LBP Ep. 5 of 2013 – As Always, Team Sookie Forever…

Kelly and Maria discuss the latest news and spoilers for all the shows, movies, and books that you love. As well as recap the season-enders to Doctor Who, Once Upon a Time, Grimm, Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries, Arrow, and Beauty and the Beast. They also give you the deets on the new shows that will be on the networks during the fall, i.e. Almost Human, Dracula, Tomorrow People, Sleepy Hollow, and that is just the tip of the iceberg.

For SBLC, the ladies finally recap Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris and you find out why they give it two thumbs up. Plus, Maria explains why Iron Man 3 not only trumps Iron Man 1 &2 and the Avengers, but it also trumps Star Trek into Darkness.

You can download the podcast here or via iTunes or the Zune Marketplace a.k.a. Xbox Music!

This podcast was recorded on 05.29.2013.

Enjoy and thanks for listening!

Good Morning Everyone,

We knew this day was coming, but now that it is just a few hours away… it will be a bittersweet day. What I am talking of is the last book in the Southern Vampire Mysteries a.k.a. the Sookie Stackhouse series.

This series, no matter if you had issues with it or not, was always something that took us out our day-to-day for a couple of weeks in May. It allowed us to live vicariously through this young southern barmaid who had an extraordinary ability that made her very attractive to vampires, werewolves, and everything else that went bump in the night.

In her triumphs and pitfalls in love, we cheered her on as she loved and lost.

Through all the ups and downs of being a telepath and being embroiled in the local shenanigans of the supernatural population in Louisiana, we kept hope alive that one day she would be done with this part of her life and on to a life that she deserves.

And here we are, at the end of our tether to this universe. Will we all be happy with the end of this series? Probably not.

This podcast and site has always been pro-Sookie from the get-go. Yes, we may have fallen in and out of love with certain characters, but we always wanted Sookie to have a Happily Ever After. I think that is the one thing we, Sookie fans, and Charlaine have always looked eye to eye on.

As you know, this is not really the end… we still have one book. The coda, After Dead, which will be released on October 29, 2013.

Charlaine Harris stated the following regarding the coda: “It will be a slim book containing what happens AFTER “DEA” to many of the characters I’ve created over the years. And Lisa is drawing a Sookie alphabet for the book. There are several other features under consideration for this volume, which is intended as a stocking stuffer.”

Maybe, we’ll finally learn what happened to Barry the Bellboy.

Maria and Kelly are back and this time they are not only discussing the latest news and spoilers of your favorite books, movies and TV shows, but they recap their top 5 shows of the month: Grimm, Being Human, Supernatural, Once Upon a Time and the Walking Dead and discuss their dud of the month: Lost Girl.

For SBLC, they talk about the Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead and in Movie Time, Maria reviews Beautiful Creatures… which she liked… a lot.

You can download the podcast here, via iTunes or the Zune Marketplace.

Enjoy!

This episode was recorded on 03.12.2013.

Last Bite is back with news on the new shows that will be popping up on your TV in the 2013-2014 TV season (i.e. Dracula, Gothica, The Originals, The Selection, The Witches of East End and more…) and the latest news on upcoming movies (Star Wars, Blood Sisters and Divergent).

For SBLC, Maria reviews Warm Bodies the book and Kelly gives us a major hint on who Sookie may pick at the end of the Sookie Stackhouse series.

Plus, you’ll hear the latest news and spoilers on your favorite shows!

You can download the podcast here, via iTunes or via the Zune Marketplace.

Enjoy!

This podcast was recorded on 02.15.2013.

The ladies of Last Bite are back. Listen to Maria and Kelly highlight some of your favorite shows, books and movies with the latest news, recaps and spoilers. This month they say goodbye to Haven, highlight Supernatural and wonder what gives with The Vampire Diaries. As well as give you the latest news & on True Blood, The Walking Dead, Grimm, The Vampire Academy movie and which author will or will not be coming to your town in 2013. For SBLC, Prodigy by Marie Luis reviewed.

You can download the podcast here, via iTunes or the Zune marketplace.

Enjoy!

This podcast was recorded on 01.18.2013.

From Charlaine Harris’ Facebook Page: I made the difficult decision not to tour with the last Sookie novel for several reasons. I have an important family event at that time. And I thought that at every event some people would have already read the book, and in answering their questions the ending might be revealed to people who hadn’t read it yet. To my Kentucky readers, I signed in Kentucky last year and had a wonderful event. I hope I get to sign in many places in coming years and to meet many of you personally.

From Charlaine’s Facebook:

On the plus side, the editorial changes for DEAD EVER AFTER are completed, and the book is over ten pages longer. It’s back on my editor’s desk. On the minus side, I can now tell you that the Syfy deal for the Harper books is a no-go. Back again to the (hopefully) plus side, today Toni and I find out how AN APPLE FOR THE CREATURE is selling.

Playing Possum

Short Story by: Charlaine Harris – Part of An Apple for Creature Anthology

Published on: September 4, 2012

Published by: Ace Hardcover

Reviewed by: Maria G.

Publisher’s Blurb: What could be scarier than the first day of school? How about a crash course in the paranormal from Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner, editors of Home Improvement: Undead Edition? Your worst school nightmares—taking that math test you never studied for, finding yourself naked in school assembly, not knowing which door to enter—will pale in comparison to these thirteen original stories that take academic anxiety to whole new realms.

In #1 New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris’s story, “Playing Possum,” Sookie Stackhouse brings enough birthday cupcakes for her nephew’s entire class but finds she’s one short when the angry ex-boyfriend of the school secretary shows up.

My Review:

As this site started off as a site dedicated to Sookie Stackhouse, I will be reviewing Playing Possum, but I will mention two more tales from the anthology later on in this review.

If you are only interested in seeing who Sookie beds or who she chooses, this is not the short story for you. But, if you are interested in seeing Sookie continue her path to becoming a resilient and self-reliant heroine, than this is the story for you. I have to admit that watching Sookie make choices that make her life more and more down to earth, such as having a stake in Merlotte’s and trying to have those ordinary relationships like the one she has with her “nephew” make her more and more interesting to me. It’s in these ordinary moments that you see Sookie as she has always wanted to be… normal.

As the blurb explains, we see Sookie do what every Aunt has done for her nephew or niece and that is bake some cupcakes for a school party. She does this happily, even though she suspects this is a test of sorts and all seems to go well as she follows through with her nephew’s wish. Yet, as it always happens with Sookie, the simplest of tasks can become a harrowing experience.

Taking a page from the headlines…

With the help of a local witch named Sabrina Yarnell and Officer Sherry Javitts, Sookie attempts to do the unthinkable. She tries to take down a disgruntled ex-love of the school secretary who is hell bent on not only killing the secretary, but taking down the entire school with his uncontrollable rage. At stake are the innocent lives of hundreds of kindergarteners and the school staff.

What I loved in this story was the interaction between Sookie and Hunter. Yes, they are related and they are both telepaths, but the moments described in this story solidify their relationship and it may be the most stable relationship that Sookie has ever had. When she catches him in an embrace and he is so happy that she has appeared with the cupcakes in tow, that moment is one of the top 10 moments in the series for me.

Knowing that there is only one book left in the series and between the last book and this short story, all I can do is feel sad that in a matter of months we will have to read Sookie ride off into the sunset.

With that stated, should you buy this anthology?

Well, I know that everyone likes specific authors. So, if you like any of the other authors in the anthology, such as Ilona Andrews, Marjorie Liu, Toni L.P. Kelner, etc… than this book is the book for you.

I actually really liked Ilona’s tale (Magic Tests) that revolved around Julie from the Kate Daniels series. Julie, along with Brook (straight A student), Barka (class clown) and telekinetic Lisa, contend with a Yu Fong, whom everyone believes is in the mafia. Julie and Yu’s relationship is quite interesting and you can see that he will be someone she will have to deal with from this point on.

I have to admit that this tale screams that Julie deserves her own spin-off and let’s cross our fingers that Ilona makes this happen.

One of the stronger tales in the anthology was Sympathy for the Bones by Marjorie Liu, in it we find a girl who is torn between her loyalty to her mentor in magic and the fact that being able to use magic is like a double-edged sword and what is at stake is her soul.

All in all, I think picking this anthology up is a wise idea. It is something perfect for those of you who love paranormal/sci-fi tales, but have the attention span of a gnat.

I give this anthology 4.5 out of stars.

Deadlocked
By: Charlaine Harris
Published: May 1, 2012
Published by: Ace
Reviewed by: Maria G.

Blurb: Its vampire politics as usual around the town of Bon Temps, but never before have they hit so close to Sookie’s heart… Growing up with telepathic abilities, Sookie Stackhouse realized early on there were things she’s rather not know. And now she’s an adult, she also realizes that some things she knows about, she’s rather not see – like Eric Northing feeding on another woman. A younger one. There’s a thing or two she’d like to say about that, but she has to keep quiet – Felipe de Castro, the Vampire King of Louisiana (Arkansas and Nevada), is in town. It’s the worst possible time for a human body to show up in Eric’s front yard – especially the body of the woman whose blood he just drank. Now, it’s up to Sookie and Bill, the official Area 5 investigator, to solve the murder. Sookie thinks that, at least this time, the dead girl’s fate has nothing to do with her. But she is wrong. She has an enemy, one far more devious than she would ever suspect, who’s set to make Sookie’s world come crashing down.

My Review: Over the course of the series there has been a side storyline that ran parallel to the main storyline of the series and that is… who Sookie is destined to be with and that is what everyone focuses on. Therefore, I am going to cautiously proceed with my review of the book.

One of the best things about Sookie is that we get to feel what she is feeling and in Deadlocked we see our beloved Sookie constantly having introspective moments which are brought on by all the blessed events that are happening around her:

• Tara giving birth to the babies
• Halleigh and Andy having a baby
• Kennedy and Danny happily together
• Jason getting married to Michele
• Hoyt getting married to Holly

Blah, blah… it is a freaking love fest in Bon Temps and it is making Sookie wonder a lot about the present state of her life.

While she is having these moments, she is once again embroiled in a major mystery that involves the local vampires, weres and fae. Does she have that “let me at ‘em” mentality about what is going on? Well, yes and no. Yes, she does get involved and help solve the case with its various sub-mysteries, but there were instances where she was just so exasperated with the idea of once again either being in the cross-hairs of some magical species or trying to help those that she cares about that she actually whines.

She is just at the end of her tether to this part of her life.

To tell you the truth, Sookie has always been a character that gave more than she got. Yes, Eric has always compensated her monetarily and in other ways and she has always been heralded and loved by those she considers her family, friends and acquaintances. But, what she craves for in life nowadays is a life that is not so dramatic.

Of course, with that stated, she grapples with the threat of Jannalynn, Felipe, Freyda, solving the murder of Kym Rowe and whatever is going on with Fae in her life… which was all very exciting to read. Yet, it was the moments she spent with her past loves, current love, Sam and everyone else that shows us Sookie is in for a big change… even if she was not planning on one.

I have to admit that there was a doozy of a twist and it involves the Fae and yes, we get to see Niall again. But, what happens in the tale makes you feel for Sookie. That reminds me, for those of you that love Bubba, he’s in the book. As well as Diantha and Mr. Cataliades. We also get to find out some interesting tidbits about Barry the Bellboy’s life.

Now, onto the men that Sookie has loved. They all pop-up in this book:
• Bill, her first love and now friend, assists her in finding out who and why Eric is being framed for the death of Kym.
• Eric, her current love is not only dealing with Felipe and Kym’s death, but also his betrothal to Freyda and as a result is not really able to be there for Sookie the way she wants him to be. She keeps reiterating mentally that she loves him and he loves her, but is that enough to keep these two together?
• Alcide, never really a love, but there was a moment where they wished they had crossed that bridge, is also helping Sookie with Eric’s case.
• Quinn, a past love, pops up via a call.
• Sam, whom she found attractive and had kissed is also her boss, partner, best friend and confidant, spends his time in this book listening to Sookie when she needs to vent, handling Jannalynn and her insane jealousy and is also there for Sookie when something fishy happens at Splendide.

I found it really funny that they were all present in one book, but in hindsight, I get it. Charlaine is giving us a chance to see where Sookie stands with all of these men. Are shippers going to be happy with what happens in this book? Well, knowing how many of you think… chances are that you are not going to be happy with this book.

I, on the other hand, was very happy with this book and that is only because I want Sookie to have her happily ever after and I do not akin it to who she is romancing.

Happiness is about waking up in the morning with a smile on your face and going about your day with a light heart, not worrying about if you are going to wake up in the morning or if the person you chose to spend your life with is going to be there in the morning.

But, before you decide not to read the final book, remember all hope is not lost. Charlaine is a master of spinning a yarn and if you allow one decision to not allow you to see this journey through to the very end than what kind of fan are you? Also, you may get the happily ever after that you were hoping for. Keep your fingers crossed.

Overall, as you may have suspected, I am giving this book a 4.5 out of 5 and I cannot wait for the last book in the series.

What are your thoughts on Deadlocked?