No one was more surprised than me, by how much I enjoyed this book.

Yes, I am officially raving about a vampire book.

I hope I’ll always have an adventurous spirit in terms of trying something different in the reading department, and this book made me realize how fun it can be to get out of your comfort zone. I know it won’t be for everyone, but I was fascinated by this story for a couple of reasons:

#1 – I am a sucker for any book Annie B. Jones, owner of The Bookshelf in Thomasville, Georgia recommends. And she didn’t just “recommend” it, she GUSHED about it on Episode 269 of a recent podcast of From the Front Porch. (You should totally subscribe if you love books!)

#2 – It’s set in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, where I have family and friends! South Carolina readers will recognize many landmarks and references sprinkled throughout the pages.

#3 – The plot centers around a women’s book club that reads true crime stories. The main character Patricia Campbell is just trying to get through the demands of running a busy household that includes a workaholic husband, a mother-in-law with dementia, and two self-absorbed teenagers. The book club is a way to connect and make friends with other women in the neighborhood.

#4 – Author Grady Hendrix was born in Charleston and grew up in Mt. Pleasant. In an interview with NPR last week, Hendrix says, “it’s set in the neighborhood where I grew up.”

“Steel Magnolias meets Dracula”

Quirkbooks.com website

When I was younger, I loved all the horror stories, including Rosemary’s Baby, The Shining, Carrie, Salem’s Lot, all the Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice, blah, blah, blah . . . but I gave them up when I started having babies. It just bothered me to read scary stuff. So I moved on.

This book was a good introduction back – without being TOO disturbing.

Novelist and screenwriter Grady Hendrix did such a good job with The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, I highly recommend and deem it “Book Club Discussion Worthy.”

Happy Reading!