2013 Reading Challenges

Since I came so close to my challenge of reading 50 books last year, but fell a bit short. I've decided to join some reading challenges in 2013 to help me reach that goal this year.

Christopher Pike Reading Challenge

I love Christopher Pike and I'm so excited about this challenge. I'm going to attempt the Bury Me Deep level, which is 7 - 9 Christopher Pike books. I'm going to read his books I've never read and already own: Sati, The Listeners, The Cold One, The Blind Mirror, Falling, The Immortal, The Hollow Skull and his latest, Witch World (I just checked it out at the library and it's really good so far). You can sign up for this challenge at Midnight Book Girl.

Monthly Key Word Reading Challenge

In this challenge, there are keywords associated with each month and you have to choose a book with a title which contains one of the keywords. I probably could've completed this entire challenge with Christopher Pike books, but where's the fun in that? I've chosen only horror novels for this challenge. You can sign up for this challenge at Bookmark to Blog.

January: The Cold One by Christopher Pike
February: Valentine by Tom Savage (I think this is close enough to the word "love.")
March: Down on the Farm by John Stchur
April: The Light at the End by John Skipp & Craig Spector
May: Sparrow Rock by Nate Kenyon
June: Dead Sea by Brian Keene
July: Ladies' Night by Jack Ketchum
August: Come Out Tonight by Richard Laymon
September: Cry Wolf by Alan B. Chronister
October: Ghost Story by Peter Straub
November: The Long Last Call by John Skipp
December: After Midnight by Richard Laymon

Book to Movie Reading Challenge

I always try to read the book before I watch the movie. As a result, I own several movies and have many on my DVR waiting until I finally get around to reading the book first. Hopefully this challenge will push me to read these books and watch the films based on them. I'm choosing the Movie Aficionado level and will review 12 books and the movies based on them. You can sign up for this challenge at Doing Dewey.

1. The House Next Door by Anne Rivers Siddons
2. Cameron's Closet by Gary Brandner
3. Mother's Boys by Bernard Taylor
4. The Wolfen by Whitley Strieber
5. Coma by Robin Cook
6. Burnt Offerings by Robert Marasco
7. Twins by Bari Wood
8. The Glow by Brooks Stanwood
9. Phantoms by Dean Koontz
10.  Valentine by Tom Savage
11. Horns by Joe Hill
12. The Other by Thomas Tryon

Women Reading Challenge

This is a challenge to read more books by women authors. Since Women in Horror Appreciation Month started a couple years ago, I've made an effort to read more horror novels by women authors. I joined this challenge to ensure that I continue to read more horror books written by women. I've included a few non-horror books as well. I'm shooting for the Wonder Woman level and plan to read 16 or more books. You can sign up for this challenge at Peek a Book.

Books that cross over with other challenges:

1. The House Next Door
2. Twins

Other books:

3. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
4. Money Shot by Christa Faust
5. Thrall by Mary SanGiovanni
6. Prodigal by Melanie Tem
7. Sineater by Elizabeth Massie
8. The Auctioneer by Joan Samson
9. Smoke by Ruby Jean Jensen
10. Skin by Kathe Koja
11. Dead in the Water by Nancy Holder
12. The Ridge by Lisa W. Cantrell
13. Haunted by Tamara Thorne
14. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
15. How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran
16. Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson

Mount TBR Reading Challenge

I probably own at least over 1000 books (not sure, I have too many to count) and still have to read many of them. I hope this challenge will motivate me to read some books that have been on my shelves for years. I'm attempting the Mt. Ararat level and reading 48 books from my TBR pile. You can sign up for this challenge at My Reader's Block.

Books that cross over with other challenges:

1. The Cold One
2. The Listeners
3. Sati
4. Falling
5. The Blind Mirror
6. The Immortal
7. The Hollow Skull
8. Down on the Farm
9. The Light at the End
10. Sparrow Rock
11. Dead Sea
12. Ladies' Night
13. Come Out Tonight
14. Cry Wolf
15. Ghost Story
16. The Long Last Call
17. After Midnight
18. The House Next Door
19. Valentine
20. Cameron's Closet
21. Phantoms
22. Mother's Boys
23. The Wolfen
24. Coma
25. Burnt Offerings
26. Twins
27. The Glow
28. Horns
29. John Dies at the End
30. The Other
31. The Ridge
32. Silk
33. Thrall
34. Prodigal
35. Sineater
36. The Auctioneer
37. Smoke
38. Skin
39. Dead in the Water

Other books I've had on my bookshelf for a long time:

40. Dark Hollow by Brian Keene

41. Ghost Walk by Brian Keene

42. The Ceremonies by T.E.D. Klein 
43. The Drive-In by Joe Lansdale
44. Mirror by Graham Masterton
45. Valley of the Scarecrow by Gord Rollo
46. Baxter by Jessica Hamilton
47. The Elementals by Michael McDowell
48. The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson

The Best of 2012

I didn't think I would be making a "Best of" list this year because of the Mayan apocalypse (just kidding, did anyone actually believe that?). I've complied a list of my favourite horror movies, books and T.V. shows from 2012 and I'm looking forward to more horror in 2013.

MOVIE: Sinister

I thought of Sinister as 2012's version of Insidious - both films are about families who move into a new house where creepy paranormal things happen and both films terrified me. I liked Sinister a bit more though. I watched Sinister in the theatre on Halloween. I jumped so many times during the film I lost count. Then I had to wait alone in the dark for the bus and I couldn't stop thinking about the movie. If a horror film can scare me that much, it's definitely a good one.

Honourable Mention: Lovely Molly

Netflix Canada only got Lovely Molly about a week ago so I just watched it and found it to be extremely creepy. Molly and her new husband, Tim, move into her deceased parents' house after their wedding and strange things start to happen. It sounds like your typical ghost story, but it's so much more than that. I don't want to give anything else away, so check it out for yourself. 

A few thoughts on other horror films I saw this year:

I found The Cabin in the Woods to be entertaining, but a bit overrated after hearing everyone rave about it. But it was definitely original and unpredictable.

I don't understand the love for V/H/S. It had a good concept but most of the segments were predictable and dull (with the exception of "The Sick Thing That Happened to Emily When She Was Younger"). 

After hearing a lot of people comparing Excision to May (which is one of my favourite films), I was excited to see it, but I didn't find it to be nearly as good as May. It was still a pretty good flick about a weird young woman. 

I noticed The Pact was on Netflix a while ago, but wasn't sure if it would be any good and didn't watch it until a few days ago when it appeared on a few Best of 2012 lists. I thought it would be a predictable ghost story, but it was original and I never came close to guessing the ending.

BOOK: Die, You Bastard! Die! by Jan Kozlowski

This year a new line of horror novels, Ravenous Shadows, was created with John Skipp as the editor-in-chief. Ravenous Shadows aims for "smart, gripping, kickass pop literature with all the boring shit left out. Books you can read in roughly the time it takes to watch a feature film... and probably more entertaining than the movie you could have been watching instead." After reading Die, You Bastard! Die! I must say that Skipp's statement is true. It only took me a few hours to read this book because I couldn't put it down. It was so suspenseful and entertaining. The book is about a woman who was sexually abused by her father and is convinced by a friend to get revenge. It sounds like it's just a book version of I Spit on Your Grave, which it sort of is, but there's more to it than that. Read it to find out.

I also read another Ravenous Shadows book this year, Tribesman by Adam Cesare and thought it was awesome as well. I have yet to read the others: The Devoted by Eric Shapiro, House of Quiet Madness by Mikita Brottman and The Dark by Scott Bradley and Peter Giglio.

Honourable Mention: The Castle of Los Angeles by Lisa Morton

Okay, this wasn't released in 2012, but it came out for Kindle this year. The Castle of Los Angeles won the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel in 2010 and Lisa Morton definitely deserved the award. The book is about a woman who moves into a building called "The Castle" and comes to believe that it is haunted. It sounds like another predictable ghost story, but there's a twist and a completely unique and surprising ending.

T.V. SHOW: American Horror Story

I finally started watching this show when FX came to Canada and it quickly became my #1 show. I think everyone should watch it and have recommended it to friends who aren't horror fans and they always say that it's too scary for them. They're probably right because I've been watching horror movies as long as I can remember and nothing has frightened me as much as this show. After watching an episode of American Horror Story late at night, I would have to run and jump in my bed after turning all the lights out. I used to close the bathroom door and then turn the light on so I wouldn't disturb my boyfriend (the light shines directly into the bedroom), but now I can't because it reminds me of the Piggy Man.

The show is now in its second season and it's just as creepy as the first - maybe even more disturbing and shocking. This season takes place in 1964 at Briarcliff Mental Institution. The nuns who run the asylum are sadistic and Briarcliff's doctor performs bizarre experiments on patients. A serial killer dubbed "Bloody Face" has been brought to Briarcliff but swears he didn't kill anyone and blames aliens. Jessica Lange and Evan Peters return, but in new roles. If you haven't seen American Horror Story yet, make it your New Year's resolution to do so.

I hope you all have a safe and happy New Year!

T.V. REVIEW: The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror XXIII

I look forward to The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episode every year (read my list of Top 10 Treehouse of Horror Segments here), even though they have (mostly) been a disappointment for the past several years. I watched my Treehouse of Horror DVD before I watched this year's installment, which was a mistake because the new episode pales in comparison with the classic episodes.

In the opening sequence, the Mayans calculate the end of the world as being on December 21, 2012, but they plan on avoiding it by appeasing the gods with a human sacrifice: Homer.

But Marge saves Homer by tricking Moe into being sacrificed instead. Since they sacrifice the wrong guy, the world is doomed and, in the present day, Mayan Gods destroy the Earth.

I thought this was hilarious, topical and a great start to Treehouse of Horror XXIII (I especially liked the Mayan Crazy Cat Lady, throwing lizards instead of cats).

The Greatest Story Ever Holed

In this segment, Lisa has convinced Springfield to build a particle accelerator instead of a baseball stadium. But when two particles crash into each other, they create a black hole. Lisa warns everyone that throwing garbage into it could make it bigger, but they all ignore her warnings (Homer even starts a business called Magic Craphole Waste Removal).

I wasn't blown away by this segment, but it had its moments. The ending was especially funny.

UNnormal Activity

In this parody of Paranormal Activity, strange things have been going on in the Simpson household and Homer is determined to catch it all on camera.

This was by far the best segment in the episode. Anyone who has seen Paranormal Activity will appreciate this parody.

Bart & Homer's Excellent Adventure

Bart is outraged that a comic book that says 25 cents on the cover is now being sold for $200. Comic Book Man says "The only way to buy that comic for 25 cents is to go back to 1974." So Bart takes Professor Frink's time machine to 1974 to buy the comic and inadvertently meets Homer and Marge.
Bart prevents Homer from dating Marge, changing the future for the family.

This segment had so much potential, but instead, was a huge disappointment. It started as a funny parody of Back to the Future, but then the plot became nonsensical with a bunch of Homers throughout time coming to the future (or present?) to woo Marge. Definitely the worst segment of the bunch.

Overall, I wasn't impressed with this year's Treehouse of Horror offering. But it was worth watching just for the UNnormal Activity segment.

Rating: 3/5

Read-a-Thon Wrap-Up

I was reading Seed by Ania Ahlborn but I could barely keep my eyes open so I switched to a graphic novel, Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill. This was the first graphic novel I've read and I really enjoyed it.

I did it! I made it to the end of the Read-a-Thon! Well, sort of. I did fall asleep for about three hours at the beginning, but that's close enough for me. Now I'm going to get some sleep. Good night!

Total pages read: 722

End of Event Meme

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? The beginning of the Read-a-Thon because I felt sick. I didn't think I could do it because I felt so lousy. I probably wouldn't have if I hadn't fallen asleep on the couch for a few hours. It was tough when my boyfriend went to bed at 3:00 a.m. as well because I just wanted to go to sleep too.
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? I highly recommend Die, You Bastard! Die! by Jan Kozlowski. It read like a movie - suspenseful and action-packed.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? Nope. I thought everything was great!
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? I loved the Mini Challenges. They were so much fun! A nice break from reading.
5. How many books did you read? 4 and 1/4
6. What were the names of the books you read? The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury, Die, You Bastard! Die! by Jan Kozlowski, The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker, Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill and part of Seed by Ania Ahlborn.
7. Which book did you enjoy most? Die, You Bastard! Die! by Jan Kozlowski
8. Which did you enjoy least? Seed by Ania Ahlborn (Well I didn't finish it but it's only starting to pick up now and I'm 30% into it.)
9. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? I'm definitely going to participate again! I'm already counting the days. I would be a reader again.

Read-a-Thon Update #3

I just finished reading The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker. Wow, Clive Barker has a crazy imagination. This book is so gruesome and original. I've never seen the first Hellraiser film (shocking, I know), so I can't say how the book compares.

I'm getting pretty tired at this point. My boyfriend went to bed half an hour ago and I really wanted to go to sleep too. I think I'll have a coffee when I'm done with this post.

Books read so far: 3

Total pages read: 490

Snacks consumed: I made a quick trip to the store to get a few more snacks. I got spinach dip and pumpernickel bread (I ate this during the last Read-a-Thon so I thought I would get it again) and Dr. Pepper.

Book Sentence Challenge

For this challenge, you're supposed to make a sentence from book titles. Here's what I came up with:

Beware Blood Crazy Dead Souls In Silent Graves

Read-a-Thon Mini Challenge: Marking Books

For this mini challenge I'm supposed to tell you what I use as bookmarks and why. I always use paper bookmarks. I'm obsessed with buying them. I have a whole envelope filled with them and have kept pretty much every single one I've ever had. I still have a ton from my childhood.

My bookmark envelope.

 Here are my favourite bookmarks:

A bookmark I made for my mom in 1999.

My Goosebumps "Reading is a scream!" bookmark.

Read-a-Thon Update #2

I just finished reading Die, You Bastard! Die! by Jan Kozlowski and it was awesome! I'm so glad I chose this book for the Read-a-Thon! It was so exciting that I couldn't tear my eyes from my Kindle screen. But it's very gruesome and deals with child abuse so I wouldn't recommend it for everyone - but if you like graphic horror definitely check this one out.

Total pages read: 326

Snacks consumed: I've been snacking on Halloween snack mix all day and had chicken fried rice for dinner. Oh, and I ate some Reese's Pieces from the bag because I didn't put enough in the snack mix.

Mid-Event Survey

1) How are you doing? Sleepy? Are your eyes tired?

 I'm not tired at all, but that's probably because I slept in a bit.

2) What have you finished reading?

The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury and Die, You Bastard! Die! by Jan Kozlowski.

3) What is your favorite read so far?

It's hard to choose, I loved them both. I guess I enjoyed Die, You Bastard! Die! a bit more because it was more suspenseful and exciting.

4) What about your favorite snacks?

Well I haven't really eaten much besides the Halloween snack mix I made, but it's so good! I think I might run to the store and get something else because I don't think it will last me the rest of the night.

5) Have you found any new blogs through the readathon? If so, give them some love!

I haven't been reading blogs that much because I'm trying to just focus on reading. But I did click on a few links and found Midnight Book Girl (the first book she read today was Halloween Night by R.L. Stine!) and Adventures in Borkdom. Oh, and I checked out my cheerleaders' blogs: Bibliophibian, Inside the Mind of a Mag-a-Holic, Jenn and The Cats and Louise Reviews.

Dewey's Read-a-Thon Update #1

After my first post about the Read-a-Thon, I started reading The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury and fell asleep on the couch after about three pages. But when I woke up at 11:30 my headache was gone and I didn't feel sick anymore, so now I'll definitely be able to last all night! I'm a bit behind in my reading though.

I just finished reading The Halloween Tree and I loved it. I can't believe I've never read it until now. It's a must-read if you're looking to get into the Halloween spirit.

Next I'm going to read Die, You Bastard! Die by Jan Kozlowski on my Kindle.

Total pages read: 145

Snacks consumed: Halloween snack mix (I was so excited to try it I ate that instead of a proper breakfast or lunch.)

Dewey's Read-a-Thon

Today I will be participating in Dewey's Read-a-Thon. If you don't already know, it's a fun event where you read for 24 hours and blog about it. Today I'm feeling a bit under the weather, so I don't know if I will last the full 24 hours.

I have my book stack ready. Today I have chosen to read:

1. The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury
2. Seed by Ania Ahlborn
3. Die, You Bastard! Die! by Jan Kozlowski
4. The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker
5. Locke & Key: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill
6. Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge
7. Valley of the Scarecrow by Gord Rollo
8. Baxter by Jessica Hamilton

I also have my snacks ready:

Halloween snack mix!

And beverages:

Timothy's Perfectly Pumpkin k-cups!

Introductory Questionnaire

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?

Oakville, Ontario

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?

The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?

Snack mix!

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

 I love Halloween so I chose some Halloween-themed books to read today.

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?

I participated in the last read-a-thon and I think the only thing I'm going to do differently is blog less and concentrate more on reading.

BOOK NEWS: Red Rain by R.L. Stine

Today R.L. Stine's new adult novel, Red Rain, was released. This is his fourth adult novel - the first three being Superstitious, Eye Candy and The Sitter. Here's what it's about:

Before there was J. K. Rowling, before there was Stephenie Meyer or Suzanne Collins, there was R.L. Stine. Witty, creepy, and compulsively readable, his books defined horror for a generation of young readers— readers who have now come of age. In Red Rain, Stine uses his unerring knack for creating terror to tap into some very grownup fears. Travel writer Lea Sutter finds herself on a small island off the coast of South Carolina, the wrong place at the wrong time. A merciless, unanticipated hurricane cuts a path of destruction through the island and Lea barely escapes with her life.

In the storm’s aftermath, she discovers two orphaned boys—twins. Filled with a desire to do something to help, to make something good of all she witnessed, Lea impulsively decides to adopt them. The boys, Samuel and Daniel, seem amiable and immensely grateful; Lea’s family back on Long Island—husband Mark, a child psychologist, and their two children, Ira and Elena—aren’t quite so pleased. But even they can’t anticipate the twins’ true nature—or predict that, within a few weeks’ time, Mark will wind up implicated in two brutal murders, with the police narrowing in.

 For the millions of readers who grew up on Goosebumps, and for every fan of deviously inventive horror, this is a must-read from a beloved master of the genre.

Since I am obviously a huge R.L. Stine fan, I cannot wait to read this. Hopefully I will receive it for my birthday (which is coming up soon) because I will not be shelling out the $17.81 for the Kindle edition. Especially when I could get the hardcover for the same price.

There's a great R.L. Stine retrospective at best-horror-movies.com in honor of Stine's 69th birthday (which he celebrated on October 8) and the 20th anniversary of Goosebumps.