It’s that time of year again!!! Time for approaching autumn and changing leaves and Halloween and pumpkins and creeping shivers – and this year, it’s EVEN BETTER, because I live up north and will get to experience a REAL autumn for the first time in a decade. Best of all? This is the first year, in my many years participating in Carl‘s R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril event, that reading all these books won’t just help me pretend I’m truly ushering in fall. This year, they actually will help me usher in fall! I’m giddy-excited at the thought!!
To say a word or several about the challenge: From now until Halloween, participants read and discuss books that fit the delightfully macabre season: mystery, suspense, thriller, dark fantasy, Gothic, horror, supernatural. There are different levels and types of participation, and as per usual for me, I’ve chosen Peril the First (ie. the “read at least four but really as many as you can possibly stuff into your schedule over the next two months” level).
I’m not completely sure of all the books I’ll read over the upcoming months, but here are a few on my radar, in no particular order:
- The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl
- Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
- The Secret Place by Tana French
- The Rules by Stacey Kade
- The Supernatural Enhancements by Edgar Cantero
- Rooms by Lauren Oliver
- The Whispering Skull by Jonathan Stroud
- Holy Fools by Joanna Harris
- Nightwatch by Sergei Lukyanenko
- Love is Hell by multiple authors (short story collection)
I’m also considering a few RIP rereads:
- Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
- The Monk by Matthew Gregory Louis
- The White Devil by Justin Evans
- The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (RIP Readalong!!)
- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (which I reread every October!)
- Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman (after discovering I live a few blocks away from Pulsifer St. in Newton, MA…)
I’m sure I won’t get through ALL of these, but oh man I want to!
As usual, thank you Carl for continuing to host this event every fall. It’s my very favorite and I look forward to it all year!! Also, I want to note that the gorgeous art is done by Abigail Larson – check her out!
The Zen Leaf 
Matthew Pearl is a Boston author so he’ll be a perfect RIP companion. Have a great reading season! I just finished a book tonight (Fri) so I think I’ll be starting two days early on my RIP reading. 🙂
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I didn’t realize that about him! Cool. We get so many local authors doing events here, maybe I’ll see him!
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I’m in Arizona and I know what you mean. Football and R.I.P. mean fall has arrived. 🙂 Great list & Happy Reading!
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And the kids going back to school. 😀
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the worst part of reading everyone’s list is all the checking on books you hadn’t known about at amazon LOL… off to check the Jonathan Stroud book! Enjoy RIP!!!
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The Stroud is a second-in-a-series, the first being The Screaming Staircase. I listened to it on audio this summer and had chills through a lot of the book. Definitely great RIP material!
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I’m signing up for RIP also — I think I can squeeze in two each month. I really want to read some more Daphne du Maurier and maybe another book by Mary Elizabeth Braddon. So jealous that you can experience a real fall!
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I’d like to hear about a good Braddon book before I try another. I loved the first one I read for RIP a few years ago, but I tried another one later, and it was not only not RIPish, but really dull. I tried another that was so dull I gave up on it. I’m sure she wrote some other really great books…but I don’t know about them yet!
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I love that you reread The Night Circus every October. That is a great tradition. Even more fun that you’ll be reading it during true Autumn weather this year. I’m thrilled for you. So fun to see The Zen Leaf back up and running. I have missed it. Your list looks very intriguing. I’m really interested in The Supernatural Enhancements myself.
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Sorta kinda back up. Slowly. I imagine it’s going to take me the rest of the year to really get it fully back together, and I can never get back the comments and conversations I had here. But still, I’m glad I’ve resurrected it as well. 🙂
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It’s the BEST TIME OF YEAAAAR.
Also I haven’t told you officially yet how excited I am to see The Zen Leaf!!
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Aw, thanks Lu!
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I love this challenge! I need to start figuring out my books for this RIGHT NOW! I am definitely hoping to read Rooms by Lauren Oliver as well. It looks like you have some great reading ahead of you…have fun!
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I am really, really hoping I can get that one from my library in time!!
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I love this challenge! I loved Rebecca, I might consider re-reading that as well.
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That is like THE ultimate R.I.P. book isn’t it??
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So many of the books on your list I’ve never even heard of! Hope you enjoy every single one!
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Thanks Debi!
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I love, love, love The Dante Club! You have a wonderful list. As this is my first time participating…I only chose one book. Though I’m getting all kinds of ideas for next year!
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I ended up grabbing The Poe Society on audio instead – though The Dante Club is still on the burner for later on! I have soooooo many I want to get to, haha!
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