My first book for Maggie's Southern Reading Challenge is Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris - the first in her Southern Vampire Series.

Sookie Stackhouse is young woman working as a cocktail waitress in Merlotte's bar in Bon Temps, Louisiana when she meets the "man" of her dreams - -

"I'd been waiting for the vampire for years when he walked into the bar. Ever since vampires came out of the coffin (as they laughingly put it) two years ago, I'd hoped one would come to Bon Temps."

Sookie is sympathetic to the vamp's plight in not belonging entirely to this world - she can read minds, and has discovered that makes dating impossible. Who can enjoy a nice evening out, when you can read every dirty thought of the guy sitting next to you at the movies?

She's not a "fang banger" - "men and women that hang around with vampires and enjoy being bitten. Vampire groupies." But she quickly learns that she can't read Bill the vampire's mind . . . and that's all she needs to know to make him the man of her dreams.

Unfortunately, for Bill and his kind, some of the fang bangers start showing up dead, and the suspicion falls on the vampires.

I enjoyed this book - it's a little bit romance, a bit of sex, a bit of mystery, and a bit of fun. I"ll definitely read some others in the series.