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Club Dead” Charlaine Harris

Why I read it: To keep the boy reading book four, so he could stay ahead of me. He told me he didn’t have a clue who they were talking about in Book 1 with Elvis, and it only became clear to him in book 3, because book 1 never named him directly. I was thinking that would be a problem. Teens are not the target audience of this series, and he’s had little exposure to Elvis culture.

Bookmark: White Birch Books, North Conway, New Hampshire.

Tastes Like Chicken: “Tea With the Black Dragon”, but maybe only because there was time spent in a car trunk. Also, Sookie took a lot of damage in this one, lost a lot of blood.

What I Liked: The thread of her having no money and Bill being kind of oblivious, while everyone else noticed, was good. He’s not a really good mate.

Not so Much: This is the second one in a row that has gone to a different city for its middle, and I find myself hungering for the small town.

Lesson: Once again the mystery thing. I see how it simplifies plotting to have such an obvious goal. The multiple threads are cool. I think I’m trying to do that in my novel, not sure if it’s entirely successful yet. Something to work on. Also, while the voice works, I wish there was more depth. These are like candy. A few references to the “word-a-day” calendar and paperbacks as a source of education aren’t enough. Maybe this is what happens when you write like three books per year? I am hungering for something richer.

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