Thursday Tea: Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris

The Book: Dead and Gone is the ninth book in Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire series, starring Sookie Stackhouse.

Louisiana is still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Katrina, which had a devastating effect not only on humans but on the supernatural beings as well. The vampire kingdoms have undergone new leadership and new borders, which means quite a few changes for Sookie's undead friends. But more significant for Sookie are a few other events.

First, the weres and shape-shifters decide to announce their presence to the world at large. As you can imagine, the reactions to this revelation are strong and varied. Some citizens of Bon Temps seem to have gone off the deep end, and a vigilante group is out to kill all known supernaturals. Sookie, of course, is caught up in the investigation of who's been doing the murders. Second, the fairy world is involved in a civil war, and the enemies of Sookie's grandfather are out to kill or kidnap her as way to make him surrender. So on top of everything else she's dealing with, Sookie has to stay alert to stay alive. And then there's the matter of Eric (sorry, I can't say more than that without spoiling the story--Ha!).

Dead and Gone is another fun entry in Harris's Sookie Stackhouse books. Despite the murders, blood, and vampires, the novels are light reading and a great way to escape into another world. As always, I listened to the unabridged audiobook (Recorded Books, 9 hr, 1 min) read by Johanna Parker, who is perfect as Sookie.

The Tea: I don't normally drink herbal teas, but there's one exception: I love Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice tea. It is so warming and has such a wonderful aroma that it's one of my go-to teas when I'm feeling sick or have a chill. This week's snowfall had me brewing a pot. Here's the company's description: "Brimming with cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and cloves, a cup of our aromatic Bengal Spice tea is like a trip to an exotic spice market in a faraway land. This adventurous blend is our caffeine-free interpretation of Chai." As always, I drink it black with no sweetener.

The Assessment: We've been through this before. It's highly unlikely Sookie would be drinking any kind of fancy tea. In fact, in Dead and Gone, I think she drank lemonade more than anything else, and I really don't see her drinking chai--herbal or traditional. Oh well, she doesn't know what she's missing.

What About You? Here's where I ask you what you're drinking this week (tea, coffee, wine?). And don't forget to tell me what you're reading.

Dead and Gone at an Indie

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Thursday Tea was the brainchild of Anastasia at Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog.

Published by Penguin USA / Ace, 2009
ISBN-13: 9780441017157
Source: Review (see review policy)
Rating: B
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy)
FTC: I buy all teas myself, I am not a tea reviewer.