Bite into a Good Book!

I don't know why I'm fascinated by vampire books, but I simply can't get enough of them lately. Knowing that a vampire is in a book is usually enough to get me to pick it up and give it a chance. Most often the vampire is the villain, but in the best books, the vampire is a hero. How can a vampire be a hero? It's the struggle he has against their own nature that makes him so fascinating. Here are a few of my recent vampire favorites!

The Vampire Plagues by Sebastian Rook -- This is a trilogy written for kids--yes, kids--in which children battle an evil vampire and his minions who were released from ruins during an expedition to Mexico in 1850. The books take place in London, Paris, and then Mexico. Very suspenseful for 4th to 7th graders. My daughter and I really enjoyed them. (Villain)

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova -- In this novel, a daughter inherits her father's research about Vlad the Impaler from the 15th century and discovers that her father thinks that Vlad (Count Dracula) is still alive. The book runs three different storylines about people all over Eastern Europe, trying to hunt down Vlad. I found all of the historical detail fascinating, but some of you may not (some parts read like a dissertation). The book is long but fantastic! (Villain)

Morrigan's Cross (The Circle Trilogy) by Nora Roberts -- This trilogy is way out there, but I couldn't put these books down. The story is about a witch, a wizard, a vampire, a scholar, a warrior, and a shape-shifter who lead the battle to save the world from a blood-thirsty group of vampires . The heroes time travel and go from real locales to a fantasy land. It sounds like crazy fluff--and it is! But the personal relationships were enough to make me read all three books. (Hero and Villain)

Twilight and New Moon by Stephenie Meyer -- These are the first two in a continuing Young Adult series, and I'm heavily promoting these books since I enjoyed them so much! They are the love story between Edward (a vampire) and Bella (an average teenage girl). They are character-driven books about severely star-crossed lovers and how difficult it is to love a vampire. (I'm sure you can all relate!) The idea seems far out there, but I found myself believing every word. I'd recommend these to any teen girls or women. (Gotta support a fellow BYU grad, and I can't wait for Eclipse!) (Hero and Villain)

I've never read Anne Rice because the movie Interview with a Vampire was too disgusting, but I'd love to hear any vampire recommendations you might have!