over already?!!

I can't believe how fast RIP III went by. I don't think I'm ready to let go just yet. But anyway, many, many thanks to Carl, challenge host extraordinaire, for yet another wonderful experience!

Though I didn't read nearly as many books as some, I did actually manage to meet my stated goals, plus a few extras.

*The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells

*We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

*Dracula by Bram Stoker

*Daphne du Maurier's Classics of the Macabre

*The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

*The Floods: Good Neighbors by Colin Thompson

*The Witches by Roald Dahl

Only one was a disappointment (The Floods)...the rest were all truly wonderful! A few are likely to make my top ten list for the year.

Oh, and as I was linking up some reviews on my challenge blog, I noticed that I actually finished Becky's Initial Challenge as well. I know I changed my status to "unofficial" for most challenges, but it still feels mighty good to have actually finished. Thanks, Becky!

And while I'm talking about reading challenges, let me mention Annie's What's In a Name 2 challenge. (And yes, I'll probably bring it up another half a dozen times before it starts.) Anyway, it's actually a pretty easy challenge to complete, so I hope you'll think about joining in!

By the way, anyone who has completed this year's What's In a Name Challenge should pop over to this post and leave a comment so you can be entered in the final contest (Annie's giving away a $20.00 Amazon gift certificate to one person who completes the challenge and answers the question on the post).

Well, it's going to be tough to get in my computer time during the coming month...Annie started NaNoWriMo this morning, so I imagine she'll be hogging the computer. But I guess I have to forgive her, as her computer usage will be far more productive than mine ever is. :)
She wasn't technically allowed to join as an adult, which means her site won't be open for outsiders to view, so I think she plans to do a post on her blog each day updating her progress. Keep your fingers crossed for her...she set her goal at 50,000 words again. And good luck to any of you other brave, ambitious souls who are participating as well!

a delight and a disappointment

I've got two more books to review for RIP III, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman and The Floods: Good Neighbors by Colin Thompson. So, anyone care to guess which was the delight and which was the disappointment? ;)


The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.

Okay, so I have to say I feel silly even talking about The Graveyard Book. Everyone and their dog has already read it, reviewed it, read truckloads of other reviews of it, etc. Obviously, not being very insightful or anything, I'm sure I have nothing of importance to add, so I'll just keep it short.

First though, let me just thank Jean once again. She bought me this book while at the National Book Festival meeting the genius, Mr. Gaiman, in person. Isn't she the sweetest? Thanks Jean!

In the unlikely event that there's someone out there that doesn't know what this book is about...in a nutshell, it's a coming-of-age story of a boy whose parents and sister are murdered when he's just a toddler. The boy, Nobody, or Bod, was to be killed as well, but he managed to escape the assassin's grip by inadvertently wandering into a graveyard. And it is in this graveyard that we watch Bod grow up, with the help and guidance of a myriad of dead people. Hmmm...okay, that little summary there just doesn't cut it...so I'm just going to have to strongly suggest that if you are one of the three or four people on the planet who has not yet had the pleasure of savoring this little treasure, you need to change that.

Truly, truly, I adored this book. In some ways, I can't help but want to compare it with Coraline in my mind. I guess that's simply because they are both appropriate for a younger reader. But in actuality, they are quite different experiences. As perfectly, deliciously creepy as Coraline is, it didn't have quite the depth as the The Graveyard Book. Or maybe that's not quite fair to say, maybe it would be closer to the truth to say that I just had a deeper experience with The Graveyard Book. Partly it was the characters, I suppose. Oh, what I wouldn't give to meet some of these characters in real life. Or in real death. Or, yeah, whatever. Two, in particular. Liza Hempstock, a young girl drowned and burned as a witch centuries earlier. And Silas, the man who becomes Bod's guardian. I think he's one of my favorite characters to come along in a book in quite some time. It was somewhat of an added bonus for me that I finished Dracula right before beginning this book.

But it definitely wasn't the characters alone that made this book such a wonderful experience for me. Another thing that I really enjoyed were the little nuggets of wisdom that kept popping out. We're not talking blatant, beat-one-over-the-head type messages or anything. Just little gems thrown in to smile over. Like when Silas tells Bod that he'll ask around and find him some teachers...

Bod was thrilled. He imagined a future in which he could read everything, in which all stories could be opened and discovered.

Or when Bod is asking Silas about suicide...

"Does it work? Are they happier dead?"

"Sometimes. Mostly, no. It's like people who believe they'll be happy if they go and live somewhere else, but who learn it doesn't work that way. Wherever you go, you take yourself with you. If you see what I mean."

Or when Silas is trying to warn Bod that the man who killed his family is still out there...

Bod shrugged. "So?" he said. "It's only death. I mean, all of my best friends are dead."

"Yes." Silas hesitated. "They are. And they are, for the most part, done with the world. You are not. You're alive, Bod. That means you have infinite potential. You can do anything, make anything, dream anything. If you change the world, the world will change. Potential. Once you're dead, it's gone. Over. You've made what you've made, dreamed your dream, written your name. You may be buried here, you may even walk. But that potential is finished."

But there's more than that, too. So much more. Things I don't even know how to put in words. Bottom line, it's just a delightfully wonderful story. Bittersweet. Left me bawling my eyes out. And left me with a very warm smile upon my heart.

Okay, I apologize...that wasn't nearly as short as I meant it to be. Anyway, now on to the disappointment...


The Floods: Good Neighbors by Colin Thompson.

The boys and I saw this book at the store several weeks back, and we all thought it looked quite fun. The Floods are a family of wizards and witches that live in an ordinary old neighborhood in somewhere U.S.A. And they happen to have the family from hell living next door to them. Not literally. No, these neighbors are all too mortal, and we should all thank our lucky stars that they don't live next to us.

The Floods are actually interesting characters, which in a way, makes it even sadder that this book was really just so lack-luster. Wasted potential, I guess. But frankly, I just felt that Thompson tried too hard to be tacky, to be gross, to be funny. And it all just fell flat. I felt like he didn't kids enough credit, like he felt they couldn't appreciate subtlety.

The last book the boys and I read was The Witches by Roald Dahl. (Aside from a plethora of Halloween picture books, that is.) And I suppose it's safe to say that very few books ever could have lived up to that one. But that doesn't mean that we shouldn't still look for that sophistication in children's books.

In all fairness, I guess I should mention that the boys enjoyed the book more than I did. They didn't love it, by any means. But they didn't hate it either.

Finally, I need to just mention the one thing I absolutely loved about this book...its artwork! The illustrations are by Crab Scrambly, and let me tell you, they are absolutely fabulous! Oh, if only the story could have lived up to the art...

*****

If you've reviewed either of these books, feel free to leave a link and I'll be happy to add it here. Thanks.

Nymeth at Things Mean A Lot

Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings

Chris at Stuff As Dreams Are Made On

Kim at Bold. Blue. Adventure.

Becky at Becky's Book Reviews

Melody at Melody's Reading Corner

Somer at SomeReads

Rhinoa at Rhinoa's Ramblings

Dracula...random thoughts

Dracula by Bram Stoker.

At the risk of exposing the breadth of my ignorance, I have to say that I honestly knew very little about this book before I read it. Seriously, I knew it was set in Europe and that Count Dracula is a vampire. And thanks to Deslily's review (that I only skimmed because I knew I was about to read the book and didn't want to accidentally learn anything) I knew the story was told through letters and journal entries and the like. Beyond that, nothing. And though I've heard the movie is nothing like the book, I've never seen it anyway. I truly am pathetic, aren't I?

Second admission, while I was actually quite excited to read it, I have to admit I was also a bit reluctant. After my less than wonderful experience with Frankenstein last year, I feared I simply wasn't cut out for the classics of horror.

I'm delighted to say that my fears were unfounded; yes, I was extremely surprised by how much I loved this book. I will admit that it started a bit slow for me, but by the time I hit page 50 or so, I was totally hooked!

The story itself is quite suspenseful. We follow Count Dracula, an aristocratic vampire, from Transylvania to London, England, through the eyes of a Jonathan Harker, a lawyer unlucky enough to have been hired to take care of some legal matters for the Count. In Whitby and London, we meet the rest of the cast of unfortunate people who will eventually take it upon themselves to stop the Count.

But as nail-biting as this tale is, the book offers so much more. The atmospheric elements surround and transport you to the late nineteenth century. From the cliffs at Whitby to the rugged mountain pass in Transylvania, it is a haunting trip back in time. You feel the fog settle around you.

And the characters. From the beautiful, tragic Lucy to the eccentric, brilliant Dr. Van Helsing to the insane, yet very complicated Renfield. Stoker did a wonderful job in bringing these people to life...and beyond.

I realize most people have already read this book, but if you happen to be one of those people, who like me, have been avoiding this book for one reason or another, I strongly recommend you rethink your reluctance. I can definitely understand how Dracula has come to be "a classic".

*****

For more lucid thoughts on Dracula, you may want to try these reviews:

Deslily at Here, There, and Everywhere

Becky at Becky's Book Reviews

Nicki at Fyrefly's Book Blog

If you've reviewed this book, please feel free to leave a link in the comments and I'll add it here.

*****


Oh how sad I will be to see RIP III come to an end!

We Have Always Live in the Castle...random thoughts

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson.

In this experimental schedule thing, I've set Thursday aside for book reviews. So it's a really good thing I never got around to reviewing this book before my little blogging break. Otherwise, I'd have nothing to review, because I can't seem to finish any books lately. :(

On the other hand, I wish I didn't have to review this book...because frankly, I just don't know how. I truly adored this little book, but I cannot figure out how to talk about it. (You have no idea how tempting it is to just link up Eva's and Nymeth's reviews and call it good. After all, they are responsible for putting me in this position!)

While very short, at just over two hundred pages, this book packs a punch. I found it to be quite a unique little read, and maybe that's why I'm having trouble putting my thoughts into words.

Merricat Blackwood, her sister Constance, and their Uncle Julian have been living a life of near total isolation for the past six years. Though one discovers why fairly early in the story, I still don't want to give that away here. As reader, you know all is not right with this family...you can just feel it. In fact, the whole feeling of this book is so delightfully, yet subtly, eerie.

Merricat's perspective, from which this story is told, is so utterly unique. There is something "off" with Merricat, yet I found myself very drawn to her. She exudes a childlike innocence, and yet you know there is more going on with her. And the powerful love between these sisters is undeniable. In so many ways, they view their life as nearly idyllic. But of course, it can't last...

I find myself full of little bits and pieces of things I'd like to say about this book, but can't seem to find a way to organize them coherently without giving too much away. Let me just share the first paragraph of the book...if it doesn't totally grab you, then maybe this book just isn't for you.

My name is Mary Katherine Blackwood. I am eighteen years old, and I live with my sister Constance. I have often thought that with any luck at all I could have been born a werewolf, because the two middle fingers on both my hands are the same length, but I have had to be content with what I had. I dislike washing myself, and dogs, and noise. I like my sister Constance, and Richard Plantagenet, and Amanita phalloides, the death-cup mushroom. Everyone else in my family is dead.

*****

If for some reason that passage didn't sell you, you really should go check out both Eva's and Nymeth's reviews. (In fact, I'm going to have to go back and read them again to remind myself of just how beautifully they managed it!)

Eva at A Striped Armchair
(By the way, Eva was very kind, and let's one know where to stop reading her review if planning to read the book. I'm very glad I took her advice at the time!)
Nymeth at Things Mean A Lot
(I am so glad I just reread her review, because it turns out she was wonderfully able to put into words one of the things I really wanted to talk about, but couldn't figure out how. It's the part about it being so incredibly sad. Yep, definitely go read her review!)

And if there's anyone else out there with a review of this book, feel free to leave a link in the comments and I'll be sure to add it here. Thanks.

*****


Hard to believe, but I actually officially finished a challenge! But I most definitely haven't finished reading for RIP!

*****

And totally unrelated:
--I hate it, but I finally decided I just couldn't catch up and clicked the old "mark all as read" button again. That's such a painful thing to do, isn't it?

--As far as "the schedule" goes, Thursdays are also the day we announce the week's point-winners for Annie's vocabulary game over on our homeschooling blog. There's still plenty of time to join in this quarter's game. :)

--Also, as far as "the schedule" goes, Fridays are to be another book review day (so this week, I'll be silent) and they are to be my day to update our goings-on on the homeschool blog.

--Yeah, I know all this "scheduling" talk makes for riveting reading...HA! Don't worry, I'll be done announcing my plans by Monday. :)

The Witches...random thoughts

The Witches by Roald Dahl.

I was a big reader as a kid. But you know, I've come to the conclusion that I must have read a lot of crap. I'm only half kidding there. While I really did read all the time, I honestly remember very little of what I read. Now on the one hand, the books I read really weren't crap, after all, they certainly set up a lifelong love of reading. But on the other hand, I find it utterly amazing how few of the children's classics I've actually read. Take Roald Dahl...The Witches is my very first venture into his world. But you know, instead of regret, I think I'll take the attitude of joyful anticipation in knowing there's so many more wonderful books out there for me to discover.

The Witches hooked us (Gray, Max, and I) from page one:

In fairy-tales, witches always wear silly black hats and black cloaks, and they ride on broomsticks.
But this is not a fairy-tale. This is about REAL WITCHES.
The most important thing you should know about REAL WITCHES is this. Listen very carefully. Never forget what is coming next.
REAL WITCHES dress in ordinary clothes and look very much like ordinary women. They live in ordinary houses and they work in ORDINARY JOBS.
That is why they are so hard to catch.
A REAL WITCH hates children with a red-hot sizzling hatred that is more sizzling and red-hot than any hatred you could possibly imagine.

Can't you just tell that it's going to be a delightfully thrilling book just from that opening?!!

It is the story of a boy, who comes to live with his beloved Grandmamma in Norway after his parents are killed. His grandmother is an expert on witches, and she begins teaching her grandson about the precautions he should be taking. For one thing, while, as we learn in the passage above, witches look like ordinary women, there are clues that one can look out for. For example, witches always wear gloves because their fingernails aren't of the human variety, but are more like animal claws. Secondly, witches wear wigs, because they are all actually bald.

Witches, by the way, live all around the world in every country. They form a sort of organization, headed by the Grand High Witch. She travels the world, attending a sort of witches' convention which is held in each country, each year.

Now the boy and his grandmother are forced to move back to England because of a stipulation in his parents' will. After the boy finishes up the school year, they plan to spend the summer holiday in Norway. But the grandmother suffers a slight illness, and her doctor insists she vacation closer to home. And this is how they end up at the Hotel Magnificent at the very same time as the witches' meeting in England.

One day, the boy finds himself accidentally locked in a huge meeting room at the hotel with a bunch of women from The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Of course, these women aren't who they say they were. In fact, they aren't really women at all. Every witch from England is in this meeting hall. And the boy overhears their diabolical plan for ridding England of its children once and for all...

I honestly can't tell you how much I enjoyed this book. It was a pure delight, but definitely not a delight of the sugar-coated variety. In fact, at the start I worried just a wee bit that it might be slightly too scary for the boys. But it wasn't. No, they loved every word of it! In fact, this is the very first chapter book that I've read to them that Max actually stuck with for each and every page. While he loves for us to read him shorter books, he tends to get bored with the couple chapters a night routine of a longer book. Not this time, let me tell you...he exclaimed that it was his favorite book ever! (Shocking, considering it wasn't even about cats.)

is it still Sunday somewhere in the world?

Yes, as usual, I'm behind with the short story reviews. Oh well.

I am both happy and sad to say that I've finished up Daphne du Maurier's Classics of the Macabre. Happy because it's due back at the library today. But sad, because I am so sorry that I've no more of Ms. du Maurier's short stories on hand to read. I simply can't tell you how much I enjoyed this book! I only hope that I'll enjoy her novels half as much as her short stories.

First story of the week was "The Birds". Yes, the story that Hitchcock's thriller was based on. But frankly, while one can see the connection between the two, they are actually quite different from one another. While I fully admit that I've always loved the movie, it somehow just doesn't seem to stack up against the story. Maybe they're just too different to compare. Anyway, the story is far more frightening than the movie. It has such a personal feel. The terror is tangible. As I said when I wrote about the last story I reviewed ("The Blue Lenses"), it's all too easy to put yourself into the character's place. And then I can't help but wonder how long it will be before I've gone mad.

The next story in this collection, "The Alibi," didn't quite have that same feeling. I believe that's because in this story, our protagonist simply isn't the nicest of fellows to begin with. That doesn't not mean this isn't a great story though. As I know others have said, it can be very hard to talk about a short story for fear of giving too much away. So in general, I'll just say that this is a story of a mid-life crisis gone horribly wrong.

And finally, there is "Not After Midnight." While not my favorite of the lot, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. It is the story of a English teacher, who has taken his holiday in Greece. He wants nothing really to do with the historical sites, nor with his fellow vacationers. He simply wants to paint. But through simple misfortune, he ends up staying in the room of a man just recently found dead, and being drawn into some strange goings-on involving Greek mythology.

Thank you, Daphne du Maurier, for some deliciously eerie hours spent amongst the pages of your book!

it's not Sunday anymore, is it?

Well, I'd like to say that I'm just the rebellious sort who wanted to "break the rules" and post a short story Sunday type post on Tuesday, but frankly, that would be a big fat lie. I'm not rebellious. I'm disorganized. I should probably skip it altogether as I only got one short story under my belt last week anyway. But it was such a good one, that I just decided to throw together a short post.

I'm still reading my way through Daphne du Maurier's Classics of the Macabre. And I must say, I am going to be so heart-broken when I finish it. She has definitely taken over, after just three stories, the number one slot on my list of favorite short story writers. So of course it's quite exciting to think about her full-length books out there waiting for me.

Anyway, on to the story..."The Blue Lenses." Wow...I think it's my favorite yet! Marda West has undergone surgery on her eyes. She's been wrapped in bandages for quite some time while her eyes heal. We meet her shortly before the surgeon is to remove those bandages and insert a set of blue lenses. These lenses, which make everything appear blue, are to remain in her eyes for a few days before the permanent ones are inserted. Marda's sight is restored, but at what price? Sorry, but I just can't say more for fear of ruining the story. But this is definitely one very clever, very unsettling story.

You know what I think I love most about du Maurier's stories...the fact that she makes it impossible for one not to relate to the characters. I feel myself trapped in their circumstances, and wondering how I would react. And bottom line, I worry that I would simply go mad.

The Island of Dr. Moreau...random thoughts

The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells.

I read my first book by Wells (The War of the Worlds) earlier this year, and was so delightfully surprised by how much I enjoyed it. While I'm not sure I enjoyed The Island of Dr. Moreau quite as much, the reasons for that have nothing to do with Well's writing. For there is something about his writing that I really adore. I'm not sure if I can adequately explain it, but to me, it seems to have this unique combination of intelligence, beauty, and complete down-to-earthness. (A gift I obviously don't possess, as can be witnessed in the use of "down-to-earthness" as a word.) He just has a wonderful way of using language in a way that is both expressive and thoroughly lacking in pretentiousness.

No, it wasn't the writing that marred my enjoyment of this book. Actually, it was my own weak stomach. There were parts of this book that left me feeling physically ill. Not a figure of speech, but honest-to-goodness sick to my stomach.

The telling of the story begins with Edward Prendick's experience after being rescued at sea after a shipwreck. At the time of his rescue, he has been afloat for some time, and would probably not have lasted much longer out on the open ocean. His rescuers are an odd lot. The drunken captain of this boat is an obnoxious man. He is delivering a fellow named Montgomery, along with his strange companion and several animals, including a puma, a llama, and a multitude of rabbits, to an island seemingly in the middle of nowhere. It was Montgomery who saved Prendick's life, but it seems as if he did so merely as a diversion as opposed to any real desire to help out a fellow human being. Upon arriving at the island, Prendick is put in an impossible situation...the captain won't allow him to stay aboard the boat and Montgomery won't allow him to come onto the island. However, Dr. Moreau, the man truly in charge of the island, relents when he finds that Prendick has some scientific training.

And here is where things truly take a turn for the macabre. For Dr. Moreau is no ordinary doctor, no ordinary scientist. In fact, it turns out that there is a reason why the name was so familiar to Prendick. For Dr. Moreau had been famous in the London news some ten years earlier for his experiments in vivisection. After that, Dr. Moreau had disappeared. And Prendick now finds that he has continued these experiments in earnest here on his own little deserted island. And yes, it is here in some of these descriptions, that I had a hard time pushing my way through.

But I must say that I'm quite glad that I did stick with it. For the book, while horrific, has so much to offer. I don't want to give away what happens during the rest of the book for those who have never read it, but I do want to say that it is not merely a gruesome tale of evil experimentation on animals. It has great relevance even today. For medical and scientific ethics will always be relevant. Though experiments of the sort Dr. Moreau seem clearly abhorrent to us, what about experiments in genetic engineering or in stem cell research? And no, I'm not saying that I think these avenues of research are wrong. And I'm definitely not wanting to start any debate here on my little blog about it. I'm merely saying that I found this book full of thought-provoking material.

Along with the issues of medical ethics, there's much to ponder on the subject of what makes us human. I was reminded a great deal of Shelley's Frankenstein as I read this book, both because of this question and more obviously because of the two obsessed men featured in these stories. (Okay, I admit it...I was also reminded of the episode of Gilligan's Island where the mad doctor scientist takes the castaways to his island where he's doing mind transfer experiments on animals. Hey, I never claimed to be an intellectual.)

So, despite some unpleasant images, I'm quite glad I read this book. And it definitely made for an appropriate R.I.P. read. Finally, I just want to share one line that I particularly loved:

An animal may be ferocious and cunning enough, but it takes a real man to tell a lie.

*****

If you have also reviewed this book, please feel free to leave a link in the comments and I'll add it here. Thanks.

Becky at Becky's Book Reviews

getting around

I absolutely love Raidergirl3's It's Tuesday, Where Are You? Posts, and yet I can so seldom remember to join in the fun. Scatterbrained, that's what I am.

But I'm on board today...

*I'm on one horrifically creepy patch of land in The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells. Shudder.

*I'm hiding behind a screen, trapped in a ballroom full of witches in The Witches by Roald Dahl.

*I'm in a hospital room, awaiting news about a recent eye surgery in "The Blue Lenses" by Daphne du Maurier.

You know, frankly, none of these places are particularly happy places to be. But such is life during R.I.P., huh?

deliciously dark short stories

One of the many things I loved about R.I.P. last year was short story Sunday, though I did a less than stellar job of remembering to participate on a weekly basis. And while not an "official" part of this year's challenge, I know that at least a couple other people (Stephanie and Somer) are going to post about their creepy short reads...yeah! Though of course, it will be hell on the old wish list. Already added Nocturnes by John Connolly thanks to Somer's post. Anyway, I really do enjoy reading short stories, especially those of the dark variety, so I decided I would try to get a few in each week, too.

Up first were "Don't Look Now" and "The Apple Tree" by Daphne du Maurier. This is the first time I've read any of her work. I was really excited at the prospect of reading Rebecca after reading Chris's review last year. And then was really excited to give Jamaica Inn a go after reading Stephanie's review. But then, as I so often do, I went and scared myself out of actually trying either one of them. I have this thing about "classics"...I get all worried that I just won't "get" them. Despite the fact that I usually enjoy them when I do give them a go. My mind is not always a rational one. Anyway, I actually went to the library to pick up Jamaica Inn right after reading Stephanie's review, but while I was there I saw Daphne du Maurier's Classics of the Macabre. It was an easy decision to pick that one up instead...you know, an easy way to get my feet wet and see if I would really enjoy her writing.

Well, let me tell you, what an idiot I was for ever doubting! I LOVE these stories! Absolutely love them! They are on the longer end of "short stories," at around 50 pages each, but both that I have read so far have gone quickly because it's just very hard to set the book down.

"Don't Look Now" is the story of a British couple vacationing in Venice. They have recently lost their young daughter, and the husband is hoping this trip will help his wife overcome some of her terrible grief. While at a cafe one day, they meet twin sisters. One of the sisters is blind and claims to "see" the couple's dead daughter sitting with them at lunch. The mother is immediately drawn to the sisters, believing the claim. The husband is certain that these women are up to something, playing on his wife's grief. A series of events, some supernatural, some all too earthly, follow that lead the reader on a fast-paced, suspenseful journey to the truth.

"The Apple Tree" didn't have quite the suspenseful nature of the first story, but it was still an enjoyable read. It centers on a man who has recently lost his wife. But as opposed to grieving his loss, he now feels a new sense of freedom. Freedom from a wife he viewed as long-suffering. Though the reader senses some of the responsibility for his wife's demeanor lies directly at his feet. In his backyard, there is an apple tree. And the man begins projecting onto this tree the traits of his deceased wife. As the story progresses we watch his obsession with this tree grow. While the ending is a bit predictable, it is nonetheless a wonderful tale.

first things first

Okay, I've been mighty sporadic in both my blog reading and blog posting lately. We really haven't been home much during the past few weeks, and during the days we have been home, there's been so many other things to get done. So I have lots of things to post about (none of which are terribly exciting)...but first I must get on with the really important stuff. Yep, Carl has made the announcement that has Annie and I feeling giddy again. A creepy sort of giddy, of course, as we're talking about the R.I.P. III Challenge.

Yes, I know that just in my previous post I talked about knocking off this whole challenge obsession. But I did also clearly state that I would NOT be giving up Carl's Challenges. No way on earth that will ever happen!

Carl has made it exceptionally easy to participate, with levels of "challenge" to suit everyone. You can even choose to read just one book, and still be part of the fun. And believe me, participating in Carl's challenges is nothing if not fun! Seriously, it's way more than a challenge...it's non-stop contests, interesting posts on related subjects, and a big sense of community.

Anyway, another thing Carl has done with this challenge is to continue with the idea of a "book pool" as opposed to a strict list. I really, really, really love this concept! You still get the delight of gathering up piles of books and reading everyone else's possible reads, but you don't feel hemmed in when it comes to the actual reading. Truly the "book pool" is a stroke of genius, if you ask me.

My pool begins with the following:

*The Rest Falls Away by Colleen Gleason (yes, maybe this will be the time that I actually give this well-loved book a go)
*The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells
*Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
*Pedro Paramo by Juan Rulfo
*The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
*We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
*Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge
*Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk
*The Thirteen Tale by Diane Setterfield
*Witch-Hunt by Marc Aronson
*Dracula by Bram Stoker
*Lost Boy, Lost Girl by Peter Straub
*The Society of S by Susan Hubbard
*The Great and Secret Show by Clive Barker
*Daphne du Maurier's Classics of the Macabre

Edited to add:
(After reading a few other lists, I just had to go to the shelves and pull out a few more choices.)
*Tamsin by Peter S. Beagle
*From the Dust Returned by Ray Bradbury
*Samuel Blink and the Forbidden Forest by Matt Haig
*The Homecoming by Ray Bradbury
*Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman
*Black House by Stephen King and Peter Straub
*The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
*The Witches by Roald Dahl




(P.S. I'm choosing Peril the First--four books.)