Apologies for the lateness of this post!
This year I took part in RIP IX (Readers Imbibing Peril, organised by Carl Anderson at Stainless Steel Droppings.) My chosen challenge was Peril the First: to read four dark, spooky and intriguing novels in the space of two months, and you can see my sign-up post with its goals and suggested reading list here. I'm pleased to announce that for perhaps the first time since I started this blog, I've managed to reach my goal!
The books:
The Silkworm by "Robert Galbraith." The second of J. K. Rowling's crime novels featuring Cormoran Strike lives up to and goes beyond the standard set by The Cuckoo's Calling, and shows that her magical storytelling is not limited by genre. I could not put this down.
The Coldest Girl In Coldtown by Holly Black. A vampire novel for the reality TV and social media generation, combining the danger of the monsters of old with the glamour of the more recent species - but no, they do not sparkle.
Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King. A collection of novellas that pose the question: what might drive a person to commit a crime? As I found with his own son's book, Horns, there is no horror quite as unsettling as the perfectly mundane awfulness that can be found in seemingly ordinary people.
My last book did not come from the original to-read pile but was a birthday present from Hanna. I'm not entirely sure that 11.22.63 counts, as it's not exactly horror, but it is written by Stephen King. An immersive, fascinating, world-changing novel. I did not want to finish this book. Definitely one of the best books I've read this year. (I intend to write a full review very soon.)
I sort of... failed... this year. I haven't even written a wrap-up post. I started off eager and ready to go; I finished World War Z, Lord of the Flies, Red Dragon and NEARLY finished Beloved (which is actually a supernatural story, who knew?), and watched a couple of things, but I don't feel like I really put much into it, if you see what I mean? I mean, Lord of the Flies was chilling but not exactly traditional R.I.P. material, for example. I never watched the last episode of Hannibal, for NO REASON. *sighs* I really must get to the Robert Galbraith novels - and also 11.22.63, because HANNA WILL KILL ME IF I DON'T. :)
ReplyDeleteI only remembered to write a wrap-up post because Charlotte did one. And despite Stephen King being Stephen King, I'm not entirely sure that 11.22.63 really counts either. But it really is amazing and you need to read it!
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