R.I.P. VII The End.

I'm very pleased to report that I met all the challenges I imposed on myself through Carl's R.eaders I.mbibing on P.eril VII or R.I.P. VII reading event. Here's an overview of what I signed up to do and what I accomplished. I'm so proud of myself. ha!

Peril the First - Read four or more books that fulfill the categories of R.eaders I.mbibing on P.eril such as mystery, suspense, thriller, dark fantasy, gothic, horror, supernatural, etc.

1. Salvation in Death by J.D. Robb
2. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
3. Prince of the Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafrón
4. Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Death and Dementia illustrated by Gris Grimly

I "double dipped" by listing The Graveyard Book as one of my reads for the Peril the First when it was also the read along book, but in my defense, I also read a few other dark books that may or may not satisfy the R.I.P. categories:

5. Spider's Bite by Jennifer Estep
6. Cold Fire by Kate Elliot
7. Demon From the Dark by Kresley Cole

Peril of the Short Story - Read some short stories that fit the above R.I.P. categories

1. "Ritual in Death" by J.D. Robb in the Suite 606 anthology.

Peril on the Screen - Watch something scary or eerie on film.
I watched not one, not two, but THREE scary movies! Not bad for someone who doesn't like scary movies, eh?

1. Red Lights [2012]
2. Prometheus [2012]
3. Carrie [2002]

Peril of the Group Read

I participated in the group read of Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book [2008].

Adorable book written by one heck of a story teller. You can read my review HERE.

I have to admit I'm pleasantly surprised I managed to pull this off! Looking forward to participating in R.I.P. VIII next year and already have one book on my list... A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness which I ran out of time to read this time. Now that I spent most of the last month reading all spooktacular books, it's time for this girl to stick her nose in a romance novel. ;)

Library Loot LVIII

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries! 

I am way overdue for a library loot post--some of these books I borrowed a couple of weeks ago already. Also, I don't know why I'm adding more books to my reading stack! I'm about to start reading Toltsoy's Anna Karenina on a schedule! I must be crazy. Please join me! I'm co-hosting an Anna Karenina Read-Along with Fay from Blog A Book, Etc.. Check it out here.

As for my library loot:

 

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
Home Improvement: Undead Addition anthology, edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner.

I borrowed all of the above with the R.I.P. VII reading event in mind. I've already read The Graveyard Book for the Read-Along and wrote a review. I plan to read A Monster Calls over the weekend. It, too, is a middle grade book so hopefully I can finish it in a day or two. Not that I'm rushing, but I do want to complete the R.I.P. challenges I signed up for. Which is where the Home Improvement anthology fits in with the Short Story requirement. Even if I read just a few stories, just in time for Halloween, I'll be happy.

Dream Lake by Lisa Kleypas
This is a re-loot because I ended up having to return it unread when I had it out a few weeks ago. I just ran out of time and there was a wait list so no renewals. I'm looking forward to it. After reading lots of dark, spooky stories this month, this one should lighten and brighten things up for me. I'll save it for after Halloween.

Of course I had to browse the new release cookbook shelves while I was there. I recall seeing a great Soup cookbook the last time I was at the library.. published by Williams-Sonoma, I think. Alas it must be out with another patron, because I couldn't find it. Instead, I brought home these two lovely cookbooks:

The Homemade Pantry by Alana Chernila.

The Homemade Pantry is another re-loot. I loved reading this last spring when it first came out, so when I spied it on the shelf, I figured I'd borrow it again. Sometimes going through a cookbook in a new season provides a new perspective on the recipes.

The Newlywed Cookbook by Sarah Copeland.

And then there is The Newlywed Cookbook. While I am long past the time of being considered a newlywed--19 years and counting, baby!--this cookbook is still a treasure trove of wonderful recipes for the seasoned spouse. I mean, cook. So far, I've just thumbed through it, but from what I've seen, I think I'm really going to love this one. Gorgeous photos and lots of recipes I'll want to try. I believe the aim of the book is to get husband and wife cooking in the kitchen together. Maybe I can get my husband to cook with me. But honestly? Even at this stage of the game, I'd rather be cooking things up with him in the bedroom! Wait, did I just say that out loud?

There's my latest library loot, folks.

What are YOU reading from your library [or bookshelves] right now?

R.I.P VII

This year marks the 7th annual R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril or R.I.P. reading event created and hosted by Carl V. of Stainless Steel Droppings. I have participated in Carl's springtime Once Upon a Time Challenge in the last three years {although I'm really terrible at writing and linking up reviews..}, but this year will be my first year participating in R.I.P.

The R.I.P. group reading event takes place from September 1 through October 31, 2012.

The purpose of R.I.P., and I quote, is to enjoy books and movies/television that would be classified (by you) as:

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

As usual, Carl has established very relaxed and fun rules for this challenge. Basically have fun reading and share your experience with others.

There are several levels of peril to which you can subject yourself. I'm going to do 'em all! Bahahahaha! Evil laughter turns to giggling. The ever ambitious reading challenge person am I.

Peril the First. This peril requires reading FOUR books that fit the loose classifying categories above. I like loose.

Peril the Short Story. Read some short stories that fit the challenge categories. I can do that.

Peril on the Screen. Watch something scary or eerie or dark during the challenge. I used to love watching scary movies up until a few years ago, but not anymore. My husband is always trying to get me to watch something spooky with him and I decline every time. I'm such a chicken. I will indulge him just this once. O_0

Peril of the Group Read. An October group read for The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. This book has been on my TBR list since it was published in 2008. It's about time I read it!

{There's also a September Group Read of The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters going on right now!}

Want to join R.I.P. ? You can join and just read ONE book or ONE short story or watch ONE scary thing on the screen. Come on! Let's get spooked! Let's get our hearts racing!

Check it out HERE.

Go ahead. . . I dare you!

I'd love to hear your book or movie recommendations for R.I.P.!