Sookie Stackhouse Series Reviewed

We all have our guilty pleasure reads, those books that we pick up and fly through at speed between weightier tomes. The Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris certainly belong in this category. While reading them my brain was picking out flaws, predictable characters, and plot holes in every chapter, yet I kept going back for more.

A lot of you may have heard of this series because on the HBO adaptation True Blood, a show that ramped up the sex appeal and made it even sweatier and raunchier; no mean feat for what is effectively a vampire erotica series of books. The last of the 13 book series was published this year in May, and I just finished reading them a couple of weeks ago. 

We have a brand new set of the books 1-8 for €25(or €20 if you mention this blog post at the stall)

The story follows waitress Sookie Stackhouse in the small town on Bon Temps Louisianna, whose has telepathic abilities mar her life with a case of 'too much information' from all who surround her. Vampires have just been outed to the general public, and it follows the integration of supernaturals into society after years of hiding in the coffin. As the series progresses we are introduced to witches, werewolves and fairies, just to broaden the magical spectrum. As a whole the idea of outing vampires is a great one, initially it makes for really interesting reading. There are lots of parallels to homophobia, racism, drug culture, and xenophobia, that really add dept to what could have been a very two dimensional series. 

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I have lots of problems with this series, mostly it's Harris's writing style, it's painfully simplistic to read. Aside from a few notable exceptions such as Pam and Eric Northman many of her characters are completely predictable and lacking any depth. One of the biggest downfalls is the unlikable main character Sookie Stackhouse, whose ditsiness seems near endless. Sookie is constantly referred to as intelligent and quite the catch for the successful vampires and weres that she hooks up with, but her actions show her as a vapid two dimensional heroine. The whole way through the series I was irritated by the protagonists voice and actions;obviously something that really hindered my reading pleasure. The main character refers to her own hobby of reading and expanding her vocabulary on many occasions, but most of her examples of 'intellectual' words are near remedial in their simplicity. I know it's only a small thing, but it was something that repeatedly rankled with me. 

The series would have worked much better if it was limited to a trilogy, half way through things were really starting to wither and grow stodgy around the edges. It felt like Harris was creating more bizarre and completely farcical dramas for Sookie to get embroiled in just to drag out the series of books. It passed the point of credibility to believe that anyone would continue to be so stupid about endangering their life on a near weekly basis just for a bit of fun between the sheets. The books peaked on the first novel, which successfully merged vampire erotica with a mystery in the deep south, after that they just floundered from one constructed drama to the next. 

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I'm not sure why I kept reading after the first few books, maybe it was just because I had the whole set on audio book and they were an easy listen while doing some drawing. Part of it was the cheap tricks of 'what happens next' appeal, but the merits of a book cannot stand on that alone. On the whole I would say they are good if you want to turn off your brain and enjoy some sexy, sweaty, fluff that is not going to challenge you in any way. Or maybe just watch the tv series instead, it's cuts out a lot of the rubbish and you actually get to look at the rippling muscles and gyrating bodies and not just imagine them. I think the HBO series is the rare case of the adaptation being better than the books, they seemed to capture the narrative potential of the books and use them as a spring board rather than sticking to the books meandering plot.

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Review: Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

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While working at the book stall there are certain books that get repeatedly recommended to me, I love chatting with people and finding out about new books. I noticed that Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett came up in conversation with lots of people, with many of them citing it as one of their favourite books. I'm an avid audio book reader, I listen to books as I'm making my work for Nice Day Designs, and at well over 30 hours this seemed like a good one to go for(don't worry I don't just chose books by their length, but it does help).

In brief Pillars tells of the lengthy construction of Kingsbridge Cathedral, from the first brick to the last. This building entangles the lives of  it's master builder Tom and the monastery's prior Phillip. There are many struggles and trials of funding, wicked power hungry peers, towns being ransacked, and disaster being over come. It's an historical novel set in the 12th century, but much of it's content reminded me of the many fantasy books I've read; just without the magic and dragons. If you are into reading of castles, kings, and serfs with lofty ideas then this will probably appeal to you.

I'm pretty torn about this book, I would probably recommend it to a friend as there are elements that were really enjoyable, the story at it's core is a compelling one. Yet at the same time there are massive problems with some of Follett's writing that just can't be ignored. To be honest when I closed the book(not literally as it was audio) I was more than a little baffled as to why so many people loved it. I think I may have enjoyed it more if I hadn't expected so much.

I'll start with the good parts; it's 'nice to be nice' as all mammies say. I really enjoyed the scope of the story, we see all the characters develop over a large expanse of time, it's satisfying to see them grow and develop. At the same pace we feel the Cathedral rise around the story, it's slowness is foreign to a modern reader, and this is a perfect metaphor for the speed of this time, so different from our own. It's when Follett is talking of the building and architecture that his writing really shines. It appealed to my art history background, and this book brought to life lots of stale facts I had gathered in lecture halls about transepts and arches. I read in other reviews that they found these parts too technical, and maybe they are for some readers, but I thought them a joy. There are also some genuinely likable characters such as Jack Jackson and Aliena, which helps to keep interest going when other areas are waning.

I had major difficulties with some aspects of the book though. The writing style leaves a lot to be desired, aside from where he shines in discussing architecture a lot of the time it feels flat and forced. This is especially noticeable when building connections between characters, and some particularly awkward and blue sex scenes. Please don't mistake me for a prude, but you just shouldn't cringe at the self consciousness and woodenness of a writer, especially during a point when trying to create intimacy. The sexual interludes vary between baffling, the initial woods scene with Tom builder, and needlessly violent and strangely detached.

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If the flaws ended there I would have forgiven the book, and still loved it, but they don't. Follett shows a very black and white view of the world, good people do good things, have bad things happen to them, and are beautiful and/or talented. Bad people only do bad things, are wealthy, and become more ugly as the book progresses. This is so shockingly naive that it nearly becomes funny as we follow the predictable trials and tribulations of the poor worthy folk. There is a seesaw flow to the story, good thing followed by disaster, followed by good thing, and so on. All the crisis are perpetrated by the same evil overlord, who gains a silly ghoulishness by wearing his Scoobydoo like 'bad man' mask. If there was a variation in characters of wrong doers it might have made the constant drugery a bit more believable. Instead about half way through the book I became numb to the hardships the main protagonists had to face, as I knew the inevitable positive was coming. Compare this to Martin's Song of Ice and Fire where no character is truly good or bad, people do things for very complicated reasons to do with honour, fear, selfishness and greed.

So if you read this book don't expect to be bowled over by amazing writing, expect the expected, but sit back and enjoy a very easy, if albeit lengthy, read.

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(On a side note I would recommend the tv series in much the same way; it's not ground breaking but it's certainly entertaining. Particularly Eddie Redmayne and Hayley Atwell).

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Review of How to be a Woman by Caitlin Moran

About last year sometime I noticed a lot of my female friends talking about How to be a Woman by Cailin Moran. I normally don't read biographies(and this is more a biography than a feminist bible-ignore what the dust jacket says) but I'm more than a little interested in feminism so it caught my fancy. Back in college I took  gender politics and sexual aesthetics modules and really loved them, I even when through a non-bra wearing and shaved head stage, so you can see that this was in my area of interest.

I hadn't read any of Moran's columns before and didn't realise that she was a well known British journalist and presenter. Mostly I like knowing nothing about a book beforehand, like my rule of not watching movie trailers or reading reviews before I watch a film; to not have any preconceived notions. I prefer to read reviews afterwards to see how a reviewers ideas tally with my own. So I'm glad that I wasn't expecting this to be the latest Female Eunuch or Beauty Myth, as it really isn't, they are far better written and well argued works of insight. This is more like one woman's memoir through her life explored through her experiences of being a woman. As a autobiography is genuinely laugh out loud funny, I really enjoyed her casual writing style and she has a comfortable and familial voice in her writing. The book reads like a chat you have in the wee hours when the bottle of vodka has come out of the back press. Embarrassing admissions and  observations like what do you call your vagina and breasts, to the etiquette of bikini waxing etiquette and botox. 

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A lot of what she is saying is not new or groundbreaking, it's one woman's voice, her bumbling journey through her life. She is reminding us that feminism is still important, and that we can't allow it to become uncool and a 70's hippy thing. In an age that teenage girls are growing up surrounded by porn, brazilians, Photoshopped goddesses, and starved icons we need to applaud any sane voice saying no this is not reality, this is not what we want our girls to look up to. If I had a teenage daughter I would want her to read this, just to show her that being a teenager is awful for most people, it takes a long time to like your self, but you'll get there in the end, and when you do it will be pretty great. As an a woman reading it, it didn't really teach me much, but it was comforting to hear a familiar voice, someone else who doesn't understand non existent pubic hair, the obsession with marriage and babies, and the need for overly priced handbags.

In short this won't change your life, but it will make you laugh, and hopefully a lot.

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A Review of The Long Walk by Stephen King

I consider The Long Walk to be one of Stephen King's finest books, and that's saying a lot because I really like his work*. This dystopian work was written in 1979 and is one of the most chilling novels I've ever read.  The premise is that 100 teenage boys start a walk, and the winner is the last man standing, one of the prizes being that you live to survive the race. There is no set distance, but if you stop walking you die, if you incur a penalty three time penalties you die, there is only one survivor. It's a horribly simple idea, and it's this single mindedness that is so chilling; there is no stepping away from this procession, you are with these boys as nearly all of them walk towards their deaths.

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The story is told through the eyes of Ray Garrity, one of the competitors, we are introduced to the other boys via friendships he makes and gossip that trickles down through the line. I found myself getting invested in other characters, rooting for them, and then it would hit home that there is only one survivor. This idea is made sharply poignant as various boys talk to each other about winning, in some ways blocking out the fact that for this to happen their comrades must perish. The huge truth of their near certain death is almost blinding, they can't talk about it, but they can think of nothing else; hope and despair are clung to with equal measure. Because of the omnipresence of death in this story we are forced to look at the futility of their struggle against all the odds, and question is it worth it. It's like King has boiled down the essence of our own daily struggles and our own inevitable death. In their blisters, aching legs, and cramping muscles we can see our own travails through life.

It's the small details that are most shocking in the book, after a short while you accept the horrifying premise that 99 boys will die for the sake of a televised competition. But the idea that they can't stop to take a crap seems like a cruel and needless punishment, that they might die because they took too long to relieve themselves, it brings a whole new meaning to stage fright!

I recently watched The Hunger Games(which I've yet to read) and was struck by the similarity to The Long Walk; a gameshow where teenagers compete for their lives, survival of the fittest, retaining humanity in an inhuman fight for your life. I'd love for this to be made into a film, but I'd hate to see it go the way of so many other of King's books like The Langoliers, Dreamcatcher, and The Tommyknockers, which were all truly awful.

I would highly recommend this book, it one of my favourite reads of this year so far, it was one of those books that I slowed down nearing the end as I didn't want to finish it.

*A somewhat uncool thing to say on front of people who consider themselves serious readers, but I find mostly they've never read his work and just him on the fact that he writes about the supernatural.

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Scary Reads for Halloween

It's that time of year when you can smell the dry cold in the air, there are leaves rustling around your feet and every shop window is packet with monsters and ghouls. Halloween is my favourite time of year, it means I have excuse to spend loads of time making an outlandish costume, which I can then flounce about town in. It got me thinking about all the creepy books I've read over the years. Here are just a few;

Shrine by James Herbert: I read this in my early teens, and don't really remember a huge amount of it, except the overwhelming feeling of dread every time I picked up the book.  It's about a deaf mute little girl who after seeing visions can hear and speak again. It was a compulsion to keep reading, somehow I thought I could prove that there was no boogeyman under the bed if I just kept reading. But with a book as opposed to a film it's a much slower eking sense of terror, there is no such thing as ripping off the plaster quickly. Even the front cover freaked my out, look at her!

It by Stephen King: This is another one of my early teen reads, thanks to my much older brother's book collection I read a plethora if inappropriate books quite young. It is to blame for a large number of people of a certain generation being terrified of clowns. They are creepy anyway, but he dialed up the notch to about 11. It's the usual mix for King with the ensemble cast fighting the supernatural; in this case a clown that terrified a group of teens and has now returned to them in adult life. When a book follows you around during the day and makes you terrified of simple things like a drain plug you know you are onto a winner.

The Body Artist by Don DeLillo: This is not meant to be a scary book, and it wasn't, not in the way the two previous ones are. But I found it unsettling. DeLillo is lauded as a giant in literature, his writings are an exploration of prose, the self, and are an experiment in reading. The Body Artist isn't really about much, there is a woman in a house who has recently lost her husband. The book is like a wisp of their relationship,and their roots in their house, her deceased husband is very present by his absence. A third presence enters the story(non story), he is never fully described, he is just there, sometimes he speaks in different voices, yet he has no voice. It was this character that gave me a major case of the willies. I had to stop reading it for a few weeks as I was too scared by this non entity, I went back to it eventually, which I'm glad of as it was a beautiful quiet book.

So what books have given you the heebie jeebies?

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