Top 5 Beach Reads for Lovers of Vampire Lore

Looking to fill that void in your life that was once filled by the Twilight series? No worries as there is no shortage of books that are rich with vampire lore, ghouls, goblins, demons, or zombies, to satisfy even the most die hard of Twilight fans.

 

This list is for the reader who can't resist vampires. Hope this helps you fill those lazy days on the beach or in the backyard with a few romantic, thrilling, sexy and sometimes bloody reads that I think are even more gripping than the Twilight Saga.

 

1. The Sookie Stackhouse Series: by Charlaine Harris

Most likely, you’ve heard of HBO’s hit TV show "True Blood". "True Blood" is based on the Sookie Stackhouse series of novels by Charlaine Harris. These novels are far more adult than the Youth Fiction of Twilight and I find the writing, characters, and love triangles far more believable and likeable. This is by far my favorite vampire series of all. You'll fall in love with Sookie, a mind reading waitress with a penchant for attracting vampires.  

 

2. Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz

I’ve read all 4 installments in the ongoing Blue Bloods series. I’d categorize this as “Gossip Girl” meets Twilight as the books star characters are ultra wealthy New York City high school students. The Blue Bloods are fast short sexy reads that depict these ultra wealthy New York City old money elites as a secret society of blood sucking vampires. Know you’ll know where that “blue blood” nickname comes from.

 

3. The Mortal InstrumentsTrilogy by Cassandra Clare (Book #1 City of Bones)

You’ll almost forget about vampires in this trilogy when you become captivated by the secret lives of Demon Hunters. The series is reminiscent of Harry Potter with a battle of good vs. evil and alternate world that none of us ordinary “muggles” are aware exists. The trilogy is categorized as youth fiction, but the violence and PG-13 love triangle seem more geared for adults. Think ghouls, goblins, sorcerers, fairies, demon hunters, and even a vampire sprinkled in here and there.

 

4. The Anita Blake Vampire Hunter Series by Laurel Hamilton

I’m currently on Book 10 in the ongoing Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series which now has a whopping 19 books available. I started reading these in mid-March and have pretty much read one per week since then, as I find myself compelled to just keep on reading about Blake, a necromancer who raises zombies from the dead, executes vampires, and in her spare time even dates a werewolf. A rich love triangle emerges in books 3-6 between Anita, a Master Vampire, and her werewolf boyfriend. These books are excellent but I’d rate them “R” for violence, a high body count, and sex scenes,  versus the more conservative teen vampire fiction many of us are accustomed to reading like the Twilight series.

 

5. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: an Eclipse Novella by Stephanie Meyer

 

For all you Twilight fans desperate to see Eclipse in Theaters in a few weeks, you can get an deep inside peek on Bree Tanner, one of Victoria’s very young brand new vampires in this novella meant to accompany Eclipse, the 3^rd installment in the Twilight series.  In stores now.

 

Bonus Pick:  The Passage by Justin Cronin

I haven’t read this one yet but it’s on the top of my “must read” summer book list. Justin Cronin’s “The Passage” is receiving rave reviews. This is the first work of a college professor at Rice University who supposedly received a 7 figure advance for The Passage. Movie studios were fighting for the rights to produce this vampire story on the silver screen – Fox won out. I love this quote by Stephen King about the book:

 

"Read fifteen pages and you will find yourself captivated; read thirty and you will find yourself taken prisoner and reading late into the night. It has the vividness that only epic works of fantasy and imagination can achieve. What else can I say? This: read this book and the ordinary world disappears."

 

I am very intrigued!