I decided to do:
Which was to: read four books, any length, that you feel fit (the very broad definitions) of R.I.P. literature. It could be King or Conan Doyle, Penny or Poe, Chandler or Collins, Lovecraft or Leroux… or anyone in between.
This is the photo I put up of the books I planned to choose from:
Looking at them now it seems I didn't do all that brilliantly at reading these books. LOL. I managed three of them *but* two others I started, gave a fair chance to, and then abandoned when I realised I didn't like them all that much. So I did in actual fact get five books off the tbr pile. Which is 'okay'... 'ish' anyway.
Right... well these are the books I did manage to read:
1. The Woods by Harlen Coben.
2. John Silence: Psychic Investigator by Algernon Blackwood.
3. An Absolute Gentlemen by R.M. Kinder.
4. I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett.
5. The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz.
6. The Dead Secret by Wilkie Collins.
7. Mayhem by Sarah Pinborough.
8. Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch.
So, eight books read for this year's R.I.P. Five of them were my own books (one of those a Kindle read) and three from the library. A favourite? Oh gosh... very hard indeed. All eight were really good books and I would recommend them to anyone with a taste for spooky stories, mysteries or horror/fantasy. But all in all I think the prize has to go to:
The Dead Secret by Wilkie Collins. I liked the Victorian writing, the Cornish setting, the plot of the thing, it was just an all-round excellent read and I definitely plan to read more of his books.
So that's it for another year. I believe Carl is going to start his Science Fiction reading experience a month early this year, on December the first. I didn't do it last year and missed it, so this year I think I will participate. Five books are out and sitting on the shelf already! I'm pretty much hopeless when it comes to reading challenges as I'm also very tempted by a vintage crime one that runs all of next year. Lost cause that's me... but at least it does mean I get a few books off the reading pile.
Happy November reading!
12 comments:
Well done you! Glad you got so much read and had a little bit of a struggle picking a favorite. Not surprising though that it is Collins as every year for RIP I read praises for his work. Thanks for taking part again this year.
And I'm excited you are going to do the Science Fiction Experience!!!
Ooh, I love Wilkie Collins but haven't got to this one yet, I think I need to soon!
Congrats on reading so many books for RIP :)
Collins is such a great author he really is! Not really surprising that was your favourite!
I love The Woman in White.
Lynn :D
Well done, Cath! I've read just one of these books - The House of Silk, which I enjoyed very much. After reading your post about The Dead Secret I downloaded it, so will read that one soon!
I've still got to do my wrap-up post!! I've had a bit of a headache all day today. It hurts to read - not good.
I bought The House of Silk because of someone's review! I will get to it next time I want to read a Sherlock Holmes like story :-)
I have The Woods on my pile, TBR, which I pulled out after your review.
I still have to do my wrap-up review, but first I did my review of Doctor Sleep, today. Tomorrow the wrap-up review. And a vintage crime challenge? ooh, where is that??? I want to do that one...plus check out if sci-fi challenge is Dec 1 this year. I do like that one.
It's fun to do these, isn't it? This year I managed to read a lot of other books in between the RIP challenge, I couldn't read straight horror/ghost stories. I did read good ones, so it was a solid challenge for me.
Good job, Cath! I am reading my fourth now so I didn't quite make it. It was still fun though.
Carl: Thanks! And thank *you* for hosting RIP once again. You give pleasure to so many with your challenges.
Yep, I have my books ready for the sci fi experience. Can't wait.
Sam: Thank you. The Dead Secret is one of those not so well known Collins books I think. Well worth searching out.
Lynn: Hopefully I can get to The Woman in White when I do the Vintage crime challenge next year.
Margaret. Thanks! Glad you managed to nab The Dead Secret, I know a few of his books are free on Kindle.
Sorry to hear your head's been bothering you, I get a lot of sinus headaches myself, so I can sympathise. Hope it's now much better.
Susan: Hope you enjoy those two books when you get to them.
Look forward to your wrap-up. Hope you do decide to do the vintage crime challenge as it looks slike a lot of fun.
It'll be so great to read sci fi over the Christmas period. Great idea of Carl's to change the start date.
Yes, I like to read a few other things between the horror books... with me it was some non-fiction.
Peggy Ann: I'm glad you enjoyed the challenge... that really is the main thing.
Thanks Cath, it is a bit better today. I think it is my sinuses - I don't often get a headache so it's a bit worrying when I do.
You have a very varied list that you read for the challenge. I hope to catch up with you on the Ben Aaronovitch series in 2014. And try some Terry Pratchett in 2014.
I am looking forward to the Sci Fi experience too, except that I have so many books to finish this year, I may have to wait until 2014 to start on that one.
I had four books that I hoped to read for the RIP challenge and had planned to read for the last RIP challenge, and they are still unread. Maybe next year.
Margaret: Really pleased to hear that you're better. Not pleasant when your head is too bad to read.
Tracy: I think you'll find the rest of the BA's to be very good.
Yes, I too have books which I haul out for RIP (and OUaT) that never do get read year after year. I'm not sure why.
Ooh, I Shall Wear Midnight! I have really GOT to finish reading the Tiffany Aching series...along with so many others!
Cheryl: Yes, it's worth catching up on the series in order to read I Shall Wear Midnight. It's very good.
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