looking to F'list for advice / rec.

So -- a few years ago, Audrey leant me a copy of Interview with a Vampire for me to read, and I just couldn't get into it past a few pages... But now...

But now, it is 13 days before the start of NaNoWriMo, and I'm caught between fighting the urge to cheat, and start writing right now, and wanting to distract myself entirely. I don't want to think too much about the world into which I'll drop my protagonist, because I don't want to be trapped in too rigid a framework. However, I do expect my story to be a response to popular vampire culture, and even though I haven't actually read a full Anne Rice novel, yet, there's no denying that she is one of the biggest shapers of that vampire culture as it exists today.

Would finally sitting down and reading the book be a good compromise? Does it live up to its hype? Is it entertaining enough in its own right?

Are these stupid, space-wasting, questions?