Hello everyone In September we had a meeting on the theme of Conspiracies, a picture of some of the books we read is attached. For October we are hungry for the theme of VAMPIRES. So going for a very traditional horror monster for Halloween, but for those who don’t want to read horror, vampires should offer some choice as they pop up in various fantasy settings, paranormal romance and sci-fi. You might also want to think outside the box and go with other blood or life-force drinking creatures that are vampire adjacent, like chupacabra . As always you are free to read whatever you wish, as strictly or loosely as it fits the theme, and come and tell us about it on the day and whether you’d recommend it. Below are examples from our members to set the mood and give inspiration, but you are not limited to them. * The Vampyre, by John William Polidori (1819) - The progenitor of the more romantic noble vision of vampires, featuring a young man trying to protect his sister from a vampire noble. * Carmilla, by J. Sheridan Le Fanu (1872) – A novella predating Dracula again furthering the more aristocratic vampire trope, when a female vampire boards with a rich family and starts preying on their daughter. * Dracula, by Bram Stoker (1897) - The book that established modern vampire lore. * I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson (1954) – A post-apocalyptic horror where the last surviving man on a plague-devastated Earth must hunt the infected, vampire-like masses by day. * Salem’s Lot, by Stephen King (1975) – An author who returns to his hometown only to find it overrun by a nest of vampires. * The Space Vampires, by Colin Wilson (1976) - A sci-fi example, energy vampires from outer space invade Earth. * Interview with the Vampire, by Anne Rice (1976) - A vampire tells his 200-year-long life story to a reporter. * The Keep, by Paul Wilson (1981) - In WW2, German soldiers occupy a remote Romanian fortress not knowing a vampire lives there. * Necroscope, by Brian Lumley (1986) - Harry K

Description supplied by the event organiser.