A Reader’s Life: Rest In Peace, Anne Rice

Yesterday, we lost an icon. A prolific author. Love her or hate her, Anne Rice made an impact on literature, especially that which involves spooky things, mythical beings and things that go bump in the night.

I was not the biggest fan of Interview with a Vampire, but I read it, along with 3 or 4 books that came after it.

Where Anne Rice got me was with the Mayfair Witches trilogy. I’ve read all three books, plus Merrick that followed. It was announced a few weeks ago that AMC would be producing a series based on these books, and I was very excited about that - so much so that I bought the first book on my Kindle to read through them again. (They’re also doing Interview with a Vampire, according to the article).

And a mere 12 days later, Anne passes away.

I started reading Anne Rice in the 90s. My first ex-husband was a big fan of the Interview series, and as I said, I did read the first 4 or so books of this series. I did enjoy them, but when the Mayfair Witches came onto my list, I found myself much more fascinated with the story than I was the vampires.

Is it creepy? Yes.

Did it sometimes feel icky? Yes.

But I was utterly yanked into the world and I stayed there until I finished all three books.

Book hangovers are real, y’all, and I had one.

About ten years ago, I bought the books again from a used bookstore and re-read them. The impact was the same.

If you’ve never read an Anne Rice book, and you’re not afraid of a little test-your-boundaries kind of read, buy the first book.

And for Ms. Rice, who gave us so many rich characters and made us all want to move to New Orleans… Thank you.