Thursday, August 28, 2008

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year......


Some people love summer, with the sunny days and heat. Others love Spring, with the buds showing on the trees and flowers starting to bloom. Not me. My favorite time of the year is fall. (Granted this is a little early, and it's still in the 80's right now!) I love the chill in the air and the beautiful colors of the leaves as they change. I love going to football games in sweatshirts and drinking hot cocoa. And I LOVE Halloween, when you get a chance to see the eerie and the creepy.....and have the opportunity to change yourself into something else for a day. And most of all, I love Carl's RIP Challenge!! It signals to me that the seasons are about to change!


Since I was a teenager, my favorite genre of book runs to the creepy and the weird. I love a good Horror novel, as well as a good "Scary" movie. From my very first reading of "Carrie" when I was in 7th grade (ever so many years ago), Stephen King planted himself firmly as my Most Favorite Author ever!! And now, my waiting is done....since Carl announced the RIP III Challenge!! I'm a little late out of the gate I realize. But it's been a busy week!

And so, on to the particulars:

Mystery.
Suspense.
Thriller.
Dark Fantasy.
Gothic.
Horror.
Supernatural.

1. R.I.P. III runs from September 1st through October 31st, 2008. But I’m no stickler, start reading now if you feel so inclined.

2. Choose one of more of the perils listed below:

Peril the First:
Read Four books of any length, from any subgenre of scary stories that you choose.

Peril the Second:
Read Two books of any length, from any subgenre of scary stories that you choose.

Peril the Third:
Read One book of any length from one of the subgenres listed above.

This peril is for those who want to participate but don’t want to get bogged down in a long list of books. It is also for those who feel this type of reading is not their proverbial cup of tea but are willing to challenge themselves by giving just one book a try.

3. Leave a comment here announcing your intention to join and a link to the post* on your site, if you have one and choose to post about R.I.P. III.
*One of the things I enjoy about hosting and joining challenges is seeing what everyone else might be reading. I also like posting my own list–yet I am the first to break said list as my whims take control. So this year I want to do something a little different. Rather than posting a list of books you feel locked in to, instead post a pool of potential reads. That way we can all gather ideas from other people’s pools and no one need suffer the hangover effects of feeling boxed in by a list. Sound good? Those of you who want to participate but do not have blogs are welcome to post your book pool in the comments section here and I will link to it in the body of the post.

4. Post links to your reviews on the R.I.P.ing Yarns Review Site. I am using last year’s review site and posting a new comment thread in which you can post this year’s reviews. That way you can also go back and check out last year’s reviews (you may have to hit the ‘click here’ link at the bottom of the post to get last year’s list to pop up).

5. The most important thing: Have Fun! R.I.P. III is more than just a reading challenge. There will be contests and giveaways and some of the subject matter of my regular posts, especially as we approach October, will be more in fitting with the R.I.P. III spirit. There are artists who have committed to interviews and sales and other tie-ins as well.

For this year's challenge I have chosen Peril The First. And I have a list of my "pool" books!! I'd love to read them all, and at some point I will. But I will definitely make it through 4 for this challenge!! Here is the list that I will draw from:

  • The Bleeding Dusk by Colleen Gleason
  • When Twilight Burns By Colleen Gleason
  • The Duma Key by Stephen King
  • Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
  • The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
  • The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
  • Dracula by Bram Stoker
  • A Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier
  • 13 Bullets by David Wellington
  • Nocturnes by John Connelly
  • Everything's Eventual: 14 Dark Tales by Stephen King
  • The Terror by Dan Simmons
  • Untamed: A House of Night Novel by PC Cast and Kristin Cast
  • Four and Twenty Blackbirds by Cherie Priest
  • Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs
  • The Scent of Shadows by Vickie Pettersson
  • The Devil You Know by Mike Carey
  • Vampyres of Hollywood by Adrian Barbeau and Michael Scott (which I'm reading right now!)
  • And anything else that might jump out and grab me!!

I could probably list another 20 books that I'd love to read. We'll just see where the season takes me this year!! And even a few books of Short Stories to keep up with last year's "Short Story Sundays" (which ended up being "Short Story Mondays"!

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On a side note, thank you all for your kind words about our beloved Ninja. It's been a trying week for all of us.


18 comments:

Carl V. Anderson said...

I knew I could count on you to come up with a great and sizeable pool of books to choose from. Nicely done.

You summed up everything great about the fall in your opening. Makes me hunger for the true autumn weather even more!!!

I know it has been a rough week for you and your family. Again I'm very saddened for your loss.

I hope the challenge helps lighten things up a bit while allowing you to read some of the genre of books that you love so much.

Debi said...

Again, I'm so sorry about Ninja, Stephanie! Every time I've seen one of the kids with our dog today, I got a bit weepy thinking about how much your little sweeties must be hurting. And you too, of course. Wish I knew how to make it not hurt, but of course I don't. But know that there's lots of us thinking about you all.

On a much happier note, I've been so anxious to see your list! I knew I wouldn't be disappointed...so many good reads there. Can't wait to read all your reviews, even though that means my wish list will pay the price! By the way, I read the first couple stories from Everything's Eventual last year. The first one Autopsy Room Four is one of my all-time favorite short stories. It so gave me the willies, that a couple times I had to close the book for a minute to regroup...and that has never happened to me before!

Kailana said...

Great list! You read so similar too me at times that you can be rough on my pocketbook! I really want to read The Terror! I keep seeing it everywhere and it is taunting me...

Stephanie said...

Carl - Thanks!! This is my very favorite challenge, so thank YOU for being such a wonderful host! I love autumn. It's already starting to cool down a lot here. And now with school started, it's right around the corner. Thank you again, for all your kind words.

Debi - Thank you. The kids are doing a lot better. I mean, he was 14, so it's not like it was totally unexpected. I mean, it kind of was. I know he was old, but I really thought I'd see signs of him diminishing before he died. Actually watching Rocko suffer through the days alone is breaking me heart almost more than the kids. He's been so sad and mopey. Tonight is actually the first he's seemed better. As far as the list goes, Ha! My TBR goes up exponentially during this challenge!! Surprisingly enough, I never did read Everything's eventual. And I can't wait!

Kelly - Right back at you! You have increased my TBR list by huge amounts!! I can't wait to read all the reviews from this challenge!

Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanity said...

I agree--this time of the year rocks! I've always loved Halloween and I think I'll have to join in on the fun again this year. You've got some great picks on your list--I've heard a lot about Heart-Shaped Box recently! I'm currently reading Neverwhere by Gaiman and wish I had held out a little longer as it would have been perfect for this!

Have a great time!

Laura said...

Fall is my favorite season for many of the same reasons you listed! Here in Texas, it will still be several weeks before we experience cooler days, but I sure am looking forward to it!

You have quite a list of books there! I am not familiar with most of them, so I am really looking forward to seeing what you choose to read, and what you think about them!

Lightheaded said...

I loved the atmosphere in Nocturnes, so apt for this challenge! Hope you enjoy reading that, I mean if enjoy is the right word :)

Ooh, I have Gleason's first book in the Gardella series! Yay, this is fun.

Anonymous said...

What a great list of books! I have Heart Shaped Box on my list for this challenge, too.

And I also love fall - I can't wait for the temperatures to get out of the 90s.

Unknown said...

I said I wasn't going to do any more challenges this month, but when I saw Carl's site, I had to sign up!

Ana S. said...

Great list, Stephanie! You have some awesome reading ahead of you. I can't wait to see what you think of Heart-Shaped Box.

And I love this time of the year too :)

Anonymous said...

I have to second what a lot of people here already said:

I keep seeing "The Terror" everywhere I look, which means it wouldn't be a surprise if it somehow ended up in my own pool. Especially if you have good things to say about it!

Also, I thought "Noturnes" was awesome. It was the perfect collection for this time of year and especially the R.I.P. III challenge!

And this time of year is my favorite too! It has made me begin to think more about how and what I think of seasonal reading. I didn't think much of it before until I started thinking about certain books that I really enjoy reading in the fall like horror or dark fantasy.

Cath said...

This is my favourite time of year too.

And that's a nice list you have there. Dracula is wonderful. I read it for the first time for last year's RIP challenge and was amazed at its brilliance. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova is a good follow-up to it.

I'm reading Nocturnes myself, have been for months and just have a few stories left. Without a doubt it's one of the best supernatural anthologies I've ever read. Look forward to your reviews.

I'm so sorry for your loss.

tanabata said...

I can't wait for autumn to arrive too! There are a few on your list that I'd like to read someday. I'll be looking forward to your reviews. :)

The Bookworm said...

great picks stephanie, I really liked Everything's Eventual. And I loved Heart-Shaped Box.

BTW, you won a book at my blog. Please send me your snail mail to naidascrochetATyahoo.com

http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/2008/08/matrimony-givewaway.html

Susan said...

I haven't read Heart-Shaped Box yet and forgot to put it on my list! I do have Duma Key if it comes out in pb in time....I really want to read this for the challenge. I'm reading through Everything's Eventual right now (I started two days early....couldn't wait!). Great list, Stephanie! It is a real horror list, and it's so nice to see!
I'm really sorry about your dog. I hope your kids are doing ok now, what a shock for everyone.

Anonymous said...

That is a great list of books with many on it I want to read. I really hope you get around to Iron Kissed and I will enjoy reading your reviews.

Anonymous said...

The weather here is perfect for the start of the challenge. A little chilly and raining on and off. Last night I was reading one of my challenge books in bed, with the wind and rain providing a perfect backdrop. Was awesome!

"It" was the King book that got me hooked. :)

Excellent list! Happy R.I.P reading!

Mari said...

Ooh, you have some great books on your list.
This is my favorite time of the year as well.