What I have learnt from Sookie Stackhouse

Hey so, while I was sick with glandular fever and I wasn't sleeping or staring slack-jawed at the TV, I did a fair amount of reading.

I absolutely could not concentrate on any kind of substantial book. Instead, I ready the entire series to date of Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire mysteries, aka those Sookie Stackhouse books, aka the books that True Blood is based on.

I can't tell you what happened in which book because I basically inhaled them all one after the other like some kind of omnibus of ridiculousness. Now, I am shamefully excited because the final book in the series has been released on 7 May and I can finally find out whether Sookie ends up with Bill the Vampire Sap, Eric the Sexy Vampire, the dude that turns into a tiger, or her boss who is also sometimes a dog. I am totally rooting (lulz) for Eric the Sexy Vampire because he's all sexy and dangerous and not sometimes an animal. Just the kind of vampire a girl likes to fantasize about while running a 39C degree temperature.

If I have learnt anything from Sookie Stackhouse, (and it is certainly less than anything I learnt from Anne of Green Gables), it's is: 

✚ Stuff that makes me (even more) fascinated by Southern American culture. Like Southern hospitality: whenever someone comes into Sookie's house, she offers them a drink - but not like "would you like some tea, I've just put the kettle on". She gives a list of four possible beverage options to each visitor. Not one of them was tap water! And it made me think is my hospitality really terrible? Should I be more insecure about this? I am determined to make more of an effort to have beverages to offer to my planned visitors.

The beverage thing fascinated me, and stirred so many questions, like: how does Sookie always have four options? Is that expensive? Would she keep beverages in her house that she didn't even like that much just in case a visitor would like them (that is - more than just a synthetic blood substitute for the occasional vampire visitor)?  Did she keep MORE than the four beverage options, and then cap the amount that she offered so as to not overwhelm her guest? It's possible that I could write an entire fanfic story about Sookie shopping for beverages if I didn't find the idea of fanfic completely tragic. 

✚ When you get the opportunity to spend the day or the night at home (instead of, say, solving mysteries by reading minds, involving oneself in fairy, vampire or shifter wars, or working), you should probably - wash your hair, wear an oversized sleep-tee (of which I have none), shave your legs thoroughly and tan for a few hours. (TANNING. Charlaine Harris you should be ashamed).

✚ Nothing says "thanks for clearing my grandson from accusations of murder" than a well-made chocolate cake.

Silliest series of books ever, but they soothed my feverish brow. And I just counted that there's twelve of them already released so that's twelve ridiculous books read. Good lord.

Going to read something edifying and canon-tastic now. (Right after I finish this chapter.)