That’s the perennial question for an avid reader. My “to read” list is always much too long but now I’ve got a new way to make it longer. I was contacted by Shepherd, a new site for connecting readers, authors, and books. Authors are invited to provide a list of five recommended books on a particular topic, with information about the books and what makes them special. They asked me if I would be interested in providing some suggestions related to vampires or witches or ghosts or werewolves or just about anything. The author also has the opportunity to showcase one of their own titles that relates to the topic at hand.

I decided to go back to my roots and suggest some of my favourite novels featuring female vampire protagonists. This turned into a way to revisit and reread a number of the books that influenced my writing and my thoughts about vampires. My selections ranged back into the 1980s for SABELLA by Tanith Lee and up to 2015 for CERTAIN DARK THINGS by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

I’ve also been poking around on the site myself – because I clearly need more books to read – and have added books on Spain (because someday I will actually get there), Venice (because someday I will go back there), fairy tale retellings (because I love them), and apocalypses (because of course).

The site is still growing, with more lists being added all the time, so if you want to add some more books to your list, check it out.