Favorite Author Fridays - Charlaine Harris

Charlaine Harris does several series of books: Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampire, Aurora Teagarden, Lily Bard "Shakespeare", Harper Connelly, and has done a couple non-series books. All of her books I would consider mysteries.

I was first introduced to her for her Sookie Stackhouse books, the ones she's most famous for. I love them. I will caution, however, that, as happens with most series vampire books, they're starting to get pretty questionable. The same thing happened with Laurel K. Hamilton. Her first books were really good but slowly they got more and more sexual until they were practically (in my opinion) erotica and I had to stop reading them. I might have to stop reading Sookie Stackhouse books soon. It just happens with the same vampire character in the same world with the same basic cast- all that's left if for them is to have sex with as many people as possible. Very Sad!

Don't let that steer you away from her other series however. I have never not liked a book I've read of hers. She just overall does an amazing job. She creates characters you love and root for and situations that seem real in spite of their obvious fantasy aspects (i.e. vampires). On an interesting note, Charlaine was raped when she was younger and so none of her books will ever have 'forced sex' put in a positive light. If you're familiar with a lot of fantasy/sci-fi books this is a relief to you also.

So here you go. A bibliography broken up by series. Remember ones in red I've read and loved.

Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampire

The Southern Vampire Mysteries is about a telepathic barmaid in northern Louisiana, named Sookie Stackhouse. Each book follows Sookie as she tries to solve mysteries involving vampires, werewolves and other creatures of the night.

Dead Until Dark
Living Dead in Dallas
Club Dead
Dead to the World
Dead as a Doornail
Definately Dead
All Together Dead
From Dead to Worse

Aurora Teagarden

Aurora Teagarden, a diminutive Georgia librarian whose life never turns out quite the way she plans, ends up solving real mysteries. These have all been released before but are being rereleased now.

Real Murders
A Bone to Pick
Three Bedrooms, One Corpse
The Julius House
Dead Over Heels
A Fool and His Honey
Last Scene Alive
Poppy Done to Death

Lily Bard "Shakespeare"

The heroine of the Shakespeare books is Lily Bard, a tough and taciturn woman whose life has been permanently reshaped by a terrible crime and its consequences. In Shakespeare's Landlord, the first in the series, Lily is caught at a moment when the shell she has built around herself is just beginning to crack. The books capture Lily's emotional re-entry into the world, while still remaining sound mysteries.

Shakespeare's Landlord
Shakespeare's Champion
Shakespeare's Christmas
Shakespeare's Trollop
Shakespeare's Counselor

Harper Connelly

Harper's been struck by lightning and the experience has left her with a strange ability: she can find corpses and see how they died. Afterward, Harper and her step-brother, Tolliver Lang, make their living from finding the dead.

Grave Sight
Grave Surprise
An Ice Cold Grave

Non-Series

Sweet and Deadly
A Secret Rage

*I have not included anthologies she has short stories in*
Also, most series information was gotten off of wikipedia.com