Nice choices! Oh those trees really are so stunning! I'm sure I would have Rice in mind at every turn visiting New Orleans, too. I very much enjoyed her vampire stories. I've never heard of the second author, but I'll have to look up some of her work to add to my exponentially growing list. Poe is a perfect choice, though I totally forgot about Thomas Harris and what a great choice he is! I enjoyed the Hannibal books and movies. Happy to get you back around here. Hope the kiddos give you a little reading time this year--both on here and off!