Dead as a Doornail (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 5) by Charlaine Harris

Another great volume in the series. I still hold that Dead to the World is my favorite, but this book holds a lot of unexpected twists and a variety of new characters.

Up next is Definitely Dead.

Dead to the World (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 4) by Charlaine Harris

My favorite book out of the entire series yet. :)

Club Dead (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 3) by Charlaine Harris

The third volume of the Southern Vampire Mysteries has a slighter darker side than the previous two volumes. Lot's of action, blood, and plenty of mystery to boot. An interesting cornerstone in the series. I am curious to see where the story goes from here.

Up next is Dead to the World.

Living Dead in Dallas (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 2) by Charlaine Harris

Just finished the second volume of the Southern Vampire Mysteries. At first, I was a little (just slightly) disappointed with the book. I felt it was a little flat in comparison to the first book. However, the more I read, the more enveloped in the story I became. Overall, I absolutely enjoyed this book, laughing along with the characters at some points. A wonderful follow-up to the beginning of the series. I look forward to more mysteries with ever popular Sookie Stackhouse.

Dead Until Dark (Southern Vampire Mysteries, No. 1) by Charlaine Harris

Sookie Stackhouse is a small time waitress in a rural town in Louisiana, in a time when vampires have become more or less accepted by society. One night a vampire stumbles into the bar in which young Sookie works, and from there the story takes off and doesn't slow down until the very last page. If you are looking for fun, mystery, death, and romance, this book is not to be missed. Originally, I had no plans to read the series until Sarah recommended that I do so. Though, it's more of a "guilty pleasure" read, I feel that I would definitely have missed out by skipping the series. It's highly addictive. Looking forward to watching the series by HBO.

Up next is Living Dead in Dallas, what else? :P

The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower, Book 2) by Stephen King

10 years after his meeting with the man in black, Roland continues his journey to the tower. In this book, Roland encounters three doors in the middle of a stark, lobster-infested beach. Each door leads to a different person living in our world's New York. However, each individual is living within a different time period. Roland is quick to learn that each individual holds a vital piece of the puzzle in his quest to reach the tower. However, putting them together proves difficult for our gunslinger. An interesting chapter in The Dark Tower series indeed. I gobbled up the beginning and end, but felt King focused on the second "door" character a bit too much. Hopefully she will have a large role to play later on, and the details I have learned about her will come in handy. I must say I simply can't help myself. There is something about that rugged gunslinger Roland...he could make a girl weak in the knees. Despite the lengthy middle, I rather enjoyed this volume in the series and am looking forward to traveling on with Roland and his crew to the ever ominous dark tower.

Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips

The Greek Gods have become somewhat rusty and outdated; living together in a cramped London flat, performing everyday jobs, and losing power, in every sense of the word. In an act of revenge, Aphrodite makes her nephew Apollo fall in love with a seemingly normal and somewhat dumpy mortal woman named Alice. Apollo is not one to take rejection well, and Alice has already fallen head-over-heels for another "dumpy" mortal named Neil. Things heat up when Apollo's twin sister Artemis hires Alice to clean for the Olympian clan, unknowingly of Aphrodite's vengeful plan. Apollo decides to take matters into his own hands, which inevitably sends the entire universe in ciaos.

The author seems to have done a fairly good job of keeping each god/goddess true to his/her nature. However, one should not take everything at face value. This is a great "romp of a novel" (as said on the cover) if you are looking for a fun getaway with a classic mythological twist. However, if you are looking for something a little more substantial, you might want to try Edith Hamilton's Mythology. That being said, I highly enjoyed this book and would recommend it for anyone looking for a whimsical getaway into Greek Mythology.

The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, Book 1) by Stephen King

Last year, I read The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King and absolutely loved it. When I posted my review, it was recommended that I try his Dark Tower series. Therefore I took my first step into King's sci-fi western series with The Gunslinger. Set in a universe parallel to our own, Roland, the gunslinger, seeks answers and meaning from the man in black. Roland endlessly purses said man through desert, mountains, thirst, and hunger; his quest for the man in black serving as his primary source of fuel. Roland continues his journey throughout the entire book, meeting a variety of characters along the way. The thing is that you, as well as Roland, can never be to certain as to weather the character is real, or a trap planted by the man in black. A little light is shed on Roland's background through stories and flashbacks. A fine start to the series indeed.

You can definitely tell that King was a bit younger when he wrote this story. It's a bit rougher around the edges and he leaves several things unexplained, though I anticipate that I will understand more as I read through the series. I guess I would say that it felt like skimming the surface of a large body of water or touching the tip of an iceberg. Despite the lack of details, I hungrily read through this book in little time at all. I look forward to reading more of the series and seeking out answers of my own, just like Roland in his journey.

The Third Angel by Alice Hoffman

Alice Hoffman spins a wonderful tale told in three segments. Each segment is told in a different time period. Though the story is told in different time periods through the eyes of different women, there are several common threads that weave these women together, though unknowingly at times. Pay close attention. Something that seems minuscule through the eyes of one character, may be the key to another character's story. I almost wish I hadn't read this book so rapidly, as I may have been able to pick up on things better at a slower pace. I know that I am not giving out much information, but it's Alice Hoffman. Either you like her writing or you don't. I found this to be a fabulous read and essential to my Hoffman collection. I might go as far as to say it is my favorite Hoffman book to date. I devoured this book in three days, while working 12 hour shifts. If you are looking for a story of love, loss, and life, with a touch of the supernatural, then this is definitely a book you don't want to miss.