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Sookie Stackhouse #10.5 - Small-Town Wedding
The Sookie Stackhouse Companion
The #1 New York Times bestselling author presents the definitive guide to the world of Sookie Stackhouse.
Charlaine Harris has topped the bestseller charts and has become a nationwide phenomenon, thanks to the unconventional-and otherworldly- life of Sookie Stackhouse. Now, in her own words, Sookie gives readers a look at her family, friends, enemies, adventures, and-of course-the lovers who set her world on fire...
Readers will:
• Tour Bon Temps, the small Louisiana town that Sookie calls home, and visit the houses of her Gran and her sometime vampire lover, Bill
• Prowl around the werewolf and were-panther communities
• Browse through her best friend Tara's dress shop
• Belly up to the bar in Merlotte's, where Sookie works
• Get must-have Bon Temps recipes-including Caroline Bellfleur's famous chocolate cheesecake
• Test themselves with trivia questions from the series.
461 pages, Hardcover
First published August 30, 2011
About the author
Charlaine Harris
304 books35.2k followersCharlaine Harris has been a published novelist for over thirty-five years. A native of the Mississippi Delta, she grew up in the middle of a cotton field. Charlaine lives in Texas now, and all of her children and grandchildren are within easy driving distance.
Though her early output consisted largely of ghost stories, by the time she hit college (Rhodes, in Memphis) Charlaine was writing poetry and plays. After holding down some low-level jobs, her husband Hal gave her the opportunity to stay home and write. The resulting two stand-alones were published by Houghton Mifflin. After a child-producing sabbatical, Charlaine latched on to the trend of series, and soon had her own traditional mystery books about a Georgia librarian, Aurora Teagarden. Her first Teagarden, Real Murders, garnered an Agatha nomination.
Soon Charlaine was looking for another challenge, and the result was the much darker Lily Bard series. The books, set in Shakespeare, Arkansas, feature a heroine who has survived a terrible attack and is learning to live with its consequences.
When Charlaine began to realize that neither of those series was ever going to set the literary world on fire, she regrouped and decided to write the book she’d always wanted to write. Not a traditional mystery, nor yet pure science fiction or romance, Dead Until Dark broke genre boundaries to appeal to a wide audience of people who simply enjoy a good adventure. Each subsequent book about Sookie Stackhouse, telepathic Louisiana barmaid and friend to vampires, werewolves, and various other odd creatures, was very successful in many languages.
The Harper Connelly books were written concurrently with the Sookie novels.
Following the end of Sookie's recorded adventures, Charlaine wrote the "Midnight, Texas" books, which have become a television series, also. The Aurora Teagarden books have been adapted by Hallmark Movie & Mystery.
Charlaine is a member of many professional organizations, an Episcopalian, and currently the lucky houseparent to two rescue dogs. She lives on a cliff overlooking the Brazos River.
Though her early output consisted largely of ghost stories, by the time she hit college (Rhodes, in Memphis) Charlaine was writing poetry and plays. After holding down some low-level jobs, her husband Hal gave her the opportunity to stay home and write. The resulting two stand-alones were published by Houghton Mifflin. After a child-producing sabbatical, Charlaine latched on to the trend of series, and soon had her own traditional mystery books about a Georgia librarian, Aurora Teagarden. Her first Teagarden, Real Murders, garnered an Agatha nomination.
Soon Charlaine was looking for another challenge, and the result was the much darker Lily Bard series. The books, set in Shakespeare, Arkansas, feature a heroine who has survived a terrible attack and is learning to live with its consequences.
When Charlaine began to realize that neither of those series was ever going to set the literary world on fire, she regrouped and decided to write the book she’d always wanted to write. Not a traditional mystery, nor yet pure science fiction or romance, Dead Until Dark broke genre boundaries to appeal to a wide audience of people who simply enjoy a good adventure. Each subsequent book about Sookie Stackhouse, telepathic Louisiana barmaid and friend to vampires, werewolves, and various other odd creatures, was very successful in many languages.
The Harper Connelly books were written concurrently with the Sookie novels.
Following the end of Sookie's recorded adventures, Charlaine wrote the "Midnight, Texas" books, which have become a television series, also. The Aurora Teagarden books have been adapted by Hallmark Movie & Mystery.
Charlaine is a member of many professional organizations, an Episcopalian, and currently the lucky houseparent to two rescue dogs. She lives on a cliff overlooking the Brazos River.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 663 reviews
March 15, 2021
An exciting and riveting story of a wedding in the aftermath of the reveal of two-natured people.
Merged review:
Not actually as pertinent or informative as I would have expected. Most felt like reworded fluff that any fan of the series would already know.
Merged review:
Not actually as pertinent or informative as I would have expected. Most felt like reworded fluff that any fan of the series would already know.
November 9, 2011
In all fairness, I should never have read this book, since I loathe Sookie Stackhouse with a passion. However I’m nothing if not a completist, and the series was given to me for free, so I have ploughed my way through 11 novels so far, plus this thing.
Maybe they were all joking?
Sookie:
Stupidest New Character Names
Doke Ballinger
Mason Ballinger
Cyndee the Barmaid
Togo Olympio
Sister Mendoza
Brother Bart Arrowsmith
Brenda Sue the Biker Babe
Porter Carpenter
Tijgerin
Most Compassionate Response to a Gruesome Murder
Sookie:
Most Contradictory Self-Assessment
Sookie:
Really? I thought one minute of a “Saw” film was too much for you Sookie? Make up your mind.
To be honest, I assumed she wrote one line at a time, without either forward-planning or any re-reading for fact checking purposes.
Most Worrying Confession of Authorial Irresponsibility
Finally, the latter part of the book is bulked up with an alphabetical guide to “the World of Sookie Stackhouse”, which in its superfluous, unimaginative tedium perfectly encapsulates his book as a whole.
It starts with a novella about Sookie’s much-mentioned trip to Sam’s brother’s wedding. To be honest, this wasn’t really summat I’d bemoaned the lack of in the books proper. All Sam’s boring relative are introduced and we are told in detail what Sookie plans to wear for the ceremony. We also learn that Sookie is the kind of sentimental, judgemental person who would rather see a human die than an animal because the human would most likely be partly responsible for their own death due to making stupid life choices. Which is charming. Also Quinn makes an unwelcome reappearance, recommences calling Sookie babe incessantly, and brings absolutely nothing else to the story.
The main plot point, if I can call it that, is the harassment suffered by Sam’s family for being “Shifters” and kin. This has already been thoroughly discussed in several of the novels, and it only serves to make me wonder why there is no mention of any difficulties faced by the presumably numerous “supes” around the world not directly associated with Sookie Stackhouse. If the events of this story are anything to go by, I can only assume that the nightly news must be full of related hate-crimes and viciously barbed rhetoric. Yet we hear nothing of this, because it doesn’t directly impact on the vapid world of Sookie Stackhouse. Basically, unless you’ve attempted to shag Sookie or one of her many men-friends, you and your life do not impact on her or her world.
At any rate, said harassment proceeds in an uninteresting manner, the nadir of which is Sam’s family prayer meeting, where the Merlottes ask God to help them with their hostile neighbours. Other than upsetting a three-year-old, this achieves nothing. Then Quinn’s love-life is sorted out, to nobody’s interest. Then Sookie goes on about guns some more. Then we hear every detail of a dull party, including every refreshment and condiment on offer. Then there is an incident regarding some minor characters trying to kill each other. Luckily the surviving attempted murderer explains the events preceding the killing in detail to Sookie despite the fact that they are enemies, so the reader is left with no hint of ambiguity and no doubt that Charlaine Harris is a lazy idiot. The awkward characters having been conveniently killed/arrested, Harris has run out of things to say and the novella ends.
Most Self-Congratulatory and Surely Untrue Comment
Harris:
“people had told me for years that I had a great sense of humor”
Maybe they were all joking?
Sookie:
"I’m usually pretty accurate about human nature"
Stupidest New Character Names
Doke Ballinger
Mason Ballinger
Cyndee the Barmaid
Togo Olympio
Sister Mendoza
Brother Bart Arrowsmith
Brenda Sue the Biker Babe
Porter Carpenter
Tijgerin
Most Compassionate Response to a Gruesome Murder
Sookie:
“You’d think I’d be distraught and upset. You’d think I’d be overwhelmed, having seen this horrible scene. But you know what? I was tickled pink…it was hard for me to suppress a smile”..
“Sookie,” said Luna into my ear, “it doesn’t hardly get any better than this.”
“I think you’re right,” I said."
Most Contradictory Self-Assessment
Sookie:
“I’d never been a squeamish person”
Really? I thought one minute of a “Saw” film was too much for you Sookie? Make up your mind.
Following this story there is a long and boring timeline of events so far in Sookie’s life, interspaced with transcripts of some of the most boring and mundane correspondence and telephone conversations conceivable by the mind of man, mainly involving Bill and Eric.
Next is a dull summary of all Harris’ vampire related short stories, presumably written in order to sell more copies of them.
Then lengthy witterings from Sookie about the various supernatural creatures she has met, and her inane opinions on such. It includes her usual pro-American random nonsense whilst discussing vampires, such as “But they all seem to manage to make a dollar or two; that’s the American way, isn’t it?” , ”the good old U.S. of A. was always a melting pot, so we figured they were just another minority wanting a new home” and ” “America’s the land of free enterprise” During this section we learn absolutely nothing, plus Harris’ doesn’t even manage to make it sound much like Sookie’s admittedly inconsistent voice, despite chucking in a bit of cutsey talk to remind us of her braindead manner.
After this there’s a filler trivia section. Then a recipe section, for more padding. Then an interview with True Blood creator Alan Ball, in which he advertises the show and used the irritatingly ubiquitous Americanisation “normalcy”. This section also introduces us to a True Blood fan who can’t watch the opening credits as she finds them unnerving, which is both bizarre and ridiculous. Next is a pointless summary of the works of Charlaine Harris and an unnecessary and rather sad piece on her fan club written by a particularly obsessive fan.
Succeeding this in the litany of banality, Harris strains her intellect by answering the queries of some of the aforementioned fans:
Least Shocking Revelation
“I don’t plot much in advance”
To be honest, I assumed she wrote one line at a time, without either forward-planning or any re-reading for fact checking purposes.
Most Worrying Confession of Authorial Irresponsibility
“I’m not always sure why I make the decisions I do”
Finally, the latter part of the book is bulked up with an alphabetical guide to “the World of Sookie Stackhouse”, which in its superfluous, unimaginative tedium perfectly encapsulates his book as a whole.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 27, 2021
I bought this book specifically for the novella “Small Town Wedding,” which takes place between the 12th and 13th books of the series. It was a good story, in which Sookie accompanies Sam to Texas to attend his brother’s wedding. The people in the town are anti-shifter and of course, shit happens. There are some references to things in this story in the last book, so I just wanted to round it all out.
This book also contains a summary/timeline of every book in the series, up to Dead Reckoning; and short summaries of each of the short stories. There are also accounts of some of the phone calls, in person conversations, and emails that went between Bill and Eric that we weren’t privy to in the main books. So that was a fun touch.
An essay about the supes “by Sookie”; trivia questions; some southern recipes; questions answered by Alan Ball and Charlaine Harris; and the story of the author’s official fan club fill up the first 2/3. The final 1/3 of the book is an alphabetical list of every character, company, and place mentioned in the series. I mean even minor characters, such as “unknown enemy vampire #1” who died in Definitely Dead. Some of the other characters, like Soooie herself, Eric, and Bill, get complete rundowns almost as long as the recaps of the books; some of it was a bit repetitive.
I can see how this might be a good refresher if you’d read the earlier ones a while ago and now wanted to read the later ones without rereading all of them. For me, having just finished the series and After Dead, I didn’t really need it all. I did enjoy the new info and the new short story.
Also - Mrs Bellefleur’s famous chocolate cake??? Dates??? What is that all about?
This book also contains a summary/timeline of every book in the series, up to Dead Reckoning; and short summaries of each of the short stories. There are also accounts of some of the phone calls, in person conversations, and emails that went between Bill and Eric that we weren’t privy to in the main books. So that was a fun touch.
An essay about the supes “by Sookie”; trivia questions; some southern recipes; questions answered by Alan Ball and Charlaine Harris; and the story of the author’s official fan club fill up the first 2/3. The final 1/3 of the book is an alphabetical list of every character, company, and place mentioned in the series. I mean even minor characters, such as “unknown enemy vampire #1” who died in Definitely Dead. Some of the other characters, like Soooie herself, Eric, and Bill, get complete rundowns almost as long as the recaps of the books; some of it was a bit repetitive.
I can see how this might be a good refresher if you’d read the earlier ones a while ago and now wanted to read the later ones without rereading all of them. For me, having just finished the series and After Dead, I didn’t really need it all. I did enjoy the new info and the new short story.
Also - Mrs Bellefleur’s famous chocolate cake??? Dates??? What is that all about?
November 8, 2014
I have to say, that I was disappointed with his book. When I first heard of it's release, I was intrigued, but didn't run out and buy it. Then I saw at copy while I was shelving at the library and thought I'd give it a try. At least I knew I would enjoy the new novella (which I did). When I looked through it, my interest was peaked by the different selections and I thought I would really enjoy this.
I did enjoy "Small Town Wedding", though it was odd to read because it's set before<.i> the newest Sookie book. Still, it was enjoyable. Not my favorite of the shorter stories, but enjoyable.
What I absolutely loved was the secret conversations between Eric and Bill. Their voices were so perfect and the dialogues often humourous. Loved it. (Worth looking at just to read those!)
But the cookbook, the interviews, and the 200 pages of dictionary bogged the book down. I thought I would get more from the interviews, but they were vague and uninteresting. Maybe it's because I'm from southern Louisiana I found the cookbook to be uninteresting - bland basic recipes that everyone I know has in their kitchen. And the dictionary was annoying. It was epicly long.
This book is perfect for the True Blood fan who can't get into Harris's writing, but wants to be familair with everything. And it makes a great reference for those who forget details.
All in all, it was interesting, but not worth buying.
I did enjoy "Small Town Wedding", though it was odd to read because it's set before<.i> the newest Sookie book. Still, it was enjoyable. Not my favorite of the shorter stories, but enjoyable.
What I absolutely loved was the secret conversations between Eric and Bill. Their voices were so perfect and the dialogues often humourous. Loved it. (Worth looking at just to read those!)
But the cookbook, the interviews, and the 200 pages of dictionary bogged the book down. I thought I would get more from the interviews, but they were vague and uninteresting. Maybe it's because I'm from southern Louisiana I found the cookbook to be uninteresting - bland basic recipes that everyone I know has in their kitchen. And the dictionary was annoying. It was epicly long.
This book is perfect for the True Blood fan who can't get into Harris's writing, but wants to be familair with everything. And it makes a great reference for those who forget details.
All in all, it was interesting, but not worth buying.
December 26, 2021
Unfortunately, I can already tell I'm gonna hate this book and I've just opened it up. For starters, this is SUPPOSE to be the companion to the books, but she includes a section about True Blood, an interview with Alan Ball. Then I looked at the map of Bon Temps. I don't care if Charlaine Harris drew it herself, as is alleged, because it's WRONG!!!! If you read the books, you get a feel for certain things. The fact that Sookie lives out at the end of a long dead-end drive, that ends at the cemetery, and Bill lives across the street from her, with the cemetery between them. Her road isn't a dead end on the map! And the mall with Tara Togs is at the end of her road, closer than Merlotte's? It shouldn't be. If it's this disappointing and I just opened it up, I'm almost afraid to finish the bloody book! It starts with the novella "Small-Town Wedding" where Sookie is to accompany Sam to his brother's wedding in Texas. However, it's suppose to be a story starring Quinn, so it isn't looking good so far. I think I wasted alot of $ on a crappy book and my year long anticipation for it went down the sewer. Ms. Harris's books have gone down the drain ever since the TV show was created. Either it went to her head or she's burned out and should have quit writing it long before now. For a series I've dearly loved to go to the toilet is severely upsetting. It's like watching a traffic accident, it's disturbing but you want to know how it ends.
To make this even more annoying... it may be the most recently released book, but the novella falls before the last full novel published. So it's out-of-order in the chronology. That would be due the fact that they kept pushing back the release date of this book, which was suppose to come out in Feb, before the last novel came out in May. However, when reading it, it's so obviously before the last novel, it ruins it a bit. If this book gets any more annoying, I'm tempted to toss the bloody thing across the room!!! ***gggrrr****
The novella wasn't bad, but it's odd that none of what happened was mentioned in the last novel, that takes place after it.
By the way, another thing I found seriously annoying about this Sookie Companion book is that other than the novella, the map, and a short few pages here or there, Charlaine Harris is only credited as editing this book. In other words, the good majority of it, (almost everything other than the novella) was NOT WRITTEN BY THE AUTHOR!!!! I didn't buy a book to ask my trivia questions from fans, or even recipes fans sent in. I bought the book to learn more behind the scenes from the author, tidbits that didn't make it into the books to flesh out some characters backgrounds and personalities more. I don't care if the author did edit the book, I'm not gonna take the word of anyone but the author when it comes to the characters. I can get all the gossip I want off discussion boards or here at Goodreads. This was suppose to be more information about the series, by the author of the series AND IT'S NOT! This author is really pissing me off! I love how the series started which is why I passionately fell for it, but it's ticking me off so much watching it go downhill. The more this author is putting out, the more it stinks and taints what came before it. She needs to put an end to it quickly before we really start to hate her. (Supposedly 2 more books are planned for the series.) I'm almost afraid to keep reading this companion... :(
Okay, finished as much as I'm gonna read, so let me tell you exactly what it includes. Opening page lists is as "The Sookie Stackhouse Companion" Edited by Charlaine Harris.
Table of contents:
Preface: The World of Sookie Stackhouse by Charlaine Harris Page ix
Bon Temps and It's Environs Page xii
"Small-Town Wedding" by Charlaine Harris Page 1
Life in Bon Temps by Victoria Koski Page 81
The Sookie Short Stories and Related Material by Charlaine Harris Page 211
Vampires, Two-Natured, and Fairie, Oh My!: Sookie Discusses the Creatures She's Met by Charlaine Harris Page 217
Sookie's Family Tree Page 226
Sookie Stackhouse Trivia: How Much of a Sookie Fan Are You? by Beverly Battillo and Victoria Koski Page 227
What's Cooking in Bon Temps: A Selection of Down-Home Southern Recipes (Submitted by various people, including CH) Page 245
Inside True Blood: Alan Ball Answers Questions from the Fans Page 281
From Mystery to Mayhem: The Works of Charlaine Harris by Beverly Battillo Page 289
Recollections Around the Duckpond: The Fans of Charlaine Harris by Beverly Battillo Page 295
Charlaine Harris Answers Questions from Her Fans Page 301
A Guide to the World of Sookie Stackhouse by Victoria Koski Page 313
About the Editor Page 463
So... out of 463 pages.... Charlaine Harris only wrote 100 of them. 79 in her novella, a few pages of Sookie explaining about the creatures she's met, a few recipes CH contributed (that I didn't count), a family tree chart, a two page map (that is inaccurate!) and 12 pages of a Q&A. CH is credited as editor.
I'll break it down...
- Map of Bon Temps drawn by CH. Pointless since it's inaccurate. CH has mentioned numerous times that Sookie lives at the end of a dead-end parish lane with only a cemetery, her house and Bill's house at the end. On this map, she has her lane continue on and meet up with another road. Once I found that, and that she has to drive past Tara Tog's mall (supposedly across town) to drive between Merlotte's Bar and home, I quite looking at the map because obviously it's full or errors. The author must have no memory for what she's written.
- Small-Town Wedding. Decent novella worth reading. (Only redeeming feature of this book!)
- Life in Bon Temps. NOT written by CH. Breaks each book down but what happens on every day, and gives each a calendar date and year. Only interesting part is after each book summary are the private conversations between Eric and Bill. However, bear in mind CH DIDN'T WRITE THEM!!!!!!!!
- Sookie Short Stories and Related Material. If you've read the short stories themselves (which she summaries and explains in what order they fall) then you'll learn nothing new here.
- Sookie discusses the creatures she's met. If you've paid attention while reading the books, then this is absolutely pointless as you've read it all before. However, I guess you could use it for reference at some point. Told from Sookie's point of view by CH.
- Sookie's family tree. One page diagram of her family tree. All information came from the books, but it might be helpful for some to see it drawn out, or so they don't have to look up names of long lost fae ancestors.
- Sookie Trivia. I found this chapter completely pointless. I mean, do we really care what color the Rattray's car was?
- What's cooking in Bon Temps. As a foodie and a good cook, you'd think I'd like this chapter. However, I didn't find a single recipe I would bother copying down and cooking. CH herself submitted the most boring meatloaf recipe on the planet: ground beef, egg, Italian bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. That's it!
- Inside True Blood, interview with Alan Ball. Really? This is suppose to be a companion book to the book series, not the TV series. Totally ignored this crap.
- Works of CH. 3 or 4 pages describing her other series. This is suppose to be a companion book to the Sookie series, not about everything else she's written. Blatant promotional insert.
- Recollections around the duckpond: The fans of CH. What can I say other than I DON'T CARE!!!!!! Again, this is suppose to be a companion book about the series... I don't care what her fans are up to.
- CH answers questions from her fans. A few interesting questions and answers, but most weren't worth the effort to read them. For example, a fan asked if Sookie would ever have a HEA. CH explained HEA work for others but not for her and that she couldn't make all fans happy and all characters are good and bad and not all can be made happy. In other words, she wrote a paragraph full of bullshit and refused to directly answer the question asked of her. She did flat out say at one point, Sookie would never be a vampire, if that wasn't already a well-known quote from CH.
- Guide to the World of Sookie Stackhouse. I didn't bother reading. This is an alphabetical list of literally ever person whom Sookie has ever met or spoken with, with a description of said person, and a reference to what book(s) s/he appeared in. Good for reference I suppose, but I found the entire section (of 150 pages!) worthless. Unless you're trying to win a bet against someone and are forced to look something up... I don't see the point.
In other words... I wasted my money. The only redeeming feature of the entire companion was a novella. I'd rather have purchased an anthology and gotten other stories included as the rest of the Sookie companion is A PIECE OF SHIT!!!!!!
Gave it 2 stars instead of 1 because the novella was good.
To make this even more annoying... it may be the most recently released book, but the novella falls before the last full novel published. So it's out-of-order in the chronology. That would be due the fact that they kept pushing back the release date of this book, which was suppose to come out in Feb, before the last novel came out in May. However, when reading it, it's so obviously before the last novel, it ruins it a bit. If this book gets any more annoying, I'm tempted to toss the bloody thing across the room!!! ***gggrrr****
The novella wasn't bad, but it's odd that none of what happened was mentioned in the last novel, that takes place after it.
By the way, another thing I found seriously annoying about this Sookie Companion book is that other than the novella, the map, and a short few pages here or there, Charlaine Harris is only credited as editing this book. In other words, the good majority of it, (almost everything other than the novella) was NOT WRITTEN BY THE AUTHOR!!!! I didn't buy a book to ask my trivia questions from fans, or even recipes fans sent in. I bought the book to learn more behind the scenes from the author, tidbits that didn't make it into the books to flesh out some characters backgrounds and personalities more. I don't care if the author did edit the book, I'm not gonna take the word of anyone but the author when it comes to the characters. I can get all the gossip I want off discussion boards or here at Goodreads. This was suppose to be more information about the series, by the author of the series AND IT'S NOT! This author is really pissing me off! I love how the series started which is why I passionately fell for it, but it's ticking me off so much watching it go downhill. The more this author is putting out, the more it stinks and taints what came before it. She needs to put an end to it quickly before we really start to hate her. (Supposedly 2 more books are planned for the series.) I'm almost afraid to keep reading this companion... :(
Okay, finished as much as I'm gonna read, so let me tell you exactly what it includes. Opening page lists is as "The Sookie Stackhouse Companion" Edited by Charlaine Harris.
Table of contents:
Preface: The World of Sookie Stackhouse by Charlaine Harris Page ix
Bon Temps and It's Environs Page xii
"Small-Town Wedding" by Charlaine Harris Page 1
Life in Bon Temps by Victoria Koski Page 81
The Sookie Short Stories and Related Material by Charlaine Harris Page 211
Vampires, Two-Natured, and Fairie, Oh My!: Sookie Discusses the Creatures She's Met by Charlaine Harris Page 217
Sookie's Family Tree Page 226
Sookie Stackhouse Trivia: How Much of a Sookie Fan Are You? by Beverly Battillo and Victoria Koski Page 227
What's Cooking in Bon Temps: A Selection of Down-Home Southern Recipes (Submitted by various people, including CH) Page 245
Inside True Blood: Alan Ball Answers Questions from the Fans Page 281
From Mystery to Mayhem: The Works of Charlaine Harris by Beverly Battillo Page 289
Recollections Around the Duckpond: The Fans of Charlaine Harris by Beverly Battillo Page 295
Charlaine Harris Answers Questions from Her Fans Page 301
A Guide to the World of Sookie Stackhouse by Victoria Koski Page 313
About the Editor Page 463
So... out of 463 pages.... Charlaine Harris only wrote 100 of them. 79 in her novella, a few pages of Sookie explaining about the creatures she's met, a few recipes CH contributed (that I didn't count), a family tree chart, a two page map (that is inaccurate!) and 12 pages of a Q&A. CH is credited as editor.
I'll break it down...
- Map of Bon Temps drawn by CH. Pointless since it's inaccurate. CH has mentioned numerous times that Sookie lives at the end of a dead-end parish lane with only a cemetery, her house and Bill's house at the end. On this map, she has her lane continue on and meet up with another road. Once I found that, and that she has to drive past Tara Tog's mall (supposedly across town) to drive between Merlotte's Bar and home, I quite looking at the map because obviously it's full or errors. The author must have no memory for what she's written.
- Small-Town Wedding. Decent novella worth reading. (Only redeeming feature of this book!)
- Life in Bon Temps. NOT written by CH. Breaks each book down but what happens on every day, and gives each a calendar date and year. Only interesting part is after each book summary are the private conversations between Eric and Bill. However, bear in mind CH DIDN'T WRITE THEM!!!!!!!!
- Sookie Short Stories and Related Material. If you've read the short stories themselves (which she summaries and explains in what order they fall) then you'll learn nothing new here.
- Sookie discusses the creatures she's met. If you've paid attention while reading the books, then this is absolutely pointless as you've read it all before. However, I guess you could use it for reference at some point. Told from Sookie's point of view by CH.
- Sookie's family tree. One page diagram of her family tree. All information came from the books, but it might be helpful for some to see it drawn out, or so they don't have to look up names of long lost fae ancestors.
- Sookie Trivia. I found this chapter completely pointless. I mean, do we really care what color the Rattray's car was?
- What's cooking in Bon Temps. As a foodie and a good cook, you'd think I'd like this chapter. However, I didn't find a single recipe I would bother copying down and cooking. CH herself submitted the most boring meatloaf recipe on the planet: ground beef, egg, Italian bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. That's it!
- Inside True Blood, interview with Alan Ball. Really? This is suppose to be a companion book to the book series, not the TV series. Totally ignored this crap.
- Works of CH. 3 or 4 pages describing her other series. This is suppose to be a companion book to the Sookie series, not about everything else she's written. Blatant promotional insert.
- Recollections around the duckpond: The fans of CH. What can I say other than I DON'T CARE!!!!!! Again, this is suppose to be a companion book about the series... I don't care what her fans are up to.
- CH answers questions from her fans. A few interesting questions and answers, but most weren't worth the effort to read them. For example, a fan asked if Sookie would ever have a HEA. CH explained HEA work for others but not for her and that she couldn't make all fans happy and all characters are good and bad and not all can be made happy. In other words, she wrote a paragraph full of bullshit and refused to directly answer the question asked of her. She did flat out say at one point, Sookie would never be a vampire, if that wasn't already a well-known quote from CH.
- Guide to the World of Sookie Stackhouse. I didn't bother reading. This is an alphabetical list of literally ever person whom Sookie has ever met or spoken with, with a description of said person, and a reference to what book(s) s/he appeared in. Good for reference I suppose, but I found the entire section (of 150 pages!) worthless. Unless you're trying to win a bet against someone and are forced to look something up... I don't see the point.
In other words... I wasted my money. The only redeeming feature of the entire companion was a novella. I'd rather have purchased an anthology and gotten other stories included as the rest of the Sookie companion is A PIECE OF SHIT!!!!!!
Gave it 2 stars instead of 1 because the novella was good.
March 10, 2017
The Sookie Stackhouse Companion is filled to the covers with interesting and important Sookie information. It has a map of Bon Temps, Sookie’s family tree, and Harris explains the chronology of the short stories and novellas, also where other stories in the Sookieverse fit in. There’s a Q&A from Harris to fans, also a Q&A from TrueBlood creator, producer and writer, Alan Ball to fans. Sookie herself discusses creatures she’s met, there are trivia quizzes and over 30 pages of Down-Home Southern Recipes.
Over 200 pages of this book is a piece called Life in Bon Temps by Victoria Koski which comprehensively summarises events in each of the first eleven novels, and includes transcripts of secret dialogue between Bill and Eric (or Pam) at the end of each one; this, and Koski’s “Guide to the World of Sookie Stackhouse”, a 150 page detailed alphabetical listing of characters are, no doubt, best read after the books themselves as they are filled with spoilers. Harris’s other works are discussed, and there’s a short story, Small Town Wedding, in which……
Sookie and Sam head to Wright, Texas for the wedding of Sam’s brother, Craig. But feelings in the town about the Were/Shifter reveal are mixed, and it seems not everyone is willing to let this wedding proceed unhindered. But is the level of protest spontaneous? A certain were-tiger makes an appearance, as do several shifters, and a character is introduced whose existence is significant in Harris’s Midnight, Texas series. Sookie discovers her savage side. Probably essential reading for the die-hard Sookie fan.
Over 200 pages of this book is a piece called Life in Bon Temps by Victoria Koski which comprehensively summarises events in each of the first eleven novels, and includes transcripts of secret dialogue between Bill and Eric (or Pam) at the end of each one; this, and Koski’s “Guide to the World of Sookie Stackhouse”, a 150 page detailed alphabetical listing of characters are, no doubt, best read after the books themselves as they are filled with spoilers. Harris’s other works are discussed, and there’s a short story, Small Town Wedding, in which……
Sookie and Sam head to Wright, Texas for the wedding of Sam’s brother, Craig. But feelings in the town about the Were/Shifter reveal are mixed, and it seems not everyone is willing to let this wedding proceed unhindered. But is the level of protest spontaneous? A certain were-tiger makes an appearance, as do several shifters, and a character is introduced whose existence is significant in Harris’s Midnight, Texas series. Sookie discovers her savage side. Probably essential reading for the die-hard Sookie fan.
December 27, 2011
Rating: 3.75* of five
The Book Report: Exactly what the title says: a companion to the series of novels through book 11. Character synopses, book synopses, Q&A with Miss Harris, Q&A with Alan Ball who created True Blood based on the characters in the novels, a chronology of the whole canon including short fiction. Plus an original novella!
My Review: For all the non-novella material: Nicely done, no surprises.
The novella, "Small-Town Wedding", sees Sookie on her way to the much-delayed wedding of her boss Sam Merlotte's younger, non-shape-shifter brother to a fully human girl in small Wright, Texas. Sam's mother Bernie was shot by her second husband when the shape-shifter community came out the way the vampires did, and Bernie hasn't been forgiven by the town since it all came down, not least because her second husband was popular and is now in jail.
Sookie is, as always, walking into a fireworks factory while givin' off sparks. She arrives lookin' all prettfied and Sam's various womenfolk start the grill to roast her history and plans out of Sookie. They seem disappointed that she's not the future Mrs. Merlotte, but they don't even get halfway down the sad ladder because the wedding's being used in a bitter and cynical way by evil Fellowship of the Sun-ites to test how hard and how effective it will be to get mobs to protest and prevent shifter marriages.
The wedding takes place, the evildoers are thwarted, and tolerance is barely, barely winning the day. But Harris's larger message, that folks with spare hatin' time need to find themselves some useful work in this life and start makin' the world a better place, resonates strongly with me. It is a commonsensical response to the world that I wish more of humanity shared. Harris's vampire and shifters and other supes are stand-ins for all the glorious variety of humanity that exists, and the responses of the good or the bad characters to that variety is so real and so nuanced that it almost hurts to read. Harris doesn't let one single character or person or group off any hook, she just shows her readers what the other side of the argument is really thinking and feeling, good and bad. She works on the assumption that understanding lessens anger.
Know what? She's right. Dammit to hell!
The Book Report: Exactly what the title says: a companion to the series of novels through book 11. Character synopses, book synopses, Q&A with Miss Harris, Q&A with Alan Ball who created True Blood based on the characters in the novels, a chronology of the whole canon including short fiction. Plus an original novella!
My Review: For all the non-novella material: Nicely done, no surprises.
The novella, "Small-Town Wedding", sees Sookie on her way to the much-delayed wedding of her boss Sam Merlotte's younger, non-shape-shifter brother to a fully human girl in small Wright, Texas. Sam's mother Bernie was shot by her second husband when the shape-shifter community came out the way the vampires did, and Bernie hasn't been forgiven by the town since it all came down, not least because her second husband was popular and is now in jail.
Sookie is, as always, walking into a fireworks factory while givin' off sparks. She arrives lookin' all prettfied and Sam's various womenfolk start the grill to roast her history and plans out of Sookie. They seem disappointed that she's not the future Mrs. Merlotte, but they don't even get halfway down the sad ladder because the wedding's being used in a bitter and cynical way by evil Fellowship of the Sun-ites to test how hard and how effective it will be to get mobs to protest and prevent shifter marriages.
The wedding takes place, the evildoers are thwarted, and tolerance is barely, barely winning the day. But Harris's larger message, that folks with spare hatin' time need to find themselves some useful work in this life and start makin' the world a better place, resonates strongly with me. It is a commonsensical response to the world that I wish more of humanity shared. Harris's vampire and shifters and other supes are stand-ins for all the glorious variety of humanity that exists, and the responses of the good or the bad characters to that variety is so real and so nuanced that it almost hurts to read. Harris doesn't let one single character or person or group off any hook, she just shows her readers what the other side of the argument is really thinking and feeling, good and bad. She works on the assumption that understanding lessens anger.
Know what? She's right. Dammit to hell!
September 5, 2014
I loved the short novella at the beginning, and the Q&As with True Blood bigwig Alan Ball and Charlaine Harris...
The recaps of the books was a nice refresher as well!
It was hard pushing through reading the recipes section and the "A to Z" Sookie-dictionary at the end. But again, it was a nice refresher of all the stuff up to this point.
And of course, Goodreads has this as 10.5, when it should have been marked as book 11.5 There was a lot of spoilerage for Dead Reckoning (11) which I haven't read yet. *sigh*
The recaps of the books was a nice refresher as well!
It was hard pushing through reading the recipes section and the "A to Z" Sookie-dictionary at the end. But again, it was a nice refresher of all the stuff up to this point.
And of course, Goodreads has this as 10.5, when it should have been marked as book 11.5 There was a lot of spoilerage for Dead Reckoning (11) which I haven't read yet. *sigh*
March 7, 2017
The short story was good, and the book as a whole is a great reference for the Sookie Stackhouse world. I skimmed it a lot as I don't need to reread all the plots from all the books, and their timelines. I did, however, read the exchanges between Bill and Eric as well as some of the other stuff in this book.
October 17, 2011
The Sookie piece included in this companion book (“Small Town Wedding”) was a good one, and in some ways I liked it more than the most recent book because it had a tight, cohesive story that tied in to a clear larger theme. I felt like this plot deserved inclusion in the main series rather than being shared in short story form, though. Sam’s talked about his family and the wedding in multiple Sookie books, so it was disconcerting for the characters in Dead Reckoning (Book 11) to just skip to talking about the situation in the past tense. Not all readers track down short stories, so this feels like a milder version of the “One Word Answer” problem, where fans who didn’t read an anthology felt as if they’d missed something.
After the story, there’s a “Timeline” section presenting the events of each book in condensed form. I guess it’s intended as a reference for those who are trying to remember specific details without re-reading, but it’s entirely skippable. Each book’s entry does include transcripts of written exchanges or phone calls between Eric and Bill, but they’re pretty dull with only a few exceptions.
The next section, written by Harris, is about the short stories. Each story has a short description of its events and a mention of where it fits between the books, there are also descriptions of stories that focus on other Sookieverse characters.
Then there’s a Sookie-perspective chapter, also by Harris, about the various types of supernatural creatures in the world. It includes a family tree for any who are confused about the details of Sookie’s fairy lineage. That’s followed by a trivia quiz filled with laughably specific questions about the names of people or places that were mentioned once and the colors of various characters’ cars. The cookbook portion includes one series-relevant tidbit about Caroline Bellfleur’s famous chocolate cake that made it worth a skim.
The book is rounded out by Q&As with both Harris and Alan Ball, the creator of HBO’s “True Blood” adaptation. There’s also a section about Harris’s career and a personal essay from a fan club organizer that will mostly be of interest to other early fan club members. The final, largest section is an exhaustive A-Z listing of characters, places, things, and references from the books and short stories. Like the Timeline, I guess this could be an interesting reference, but I’m not sure when I’d ever personally use it.
A surprising omission was a complete bibliography of works by Charlaine Harris. All her books and stories are mentioned, but they’re in non-skimmable paragraphs and separated out into three different chapters. I’d like to have had a couple of pages in list form of all the books in each series, especially one that includes the short stories in the reading order and has a reminder of which anthologies those are found in.
This book was kind of a strange mix for me, and I’d recommend that even fans of the series check it out from the library before buying. I’m glad that I did.
(This review was previously posted on my urban fantasy blog.)
After the story, there’s a “Timeline” section presenting the events of each book in condensed form. I guess it’s intended as a reference for those who are trying to remember specific details without re-reading, but it’s entirely skippable. Each book’s entry does include transcripts of written exchanges or phone calls between Eric and Bill, but they’re pretty dull with only a few exceptions.
The next section, written by Harris, is about the short stories. Each story has a short description of its events and a mention of where it fits between the books, there are also descriptions of stories that focus on other Sookieverse characters.
Then there’s a Sookie-perspective chapter, also by Harris, about the various types of supernatural creatures in the world. It includes a family tree for any who are confused about the details of Sookie’s fairy lineage. That’s followed by a trivia quiz filled with laughably specific questions about the names of people or places that were mentioned once and the colors of various characters’ cars. The cookbook portion includes one series-relevant tidbit about Caroline Bellfleur’s famous chocolate cake that made it worth a skim.
The book is rounded out by Q&As with both Harris and Alan Ball, the creator of HBO’s “True Blood” adaptation. There’s also a section about Harris’s career and a personal essay from a fan club organizer that will mostly be of interest to other early fan club members. The final, largest section is an exhaustive A-Z listing of characters, places, things, and references from the books and short stories. Like the Timeline, I guess this could be an interesting reference, but I’m not sure when I’d ever personally use it.
A surprising omission was a complete bibliography of works by Charlaine Harris. All her books and stories are mentioned, but they’re in non-skimmable paragraphs and separated out into three different chapters. I’d like to have had a couple of pages in list form of all the books in each series, especially one that includes the short stories in the reading order and has a reminder of which anthologies those are found in.
This book was kind of a strange mix for me, and I’d recommend that even fans of the series check it out from the library before buying. I’m glad that I did.
(This review was previously posted on my urban fantasy blog.)
July 26, 2022
Pues eso.
Como toda guía de una saga, serie o universo. Has de ser “flan”, como mínimo, del creador para disfrutar de esta. Evidentemente 🙄
Si lo tuyo es hatear, adelante: léetela y luego quéjate.
Soy muy “flan” y nada objetiva y, he de decir, cada vez que releo algo relacionado con este universo, más “flan” me vuelvo…
Este libro incluye, además de mucha información sobre la saga y su autora, una novela corta protagonizada por Sookie y Sam. En ella, la espiritualidad y la religión son un poco más protagonistas de lo normal. Imagino que porque en ella Sookie acompaña a Sam a la boda de su hermano. Conoce a su familia y la pequeña ciudad donde viven.
Me ha gustado bastante. Los relatos de la Harris me suelen encantar. En mi opinión, es buena escritora de historias cortas. Es más difícil de lo que parece.
Este libro también incluye, además, recetas típicas del Sur de EEUU, por lo menos de la zona en la que está ambientado este universo. Me parecieron interesantes y, como dato curioso, son de fans y de la propia autora. Me pareció un detalle ya que se habla de alguna de estas comidas en muchos libros de "Sookie Stackhouse".
También incluye entrevistas con el club de fans de Harris, con la propia Harris y con Alan Ball, creador de True Blood. Es interesante.
Como he escrito antes, es imprescindible si eres fan de este universo. Lo completa y enriquece.
Tengo la edición de tapa dura publicada por Ace Books, en el año 2011. Es una pasada de edición. La cubierta es preciosa. Con la ilustración característica de las ediciones originales norteamericanas. Muy cuidada. También incluye un mapa. Como ya he dicho, muy completa.
Como toda guía de una saga, serie o universo. Has de ser “flan”, como mínimo, del creador para disfrutar de esta. Evidentemente 🙄
Si lo tuyo es hatear, adelante: léetela y luego quéjate.
Soy muy “flan” y nada objetiva y, he de decir, cada vez que releo algo relacionado con este universo, más “flan” me vuelvo…
Este libro incluye, además de mucha información sobre la saga y su autora, una novela corta protagonizada por Sookie y Sam. En ella, la espiritualidad y la religión son un poco más protagonistas de lo normal. Imagino que porque en ella Sookie acompaña a Sam a la boda de su hermano. Conoce a su familia y la pequeña ciudad donde viven.
Me ha gustado bastante. Los relatos de la Harris me suelen encantar. En mi opinión, es buena escritora de historias cortas. Es más difícil de lo que parece.
Este libro también incluye, además, recetas típicas del Sur de EEUU, por lo menos de la zona en la que está ambientado este universo. Me parecieron interesantes y, como dato curioso, son de fans y de la propia autora. Me pareció un detalle ya que se habla de alguna de estas comidas en muchos libros de "Sookie Stackhouse".
También incluye entrevistas con el club de fans de Harris, con la propia Harris y con Alan Ball, creador de True Blood. Es interesante.
Como he escrito antes, es imprescindible si eres fan de este universo. Lo completa y enriquece.
Tengo la edición de tapa dura publicada por Ace Books, en el año 2011. Es una pasada de edición. La cubierta es preciosa. Con la ilustración característica de las ediciones originales norteamericanas. Muy cuidada. También incluye un mapa. Como ya he dicho, muy completa.
January 23, 2011
A funny and classic set of Sookie Stackhouse stories. This collection provides yet another way to enjoy your guilty pleasure of Sookie and all of the characters of the entire series. Leaves you wanting more Sookie (and especially Eric!)
June 27, 2019
I have to say that even though this book is marked at 10.5 it is best read after book 11. The book is a fun q&a and it summarizes what has happened so far in the world of Sookie Stackhouse. I also enjoyed the novella enclosed of Small Town Wedding where Sookie accompanies Sam to his families house to be there for his brother's wedding and when a newly outed were family is marrying a human the town is all stirred up. I don't want to go into that story more as to not spoil it but I highly recommend it and I will be continuing on with the series.
December 24, 2011
The phenomenon of the Sookie Stackhouse books (eleven to date and counting) in recent years has been a real success story for those readers wanting a more adult version of vampires. Though the books are not as explicit as the HBO TV series based on it, True Blood, it is clear that the achievement of both has been mutually beneficial.
And usually with success comes the spin-offs, the merchandising, the additions for those who want to explore more.
This book is one of those. As a Companion, it fills in those little details that obsessive fans just want to know.
Such details can be quite diverse. There’s the usual expected elements here - a miscellany of characters, places and key events, a detailed time line and summary of the books up to Dead Reckoning, comments by the author on how the books came about and what she was trying to achieve with them, and a detailed map of town of Bon Temps.
What makes this more interesting are the other elements. So, for example, within the summary of the books up to Dead Reckoning we also have some intriguing ‘secret’ telephone conversations transcribed between vampires Bill and Eric, which no doubt fans will enjoy. We also have Sookie’s family tree, a short story, an interview with Charlaine based around website questions (from clearly quite dedicated fans), Sookie Stackhouse Trivia Quizzes (thankfully with answers) and, believe it or not, cookbook recipes. So if you want to know how to make and serve Perdita’s Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce (page 275) or Classic Southern Sweet Tea (page 278), obviously to be eaten and drunk whilst reading the books, then here’s your chance!
Overall then, it’s a lot of fun. Often these books are produced with little thought or perhaps at best ephemeral usefulness, but as these sort of books go, this is one of the better ones. Obviously being written in part by the author helps, but there’s enough of the new and the unusual to make it a book that fans with knowledge will keep dipping into, but also might tempt those who have heard of the books/TV programme and have yet to take the next step.
On the negative side, not that there’s much, it is a novel-sized book rather than a coffee-table illustrated guide and as it is based on the books rather than the TV series (though the series does get mentioned and there’s a nice interview with TV’s producer Alan Ball) so those expecting glossy pages and pictures to illustrate are going to be disappointed. I suspect a companion TV series guide, not to mention a Second Companion book (that Charlaine is sure ‘is on the shelves’) may do the job there.
For fans only, perhaps: but worthy of their attention.
And usually with success comes the spin-offs, the merchandising, the additions for those who want to explore more.
This book is one of those. As a Companion, it fills in those little details that obsessive fans just want to know.
Such details can be quite diverse. There’s the usual expected elements here - a miscellany of characters, places and key events, a detailed time line and summary of the books up to Dead Reckoning, comments by the author on how the books came about and what she was trying to achieve with them, and a detailed map of town of Bon Temps.
What makes this more interesting are the other elements. So, for example, within the summary of the books up to Dead Reckoning we also have some intriguing ‘secret’ telephone conversations transcribed between vampires Bill and Eric, which no doubt fans will enjoy. We also have Sookie’s family tree, a short story, an interview with Charlaine based around website questions (from clearly quite dedicated fans), Sookie Stackhouse Trivia Quizzes (thankfully with answers) and, believe it or not, cookbook recipes. So if you want to know how to make and serve Perdita’s Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce (page 275) or Classic Southern Sweet Tea (page 278), obviously to be eaten and drunk whilst reading the books, then here’s your chance!
Overall then, it’s a lot of fun. Often these books are produced with little thought or perhaps at best ephemeral usefulness, but as these sort of books go, this is one of the better ones. Obviously being written in part by the author helps, but there’s enough of the new and the unusual to make it a book that fans with knowledge will keep dipping into, but also might tempt those who have heard of the books/TV programme and have yet to take the next step.
On the negative side, not that there’s much, it is a novel-sized book rather than a coffee-table illustrated guide and as it is based on the books rather than the TV series (though the series does get mentioned and there’s a nice interview with TV’s producer Alan Ball) so those expecting glossy pages and pictures to illustrate are going to be disappointed. I suspect a companion TV series guide, not to mention a Second Companion book (that Charlaine is sure ‘is on the shelves’) may do the job there.
For fans only, perhaps: but worthy of their attention.
February 4, 2012
I'll be honest, I didn't read the whole thing (and for a girl with OCD that's a big deal, lol). The 'novella' was a bit raw like most of Charlaine's short stories tend to be. I didn't like the fact that it was published out of order - hence the OCD in me. The novella was published 3 months after the 11th book but to be read chronologically it should be read before the 11th book. I also found a lot of the book to be very pointless unless I hadn't read the series in a long time and didn't want to re-read it to pick up, say, the 12th book. This book had a nice timeline/overview of all of the previous books and short stories. I can see this being very handy if I don't want to reread the series. I skipped this since it wasn't relevant to me. Also the book contained little blurbs about EVERY character that ever appeared in the Sookie books.... ever. Handy and nice if I were OCD about Sookie, but I'm not. I skipped this too. I skimmed the recipes since I'm a foodie and found them fun! OMG Caroline Bellafluer's famous cake - I couldn't believe it was from a box! I am such a purist! I also found it funny the recipe recognized us purists! Sorry I'm such a book and recipe OCD/snob. =)
So I guess in total I read the Novella, and skimmed the recipes, and read the Bill/Eric blurbs. Surprisingly I found the interview with Alan Ball entertaining and also the questions that fans asked Charlaine. I really didn't think I would find those interesting at all but found myself pleasantly surprised. This may be a book I read again depending on how long the series goes (who doesn't want to catch up on 11 books in 100 pages?) or however long it takes Charlaine to publish the series (because I have the memory of a goldfish). I love parenthesis!!!! =) (commas too). *giggle*
So I guess in total I read the Novella, and skimmed the recipes, and read the Bill/Eric blurbs. Surprisingly I found the interview with Alan Ball entertaining and also the questions that fans asked Charlaine. I really didn't think I would find those interesting at all but found myself pleasantly surprised. This may be a book I read again depending on how long the series goes (who doesn't want to catch up on 11 books in 100 pages?) or however long it takes Charlaine to publish the series (because I have the memory of a goldfish). I love parenthesis!!!! =) (commas too). *giggle*
November 18, 2011
This is a book for dedicated fans only. I recieved it as a present, and, even though I did like the Sookie books, a companion book is not something I would have bought.
The Sam and Sookie novella will appeal to anyone who enjoyed the series, but it is far from Harris' best work.
As for the rest of the content - the kindest word I can come up with is superfluous.
A less kind word would be filler.
An even less kind word would be crap.
Impossible trivia quiz?
Don't care.
Fan club president/stalker inane ramblings and author-stroking?
REALLY don't care.
Recipes to help you recreate the food in the books?
Angry yawns.
Still, it looks good on the bookshelf next to the boxset.(My cover is not the horrific Weasley-type flying car thing on the thumbnail, thankfully).
3/5 for effort and for having the balls to totally expolit the fanbase with a pretty weak offering.
The Sam and Sookie novella will appeal to anyone who enjoyed the series, but it is far from Harris' best work.
As for the rest of the content - the kindest word I can come up with is superfluous.
A less kind word would be filler.
An even less kind word would be crap.
Impossible trivia quiz?
Don't care.
Fan club president/stalker inane ramblings and author-stroking?
REALLY don't care.
Recipes to help you recreate the food in the books?
Angry yawns.
Still, it looks good on the bookshelf next to the boxset.(My cover is not the horrific Weasley-type flying car thing on the thumbnail, thankfully).
3/5 for effort and for having the balls to totally expolit the fanbase with a pretty weak offering.
December 14, 2015
ok... what was that? That was way too many things all at once. A short story, a huge useless summary, some greats conversations between Bill and Eric, a lot of recipes (I liked that actually that was my favorite part!) some interviews, and an index way too long. Anyway, I'm a huge true blood fan and I didn't like that book. I was hoping for something more I guess. I'm glad I didn't buy it.
September 9, 2017
Fine compilation of 'Sookie facts,' albeit a pretty dry read. Fun new tidbits, and I do mean tidbits, of communications between Eric & Bill, after each book summary. Enough to tittilate the taste buds. Q&A area, recipes, and more...
January 27, 2021
Parts of this are not necessary if you’ve read the novels. If you haven’t parts are heavily spoiled. The Eric Bill conversations are nice addition to the novels. And author thoughts (as an author) are insightful. It’s a nice review of the series with a few Easter eggs.
November 22, 2022
um yea, I loved the series but this book is not one you'd read cover to cover.
I enjoyed the 1 short story in the book and some q&as but the rest is a lot of repeat. It's more like a reference book.
I enjoyed the 1 short story in the book and some q&as but the rest is a lot of repeat. It's more like a reference book.
June 30, 2023
Enjoyed the novella of Sam’s sister’s wedding. That was fun and gave great insite on how Quinn met the Tigress. I also LOVED the secret dialogues between Eric and Bill. 🤣☠️ dying! 👏🏼
July 18, 2013
"Small Town Wedding" is a short story in the Sookie Stackhouse series and, per Charlaine Harris, falls between
Dead in the Family
, 10, and
Dead Reckoning
, 11, making it 10.5.
My Take
The short story, "Small Town Wedding", was sweet. Family coming together, backing each other up. I loved the party after the wedding! I did not figure out how Sookie knew to head down to the pound.
Ooh, Quinn meets his "doom"! LOL, and so does Sarah Newlin...yes!
That takes care of the first 79 pages. After that, there's a huge chunk devoted to providing readers with a timeline of every Sookie Stackhouse book in the series, and it reads like an outline in summary format. Harris also provides a timeline for the short stories, although I still disagree about the chronology for "If I Had a Hammer". I know, the cheek of me! It's just that it wasn't until Dead Ever After, 13, that Tara started talking about needing to expand the house.
Oh, man, then there are the recipes!! Yummy!!
Questions from her fan club are answered. There's a guide to the characters in each story and a visit with Alan Bell who created the television series True Blood based on the Sookie Stackhouse series.
On the whole, I enjoyed the short story, and the majority of this is ideal for the Sookie Stackhouse fan who wants a bible of the series.
The Short Story
Sookie Stackhouse is heading out of town to Wright, Texas, with Sam Merlotte to go to his brother's, Craig's, wedding to Deidra Lisle. (His sister Mindy is already married to Doke Ballinger and they have two kids: Mason and Bonnie.)
It's already fraught as the shifters came out a short time ago, and Don shot Bernie, Sam's mom, when she changed in front of him, and now Deidra's parents have put off the wedding several times, worried about her marrying an animal!
But, hey, the townspeople have known the Merlottes for years, what could happen?
Other Characters include:
Eric Northman is her boyfriend; Bill Compton is her vampire neighbor still recovering from the silver poisoning. Victor Madden is Eric's boss. Tara is her pregnant friend and not due for three more months. Cousin Claude and Great-Uncle Dermot plan to stay at Claude's house while she's gone. Sam is dating Jannalyn, the enforcer for the Shreveport pack, but Sam had invited Sookie before he started dating Jannalyn. Thank god!
In Wright
Jim Collins is the Merlottes' miserable neighbor. Quinn is a weretiger whom Sookie once dated. He's with Trish Pulaski and Togo Olympio, worried about Sookie. Sister Mendoza and Rafe are sheriff's deputies in Wright and Sam's friends. Pastor Bart Arrowsmith has issues with which he'll need to deal; Nathan Arrowsmith is his son, the one holding the stink bomb. Jared Lisle is Deidra's brother in the service; he'll take a stand with them around the church. Porter Carpenter is one of the unhelpful cops.
More twoeys who show up to help include:
Brenda Sue, a trauma nurse; Luna Garza; and, Tijgerin, a weretigress with whom Quinn mates.
Sarah Newlin from the Fellowship of the Sun church organized the riot; and gets herself arrested after she shoots Jim Collins, her cohort in crime.
The Cover
The cover is, as usual, fun with Sam the collie hanging his head out the window of a red truck which is silhouetted against a sparkly full moon while Sookie drives, glancing back in fear at the bats flying around them.
The title is what it is: The Sookie Stackhouse Companion as it indexes the entire series.
My Take
The short story, "Small Town Wedding", was sweet. Family coming together, backing each other up. I loved the party after the wedding! I did not figure out how Sookie knew to head down to the pound.
Ooh, Quinn meets his "doom"! LOL, and so does Sarah Newlin...yes!
That takes care of the first 79 pages. After that, there's a huge chunk devoted to providing readers with a timeline of every Sookie Stackhouse book in the series, and it reads like an outline in summary format. Harris also provides a timeline for the short stories, although I still disagree about the chronology for "If I Had a Hammer". I know, the cheek of me! It's just that it wasn't until Dead Ever After, 13, that Tara started talking about needing to expand the house.
Oh, man, then there are the recipes!! Yummy!!
Questions from her fan club are answered. There's a guide to the characters in each story and a visit with Alan Bell who created the television series True Blood based on the Sookie Stackhouse series.
On the whole, I enjoyed the short story, and the majority of this is ideal for the Sookie Stackhouse fan who wants a bible of the series.
The Short Story
Sookie Stackhouse is heading out of town to Wright, Texas, with Sam Merlotte to go to his brother's, Craig's, wedding to Deidra Lisle. (His sister Mindy is already married to Doke Ballinger and they have two kids: Mason and Bonnie.)
It's already fraught as the shifters came out a short time ago, and Don shot Bernie, Sam's mom, when she changed in front of him, and now Deidra's parents have put off the wedding several times, worried about her marrying an animal!
But, hey, the townspeople have known the Merlottes for years, what could happen?
Other Characters include:
Eric Northman is her boyfriend; Bill Compton is her vampire neighbor still recovering from the silver poisoning. Victor Madden is Eric's boss. Tara is her pregnant friend and not due for three more months. Cousin Claude and Great-Uncle Dermot plan to stay at Claude's house while she's gone. Sam is dating Jannalyn, the enforcer for the Shreveport pack, but Sam had invited Sookie before he started dating Jannalyn. Thank god!
In Wright
Jim Collins is the Merlottes' miserable neighbor. Quinn is a weretiger whom Sookie once dated. He's with Trish Pulaski and Togo Olympio, worried about Sookie. Sister Mendoza and Rafe are sheriff's deputies in Wright and Sam's friends. Pastor Bart Arrowsmith has issues with which he'll need to deal; Nathan Arrowsmith is his son, the one holding the stink bomb. Jared Lisle is Deidra's brother in the service; he'll take a stand with them around the church. Porter Carpenter is one of the unhelpful cops.
More twoeys who show up to help include:
Brenda Sue, a trauma nurse; Luna Garza; and, Tijgerin, a weretigress with whom Quinn mates.
Sarah Newlin from the Fellowship of the Sun church organized the riot; and gets herself arrested after she shoots Jim Collins, her cohort in crime.
The Cover
The cover is, as usual, fun with Sam the collie hanging his head out the window of a red truck which is silhouetted against a sparkly full moon while Sookie drives, glancing back in fear at the bats flying around them.
The title is what it is: The Sookie Stackhouse Companion as it indexes the entire series.
September 21, 2011
If this book proved one thing to me it's that, while I consider myself a Sookie fan, I'm truly a dilettante. I learned more than I ever wanted to know about Sookie, truly. I enjoy the books, they are fun, do I need a Sookie Encyclopedia? Perhaps a pared down one because the general plot lines and characters are getting unwieldy and out of control. Do a need more than three hundred pages of this? Hell no. While I agree it is fun to have reference books to your favorite authors, these really aren't meant to be read cover to cover but only picked up on occasion for a query here or there. Consisting of some fun elements, like a map of the town (which seems to have too little distance between some locations like Sookie's and Merlotte's) and correspondence snarkiness that takes place during the books between Eric and Bill, it also contains questions and answers with Charlaine and Alan Ball that are deathly dull and a recipe section. Now that's what I find odd. Recipes! Now, I can see that with all the mention of food in the books that a recipe book for the series is a good idea... but... do a separate darn book don't put it in a book that I don't want anywhere near food or a kitchen, especially when the foods use a lot of deep fryers. The mere thought makes my blood boil and the risk to any book, even if it's one I'm not overly wild about. No books near anything that has heat or flames or grease people, jeez.
The main reason to buy this book though is not the minutiae of every character that was ever mentioned or ever had a line, or even the book summaries which by the final book are so long and incoherent, you can see how this series is getting the better of it's author, the reason is the short story. Well... it's really more of a novella. I originally thought when we first had mention of Sam's little brother's wedding that it might be a full book, heck, it would be more plot than some of the more recent installments. But instead we got a little novella, which showed more about Sam, resolved some issues with Quinn and Sarah Newlin, and felt more like Sookie than a lot of the short stories do. It was a quick little story that once again made me wish that Sookie ends up with an actual human like Sam. But like all the short stories it just seems like a way for us to spend more money on this ever greedy franchise. These books are fun quick reads and that's all. This Companion seems to be giving the series more weight than it rightfully has. A "companion book" indicates something of note, something worthy of further discussion and research, and I don't know if Sookie and her vampires are that... but perhaps I'm wrong and all those people who watch True Blood and actually liked it past the second season will disagree.
The main reason to buy this book though is not the minutiae of every character that was ever mentioned or ever had a line, or even the book summaries which by the final book are so long and incoherent, you can see how this series is getting the better of it's author, the reason is the short story. Well... it's really more of a novella. I originally thought when we first had mention of Sam's little brother's wedding that it might be a full book, heck, it would be more plot than some of the more recent installments. But instead we got a little novella, which showed more about Sam, resolved some issues with Quinn and Sarah Newlin, and felt more like Sookie than a lot of the short stories do. It was a quick little story that once again made me wish that Sookie ends up with an actual human like Sam. But like all the short stories it just seems like a way for us to spend more money on this ever greedy franchise. These books are fun quick reads and that's all. This Companion seems to be giving the series more weight than it rightfully has. A "companion book" indicates something of note, something worthy of further discussion and research, and I don't know if Sookie and her vampires are that... but perhaps I'm wrong and all those people who watch True Blood and actually liked it past the second season will disagree.
August 31, 2011
As you probably already know, I'm a huge Sookie Stackhouse fan. I love reading her stories, love the world, the many characters, and just losing myself in the latest installment. So, when I found out The Sookie Stackhouse Companion was going to be released, I couldn't wait to check it out!
I've been taking my time, slowly making my way through it during the last few weeks. It's jam-packed full of very interesting things about this world. I really enjoyed reading Charlaine's input into not just her writing process, but also how she eventually got Sookie out there into the world. I love reading the behind-the-scenes stuff, and there's plenty here. Not just about Charlaine and her many worlds, but also about the True Blood TV show and why Alan Ball loved it so much he had to make it a show.
There's some very cool stuff here--lots of valuable information.
Another thing that I particularly liked is the Life In Bon Temps section, which pretty much summarises all of the Sookie stories in order. This means that when hubby asks me if the latest True Blood season is (even remotely) close to the book, or I want to remind myself, I don't need to skim through the actual books, I can just check it out here. Awesome!
Oh, and after each book summary there are some conversations, notes, and emails between Eric and Bill, which are a great way to fill in the blanks of what's going on behind Sookie's back. Very cool.
There's also a new story included in this Companion.
Small-Town Wedding fits between Dead In The Family and Dead Reckoning, and takes Sookie and Sam out of Bon Temps and into Wright, a small town in Texas. They're going to attend Sam's brother's wedding, which should be a joyful event... but turns out to be another nightmarish incident in Sookie's life. After the werewolves and shifters came out to the public, a lot of people developed a new prejudice against them. And this town seems to be filled with those people...
I really enjoyed this tale, and read it in one sitting. I particularly enjoyed spending time with Sam and Sookie, just being friends. Also, the closure she finally finds with Quinn was a great touch to the story.
Just like everything else in Sookie's world, The Sookie Stackhouse Companion is another excellent addition to this fantastic series. I had a blast reading it, enjoyed the author's insights, and I'm pretty sure that I'll be referring back to this book in the future.
It's going on my 'keeper' shelf, next to my other Sookie books. :)
I've been taking my time, slowly making my way through it during the last few weeks. It's jam-packed full of very interesting things about this world. I really enjoyed reading Charlaine's input into not just her writing process, but also how she eventually got Sookie out there into the world. I love reading the behind-the-scenes stuff, and there's plenty here. Not just about Charlaine and her many worlds, but also about the True Blood TV show and why Alan Ball loved it so much he had to make it a show.
There's some very cool stuff here--lots of valuable information.
Another thing that I particularly liked is the Life In Bon Temps section, which pretty much summarises all of the Sookie stories in order. This means that when hubby asks me if the latest True Blood season is (even remotely) close to the book, or I want to remind myself, I don't need to skim through the actual books, I can just check it out here. Awesome!
Oh, and after each book summary there are some conversations, notes, and emails between Eric and Bill, which are a great way to fill in the blanks of what's going on behind Sookie's back. Very cool.
There's also a new story included in this Companion.
Small-Town Wedding fits between Dead In The Family and Dead Reckoning, and takes Sookie and Sam out of Bon Temps and into Wright, a small town in Texas. They're going to attend Sam's brother's wedding, which should be a joyful event... but turns out to be another nightmarish incident in Sookie's life. After the werewolves and shifters came out to the public, a lot of people developed a new prejudice against them. And this town seems to be filled with those people...
I really enjoyed this tale, and read it in one sitting. I particularly enjoyed spending time with Sam and Sookie, just being friends. Also, the closure she finally finds with Quinn was a great touch to the story.
Just like everything else in Sookie's world, The Sookie Stackhouse Companion is another excellent addition to this fantastic series. I had a blast reading it, enjoyed the author's insights, and I'm pretty sure that I'll be referring back to this book in the future.
It's going on my 'keeper' shelf, next to my other Sookie books. :)
January 8, 2012
Meh... This was okay, it's really aimed at hardcore fans. Funnily enough I would have put myself in or very close to that category but after reading this I realise maybe I was once but not so much any more. That's not to say I love me some Sookie but the series as a whole doesn't grip me as much as it used to.
The best thing about this book is the short story in the beginning, A Small Town Wedding where Sookie goes with Sam to his brothers wedding. Even though neither Sam's brother or his bride-to-be are shifters there is a lot of bad feeling in the town and so ensues a majorly upsetting riot-type situation on the wedding day. It's an interesting little story and although Eric isn't in it, Sam is and so is Quinn so that nearly makes up for it.
The rest of the book is a tad boring. Yep I said it people, it's boring. Come on I love a good recipe for casserole as much as the next person but it ain't what I'm expecting when I pick up a Sookie Stackhouse book. And trivia questions always bore me I'm not reading books so I can be tested on them later. The timeline was basically just a summary of everything that happened in every book so far but gave us dates which I didn't really need to know and the summaries were just summaries, nothing new involved. Then a few questions and answers by Charlaine herself and Alan Ball the producer of True Blood. The Charlaine ones were good but I'm not a fan of the show so the Ball ones didn't interest me. All in all it was a bit of a disappointment as a companion book. It did make me realise how good JR Ward's companion book is on the Black Dagger Brotherhood is in comparison though. Disppointing as it was something I was kind of looking forward to...
The best thing about this book is the short story in the beginning, A Small Town Wedding where Sookie goes with Sam to his brothers wedding. Even though neither Sam's brother or his bride-to-be are shifters there is a lot of bad feeling in the town and so ensues a majorly upsetting riot-type situation on the wedding day. It's an interesting little story and although Eric isn't in it, Sam is and so is Quinn so that nearly makes up for it.
The rest of the book is a tad boring. Yep I said it people, it's boring. Come on I love a good recipe for casserole as much as the next person but it ain't what I'm expecting when I pick up a Sookie Stackhouse book. And trivia questions always bore me I'm not reading books so I can be tested on them later. The timeline was basically just a summary of everything that happened in every book so far but gave us dates which I didn't really need to know and the summaries were just summaries, nothing new involved. Then a few questions and answers by Charlaine herself and Alan Ball the producer of True Blood. The Charlaine ones were good but I'm not a fan of the show so the Ball ones didn't interest me. All in all it was a bit of a disappointment as a companion book. It did make me realise how good JR Ward's companion book is on the Black Dagger Brotherhood is in comparison though. Disppointing as it was something I was kind of looking forward to...
June 7, 2019
As The Sookie Stackhouse Companion is rather a mixed bag, I thought I’d briefly explain each section in the hopes of giving other readers more of an idea of what it contains.
MILD SPOILERS FOR SMALL TOWN WEDDING AHEAD.
Preface
How Harris created Sookie's character. To be blunt, I don't like Sookie so I don't really care. I was, however, pleased to read about her choice to make her vampires and her setting more mundane than you often see. It's something that makes the series stand out so I was glad to see that it was a conscious decision.
Bon Temps and Its Environs
A map of Bon Temps for those of you who are interested in such things 🤷♀️
Small Town Wedding
TRIGGER WARNING: ANIMAL CRUELTY/SLAUGHTER
This is the largest section* of the book at around 100 pages and features Sookie and Sam travelling to his family home for his brother's wedding. We meet a few of his folks and interestingly, I got rather a different sense of his mother than I did in Dead Ever After. She seems a little softer, preppier, more suburban.
Rather than a happy family occasion, the wedding becomes the focus of a violent protest in which one person dies (deservedly though - if anyone deserves to burn in hell, it's this charming gentleman), several are wounded, and a large (but unspecified) number of dogs are SHOT TO DEATH FOR PROTESTORS TO MAKE A POINT. I actually cried. If I could've leapt through the pages and put the culprit's head in a fire, I would have. There was a bit of a sense of unity of the "twoies" and we meet Tijgerin, although Harris' explanation on how to pronounce her name wasn't even a tiny bit enlightening.
I found the whole thing with Sarah Newlin to be oddly handled. Ok, yes, she is later caught almost by accident but before that, Sookie and the weres just wiped the data from her camera, let her go and headed off to the Merlottes' after party. I could think of no logic behind letting her go the first time around, beyond it being convenient for the plot. As Harris tells us later in this book that her editor asks her about characters’ reasoning, I can’t help but wonder what reasoning she gave for this.
Life in Bon Temps
This summarises events - even insignificant ones - in each book up until Dead Reckoning and adds the date on which they were set. I suppose this could be useful if you missed a book, but does anyone really care that, for example, Dead and Gone started on January 10th 2006? It doesn't matter. *Technically, this section is larger than the wedding story but it contains so much filler that I don't think it should count. The only part of interest is the couple of pages at the end of each summary in which Bill and Eric communicate via phone or email about the events in that book. This is quite funny at times.
The Sookie Short Stories and Related Material
This doesn't contain the short stories but rather is simply Harris going "I wrote Xxxxxxxxxx, Yyyyyyyy, Zzzzzz short stories, you should check them out." Kind of disappointing. This would've worked better if tacked on to Small Town Wedding, saying "these are other short stories you might like to check out".
Vampires, Two-Natured, and Fairies, Oh My!
Sookie gives you a run down of traits of each species (?) Nothing new here, just regurgitated info from the books.
Sookie's Family Tree
For those of you getting a bit confused by all those “cousins".
Sookie Stackhouse Trivia
Exactly what it says on the label. Questions from normal to bizarre. I don't remember, for example, what colour Lafayette's toenails were in Living Dead in Dallas. Clearly I'm not dedicated enough a fan…
What's Cookin' in Bon Temps
A fun idea, this one. Some of the recipes sound really tasty but mostly I just found it fun to see food inspired by the series e.g Antoine's Fried Pickles and Burgers Lafayette Sauce. I was positively scandalised to see that Caroline Bellefleur used a cake mix for her famous chocolate cake!
Inside True Blood: Alan Ball Answers Questions from the Fans
I rather enjoyed this section. It essentially covers the choices True Blood’s writers made in adapting the books - changes they decided to make, characters they decided to flesh out etc. I liked reading about Lafayette - I was so disappointed that he didn’t last long in the books. It’s a shame that they didn’t address Tara though - she was profoundly changed and I’m not sure why.
From Mystery to Mayhem: the Works of Charlaine Harris
A relatively short summary of Harris’ writing career up until this point. It includes a list of Sookie novels and short stories in the order in which they should be read. I was quite happy about this at first as I had some doubt about the GR numbering of books 4.something - Dracula Night and Dancers in the Dark. I had found some inconsistencies. Sadly, Dancers in the Dark wasn’t included in the list (Harris labels it “related material”, not a Sookie story in section The Sookie Short Stories and Related Material) so I still am unsure.
Recollections Around the Duckpond: the Fans of Charlaine Harris
This depicts the beginnings of Charlaine’s Charlatans. Kind of charming. I thoroughly approve of authors who communicate generously with their fans.
Charlaine Harris Answers Questions from Her Fans
No major revelations here but I was intrigued by the implication that Sam could’ve shifted into another human being if he was desperate enough. This brings to mind the skinwalkers from True Blood, one of whom shifted into Sam as I recall. What an interesting story this could have made for! Other than that, a few insights into Harris’ writing technique. I can’t say I was surprised to read that she doesn’t plan much of her plot in advance. Was ANYONE surprised by that?
A Guide to the World of Sookie Stackhouse
A thorough glossary, listing info on just about every single character and most of the places in the series up to this point. No new information but might be useful to refer back to if you forget who anyone is.
MILD SPOILERS FOR SMALL TOWN WEDDING AHEAD.
Preface
How Harris created Sookie's character. To be blunt, I don't like Sookie so I don't really care. I was, however, pleased to read about her choice to make her vampires and her setting more mundane than you often see. It's something that makes the series stand out so I was glad to see that it was a conscious decision.
Bon Temps and Its Environs
A map of Bon Temps for those of you who are interested in such things 🤷♀️
Small Town Wedding
TRIGGER WARNING: ANIMAL CRUELTY/SLAUGHTER
This is the largest section* of the book at around 100 pages and features Sookie and Sam travelling to his family home for his brother's wedding. We meet a few of his folks and interestingly, I got rather a different sense of his mother than I did in Dead Ever After. She seems a little softer, preppier, more suburban.
Rather than a happy family occasion, the wedding becomes the focus of a violent protest in which one person dies (deservedly though - if anyone deserves to burn in hell, it's this charming gentleman), several are wounded, and a large (but unspecified) number of dogs are SHOT TO DEATH FOR PROTESTORS TO MAKE A POINT. I actually cried. If I could've leapt through the pages and put the culprit's head in a fire, I would have. There was a bit of a sense of unity of the "twoies" and we meet Tijgerin, although Harris' explanation on how to pronounce her name wasn't even a tiny bit enlightening.
I found the whole thing with Sarah Newlin to be oddly handled. Ok, yes, she is later caught almost by accident but before that, Sookie and the weres just wiped the data from her camera, let her go and headed off to the Merlottes' after party. I could think of no logic behind letting her go the first time around, beyond it being convenient for the plot. As Harris tells us later in this book that her editor asks her about characters’ reasoning, I can’t help but wonder what reasoning she gave for this.
Life in Bon Temps
This summarises events - even insignificant ones - in each book up until Dead Reckoning and adds the date on which they were set. I suppose this could be useful if you missed a book, but does anyone really care that, for example, Dead and Gone started on January 10th 2006? It doesn't matter. *Technically, this section is larger than the wedding story but it contains so much filler that I don't think it should count. The only part of interest is the couple of pages at the end of each summary in which Bill and Eric communicate via phone or email about the events in that book. This is quite funny at times.
The Sookie Short Stories and Related Material
This doesn't contain the short stories but rather is simply Harris going "I wrote Xxxxxxxxxx, Yyyyyyyy, Zzzzzz short stories, you should check them out." Kind of disappointing. This would've worked better if tacked on to Small Town Wedding, saying "these are other short stories you might like to check out".
Vampires, Two-Natured, and Fairies, Oh My!
Sookie gives you a run down of traits of each species (?) Nothing new here, just regurgitated info from the books.
Sookie's Family Tree
For those of you getting a bit confused by all those “cousins".
Sookie Stackhouse Trivia
Exactly what it says on the label. Questions from normal to bizarre. I don't remember, for example, what colour Lafayette's toenails were in Living Dead in Dallas. Clearly I'm not dedicated enough a fan…
What's Cookin' in Bon Temps
A fun idea, this one. Some of the recipes sound really tasty but mostly I just found it fun to see food inspired by the series e.g Antoine's Fried Pickles and Burgers Lafayette Sauce. I was positively scandalised to see that Caroline Bellefleur used a cake mix for her famous chocolate cake!
Inside True Blood: Alan Ball Answers Questions from the Fans
I rather enjoyed this section. It essentially covers the choices True Blood’s writers made in adapting the books - changes they decided to make, characters they decided to flesh out etc. I liked reading about Lafayette - I was so disappointed that he didn’t last long in the books. It’s a shame that they didn’t address Tara though - she was profoundly changed and I’m not sure why.
From Mystery to Mayhem: the Works of Charlaine Harris
A relatively short summary of Harris’ writing career up until this point. It includes a list of Sookie novels and short stories in the order in which they should be read. I was quite happy about this at first as I had some doubt about the GR numbering of books 4.something - Dracula Night and Dancers in the Dark. I had found some inconsistencies. Sadly, Dancers in the Dark wasn’t included in the list (Harris labels it “related material”, not a Sookie story in section The Sookie Short Stories and Related Material) so I still am unsure.
Recollections Around the Duckpond: the Fans of Charlaine Harris
This depicts the beginnings of Charlaine’s Charlatans. Kind of charming. I thoroughly approve of authors who communicate generously with their fans.
Charlaine Harris Answers Questions from Her Fans
No major revelations here but I was intrigued by the implication that Sam could’ve shifted into another human being if he was desperate enough. This brings to mind the skinwalkers from True Blood, one of whom shifted into Sam as I recall. What an interesting story this could have made for! Other than that, a few insights into Harris’ writing technique. I can’t say I was surprised to read that she doesn’t plan much of her plot in advance. Was ANYONE surprised by that?
A Guide to the World of Sookie Stackhouse
A thorough glossary, listing info on just about every single character and most of the places in the series up to this point. No new information but might be useful to refer back to if you forget who anyone is.
September 11, 2011
Wait until someone else purchases this book so you can borrow it when they're finished. The majority of the book is a timeline and recap of all of her previous books. If you've already read the series (which I imagine most have if they are getting the companion), it's kind of a waste of money.
The short story in the first section of the book was good but not great. This is the story of Sam's brother's wedding in between "Dead in the Family" and "Dead Reckoning". It was decent for a Sookie fix while I await the next in the series.
I will say that I did enjoy the recipe section and will most likely be making Caroline Bellefleur's famous chocolate cake in the near future. But the trivia section was ridiculous about the smallest details that had nothing to do with the real stories. Example: What color is the carpet in Maria-Star's apartment? Umm, Really? Who cares? And for those of you that do, the answer is Dark Blue. Now you can sleep better tonight for knowing right?
The interview with Alan Ball was interesting but nothing you couldn't have gotten from previous interviews with Rolling Stone or televised interviews on Youtube.
The rest of the book is a section called "A Guide to the World of Sookie Stackhouse" and is basically a Glossary of Terms and characters. And I mean EVERY character that she has ever written about in the series. Even characters mentioned from other characters who don't even have names such as "Arlene Fowler's aunt: No name given. Arlene's elderly aunt lives in nearby Clarice. (Mentioned in Dead After Dark)”. It seemed like someone is really milking the cash cow in this book.
The short story in the first section of the book was good but not great. This is the story of Sam's brother's wedding in between "Dead in the Family" and "Dead Reckoning". It was decent for a Sookie fix while I await the next in the series.
I will say that I did enjoy the recipe section and will most likely be making Caroline Bellefleur's famous chocolate cake in the near future. But the trivia section was ridiculous about the smallest details that had nothing to do with the real stories. Example: What color is the carpet in Maria-Star's apartment? Umm, Really? Who cares? And for those of you that do, the answer is Dark Blue. Now you can sleep better tonight for knowing right?
The interview with Alan Ball was interesting but nothing you couldn't have gotten from previous interviews with Rolling Stone or televised interviews on Youtube.
The rest of the book is a section called "A Guide to the World of Sookie Stackhouse" and is basically a Glossary of Terms and characters. And I mean EVERY character that she has ever written about in the series. Even characters mentioned from other characters who don't even have names such as "Arlene Fowler's aunt: No name given. Arlene's elderly aunt lives in nearby Clarice. (Mentioned in Dead After Dark)”. It seemed like someone is really milking the cash cow in this book.
September 5, 2011
You just never know what you are going to get when you open up a Companion Novel so I didn't' have very high expectations for this one.
I am always so glad when I am pleasantly surprised by something.
The novella is this book Small-Town Wedding was fabulous! Sam takes Sookie back home to meet his family and to attend his brother's wedding with him. This novella takes place somewhere between the last two books.
It was so nice to see Sam and Sookie together in a setting other than work. It was nice to see how they interacted and got along and dealt with the issues that came up with the wedding of Sam's younger brother.
It was also nice to see some familiar faces (Quinn!) and to meet some new ones.
The novella was probably the best part of this book but it was also nice to get glimpses into conversations between Eric and Bill that happened at the end of each summary of the books and took place during the stories.
Sadly, they didn't change my opinion of Eric but they did change my opinion a little about Bill. I actually think I liked Bill more after reading this book than I had before.
And of course there was some great reference guides in here to the people, places and the town which was awesome. I also really enjoyed reading some of the recipes and plan on trying a few of them out.
I can't tell where this series will end or who Sookie will end up with but, it will be nice to read the next book in the series and see where Harris takes this series.
I am always so glad when I am pleasantly surprised by something.
The novella is this book Small-Town Wedding was fabulous! Sam takes Sookie back home to meet his family and to attend his brother's wedding with him. This novella takes place somewhere between the last two books.
It was so nice to see Sam and Sookie together in a setting other than work. It was nice to see how they interacted and got along and dealt with the issues that came up with the wedding of Sam's younger brother.
It was also nice to see some familiar faces (Quinn!) and to meet some new ones.
The novella was probably the best part of this book but it was also nice to get glimpses into conversations between Eric and Bill that happened at the end of each summary of the books and took place during the stories.
Sadly, they didn't change my opinion of Eric but they did change my opinion a little about Bill. I actually think I liked Bill more after reading this book than I had before.
And of course there was some great reference guides in here to the people, places and the town which was awesome. I also really enjoyed reading some of the recipes and plan on trying a few of them out.
I can't tell where this series will end or who Sookie will end up with but, it will be nice to read the next book in the series and see where Harris takes this series.
January 13, 2012
I started this on audio and enjoyed the narration of the first part, a Sookie story called “Small-town Wedding.” But the next section, a timeline of the events of every book in the series, was about as interesting to listen to as the “begat” section of the Bible, so I switched to ebook. Which wasn’t much better, but at least I could easily skip.
The timeline also includes a filling in of off-screen conversations/emails from the books (not written by Harris) and who would have thought something called “The Secret Dialogues of Bill and Eric” could be so incredibly boring? There are a few chuckles, but mostly it’s just information that didn't need to be in the story, presumably why it wasn’t there to begin with.
Much of the rest of the book continued to feel like filler. I guess I’m not the intended audience -- which is pretty odd, since I’ve read all the Sookie books and watched the television show. But I think you’d have to be a die-hard fan to be interested in the endless trivia questions, recipes, and hype about Harris’s fan club. Question and answers with Harris and with Alan Ball (producer of “True Blood”) were the highlights and I suppose the timelines and dictionary of characters could be occasionally useful for reference. But for myself, I'm glad I got both the ebook and audio from the library.
The timeline also includes a filling in of off-screen conversations/emails from the books (not written by Harris) and who would have thought something called “The Secret Dialogues of Bill and Eric” could be so incredibly boring? There are a few chuckles, but mostly it’s just information that didn't need to be in the story, presumably why it wasn’t there to begin with.
Much of the rest of the book continued to feel like filler. I guess I’m not the intended audience -- which is pretty odd, since I’ve read all the Sookie books and watched the television show. But I think you’d have to be a die-hard fan to be interested in the endless trivia questions, recipes, and hype about Harris’s fan club. Question and answers with Harris and with Alan Ball (producer of “True Blood”) were the highlights and I suppose the timelines and dictionary of characters could be occasionally useful for reference. But for myself, I'm glad I got both the ebook and audio from the library.
September 10, 2011
Welcome to Bon Temps, a cosy little town where a freakishly high number of supernatural's call home and where life is anything but easy and laid back. For Sookie, a telepath, life has drastically changed since the vamps came out of the coffin a few years back. More specifically her life changed the night she met her first vampire, Bill, and ever since then she has never looked back.
Several years, and books, later Sookie is still solving, plotting and uncovering murders in her own unique corner of the south. However just because Sookie is a mind reader does not necessarily gain her access to every secret hidden within the minds of those she encounters, such as the private dialogues between Eric and Bill that are now revealed. Nor had she any idea that the Chocolate Cake Caroline Bellefleur is famous for is a scandalously easy recipe to follow.
The Sookie Stackhouse Companion is a comprehensive peak into a small southern town and the people who call it home. While Charlaine Harris sits down to a q&a, Sookie gives up all her knowledge on the supernatural beings that have had a great impact on her once simple life. This is a perfect way to rediscover the books, test your knowledge on the events in Sookie's life and enjoy something new in a bonus short story.
Several years, and books, later Sookie is still solving, plotting and uncovering murders in her own unique corner of the south. However just because Sookie is a mind reader does not necessarily gain her access to every secret hidden within the minds of those she encounters, such as the private dialogues between Eric and Bill that are now revealed. Nor had she any idea that the Chocolate Cake Caroline Bellefleur is famous for is a scandalously easy recipe to follow.
The Sookie Stackhouse Companion is a comprehensive peak into a small southern town and the people who call it home. While Charlaine Harris sits down to a q&a, Sookie gives up all her knowledge on the supernatural beings that have had a great impact on her once simple life. This is a perfect way to rediscover the books, test your knowledge on the events in Sookie's life and enjoy something new in a bonus short story.
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