The Sookie Stackhouse Companion (The Southern Vampire Mysteries Series Book 15)

I really enjoyed this book. It was nice having an overview of the previous books just to refresh the memory ;) and the map was really neat to have. Also, the food receipies were neat to have as well. I loved this book. Thanks~!~

I am a big Sookie Stackhouse and Charlaine Harris fan so I hope I am not biased. I found it delightful. It starts with a novella where Sookie accompanies Sam to a family wedding after the shifters have come out.

Then you get a cultural view of the South with some recipes mentioned in the book listed. They sound delicious, especially the famous chocolate cake.

There are interviews with Charlaine Harris and the producers of True Blood, which have given me an insiders look at the series. Buy the book and read it. You will love it.

Thank you for shipping The Sookie Stackhouse Companion so quickly. It was in excellent condition. I have read all the Stookie Stackhouse novels and am waiting for book 12. This will help me to know and understand all the characters and the settings better.

I love the Sookie Stackhouse series, but these filler books are a waste. Don't bother purchasing this one. I would recommend getting it from the library or a friend. I never even finished reading it. The short story in the beginning was good, but the rest stunk. If you're collecting the series this one isn't worth adding to your collection. I will probably donate mine to a book donation site.

I loved the book and this format (being the first time I read a kindle book) you can highlight the parts you like, easy lo look for any fragment you want to re-read :) .... Although I would like that the map of bon temps was bigger, is too little for this format and can't be expanded so you can see it clearly :(

I have read all of Charlaine Harris' books on Sookie Stackhouse.. It's a book I have to read to the end.. I can't wait to read her next Sookie Stackhouse book.. If you enjoy True Blood you will enjoy reading the books..

I am obsessed with the Sookie books, and this one is just awesome. In this book you'll find a super cute short story involving Sookie & Sam, but in addition to that there is a timeline of events, an index of people/terms used in the books, a map of Bon Temps, recipes (I can't wait to make the fried pickles!), an interview with Alan Ball, Q&A with Charlaine Harris, and more!

A previous reviewer said its not worth the money since the majority of the book is "recap", but I completely disagree! I'm constantly looking back through books (or searching online) to try to see what/who/when/which book something happened in. Its totally awesome to have it all in one place now!

If you're a die-hard fan like me, you can't miss this book.

One would think that based on the amount of money the Sookie books and have earned and the royalties that she has been paid from True Blood, Charlaine Harris would not find it necessary to sucker additional money from her fans by peddling junk like this. I'm glad I didn't pay $30 for the hard cover addition.

This book contains:
one very nice novella
some diagrams that are unreadable on a kindle
and a bunch of second rate content authored by third parties or sycophants that appears to have been rehashed from fan magazines, wikipedia, or which could have originally appeared as a FAQs on a fan fiction website.

The author should be embarrassed to have her name on this travesty and should personally send a 80% refund to each and every purchaser for the quantity of content in this book that she didn't originate.

Charlaine, I hope you read this and are very ashamed.

Save your money, don't buy this book. Get it from the library and read the novella. You can forget the rest.

Like most fans I have read every Sookie Stackhouse novel and short story, and religiously watch True Blood every Sunday. I kept my own list on the order of the novels and short stories, and had lots of questions on how Charlaine Harris created the Sookie Universe and its characters. This book answered all my questions and then some.

First and foremost, I want to give a special shout out to Beverly Battillo and Victoria Koski who both appear to have provided a lot of information to make this companion a keeper.

Here is a quick rundown of what is in the book based on the Kindle version:

1) A map of Bon Temps (which is microscopic in the Kindle version.)

2) A four chapter short story called Small Town Wedding by Charlaine Harris

3) Life in Bon Temps by Victoria Koski - great timeline and recap of all the books (this is a really fun read)

4) Sookie Short Stories and Related Material - Charlaine Harris explains how and why she created the short stories, etc.

5) Vampires, Two Natured and Fairies Oh My! - Charlaine Harris as Sookie discusses all the creatures she has met and there is a Sookie Stackhouse Family Tree (microscopic on Kindle)

6) Sookie Stackhouse Trivia created by Beverly Battillo and Victoria Koski (another fun read)

7) What's Cooking in Bon Temps - lots of yummy recipes from the books

8) Inside True Blood - Alan Ball is brutally honest as he answers questions about the differences between the books and the show, and his love for all things Bill and Sookie on True Blood

9) Mystery to Mayham - All the works of Charlaine Harris are listed - I thought this should have been placed last since it includes all her other works

10) Recollections around the Duckpond - Fans of Charlaine Harris and their experiences are discussed

11) Charlaine Harris Interview - the author answers questions from fans

12) World of Sookie Stackhouse - by Victoria Koski is an excellent guide to every character and term used in the books. Sort of like a Sookie Universe encyclopedia

My only quibbles are that the illustrations (maps, family tree, etc.) are microscopic on a Kindle and Beverly Battillo and Victoria Koski should have been listed as contributing editors/authors.

Other than that, Sookie Stackhouse novel fans will find this book a wonderful edition to their library.

This book is a collection of odds and ends relating to the series of Sookie Stackhouse novels. It contains a map, a novella relating to the series written by the author, a synopsis of the yet incomplete series by Victoria Koski, brief comments on the related short stories and the creatures in the series by the author, Sookie's family tree, a short section of trivia questions about the series by Beverly Battillo and Victoria Koski, some recipes, an interview of Alan Ball regarding the as yet unfinished True Blood series on HBO, a brief overview of other books by Charlaine Harris, an article about the Charlaine Harris fan club, an interview with the author, and a lengthy guide to the characters by Victoria Koski.

The novella, "Small Town Wedding" supposedly impacts the course of the series. It is not a bad story, revolving around the wedding of the brother of Sookie's boss Sam. What should be a simple happy excursion becomes a potentially violent challenge. I enjoyed reading it.

The map, family tree, interviews, trivia questions, and recipes were momentarily diverting but ultimately probably not worth buying the book.

The synopsis of the series and character guide by Victoria Koski puzzled me. The information was accurate to a point but was written from a shockingly biased point of view. Rather than simply reviewing the series, she often inserts her own interpretations of events, dwells on some happenings, and completely omits mention of other events. She frequently makes use of emotionally loaded descriptions, apparently in an attempt to persuade the reader to accept a particular interpretation. I found this quite troubling because the entire book is apparently sanctioned by the author, and I am at a loss to explain why she might do this. It strikes me as a crude way to try to get readers of the series to perhaps reinterpret what they have read, and as a reader I find this quite insulting. It is also puzzling that a synopsis and detailed character guide of a series be published before the series is complete.

Overall I would not recommend this book even though the novella might be worth reading. The rest of the material ranged from minimally interesting to intrusively annoying.

Great companion book to the Sookie Stackhouse series. Loved the short stories and the fill in information on the characters. Am sad to see the end of the series is in sight. I have read some of Charlaine Harris' other books but not impressed. Love Sookie, Bill and Eric and will miss them.

I was a little hesitant about getting this book figuring it would be all big font and wide margins just to fill up the pages, but when it arrived I was impressed with how dense it is. There seems to be more packed into this book than the novels themselves, and I was pleasantly surprised with how much there was to it.

That said, the majority is not new material. The bulk is devoted to recapping the existing novels (which are worth reading for all the sex euphemisms alone and include new conversations between Bill and Eric that range from mundane to adorable) and providing an in-depth list and explanation of all the novels' characters. The other highlights include a 76-page novella, Q&A with Charlaine Harris and Alan Ball, a word from the fan club and some Sookieverse-inspired recipes.

Despite being mostly rehashed information, this is a handy guide for fans of the series who have trouble keeping all the facts straight from year to year as new books are released. It will be especially useful to peruse just before the next novel comes out to brush up on the preceding eleven books.

I enjoyed the new story about Sam and Sookie going to his brother's wedding. The map of Bon Temps was almost like I had imagined it, with lots of extra interesting detail. If you are a Charlaine Harris fan, you need this book!

I read the reviews of this book before I purchased it. I knew what to expect and bought it anyway. The short story about Sam's brother's wedding was interesting enough. The rest, I just skimmed. I have enjoyed the S.S. series very much. Lately, though, all entries have lacked the spark and excitement of the first seven or so in the series. That's a shame.
Buy it used or check it out from the library.

Very disappointed. The novella was great but I expected more not a recap of the books I've already read. I, also, thought that the short stories were actually in this book not what other books I could find them in. Felt ripped off and I'm usually delighted by the Sookie Stackhouse books. Not this time.

I love the Sookie Stackhouse books and the series True Blood! Pre-Ordered this early. Wish I had noticed it was "edited" by Charlaine Harris - not written by. The new short story was great! The list of all characters boring! Just alot of rehashed/rewritten material. I am disappointed in the over all content.
This said - cannot wait for the next sookie book from Charlaine and already going into True Blood withdrawal - as sunday is the last episode of season 4.

The short story at the beginning of book was really good, however 80% of the rest is a recap of entire series. Since I own the series I could have saved $15 and reread the books. In my opinion the description is misleading. I've never wanted my money back on a download,this time Im quite disappointed .

The Sookie Stackhouse Companion is filled to the covers with interesting and important Sookie information. It has a map of Bon Temps, Sookie’s family tree, and Harris explains the chronology of the short stories and novellas, also where other stories in the Sookieverse fit in. There’s a Q&A from Harris to fans, also a Q&A from TrueBlood creator, producer and writer, Alan Ball to fans. Sookie herself discusses creatures she’s met, there are trivia quizzes and over 30 pages of Down-Home Southern Recipes.

Over 200 pages of this book is a piece called Life in Bon Temps by Victoria Koski which comprehensively summarises events in each of the first eleven novels, and includes transcripts of secret dialogue between Bill and Eric (or Pam) at the end of each one; this, and Koski’s “Guide to the World of Sookie Stackhouse”, a 150 page detailed alphabetical listing of characters are, no doubt, best read after the books themselves as they are filled with spoilers. Harris’s other works are discussed, and there’s a short story, Small Town Wedding, in which……

Sookie and Sam head to Wright, Texas for the wedding of Sam’s brother, Craig. But feelings in the town about the Were/Shifter reveal are mixed, and it seems not everyone is willing to let this wedding proceed unhindered. But is the level of protest spontaneous? A certain were-tiger makes an appearance, as do several shifters, and a character is introduced whose existence is significant in Harris’s Midnight, Texas series. Sookie discovers her savage side. Probably essential reading for the die-hard Sookie fan.

"Small Town Wedding" is a short story in the Sookie Stackhouse series and, per Charlaine Harris, falls between Dead in the Family (Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood, #10), and Dead Reckoning (Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood, #11), making it 10.5.

My Take
The short story, "Small Town Wedding", was sweet. Family coming together, backing each other up. I loved the party after the wedding! I did not figure out how Sookie knew to head down to the pound.

Ooh, Quinn meets his "doom"! LOL, and so does Sarah Newlin...yes!

That takes care of the first 79 pages. After that, there's a huge chunk devoted to providing readers with a timeline of every Sookie Stackhouse book in the series, and it reads like an outline in summary format. Harris also provides a timeline for the short stories, although I still disagree about the chronology for "If I Had a Hammer". I know, the cheek of me! It's just that it wasn't until Dead Ever After, 13, that Tara started talking about needing to expand the house.

Oh, man, then there are the recipes!! Yummy!!

Questions from her fan club are answered. There's a guide to the characters in each story and a visit with Alan Bell who created the television series True Blood based on the Sookie Stackhouse series.

On the whole, I enjoyed the short story, and the majority of this is ideal for the Sookie Stackhouse fan who wants a bible of the series.

The Short Story
Sookie Stackhouse is heading out of town to Wright, Texas, with Sam Merlotte to go to his brother's, Craig's, wedding to Deidra Lisle. (His sister Mindy is already married to Doke Ballinger and they have two kids: Mason and Bonnie.)

It's already fraught as the shifters came out a short time ago, and Don shot Bernie, Sam's mom, when she changed in front of him, and now Deidra's parents have put off the wedding several times, worried about her marrying an animal!

But, hey, the townspeople have known the Merlottes for years, what could happen?

Other Characters include:
Eric Northman is her boyfriend; Bill Compton is her vampire neighbor still recovering from the silver poisoning. Victor Madden is Eric's boss. Tara is her pregnant friend and not due for three more months. Cousin Claude and Great-Uncle Dermot plan to stay at Claude's house while she's gone. Sam is dating Jannalyn, the enforcer for the Shreveport pack, but Sam had invited Sookie before he started dating Jannalyn. Thank god!

In Wright
Jim Collins is the Merlottes' miserable neighbor. Quinn is a weretiger whom Sookie once dated. He's with Trish Pulaski and Togo Olympio, worried about Sookie. Sister Mendoza and Rafe are sheriff's deputies in Wright and Sam's friends. Pastor Bart Arrowsmith has issues with which he'll need to deal; Nathan Arrowsmith is his son, the one holding the stink bomb. Jared Lisle is Deidra's brother in the service; he'll take a stand with them around the church. Porter Carpenter is one of the unhelpful cops.

More twoeys who show up to help include:
Brenda Sue, a trauma nurse; Luna Garza; and, Tijgerin, a weretigress with whom Quinn mates.

Sarah Newlin from the Fellowship of the Sun church organized the riot; and gets herself arrested after she shoots Jim Collins, her cohort in crime.

The Cover
The cover is, as usual, fun with Sam the collie hanging his head out the window of a red truck which is silhouetted against a sparkly full moon while Sookie drives, glancing back in fear at the bats flying around them.

The title is what it is: The Sookie Stackhouse Companion as it indexes the entire series.

This book includes many things: short stories, a map, information on the books and on the tv series, recipes... As a fan, I think it's a great addition, and I particularly liked "Small town wedding", as I felt gave a great interaction where we could see much more of just the two of them, before the final entry in the book. Personally, it made me see their relationship as a much more balanced one (instead of his just pining for her), and it was a good development.
If you're a fan, get it! I know that some have been complaining that the Kindle edition isn't good because of the map, but the hardcover is great (although I know it's more expensive).

The included novella, Small-Town Wedding, was one of my favorites in the Sookie-verse but the rest of the book was just so-so. The companion included overviews of each book, recipes, Q & A's with Charlaine Harris and Alan Ball, and a character dictionary. I skimmed most of the content, but I could see it coming in handy while reading one of the novels and needing to look up a name or specific incident. As a cover to cover read, it wasn't that engaging but I don't think that's what it was meant to be.

This will come in handy when discussing the series, or trying to remember details from the series. It summarizes each book in order with a timeline, there is a family tree, explanations on the different supes, map, etc. I love the character profiles in alpha order! Very useful. The Q&A was interesting, but not anything I haven't seen answered before!

This ESSENTIAL book of "references" and fan questions answered is so great! Every word I devoured with pleasure! I highly recommend this book to all Sookie fans, all True Blood fans and anyone else who likes well written info on the Southern Vampire Mysteries !!

The short story "Small Town Wedding" is wonderful! Like the early Sookie stories, it has that blend of ironic (and other) humor with supernatural mysteries, which is mixed with down-home folks. I love it when the author writes like this. The rest of the book is truly a reference companion. I read most of it to remind myself about what happened to whom and when. Whatever you do, read the short story at least. You'll be glad.

The Sookie short story is only three stars, but the companion portion of the book is outstanding! Excellent recaps of the previous books along with a helpful timeline. And the character bios are fantastic. A great reference for any fan of the series.

I was practically drooling to get my hands on this book because anything about Sookie Stackouse has to be good, right? Wrong. This badly put together "companion" is anything but. The included novella is boring and does not include one vampire. I almost fell asleep reading it. There are "secret communications" between Eric and Bill that are clearly fake and not the least bit in character. A large portion of the book is a timeline that just rehashes what we already know so I skipped it. The guide to the characters was somewhat interesting but overall when I finished reading the book I sat it down and thought "What the heck?" This was a poorly conceived volume that didn't, in my opinion, clarify or add anything to the Sookie Stackhouse novels. Don't waste your time.

this was really entertaining! it made bon Temps, and the characters more real to me, via the town map, and the great recipes. I recommend this book whole-heartedly to anyone who has read all the books, however if you haven't, please do so first. without reading the series you will be lost, and scratching your head.

I was curious about the Sookie Stackhouse companion book and have not been disappointed. Not only do you get a nice little short story to start you off, but there are tons of insider informational bits as to the who's and what's of Bon Temps. My favorite part is by far though the recipe surprises, perfect for any True Blood party! This book is a must have!!

Being a fan of the Sookie Stackhouse books, I try to get my hands on all the short stories. I realized I had missed this one so I borrowed it from the library.

The first part had a long story about Sookie visiting Sam's family in Texas. If we ever needed proof that Sam is boring as a suitor, this is it. I had a hard time finishing it.

Another section contains email/phone call transcripts between Eric & Bill. OK we know that Eric summoned Bill to work for him on different occasions. Do we care about the exact wording? It adds zero value.

Another section was an interview with Allan Ball. WTH? He's not a part of the book world. Let him write his own True Blood book.

Next was an interview with Charlaine Harris - nothing new in here.

And a huge section of the book: an index of all characters and summaries about them.