Classics Club: Gothic Fiction in October

Two Gothic events for the Classics Club

o @ Delaisse is hosting this one...

Option 1: Join o in a readalong of The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe

Option 2: Read one book for the 18th, the 19th, and the 20th Century, which you can pick from my list or look elsewhere (which, seriously, I would recommend that you do because my list is very brief, and I may have missed some fantastic titles).

Option 3: Both!

The season is changing but here in New Zealand it's not Autumn - we're welcoming warmer days and longer nights,  daffodils , blossom and newborn lambs - it's Spring we await but that doesn't mean I'm not happy to be reading Gothic fiction.
Fortunate that this announcement came nice and early as I was about to start reading Dracula for the RIP but now I'm postponing until October.

I'm signing up for Option 3 and I'll be reading:

18th Century - The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe (readalong)

19th Century - Dracula by Bram Stoker

20th Century - The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

**********

Jean @ Howling Frog Books is hosting the other.

It includes another readalong by Ann Radcliffe but I don't think I can manage two so I'll give that a miss.

I do like the idea of the James-a-day and fortunately the library has a collection of M.R.James short stories so signing up for that - should be fun!

Nice to be organised early and I can sit back and enjoy September.

It's R.I.P. time again!

R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril

September 1 - October 31

It's that time again! And even though it's Spring in my part of the world this spooky event is one I always look forward to. R.I.P VII is hosted, as always,  by Carl @ Stainless Steel Droppings .

There are two simple goals for R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril VII

1. Have fun reading.
2. Share that fun with others.

The purpose of R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril VII is to enjoy books and movies/television that could be classified (by you) as:

Mystery.
Suspense.
Thriller.
Dark Fantasy.
Gothic.
Horror.
Supernatural.
Or anything sufficiently moody that shares a kinship with the above.

Multiple perils await you. You can participate in just one, or participate in them all. I plan on.....

Peril the First: Read four books. I don't like making lists because I never stick to them but.....

Dracula by Bram Stoker....the last two years I've said I'll read this but haven't so this year - definitely!!

The Wyvern Mystery by J Sheridan Le Fanu........I bought this last year at the Book Fair with the R.I.P. in mind.

The Woman in Black by Susan Hill ........at last a copy in the library.



The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories.

Come and join us! More info and signup here.

Canadian Book Challenge 6

Hosted by John Mutford @ The Book Mine Set

The Challenge: to read and review 13 or more Canadian books in a one year span - Canada Day to Canada Day. Reviews must be posted online and participants are asked to share links to their reviews with other participants. Canadian books can include any form or genre and can be written by Canadian authors ( by birth or immigration) or about Canadians. For more info click link above.

Every year I think about joining this challenge but then let it pass because I'm already overloaded with challenges. This year I cut back drastically on challenges and as I'm progressing well with all of them have decided there is room for one more. I know our library has an excellent selection of Canadian authors and look forward to seeking out those I haven't read.

1. The Virgin Cure by Ami McKay
2. Random Passage by Bernice Morgan
3. Waiting for Time by Bernice Morgan
4. The Outlander by Gil Adamson
5. Madame Proust and the Kosher Kitchen
6. Sanctuary Line by Jane Urquhart
7. Bodily Harm by Margaret Atwood

A Victorian Celebration

Hosted by Allie @ A Literary Odyssey

 "The Victorian era in literature refers to the time that Queen Victoria was ruling in Britain (1837-1901). It was a time period of great peace and prosperity for Britain and allowed for a lot of artistic and literary expression. Generally speaking, Victorians are only the British authors who published during this time period. However, some like to group American writers and others into the mix since their work can be closely tied together.

To give you an idea of what writers I am talking about, some of the most well-known Victorian writers include: Charles Dickens, George Eliot, Wilkie Collins, William Makepeace Thackeray, Anthony Trollope, and the Bronte sisters. Others include Lewis Carroll, Robert Louis Stevenson, Anna Sewell, and the Brownings. There are countless more, but these are the big hitters and those most commonly referred to as Victorians. 

For this event, the goal is to read as many Victorian pieces as you wish during the months of June and July. I will have posts going up throughout the event on different authors, as well as my own reviews on Victorian pieces and biographies of writers. There will also be prizes (lots of them) that will go up throughout the two month event. If you are going to participate, you can read a novel from the era, a biography on a writer or Queen Victoria herself, or anything else pertaining to the era. All posts will help you qualify for prizes, which I'll explain as we get closer to the event's starting line!"

This event has been on the horizon for some time and it's one I'm really looking forward to. Some of the books I hope to read ( always subject to change) are:

Our Mutual Friend or Bleak House by Charles Dickens

The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy

The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot

Wives and Daughters or Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell

The Dead Witness: A Connoisseur's Collection of Victorian Detective Stories edited by Michael Sims

Charles Dickens (biography) by Jane Smiley

Elizabeth Gaskell: a habit of stories (biography) by Jenny Uglow

Interested in participating? Signup here.

The Stephen King Project 2012

Hosted by Natalie and Kathleen

1.This will run from January through December 2012

2. Anyone can join. But you should have a blog OR an account with Goodreads, Shelfari, etc., so you can write your reviews and we can visit via the link at The Stephen King Project.

3.The Project will be hosted at The Stephen King Project review site. Participants should link their reviews to the Linky there.

Audiobooks count.

E-books count.

What Are the Commitment Levels?

• A King Novice: 1 book
• A Lil Bit of King: 3 books
• A King to Balance It All: 6 books
• A King Legend: 9 books
• A King for All Seasons: 12+ books

Back in the '70's Stephen King was 'the Man' for me. I loved his early books and I still include The Stand as one of my all-time favourites ( I wonder if I'd feel the same all these years later). Then he took his writing in a direction that didn't appeal at all so it's been a long time since I read one of his books. But recent reviews from bloggers I trust (including Natalie) have sung the praises of 11/22/63 so I have it on hold at the library and I've had Under the Dome on my bookshelf waiting patiently to be read since the Book Fair of 2010. I'm signing up for A Lil Bit of King but if my passion is reignited I might read more.

1. 22/11/63

2. Under the Dome

3.

Willa Cather Reading Challenge

Hosted by Chris @ WildmooBooks

The Challenge: To read all  12 of Willa Cather's novels in order of their publication, one per month, from January 2012 through December 2012.

The Reading List:

1. January: Alexander's Bridge (1912)
2. February: O Pioneers! (1913)
3. March: The Song of the Lark (1915)
4. April: My Ántonia (1918)
5. May: One of Ours (1922)
6. June: A Lost Lady (1923)
7. July: The Professor's House (1925)
8. August: My Mortal Enemy (1926)
9. September: Death Comes for the Archbishop (1927)
10. October: Shadows on the Rock (1931)
11. November: Lucy Gayheart (1935)
12. December: Sapphira and the Slave Girl (1940)

The Un-Rule for this challenge:

I'd love for more people to discover Willa Cather's novels and their diversity. I hope you'll join me in reading all 12 novels, but if you don't have the time to commit to all 12, please feel free to join in for a few of the novels or even just one. My only request is that you read the novel in 2012 and not refer only to a past reading experience.

I've chosen this as my fifth and final challenge for 2012 as I've never read anything by Willa Cather . I doubt I'll be reading them all but look forward to at least three or four.

1. Alexander's Bridge by Willa Cather
2. O Pioneers
3 My Antonia by Willa Cather

I Want More 2012 Challenge

 Hosted by Marce @ Tea Time With Marce

 January 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012

Have you read 1 book by an author and at the end said you must read more? Then this Challenge is for you.

 

* All Genres are Welcome
* This challenge does NOT include Series, only stand alone
* See Levels below, you can change at any time if increasing, you cannot decrease once signed up.
* All forms of books will count - eBooks, Audiobooks, etc

Level of Participation 
Waited too long: 2 - 4 books
Give me more: 5 - 8 books
Never too much: 9 - 12 books

I do this all the time - read a book, love it, and vow to read more of the author's work but somehow the weeks slip away and I never get to it. So hopefully this will give me the incentive to do it! I'm signing up for the second level 5 - 8 books with these authors in mind but always subject to change.

Connie Willis

Jane Harris 

Fred Vargas

Khaled Hosseini

Susan Vreeland

Rosamund Lupton

Kate Atkinson

Kathryn Harrison

John Ajvide Lindqvist


1. Sister by Rosamund Lupton
2. The Observations by Jane Harris
3. Little Star by John Ajvide Lindqvist

What's In A Name Challenge 5

January 1 and December 31, 2012

The 2012 What's In A Name Challenge will once again be hosted at  BethFishReads . It's one of my favourite challenges and looks some interesting categories for next year.

1. A book with a topographical feature (land formation) in the title: Black Hills, Purgatory Ridge, Emily of Deep Valley
2. A book with something you'd see in the sky in the title: Moon Called, Seeing Stars, Cloud Atlas
3. A book with a creepy crawly in the title: Little Bee, Spider Bones, The Witches of Worm
4. A book with a type of house in the title: The Glass Castle, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Ape House
5. A book with something you'd carry in your pocket, purse, or backpack in the title: Sarah's Key, The Scarlet Letter, Devlin Diary
6. A book with a something you'd find on a calendar in the title: Day of the Jackal, Elegy for April, Freaky Friday, Year of Magical Thinking

The book titles are just suggestions, you can read whatever book you want to fit the category. 

1. Death on the Downs by Simon Brett
2. Little Star by John Ajvide Lindqvist
3. Snake Ropes by Jess Richards
4. The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie
5. Miss Buncle's Book by D E Stevenson
6. 11/22/63 by Stephen King

Vintage Mystery Reading Challenge 2012

Bev at My Reader's Block is again hosting this challenge and in 2012 the challenge is all about vintage themes - there are 10 different themes to choose from with the goal being to read 8 books from each chosen theme.

More info and signup here  

I plan to tackle two themes which will mean reading 16 books - the difficulty has been in deciding which ones!
But I managed to find a couple of vintage mysteries at the secondhand shop on Saturday and that helped in the final decision. I never make lists beforehand and will add books to my list as I read them.

Theme One - Golden Age Girls -8 books by female authors OR 8 books with female detectives

1. The Beckoning Lady by Margery Allingham
2. The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart
3. The Nursing Home Murder by Ngaio Marsh
4. Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
5. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
6. Have His Carcase by Dorothy L Sayers
7. The Ivory Dagger by Patricia Wentworth
8. Coroner's Pidgin by Margery Allingham

Theme Two - Lethal Locations - 8 books that are all about place (for instance: country houses, hospitals, schools or even particular cities/countries)

1. Five Red Herrings by Dorothy L Sayers
2. The Grand Babylon Hotel by Arnold Bennett
3. The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie
4. Colour Scheme by Ngaio Marsh
5. The Red House Mystery by A.A.Milne
6. The Watersplash by Patricia Wentworth
7. Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie
8. The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey