I Got Sucked In...

That will be funny to you in a minute.

My super awesome husband signed us up for HBO many months ago so we could get in on the Game of Thrones goodness.  We had all of season one to enjoy, and we did.  Twice!  The bonus to signing up for HBO was HBO2go.  This meant much of the goodness that is HBO could be enjoyed on our iPad, laptops, etc.  Suddenly I found I had access to all these movies and series.  Still with me?  I'm working my way to my point.

So a few months ago a friend on Facebook had posted something about being a Sookie Stackhouse addict.  If I don't know what something is, I google it.  I had to know what a Sookie Stackhouse was.  Yes, apparently I do live under a rock.  In case there are some of you who also live under a rock, Sookie Stackhouse is the main character in a series of books (The Southern Vampier Mysteries) by Charlaine Harris.  I like books.  I like books that have vampires in them.  So I downloaded a sample of the first one and gave it a try.

The setting is a fictional town in Louisiana.  Sookie is a telepathic barmaid.  Vampires have come out of the coffin (or ground, or hidey-hole) and are mixing with the general population thanks to Japan and a synthetic blood that can sustain the vampires so they are no longer required to feed on humans.  The story is about Sookie, and the path her life takes when she meets and becomes involved with vampire Bill Compton.  I'm being vague, as I don't want to spoil the fun for anyone.

I ended up downloading the whole book, and ultimately the rest of the series that is published.  I got sucked in, to the vampire series.  Ok, maybe not so funny.

So, now to tie in HBO.  Remember how I mentioned I lived under a rock and didn't know who Sookie Stackhouse was?  As I was looking through all the different HBO tv I could watch on my HBO2go my eye caught True Blood.  I know many people who love the show, but apparently I didn't really listen to anything they said, or pay attention to any of the commercials for the series on DVD.  I got to look at the first episode and as I'm reading the little synopsis of the episode I see the name Sookie Stackhouse.  Yeah.  I'm really that blonde.

So, I put down the books (I think I was just finished with the third book when I stopped) and went and watched all 4 seasons of True Blood.  I was staying up after David went to bed (when I should have been playing Skyrim) to watch it.  First, I have to say in the beginning I felt like a total prude watching it.  There is a lot, seriously A LOT of sex.  Weird sex.  I almost felt like I was doing something naughty tucked away watching it on my iPad.  I think it got better after the first season (that or I was so desensitized that it didn't matter) and I felt less dirty.  What I really liked about the series was having a visual of the characters and a voice I could hear in my head as I was reading.  It deviated from the books, sometimes quite a bit, and at first that was kind of hard for me to process.  I wasn't really fond of how the portrayed Jason Stackhouse in the series (a v-addict, vapid man-whore) but book Jason was just a jerky man-whore.  It was just little things like that.

After I watched all 4 seasons (and am now looking forward to the 5th) I went back and read all the books.  I like that they are both similar but sometimes very different.  I think what the did for the series made it better for being watched.  Reading, the imagination is only restricted by the reader.  Bringing it to life for tv they are restricted by silly things like special effects, time and the fact that were-animals don't exist.  Or do they?

There are (I believe) 4 more books planned for Sookie and her supernatural friends.  The next one comes out in May of this year, and season 5 of True Blood should starts in June.  I'm looking forward to seeing the direction both take.  I'm sure I'll tell you all about it.

++Pardon any typos, it's 11:22pm and my husband is out of town so I'm not sleeping and am loopy exhausted.  Also, I'm a horrible speller and an emotional typer.  Thanks for loving me anyway :)