A Return to the Evil Vampire

As a part of the English-speaking world, I'm sure you have at least some knowledge of the Twilight phenomenon and the resulting vampire obsession amongst, mostly, teenaged girls. I feel about Twilight the same way I feel about "chicklit" - it's fun because it doesn't require thought and doesn't have what I would term "literary merit." That being said, I think it's sad that a lot of really well-written and interesting novels about vampires are disregarded because most people hear "vampire" and they think "sappy romance like Twilight." Elizabeth Kostova's 2005 novel, The Historian, is an intriguing and suspenseful vampire novel that had the misfortune of coming out the same year as Twilight.
The Historian centers around a young woman who finds an ancient book and a repository of old letters in her father's library which set her on a path she never could have imagined. Intertwining historical truths about Vlad the Impaler and the myth of Dracula with the lives of this girl and her parents, Kostova creates a thrilling story which culminates with a spine-chilling encounter with Dracula himself. There are no sparkly, "nice" vampires in this book - all the legends about coffins and evil are true. If you have any interest whatsoever in the occult or vampire myths and legends, I would strongly recommend this book. Kostova's writing is compelling, the epistolary form of the letters found in the library mixed in with the narrative we're given of this woman's life is intriguing, and the plot will hook you in and keep you guessing until the very end.

R.S.V.P. "Yes"

For those of you who aren't history buffs, a historical fiction based on true events that occurred during World War II might not sound like something you'd like to read. I personally find World-War-II-related stories fascinating and moving (Band of Brothers anyone?), but even for those who aren't captivated by Stephen E. Ambrose, Mike Whicker's Invitation to Valhalla is a must-read.
This novel centers around a German spy, Erika Lehmann, who is the top Nazi spy, and Joe Mayer, a Jewish metallurgist working on a top secret project for the U.S. Navy in Evansville, Indiana. In the year 1942, Joe meets Sarah Klein (Lehmann) and they begin dating. As per usual, I don't want to give away the meat of the story, but I think you can figure out where this one is going. The most amazing thing about this positively enthralling novel, in my opinion, is that it is all based on true events. I'm sure Mike Whicker took poetic lisence with a lot of the dialogue and personal interactions, but all of the main plot points are true. As the author says in his Epilogue, "readers who contend there are gaps in this story will get no argument from the author. [...] I attempt to answer none of these questions when the truth is not before me." And yet, while Whicker sticks to the facts of the story, he writes with such fervor that it becomes apparent that he has a vested interest in the story. This in turn, creates in the reader the same interest in the story, and kept me up quite a few nights devouring this book.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone and everyone, whether they are already interested in WWII or not, because I truly believe that it is one of the most scintillating and intriguing narratives that I've read.