R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril XI

In many parts of the US, the beginning of September signals a return to cooler weather. Even when I lived in Alabama, the first part of September could be very hot, but by the end of the month, it could be very, very cool in the evenings. But here in Santa Barbara, September is often very warm, and October may be the hottest month of the year. So it is not the cool weather that tells me Fall is here and Halloween is near, it is the Halloween costumes (and Christmas decorations even) in Costco at this time of year. And school starting, since my husband and I both work for institutions of higher learning. Nevertheless, this is a nice time of year and the days will shorten and the evenings will be a bit cooler.

And Carl V. at Stainless Steel Droppings is again hosting the R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril event, for the eleventh year. Five years ago at this time of year I joined in the R.I.P. festivities for the first time, and this will be my fifth year participating.

                       (Art by Hugo Award winning artist Abigail Larson)

As Carl describes it, this is a quest to bring a community of readers together to enjoy the literature most associated with the darkening days and cooling temperatures of Autumn:

Mystery
Suspense
Thriller
Gothic
Horror
Dark Fantasy

There are only two expectations if you want to participate:
1. Have fun reading (and watching).
2. Share that fun with others.

R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril XI takes place from September 1st, 2016 through October 31st, 2016. There are various goals: reading books, short stories, watching movies or TV shows, and even playing games.

Although reviews are optional, the other staple of the R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril event is the Review Site, where participants share links to any reviews related to this event.

See Carl's explanatory post if you have interest in participating in this event.

My goal, as usual, will be the First Peril.

Read four books, of any length, from the very broad categories earlier defined as perilous. They could all be by the same author, a series of books, a random mix of classic and contemporary or whatever you like.

Each year I have included a list of books I hope to read during the two months of R.I.P and usually I actually read entirely different books. But I will be optimistic and continue in the tradition. So here is a tentative list:

These are books I listed last year and never got to...

Fender Benders by Bill Fitzhugh
The Last Enemy by Grace Brophy
The Coffin Dancer by Jeffery Deaver  (on the list for the 5th year!)
All the Lonely People by Martin Edwards

The Iron Gates by Margaret Millar

New for this year...

Flowers for the Judge by Marjorie Allingham (a reread)

The Diamond Feather by Helen Reilly

Strong Poison by Dorothy Sayers (a reread)

Quoth the Raven by Jane Haddam (a reread) 

Death Warmed Over by Kevin J. Anderson

Thirty-Three Teeth by Colin Cotterill