I've had this weird obsession about vampires for years now. I think it started when I saw "Queen of the Damned," but I could be mistaken. In any sense, I like vampires. I like to read vampire fiction. I like to read true vampire lore.

I've learned a lot of interesting facts researching the internet and reading various books. They're really fascinating creatures. They are true creatures of the shadows, if you ask me.

Vampires rule the underworld of mythological beings and "scary" lore.

I can be hard to pick out a really good book about vampire lore. Most historical non- fiction books are hard to read with their ‘thee's' and ‘yonder's.' If you are into vampires, as I am, searching for the right vampire books can be as hard as searching for the right, easy- to- read Bible.

Yes, I know... "How can she compare vampires to the Bible?" Well, I'm not.

I'm just trying to make the connection that it can be hard to find the perfect, easy to read book about vampires.

You want to be able to take away new information that you didn't know before. You want to be able to learn about the myths and lore from a different culture besides Transylvania and Romania. You don't want to read about the same every- day stories that you can read in non- fiction books or watch on TV shows.

You want to purchase a book about vampires and be satisfied that you learned about the lore from many different cultures around Europe, as most vampire lore is surrounded in Europe.

What I want to do is to give you a few great vampire books to keep in mind. I hope to help eliminate a few extra minutes in your search for good, easy to read vampire lore.

When picking out a book about vampires, you want to browse through the table of contents. Make sure that the table of contents has actual content.

Many vampire books will claim to be an encyclopedia about vampires and related creatures, but when you actually get reading, you find that the book only tells you general information.

Looking at "History of Vampires" under a table of contents, you want to make sure that there are subtitles, and sub- sections that will go further in detail about the history of vampires in different cultures because the lore in each culture is a little different.

Same for other categories that you may find in the table of contents: "How to Become a Vampire," "How to Kill a Vampire," and others. Just make sure that you can find sub- sections for the different cultures.

A good vampire book will definitely take you through Europe, Africa, and other areas of high- volume vampire lore.

In a good book, you'll explore the history from the beginning to modern vampires.

Vampire books can be misleading, but when you find the right ones, you'll be pleasantly pleased with the information that you're provided.