I was excited to see the sign-up announcements for this year’s R.I.P Challenge, hosted by Andi at Estella’s Revenge and Heather at My Capricious Life. I participated for the first time last year and really enjoyed it. It’s a very low-stakes, easy-going reading challenge, which I’ve discovered is the best kind for me to try! There are multiple levels of involvement to choose from, with the only “requirements” being “have fun reading and share that fun with others.”
What is R.I.P.? Basically it’s reading (or watching – there’s a movie/television option) material suited to the autumn/Halloween season. Mysteries, thrillers, Gothic, paranormal, creepy, ghostly, weird… there are many different directions this can go! Last year I read two books: Shirley Jackson’s The Sundial and Helen Oyeyemi’s White Is For Witching. Both were terrific!
I’m again choosing the “Peril The Second” option, which means reading two books which fit the style. I’m going full-on Gothic this year. My first was a no-brainer, a classic book I’ve been meaning to read FOREVAH… Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. It’s one of those inexplicable gaps in my reading and I’m going to finally fill it! My second choice was inspired by a post by the lovely and hilarious Valancy at Blue Castle Considerations. She recently wrote about a Barbara Michaels book, The Master of Black Tower, and it reminded me how much I used to enjoy reading her in high school. So I’ve decided to pick Be Buried In The Rain, which sounds suitably Gothic and sinister. It’s quite possible I’ve read this one in high school already, but I’ve slept since then, you know, so it’ll be like brand-new to me!
I’ve just got to read and review these titles before October 31. Are you participating in this year’s R.I.P. Challenge? Have you read any of my previous picks or my choices for this year? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
ZOMG – I haven’t read Rebecca either!!! I keep meaning to – it’s one of those books that I TOTALLY should have read at some point but it just never happened – but now you have inspired me – no more procrastinating – I am definitely going to do it now…
And I am so glad you are going to read a Barbara Michaels! I haven’t got to Buried in the Rain in my re-reads yet — I only vaguely remember skeletons and sinister mansions so should fit in nicely with your challenge!!
plus: ‘lovely and hilarious’ (*preens*) lol 😉
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I love that I’ve inspired you to read something after you inspired me… the book blogging world truly is a marvelous place! 🙂
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I am SO EXCITED that you’re reading a Barbara Michaels book for this! What a great idea! I adore Barbara Michaels for good solid comfort reading, and I cannot fathom why I’ve never read one of her books for RIP. Be Buried in the Rain is indeed creepy, though perhaps not my favorite Barbara Michaels book.
You will, of course, love Rebecca. Rebecca is brilliant.
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Aaahhh! Very excited to see your enthusiasm for my choices!
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Rebecca is wonderful – I’m sure you’ll enjoy it! I won’t be joining in, though I’m planning to listen to the fab Derek Jacobi reading Frankenstein over the spooky season. But I’m so slow at audiobooks it’ll be long past 31st October before I finish and get a review up, and I don’t want to make myself feel rushed. Have fun with the challenge! 😀
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Thanks, FF! Ooooooh, Frankenstein on audio… gives me the chills just thinking about it. Looking forward to your thoughts on that!
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I love this Halloween-themed reading idea. I read Rebecca back in the day. I’m sure I wouldn’t have picked such a macabre book all by myself. Or maybe I did during my dramatic teen years. Fun! I remember being amused by her bit about sitting down to do correspondence as a large part of her day. And now answer email, or post to social media, for large chunks of our day.
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I’m really excited to finally read this book! (But with the books I’ve got going at the moment, I won’t start it till October.) Thanks for reading!
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Another reading challenge? Girl you so crazy! But I love the sounds of this one, it’s pretty easy. I haven’t heard of either of the books you chose, but I can’t wait to hear how they go!
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I know, I just got finished with a reading challenge that didn’t go so well, ha ha! But this one is SUPER easy… two books! Or there’s even a one book option. It’s basically just an excuse to read some creepy books. 🙂
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Love that!
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This sounds fun, Laila. Happy reading! 🙂 I have read Shirley Jackson’s ‘We Have Always Lived in The Castle’. I loved its atmosphere. 🙂
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I LOVE that book too, Deepika!
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Yay for planning to read Rebecca! It’s so fun! I hope you enjoy it! Ihaven’t heard of Barbara Michaels – I’ll have to look for her!
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I remember her being great fun but then again it was in high school so who knows how I’ll feel now? Ha ha!
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Ha, at first I had no idea what the “RIP” and “peril” could mean! I don’t often read books that could be considered scary, so this is a neat idea that appeals to me. I’ll give it a bit of thought in the run-up to Halloween 🙂
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Rebecca, my “scary” books are definitely on the tamer side of things! It’s a fun and laid back sort of challenge. I’ll be interested to see what others are reading.
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Rebecca is fabulous! You are going to like it so much! Have you seen the black and white movie? If not, maybe make a plan to watch it after you read the book. And don’t forget the popcorn! 🙂
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Oh, that’s an excellent idea! I’ve not seen it. Thanks, Stefanie.
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Oh Laila, I can’t wait to hear what you think about Rebecca. It is one of my favourite books ever, and the story has been with me even since I read it five years ago. I hope you enjoy your RIP Challenge!
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Thank you! I am SO looking forward to it!
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Yay! I love easy-going reading challenges. It’s always a good sign when you want to repeat them, too. I loved reading Rebecca, which was a first for me earlier this year. Definitely not what I expected–and I love it. What made you reach for these books? Are there other gothic reads you’d recommend?
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I’ve been meaning to read Rebecca for a long time, and just decided now is the perfect time. I just finished it last night and I LOVED it. As for the Barbara Michaels, I just wanted something short, to be honest! Ha ha! 🙂
Hmmm, Gothic… a lot of Shirley Jackson’s books have that feel…Mr. Splitfoot by Hunt, and The Keep by Egan are also on my Goodreads Gothic shelf.
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Yay!! I’m so glad you love Rebecca. I just realized that I never posted my review for that book, so I had best get on that! I am interested to see how our thoughts compare. 😀
Thanks for the recommendations! The Keep has been recommended to me before, too. I should look into this, I guess. The world is telling me to read this now!
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