It's my favourite time of year...the beginning of Fall. I love the weather, the colours, the hints of cooler nights (hopefully soon), the food and the simple coziness inherent in Autumn. I do hope I'll be able to make hot chocolate and curl up under a blanket to read before the end of October, though with the weather we've been having lately, the very idea of blankets is anathema right now ;)
But another thing I love about Fall -- along with many other bloggers -- is the return of Carl's RIP Challenge! It's the fifth year he's been running it, and it runs from today, September 1 to the end of October, Halloween Night itself. Perfect.
The goal is to read seasonally, with something scary. R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril means:
Mystery.
Suspense.
Thriller.
Dark Fantasy.
Gothic.
Horror.
Supernatural.
I'm choosing to participate in Peril the First, reading 4 books of any length that fit this loose definition. I don't have a set list, but some of the books that are in my pool of choices are:
The Terror / Dan Simmons (for the 3rd year running...maybe I'll get to it this year!)
Something by Ray Bradbury, Daphne DuMaurier or M.R. James
Arthur Machen. My husband has been reading his eerie tales recently and they sound intriguing...
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde / RL Stevenson (again the influence of my husband, who has been reading a lot of Stevenson lately)
We have always lived in the castle / Shirley Jackson
Gothic Tales / Elizabeth Gaskell
Oh1 Oh! Oh! so many good choices! The Terror is fantastic and will make you feel cold even when it is hot outside so you just might get that hot chocolate even if the weather doesn't cooperate. Really enjoyed the Jackson, and Jekyll and Hyde is good too. Very different than I expected.
ReplyDeleteYou can't go wrong with The Terror or We Have Always Lives in the Castle. I read the Stevenson so long ago I can't remember much about it.
ReplyDeleteAnd I hope you read the Machen--I've never even heard his name before. :)
I'm hoping for cool nights soon as well. Thankfully a rain storm came in and kicked things here down from the 100's to the upper 80's...still not quite fall weather.
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard of Machen but I checked out your link and saved it because I am really interested, being a fan of Lovecraft. Thanks!
Wonderful to have you in again this year. I'll keep my fingers crossed with you that blankets and hot cocoa are in our near future.
Some of du Maurier's short stories are perfect for this challenge. They are so creepy.
ReplyDeleteOh, i had forgotten that Jackson book is on my wishlist! i really need to stop looking at other people's posts so my list doesn't get any longer!
ReplyDeleteBradbury, du Maurier and M.R. James are all such great choices! As are Gaskell's Gothic tales. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteFYI: There is good news for you at the end of the post I just put up. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up, Carl. How exciting!
ReplyDeleteI've got the Jackson on my list, too, I've been meaning to read it for ages. Maybe this year:)
ReplyDeleteI am not having much luck reading The Terror either! I even got like halfway through it and was liking it... Terrible, I know!
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