I knew that laid back feeling was not going to last long in terms of my reading. First Imani's Outmoded Authors Challenge comes along. And today Carl has announced his R.I.P. II Challenge. I knew that I would be joining, however, so it was just a matter of time before my reading plans got a little longer. I am trying to keep my goals fairly small and obtainable in both instances. Hopefully by not tying myself down to a set list of books I can enjoy a few for each challenge.
Carl has various "Perils" that you can choose from. Although I do enjoy this genre, I think I will go with Peril #4--just choose one book to read. If in the end I read more--all the better. I think I can manage one novel, though. It is actually part of my grander reading plans for the rest of the year anyway. I have been wanting to read The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe for ages. Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey is a parody of this Gothic classic, and I hope to read more Austen in the coming year, so the timing of this will be perfect.
As I have been wanting to read more short stories lately, I thought I might also take up Carl's suggestion to read some short stories and post on them each weekend. I'm open for short story ideas that would fit in this genre, but here are a few I have in mind:
- The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
- Don't Look Now by Daphne Du Maurier
- The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe
- The Fall of the House of Usher also by Poe
- The Cask of Amontillado again by Poe (I read this in high school and loved it--I still have fairly vivid recollections of it and have always meant to read it again)
- There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury
I will have to see if I can find some good anthology maybe. And something a little contemporary would be fun, too. I realize there are more here than I will likely get to; it is still nice to have a list to choose from.
Although I am not committing myself to more at the moment, on the very, very, off chance I might get in another book or two, here are a few on my shelves that would fit in nicely:
- Armadale by Wilkie Collins (I'm actually already reading this!)
- Coraline by Neil Gaiman
- The Rest Falls Away by Colleen Gleason
- The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole
- A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle
- Perfume by Patrick Suskind
- Transformation by Mary Shelley
- We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
The challenge runs from September 1st through October 31st. If nothing else I am looking forward to finally reading The Mysteries of Udolpho! I hate to wish away time, but I am looking forward to cooler months (hopefully they will be cooler months!), and it will be nice to read something to fit the season.