Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris

This is the fourth book in the Sookie Stackhouse series.

Bill takes a back seat in this book. He's off working on his project to create a directory of all the vampires in the world. Sort of like a vampiric white pages I suppose. Besides, Sookie's still pissed at him about the whole Texas debacle.

Thanks to the work of some witches, Eric loses his memory. He is found by Sookie and is taken in by her to protect him till Pam and Chow and figure out what to do. Of course, these aren't just any old witches. These witches also happen to be shape shifters and have a taste for vampire blood. While all of this happens Jason goes missing and Sookies has to deal with an amnesiac Eric and try to find her brother.

With the help of the werewolves and shifters the witches are defeated and Eric gets his memory back. Sookie finds her brother but it's not the best news. A new supernatural being shows up, a fairy.

For those of you who prefer Eric to Bill, you will definitely enjoy this book. There is also a nice surprise for those of you who aren't big fans of Sookie dating Bill.

Club Dead by Charlaine Harris

This is book 3 of the Sookie Stackhouse novels.

Bill is trying to create a database of all the vampires in the United States. He is commissioned by the Queen of Louisiana to work on this project. He lies to Sookie that he has to go to Seattle to work on the project. He ends up being called to Mississippi by his maker who captures him and tortures him.

Sookie finds out from Eric, the Sheriff of Area 5 in Louisiana and Bill's boss, that he'd been taken by the vampire that created him. So, off she heads to Mississippi where she meets Alcide, a werewolf, who will take her to Club Dead to try to find out where Bill has been taken.

After reading the mind of the human who hangs out with the King of Mississippi she finds out that Bill has been taken to the King's house. After saving the life of a female vampire and getting staked in the process, Sookie is taken to the King's house for medical treatment. She is healed magically and injests some of Eric's blood.

Of course she saves Bill's butt and again the book ends with Sookie at odds with Bill for his lack of truthfulness. So far, I think this was the best book in the series. I am excited to read my way through the rest of this series and each book is better than the last.

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

Amazing story!!

This is the story of Anna Fitzgerald who was genetically engineered to be able to provide blood cord stem cells to her sister who has a very rare form of leukemia. However, the initial treatment doesn't do what the doctors and parents hoped it would do so Anna becomes a frequent donor for different things that Kate needs to continue living.

Anna approaches Campbell Alexander, a lawyer, to sue her parents for medical emancipation. This she does in response to her parents asking her to donate a kidney to her dying sister.

This book is full of emotions and elicits strong emotions from the reader. There are twists and turns and more excitement than perhaps you would expect from such a drama.

It's a look inside a family having to deal with the terminal illness of a child. The desperate choices you make and the struggles that other family members experience. This is, in my opinion, a must read.

Skin Trade by Laurell K Hamilton

I simply can't help my addiction to this particular series. I have devoted so much time and energy to the lives of these characters that I simply can't give up on them.

This is book 17 of the Anita Blake series. In this book, Edward makes a reappearance.

Anita is mailed the head of a Las Vegas SWAT member by a vampire, Vittorio, who wants her to come off her own turf to take him on for a second time. So, of course, off she goes to confront her challenger. While she's getting ready for the trip Edward calls and wonders whether she'd try to go without him.

Anita meets Edward and Otto and they go through Las Vegas kicking bad guy butt.

For those of you familiar with the series and tired of all the humping that has been going on in the last three books or so, this book is much better. There is definitely more plot than sex, though of course there is sex. She has to feed the ardeur you know.

Of course Anita succeeds in killing the bad guy and saving the day. She also manages to tie a couple more weres to herself. Marme noir, the mother of darkness and of all vampires, tries to take over Anita's body again. The usual Anita Blake mayhem.

More action, less sex, great book. I can't wait for the next one.

Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris

This is book two in the Sookie Stackhouse series.

In this book Sookie is sort of rented out to the vampires of Dallas, TX. They lost one of their fellow vampires and need help finding him. So, they think that Sookie can use her mind reading powers to read the humans and find out where he went. Sookie finds out that the vampire has been kidnapped by the local Fellowers of the Sun fanatic group. Of course, she's betrayed at some point during the book and injured to the point that vampires have to save her life through drastic measures.

This series is turning out to be pretty good. It's an escape to watch Bill and Sookie's relationship grow as they struggle over the hurdles involved in a human-vampire relationship. At the end of the book Sookie's had about all she can take of the supernatural world that is unfolding around her and asks Bill to give her some time. I think I would be over whelmed by learning in a matter of months that things you thought were make believe were actually real.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

Pride and Prejudice is one of my ultimate favorite stories every. I absolutely love the characters and the language and the story. For some reason, Seth Grahame-Smith thought this wonderful story was lacking something, specifically, Zombies.

There were parts of this book that I found amusing and others that I rolled by eyes at in exasperation. Elizabeth Bennett is my favorite character in the original Pride and Prejudice. She is witty and intelligent though quick to judge and react to those who judge her. In Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (PPZ) Elizabeth is transformed into an almost cold hearted zombie killer.

I think one of the craziest parts of PPZ was after Darcy's proposal to Lizzy, rather than berate him for his attitude and approach, she physically abuses the poor fellow. However, I will give Mr. Grahame-Smith kudos for his handling of Mr. Collins and Mr. Wickham both of whom got what they truly deserved.

In the end I found PPZ rather amusing. The original story remains more or less intack. In addition, for those of you so inclined, there is plenty of zombie slaying.

Lover Enshrined by J.R. Ward

This is actually the sixth book in J. R. Ward's Black Dager Brotherhood series. These are by no means great works of literature. However, they do serve a satisfying escape from reality. This is the story of Phury.

For those of you unfamiliar with this series, it's about a house of alpha male vampires who are charged with protecting humanity and vampires from the baby powder smelling Lessers. Basically, the Lessers are servants of this alternate reality's version of Satan, evil incarnate.

Phury is a haunted, self-hating Brother who has a severe addiction to this book's equivalent to marijuana. In the pervious book Phury saved one of his Brothers (Vishious) from having to be stud horse to the Goddess who also happens to be Vishious's mother.

While we are learning the fate of Phury, there is a subplot occuring at the same time. We also learn that the son of "Satan" has been found and brought into existence. All hell is about to break loose. I was also get introduced to the first homosexual vampire I have ever had the pleasure of reading about.

When it really comes down to it these stories are sort of all the same. Tortured, hot vampire saved by extraordinary female. There are obstacles to over come and realizations of their love for each other to come to.

If vampires and romance are your thing you'll probably enjoy these books.