RIP III Challenge

If it’s September, it must be time for the R.I.P. Challenge. This year brings the third incarnation of the challenge, hosted by Carl V. at Stainless Steel Droppings; and since I missed the first two, I’m definitely getting in on this one.

The challenge runs from September 1 (yes, I’m a little late getting started, as usual) and runs through October 31, 2008. Once again, Carl is offering three different versions of the challenge – three different “Perils” – and including several different genres, so participants can tailor their reading to their individual interests and schedules. You can get all the info by visiting the Challenge’s announcement page, here.

Given that I’m a slow reader and I’ve already got a lot going in September and October, I’m opting for Peril the Second: Read Two books of any length, from any subgenre of scary stories that you choose. That sounds extremely do-able. Also sounds like lots of fun.

So, here’s my pool of possible reads:

All Hallow’s Eve, by Charles Williams
At the Mountains of Madness, by H.P. Lovecraft
Complete Ghost Stories, by M.R. James
Eva Moves the Furniture, by Margot Livesey
Lost Boy, Lost Girl, by Peter Straub
Nocturnes, by John Connolly
Tales of the Uncanny and Supernatural, by Algernon Blackwood
The Book of Lost Things, by John Connolly
The Empty House and Other Ghost Stories, by Algernon Blackwood
The House With a Clock in Its Walls, by John Bellairs
The Stress of Her Regard, by Tim Powers
The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher, by Kate Summerscale
The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story, by Susan Hill
We Have Always Lived in the Castle, by Shirley Jackson
Widdershins, by Oliver Onions