I’m a bit late in joining but here I am signing up for another fabulous year of Readers Imbibing Peril hosted by Carl. There are several perils to choose from and part of me wants to go all out and say I’ll do Peril the First, which means reading four books between now and October 31. I love spooky reads and would love to read a ton of these but I also have to be realistic.
The next few weeks at work will be pretty busy and I’ve also got my bookbinding to do on the weekends so I think I’ll join Peril the Second and commit to reading two spooky reads. Maybe I’ll even join Peril of the Short Story a couple of times!
I took a look through my bookshelves and thought any of these books would be a perfect R.I.P. reads. What do you think?
- Don’t Look Now by Daphne Du Maurier
- The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
- Nocturnes by John Connolly
- Anna Dressed In Blood by Kendare Blake
- The Essential Tales & Poems of Edgar Allan Poe
- The Mammoth Book of Victorian & Edwardian Ghost Stories
And, I was so excited thinking about thrilling reads that I went ahead and started Dracula by Bram Stoker. I have loved vampire stories since I was a kid. Have watched all those Hammer Horror films, read all the Anne Rice books, Twilight – check, you get the picture. But, I can’t believe I’ve never read Dracula! So I started it last night and friends, why did I wait so long? I am loving it.
I’ve only read a bit but life for Jonathan Harker is already becoming very intense. His host never eats with him, he is beginning to feel like a prisoner in the castle and he’s just realized he can’t see his host’s reflection in a mirror. Ooh, this is good. And, isn’t it perfect that I brought some of these German vampires from vacation? I fear my little bag won’t last another chapter.
Yay! Great list. Dracula turned out to be such a bizarre book to me but I liked it very much. I read Turn of the Screw last year and even saw it acted as a play not long after that. Loved it! Looking forward to your thoughts on all of your choices.
I love Dracula and The Turn of the Screw! Reading a bit of lit crit about each of them is also intriguing!
Stefanie – Really? I can’t wait to read more of Dracula. So far I’m loving it! It’s so funny that it’s such a well-known story and yet I’m still getting goosebumps!
Jenclair – Oh I bet that is interesting! I have seen the Turn of the Screw on t.v. – maybe it was a Masterpiece Theater production? I can’t remember but it’s been so long and I only saw part of it that my memory is very fuzzy on it.
Happy reading! I read Dracula but I found it a bit drawn out and too long for my taste. I love the film version with Keanu. I may have to re-watch that one.
Happy reading and enjoy the candy! So far, the stories I’ve read for r.i.p. this year were not on my original list…go figure lol.
Dracula is one of the spookiest books ever! Might be time for me to re-read it! Enjoy – looking forward to reading what you think.