This week's book reviews, by Connie Forst, as submitted for publication in the Tofield Mercury.

True blood [DVD]. the complete first season

The small town of Bon Temps, Louisiana boasts a wide array of colorful locals. Sookie Stackhouse is a sweet and innocent waitress who hides her powerful ability to read minds. Bill Compton is a 173-year-old vampire who's just moved back to town. Sookie's brother Jason is a ladies' man who can't seem to stay out of trouble. Tough-as-nails Tara is Sookie's loyal best friend and Sam is the owner of Merlotte's who tries to keep his feelings for Sookie to himself. Lafayette is a man about town who's always cooking up something illicit.   

House of reckoning : a novel / John Saul

Left in the cold care of a loveless foster family and alienated at school, Sarah Crane finds a kindred spirit in classmate Nick Dunnigan, a former mental patient still plagued by voices and visions. And in eccentric art instructor Bettina Phillips who is eager to mentor Sarah's artistic talent. But within the walls of Bettina's ancestral home, Sarah finds something altogether different and disturbing.           

Martha Stewart's dinner at home : 52 quick meals to cook for family & friends

Whether it is used for preparing a Sunday dinner for family or hosting a festive evening with friends, "Martha Stewart's Dinner at Home" offers 52 seasonal menus for nearly every occasion. 

A week in December / Sebastian Faulks

Structured like a thriller, "A Week in December" takes place in London, over the course of a single week at the end of 2008. It brings together an intriguing cast of characters whose lives apparently run on parallel lines but - as it gradually becomes clear - are intricately related.    

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