AGENDA . Agenda Picks

Charlaine Harris

Wed., May 5, 7:30 p.m., free, Free Library Central Branch, 1901 Vine St., 215-567-4341, freelibrary.org.


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Published: Apr 28, 2010

[ blood lust ]

Charlaine Harris is not the greatest writer of all time. The author of the Sookie Stackhouse novels has no unique way with words and does not write pitch-perfect dialogue. And in a rare turn, the TV adaptation of her most famous work — HBO's True Blood, which premieres its third season Sun., June 13 — has more depth than its written-word counterpart. But goddamnit if they aren't the equivalent of literary crack. And ever since I picked up the first novel, Dead Until Dark (Ace) — about the titular telepathic waitress and her vampire lover Bill living in a reality populated by shapeshifters, werewolves and fairies — I've been jonesing for more. Harris is a simple writer, skipping the normal purple prose of other drugstore paperbacks or similarly fantastical books for frank straight talk. Sookie is a strong central character, a rare sass-filled heroine with a romantic interest who doesn't melt when in the presence of her idealized male hero. Harris will read from Dead in the Family (Ace), her 10th Stackhouse novel, out this month. Finally, a fix.

Wed., May 5, 7:30 p.m., free, Free Library Central Branch, 1901 Vine St., 215-567-4341, freelibrary.org.