Book review: Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires

If you've never read Grady Hendrix, this is a great place to start. The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires had the warm, country feel of the Secret Life of Bees or The Help with the undertones of struggles against racism in the south until the horror really hit the fan.

I absolutely loved it.

The photos in this post are from my book club. My wonderful friend, Victoria, always puts together the best parties, so I get no credit for how beautiful everything is.

I was so wrapped up in how cozy and suburban the book was, I’ll admit I wasn’t ready for the horror when it came. I gasped literal gasps. I won’t give any spoilers, but it was so disturbing. So blissfully disgusting and viscerally real.

Vampire's Kiss cocktail - fully recommend!

The women are so well-written, so deep and complicated yet soft and vulnerable. Every time I read one of his books, I Google him just to make sure. Yup, still a man. Not that men can't write women well, but it's not usually the norm.

Grady Hendrix clearly deeply understands women and their complicated facets and struggles and writes about them without turning them into a cardboard cutout.

A vampire charcuterie board!

The women struggle with friendship, their relationships with their husbands and children, fighting to prove that being a stay at home mother is more than just floating around all day, and taking care of all children, not just the ones that look like you.

It asks the question, how much money would you take in exchange for the children? What is the cost of prosperity? And, most importantly of all,

What is buried beneath the peach tree?

We paired a vampire tray of charcuteries (complete with candy corn teeth!), a Vampire's Kiss cocktail, fancy cheese and crackers topped with jam, and a little craft project.

Our fall craft: embroidered sweaters!

I rate Grady Hendrix’s book:

Cozy: 8/10

Terrifying: 6/10

Adventurous: 8/10

(Yes, my parameters are totally made up haha.)

This is the third Grady Hendrix book I’ve ever read, and I absolutely loved it. It's still hard to top How to Sell a Haunted House or its disturbing little friend, Horrorstör, but it was a lovely addition to my horror shelf and I loved every second of it.

If you want to read something a little spooky and very cozy this Halloween, this is the perfect book for you. And that's my book review of the Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix! Shout out to Grady for being awesome, and I can’t wait to read Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, released January 2025! Thanks for reading!