Tuesday 1 November 2011

R.I.P. VI wrap up

Well, the 1st. of November is here and, bizarrely, it could easily be a summer's day if you disregarded the reds and yellows of the leaves on the trees and the dead leaves all over the lawn. It's clearly autumn but we have bright blue skies and mild temps and the fuchsia outside my window is still in flower, even though we have had a couple of frosts. Of course, one of the sad things that the 1st. November means is the end of R.I.P. VI which as always has been hosted by Carl.



It seems to whizz by in no time... bit like the years now that I'm getting older I think. Anyway, my self allotted task this year was to complete:



... which was to:

Read four books, any length, that you feel fit (my very broad definitions) of R.I.P. literature. It could be Stephen King or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Ian Fleming or Edgar Allan Poe…or anyone in between.

I went past the four books way back in September in fact and eventually ended up completing nine books.

1. Bone Crossed - Patricia Briggs
2. The Gates - John Connolly
3. The Blood Detective - Dan Waddell
4. Eclipse - Stephanie Meyer
5. The Small Hand - Susan Hill
6. The Wine of Angels - Phil Rickman
7. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs
8. Wicked Appetite - Janet Evanovich
9. The Mephisto Club - Tess Gerritsen

Five of those were off my tbr pile and four from the library. Which might not seem too bad but of those five only three were from the pile I originally put aside! I either need to stop putting books aside for challenges or be a bit more focussed.

No matter, the main thing is I enjoyed the books I ended up reading. I usually say it's hard to pick a favourite but this year it isn't. Two books stood out as excellent, atmospheric and thoroughly enjoyable and those two are, The Wine of Angels by Phil Rickman and The Mephisto Club by Tess Gerritsen. These are my two 'star reads' of this year's R.I.P. challenge.

I also managed to read a small clutch of short stories this year, less than I would have liked but there is always next year.

It's all been great fun and I would like to thank Carl for, as always, being such a good host.
~~~oOo~~~

8 comments:

My Gallery of Worlds said...

I am soooo impressed. As far as I'm concerned five books is five books, no matter which pile they come from...lol Great job Cath! :D

Anonymous said...

Well done, Cath. We need the piles to inspire us, I suppose. Mine sit and languish as I either add to them or pick something up at the library.

My fuchsia is going strong here as well. The hummingbirds that came to feed on it are long gone, however, flitting off to warmer climes.

DesLily said...

You always do well for RIP!..and thanks to Carl we always enjoy it! I see you are on to book two of Flavia! I hope it's as enjoyable for you!

Cath said...

Kelly: Thanks. You're right of course. :-D

lifeonthecutoff: Thank you. To tell the truth I like the piles and enjoy shifting them around... and then back again.

I can't think that the fuchsias here will last much longer. As soon as we get a serious frost they'll be gone. I've only ever seen hummingbirds once... on a trip through Kentucky... I was entranced.

Pat: I think I've read nine books for RIP a couple of years running now.

Book two of Flavia is excellent, better than book one, imo. Almost finished it and have reserved book three from the library.

Kailana said...

Congrats on finishing the challenge!

Jodie Robson said...

An impressive total! I got so wrapped up in two group reads that I barely managed to post at all about other reading - a compromise needed next year, I think! Am adding several of your books to the TBR list.

Margaret @ BooksPlease said...

Gosh, you did do well. I managed to read four books, so completed Peril the First.

Cath said...

Kelly: Thanks!

GeraniumCat: I think that's one of the reasons I didn't do the group reads, I honestly didn't think I'd get to anything else if I did. Plus, I'd already read two of them.

Margaret: Thank you. I think it's just nice to complete a challenge, regardless of how many you read.