rubble, the town seeks to help everyone who survives. Dahlia realises that she must take action to find the culprits and ensure retribution is fast.
Death by Dahlia:
Dahlia Lynley-Chivers is a vampire first and foremost. At a party, she takes the opportunity to feast on one of the other attendees, which leaves her wondering about her place in the larger vampire world. Working with an acquaintance, Dahlia explores this and sheds light (or darkness) for the reader.
The full-length novels were a treat for me to read, as they pushed me out of my comfort zone. Now, I turned to some of the short stories, adding flavour to the series. The narrative flow differs between stories, particularly with different protagonists, allowing strong narrative styles and characters to shine through. Harris keeps things strong and provides the reader with something well worth their time in this final collection.
Kudos, Madam Harris, for a great collection. I may want to read some of your other full-length series down the road.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
Note to review readers: I have added reviews to this short story collection of those pieces I had not read or reviewed before. While the list below is not completely in line with the contents of this book, reviews of other short stories included in these pages can be found under https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Tacky:
When Dahlia Lynley Chivers is asked to be a bridesmaid, she discovers the world of the supernatural is quite different than those of the human realm. Weres, vampires, and a slew of others keep things interesting and forces the caterer to be varied. This collection of sometimes enemies will require a delicate balance and Dahlia is there to ensure nothing ruins the bride’s special day.
Bacon:
Dahlia had a controversial marriage to a werewolf. When her husband died, Dahlia felt gutted, but also wanted to ensure that his death did not go unresolved. Now, Dahlia reaches out to a witch for some help finding her husband’s killer and exacting revenge.
The Britlingens Go to Hell:
In this unique story, the reader can follow paranormal bodyguards Clovache and Batanya as they enter Lucifer’s realm on a mission. While they make their way deeper into Hell, encounters with hounds will soon be the least of their concerns.
Dahlia Underground:
Dahlia has never feared making herself known, though she is aware of the need for subtlety. During a freak accident at a vampire hotel that finds many die and Dahlia buried in some rubble, the town seeks to help everyone who survives. Dahlia realises that she must take action to find the culprits and ensure retribution is fast.
Death by Dahlia:
Dahlia Lynley-Chivers is a vampire first and foremost. At a party, she takes the opportunity to feast on one of the other attendees, which leaves her wondering about her place in the larger vampire world. Working with an acquaintance, Dahlia explores this and sheds light (or darkness) for the reader.
The full-length novels were a treat for me to read, as they pushed me out of my comfort zone. Now, I turned to some of the short stories, adding flavour to the series. The narrative flow differs between stories, particularly with different protagonists, allowing strong narrative styles and characters to shine through. Harris keeps things strong and provides the reader with something well worth their time in this final collection.
Kudos, Madam Harris, for a great collection. I may want to read some of your other full-length series down the road.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
December 23, 2017
If I had any shame about what I read, the Southern Vampire Mysteries would likely be the guiltiest of my guilty pleasures. As it is, it was a real fun time to go back to this world and read about vampires and weres and supernatural politics (oh my!) after a few years away.
My favorite thing about Sookie is that she's just a regular ol' working-class woman, with a very ordinary life - except for that little telepathy problem (and later, fairies ... I feel like Harris lost her way a bit with that storyline). She just tries to live her life in a way that her grandmother would approve of, while also not dying from Bad Choices. Sookie is fundamentally kind and she tries to be good, but sometimes she can be downright cruel. It happens more often as the absolute shitshow that is the supernatural world wears on her, abrasive and demanding. The sly peeks of dark cleverness are always a delight for me, a very mean reader.
My favorite thing about Sookie is that she's just a regular ol' working-class woman, with a very ordinary life - except for that little telepathy problem (and later, fairies ... I feel like Harris lost her way a bit with that storyline). She just tries to live her life in a way that her grandmother would approve of, while also not dying from Bad Choices. Sookie is fundamentally kind and she tries to be good, but sometimes she can be downright cruel. It happens more often as the absolute shitshow that is the supernatural world wears on her, abrasive and demanding. The sly peeks of dark cleverness are always a delight for me, a very mean reader.
"So," Bill caught my arms and looked down at me. "Were you trying to make sure he died all along, or were you trying to send him back to the queen?"Sometimes, though, I question Harris's writing on the little things - Sookie, a career waitress, wearing sandals to work? I think not.
"Yes," I said.
One-word answers never hurt.
January 23, 2018
Ten short stories together from Sookie Stackhouse series in this single volume. Fans may have read these stories as they have been published previously. It was fun to return to Sookie’s world in this fast read.
Find The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories at Westminster Public Library.
Find The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories at Westminster Public Library.
January 11, 2018
The Sookie Stackhouse series might have ended in a satisfying way, but there are still stories set in her world that I hadn't read before.
And that's why this collection, including all of them in one volume, was something I definitely wanted to read!
FAIRY DUST
A fairy walks into a bar...
No, seriously, she does. Claudine walks into Merlotte's looking for Sookie because her and her brother Claude need Sookie's help to figure out who killed their triplet, Claudette. They've got three human suspects: a stripper, a bouncer and the owner of the club.
But who did it, and why?
This is such a fun story! Sookie uses her telepathic ability to figure out who killed the fairy. I enjoyed it heaps, and liked finding out a little more about Claudine, Claude and fairies in general.
ONE WORD ANSWER
While Sookie is doing some late-night gardening with Bubba, a limo arrives at her house. A man who claims to be a lawyer by the name of Mr. Cataliades gets out and tells her that her cousin Hadley is dead, but that's not all he's there to tell her.
His visit entails more revelations then she expected...
I really liked the simplicity of this story. It's straightforward and gives Sookie some answers about her estranged cousin, but also has a few very cool twists at the end. Well-worth reading.
DRACULA NIGHT
When Eric invites Sookie to Fangtasia for an annual vampire event to celebrate Dracula's birthday, she agrees to go, and finds out Eric is quite the Dracula fan. He's such a fanboy he secretly hopes Dracula will make an appearance at his party.
But when the person who claims to be the Lord of Darkness himself shows up, the unexpected happens...
I enjoyed this one too. It was a lot of fun to see the cool, calm, and collected Eric acting a little neurotic. Pam was great in this little story, her side comments made me LOL a lot.
LUCKY
When Greg Aubert pays Sookie a visit, hoping she'll help him figure out who's been sneaking past his spell to get into his insurance office at night, Amelia and Sookie investigate.
What that entails is a telepath and a witch following one clue after another, until Sookie can find whoever's responsible...
This was another great story that captured not only Sookie's world, but what makes a well-written short story really work. Loved it!
GIFT WRAP
Sookie's all alone on Christmas Eve, but when she goes for a walk in the woods and finds an injured Were, she insists on taking him home to make sure whoever attacked doesn't return to finish him off.
But the mysterious stranger brings a little festive magic to her lonely night...
Oooooh. This was a nice story that proves good things come to those who wait. I wasn't expecting the sneaky twist at the end. Very cool.
TWO BLONDES
Sookie and Pam head out on a roadtrip to Mississippi so they can do a mysterious task for Eric. Sookie doesn't mind going along for the ride, even though Pam scares her a bit.
Visiting the casinos and overindulging on buffets goes well, but when the meeting takes place, of course things don't go according to plan...
In typical Sookie fashion, her voice and methodical way of doing things sucked me right into the story.
This was a lot of fun because Pam & Sookie get caught up in some hilarious stripper business. Not to mention how well their quick thinking syncs, and the little twist at the end was also very cool.
IF I HAD A HAMMER
When Sam and Sookie go to help Tara and JB with a home-improvement project, they didn't expect to find a bloodied hammer within the walls. Or the angry presence they unleash, and the nanny who might end up being the only one who can help them solve this old murder mystery...
This was an interesting take on hauntings, and also a great way to learn some darker and less known historical facts about Bon Temps. It's also always very cool to read any story that enhances just how much Sookie means to Sam. :)
SMALL-TOWN WEDDING
Sookie and Sam leave Bon Temps to go to 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 awful 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.
PLAYING POSSUM
All Sookie was supposed to do was deliver a bunch of cupcakes to her nephew's kindergarten class. Instead, as usual, Sookie ends up getting caught between a hostile gunman and a powerful witch...
This is another great story. I enjoyed how well the suspense and danger was captured in a school surroundings.
The focus was on Sookie and Hunter's talent going up against the very real terror that grips American classrooms too often in real life. But the supernatural flair was also present.
IN THE BLUE HEREAFTER
When Manfred Bernardo heads to Bon Temps after his dead grandmother tells him to go in a dream, he ends up at a softball tournament sitting beside a pretty blonde woman who can totally read his mind.
He enjoys her company but takes a while to figure out why his grandma sent him there in the first place...
The interesting thing about this story is that it's in the POV of Manfred Bernardo from the Harper Connelly series and the Midnight, Texas trilogy. So it was very cool to read a story featuring Sookie, but seen through the eyes of a different character.
Not to mention the tease of Manfred's future.
The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories is an awesome collection. Not just because all of Sookie's short stories are in one place, but also because the UK hardback volume is so nice.
I also enjoyed the story introductions by the author, because I love the behind-the-scenes stuff.
Sookie Stackhouse is one of my favourite characters, and one of the series that introduced me to urban fantasy and captivated my imagination so much. Dragging me deeply into this dangerous world of vampires, werewolves, shifters, witches, fairies, and SO much more.
Great book.
And that's why this collection, including all of them in one volume, was something I definitely wanted to read!
FAIRY DUST
A fairy walks into a bar...
No, seriously, she does. Claudine walks into Merlotte's looking for Sookie because her and her brother Claude need Sookie's help to figure out who killed their triplet, Claudette. They've got three human suspects: a stripper, a bouncer and the owner of the club.
But who did it, and why?
This is such a fun story! Sookie uses her telepathic ability to figure out who killed the fairy. I enjoyed it heaps, and liked finding out a little more about Claudine, Claude and fairies in general.
ONE WORD ANSWER
While Sookie is doing some late-night gardening with Bubba, a limo arrives at her house. A man who claims to be a lawyer by the name of Mr. Cataliades gets out and tells her that her cousin Hadley is dead, but that's not all he's there to tell her.
His visit entails more revelations then she expected...
I really liked the simplicity of this story. It's straightforward and gives Sookie some answers about her estranged cousin, but also has a few very cool twists at the end. Well-worth reading.
DRACULA NIGHT
When Eric invites Sookie to Fangtasia for an annual vampire event to celebrate Dracula's birthday, she agrees to go, and finds out Eric is quite the Dracula fan. He's such a fanboy he secretly hopes Dracula will make an appearance at his party.
But when the person who claims to be the Lord of Darkness himself shows up, the unexpected happens...
I enjoyed this one too. It was a lot of fun to see the cool, calm, and collected Eric acting a little neurotic. Pam was great in this little story, her side comments made me LOL a lot.
LUCKY
When Greg Aubert pays Sookie a visit, hoping she'll help him figure out who's been sneaking past his spell to get into his insurance office at night, Amelia and Sookie investigate.
What that entails is a telepath and a witch following one clue after another, until Sookie can find whoever's responsible...
This was another great story that captured not only Sookie's world, but what makes a well-written short story really work. Loved it!
GIFT WRAP
Sookie's all alone on Christmas Eve, but when she goes for a walk in the woods and finds an injured Were, she insists on taking him home to make sure whoever attacked doesn't return to finish him off.
But the mysterious stranger brings a little festive magic to her lonely night...
Oooooh. This was a nice story that proves good things come to those who wait. I wasn't expecting the sneaky twist at the end. Very cool.
TWO BLONDES
Sookie and Pam head out on a roadtrip to Mississippi so they can do a mysterious task for Eric. Sookie doesn't mind going along for the ride, even though Pam scares her a bit.
Visiting the casinos and overindulging on buffets goes well, but when the meeting takes place, of course things don't go according to plan...
In typical Sookie fashion, her voice and methodical way of doing things sucked me right into the story.
This was a lot of fun because Pam & Sookie get caught up in some hilarious stripper business. Not to mention how well their quick thinking syncs, and the little twist at the end was also very cool.
IF I HAD A HAMMER
When Sam and Sookie go to help Tara and JB with a home-improvement project, they didn't expect to find a bloodied hammer within the walls. Or the angry presence they unleash, and the nanny who might end up being the only one who can help them solve this old murder mystery...
This was an interesting take on hauntings, and also a great way to learn some darker and less known historical facts about Bon Temps. It's also always very cool to read any story that enhances just how much Sookie means to Sam. :)
SMALL-TOWN WEDDING
Sookie and Sam leave Bon Temps to go to 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 awful 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.
PLAYING POSSUM
All Sookie was supposed to do was deliver a bunch of cupcakes to her nephew's kindergarten class. Instead, as usual, Sookie ends up getting caught between a hostile gunman and a powerful witch...
This is another great story. I enjoyed how well the suspense and danger was captured in a school surroundings.
The focus was on Sookie and Hunter's talent going up against the very real terror that grips American classrooms too often in real life. But the supernatural flair was also present.
IN THE BLUE HEREAFTER
When Manfred Bernardo heads to Bon Temps after his dead grandmother tells him to go in a dream, he ends up at a softball tournament sitting beside a pretty blonde woman who can totally read his mind.
He enjoys her company but takes a while to figure out why his grandma sent him there in the first place...
The interesting thing about this story is that it's in the POV of Manfred Bernardo from the Harper Connelly series and the Midnight, Texas trilogy. So it was very cool to read a story featuring Sookie, but seen through the eyes of a different character.
Not to mention the tease of Manfred's future.
The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories is an awesome collection. Not just because all of Sookie's short stories are in one place, but also because the UK hardback volume is so nice.
I also enjoyed the story introductions by the author, because I love the behind-the-scenes stuff.
Sookie Stackhouse is one of my favourite characters, and one of the series that introduced me to urban fantasy and captivated my imagination so much. Dragging me deeply into this dangerous world of vampires, werewolves, shifters, witches, fairies, and SO much more.
Great book.
October 30, 2020
I wasn't sure what to expect from The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories by Charlaine Harris, especially considering that wasn't a fan of how the novel series ended. The last few books just weren't great in comparison to the earlier ones, but it was fun to be back especially in the stories that are set early on. I almost forgot how much fun it used to be actually. It was good to see some of my favorite characters again like Pam, Sam, and Bubba even. The biggest surprise here, though, is the final story called "In the Blue Hereafter". It is set a little while after the series has concluded and instead of being from Sookie's perspective it's actually from Manfred Bernardo's as he has a not so chance meeting with Sookie. That was a pleasant surprise to see him again. I liked the Midnight, Texas series and enjoyed its tv adaptation as well as what I've read of the Harper Connelly books so far. He has quite a different tone compared to Sookie and it was cool to see them have the chance to interact with each other. I'm glad it reminded me to catch up on Harper Connelly series one of these days.
September 20, 2017
AH SOOKIE STACKHOUSE! Big fan of true blood here and this compilation was awesome. Every story pulls you back into the world of Sookie and the vampires. Each so different, but along the same lines. Loved it!
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
October 28, 2017
If you loved the series you will love revisiting some of the characters in these short stories all in one book. There aren't any major shockers, but it does provide a bit of backstory to some of the moments in the series.
I received an eARC by the publisher through NetGalley.
I received an eARC by the publisher through NetGalley.
April 19, 2018
Thoroughly entertaining! Enjoyed reading each and every Sookie Stackhouse story! Highly recommended!
August 10, 2022
This book collects together all the Sookie Stackhouse short stories that were written for other anthologies. Having just finished the series I felt I had to read this for completeness:)
All of the stories are a decent length, one of them is actually a novella, so plenty to get into. All of them are side stories and fit in between the books. One of has a definite spoiler so I think it's best to read these after you've read all the books.
All of the stories are a decent length, one of them is actually a novella, so plenty to get into. All of them are side stories and fit in between the books. One of has a definite spoiler so I think it's best to read these after you've read all the books.
February 13, 2018
It was fun reading these stories and revisiting Sookie's world again. A few stories I had read before (but with my memory, they were "new" to me...lol), some were really new to me and very entertaining, and the last story, In The Blue Hereafter, was great because of it's tie-in to Harris' Midnight series.
Read
March 26, 2024The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories.
I realized that I had almost completed all these short in between stories separately from this book and only had a few more to go. Many (many) years ago when downloading books was . well a little more tricky, I found all of the Sookie Stackhouse books in a file and bought it. With the books were all the short stories included. Such a good deal! It took me a while to get to the short ones, but I finally did it. What I’m going to try to do here is just a brief summary and a short thought from the separate ones I posted. Feel free to look those up.
Fairy Dust:
Sookie goes to Claudine’s and her brother Claude’s strip club to find out who killed there triplet Claudette (Hooligans). There are three suspects (Rita, Barry, and Jeff). Rita is over the club, Barry is one of the performers, and Jeff is the bouncer and an ex-lover of Claude’s). Sookie deduces from looking at a Apple Claudine is eating that Rita poised the pouch with lemon juice with Claudette was allergic to (When she collected the money). Rita is sentenced to exile. Claude and Claudine take over the business. I thought this one was farfetched. It hoped to finding Rita guilty with very little to go on other than Sookie seeing Claudine eat an apple. There just wasn’t any PROOF
Dracula Night
Eric is hoping that Dracula will grace his club for “Dracula Night” (Even though he’s said to be a myth). Only an imposter comes and Sookie ends up exposing and killing him (with the help of Eric). All the other guests agree not to tell what went on that night. Eric tho is hopeful and says maybe next year Normally Eric, wasn’t my favorite character but I could relate to this one because it was about tirelessly waiting for something and believing in something for a looooong long long time that never manifest. And for the longest time you don’t give up. Until you finally do. I finished this one hoping that the real Dracula would one day choose Fangtasia.
One Word Answer
Mr. C comes to give Sookie the news that her cousin Haley was living in New Orleans and got staked by the Fellowship of the Sun. He also tells her that she and the Queen were lovers. She and Waldo waldo (the driver) were visiting the cemetary of Marie Laveu because Haley wanted to speak to her. Sookie, Bill, and Mr. C find out that it was Waldo that killed Hadley because of jealousy and Sookie discovers the Queen herself is in the car. Turns out she knew. His scent was in the cemeteary. Although I didn’t really have a lot of feelings about Hadley’s death this story at least gave at least a little more info about her.
Lucky
Sookie and Amelia help Greg (an insurance man) find out whose sabotauging his business. He finds a drawer open, but doesn’t think it was either his assistant Marge or his wife. Marge even said she locked it. It turns out to be one of the other insurance agents assistants (Sally) that’s behind it. They tell Greg he has to balance his luck. He’s siphoning more than his share. I sure could have used Greg’s “luck” all the years I had Blue Cross. It was RIDICULOUS! Even though Gred seems like a shady character to me, I gotta give it to him at least he uses his gift to help his clients. He gets points from me for that.
Gift Wrap
Sookie is alone on Christmas so Nial sends a naked man that says his name is Preston is isapart of the Monroe wolf pack that got into a fight with one of the wolves from another pack over a female. Sookie takes him inside, cleans him up, and then then he gives her something to remember before leaving. After this, Nial shows up and they spnd Christmas together. After reading this I wished Nial were my grandfather. Talk about a gift! But for me personally Nial would have had to have him stick around a little longer than just a night. IJS!
Two Blondes
Sookie and Pam go to Tuscan to have a little fun and take in some time at the casino and enjoying some exotic male dancers. But they also have to do an errand for Eric. They go to meet with a man named Maicheal that says he wants to defect from Victor but who instead tries to poison them. After killing him and his assistant Sookie and Pam disguise themselves as dancers auditioning n order not to get found out by the police. They are helped by one of the other dancers and a man working at the club. Pam BITE THE MANS TOUNGE OFF! I thought that was a bit extreme. Other than that this was a good story about the friendship of Pam and Sookie. We really didn’t get to see them bond that much in the serie outside of Fangtasia and in situations that wound them up killing .. well they did that here but it was a nice change for them to at least have a little fun first.
A Small Town Wedding
Sookie goes with Sam back home to his brother’s wedding (as his date). On the way to Texas they notice they’re being followed. Sookie notices right about that Bernie’s neighboor isn’t friendly. Jim blames her for all Don’s problems (like going to jail). He even tries to hit Sam, but Sookie intercepts in time (to provoke him). There’s a threatning message to Bernie “Dogs Belong In the Pound” and the pound full of dead dogs. Quinn is one of the ones sent to check it out. He was also the one following them in the car. Security is maximized for the wedding. Sookie relies to Bernice is was Jim. The Pastor’s son tries to bomb the Merlotte’s (but Sookie catches him).-Nathan- before the wedding. On the way to the church, the wedding party have to fight off protesters wh’ve campted outside the Merlotte’s house. Because of the Father’s prayers projected outside, the crows are calmed and the wedding goes off smoothly. Janalyn shows up at an impromptu outside geathering and this causes tension between her and Sookie. Luna and Sookie sneak away and find Jim dead in his house and Sarah Newlin (who was at the church) shot. Bacially Jim wanted Srah to go with him to the church to help kill the Merlotte’s but she turned him down so he shot her. Then she shot him back and killed him. Sarah is arrested and then taken to the hospital. I wouldn’t have minded if both Jim and Sarah had shot each other. Jim reminds me of someone in my family that carries around a whole lot of hatred and that takes it out on other people that have nothing to do with his issues. (Ok well EX-family member). I’m not big on “happily ever after” stories but I respected Craig for not letting fear stop him from marrying Deidre and I was glad that they were able to get marred.
If I Had A Hammer
While working on the twin’s room, Sam finds a blood coated hammer in the wall. It was said that there was a man named Jacob that lived in the house Andy and Halleigh live in. The (Sutherlands) lived in *that* house (Tara and JBS)-Daisy and Howard-. Jacob (Wexler) had a son named Isiah. The Sutherlands had two sons. I think Isish and the older son were close at first, but then got into a fight. No one knew what the fight was about and the boys wouldn’t make up. One night someone came through Isiah’s window and killed him. The Sutherlands denied there son did it-though there were suspicions-. So this must be the weapon. They decide not to turn it over to the police. But JB senses something evil and angry from it. Quinna (Tara and Jc’s house keeper)-whose pychic-says ghosts have imprinted on the space that the hammer was found. Bill finds a femur in the backyard. Then they find the rst of the skeleton (Bill, Sookie, and Sam). It’s found out that the younger brother (Carter) was the one who killed Isiah. Then he kills himself. They take the hammer and bury it in the cemetary. I think that Qianna should have been a medium and not a pychic. It would have fit better and there really don’t need to be two. The story wasn’t bad on the second read. On the first, it got slightly confusing I still don’t know why the younger brother killed himself in the end.
Playing Possum
Sookie goes to Hunters school to take cupcakes for his class’s party. When she gets there, she finds out his teacher is a witch like Amelia. Hunter and Sookie are out in the parklot getting the upcakes when a pickup comes screeching up. Sookie realizes the man is bat ish crzy It’s Brady the secretary’s estranged (husband, boyfriend, lover?) Sookie sent Sooki sends Hunter ahead to warn his teacher. Sookie goes to the principal and they alert the police immediately and they lock down the school. Brady is trying to kick down the lock on the door looking for Sherry (the secretary). Then he fires shoots through the door. Mrs. Mender gets hit and passes out. Sookie rolls over unto the woman and lays there limp and lifeless. Sherry is shut in the closet. Brady sees the two woman and thinks there dead. Sookie can feel the regret but then he starts to bellow for Sherry. Sookie hears sirens arrive at Red Ditch while Brady continues to search for Sherry. Brady kicks Sookie and then starts to shot again. He continues to look down the hallway. There’s a moment when he turns his back and Sookie checks to make sure Hunter is ok. She tells him to tell his teacher to call nine one one and he says she’s been talking to them. She tells him to tgive his teacher the update about the other staff. He tells her the teacher says she needs a direct shot. Brady is approaching and Hunter yells out. Unfortunately, Brady hears this. Sookie grabs his ankle. He kicks Sookie repeatedly but an apple comes out flying at him. Then another and another and it hits him in the head. While he’s distracted police show up and tells him to drop the gun. The gun falls from his hand and Sookie kicks it to the police. The witch has immobilized him. He’s then cuffed. I found this one -even tho it was old- reflective of some of the incidents that have happened in the news today wehre shooters come onto a campus and caused chaos and often times death and I just think it’s sad. And wish these things could be prevented. I haven’t heard any this year but then it’s still early. Hopefully it’s gotten better.
I realized that I had almost completed all these short in between stories separately from this book and only had a few more to go. Many (many) years ago when downloading books was . well a little more tricky, I found all of the Sookie Stackhouse books in a file and bought it. With the books were all the short stories included. Such a good deal! It took me a while to get to the short ones, but I finally did it. What I’m going to try to do here is just a brief summary and a short thought from the separate ones I posted. Feel free to look those up.
Fairy Dust:
Sookie goes to Claudine’s and her brother Claude’s strip club to find out who killed there triplet Claudette (Hooligans). There are three suspects (Rita, Barry, and Jeff). Rita is over the club, Barry is one of the performers, and Jeff is the bouncer and an ex-lover of Claude’s). Sookie deduces from looking at a Apple Claudine is eating that Rita poised the pouch with lemon juice with Claudette was allergic to (When she collected the money). Rita is sentenced to exile. Claude and Claudine take over the business. I thought this one was farfetched. It hoped to finding Rita guilty with very little to go on other than Sookie seeing Claudine eat an apple. There just wasn’t any PROOF
Dracula Night
Eric is hoping that Dracula will grace his club for “Dracula Night” (Even though he’s said to be a myth). Only an imposter comes and Sookie ends up exposing and killing him (with the help of Eric). All the other guests agree not to tell what went on that night. Eric tho is hopeful and says maybe next year Normally Eric, wasn’t my favorite character but I could relate to this one because it was about tirelessly waiting for something and believing in something for a looooong long long time that never manifest. And for the longest time you don’t give up. Until you finally do. I finished this one hoping that the real Dracula would one day choose Fangtasia.
One Word Answer
Mr. C comes to give Sookie the news that her cousin Haley was living in New Orleans and got staked by the Fellowship of the Sun. He also tells her that she and the Queen were lovers. She and Waldo waldo (the driver) were visiting the cemetary of Marie Laveu because Haley wanted to speak to her. Sookie, Bill, and Mr. C find out that it was Waldo that killed Hadley because of jealousy and Sookie discovers the Queen herself is in the car. Turns out she knew. His scent was in the cemeteary. Although I didn’t really have a lot of feelings about Hadley’s death this story at least gave at least a little more info about her.
Lucky
Sookie and Amelia help Greg (an insurance man) find out whose sabotauging his business. He finds a drawer open, but doesn’t think it was either his assistant Marge or his wife. Marge even said she locked it. It turns out to be one of the other insurance agents assistants (Sally) that’s behind it. They tell Greg he has to balance his luck. He’s siphoning more than his share. I sure could have used Greg’s “luck” all the years I had Blue Cross. It was RIDICULOUS! Even though Gred seems like a shady character to me, I gotta give it to him at least he uses his gift to help his clients. He gets points from me for that.
Gift Wrap
Sookie is alone on Christmas so Nial sends a naked man that says his name is Preston is isapart of the Monroe wolf pack that got into a fight with one of the wolves from another pack over a female. Sookie takes him inside, cleans him up, and then then he gives her something to remember before leaving. After this, Nial shows up and they spnd Christmas together. After reading this I wished Nial were my grandfather. Talk about a gift! But for me personally Nial would have had to have him stick around a little longer than just a night. IJS!
Two Blondes
Sookie and Pam go to Tuscan to have a little fun and take in some time at the casino and enjoying some exotic male dancers. But they also have to do an errand for Eric. They go to meet with a man named Maicheal that says he wants to defect from Victor but who instead tries to poison them. After killing him and his assistant Sookie and Pam disguise themselves as dancers auditioning n order not to get found out by the police. They are helped by one of the other dancers and a man working at the club. Pam BITE THE MANS TOUNGE OFF! I thought that was a bit extreme. Other than that this was a good story about the friendship of Pam and Sookie. We really didn’t get to see them bond that much in the serie outside of Fangtasia and in situations that wound them up killing .. well they did that here but it was a nice change for them to at least have a little fun first.
A Small Town Wedding
Sookie goes with Sam back home to his brother’s wedding (as his date). On the way to Texas they notice they’re being followed. Sookie notices right about that Bernie’s neighboor isn’t friendly. Jim blames her for all Don’s problems (like going to jail). He even tries to hit Sam, but Sookie intercepts in time (to provoke him). There’s a threatning message to Bernie “Dogs Belong In the Pound” and the pound full of dead dogs. Quinn is one of the ones sent to check it out. He was also the one following them in the car. Security is maximized for the wedding. Sookie relies to Bernice is was Jim. The Pastor’s son tries to bomb the Merlotte’s (but Sookie catches him).-Nathan- before the wedding. On the way to the church, the wedding party have to fight off protesters wh’ve campted outside the Merlotte’s house. Because of the Father’s prayers projected outside, the crows are calmed and the wedding goes off smoothly. Janalyn shows up at an impromptu outside geathering and this causes tension between her and Sookie. Luna and Sookie sneak away and find Jim dead in his house and Sarah Newlin (who was at the church) shot. Bacially Jim wanted Srah to go with him to the church to help kill the Merlotte’s but she turned him down so he shot her. Then she shot him back and killed him. Sarah is arrested and then taken to the hospital. I wouldn’t have minded if both Jim and Sarah had shot each other. Jim reminds me of someone in my family that carries around a whole lot of hatred and that takes it out on other people that have nothing to do with his issues. (Ok well EX-family member). I’m not big on “happily ever after” stories but I respected Craig for not letting fear stop him from marrying Deidre and I was glad that they were able to get marred.
If I Had A Hammer
While working on the twin’s room, Sam finds a blood coated hammer in the wall. It was said that there was a man named Jacob that lived in the house Andy and Halleigh live in. The (Sutherlands) lived in *that* house (Tara and JBS)-Daisy and Howard-. Jacob (Wexler) had a son named Isiah. The Sutherlands had two sons. I think Isish and the older son were close at first, but then got into a fight. No one knew what the fight was about and the boys wouldn’t make up. One night someone came through Isiah’s window and killed him. The Sutherlands denied there son did it-though there were suspicions-. So this must be the weapon. They decide not to turn it over to the police. But JB senses something evil and angry from it. Quinna (Tara and Jc’s house keeper)-whose pychic-says ghosts have imprinted on the space that the hammer was found. Bill finds a femur in the backyard. Then they find the rst of the skeleton (Bill, Sookie, and Sam). It’s found out that the younger brother (Carter) was the one who killed Isiah. Then he kills himself. They take the hammer and bury it in the cemetary. I think that Qianna should have been a medium and not a pychic. It would have fit better and there really don’t need to be two. The story wasn’t bad on the second read. On the first, it got slightly confusing I still don’t know why the younger brother killed himself in the end.
Playing Possum
Sookie goes to Hunters school to take cupcakes for his class’s party. When she gets there, she finds out his teacher is a witch like Amelia. Hunter and Sookie are out in the parklot getting the upcakes when a pickup comes screeching up. Sookie realizes the man is bat ish crzy It’s Brady the secretary’s estranged (husband, boyfriend, lover?) Sookie sent Sooki sends Hunter ahead to warn his teacher. Sookie goes to the principal and they alert the police immediately and they lock down the school. Brady is trying to kick down the lock on the door looking for Sherry (the secretary). Then he fires shoots through the door. Mrs. Mender gets hit and passes out. Sookie rolls over unto the woman and lays there limp and lifeless. Sherry is shut in the closet. Brady sees the two woman and thinks there dead. Sookie can feel the regret but then he starts to bellow for Sherry. Sookie hears sirens arrive at Red Ditch while Brady continues to search for Sherry. Brady kicks Sookie and then starts to shot again. He continues to look down the hallway. There’s a moment when he turns his back and Sookie checks to make sure Hunter is ok. She tells him to tell his teacher to call nine one one and he says she’s been talking to them. She tells him to tgive his teacher the update about the other staff. He tells her the teacher says she needs a direct shot. Brady is approaching and Hunter yells out. Unfortunately, Brady hears this. Sookie grabs his ankle. He kicks Sookie repeatedly but an apple comes out flying at him. Then another and another and it hits him in the head. While he’s distracted police show up and tells him to drop the gun. The gun falls from his hand and Sookie kicks it to the police. The witch has immobilized him. He’s then cuffed. I found this one -even tho it was old- reflective of some of the incidents that have happened in the news today wehre shooters come onto a campus and caused chaos and often times death and I just think it’s sad. And wish these things could be prevented. I haven’t heard any this year but then it’s still early. Hopefully it’s gotten better.
October 14, 2017
4 Star Rating!
The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories by Charlaine Harris
Gotta be honest here, I had most of these stories already but not in the same place/book. It was GREAT reading about Sookie and the gang again. If you are a Sookie Stackhouse fan, of both her and her world, you will love this book!
Really makes me miss Sookie and the gang. I recommend this book!
The Complete Sookie Stackhouse Stories by Charlaine Harris
Gotta be honest here, I had most of these stories already but not in the same place/book. It was GREAT reading about Sookie and the gang again. If you are a Sookie Stackhouse fan, of both her and her world, you will love this book!
Really makes me miss Sookie and the gang. I recommend this book!
December 20, 2017
There's nothing like some good comfort reading when you are stuck in bed sick. I'm so glad I didn't dive into this book the minute I received it, because it was such a pleasure to revisit the world of Sookie Stackhouse, especially when the flu currently has me desperate for some escapism.
And of course that's what the Sookie Stackhouse series is - pure escapism, humor, fantasy, and a little bit of sleaze. There are a few strange elements that were probably best left omitted from the original series (like Niall's Christmas gift.... wtf?) but overall these vignettes were a fun glimpse back through the timeline of the books.
I particularly enjoyed the Small Town Wedding novella, and think anyone who questioned the ending of the series will find evidence Harris's endgame was long in the works.
Recommend to fans who've already read the whole series, definitely not a collection to start with.
And of course that's what the Sookie Stackhouse series is - pure escapism, humor, fantasy, and a little bit of sleaze. There are a few strange elements that were probably best left omitted from the original series (like Niall's Christmas gift.... wtf?) but overall these vignettes were a fun glimpse back through the timeline of the books.
I particularly enjoyed the Small Town Wedding novella, and think anyone who questioned the ending of the series will find evidence Harris's endgame was long in the works.
Recommend to fans who've already read the whole series, definitely not a collection to start with.
October 20, 2018
Some years ago I read most of Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse novels. They are not my usual sort of novel ... full of vampires, shape changers, and such. But the writing is so superb that I got into her Sookie books like the Harry Potter novels, seeing them as the delightful fantasy stories they are. This book has ten short stories ... bringing back many of the old characters I remembered from Harris's earlier books, plus new ones. A few stories were a little gory and ghoulish but most were pure, kookie fun. I was seduced by Harris's incredible imagination and loved her crazy, unlikely characters she somehow made to feel real and even likeable.... For those of you who avoid the paranormal, try Charlaine Harris's Aurora Teagarden Mystery series - much tamer.
October 9, 2020
While I am glad all the short stories are now in one book so you don't have to track them down in other books, there really was only one story that was really needed to help understand a few things in the series. The rest of the short stories were kind of side stories that didn't add or take away anything from the larger series.
February 24, 2018
I've been doing a re-read of the Sookie Stackhouse series, this book was a great way to end it. To read all the short storied within the series. I had read all of them before, but nice to have them in one place.
December 20, 2017
Oh this was fun - these ten short stories with introductions from Harris bring back some great memories and the feel of Bon Temps - that background noise that keeps you edgy and wondering just what is next.
From a Christmas 'present' from the fairies to a road trip with Pam, return of Bob the cat and Amelia, a wedding in Sam's family, Tara and the Twins, Bubba the vampire and the always in the background Bill Compton and Eric Northman - the stories bring forward memories and plenty of smiles.
Perhaps my favorites of this collection are Two Blondes which follows a road trip into Russel's territory by Sookie and Pam - with plenty of twists and turns. Then was Small Town Wedding, which featured Sam's family and the wedding of his younger brother - and Sookie being his 'girlfriend' for the weekend. This one featured the return of Quinn - in all of his tiger sleek glory to serve as protection and get closure on his relationship with her. Lastly was In the Blue Hereafter - featuring a character that is coming in the Midnight Texas series, Manfred, and his journey guided by his dead grandmother to Bon Temps to meet Sookie and find some answers. Oh the twists and spirits are strong in this collection - and those who have familiarity with the books will instantly recognize most of the people here. I'm so happy to have read this collection - it's added a baker's dozen more titles to my tbr pile for the holidays - and I can't wait to dive into them!
I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
Review first appeared at I am, Indeed
From a Christmas 'present' from the fairies to a road trip with Pam, return of Bob the cat and Amelia, a wedding in Sam's family, Tara and the Twins, Bubba the vampire and the always in the background Bill Compton and Eric Northman - the stories bring forward memories and plenty of smiles.
Perhaps my favorites of this collection are Two Blondes which follows a road trip into Russel's territory by Sookie and Pam - with plenty of twists and turns. Then was Small Town Wedding, which featured Sam's family and the wedding of his younger brother - and Sookie being his 'girlfriend' for the weekend. This one featured the return of Quinn - in all of his tiger sleek glory to serve as protection and get closure on his relationship with her. Lastly was In the Blue Hereafter - featuring a character that is coming in the Midnight Texas series, Manfred, and his journey guided by his dead grandmother to Bon Temps to meet Sookie and find some answers. Oh the twists and spirits are strong in this collection - and those who have familiarity with the books will instantly recognize most of the people here. I'm so happy to have read this collection - it's added a baker's dozen more titles to my tbr pile for the holidays - and I can't wait to dive into them!
I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
Review first appeared at I am, Indeed
December 3, 2024
It was really nice having a bunch of gaping holes in the ongoing plot filled in finally. I do think I kind of have a love/hate relationship with anthologies that include stories that are part of long ass series. I don't feel like they should be essential to the overall plot and readers shouldn't be confused if they don't bother to seek them out. Maybe find some spark of creativity to write a story not connected to your neverending series. It's like watching a soap opera and picking up in the middle of an ongoing plot.
It was nice to see the first meeting of Mr. Cataliades and Sookie, also to see the revelation of Hadley's murder. I did enjoy reading stories that gave more depth to Sam & Sookie's relationship. But the sudden nature of the pivot into the series ending and the relationship involved in it is still valid. You shouldn't need to read a bunch of short stories for a relationship to not read as instalove. It comes across as lazy and a cash grab to do too much world-building and insertion of important backstory in side stories that have a paywall.
It was nice to see the first meeting of Mr. Cataliades and Sookie, also to see the revelation of Hadley's murder. I did enjoy reading stories that gave more depth to Sam & Sookie's relationship. But the sudden nature of the pivot into the series ending and the relationship involved in it is still valid. You shouldn't need to read a bunch of short stories for a relationship to not read as instalove. It comes across as lazy and a cash grab to do too much world-building and insertion of important backstory in side stories that have a paywall.
December 12, 2017
This is a compilation of Sookie Stackhouse (of True Blood fame) short stories.
I am rather certain that none of these stories are new. At least, they all felt like I had read them before. Only one has Eric, which makes me ever so very sad.
But, if you want more Sookie stories, here you go! As I said, I would want an Eric Northman collection.
I will say that the writing style and stories were closer to her older, the original, stories than the last two. I dislike how this series ends, mostly because, again, I am an Eric fan.
Those of you who only watched the TV series, there was at least two more books that went beyond the show. They started to go a little downhill and felt very forced.
I was given a copy of these novel in exchange for an honest review.
I am rather certain that none of these stories are new. At least, they all felt like I had read them before. Only one has Eric, which makes me ever so very sad.
But, if you want more Sookie stories, here you go! As I said, I would want an Eric Northman collection.
I will say that the writing style and stories were closer to her older, the original, stories than the last two. I dislike how this series ends, mostly because, again, I am an Eric fan.
Those of you who only watched the TV series, there was at least two more books that went beyond the show. They started to go a little downhill and felt very forced.
I was given a copy of these novel in exchange for an honest review.
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