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July Book club questions
Board: AQ Book Club Main Board
Jul 31, 2010 11:04pm
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Book Club questions for Julys book: Dead until Dark by Charlene Harris

1. Do you see Sookie's ability to read minds as a strength or a disability? Would you want to be able to read minds?

2. Why do you think Sookie was so immediately attracted to Bill?

3. Who do you think is a better match for Sookie, Bill or Sam?

4. Do you think Sookie's deal with Eric will come back to haunt her?

5. If you have read other vampire books, how does Dead Until Dark compare?

I cannot answer, I am only on page 20. =/
Re: July Book club questions
Board: AQ Book Club Main Board
Reply to: #533133 by The hicks from the sticks
Aug 1, 2010 5:51am
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I have read the entire Sookie series so far. I loved them. I read them all in a week because I couldn't put them down. Do you want the answers now, or after you are done?

SFF
Re: July Book club questions
Board: AQ Book Club Main Board
Reply to: #533133 by The hicks from the sticks
Aug 1, 2010 6:46am
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I have read 3 in the series.

Personally, I don't want to read minds. If I had a power, I would want to be able to be invisible. That would be so helpful when I am out letterboxing! LOL

j1
Re: July Book club questions
Board: AQ Book Club Main Board
Reply to: #533170 by jay1
Aug 1, 2010 6:54am
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I wouldn't want to read minds either. It would be helpful if you could turn it off when you wanted some peace in your head.

SFF
Re: July Book club questions
Board: AQ Book Club Main Board
Reply to: #533133 by The hicks from the sticks
Aug 1, 2010 9:44am
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1. Do you see Sookie's ability to read minds as a strength or a disability? Would you want to be able to read minds?
I would like to read minds but only if I had complete control over that ability and could turn it on and off. Poor Sookie gets assaulted all the time.

2. Why do you think Sookie was so immediately attracted to Bill?
Because his thoughts were silent to her.

3. Who do you think is a better match for Sookie, Bill or Sam?
Sam because he's got a heartbeat and will have a similar length of life to Sookie's. And, he's an overall good guy.

4. Do you think Sookie's deal with Eric will come back to haunt her?

Hmmm, I've read the whole series and can't remember the deal from the first novel. Sorry.

5. If you have read other vampire books, how does Dead Until Dark compare?
I've read several vampire series. Anne Rice's were the original ones I read and I loved them at the time. (It was LONG ago.) They were suspenseful and sexy and fairly dark as I remember. Then, I read the Twilight series and LOVED the stories but they are not your typical vampire novels. Then, someone handed me my first Sookie book and these are the most lighthearted and fun of all the vampire books I've read....also sexy and suspenseful but fun/silly too. I've also read The House of Night books and they are creative and suspenseful if you can get past all the teen lingo and stupid protagonist. They're YA but are for older teens than the Twilight series due to the sex. I can't pick a favorite series but they all have their merits IMO. I'm not really interested in any more vampire series, though.
Re: July Book club questions
Board: AQ Book Club Main Board
Reply to: #533133 by The hicks from the sticks
Aug 1, 2010 10:42am
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Ok, it's been a while since I read this, so I'm a little hazy on the details. I'll comment on what I can.

{1. Do you see Sookie's ability to read minds as a strength or a disability? Would you want to be able to read minds?}}

Ok, given that she is solving mysteries, the mind-reading thing can definitely come in handy. However, it's probably a disability overall. It's one of those things that sounds really good in principal, but as she makes clear in the book, it really kind of sucks in the long run. If you had that ability and could turn it on and off, maybe. But I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be pleasant to know what others are thinking all of the time. You'd end up in a bunch of questionable moral/ethical situations.

5. If you have read other vampire books, how does Dead Until Dark compare?

This one is hard to tackle without going into pages and pages since there is such a wide range of vampire books, but I do really like this take. It's nice to have a more irreverent, humorous view of vampires rather than the usual horror/suspense style vampire in most books.

karmakat
Re: July Book club questions
Board: AQ Book Club Main Board
Reply to: #533133 by The hicks from the sticks
Aug 1, 2010 11:20am
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1. I think it works both for her and against her to be able to read minds. It works for her to obtain information but it also works against her when she has to force her to block out peoples thoughts - as she says "Life would be to busy of I heard everyone's thoughts" Or something like that.....that is one of the reasons she is so attracted to Bill, because she cannot hear his thoughts. I would not want to read people's minds - I have too much of my own stuff going around in my head! ;)

2. The thought of a vampire in Bon Temps was very exciting for Sookie so that was one of the attractions, then adding the fact that her mind can rest when she is around him is another factor. She is also very physically attracted to him given how he was her first ;)

3. Having read more than the first book so far (i can't put them down either!), I think she would be choosing between 2 "different" people. With Sam's ability and Bill's ability, I think Sam would be a better choice. To much trouble happens in the vampire world with all the politics.

4. It will, it does, and it sucked :)

5. Dead until Dark ranks up there with the Twilight series - I am on book 4 now and it just keeps getting better and better! These two series are the opposite side of the spectrum as the Anne Rice vampire chronicles, but very still enjoyable.
Re: July Book club questions
Board: AQ Book Club Main Board
Reply to: #533205 by Amyrica
Aug 1, 2010 7:20pm
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1. Do you see Sookie's ability to read minds as a strength or a disability? Would you want to be able to read minds?
I would like to read minds but only if I had complete control over that ability and could turn it on and off. Poor Sookie gets assaulted all the time.

disability! i wouldn't want the ability even if i could turn it on and off. okay, so i'd really want to read people's minds, but know i shouldn't!

2. Why do you think Sookie was so immediately attracted to Bill?
Because his thoughts were silent to her.

and i think there is a little bit of a "bad boy" thing going with her and bill.

3. Who do you think is a better match for Sookie, Bill or Sam?
Sam because he's got a heartbeat and will have a similar length of life to Sookie's. And, he's an overall good guy.

if i was her friend, i would say sam. he always has sookie's best interest in mind.

5. If you have read other vampire books, how does Dead Until Dark compare?

i read anne rice years ago. and just finished 3 twilight books. sookie is my favorite!
Re: July Book club questions
Board: AQ Book Club Main Board
Reply to: #533133 by The hicks from the sticks
Aug 2, 2010 3:48am
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1. Do you see Sookie's ability to read minds as a strength or a disability? Would you want to be able to read minds?

Disability that is able to be put to good use! Not being able to selectively use this "talent" is definitely a disability for Sookie--I'm surprised she hasn't had a total breakdown from the background noise. Would I like to be able to read minds--no. ON the surface it does sound cool, but but it would be the ultimate violation in reality to have your innermost secrets exposed against your will. Not a responsibility I would want! (If I had a super power or psychic ability, I wnat one that is only "happy"!!)

2. Why do you think Sookie was so immediately attracted to Bill?

I agree that the silent mind and bad boy characteristics were a draw--they were for me at least!

3. Who do you think is a better match for Sookie, Bill or Sam?

Having read most of the series, it is hard to answer this without my knowledge bleeding over, but I would say neither. Sam is her boss, her friend. Also, he always seemed older to me. Bill has the bad boy vampire thing working against him as Sookie cares too much to be with him long term.

4. Do you think Sookie's deal with Eric will come back to haunt her?

Well, yeah! Just knowing this book is the first of a series tells me that :P How it comes back to haunt her is worth speculating on.

5. If you have read other vampire books, how does Dead Until Dark compare?

I have read quite a few vampire books/series. Sookie is my favorite because it is light hearted, cozy mystery--my favorite genre. I enjoyed both Twilight and House of Night because they were not your stereotypical Transylvanian Dracula vampires--although they were def. mind fluff! Laurell Hamilton has a series that is a bit darker and sexier but also different from the classic vampire that I enjoy (mostly)

I DID NOT care for Ann Rice, but that was years ago-may give her another try. Also dawns on me that it has been decades since I read the classic Dracula. Need to do that as well.
Re: July Book club questions
Board: AQ Book Club Main Board
Reply to: #533133 by The hicks from the sticks
Aug 2, 2010 6:00am
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Also for those who have read the whole Sookie Series, or for those who plan to there is another book:
A Touch of Dead: The Complete Stories That fills in some of the gaps in the storyline. She tells you when each little story takes place in relationship to the books. It is not as well written in my opinion, but it does explain a few things.
My sisters roommate and I think that these were actually story lines that didn't have enough to hold their own as a story, but explained enough that she decided to put them together and release them.

SFF
Re: July Book club questions
Board: AQ Book Club Main Board
Reply to: #533449 by Silva Foot Family
Aug 2, 2010 9:43am
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Charlaine Harris writes a lot of short stories and A Touch of Dead was just a compilation of some of those stories. There are others that aren't in that book. You can see them all here if you page down to the Short Stories collection:

http://www.charlaineharris.com/bibliography/bibliog-sookie.html

I've read most of them. My favorite was Gift Wrap. :-)
Re: July Book club questions
Board: AQ Book Club Main Board
Reply to: #533133 by The hicks from the sticks
Aug 2, 2010 10:40am
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1. I think Sookie's ability to read minds is a strength. It's definitely and asset I'd love to have.

2. Sookie's attracted to Bill becasue he allows her "peace and quiet". She can't read his mind and it makes him seem more interesting to her.

3. Hmmmm....tough one. I go back and forth on that.

4. Yes. But I'm a bit of an Eric fan.

5. I read A LOT of vampire books and I really enjoy this series.

:) MM
Re: July Book club questions
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Reply to: #533545 by Mama Marge
Aug 2, 2010 10:52am
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1. I think Sookie's ability to read minds is a strength. It's definitely and asset I'd love to have

.

MM--care to expand? Would you take the ability "as is" for SOokie or would you want more control? I would love to hear the other side of this as I am strongly in the "no way" camp!!