Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Summary: Sookie Stackhouse is a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. She's quiet, keeps to herself, and doesn't get out much. Not because she's not pretty. She is. It's just that, well, Sookie has this sort of "disability." She can read minds. And that doesn't make her too dateable. And then along comes Bill. He's tall, dark, handsome--and Sookie can't hear a word he's thinking. He's exactly the type of guy she's been waiting for all her life....
But Bill has a disability of his own: He's a vampire with a bad reputation. He hangs with a seriously creepy crowd, all suspected of--big surprise--murder. And when one of Sookie's coworkers is killed, she fears she's next....

Rating: ***** (5 Stars)
Review: So I read this book back in 2009 right after I had started the Twilight series & I'm pretty sure the only reason I picked it up was because it was about vampires and I was coming down off my Twi high (haha Twi high..!) But the fact that it's about vampires is where the comparison to Twilight ends. After the first couple of chapters I fell in love with it instantly. Can I also just say that the art work on the covers in this series are awesome?! The southern gothic writing is absolutely phenomenal!! I have pushed this book series on all of my friends & they have loved not only the book but the series on HBO as well.  I enjoyed the aspect of two "unusual" people getting together and falling in love, which was strange especially for a vampire who supposedly has no emotions. I wouldn't even characterize this series as a guilty pleasure. It's well-written, with a lot of humor, & a sense of place. And I appreciate that it is aimed towards grown-ups. These vampires & other beings are not in high school; they are complex adults with real (& rated-R) lives to boot. Although my husband has not read the series he does watch the show & really enjoys it. He often asks me how the book compares & then we have a discussion on the differences. I have read 12 out of the 13 books in this series & the only reason I haven't read the last one is because I'm in denial that it's the final book & ending. So if you can commit to a long series then this is for you!