28 August 2009

A Dark and Mysterious Challenge

I wasn't going to do it. I read the description. I said no. I forgot about it for a few days. And along comes Nymeth at things mean alot...and her persuasive lists of books I want to read. She said I knew I wanted to join, and dagnabit she was right. So here I go again with another challenge...

The R.I.P. Challenge! There are three levels R.I.P. The First, Second, and Third calling for 4, 2, and 1 books respectively. There is also the Short Story Peril offering participants the chance to read and review short stories in the Mystery. Suspense. Thriller. Dark Fantasy. Gothic. Horror. Supernatural. genre.

Not only do I have a problem with signing up for challenges, I also seem to be incapable of not completing the most difficult of the levels, so I of course am going for Peril the First, meaning I need to add four more books to my to read list. I also want to participate in the Short Story Peril.

Luckily I don't have to commit to a specific list of books, but I do have a few I'm thinking of.

1. The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco: I'm currently reading this, so it's almost a cheat, but I think it fits quite nicely into this challenge. First, it's a mystery, a sort of medieval times whodunit. Second, it features monks, scary labyrinthine libraries, heretics, murder, and a building called an Aedificium. Very gothic. Finally and possibly most important, we have the Devil, witches, black cats, and hallucinogenic drugs. More gothic.

2. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins: Again, it's almost a cheat because I have to read this soon as I'm teaching it this month. I read it about ten years ago, so it's a re-read as well. It fits the conditions as well as it is a mystery: who stole the Moonstone? Just like Name of the Rose, it features typically gothic settings, such as breezy castles with dark corners. And of course we have more hallucinogenic drugs.

3. Sookie Stackhouse books: I joined the Sookie Stackhouse challenge with the intention of reading the whole series. Unfortunately I was not impressed with book number one and really considered dropping the whole thing. But everyone's been saying to stick with it and now this challenge is giving me the impetus I need to try the second. It seems rather appropriate, what with the vampires and everything.

4. A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick: I've wanted to read this for awhile and now I have two challenges which are motivating me to finally pick it up. Featuring an undercover cop, scary insane-asylum type rehab, and of course hallucinogenic drugs, A Scanner Darkly seems appropriate for this challenge.

Short Story: Nocturnes by John Connolly: This will be a re-read for me, but I plan on going through it more slowly and taking it story by story instead of doing the all-out speed reading of my first foray into the book.

Now I really need to get to reading....


~~~~~~~~~~~
Challenge Completed: October 2, 2009
Books Read: The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, Scary Stories 3 by Alvin Schwartz, Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris, The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole

6 comments:

  1. I am so glad you are joining in! Glad you were convinced. I try to keep it very laid back, hence the one book peril, and it is just so much fun to read this kind of literature. Thanks for signing up.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I liked The Name Of The Rose! Great list too.

    I have already read two books for this challenge!

    Here is my RIP IV read list

    ReplyDelete
  3. its not cheating to use a book you are already reading..especially when it fits! I can't see that title "name of the rose" without invisioning Sean Connery from the movie of the same name..

    ReplyDelete
  4. Carl - I'm glad I joined too. Heck joining gave me the push I needed to read the last 150 pages of The Name of the Rose in one night. I love these types of books as well, so it is a good fit for me.

    Gautami - It is such a good book. Check you out, two done already!

    DesLily - I have not seen the movie yet, but I've had a crush on Sean Connery for years and years. He's actually about the same age as my grandfather, but for some reason that doesn't matter. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I've added The Woman in White to my list for this challenge, but I'm also interested in The Moonstone--looks like a great book!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Stephanie - I really enjoy Wilkie Collins so I definitely recommend reading these books.

    ReplyDelete

Talk to me baby!