Tuesday, September 01, 2009

better late than never



Being out of town, and out of the loop, I missed all the beginning excitement over the start of RIP IV. Oh well. Just means I still have reading everyone's lists to look forward to, right? While it's probably downright impossible to pick a favorite challenge, this may well be mine. It's definitely right up there in the top.

I know I've said it before, but I really, truly love every season of the year. And I feel so blessed that I live in a part of the world where each season shines. Ah, but fall. There's just something very special about it, isn't there? (The only downside I can think of--and it's a big downside--is that the boys go back to school.) Anyway, as much I already adored the sheer gloriousness of fall, Carl's enthusiasm just intensifies the joy! As does RIP.

RIP allows me to go back to my youth. Apart from all the assigned reading of middle school/high school, this was the kind of reading I did. I couldn't get enough. Somewhere along the line though, the stories of fearful suspense sort of disappeared from my reading. Until RIP II (sadly, I missed out on the first). Wow...another thing I am forever grateful to Carl for. (The list of things I am forever grateful to Carl for is enormous, by the way...but tops is for his friendship!) Yep, Carl reawakened my love of horror. And broadened it, too.

And RIP, as with all of Carl's wonderful challenges, brings out the camaraderie in all its participants. Okay, so it's hell on the wish list. But isn't that really a good thing, too? ;)

This morning seems the perfect time to finally put together a pool of books to choose from, as it is feeling particularly fall-like this morning with temps only in the mid-40s. We even bought the fixin's for our first batch of chili of the season...mmmm. (Rich's chili is just soooooo delicious!)

Okay, okay...back to books here. The one rule I've made for myself is that all books must currently be in this house...in other words, no buying! (Confession time...I came home from vacation with sooooo many new books. Bad me. Of course, a great deal of it is really Chris's fault. And not just because he *made* me buy books, but because he gave me a huge bagful! Anyway, I mention this because I figure I'll just go ahead and award any blame for the books in my pool right now.) And I'm shamelessly copying Chris's idea of just posting pictures of the books, though mine won't look as pretty as his because I have no clue how to put them together in a nice collage.

(Okay, Debi, just shut up already, would you?!!!)



















































































































































































































































































































































Surely there ought to be something to catch my interest there, huh? ; )

5 of these came home with me from vacation (The Rapture--thanks Chris!, Voodoo Season--bought in New Orleans, and Spook, The Wyvern Mystery, and The Vengeance of the Witch-Finder--all from used book store)

2 of these come with blame attached (point to Chris for his review of Voodoo Season and point to Nymeth for The Vengeance of the Witch-Finder for getting us hooked on John Bellairs)

2 of these would be rereads if I get to them (Night Shift and Ghost Story)

3 of these I already have started (Night Shift, The Figure in the Shadows, and M Is For Magic)

13 of these are short story collections, 5 are graphic novels, 2 are non-fiction...

blah, blah, blah...yeah, enough already, Debi...

16 comments:

Ana S. said...

No "enough already" >:( After two weeks of Debi withdrawal, we want nice, long posts :P

Your pool is seriously awesome. You know, I wouldn't have thought of Black Hole for RIP, but it's perfect - really dark and bizarre. Oh, you have so much great reading ahead of you :D And I'm totally with you about there being something special about fall.

Shanra said...

Yaaaay! Voodoo Season! (I'm glad/I hope Chris is responsible for you getting that one whilst you were visiting in addition to his review making you want to pick it up! But I'm mean like that. ^-~)

And Tamsin... I'm sure I have that lying around the room somewhere during my few weeks of anything-Tamlin-retelling obsession. ^-~

Alas, though, that's all the books I know that're in your pool. The lot of them look pretty, though! (And yaaay, you're back!)

serendipity_viv said...

I am seriously jealous over your wonderful list and may just have to spend a little longer checking them out on Amazon. So if you find me still on your blog in the morning, curled up in the corner, you will know your book list got the better of me.

Carl V. Anderson said...

Yay, I'm so glad you're in. I did you a favor and added your link to the Mr. Linky portion of the R.I.P. post, that way you don't have to bother.

It would certainly not be the same without you and Annie involved. And wow, you sure know how to make a guy feel good! :) Cloud 9 anyone?!?!

Wonderful list of books there, I cannot wait to see what you choose to read.

And I completely agree with you, it is Chris' fault. ;)

Debi said...

Nymeth,
Oh, you are just too sweet to me, you know that, don't you?!!
I'm so glad you said Black Hole was perfect for RIP. It was seriously the one book I really wasn't sure about.

Shanra,
Well, he helped me find it in the bookstore! :D I was just so thrilled to get to buy it while in New Orleans...just made it seem extra cool somehow.

Vivienne,
LOL I just hope I can't actually get some of them read!

Carl,
Thank you!!! And I apologize! Sometimes I swear someone turns my brain off and doesn't bother to warn me. ;)
Well, if my words made you feel good, that makes me a happy gal...because you know I only spoke the truth!

Melody said...

Yes, it's always better to be later than never! :P

Wow, your pool is great!! I'm so thrilled that you've The Ghost Writer!!! That's one of my favourite reads this year!

Happy reading, Debi! :)

Eva said...

There's NEVER enough Debi!!!

That's an incredible pool, and all those covers are great to look at. I can't believe they're all in your house! lol

I wanted more complexity from Pemba's Song, but I still think it has a gorgeous cover. :D Voodoo season is great fun! I want to read Straub's Ghost Story but library doesn't have it; I haven't read anything by him before. I'd recommend Stiff over Spook; I read it the other way around and almost didn't give Stiff a chance. :( The Book of Lost Things is SO WONDERFUL. And I'm about to start Four and Twenty Blackbirds myself!!

While I didn't love The Dreaming, I did think it was neat. The Ghost Writer is one I want to reread soon, and The Thirteenth Tale is a total comfort read (at least for me). Heart-Shaped Box and Tamsin are both just marvelous. And Nocturnes has lots of short stories that actually scared me!

Ok, those are all the ones in your pool that I've read. :p A lot of the ones I haven't read have awesome covers, so I can't wait for your reviews!!!

chrisa511 said...

I am in LOVE with your list!!!! So happy to see Voodoo Season on there :D And I forgot about Spook!! I want to get that one!!! Oooh, I think I'm going to come back to your list and steal some of them. Cell is really good too. It got a bad rap for some reason, but personally, I really liked it. Freaked the shit out of me! And I agree with Nymeth...I want loooooooooooong posts from you Debi!!

Stephanie said...

What a great list, Debi! I've read a few of them (World War Z and The Book of Lost Things are just fantastic!) and have a few on my own list.

This time of year is truly my favorite.

DesLily said...

good gravy! that's no "pool".. that's an Ocean!!! lol.. i do hope you get to read the Thirteenth Tale though! I just began reading it for the 3 time! It seems to be an annual event for this challenge! Though I may force myself to skip a year now and then lol

Amanda said...

I love all your books! this is my first RIP challenge, so I'm very excited about it!

Brooke from The Bluestocking Guide said...

Wow! What a list. This is my first year. R.I.P. IV

christina said...

Such an awesome selection of books!

Melissa Dominic said...

i am going to read world war z! so exciting!

Anonymous said...

wow - there's loads and loads there!

and you're now giving me the bug to read a lot of these too! bad debi!!

you've reminded me about locke & key, lovecraft, the haunting of hill house, dark harvest, m is for magic and joe hill who i've been dying to read but am also petrified of reading (i spook easily :()!

you're also one of the many people who seem to be reading the roald dahl collection this time round - until a week or so ago i didn't know (or had forgotten entirely!) that he had written ghost stories!

of all your choices i've only read one myself, and that's world war z, which i read for ripII.

i hope you have fun with this year's rip! :D

Anonymous said...

So many great books. I loved The Dreaming manga by Queenie Chan and Nightmares and Fairy Tales graphic novels are beautiful and haunted. I quite fancy reading Fledgling, Heart Shaped Box and The Thirteenth Tale. I also must read Trolls Eye View, Peeps and Nocturnes. I hope you get around to Gothic, it's a great collelction of short stories.