Even though I have only read the first two books in the series, I couldn’t pass on sharing this excerpt from Charlaine Harris’ new Sookie Stackhouse’s novel Deadlocked.

Harris has posted Chapter Two of the novel on her website an early peek at the book which will be released on May 17th of this year. Please note that the excerpt cannot be read on mobile devices, so you better get in front of that computer screen if you want to read it.

You can find the excerpt here. Enjoy!

Here is the official synopsis for the book:

With Felipe de Castro, the Vampire King of Louisiana (and Arkansas and Nevada), in town, it’s the worst possible time for a body to show up in Eric Northman’s front yard—especially the body of a woman whose blood he just drank.
Now, it’s up to Sookie and Bill, the official Area Five investigator, to solve the murder. Sookie thinks that, at least this time, the dead girl’s fate has nothing to do with her. But she is wrong. She has an enemy, one far more devious than she would ever suspect, who’s out to make Sookie’s world come crashing down.

So now that we’ve finished Dead Reckoning, we’re (Jose and Kristen) dying to talk about it! Let’s start with our general thoughts about the book and then move on to some of the specific events.

Jose: Well I thought this was much better than either of the two previous books: Dead and Gone and Dead in the Family. Dead and Gone was so intense that I felt like I needed something to at least break the tension a little. Then Dead in the Family was almost too light in action, let’s face it was kinda boring. Reckoning brings a good mix of the exciting and the light.

Kristen: Yeah, I really liked it too—mostly because we got back to some of the central storylines of the series like Sookie’s telepathy and vampire politics. I also liked that a lot of characters returned like Claude, Dermot, Hunter, Amelia, and Bob the former cat. And Bubba! I can’t forget Bubba. Although Jason was noticeably absent.

Jose: Yes! Bubba was one of the best parts of book and I’m glad Harris keeps on bring him back.

The Pelt Family: the Trashiest Family Ever?
Jose: Short answer? Yes.

Kristen: I thought we were done with the Pelts, but nooooo, Sandra Pelt had to come back to make Sookie’s life hell once more.

Jose: If she makes it back into another book then she better have a hockey mask and call herself Jason, because that would be ridiculous. I mean either that or go on Jerry Springer to settle this once and for all.

Kristen: Ha ha. I think we are FINALLY done with the Pelts…unless their cousins decide to come after Sookie or something. I will say that I thought that it was a nice twist that Sandra was the one behind the firebombing, because I was guessing everyone but her. I also thought it was really cool that Jack and Lily (Bard) Leeds showed up at Merlotte’s to warn Sookie that Sandra was on the warpath. That was a fun crossover appearance for fans of Harris’ other books.

Just Don’t Ask Them to Bake Cookies
Jose: So apparently there are elves in this world and they don’t work in a tree baking chocolate chip cookies. I like the fact we get another facet of the weirdness going on, but Bellenos is definitely a little out there.

Kristen: Nope, the fae seem to prefer to hang out in strip clubs rather than trees. But, yeah, definitely some weirdness there, like when Bellenos and Dermot showed up at Sookie’s back door with the severed heads. Ewww.

Jose: Do you think severed heads are the elf/fae version of housewarming gifts? I’d hate to think of the body part given for something like a baby shower.

Kristen: I know Claude says all the displaced fae are gathering at the strip club because they feel better when hanging around their own kind, but I can’t help but think that they are up to something.

Jose: The fae are quite a narcissistic bunch (Claude’s favorite admirer is Claude) so I could get the idea they are all hanging together in a strip club, but I agree with you that something is going on. Sookie seemed to be feeling better the more she hung out with Claude and Dermot, and I think the feeling was mutual.

Kristen: And how about that fairy portal? That was a surprise. I wonder if it will be important later on or if it was just a convenient was to dispose of Sandra Pelt’s body?

Jose: I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a little bit of both. If I had a magical portal to another world in my backyard you know I would be using it as my mystical garbage disposal.

Kristen: Not me. If I heard snarling and yapping coming out of that thing, I would run far, far away.

Jose: Snarling and yapping? Sounds like a good night at Alcide’s.

Vampire Politics are Down and Dirty
Kristen: Well, I certainly think Victor got what he deserved. He tried to kill Sookie and Pam (in the “Two Blondes” short story) and he tried to poison Eric and Pam with fairy blood. I don’t think Eric and Sookie had much of a choice except to go after him.

Jose: You have to admire vampire politics, very cutthroat but they gets things done. I agree that Victor deserved his end, but I was kind of surprised by the timing of it and how blatant Victor was at trying to get Eric killed.

Kristen: What continues to surprise me is how vengeful Sookie has become. She grapples with the morality of it, but she will stop at nothing to protect her loved ones. I admire that about her.

Jose: I think when you’ve had double digit attempts on your life by different supernatural beings, the morality of killing may be taking a back seat to survival. Still it’s good to see the Sookie tries to hold on to her humanness as much as possible.

Sookie Stackhouse’s Men
Kristen: Speaking of taking down Victor, I was impressed that Bill was willing to help. Actually, I found myself becoming a fan of Bill all over again in this book. I have been fully on Team Eric for a long time now, but Bill was really there for Sookie in Dead Reckoning. And I hate to say it, but Eric—with all his secret keeping and fighting with Pam—got on my nerves.

Jose: Well In Eric’s defense, he had kind of a full plate to deal with in this book. He’s still dealing with Appius issues from the last book, Victor wanting to kill him, maybe having to marry the Queen of Oklahoma, and Sookie breaking her bond with him. That being said, Bill was definitely one of my favorites in this book, especially he’s now the keeper of the Bubba.

Kristen: Ha ha, Bill’s officially the Bubba Wrangler. Yeah, you make some good points about Eric having a lot to deal with, but he should have told Sookie about this Oklahoma thing. At least Pam had her back.

Jose: Speaking of people having Sookie’s back, I thought Sam was a very good friend to her this book, even though his other half didn’t seem to like her much.

Kristen: Yes! I’m not sure what I think of Jannalynn. She kinda scares me. But I agree with what you said about Sam. I think Sookie even referred to him as her best friend. Aww.

Jose: And last but not least, we have Alcide. He had both the most interesting and most awkward scene in this book.

Kristen: Sookie was all kinds of pissed, but I actually laughed out loud at that part. He’s such a tool! But getting back to Sookie and Eric, do you think things are done between them?

Jose: I think we’re going to have a situation similar to Sookie and Bill. They’ll be friends and there will be moments where they look to be getting back together, but I think that ship has sailed. At least until the next time he saves Sookie from certain death. What do you think?

Kristen: I think Oklahoma is going to cause all kinds of problems for them, and they will probably break up in the next book. Eric will try to get out of the arranged marriage, but I think whatever happens, he and Sookie will break up. It sucks too because, once the bond was broken, Sookie realized that she truly does love Eric. And he loves her too.

Don’t Ever Accept a Baby Shower Gift from a Demon Lawyer
Jose: Let’s just start off by saying that there is likely no good baby shower gift from a Demon Lawyer.

Kristen: I liked how Sookie was all like—and I’m paraphrasing here–”Thanks a crapload, Mr. Cataliades, for ruining my life.” But, seriously, I didn’t see that coming. I always figured Sookie’s telepathy simply came from her fairy blood.

Jose: Yeah at first I thought it was kind of a copout by the author, but I like the idea that this is a combination of a genetic trait and magic. Although it does raise the question of how Barry the Bellboy got his power?

Kristen: Oooh, I hadn’t thought of that! Good point. We also have to talk about another gift: the cluviel dor. I was amused and horrified to see it turn Sookie into a character from Lord of the Rings.

Jose: As long as she doesn’t have to climb to the top of a volcano and chuck it in there I think were okay. It’s kinda scary that she does have this super powerful object that could cause a lot of change. I’m not worried that she would misuse it, more that with magic it seems that the more powerful and object is, the higher the price to use it.

Kristen: I’m more worried that someone will try to kill her to get his/her hands on it. So she can’t use it to get rid of her or Hunter’s telepathy, but Mr. Cataliades specifically said she could use it to kill somebody who is trying to harm her. Foreshadowing, perhaps?

Jose: Oh yeah that’s foreshadowing. To be honest the list of people trying to harm her only gets longer so she shouldn’t have a problem finding someone to use it on.

Kristen: To wrap up, I’ll share my favorite quotes:
Sookie: “It was time to get this assassination party started” and “Zombies.”

Jose: My favorite part? Bubba’s little concert / assassination party at Fangtasia. Loved everything about it from the pre-show alley cat snack to the sequined jumpsuit. Also loved Bill playing the role of Colonel Parker as Bubba’s manager/ stage help.

Now we want to hear from you! What did you think of Dead Reckoning? Were you frustrated with Eric in this book? Are Claude and Dermot up to something? Do you think Sookie will use the cluviel dor? Let us know in the comments!

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SPOILER WARNING: This review is for the eleventh book in the Sookie Stackhouse series and may contain spoilers for the previous ten books. However, I’ve tried to avoid including any Dead Reckoning spoilers.

It’s always a happy day in my household when Charlaine Harris releases a new book, so I’ll admit to doing a little happy dance when Dead Reckoning arrived on my front porch. If you can believe it, this is the eleventh book to feature telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse. The story starts off with a bang when Merlotte’s bar is firebombed with Sookie, Sam, and their customers inside. That’s not good for business, which is already down thanks to a new bar that recently opened nearby. The firebombing also brings out the protective side in Eric, Sookie’s hot vampire “husband.” As it is, vampire politics have Eric and Pam on edge. Sookie doesn’t know exactly what is going on—just that Eric and Pam are acting weird and very secretive. Sookie is never one to just stand on the sidelines, so you know she’ll end up right in the middle of whatever the vampires are plotting.

Even after eleven Sookie Stackhouse books, I still enjoy spending time in Bon Temps. It’s fun to catch up with familiar characters like Bill, Alcide, Amelia, Bob the former cat, and some of Sookie’s extended family (Hunter, Dermot, and Claude). Bubba is back too! And there is an ominous new character (don’t worry, no spoilers here) that could really mess things up for Sookie.

If you thought Dead in the Family went off on a bit of a tangent with the story of Eric’s maker, Appius, you might be happy to know that Dead Reckoning returns to the central storylines of the series. Namely: the source of Sookie’s telepathy, the mysterious fae, and the vampire power struggle. Dead Reckoning holds some unexpected surprises that I think will give fans a lot to talk about. I thought Sookie’s telepathy had been pretty well explained, but now there’s a new twist to the story. In fact, the last chapter is so packed with information that I’m still processing what it all means.

I highly recommend Dead Reckoning to any fan of the Sookie Stackhouse series since it reveals some important new details about Sookie. It also sets up a few new storylines that I’m sure will be addressed in the next book, so you don’t want to miss this one.

UPDATE 5/5/2011: If you’ve already read Dead Reckoning, please come chat with us over at the Dead Reckoning discussion page.

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars | Publisher: Ace Hardcover | Pages: 336 | Source: Publisher | Buy on Amazon

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“Truthfully, the next two books will probably be the last two books in the series,” Harris said last week. “I still love Sookie, but I’m beginning to want to write something else, and Sookie’s kind of taken over my life. I was able to write other things for the first few years I was involved in Sookie, but then after the start of the television show she took over so much of my time because of my increased publicity obligations that it’s been very hard to write other things, and I really need to do that.”

This probably won’t come as huge surprise to fans since she has made similar statements before, but it confirms that she’s still planning on wrapping things up. Personally, I’m still enjoying the series, but I can understand her desire to conclude Sookie’s story and move on to something else.

The real question is whom will Sookie end up with? I’ve noticed in Harris’ other series (Lily Bard, Aurora Teagarden, Harper Connelly) that she usually writes a marriage and/or pregnancy into the last book. So will the series end with Sookie getting married? Or will she decide she’s better off alone? Let me know what you want to see in the final Sookie book in the comments!

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Death’s Excellent Vacation is a collection of thirteen short stories featuring paranormals on vacation. Harris contributed an original Sookie Stackhouse story, Katie MacAlister has a story featuring Aisling Grey’s demon Jim, and there’s a Night Huntress story from Jeaniene Frost that has Cat and Bones babysitting a bratty heiress. The ten other original paranormal tales are from Lilith Saintcrow, Jeff Abbott, Toni L. P. Kelner, and others.

For me, the main draw was “Two Blondes,” a Sookie Stackhouse short story that had Eric sending Sookie and Pam on an errand in Mississippi. Oh, and there’s a stripper pole involved. I love the idea of Pam and Sookie on a road trip together, bonding and doing vampire business. Even if Pam isn’t the biggest fan of humans, she does like Sookie (“You’re not as intolerable as most”), and the two women get A LOT more familiar with each other in this story. It’s a fun little story, and I think fans will enjoy it.

I didn’t love the rest of the stories as much as “Two Blondes,” but there really isn’t a bad one in the bunch. A few of my favorites:

“The Innsmouth Nook” by A. Lee Martinez – Philip and Vance run a bed-and-breakfast in the weird town of Clam Bay. This story has a clever twist I didn’t see coming.

“Safe and Sound” by Jeff Abbott – Cable news reporter Nora Dare features missing college student Jason Kirk on her show night after night because the young man’s disappearance is ratings gold (think Nancy Grace). I loved the premise of this story–it actually would make a great novel.

“The Demon in the Dunes” by Chris Grabenstein – A man tells the story of his encounter with a ghost while on a family vacation on the Jersey shore in 1975. This had lots of fun 70s references and a really surprising ending.

As someone who has never been a huge fan of short stories, I’m pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Death’s Excellent Vacation. I’ve realized that anthologies like this are a great way to discover new authors, and I definitely found a few that I want to check out.

Full list of stories in Death’s Excellent Vacation:
“Two Blondes” by Charlaine Harris
“The Boys Go Fishing” by Sarah Smith
“Once For the Money” by Jeaniene Frost
“Meanwhile, Far Across the Caspian Sea…” by Daniel Stashower
“The Innsmouth Nook” by A. Lee Martinez
“Safe and Sound” by Jeff Abbott
“Seeing is Believing” by L. A. Banks
“The Perils of Efrijim” by Katie MacAlister
“Thin Walls” by Christopher Golden
“The Heart is Always Right” by Lilith Saintcrow
“The Demon in the Dunes” by Chris Grabenstein
“Home From America” by Sharan Newman
“Pirate Dave’s Haunted Amusement Park” by Toni L. P. Kelner

Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars | Publisher: Ace Hardcover | Pages: 352 | Source: Library | Buy on Amazon

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Here’s a synopsis of Dead Reckoning (from Goodreads.com):

With her knack for being in trouble’s way, Sookie witnesses the firebombing of Merlotte’s, the bar where she works. Since Sam Merlotte is now known to be two-natured, suspicion falls immediately on the anti-shifters in the area. But Sookie suspects otherwise and she and Sam work together to uncover the culprit – and the twisted motive for the attack. But her attention is divided. Though she can’t ‘read’ vampires, Sookie knows her lover Eric Northman and his ‘child’ Pam well – and she realises that they are plotting to kill the vampire who is now their master. Gradually, she is drawn into the plot -which is much more complicated than she knows. Caught up in the politics of the vampire world, Sookie will learn that she is as much of a pawn as any ordinary human – and that there is a new Queen on the board . . .

So what do you think of the cover? Sookie is upside down, so maybe that means her world is turned upside in this book. What could cause that? Hmmm…I hope there isn’t trouble between her and Eric. The pieces of paper around her are on fire, and I’m not sure what that means. Is it a reference to the fire at Merlotte’s? It’s going to be hard to wait until May!

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Yesterday, I featured some Sookie Stackhouse inspired Halloween costumes. Since then, I’ve been thinking some other cool, book-inspired costumes. Here’s what I came up with, please leave me a comment and let me know your ideas for literary costumes!

Waldo:This is a super easy costume. All you really need is a pair of glasses, a white shirt and beanie with a red marker. The big pro of this outfit is that almost everybody will recognize you. The con is that you will probably get sick of peopling pointing at you yelling “He’s over there”!

Liz From Eat Pray Love: This is a costume that not everyone will get but I think it would be a fun concept. All you need is a glass of wine, a pizza, prayer beads, and a yoga mat. If people don’t get your costume, who cares? Have some pizza, drink some wine and enjoy your night!

Harry Potter: This is an obvious one. You can find a good ole’ HP costume at any major costume shop these days. If money is tight all you really need is some glasses, a wand and a lightening bolt scar.

Katniss Everdeen: Pay tribute to this tribute from District 12 by going as Katniss from the Hunger Games series. Carry a bow and arrow for an added touch. If you want to get fancy, fashion yourself a flame-print dress and go as Katniss on her way to the opening ceremony.

Sookie:What I like about this costume is that it’s fairly easy. Every girl is a blond wig, white shirt and a pair of black shorts away from being our favorite vampire-loving waitress. Put a couple fake bite marks on your neck for some extra authenticity. Also, consider sporting a red wig and going as either Arlene or Jessica.
Buy The Look Here

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Why should children have all the fun when it comes to dressing up for Halloween? Here are some adult Halloween costumes inspired by the Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood series.

Sookie: What I like about this costume is that it’s fairly easy. Every girl is a blond wig, white shirt and a pair of black shorts away from being our favorite vampire-loving waitress. Put a couple fake bite marks on your neck for some extra authenticity. Also, consider sporting a red wig and going as either Arlene or Jessica.
Buy The Look Here

Bill: Let’s be honest. The first step to having a great Bill costume this year is to have a great Bill accent. So men please practice your best “Sook-ay” accent before attempting this costume. Bill is a simple dresser so getting the look is easy. Fashion a bottle of true blood using a Sobe bottle for an accessory. Buy The Look Here

Eric: Even if you aren’t a fan of the show, men looking to score the ladies should think about dressing up like Eric Northman. I mean, he’s a viking for good sakes! They should put a guarantee on the box that if you dress up like Eric, you’ll at least get a few phone numbers, don’t you think? If you live in a warm climate, or just want to show off your muscles you can go as ‘black tank top’ Eric. Otherwise I suggest you go as Eric in his classic zip up sweat shirt. Buy The Look Here

Lafayette: This is another costume where the accent will play a huge part. Don’t you dare go out dressing like Lafayette if you can’t stay “Hookuh” properly. You can put on a apron and goes and Larayette at work or you can get glammed out and go as v-dealer Lafayette. Consider filling a small vial up with ketchup for an added accessory.Buy The Look

She’s also working on The Sookie Stackhouse Companion, which should be out in February 2011. Her Facebook update on September 11th says, “The Sookie Companion is for everyone who loves the series. It will have character synapses [sic], book synapses [sic], an interview with Alan Ball, one with me, and an original novella called “Small Town Wedding.” Oh, and weirdly, there’ll be recipes, too! I wrote the novella, of course, and there are lots of other contributors. I’m editing it, but time has somehow disappeared and it has to be in on Monday.” Regarding the recipes, she says, “Yes, there are two competing chocolate cakes. Mrs. Bellefleur’s (revealing her deep dark secret), and Gran’s. The recipes were contributed by readers. I didn’t personally taste-test them, but they HAVE been tested. And I contributed a couple of recipes myself.”

Harris will spend the fall on a book tour in Australia and New Zealand (you can see her full schedule on her website). She also has two appearances planned in the US before the end of the year. She’ll be in Little Rock, Arkansas on October 29th and at the New England Crime Bake on November 12-14.

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IDW Publishing and HBO have announced a second printing for True Blood #1. Due to popular demand, the first issue of the new comic book series sold out, but they are rushing to get more into stores by August 25th.

“The passion fans have for True Blood has elevated the series to new heights and it continues to grow as the story unfolds,” states James Costos, VP Global Licensing and Retailing. “With the sell-out success of the comic’s first printing, it is clear that there is an insatiable thirst for different iterations of the television series, and we’re excited to expand the impact of the comic series and get it into even more hands with this second printing.” The initial print run of True Blood #1 was an impressive 53,000 copies.

The second issue of True Blood was released August 18th. Check out the cover and more information about True Blood #2:

Trapped inside the mystically-sealed Merlotte’s by a soul-sucking spirit, psychic waitress and vampire girlfriend Sookie Stackhouse is forced to reveal her deepest, most shameful secret to save the lives of Bill and her friends. But will Sookie’s shame be enough to satisfy the spirit, and does her story hold a surprise clue to the true cause of her parent’s death? Our untold tale from the world of HBO’s hit vampire series TRUE BLOOD continues. Story by series creator Alan Ball and show writers Elizabeth Finch & Kate Barnow!

So was anyone able to get a copy of True Blood #1 before it sold out? Feel free to share your thoughts about it in the comments.

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