Mimi's Bookcase

Synopsis: "Sookie Stackhouse is a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. She's quiet, keeps to herself, and doesn't get out much - not because she's not pretty - she's a very cute bubbly blonde - or not interested in a social life. She really is . . . but Sookie's got a bit of a disability. She can read minds. And that doesn't make her too dateable. And then along comes Bill: he's tall, he's dark and he's handsome - and Sookie can't 'hear' a word he's thinking. He's exactly the type of guy she's been waiting all her life for. But Bill has a disability of his own: he's fussy about his food, he doesn't like suntans and he's never around during the day . . . Yep, Bill's a vampire. Worse than that, he hangs with a seriously creepy crowd, with a reputation for trouble - of the murderous kind. And then one of Sookie's colleagues at the bar is killed, and it's beginning to look like Sookie might be the next victim..." (Taken from Amazon.co.uk)


My Opinion: Hmm what can I say? I must admit I'm disappointed by this novel. After hearing so much about the TV series and the novels, I thought that it would be THE book that makes me addicted... unfortunately it wasn't. I'm not saying I hated it but just that I was expecting much more.
First, you have to know I read this book in French so maybe it would have been better in English but I'm not sure ^^'. Moreover, you should know that I watched the first 4 episodes of "True Blood" some time ago (never had the time nor truly the great desire to watch the rest) so the first chapters were very familiar to me as the 1st season = the 1st novel... how they managed to last 12 episodes with this single novel is such a wonder that now I feel the need to watch the rest.
Let's talk about what I didn't appreciate first so we can end on a more positive note.

1) The characters. I didn't appreciate any of the characters. Ok, Sookie is much less a nitwit than in the TV show but she's not lovable in any way in my opinion. What annoyed me was the lack of depth in the characters, everything seems to be on the superficial side, there are no real development in any of them. I'm aware this is a series so they can't say everything in the first book but damn, you also have to make us want to read more, I didn't feel connected to any of them.

2) Incoherence, especially in Sookie's case. Because of Sookie's telepathic powers, people thinks she's mentally instable and some don't hesitate to make fun of her right in her face and she doesn't say a word, she doesn't tell them to go to hell, she doesn't do anything. But when she meets an old and powerful vampire who could kill her in 2 seconds, she has no problem talking back to him... hmm okay, it doesn't sound very logicial to me but oh well. In my opinion, there's a serious lack of coherence in Sookie's behaviour throughout the book. Once again that's only my opinon.
As for Bill, the vampire wants to fit in the small town so he drinks synthetic blood (good points to him) but then somewhere in the novel he only wants to drink human blood... sure you'll fit much more now O_o.

3) Romance. I wouldn't say this novel is "bit-lit" but rather "chick-lit" with fantasy. The novel focuses too much on the romance part for my taste. Moreover, I didn't "believe in" this love story, their "I love you" didn't ring true.
When I read the synopsis, I thought there'd be a real investigation on the murders but it wasn't the case... the author was too interested in Sookie & Bill's relationship... which brings me to my final point:

4) The end. I won't say much except that it was so botched I wanted to laugh. The who & why of the murders were absolutely not credible to me, it seemed like the author realized she'd have to give a name and a face to the murderer and explain their actions so she wrote the first thing that went through her head. Sorry, I don't buy it.


Now you probably wonder what good I can tell about this book: it was truly a pleasant and easy read. The writing is simple and it's good when you're in need of something light. It only took me a few hours to read it and despite my reproaches I still enjoyed it... not to the point of reading it again but I didn't feel like hiding it in the back of my bookcase XDD
Will I read the 2nd book? Yes, I think so because we can't judge a series by only the first book (except if the experience was too "facepalm" you know) and because it's so popular I want to understand why ^^'
Oh before I forget; I read several times that the series is supposedly funny... I didn't find so with this first book but that may just be me. The few episodes of True Blood I watched were much funnier (in a crazy way I admit XD). If you want "chick-lit"+vampires+fun then I suggest you read "Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs" by Molly Harper (read the review HERE)


To summarize:
- You like romance tinged with fantasy and light novels then go for it.
- You're more into strong characters, investigations, mysteries, danger? Have you ever heard of Mercedes Thompson? No, then go HERE

Today, I present to you a series totally different from the other ones since this one doesn't deal with any supernatural element (except for the "between-the-numbers novels but I haven't read those yet).
Just to make myselft clear, this is one of my very favourite series of all time : I LOVE STEPHANIE PLUM & CIE. so this is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ^__^


I only put 6 covers since they're very similar

Synopsis: "Watch out, world. Here comes Stephanie Plum, a bounty hunter with attitude. In Stephanie's opinion, toxic waste, rabid drivers, armed schizophrenics, and August heat, humidity, and hydrocarbons are all part of the great adventure of living in Jersey.
She's a product of the "burg," a blue-collar pocket of Trenton where houses are attached and narrow, cars are American, windows are clean, and (God forbid you should be late) dinner is served at six.
Now Stephanie's all grown up and out on her own, living five miles from Mom and Dad's, doing her best to sever the world's longest umbilical cord. Her mother is a meddler, and her grandmother is a few cans short of a case.
Out of work and out of money, with her Miata repossessed and her refrigerator empty, Stephanie blackmails her bail bondsman cousin, Vinnie, into giving her a try as an apprehension agent. Stephanie knows zilch about the job requirements, but she figures her new pal, fearless bounty hunter Ranger, can teach her what it takes to catch a crook.
Her first assignment: nail Joe Morelli, a former vice cop on the run from a charge of murder one. Morelli is also the irresistible macho pig who took Stephanie's virginity at age sixteen and then wrote the details on the bathroom wall of Mario's Sub Shop. There's still powerful chemistry between these two, so the chase should be interesting.
It could also be extremely dangerous, especially when Stephanie encounters a heavyweight title contender who likes to play rough. Benito Ramirez is known for his brutality to women. At the very least, his obsession with Stephanie complicates her manhunt and brings terror and uncertainty into her life. At the worst, it could lead to murder.
Witty, fresh, and full of surprises, One for the Money was among the most eagerly awaited crime novels of the season."
(Taken from Janet Evanovich's offcial homepage)


My Opinion: Stephanie Plum is a bounty hunter. When you read that, you probably imagine a strong woman who's not afraid of anything or anyone ... yeah well, that's because you haven't met Stephanie yet. One of my first wonders when I started this series was: would Bridget Jones be a better bounty hunter or would she be the same?
When Stephanie lost her job as a lingerie buyer, she blackmailed her cousin Vinnie, the pervert, to give her a job and that's what he did: she's now an apprehension agent. But Stephanie isn't scary, actually she's easily scared; she's not absolutely dedicated to her job, give her a choice between doing shopping and making an apprehension and you'll find her in the mall; she does possess all the useful weapons for a bounty hunter, problem is she either forgets them at home or they are lost in her too big bag; ..... so yes, Stephanie Plum isn't your most effective bounty hunter but she's the most hilarious one, hands down.

Here is for me the biggest quality of this series, it's really hilarious. All the characters are well-written, they all have their own and strong personality. The minor characters like the "criminals" in each novels tend to be totally or just slightly crazy but it's a wonder what they all eat or drink in this town to be like this ^^'.
But despite all the humour, let's not forget that this series is actually a romantic adventure one. For romance, let Joe Morelli, Ranger & Stephanie take care of that.Their love triangle is hot, fun and not intrusive as it's never the main point of the novels.
As for the adventures, they are numerous. Each book deals with one "big" investigation + little ones for the FTAs (Failed to Appear) which most of the time are really funny and end up being more complicated than planned.

Of course, the novels are pretty much "built" the same way which may get boring but actually I can read 3 or 4 novels one after another and don't feel bored at all. Janet Evanovich is a very good writer who managed to create characters we don't want to leave.


To summarize: if you're always ready for a good laugh while liking some romance and adventures then this series is definitely for you. I don't remember laughing so much while reading novels AND wanting to know who's the culprit or what happened.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ^__^