From the Bookshelf of Challenge Corner…

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires

Grady Hendrix

Start date: November 1, 2020

Finish date: November 30, 2020

Discussion: Book of the Month

Find A Copy At

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 7 topics — 757 comments total

Book of the Month

This topic has been closed to new comments.

* Previous BOTMs
By Felicia · 11 posts · 732 views

last updated Dec 27, 2024 06:25AM

* BOTM Polls!
By Alaina · 24 posts · 219 views

last updated Sep 19, 2025 07:58AM

showing 10 of 32 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Jul 19, 2020 Megan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-star-reads, wheelathon-2020

I absolutely loved this one.
Grady Hendrix takes tropes, mixes them with horror and then creates something wonderful. There is an element of parody and silliness but at the same time this book tackles some pretty heavy topics. This book features sexism, racism, gaslighting, child abuse, poverty, domestic abuse, oh, also a pretty gruesome vampire.
The writing itself is fantastic and I couldn't put it down. I felt completely immersed, I could practically feel the hot southern humidity of South Caro ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Sep 07, 2020 Elle rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was a different kind of read, but I still found myself enjoying it. I read it via audio, which I will say probably enhanced my experience. It helped create additional atmosphere. The writing was really great and the narrative felt like a mix of pulp fiction and literary fiction in its approach. That sounds odd, but it worked quite well. The read was both entertaining and gripping.

The synopsis combination description works well, but for me I would have also included that it had a very Stepfo ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Jun 22, 2021 Shan ~A~ rated it liked it

Shelves: ghosts, vampires, fantasy, borrowed-hoopla, crime, doctor-or-nurse, humorous, books-featuring-books, family, audio

May be SPOILER-ISH

I honestly can't express my feelings after reading this book.

When I first started it I thought I found my true love with this book. It started out fun and funny. I knew it would eventually take a turn considering what the story was about, but that is what drew me in. I loved the ladies of the book club and how they seemed to genuinely want to help each other.

Then James Harris comes on the scene and the only one who seems to have a lick of sense is Patricia. Poor Patricia she May be SPOILER-ISH

I honestly can't express my feelings after reading this book.

When I first started it I thought I found my true love with this book. It started out fun and funny. I knew it would eventually take a turn considering what the story was about, but that is what drew me in. I loved the ladies of the book club and how they seemed to genuinely want to help each other.

Then James Harris comes on the scene and the only one who seems to have a lick of sense is Patricia. Poor Patricia she tried so hard to get everyone to see reason, but no one would listen.

I wasn't surprised by the men not listening, but I expected the ladies of the book club to have her back throughout the entire ordeal and was disappointed when things, in that regard, didn't go as I expected.

I felt like I could take a mirror to the themes in this book and hold them up to people, relationships, and situations that I see in the world today.

Children of color dying with no one seeming to care enough to find out why, until it either affects them personally. Women, who choose to stay at home with their children instead of working, being thought as less than with that condescending question looming over them, "What do you do all day?" Like taking care of the kids and a household isn't hard work.

I loved how the things happening in this book was so parallel to the books the women enjoyed in book club before this unnatural force entered their lives. I think that's another reason I thought they would band together more (besides the title). I though they would collectively pay attention to the clues, since they were reading books about real people who exhibited these same sorts of behaviors.

I couldn't understand why Patricia stayed with Carter as long as she did. This was the late 80s and 90s, not the 50s (or whatever decade women had to depend on men for everything).

By the conclusion I was all over the place emotionally. I wanted to cry for the horrors they endured and rejoice because they overcame. Most of all I was just proud of Patricia more than anyone else for everything that she was able to do in throughout this book because she overcame more obstacles than the rest. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Aug 04, 2020 Elizabeth rated it really liked it

Shelves: american, crime, fantasy, paranormal

This is not a book I would normally pick up, but it was a choice from a book club I participate in. The good thing about someone else picking my books sometimes is that it pushes me out of my comfort zone. I never would have picked this book out and I would have missed out.

Imagine a book club. Imagine that this book club reads all true crime books. And now imagine that these women in this book club learn that a vampire may be in their community preying on the children. What do a bunch of true c ...more

1 like · Like · see review

May 19, 2020 Lizz (Beer, Books and Boos) rated it really liked it

I really enjoyed this book and I need to buy my own copy plus give a copy to all my friends. Patricia Campbell was a mix of my mother and her mother. The group of friends reminded me of all my mother's friends. You don't mess with a group of friends like that. I can't wait to pick up more from Grady Hendrix. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Nov 09, 2020 Tanya Patrice rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook-is-better, audiobooks

I almost stopped reading this because it is quite slow in my opinion. It's a slow ... slow build as the novel really takes the time to develop the characters, set up some period details and setup the scene. Honestly, it could have been cut by about 1/4 - but I'm glad I stuck with this. The story picks up about 2/3rd of the way through * spolier-ish alert * after the big break down. This pick up and the drama intensifies.

I listened to the audiobook and the narration was superb. I'm going t say l ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jul 19, 2020 Kaleen rated it really liked it

Shelves: horror, 2020, 4-star, july-2020

This was so fun to read! My first time reading a Grady Hendrix book, but I don't think it will be my last.

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires follows a group of ladies in Charleston in a true crime book club. Mainly we focus on Patricia as she tries to sort out the mysterious goings on of her new neighbor, Jim Harris. I loved the interactions of all the ladies. There is a good depiction of friendship, that also shows the good and bad parts of adult relationships. Some parts were a ...more

Like · see review