Sunday, May 29, 2011

Dead Reckoning - Charlaine Harris

Dead Reckoning is the latest in the Sookie Stackhouse/TrueBlood series.  I love this series, and I LOVE the show on HBO.  I mean, talk about hotness. 
That being said, Reckoning was not my favorite in the series.  It felt like one of those in-between books for me - the kind that asks a lot of questions, and resolves one or two but leaves you wondering what the cuss is going on by the end of the book...and then you have to wait another year for the next book.  In my opinion, this is different than a cliff hanger - a cliff hanger is one big moment at the end of the book that leave you going "What the cuss just happened?!?"  This kind of book just leaves you feeling frustrated because you have this list of questions, and only one or two questions from the last book got answered in this one. 
Also, this book made me wish more than ever that Sookie would get back together with Bill - and I realize this makes no sense to those of you who haven't read the series, but this is the 10th book people. I can't summarize quickly.  For those of you that have read it, I want Sookie to go back with Bill.  Yes, I know he messed up, but he truly loves Sookie and is devoted to her.  Eric has too, too much going on - you find out in this book that he has even more going on then we knew about. 
If you haven't read any of the TB series before, the books have some graphic violence (vampires, people!) and some graphic sexual content (again, vampires!). 

Room - Emma Donoghue

Let me start of by saying this straight out - this book freaked me the freak out.  It's not exactly a "scary" book, but it's very intense and emotional.  Room tells the story of Jack and Ma.  You quickly figure out that Jack is a 5 year old boy, who lives in a single room with his mother.  Why is this?  Because his mother was kidnapped when she was 19 years old, kept in a modified shed, and impregnated by her captor, a man they refer to as "Old Nick".  Jack has never been outside, and doesn't understand outside exists.  He has a TV, but believes the things on it - airplanes, stores, even other people - only exist inside the TV. 
Ma decides it's time for them to make a break for it, and the plan involves convincing Old Nick that Jack is very sick, and then telling him later that Jack died.  Ma wraps his body in the rug from Room, and tells Jack that when Old Nick takes the rug away to dispose of the body that Jack must escape, find help, and bring the help back for her.  Heavy, right?
In the interest of not spoiling things, I'll stop there. 
I think this book freaked me out simply because this could and HAS happened.  I mean, when I read The Passage it freaked me out, but I didn't actually believe that zombie/vampires would someday take over and force the remaining humans to live in compounds.  When I read What the Night Knows, I was freaked out, but didn't really believe the spirit of a psycho killer would come back to finish his work.  THIS ACTUALLY COULD HAPPEN. 
I also be honest and say that the idea of living 24/7 in an 11x11 room with a 5-year-old freaked me out.  I mean, Mama needs her quiet time. 
I would say, if you're a woman, or a Mom, this book is not an awesome idea.  It was moving and touching at times, but for me, the freak-out factor was too high for the moving/touching to compensate.