Did you watch that book on television?

I've spent the last few weeks firmly ensconced in Bon Temps, Louisiana hanging out with Sookie and Sam and Eric and Bill and Pam and Tara and.....well a lot of other people. The latest book came out last month but I was in the middle of a few other things so it got pushed to the back burner. Then I got a package from my niece that had ALL of the previous books so I decided as a palate cleanser from Alan Bell's fan fiction on HBO and a reminder on all of the story lines I would read all of them before reading the new release.  Finally the day came yesterday to start the new book. And finish the new book. Okay, that's an exaggeration. I didn't get it finished yesterday, I had 3 more chapters this morning then I finished it.

Charlaine Harris has announced that the last Sookie Stackhouse book will be released next year and you could definitely feel the "wrapping up" in this one. She's said that she has nothing more to say about Sookie and the rest of the Bon Temps crew. No more stories to tell. And I can understand that, but it doesn't make me happy. It's funny how attached we get to our fictional worlds. To the make believe people that live there. I can remember being so excited to get the last Harry Potter book and then so sad to finish it. I had been living with those stories for years. Marking time in C's life with time in Harry's. And I know I will have that same feeling next year when I finish the last of these books.

And I can see where she is headed with the wrap up and I'm not overly happy about it. Well, that's not entirely fair. (bear with me while I sound like a crazy person for awhile) I can see where she is headed and I see that it will be good for Sookie. That it's really a nice way for her to live out her life (yes, I know that technically her life ends as soon as Charlaine Harris stops giving her one) but I still wish it were going to go in another direction. I shed a few tears this book as I watched the door I wanted Sookie to walk through start to close. I know there will be more closing doors next year as well as the one door she will have left open. And I know I will cry for her then as well. And be happy for her as well. Like I said, I can see that the what I think is the direction she is headed is a good one for her. And after reading all of the books again I can see that's it's really been where Ms. Harris has been walking her all along and I won't be mad about it happening. But...well...it's not the way my fangirl crush went.

I thought it was sort of funny that while I was reading the latest book in the series my news feed on Facebook was blowing up with people excited about the season premier of True Blood last night.Two years ago I would have been as well, but last season was my last season for the show. It's gotten to the point where it's difficult for me to watch. Alan Bell has the characters doing and saying things they would never do or say. Friends of mine convinced me to watch one last season last year and treat it as it's own story. Not to try and reconcile it with what they books are about but just keep it as it's own story. So I did my best and discovered...Alan Bell tells a really shitty story. There had been flashes of it all along. The first season was the best, and in my mind it wasn't a coincidence that this was the story line he kept the closest to the books. Every season since he has thrown more and more stuff in there. More characters, more subplots, more of everything. And it's just not good. It's too busy. It's too much. And it's all too fucking weird. Yes, they are all beautiful people who get naked a lot and you would think that would be enough to hold my interest...but alas, I need a story as well. And Alan Bell tells a lousy story. At least in my opinion...HBO and all of the people who were so excited for the new season obviously disagree with me. 

So now here is my latest issue...I started watching Game of Thrones last year. For some unknown reason I had never heard of the books, even though it seems like all of my geek friends have read, re-read and re-read them again.  I LOVED the first season and LOVED the fact that I was surprised by everything that happened and I had ZERO expectations for how the characters would act. So I bought the first four books (they were on a good sale for Kindle) between season one and two but I didn't read them. They are just sitting on my Kindle tempting me...  Now that season two has ended and I am gathering from friend's posts that they are starting to veer a bit more from the books I am trying to decide if this is good sign to read them or a bad sign to still wait. And just to add to the dilemma they have announced that they will be splitting book 3 in to two seasons. So if I want to wait I would be waiting another 3-4 YEARS before reading them. I think you see which way I am leaning in the argument... But what I am so worried about is losing my love for the TV show because the books are just that much better. And you know they will be.

And this is where I realize that my problems are really very small. I am trying to decide on when to watch TV and when to read a book. It's not like I have to worry about my boyfriend marrying the Queen of Oklahoma or how I am going to kill, connive and back-stab my way on to the Iron Throne...