Interview With the Vampire
by Anne Rice (1976)

The first of the Vampire Chronicles, on losing her young daughter to leukaemia Rice expanded an early short story into this novel. Readers are treated to the vampire's point of view as Louis tells his story to an interviewer. The central figure is the vampire Lestat, who pretty well worries about all the things normal people do. The 1994 hit film propelled the book back onto the bestseller lists.

The Darkangel
by Meredith Ann Pierce (1982)

Pierce's vampire tale pre-dates the current plethora of such books on the market. It is the story of a handsome darkangel aspiring to be a vampyre. To get there he needs to find his 14th bride. He kidnaps Aeriel to serve his current wives, never thinking she might be bride material. Of course, the young lady proves to be quite a handful. Topnotch tale for young adults.

Bloodsucking Fiends
by Christopher Moore (1995)

Although it might be a stretch to tout anyone as Kurt Vonnegut's heir-apparent, the absurdly talented Christopher Moore might have to do until someone better comes along. When a good-looking redhead gets attacked by a vampire she becomes one herself and has an identity crisis. She gets some help from a would-be Jack Kerouac in the midst of mayhem in San Francisco.

In the Forests of the Night
by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes (1999)

Written under the title White Wine when Atwater-Rhodes was only 13, this novel has been hailed as one of the best young adult vampire stories in many a moon. A 300 year old vampire living in Concord, Massachusetts feeds her thirst for blood stalking the streets of New York at night. She battles a vampire who she believes killed her mortal brother. Young author with the magic touch.

Dark Prince [S1]
by Christine Feehan (1999)

Mikhail Dubrinsky, prince of the Carpathians, is lonely. Meanwhile his people are either being knocked off by vampires or joining them. The shortage of women becomes bearable when he meets telepathic serial killer hunter Raven Whitney. If vampires and sex appeals, then this might be just the thing to fill in some lonely evenings. Just don't expect anything too intellectually challenging.

Dead Until Dark
by Charlaine Harris (2001)

Medium meets Kolchak as mystery writer Charlaine Harris capably cashes in on the current bloodthirst for vampire stories. Telepathic Louisiana barmaid Sookie Stackhouse finally meets a man whose mind she can't read - only problem being he is a vampire. When a co-worker is killed she fears the worst. First and arguably the best book in the Southern Vampire Mysteries series.

Twilight
by Stephenie Meyer (2005)

With so many authors scrambling to cash in on the vampire craze, Meyer's work stands out for its interesting twist on the theme. Twilight vampires are different. They have sworn off human blood for that of animals, they show up in photos, they go out in the day, etc. When new kid in school Bella unknowingly falls for a Twilight vamp, the romance presents more than a few challenges.

The Historian
by Elizabeth Kostova (2005)

When a teenage girl discovers a medieval book in 1972 Amsterdam it leads to the revelation that Vlad the Impaler (aka Dracula) is still alive. From there the story follows different arcs that take us through modern historical periods in Dracula's Eastern European homeland. A clever story construction that allows for a fascinatingly bloodthirsty examination of history and politics.