The Witching Hour by Anne Rice

I have read this book several times and never tire of it! My copy is probably 25 years old, has yellowing pages and scotch tape holding the cover one and is still cherished. I bought it again and now read it on my kindle to avoid further deterioration of my original fragil paperback copy.

An epic, delicious southern gothic novel with scenes so creepy you cringe, descriptions so lush you can almost see and smell them, and characters you'll never forget.

This is the story of a family of witches, generations of women, who all have the same ghost/spirit/creature (Lasher) that accompanies them throughout their lifetime until the next witch is born.

Michael wakes up after almost drowning with special psychic abilities. The doctor that saved him, Rowan, is one of these witches, although she doesn't know it. Together, and with the help of a mysterious group of scholars called the Talamasca, they research her family history and discover this spirit has attached itself to the first female child born to the previous witch (in one case the first son).

The first of a trilogy (followed by "Lasher" and "Taltos")  they are all great, but this is my favorite. So much so that I cross stitched a piece called The Mayfair Witches (pictured below).

Spanning centuries and visiting many locations across the globe, this novel is extraordinary.

My cross stitch of the Mayfair witches.