I’m a sucker for a good horror film. Add vampires into it? I’m not getting out of my seat and don’t even get me started on vampire books (notice I didn’t say horror books–absolutely not–not with my imagination). Nosferatu is a 1922 silent horror film that is unofficially adapted from Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula. Add these books to your TBR list for all the vampire feels.
We all know the name Nosferatu and if you don’t know it from the 1922 film, I’m sure you’ve seen the night shift SpongeBob episode–iconic and still relevant. You all know the one. Anyways, it is no secret I’m obsessed with these immortal, magical creatures, and that won’t ever change, so any chance I get to recommend vampire books to you all is an opportunity I’m not passing up.
From Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and Varney the Vampire, to even more recent vampire novels like Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, L. J. Smith’s The Vampire Diaries and Tracy Wolff’s Crave series, the list I could give you is endless, but I’ll do my best to keep it short and very sweet.
Here is the SpongeBob clip before we dive in. You’re welcome.
1922 Nosferatu film
A little bit about the film before I start throwing book recs your way, yeah? Nosferatu or Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror is a silent horror film premiering in 1922. It is a German expressionist film directed by F. W. Murnau starring Max Schreck. The movie is an unofficial (and unauthorized) adaptation of Stoker’s Dracula. While many things in the silent horror film were changed including the name of Count Dracula to Count Orlok, Stoker’s heirs sued over the film and the court ordered all copies to be destroyed. However, a few survived and Nosferatu is now an iconic symbol in cinema and the horror genre.
Let’s get to the book recs! We have a lot to cover and let’s face it, all the time in the world.
Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu
This book is so close to my heart–dare I say, it is my favorite from the time period. Not only is this among the first vampire books to be published predating Stoker’s Dracula, it is also a story of a queer vampire who preys on women. Two monumental things in literature making this the perfect addition to your vampire TBR list.
Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
Have you watched the new AMC+ series adaptation of Rice’s novel? If not add that to your list also. Read the confessions of Louis de Pointe du Lac in Rice’s Interview with the Vampire as he tells his life story to a reporter. Gothic horror and vampires? Yes, please.
Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler
This wouldn’t be an iconic TBR list without Octavia E. Butler—period. This novel follows a girl with alarmingly inhuman needs and abilities. She comes to the conclusion that she is, in fact, a genetically modified, 53-year-old vampire. Now forced to discover her stolen life, she still has to worry about who wanted (and still wants) to destroy her.
Dracula by Bram Stoker
We all know it and we all love it. From killer adaptations like Nosferatu to the 1992 film starring Gary Oldman, you can’t go wrong adding this to your TBR. I’d be shocked if you haven’t already read this, but just in case you haven’t, here it is on our list.
The Vampire Diaries by L. J. Smith
Do I have a quote from the TV show tattooed on me? Yes. Does that make me biased about this being one of my top favorite vampire stories? Also yes. And I am not ashamed one bit! The book series by L. J. Smith is also vastly different from the hit CW series that I hope you’ve seen. Elena Gilbert is the it girl of Fell’s Church and finds herself being torn between our two favorite vampires–Stefan and Damon Salvatore.
‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King
This 1975 horror novel (yes, I caved and added horror, but come on… I had to with this one) was King’s second published novel. Ben Mears returns to the town of Jerusalem’s Lot in Maine where he lived as a child to find that the residents living there are all becoming vampires.
Fevre Dream by George R. R. Martin
Intrigued by a book by George R. R Martin that isn’t Game of Thrones? Same, honestly. Set on the antebellum Mississippi River in 1857, critics describe this story as Bram Stoker meets Mark Twain, which literally makes me more eager to add this to my TBR.
Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz
A little YA to end the list, because who doesn’t love some YA vampire stories, right? Not only is this series set in Manhattan, New York (my favorite place ever), but it also has seven books. We love a good series! Go through plenty of adventures involving romance, loyalty, mystery, and war. There are also two spin-off series if the seven books aren’t enough!
Looking for more things on vampires? I have you covered! Click here!