Charlaine Harris Book/Show Group discussion
Sookie Stackhouse Books
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Do you think these have to be read in order?
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Carrie
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Nov 12, 2008 07:19PM
I read book 5 first and now I'm reading another...do you think it matters??
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Carrie, in a word? Yes. It matters. A lot. If you start at the end of the series and work your way back the plot devices of previous books will have been spoiled for you. You may still enjoy them, I don't know, but I know that I wouldn't have wanted to approach this series that way.PS- I still wish I could have read the short story about Hadley between book 5 and book 6.
darn you, library!! They don't have them all.
yes you need to read them in order. don't read anymore until you can get book one and so on...
Carrie, you should definitely read them in order. I think you do yourself and the author a disservice when you read a series out of order. I especially hate it when someone gives a book a bad review when they started in the middle of a series.I know it can be a challenge when you get your books from the library. I've had to buy a few books to fill in the gaps. Does your library system allow you to transfer books in from other libraries? I do that a lot.
In all fairness, I have yet to see any book numbers on the books themselves, or any indication that they are part of a series. I have seen quite a few reviews citing this problem - people see the books and pick them up, only to realize that they are reading a middle book in an on-going series.
If you don't know which order they were published in, or even that they are part of a series, I can see how it would be easy to start in the wrong place.
Here's the correct reading order:Dead Until Dark
Living Dead in Dallas
Club Dead
Dead to the World
Dead as a Doornail
Definitely Dead
All Together Dead
From Dead To Worse
Well I didn't read them order but like a previous poster said some of the plot will be spoiled when read out of order. it's never been a problem for me it's just when i finally read the previous book it's sort of an "aha, That's how that situation played out" moment. I tend to read alot of series out of order and have found that I enjoy that better, even though I feel like I missed something I still never seem to get completely lost that I can't finish the book. I think if you can read it and not dwell on what you missed then yeah you can read it out of order. Most of my favorite series I find that if I had read the first book from the start I wouldn't have read any of the rest. that goes for Sookie as well.
Logan,What book is that short story about Hadley in?
It is in the book Bite. I asked Nicole to move the thread on that book down to the book section since it is in the general section that way people can see it better.
Does anyone have a complete list, including the short stories?Thanks!
No they don't have to be read in order. Charlaine Harris pretty much gives you a rundown in each book about what has passed before. I read From Dead to Worse, Definitley Dead,All Together Dead. Before I started reading them in order. Dead Until Dark, Living Dead in Dallas, Club Dead, Dead To the World, Dead as a Doornail, Dead and Gone. I did not buy any of the Southern Vampire books. You just look on the online library catalogue. Find a branch library in your area with the copy you want. Then have it sent to the library nearest you. In that way I had like four Sookie books stacked up and waiting and just read them one after anohter. This link http://www.charlaineharris.com/biblio... the Charlaine Harris Bibliography has all the books and other stories listed. :)
Technically, you don't HAVE to read them in order because Harris thoroughly explains who each character is and what they are doing in the present (with a brief history of the past), and each story is resolved by the end of the book, HOWEVER I would NOT advise it. It may confuse you and ruin the plot, as others have stated.
Well of course its best to read anything in order. Some of us dont have the cash to buy the whole series. I know many poeple in this group own the whole series of books. I like Sookie Stackhouse but I love Vampire stories as a whole more. So I have copies of Dracula, two of Carmilla, and the Phantom World which is the bible of Vampirsim,witches,and demons in the Gothic tradition.
There's no rule that says you do. And Charlaine Harris does a good job of giving enough info to keep you in the know if you haven't read previous stuff. But I HIGHLY reccomend reading them in order. I don't think you appreciate character growth as much if you read out of order and these books have a lot of character change that takes place over multiple books.
of course you should! I think you would enjoy it more. you can buy the first 7 books on amazon for like $40. totally worth it.
Logan wrote: "Carrie, in a word? Yes. It matters. A lot. If you start at the end of the series and work your way back the plot devices of previous books will have been spoiled for you. You may still enjoy t..." If you have a pretty good memory like me you can pull it off. Allot of people give me a hard time because there are certain details of these Sookie Books I cant remember chop for chop. That is because I read lots of other books, and I play and sing on guitars. So I have hundreds, no thousands of song lyric in my head. It is packed to overload with facts,history, songs, and days gone by. 
I am one the third book and work in a library , and if they don't have it they can place it on hold for you from another libary ! I hate it when someone checks out like 5 charlaine harris books , especially the next one i am going to read and keeps renewing it !
I don't see why you wouldn't read them in order to be honest. Reading 5 before 4 would ruin 4, she recaps so thoroughly that 4 wont be any fun to read. But, I guess some wouldn't care. If you can enjoy a series that way have at it. My OCD would not allow, lol, that and breaking the spin or dog ears.You can request them at the library like Jennifer said or there are other ways to get them. Like online book exchanges, this site has it available, or try used book stores! That is my favorite, you can find them used and much cheaper. But my favorite part is bring in my books and getting credits for getting new ones. It's a great way to keep books in circulation so they don't go to waste and stretch your money! :)
I'm still waiting for the latest book come out in paperback. All my copies are, so I can't break down and get hardcore. Plus, I hate hardcover, the sleeve always bugs me and doesn't stay very nice AND it's like $25! I can work in $7 or 8 but not $25 or more! So I'm going crazy waiting for it, le sigh, the sorrows of a book addict. lol
Happy reading Cary!
Well their is no doubt about it. Reading things in order is the ideal way to read books. However as in my case at the time I could not afford them So I had to take what I could get from the public library. Actually I was very pleased that after the first three. I was able to obtain all the rest from the library in order. However not owning them I can't go back and review certain books and chapters. That is why I am in this group. People remind me of what I have missed or forgotten. I love the Sookie Stackhouse books. But when I go to the book store, and paying cash. When push comes to shove I am going to buy reference books on travel, wild animals, archaeology,and history. The novels I get from the library. Best of reading as well, Cassidy! :)
I think reading in order is the best , tried to read a second book and didn't know who was who ! Then i got the title and started series and title I needed , and started with that one ! Almost done
Yeah, for sure need to read them in order because you may spoil previous books if you dont. not to mention that you might also be completely confused when they refer to scenes from previous books you havent read.
I think that it matters wether or not you read them in order. Things happen in every book that the story continues in the following books. I love the books and read them all, I tried to read them out of order and my friends wouldn't let me!
As a readers' advisory librarian, I rely heavily on an EBSCO database called NoveList Plus for information about stuff like this. There is a note on the record for Dead until Dark that reads, "The author recommends reading this series in publication order including novels and short stories." Here's the complete list:1. Dead until Dark
2. Living Dead in Dallas
3. Club Dead
4. Dead to the World
5. Powers of Detection (contains "Fairy Dust")
6. Bite (contains "One Word Answer")
7. Dead as a Doornail
8. My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding (contains "Tacky")
9. Definitely Dead
10. All Together Dead
11. From Dead to Worse
12. Many Bloody Returns (contains "Dracula Night")
13. Wolfsbane and Mistletoe (contains "Gift Wrap")
14. Unusual Suspects (contains "Lucky")
15. Dead and Gone
Personally, I read all the books in order, but omitted the short stories. I'm waiting for A Touch of Dead to come out, then I think I'll reread the books in this order. I don't think you have to read the series in order, but it makes more sense if you do. If you can't avoid reading the books out of order, you may want to go back and reread them later, but there are worse things than rereading Sookie Stackhouse books. :-)
There are some 'series' where the books are all written in teh same universe and may even share many characters(like Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld books) but reading in order is definately not necessary because they're not really a sequential story continuing over multiple books. What arc does carry over is defiantely easy enough to follow if you read only some of the books or read out of order. However, there are other series like Sookie, where the books are each their own installment in a bigger story. They are best read in order to have the story make the most sense and for the best effect (relating to character growth and not spoiling major events that will alter future books).
So when someone asks "Do you think these have to be read in order?" I ask myself wich category the books fall into. If they are a true series, I say "yes" they should be read in order. Sure there's no book police going to show up and do anything about it. But for the best experience that's the way to go about it.
I think that u have to know the people in the book and start off with book one and go in order ! Its great to read them in order then u know who Bill is and Sookie is , not starting with book four!
I've since gone and read from the beginning and I'm SO glad I did!
I am reading them in order, but now I think I missed those short stories, where does one get them from? Can someone enlighten me on those? I just love love love these books, I can't put them down.. I can't believe I am going to say this but I would read them all again, I have never said/done that before
Noelle wrote: "I am reading them in order, but now I think I missed those short stories, where does one get them from?"If you can stand to hold out for another month (and some change), all the short stories will be available in one trade paperback volume entitled A Touch of Dead . As I understand the order (see message 27 above), you can reread the first four books - very slowly if you're waiting for the collection to come out on October 6th, before you'd have to read any of the short stories. :-)
Noelle wrote: "I am reading them in order, but now I think I missed those short stories, where does one get them from? Can someone enlighten me on those? I just love love love these books, I can't put them down....."OH thanks so much for that info, I haven't finished the entire series but that will be something to look forward to and I can reread some of the others by that time. How did you find out about those?
Noelle wrote: "How did you find out about those?"When I was a little more than halfway through reading the series, I started to get confused about the order because I read the books on my Kindle (I bought the last 3 at the same time). So, I looked the series up in a database called NoveList Plus, and that's when I read about the short stories.
Still, I kinda poo-pooed the "official" order until I read Definitely Dead and felt like something was missing. Then, I read about the short stories again right here.
Some of the collections can be difficult to locate through the library. And, while I bought the other books, I didn't want to buy a whole book for one story.
We actutally got a short story book yesterday , not sure which one , I might read them also !
Noelle wrote: "Noelle wrote: "I am reading them in order, but now I think I missed those short stories, where does one get them from? Can someone enlighten me on those? I just love love love these books, I can't ..."I did find the first book of short stories at the library so I ordered it. How do you like the Kindle? I see a lot of people on the subway with it.
Noelle wrote: "How do you like the Kindle? I see a lot of people on the subway with it."Oh, I LOOOOOVVVVEEE my Kindle!!! The books are cheaper, the available cases are highly fashionable, I can always hold my page without a bookmark, and I practically keep a whole library in my purse. For me, it was totally worth the investment.
ok, if you are reading multiple books (ok, I admit it, I usually have at least 3 going at a time) does it store the right page in ALL of them? Or does it only allow you to read 1 at a time?
Ann wrote: "ok, if you are reading multiple books (ok, I admit it, I usually have at least 3 going at a time) does it store the right page in ALL of them? Or does it only allow you to read 1 at a time?"LOL! Me, too...on the Kindle, and in old fashioned book format. :-)
I skip around all the time, and I can always pick up where I left off. You can add a bookmark just to be on the safe side, but I've never found it necessary.
I want one of those for Christmas. My DH told me about it and hinted that the Easter Bunny might bring it to me for Christmas but at the time I wasnt interested. Now I am since hes jobless and the downloads are inexpensive. The one he was telling me about had more pricy downloads though, I think. I cant remember.
I was in BOOKS A MILLION tonight and they had the boxed set of books 1-6. Guess what they had as the 6th book??? ALL TOGETHER DEAD! Isn't the 6th book Definately Dead??
oh...wow... I was really tired last night apparently. THANKS!!
In the box set that I saw, two of the books were switched, out of order.
I read the series in order. It seemed to make alot more sense that way. I didn't read the little short story about Hadley though, and got really confused. I haven't read book 9 yet. I am waiting for it from the library.
Dont feel bad, Amy. Same here. I have both of those on my to read list.
I agree they should be read in order. I feel like I even missed some stuff by not reading the short stories - looking forward to A Touch of Dead
I highly recommend reading them in order. So a quick question is A Touch of Dead the short-stories? This is the first time I have heard of that one. Saw it on a Borders post today.
Michele wrote: "I highly recommend reading them in order. So a quick question is A Touch of Dead the short-stories? This is the first time I have heard of that one. Saw it on a Borders post today. "Yep, I'm waiting for my copy to arrive, but it should clear up some of the stuff with Hadley.
