Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Fiction - 3.5 stars - The first of the Sookie Stackhouse series, Dead Until Dark is a fast-paced mystery with lots of vampires, sex, and small-town southern culture. If you've seen True Blood on HBO, you know the story line, which kind of follows in the first season. Alan Ball does such a wonderful job creating the show, I'm not sure which I like better. Its a great beach read.

Gertrude and Claudius by John Updike

Historical Fiction - 3.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. It is the story of the parents of the historical Hamlet, before the setting in Shakespeare's play. Told in three different ways, the story really focuses on Hamlet's mother and her relationships with the elder Hamlet his younger brother Feng (Claudius). I enjoyed Updike's style, and the story was compelling and well-known to me.