With it’s lush hidden courtyards and decaying damp buildings, New Orleans was one of the most atmospheric places I’d ever been. I saw the city last summer for the first time, and found myself quickly under its spell. One evening, we took a ghost tour (of course!) and I loved hearing the guide talk about the locations and references to Anne Rice’s books – even if they left me feeling jumpy later that night as I tried to fall asleep. Wandering the French quarter, I would occasionally glance down a dark alley, sure I saw a vampire lurking in the yellow glow of a gas lamp. It was then and there that I decided Interview with the Vampire was a must read.

I’d seen bits of the movie before and vowed to watch it again after the trip, but when I stumbled on this old copy in my family library last week, I picked it right up. This edition is from 1989, well-worn, and with yellowed pages. The sharp font combined with the red and gold cover simply screamed out: READ ME!

It seems like New Orleans still has me in its trance, and within one glance of the first page, I was drawn in.