Alright you guys, its time for an experiment. I’ve always wondered how bloggers got other people to do memes with them, and I would love to see if anyone jumps in here. If not, don’t worry, my feelings won’t be hurt, and I’ll go along my merry way. But if anyone wants to join, I’ll be doing this twice a month (the first and third Thursday), and at the end of this post I’ll give you guys the next topic. I think it would be a really cool way to see what everyone recommends based on certain books or topics. So make your own post, share it in the comments! If people do it this time, I’ll get a linky going!

If angsty teenage vampires are your jam, then you’re in luck. For a while there, vamps were the belle of the ball in YA Fiction, and they ruled the bookstore shelves. They may have fallen out of the spotlight now, thanks to the rise of Dystopia and other Paranormal Creatures, but you can bet they are still lurking in the shadows, waiting for their next victim.

If you loved Twilight (or if you love Vampires but are looking for something better than Twilight), here’s what we at Ramblings on Readings would recommend picking up next!

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

This series is far more fun, snarky, and interesting than Twilight. The first book feels quite a bit like Mean Girls in a vampire high school, but if you can get past it, the rest of the series really takes off. Not to mention the AMAZING spin-off series, Bloodlines, is one of my very favorite paranormal series. Vampire Academy has a kickass heroine, forbidden romance, lots of magic, and an excellent cast of secondary characters.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

This was actually one of my favorite books that I read last year. It’s a bit more Dystopia/Post-Apocalyptic, and the vampires are much creepier. The main character, Tana, is infected with the virus that turns humans into vampires, and the only way she knows she can survive is to go to a Coldtown, military controlled cities filled with vamps. But once she goes in, she can’t come back out. On her way, she picks up a mysterious vamp who agrees to not kill her if she helps him. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown has plenty of action, fascinating settings, an extremely well wrought romance, and the constant uncertainty of who to trust, keeping the reader on their toes.

White Hot Kiss by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Contrary to what the cover and the title of this book looks like, this is not a steamy adult romance novel. It is JLA so there is plenty of kissing and romantic tension. But JLA also knows how to write incredibly witty dialogue, intense action scenes, and brilliant paranormal elements. This isn’t vampires, but pretty much anything by JLA (especially her paranormal/sci fi stuff) is worth reading ASAP.

Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

The Night Huntress Series is for the older crowd (it’s an adult paranormal romance novel, so there’s some sex/language/intense violence) and it is pretty awesome. It’s like what Buffy the Vampire Slayer should have been after she graduated high school, in book form. Cat, the main heroine, knows how to kick vampire butts like no tomorrow, especially once Master Vampire Bones (SWOON) trains her. Plenty of action, lots of mystery, and of course, swoon worthy romance make up this amazing Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance series.

There are plenty of other vampire-centric YA series: Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz, Evernight by Claudia Gray, The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa, The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith, to name a few that I’ve personally read, not to mention the host of other paranormal series that feature vamps, like Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments and C.C. Hunter’s Shadow Falls.

The next category is: The Hunger Games! So get your choices for books you would recommend reading after the Hunger Games ready for February 19!

What would you recommend after reading Twilight? It looks like my interests lean a little more action, a little less angst. Do you agree with my choices? Let me know in the comments!