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The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires
by
Fried Green Tomatoes and Steel Magnolias meet Dracula in this Southern-flavored supernatural thriller set in the '90s about a women's book club that must protect its suburban community from a mysterious and handsome stranger who turns out to be a blood-sucking fiend.
Patricia Campbell had always planned for a big life, but after giving up her career as a nurse to marry an a ...more
Patricia Campbell had always planned for a big life, but after giving up her career as a nurse to marry an a ...more
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Kindle Edition, 400 pages
Published
April 7th 2020
by Quirk Books
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I wish I could know this about every book I pick up.. so thanks for asking the question Lelouch.
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Start your review of The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires

People's refusal to see sexism and harmful representation when it looks them straight in the face is what led this book to have such great reviews. Some even applaud the (male) author for being so good at writing female characters and I sit here flabbergasted, trying make my brain comprehend how they came to that conclusion.
Let's get the obvious out of the way: I'm a white man so clearly my perspective is limited. I'm stating how I perceived the book and as someone who is super keen to read book ...more
Let's get the obvious out of the way: I'm a white man so clearly my perspective is limited. I'm stating how I perceived the book and as someone who is super keen to read book ...more

Then she got in her Volvo and hoped Grace was right and this was all just a product of the overactive imagination of a stupid little housewife with too much free time on her hands. If it was, she promised herself, tomorrow she would vacuum her curtains.
I FREAKIN' LOVED THIS. I loved every single dark, funny, gory minute of this book. I'm in no way qualified to talk about best and worst books, but I can say with absolute certainty that this is my favourite book so far this year.
For the first ...more

Apr 21, 2020
Grady Hendrix
rated it
it was amazing
· (Review from the author)
Shelves:
southern-book-club-s-guide-research
I really think that Grady Hendrix has written his best book yet, and he did it all while dressed as a penguin. Not a lot of people know this, but in the two years it took him to write SOUTHERN BOOK CLUB he wore the exact same penguin costume every day while he wrote. By the time this book was finished that costume was a rancid, disgusting mess and he had to have it pulled from his body by hooks and burned because it was a biohazard.

My vote for Goodreads choice awards for horror genre!
I truly deeply madly in love with this book! More than five gazillion stars! Somebody has to stop my fingers adding entire books of the author to my nearly collapsing Mount TBR! But I cannot stop with only one book. Can I?
They defined this book as mash up of Steel Magnolias-Fried Green Tomatoes and Dracula! No, sir: this is Stepford Wives and Southern Desperate Housewives meet True Blood!
This book is not easy, entertaining reading! It is so ...more
I truly deeply madly in love with this book! More than five gazillion stars! Somebody has to stop my fingers adding entire books of the author to my nearly collapsing Mount TBR! But I cannot stop with only one book. Can I?
They defined this book as mash up of Steel Magnolias-Fried Green Tomatoes and Dracula! No, sir: this is Stepford Wives and Southern Desperate Housewives meet True Blood!
This book is not easy, entertaining reading! It is so ...more

Patricia Campbell has a full life, but she wouldn't necessarily call it fulfilling.
With the majority of her time being dedicated to her family, the one thing she has for herself are the evenings spent with her friends, the ladies of the 'Murderinos' Book Club.

The Club consists of like-minded Southern housewives, who discuss True Crime and other less savory topics.
Cleverly, different sections of the book are titled after real-life True Crime books. These are based upon what the Club is reading d ...more
With the majority of her time being dedicated to her family, the one thing she has for herself are the evenings spent with her friends, the ladies of the 'Murderinos' Book Club.

The Club consists of like-minded Southern housewives, who discuss True Crime and other less savory topics.
Cleverly, different sections of the book are titled after real-life True Crime books. These are based upon what the Club is reading d ...more

DNF @ 63%
Go ahead, call me a quitter. I can take it. In fact, I own it.
Touted as Fried Green Tomatoes and Steel Magnolias meet Dracula—unfounded comparisons in my opinion—this novel at times felt like too much, yet somehow not enough.
Much like the bored housewives within these pages who find themselves bogged down with daily chores, family obligations, child-rearing, and their sexist and controlling husbands, I yearned for more. The author loosely connects these women with a book club that take ...more
Go ahead, call me a quitter. I can take it. In fact, I own it.
Touted as Fried Green Tomatoes and Steel Magnolias meet Dracula—unfounded comparisons in my opinion—this novel at times felt like too much, yet somehow not enough.
Much like the bored housewives within these pages who find themselves bogged down with daily chores, family obligations, child-rearing, and their sexist and controlling husbands, I yearned for more. The author loosely connects these women with a book club that take ...more

Yes, there were some gruesome moments, but the shiny appeal that this book brought was the portrayal of the resilience and underestimated power of the "common" housewife.
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy. ...more
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy. ...more

UPDATE: $3.99 Kindle US today 10/25/20
I wanted to smack everyone in this damn book! But that ending was 5 star crazy don’t mess with the ladies!

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾 ...more
I wanted to smack everyone in this damn book! But that ending was 5 star crazy don’t mess with the ladies!

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾 ...more

I know I shouldn't judge a book by its title, but The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires got me real good. It sounds like a fun, lighthearted take on slaying vampires, mixed in with some Southern hospitality and book club joviality. And it started out that way. But then it went somewhere else altogether.
If I were to sum up this book with two words, it would be gory and gross. Every time I picked it up, I would read some passages on rats eating people alive, or cockroaches wiggling in ...more
If I were to sum up this book with two words, it would be gory and gross. Every time I picked it up, I would read some passages on rats eating people alive, or cockroaches wiggling in ...more

oooh, goodreads choice awards finalist for best horror 2020! what will happen?
the thing that i am always forgetting about grady hendrix is that although his books have these zany and hilarious premises and are all decked out in wink-nudgey cover design:
haunted ikea!

teengirl exorcism!—like Beaches meets The Exorcist, onl ...more
"I am not sure what the appropriate gesture is to make toward the family of the woman who bit off your ear, but if you felt absolutely compelled, I certainly wouldn’t take food.”
the thing that i am always forgetting about grady hendrix is that although his books have these zany and hilarious premises and are all decked out in wink-nudgey cover design:
haunted ikea!

teengirl exorcism!—like Beaches meets The Exorcist, onl ...more

I struggled with the rating of this book between three and four stars (so 3.5). I loved the opening, the voice of the character. The story was light and engaging. The characters are unique and the repartee real and enjoyable. I knew the premise of this book going in. I have always said that I will read anything-any genre as long as it is written well. Having said that I am not a big fan of vampire stories (although I truly loved The Passage and that was a vampire book of sorts). This author is g
...more

4.5 stars
YaHoo!! Hot Diggity Dang! This is one brilliantly done story!!!
So how does what seems like a stereotyped, sexist story about southern woman in a book club turn into a skin-crawling, blood soaking story? Then turn into a refreshing, powering, brilliantly houmous story with meaningful character development. Well, Grady Hendrix does some mightly fine footwork here, and I couldn't help but analyze this story.
This one is not my normal story and one that was not on my radar to read, but aft ...more
YaHoo!! Hot Diggity Dang! This is one brilliantly done story!!!
So how does what seems like a stereotyped, sexist story about southern woman in a book club turn into a skin-crawling, blood soaking story? Then turn into a refreshing, powering, brilliantly houmous story with meaningful character development. Well, Grady Hendrix does some mightly fine footwork here, and I couldn't help but analyze this story.
This one is not my normal story and one that was not on my radar to read, but aft ...more

Mar 08, 2020
Johann (jobis89)
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
favorites
“Sometimes she craved a little danger. And that was why she had book club.”
FINALLY. I have found my first five star book of the year that wasn’t a reread or non-fiction! This book is basically Desperate Housewives set in the late 80s/early 90s and the housewives started a true crime book club, only for a vampire to move in down the street... sounds awesome, right?!
It’s a hell of a lot of fun, simply unputdownable, but it also tackles some more hefty issues that were relevant at the time, like th ...more
FINALLY. I have found my first five star book of the year that wasn’t a reread or non-fiction! This book is basically Desperate Housewives set in the late 80s/early 90s and the housewives started a true crime book club, only for a vampire to move in down the street... sounds awesome, right?!
It’s a hell of a lot of fun, simply unputdownable, but it also tackles some more hefty issues that were relevant at the time, like th ...more

“He thinks we’re what we look like on the outside: nice Southern ladies. Let me tell you something…there’s nothing nice about Southern ladies.”
There’s a reason southern woman are called steel magnolias. Their outer gentility belies their inner strength and fortitude. Underestimate them at your peril.
This book has a fun mix of satire, humor, and horror. Patricia Campbell and her friends have a classics book club but it’s stuffy and few enjoy it. When a friend gives Patricia a copy of a true cri ...more
There’s a reason southern woman are called steel magnolias. Their outer gentility belies their inner strength and fortitude. Underestimate them at your peril.
This book has a fun mix of satire, humor, and horror. Patricia Campbell and her friends have a classics book club but it’s stuffy and few enjoy it. When a friend gives Patricia a copy of a true cri ...more

"We're not a lynch mob, we're a book club."
This book had me at the description of it being a cross between Fried Green Tomatoes, Steel Magnolias and Dracula! What’s not to love about that?
Patricia Campbell gave up her career as a nurse, to be stay at home Mother raising her two children with a distant husband. Her book club was her one escape. It was a place where she could indulge her love to true crime and suspenseful fiction.
When a man moves in next door, she is intrigued but her interes ...more
This book had me at the description of it being a cross between Fried Green Tomatoes, Steel Magnolias and Dracula! What’s not to love about that?
Patricia Campbell gave up her career as a nurse, to be stay at home Mother raising her two children with a distant husband. Her book club was her one escape. It was a place where she could indulge her love to true crime and suspenseful fiction.
When a man moves in next door, she is intrigued but her interes ...more

The Written Review
Just published my October Book Vlog and whew! It was a lot of reading but so worth it!
Patricia Campbell remembers what life was like before she gave into motherhood - she was an amazing nurse and strong-willed.![]()
But marriage changed all that. She's now a stay-at-home mom and with the way her husband treats her...it is a sobering thought, the life that's ahead of her.
But at least she has book club.
Every meeting they go over the latest true-crime or grisly detective book. ...more


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My favorite work of Grady Hendrix's is actually his nonfiction collection of essays, PAPERBACKS FROM HELL, which is a loving homage to the horror genre that covers everything from Gothics to ghouls. As someone who reads pulps on the reg, I was excited to see someone else who appreciated trash as much as I do-- there's something about finding an out-of-print gem that nobody has heard of and getting everyone excited about reading it... it' ...more

Five Fangs and a Big Toothy Grin!
Vampire parody and a group of southern book loving housewives with some very strange claims about the new guy next door!
I took a chance on this one and happy to say that it was a campy, creepy and wacky good time!!
I was craving something different when I picked it up (thanks again local library) and once I got started I just couldn't look away and the writing had me hooked. I found the tongue in cheek humor so entertaining and the horror parts were more creep ...more
Vampire parody and a group of southern book loving housewives with some very strange claims about the new guy next door!
I took a chance on this one and happy to say that it was a campy, creepy and wacky good time!!
I was craving something different when I picked it up (thanks again local library) and once I got started I just couldn't look away and the writing had me hooked. I found the tongue in cheek humor so entertaining and the horror parts were more creep ...more

It almost rare to see a combination of dark humor with blood-soaked horror and spine-chilling thriller but The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires manages to get it just right.
Patricia Campbell’s life has never felt duller. Her family is busy in their own world and she’s always busy with endless chores. The only thing keeping her sane is her book club, a close-knit group of women united by their love of true crime. One evening after book club, Patricia is viciously attacked by an elde ...more
Patricia Campbell’s life has never felt duller. Her family is busy in their own world and she’s always busy with endless chores. The only thing keeping her sane is her book club, a close-knit group of women united by their love of true crime. One evening after book club, Patricia is viciously attacked by an elde ...more

Mar 08, 2020
Sadie Hartmann
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
cemetery-dance,
night-worms
Review originally posted to Cemetery Dance April 1st, 2020
You might be a horror book consumer like me and have already bought into the Grady Hendrix brand. You come for the unique titles and clever packaging (My Best Friend’s Exorcism) but you stay for the alluring storytelling, memorable characters, and iconic cultural references.
Hendrix fans, this might be your new favorite. Within the first few chapters, I got a real sense of the author setting the pace. If you’re one of those book-bingers wh ...more
You might be a horror book consumer like me and have already bought into the Grady Hendrix brand. You come for the unique titles and clever packaging (My Best Friend’s Exorcism) but you stay for the alluring storytelling, memorable characters, and iconic cultural references.
Hendrix fans, this might be your new favorite. Within the first few chapters, I got a real sense of the author setting the pace. If you’re one of those book-bingers wh ...more

I liked the writing of The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires very much except for the extreme, over the top, way too much (for me) gory and gross passages describing, in too much detail, rats, roaches (the worst!), spiders, blood sucking, like I never imagined it, horribleness. Picture a small, well to do community where no one locks their doors, the kids are safe playing outside until dark or even after dark, the men earn the income, and their high achieving housewives iron socks a
...more

“I wanted to pit Dracula against my mom.I admit: this book tricked me. After the first few chapters I had it pegged as a lighthearted and delightful mildly satirical story about prim and proper Southern ladies banding together to defeat a supernatural evil over sweet tea and peach pie and something equally stereotypically Southern.
As you’ll see, it’s not a fair fight.”
I was wrong. I did not see this coming.
“This story ends in blood....more
Every story begins in blood: a squalling baby yanked fr

My first Grady Hendrix novel has me longing for more. This book was such a refreshing change of pace. I'm hooked.
I do, however, feel like I should offer some warnings to my fellow readers. While there are some laugh-out-loud sections, and while much of the book is lighthearted and fun, this book also delves into several dark, grisly, macabre places...and I loved every minute.
This was one of the most realistic portrayals of vampires I've read, and although I'm not from the South, the lopsided rel ...more
I do, however, feel like I should offer some warnings to my fellow readers. While there are some laugh-out-loud sections, and while much of the book is lighthearted and fun, this book also delves into several dark, grisly, macabre places...and I loved every minute.
This was one of the most realistic portrayals of vampires I've read, and although I'm not from the South, the lopsided rel ...more

This book was getting so much hype so I decided to check it out. It did not seem to be my regular type of reading material but the title intrigued me a lot and I listened to the Audio. What a magnificent surprise! There is so much packed into this little book and the audio was amazing! The narrator was exceptional and I loved her different voices for the characters and how she delivered the story. I was mesmerized! At times this was a humorous book with cute little Southern idioms and then it to
...more

Apr 26, 2020
Gabby
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
4-star-books,
horror,
adult,
love-the-concept,
own,
read-in-2020,
favorites,
liked-it,
reviewed,
thrillers-or-mystery
Really enjoyed this! I love the 90’s suburban mom vibes and I’m not even a huge fan of reading about vampires but this book was just so fun and creepy, and there were definitely a few scary scenes that have stayed in my brain since I finished it.
Here’s my reading vlog with my experience reading this book: https://youtu.be/J2LyhHZvGo4 ...more
Here’s my reading vlog with my experience reading this book: https://youtu.be/J2LyhHZvGo4 ...more

Evil in a small town is one of my absolute favorite horror tropes and THE SOUTHERN BOOK CLUB'S GUIDE TO SLAYING VAMPIRES aces it!
Set in the 90's, we begin with a southern lady’s book club, (surprise!), that turns from reading fiction to true crime. These are rather old fashioned ladies for the 90's, they're stay at home wives, some with children and they feel their lives are complete. Until one day, one of them, (Patricia), is attacked by an elderly neighbor. Patricia is okay, but the neighbor ...more
Set in the 90's, we begin with a southern lady’s book club, (surprise!), that turns from reading fiction to true crime. These are rather old fashioned ladies for the 90's, they're stay at home wives, some with children and they feel their lives are complete. Until one day, one of them, (Patricia), is attacked by an elderly neighbor. Patricia is okay, but the neighbor ...more

May 29, 2020
Danielle
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fab-book-club-books
2020 F.A.B. Bookclub pick # I.❤️. F.A.B.
This book, by title alone, is a campy good time. The southern ladies are exactly as you’d expect. They knock on doors with casseroles in hand and write down license plate numbers from cars they don’t recognize in their neighborhood. Everyone knows everyone else’s business. So, you add a creep vampire into their world and of course they’re going to handle it. There are some creepy crawling bits and it definitely had the B movie raunchy vibe. It was as ente ...more
This book, by title alone, is a campy good time. The southern ladies are exactly as you’d expect. They knock on doors with casseroles in hand and write down license plate numbers from cars they don’t recognize in their neighborhood. Everyone knows everyone else’s business. So, you add a creep vampire into their world and of course they’re going to handle it. There are some creepy crawling bits and it definitely had the B movie raunchy vibe. It was as ente ...more
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Grady Hendrix is the author of the novels Horrorstör, about a haunted IKEA, and My Best Friend's Exorcism, which is like Beaches meets The Exorcist, only it's set in the Eighties.
He's also ...more
Grady Hendrix is the author of the novels Horrorstör, about a haunted IKEA, and My Best Friend's Exorcism, which is like Beaches meets The Exorcist, only it's set in the Eighties.
He's also ...more
Articles featuring this book
As this strange summer of staying put winds down, one thing remains truer than ever: Books offer us endless adventure and new horizons to...
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16 trivia questions
More quizzes & trivia...
“He thinks we’re what we look like on the outside: nice Southern ladies. Let me tell you something…there’s nothing nice about Southern ladies.”
—
45 likes
“Sometimes she craved a little danger. And that was why she had book club.”
—
42 likes
More quotes…
Mar 01, 2021 02:29PM
20 hours, 52 min ago