Saturday, 31 August 2013

R.I.P VIII


I can't believe I've been blogging for three years and have yet to take part in R.I.P (Readers Imbibing Peril), an annual autumnal event in which bloggers read creepy books appropriate for the colder weather.  It runs throughout September and October and is hosted by Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings.  I'll be taking part in the Peril the First challenge, which means I'll be reading at least four books from the following genres:
  • mystery
  • suspense
  • thriller
  • dark fantasy
  • gothic
  • horror 
  • supernatural
I had a look at my shelves this morning and I was surprised to see just how many books I own that fit the above.  I discounted old favourites like Dracula, my Stephen King books and The Historian, as I'm more in the mood for new reads.  After much pruning, my pool of possible reads looks like this.  I'm not planning to read every one of them, they are just options:



From top to bottom (links as always to goodreads):
  1. The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson - I understand this to be a dark, gothic style romance?  It has black edged pages, so it must be!  I've owned this for years and I know that lots of people love it.
  2. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James - I will definitely read this.  I like to read one spooky classic each Halloween and this is also on my classics club list.
  3. Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch - I might be pushing the boundaries of the challenge a bit with this one.  It's urban fantasy with both crime elements and grisly murders, so I guess it's dark fantasy?  Plus, I really want to start this series.
  4. Let the Right One In by John Aajvide Lindqvist - This is one of my husband's favourite books.  I like vampire stories, so I'm interested in trying it.  I haven't seen the film(s).
  5. Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion - This was on my Bout of Books short-list too, but I just didn't get to it.  Maybe this time...
  6. Witch Light by Susan Fletcher - I enjoyed Fletcher's Eve Green, so I might pick up this one about a Scottish woman in the seventeenth century accused of witchcraft.
  7. Fevre Dream by George R.R. Martin - I adore Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire Series, so a friend got me this one for my birthday.  Vampires on a Mississippi steamboat, it sounds perfect for the challenge.  I will probably read this one.
  8. Sundays with Vlad by Paul Bibeau - I read half of this a few years ago, and would like to finish it.  It's my only non-fiction pick, where Bibeau writes about his quest to find Vlad Dracula.
  9. Reckless by Cornelia Funke - I love the Inkheart series, so I'm keen to try this series.  As far as I know, it's set in a darker fairy tale type world.
  10. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - I've had this since it came out but still haven't read it.  One day!
Have you read any of these?  If you have, I'd love to hear what you thought of them, so I can narrow down my list a bit more.  If you're taking part in RIP, what are you planning to read?

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24 comments:

  1. PaulBibeau31 August 2013 at 15:39

    Turn of the Screw is a classic for a reason. And I want to read Warm Bodies myself. But I'm not sure about that Vlad thing. The guy's a bit of a tool.

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  2. Riv31 August 2013 at 16:29

    It's great that you are taking part too. I haven't read any of those, but am planning The Turn of the Screw and, being impatient, already started The Night Circus, which is going SO FAST. I have my doubts about certain aspects of the book, but seriously, it's the fastest read I've had in a long time - I'm almost half-way through already.

    Hope you will enjoy the event!

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    1. Sam (Tiny Library)1 September 2013 at 19:52

      Ooh, that makes me more excited to read The Night Circus, quick reads make me feel very productive!
      Hope you enjoy your RIP reading too :)

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  3. JoAnn31 August 2013 at 19:52

    The Turn of the Screw is the only book from your stack that I've read... truly a classic! Enjoy R.I.P.

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    1. Sam (Tiny Library)1 September 2013 at 19:54

      Glad you enjoyed it, I'm going to save it for nearer Halloween but I'm definitely looking forward to it.

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  4. Anonymous31 August 2013 at 21:03

    I was surprised by how many of my books fit this challenge too. :) I've been meaning to read Warm Bodies, Rivers of London and The Night Circus, so I'll be curious to see your thoughts!

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    1. Sam (Tiny Library)1 September 2013 at 19:55

      I'm probably going to start Warm Bodies tonight, I'm excited to try it.

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  5. Cath31 August 2013 at 23:09

    Lovely pile of books. Turn of the Screw and Rivers of London are the only ones I've read. Rivers of London is huge fun, likewise the sequels.

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    1. Sam (Tiny Library)1 September 2013 at 19:57

      I've heard so many good things about Rivers of London, I must make time for it.

      Delete
  6. 3goodrats31 August 2013 at 23:44

    The only one I've read is Turn of the Screw, which I hated! It was a good story, but I couldn't stand the writing style. It took me ages to read.

    I'm so glad you posted about R.I.P. though, because I hadn't heard of it before. I almost never participate in reading challenges, but this one sounds perfect for me!

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    1. Sam (Tiny Library)1 September 2013 at 19:59

      It's a shame the writing style didn't work out for you, that can make a book tough to read.
      Hope you do end up taking part in RIP, it sounds like a lot of fun :)

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  7. Laura31 August 2013 at 23:50

    I've been blogging for nearly three years and this is my THIRD RIP and it is my absolute favourite blogging thing that exists in the whole world! (It's going to be good, is what I'm saying.)

    Also I love how you're like 'I have these 10 books but OBVIOUSLY I'm not going to read them all' because I have made a pile of 22 books and am like 'I WANT TO READ THEM ALLLLLL' (I of course will not. Because how is that even possible?!) But anyway- I read Let The Right One In last RIP and it was both so creepy and sort of touching, so that's a good one, I really like a lot of The Night Circus and I'm almost definitely going to read Warm Bodies for this RIP so obviously you should definitely read that one!

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    1. Sam (Tiny Library)1 September 2013 at 20:15

      I'm so excited to take part this year!
      I'm glad you enjoyed Let the Right One In, I will definitely make time for it :)

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  8. Nikki - Notes of Life1 September 2013 at 16:36

    I've also got The Gargoyle on a bookshelf. I picked it up at a bookshop a couple of years ago, but I haven't gotten around to reading it yet. I really should!

    I'd definitely recommend Rivers of London. I've got the 3rd and 4th books here waiting to be read :)

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    1. Sam (Tiny Library)1 September 2013 at 20:15

      I must read Rivers of London, no one has said anything bad about it yet!

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  9. Lit Addicted Brit1 September 2013 at 20:42

    Warm Bodies!! That is *such* a great book! I read it earlier in the year and really enjoyed it so hopefully you'll like it. The Gargoyle is also a wonderful book - I read it *years* ago but it's survived a number of bookshelf purges because it was so quirky and unique that I feel as though it's earned its place on my bookshelf!

    I also have The Turn of the Screw on my eReader but completely forgot about it when I was putting together my sign-up post! Thanks for the reminder...although to be honest, I already have way too many books on my list anyway so...maybe I didn't need the reminder.

    I've never heard of Witch Light but it sounds really good. Excellent pile making! :)

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  10. Kailana1 September 2013 at 23:03

    The Gargoyle and The Night Circus were both awesome! I recently reread The Night Watch and enjoyed it.

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  11. O.1 September 2013 at 23:22

    The Night Circus! Oh please read The Night Circus! It's one of the best books I've read this year and I hope you like it as much as I do :)

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  12. Anonymous2 September 2013 at 09:46

    I'm so pleased your taking part this year. This is my first year back after not taking part for a few years. I read The Turn of the Screw at university I was so engrossed I read it in one sitting and it was dark outside when I finished. Super creepy!

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  13. seagreen reader2 September 2013 at 17:59

    I absolutely loved The Night Circus, recommended it to my sister for her book club, where it received the highest score of any book they had ever read! I think that Rivers of London is fabulous too.

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  14. Anonymous4 September 2013 at 16:46

    Yay, I'm participating too. I almost chose Turn of the Screw too, but decided to keep going with all of the Sherlock Holmes books on my list. I'm also reading Dracula as my Halloween-ish book. First because I haven't read it and second because there's a new TV show starting in October starring Jonathan Rhys Meyer.

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  15. Cat8 September 2013 at 10:05

    I hope you will enjoy your first RIP - hardest thing is choosing what to read. The Gargoyle is perfect for it and Witch Light (aka Corrag) is lovely.

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  16. Sarah8 September 2013 at 21:20

    The Gargoyle - BLECH. I read that back when it was super popular and while some parts were good, I definitely didn't think it was worth all the hype.

    Hooray for Let the Right One In! And Sundays With Vlad sounds interesting... I've been seeing Rivers of London around a lot, I should look into that.

    I'm so excited to be joining RIP!

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