I ordered books 1 – 8 on-line and delved into them over the weekend… procrastinating about my dirty house and mounting laundry. I always bitterly regret this on Sunday nights when I’m frantically putting the house back together and folding mounds of laundry but I can’t seem to help myself. Is there a 12-step program for those that are addicted to reading genre fiction?
After finishing books 1 and 2 I do have to say – while trying not to spoil anything:
- 1st person POV was hard to get into for me. But well into book 2 I found I didn’t really notice anymore. Overall it didn’t bug me as much as I thought it would. The occasional parentheticals were distracting and always made me consider how I abuse the crap out of them when I write email or blog posts. I’m just as bad with ellipses…
- I love the role Eric has in the books much better. And from what I’m spoiling for myself by reading on-line… it’s only going to be better in each novel.
- I’m bummed that Tara and Lafayette don’t have larger roles in the book. I LOVE their characters in the HBO series, even though I can’t really see how Tara and Sookie could be best friends. Tara is loud and proud. She doesn’t censor anything that comes out of her mouth but loyally protects all those she loves. Sookie is somewhat the quintessential religious southern girl – though in the series they are sort of raised together at times the relationship seems miles apart. But then again, in their roles they are like family more than anything. And we all know how differnt members of a family can be. Sookie and Jason are a great example of that.
- Jason is still narcissistic jerk. But he’s much more of a sympathetic character in the Television series than in the books. I can’t wait to see what they do with him in the second season.
- Sam’s role is much more awesome in the HBO series.
Overall, the series is based on the books. I don’t believe Charlaine Harris is involved from a production standpoint. Of course, this is just my opinion. And lord knows, I have no idea what I”m talking about. 
This site has some spoilers and a bunch of opinions.
And now I believe I have some laundry and housecleaning to do.
I just dropped my teenage step-son and a couple friends off at the movies. My step-son is on the Autism Spectrum and the friends he was with today are diagnosed similarly with AS or Asperger’s.
I can’t tell you how amusing it is to chauffeur them around while listening to their slightly louder then needed voices speak factually to each other with grammatically precise language and carefully added transitions, ’such as’ and ‘for example’ while discussing guitar hero and 1000 ways to die and the other normal things teenagers do. Their awkward and obnoxiously loud laughing hurts your ears as it echoes in a mid-size car.
While listening to AS kids conducting a conversation you realize that they aren’t exactly having a normal conversation per se… rather they are talking AT each other about their own personal interests without really absorbing the other person’s opinion or side of the conversation.
It will be interesting to see where my son’s journey in life takes him. He and his friends are capable so many wonderful things.
I hope the world sees it too.
So. It was awesome.
The end.
Total surprise! I completely loved it.
Am I the last one on earth to finally watch this show?
I DVR’d the full season because of the great reviews the series had been receiving. Since then it’s just been aging in my DVR queue for months waiting for the time I can eventually watch a couple episodes to see if I like the series. But watching crap stored on my DVR that’s been passed over for months isn’t on my list of priorities. You know how that goes. And since the fiction market has been saturated with so many cheesy and poorly written vampire and shifter novels I don’t think I can gag with a strong enough reflex to truly show how I feel about them. I suppose some of that feeling was rubbing off on this series for me. I really wasn’t expecting anything that great.
Please note that I’m not including the classics and any recent well-written standouts in my ignorant opinion. Only the million copycatting while hoping to catch the tail end of the gravy train that Anne Rice, etc. started so many years ago.
(To any recent authors of paranormal books with romanticized Vampires/Shifters: I’m sure your book is wonderful and is in no way cheesy or poorly written in a subject that has been done to death. And I’m positive the idea came to you via the grace of God(s) or the mighty Universe and has nothing to do with you pandering to a questionable genre and wanting to make a quick buck.)
So anyway - months later I suddenly notice those 12 episodes of True Blood are hogging valuable real-estate on my DVR. Hey, at least some real estate is valuable these days!
Last night I decided to give an episode a go and I loved it! For a pilot episode it was a little rough around the edges but the characterization and world building are off to a very solid start. I loved the imagery of the setting. I don’t have a clue if those are the right words to apply to a TV series intead of books but I’m too lazy to look it up right now.
I’m going to buy the series of books by Charlaine Harris that the TV series is based on. I’ve got to read them. Am I the only one that prefers to read the books that movies or TV shows are based on AFTER I’ve already watched the movie or show? I find that I’m never as disappointed in the adaptation that way. Then again, these books are written in 1st person so I suppose I shouldn’t be too hasty. This might be an exception to my rule.
It sucks that I cancelled my HBO subscription Tuesday morning since Season Two will be premiering in June. But if that isn’t my planning modus operandi lately… I don’t know what is.
And while I’m at it I might as well admit that I have all of Stephanie Meyer’s books lined up neatly on my TBR shelves for months now for the same reasons.
I might as well watch theTwilight movie first.
Uhhhh.
So after the wake of the election and all 5 MONTHS ago, I sort of let updating here slide. (Insert obvious no f-ing duh here) I’ve avoided trying to figure out how to climb down from my political high horse. It appeared I had climbed so high I wasn’t sure just how the hell to get down from there.
On the work front I’ve been super busy pretending to be a boss at work while simultaneously working to avoid the series of layoffs we have had over the last few months at the workplace. Go me. Now I have the ‘boss’ job and the workload I had prior to my promotion. It’s a sucky economy double win for me! Drinks all around.
Anyway, while I get back into the habit of trying to update somewhat regularly… have you checked this out? http://failblog.org/ It is full of teh awesome.
**EDIT** I thought I would add that the reason that I am doing double duty at work does not have to do with having a member of my team laid-off as part of our recent RIF’s. Only that when I received my ‘promotion’ - due to the economy - it was decided we would delay back filling the position I was vacating.
I hope the time never comes where I have to let any members of my team go.
Wondering…. why our poor Bengal kitty is wandering the house with a teeny bit of gum stuck on the end of her tail….
Wondering why my daughter is being mysteriously obedient and helpful tonight…..
The two couldn’t possibly be related could they?
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Why my trainer* speaks the same douchy words of encouragement in the same patritizing tone every single time I finish a set of whatever the hell torture he has devised for me. Excuse me Mr. Trainer Guy - for not being cut of the same chunk of marble you were.
* I just has my second of 2 free training sessions at a local gym. Here’s hoping I can keep up the motivation.
To all of us that took the time out of our day to complete our civic duty and cast our ballots – especially if it was inconvenient… it paid off. You are counted, You do decide.
You have made history.
I continue to be proud to be an American.
I’ve hit a lull in my brain’s ability to communicate department (okay, a bigger lull than normal). So I present to you two recent observations while I overcome my current burn-out:
Observation #1:
Never, I repeat, NEVER go grocery shopping before noon on a week day in a retirement community. Unless, of course, you want to waste twice as much time patiently waiting in clogged aisles behind every old person in town that has to carefully price and scrutinize every food item within reach for fiber content. Then you will be able to stand in line for approximately 5 billion hours due to the dozen people in queue ahead of you and wait for every damn one of them to slowly write out checks (WTF?).
I even witnessed elderly spinster sisters locate their ’missing’ cart several times with sonic echoby yelling deafly at each other over the aisle-ways about where their cart was NOT. That part was awesome too. The more humiliating part was where I started shouting helpfully back to them (the cart was next to me).
Observation #2
Gallery of the Absurd
How many parents can say that they caught their daughter sneaking more broccoli at dinner?
It’s nice to know I’m doing something right because Lord knows I haven’t been able to keep her away from Disney Princesses and Barbie….
