Anyone watching the show True Blood?

I just watched the first 5 episodes yesterday and today online. Seems interesting so far.

....WAIT!!

there are 'true blood' BOOKS?!?!?!?!!!   woot!!  I gotta go get me some of those!

Yep! The Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire Series.... I found them pretty cheap on ebay :)

Yes! I read them all last month with a friend of mine who is so obsessed with Eric.

I'm interested by some of the ways the TV series diverges from the books. Tara and Lafayette, for instance, were much more interesting this season than they are in the books, in my opinion. 

Some of the Bill plotline seems to have taken a left turn, which doesn't impress me, but I understand how the changes work with the TV iteration rather than books.

I hope this show has legs and lasts for many seasons.

If you really like to read and like the show then you may want to go ahead and buy the box set which has the first seven books in it:

http://www.amazon.com/Sookie-Stackhouse-Boxed -True-Blood/dp/0441017770/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie= UTF8&s=books&qid=1229553765&sr=8- 1

If you aren't sure then just get the first book, but i love the series and think you will probably end up wanting to read them all.

Bit Torrent has all the books in PDF formats.

Bit Torrent has all the books in PDF formats.

I love you jewels! Just got em' YEAH YEAH !

I'm awesome.  This I know.

yes you are

This will be my first time reading an actual book online....  BUT I'm sure I will be fine, not like I have any problems sitting in front of a computer HA

I think I'm going to buy the books. How many are there TOTAL?  I'll read them after watching the 12 episodes that are out now, I know the books will be better... at least this time, I'll have a face to see in my head for the characters. :D

Edit: After seeing that these books were published in 2001 and Twilight in 2005, I'd say Twilight is a total rip-off of these books. There's so much the same... it's really odd.

There are currently 8 books out with a 9Th book scheduled to release in May of next year. She usually releases about 1 a year. I wish she wrote faster, I love her books. I have never read any books online, but it sure would save me a ton of money. I have been thinking of buying a Kindle for a while now, but I love cozying up with a book in bed or the tub, and it just doesn't seem like it would be the same.

Original Post by cptbunny:

Edit: After seeing that these books were published in 2001 and Twilight in 2005, I'd say Twilight is a total rip-off of these books. There's so much the same... it's really odd.

Twilight might be ripping off these books, but True Blood is a pretty blatant rip off of Buffy the Vampire Slayer which started way back in 1997. 

I LOVE True Blood!

Don't understand the Twilight hype.

And

I have never watched Buffy.

The first time I ever really got into Vampires was when I read "Interview with a Vampire" by Anne Rice. I read her entire Vampire Chronicles back when I was in Jr High. She wrote the first one in 1976. They made a movie from the first book in 1994.

I did watch Buffy, the movie and the first few seasons of the TV show. The movie was in 1992, and I didn't actually like it very much. The show started in 1997 and I watched the first 2-3 seasons.

I did like the TV show but I don't think the Sookie novels are a total rip off of the tv show. There are a lot of differences. I think if anything the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter novels are closer to Buffy.

That is just my opinion though. I have been reading vampire novels for a long time since I am a big fan of the genre and many of them have similarities. It is pretty hard for any author today to come up with a truly original idea anymore.

Original Post by beckah:

I did like the TV show but I don't think the Sookie novels are a total rip off of the tv show.

 You're right, the Sookie novels are way different than Buffy: hot blonde chick with super powers she doesn't want, living in a community where vampires live amongst the people, surrounded by a group of friends including a witty female best friend, a younger sibiling who's always getting in trouble, an older parential figure watching over her, and a nice, safe, male friend who's really in love with her but she won't give him the time of day because she's too distracted by the mysterious, hansome, non-evil vampire-with-a-soul who helps keep her safe and out of trouble...

But wait, sully, that describes BTVS to a..... oh, I see what you did there. Very sneaky.

I've watched a few episodes of True Blood at my fiance's parent's (we don't get HBO) and I found it fun to watch, but a total rip off of Buffy, with less humor and wit.  Joss Whedon's only mistake was ever making the Buffy movie (although I think the way the movie turned out was not his fault - the execs made him change a lot of his ideas to fit their teeny-bopper outline). Made people feel silly about watching the show, even though the show was on a completely different plane.

Original Post by floggingsully:

Original Post by beckah:

I did like the TV show but I don't think the Sookie novels are a total rip off of the tv show.

 You're right, the Sookie novels are way different than Buffy: hot blonde chick with super powers she doesn't want, living in a community where vampires live amongst the people, surrounded by a group of friends including a witty female best friend, a younger sibiling who's always getting in trouble, an older parential figure watching over her, and a nice, safe, male friend who's really in love with her but she won't give him the time of day because she's too distracted by the mysterious, hansome, non-evil vampire-with-a-soul who helps keep her safe and out of trouble...

Except, from what I've watched, she doesn't go around killing bad guys! ;)

Just one so far (alas it was self defense).

Original Post by cptbunny:

Except, from what I've watched, she doesn't go around killing bad guys! ;)

 Technically, neither does Buffy.

True Blood = Buffy with lots of fairly graphic sex scenes.

Sookie isn't a vampire slayer, her grandma is dead, and who said Bill is actually keeping her safe.

Original Post by jewelsmcblah:

True Blood = Buffy with lots of fairly graphic sex scenes.

Sookie isn't a vampire slayer, her grandma is dead Buffy's Mom died too, and who said Bill is actually keeping her safe Who said Angel was keeping Buffy safe?.

 

Original Post by floggingsully:

Original Post by jewelsmcblah:

True Blood = Buffy with lots of fairly graphic sex scenes.

Sookie isn't a vampire slayer, her grandma is dead Buffy's Mom died too, and who said Bill is actually keeping her safe Who said Angel was keeping Buffy safe?.

 

 

You guys really need to read the books :) They paint Bill in a very different light.

The show is a bit of a Buffy knock-off...but the books aren't. The portrayal of the characters in the books are very different than in the show. Example...Tara plays a minor role in the books, she's not even in about 1/2 of them. The books have a very playful tone to them...more humor and playful type sex than drama. The show is heavy on the drama....with heavy sex and overall tension.