Tuesday, August 31, 2010

R.I.P. Challenge V


One of my favorite reading times of the year is upon us -- the start of Karl's Readers Imbibing Peril (R.I.P.) Challenge!  This is the fifth year of the challenge but only my second year participating.  I believe it was originally an October challenge but was expanded to include September (to the delight of many!).  Last year, I went far above and beyond the four books I signed up for.  I'm sure I will surpass it again this year so I'm going to make my own Infinite Peril category!  I've decided this year to read almost entirely from my own stacks.  I've sorted my TBR shelves and have come up with many, many choices!  Here are pictures of the almost two shelves that I have dedicated to the challenge.


1. The Gates by John Connolly (YA, supernatural, horror)*
2. The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (YA, ghosts)*
3. The Ghosts of Kerfol by Deborah Noyes (short stories, ghosts)
4. Messenger of Truth by Jacqueline Winspear (series, murder, detective)
5. Affinity by Sarah Waters (ghosts, supernatural)
6. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters (ghosts, supernatural)*
7. Sister Pelagia and the Red Cockerel by Boris Akunin (series, murder, detective)
8. The Oxford Book of Victorian Ghost Stories (short stories, ghosts)
9. The Homeward Bounders by Diana Wynne Jones (youth, magic, adventure)
10. The Time of the Ghost by Diana Wynne Jones (youth, ghosts)*
11. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James (short stories, ghosts)
12. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson (youth, adventure, pirates)
13. The Leavenworth Case by Anna Katherine Green (mystery, murder)
14. Casting the Runes and Other Ghost Stories by M.R. James (short stories, ghosts)
15. The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens (murder)
16. The Monk by Matthew Lewis (murder)
17. The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein by Peter Ackroyd (horror, supernatural)*
18. The Mammoth Book of Dickensian Whodunnits (short stories, mystery)


19. The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti (violence, adventure)
20. Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife by Mary Roach (non-fiction, death)*
21. Christine Falls by Benjamin Black (series, mystery, murder)
22. The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale (non-fiction, murder, history)
23. In the Woods by Tana French (series, mystery, murder, detective)*
24. 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill (short stories, horror)
25. The Oxford Murders by Guillermo Martinez (mystery, murder)
26. The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde (graphic novel, murder, supernatural)*
27. A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd (series, mystery)
28. The Monsters: Mary Shelley and the Curse of Frankenstein by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler (non-fiction, monsters)
28. The Domino Men by Jonathan Barnes (supernatural, mystery)*


29. The Ghost in Love by Jonathan Carroll (ghosts)
30. The Book of Air and Shadows by Michael Gruber (mystery, murder, adventure)
31. Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay (ghosts, supernatural)
32. Icelander by Dustin Long (mystery, murder)
33. The Red House Mystery by A.A. Milne (mystery, murder)*
34. Some Danger Involved by Will Thomas (series, murder, detective)
35. An Expert in Murder by Nicola Upson (series, murder)
36. The Angel Maker by Stefan Brijs (horror, supernatural)
37. The Blackstone Key by Rose Melikan (mystery)
38. Tesla: Man Out of Time by Margaret Cheney (non-fiction, science)
39. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton (mystery)
40. Fer-de-Lance and The League of Frightened Men by Rex Stout (series, mystery, murder)
41. Full Dark House by Christopher Fowler (series, mystery, detectives)
42. Bone: Out From Boneville by Jeff Smith (youth, graphic novel, ghosts)
43. The Court of the Air by Stephen Hunt (adventure)
45. The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt (mystery)

Wow.  I certainly buy books of a certain mood, don't I?  Last year I got through eighteen books in two months.  We'll see how I do this year.  I think my unofficial goal will be twenty.  It will be nice to make a decent-sized dent in my TBR stacks.  If you want to see other reviews as they go up or link to your own reviews, the site is here.

Oh, and there's also a film component this year, Peril on the Screen.  Don't worry!  I have plenty of those as well (almost 50 DVDs that should qualify!).  I'll kick it off this week with Dorian Gray (which I finally got on Netflix) and go from there.

Are there any of these books that you can recommend or that you would like to see me read?  I've put stars by the ten I think I'm most likely to read and then the rest will be decided as I go along.

Hoping the leaves start changing soon to set the mood,
K
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23 comments:

  1. SybilAugust 31, 2010 at 12:47 AM

    What a list! Okay, here are the ones I think you should put on top:

    The Picture of Dorian Gray (you say you've got a graphic novel of that, I'm very intrigued, which one is it?)

    Affinity (really excellent, have you read Sarah's other books? I love them all except The Little Stranger)

    The Monk (it's got more than murder, I don't want to spoil, it's a captivating read and food for thought, took me a while to emerge from it).

    You remind me I must give Jacqueline Winspear a try. I'm very surprised to see A.A. Milne on there, I had no idea!

    Hope you enjoy your challenge :)

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  2. (Diane) Bibliophile By the SeaAugust 31, 2010 at 4:07 AM

    I'm in too, and although I'm really enthusiastic, I feel like a slacker compared to you...LOL

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  3. AnonymousAugust 31, 2010 at 4:23 AM

    Holy crap that is a lot of books! Make sure you get to In the Woods!

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  4. DebiAugust 31, 2010 at 4:56 AM

    Oh my, looking at your big long beautiful list has me wishing I hadn't narrowed mine down but just wallowed in all the possibilities instead. Of course, difference being I will read nowhere near the 20 books you're striving for. Hope you enjoy them all!

    And I need help desperately in the movie suggestions area, so I will definitely be checking back to see what you're watching.

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  5. Carl V. AndersonAugust 31, 2010 at 5:57 AM

    Infinite Peril, I like it!!! What a great reading list! Hard to even know where I would begin with so many fantastic choices. I'm way behind on the Charles Todd books. My wife stays caught up with them and is still a fan, so I know I'd enjoy them. I think I stopped with book 4 and haven't gotten back to them despite enjoying them. Looking at your list reminded me that I'd like to read some Angela Carter (from The Bloody Chamber) for the short story peril.

    And I think I've told you before, but it bears repeating: those copies of the Oz books look fantastic.

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  6. AnonymousAugust 31, 2010 at 7:37 AM

    I can't believe it's already that time again! I have made September my month for not reading the ends of any books I read, which may be foolish, coinciding as it does with Reading Suspenseful Books Month. :p

    Pretty much you have starred all the books I would urge you most strongly to read. I'd star Homeward Bounders too, of course. It's wonderful.

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  7. JennersAugust 31, 2010 at 10:28 AM

    Good Lord Woman! You are a one woman in peril blog!! you could just focus on this stuff and be done with it.

    I think I'll sign up for this challenge this year ... everyone had so much fun with it. I've got to check out my bookshelves to see what I have.

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  8. Kristen M.August 31, 2010 at 10:37 AM

    Sibylle - There's a Marvel Illustrated series that are graphic novel versions of classics. I'm going to pair it with watching the most recent film version of the story! And I want to read Affinity (read Fingersmith last month, first Waters) but also might want to save it since I think I will love it. I've had The Monk on my list for a long time so I would love to get to it. And I only found out about the Milne recently and then happened upon a copy! I'm very curious about it.

    Diane - Well, the truth is that I won't be reading much else besides RIP reads. These are my favorite books and my favorite time of year to read them!

    Lola - Thanks for the suggestion. That's a series I would love to start!

    Debi - It would have taken me a month to narrow these down so instead I just went through my stacks and pulled titles, cleared some shelf space and put them together -- it only took an afternoon instead! ;) I have some great movie ideas and am thinking of some themed posts to go with them. I hope it helps you out!

    Carl - Not truly infinite, right, but I'm sure it will seem like it by the end of October! I should find some Angela Carter too as I've heard great things about her. (And thanks for the Oz compliment!)

    Jenny - I only starred one of the DWJs but I'm sure I'll read both! How could I help myself? And it will be fascinating to see how you cope with unrevealed suspense! I guess it's the truest test of all. :)

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  9. Kristen M.August 31, 2010 at 10:39 AM

    Jenners - Haha! I don't know if I could do the peril thing year round but it's nice to have permission to take these two months and focus on some truly plot-driven stories. I read so many of them because it's easy to power through a good mystery!

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  10. Carl V. AndersonAugust 31, 2010 at 10:56 AM

    If you like short stories, Carter's collection, The Bloody Chamber, is a great place to start. Not a big collection at all and the stories would be right at home in this challenge and the Once Upon a Time challenge.

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  11. AnonymousAugust 31, 2010 at 9:05 PM

    You have great books in your pile! Kinda looks like mine only mine are on Kindle and Nook now. It's nice to see another thriller lover. Looking forward to your reviews. Reading, Reading and Life

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  12. DesLilySeptember 1, 2010 at 4:35 AM

    gasp! that's one heck of a list!

    no matter which you choose or how many you read, I hope they all are enjoyable reads!

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  13. StefanieSeptember 1, 2010 at 6:07 AM

    That's some list! In the Woods is a can't put it down book, Dorian Gray is fantastic all around, The Monk is delightful over the top melodramatic Gothic fun, and The Gates is hilarious. Have fun!

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  14. Kristen M.September 1, 2010 at 11:52 AM

    Carl - Thanks for the suggestion! I'll keep it in mind!

    Senorag - Thanks! This is a fun uber-genre!

    Deslily - Last year I hit a couple of meh titles in the challenge so I'm going to aim higher this year!

    Stefanie - I will definitely try and read In the Woods because everyone seems to like it. And I've been saving The Gates specifically for now but I can't wait any longer!

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  15. Terri B.September 1, 2010 at 2:01 PM

    Linked over from Chris's blog. You've got a really great list of books! This has got to be one of my favorite challenges. I guess it is a hard choice between this one and the other one that Carl does in the Spring (fantasy)!

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  16. KateSeptember 2, 2010 at 2:38 AM

    Wow, this is a really amazing list! I think I'm going to bookmark it for reading recommendations! I've only read a few on your list - Spook and Mr Whicher on the nonfiction side, Edwin Drood, The Turn of the Screw (classic!) and The Little Stranger on the fiction. I'm eager to see a review of The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein - that and The House of Doctor Dee were side-by-side in my library, and I checked out Doctor Dee instead. Happy reading to you!

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  17. Kristen M.September 2, 2010 at 7:45 AM

    Terri - Thanks! I actually haven't ever done the spring challenge. I'm always terribly busy right then for some reason. I'll have to make time next year!

    Kate - I haven't seen many reviews of The Casebook yet. But Frankenstein is one of my all-time favorites so I hope it's good! And I can't believe I haven't read The Turn of the Screw yet.

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  18. ValerieSeptember 2, 2010 at 8:44 AM

    You definitely have a lot of books there that qualify for RIP! I have "The Good Thief" in my TBR pile, but it didn't occur to me that it could qualify. Your goal of reading 20 of these books in two months is amazing, too! I feel like such a slow reader, compared :-) .

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  19. Ana S.September 2, 2010 at 11:35 PM

    I love your RIP shelves, and I love your huge list :D I'm going to recommend Affinity, because I'm a Sarah Waters fangirl like that :P And I adored The Children's Book, though I didn't find it particularly mysterious.

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  20. Kristen M.September 3, 2010 at 9:38 AM

    Valerie - Well, because my choices are plot-heavy, they're fast reads so I can get more done! Plus, I'm really ready to get through some of my TBR pile!

    Ana - Thanks! I really want to get to Affinity but I'm not sure about The Children's Book just because it's long. I might just save it for November.

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  21. AnonymousSeptember 3, 2010 at 5:50 PM

    I love the idea of an infinite list, and I might just have to join you in it!

    All I've got to say is please do read The Monk-- it was my absolute favorite last year! It is so absurd and wonderful.
    Treasure Island is also fabulous!

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  22. KailanaSeptember 6, 2010 at 10:51 AM

    I enjoy that you included pictures! I like looking at other people's book pictures. Enjoy your reading!

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  23. Kristen M.September 6, 2010 at 9:13 PM

    History - I hope you do join in! You can never read too many perilous books! And I had The Monk on my wishlist for years, finally got a copy and so I'll do my best to read it this year.

    Kailana - Thanks! I knew people might not believe me on this one if I just posted lists. ;)

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