I can’t believe it’s time for the Readers Imbibing Peril (RIP) event at Stainless Steel Droppings once again!
This annual event, which takes place from September 1 to October 31, asks participants to read books from the following genres:
- Mystery.
- Suspense.
- Thriller.
- Dark Fantasy.
- Gothic.
- Horror.
- Supernatural.
- Or anything sufficiently moody that shares a kinship with the above.
There are many options for this event, depending on how many books you want to read. Right now I’m thinking I will aim for Peril the Second (read two books from the above genres) and Peril of the Short Story (read short stories from the above genres).
For Peril the Second, I’ll almost definitely be reading Seanan McGuire’s Ashes of Honor, the latest Toby Daye book, which I’ve already pre-ordered. Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon and Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl are also possibilities. I may also join the group read of Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book if I can get my hands on a copy.
For Peril of the Short Story, I have Susanna Clarke’s The Ladies of Grace Adieu on my shelves. The book’s description on Amazon says it will introduce you to “a world where charm is always tempered by eerieness, and picaresque comedy is always darkened by the disturbing shadow of Faerie.” Sounds like it fits the criteria to me!
Anyone else participating in R.I.P. VII? What are you planning to read?
You Book Me All Night Long 
I think you will really like The Graveyard Book ! I read it some time ago but remember it was really an enjoyable read!
I have really liked the Neil Gaiman novels I’ve read so far (Neverwhere and Stardust), so I’m optimistic about The Graveyard Book.
I do hope you can track down The Graveyard Book. It is great and will be so fun to discuss as a group.
The Ladies of Grace Adieu is one of my favorite short story collections and it has plenty of tales with a good, gothic moodiness that are perfect for this time of year. I generally re-read it in the fall as several of the stories just have that fall feeling, or at least they do for me.
I haven’t read The Maltese Falcon but it is one I want to read. My wife bought me a couple of Hammett short story collections for Christmas this past year and I’d like to get to at least one of those during R.I.P.
Thanks for joining in, I hope you have fun with the books you choose!
Two trombones, eh? š
I hope to find The Graveyard Book at the library…shouldn’t be a problem unless everyone is checking it out for Halloween. Also, glad to hear your thoughts on The Ladies of Grace Adieu! I bought it after loving Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, but I haven’t dipped into it yet. As for The Maltese Falcon, I’ve been wanting to read more Dashiell Hammett ever since The Thin Man — have you read that one? It’s not as lighthearted as the movie, but it’s still really good.
And yes, I have two trombones. One just wasn’t enough! š
Yes. After seeing the movies a bajillion times I finally decided to read The Thin Man and liked it very much. It isn’t quite as funny, you are right, but it is good. And if you like The Thin Man, you really need to add The Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry. It is a strange homage to older mysteries, particularly Hammett. I liked it very, very much.
I think The Manual of Detection is already on my TBR list, actually! I’ll have to track it down sometime soon now.