R.I.P. VII...It's On!

Are you ready for another two months of the spooky?  Hosted by Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings, R.I.P. (R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril) VII is a fun fest of focus on the scary, spooky, mysterious, macabre, etc. in books, TV and film from September 1 through October 31.  Find out full details and sign-up HERE.

You can find out what my plans are for R.I.P. at my Challenge blog POST HERE.

R.I.P. VI Wrap Up

As usual, I didn't do as well as expected.  I probably watched more movies than I read...and didn't do one single movie review.  I know, I suck! Also, did not crack any short stories. =O(

Books I read (click titles for reviews):
Danny Marble and the Application for Non-Scary Things by Jessica McHugh
Dust by Joan Frances Turner
Invisible Sun by S.J. Davis
The Darkness by Crystal Connor

Books I'm still working on:
Under the Dome by Stephen King
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
American Horror (anthology edited by Scott Nicholson)
Decayed Etchings by Brandon Ford

Movies (I will include a few words here about what I thought):
In theater:
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark--a pretty good remake of a movie that scared the crap out of me when I was a kid.  Still, not quite as chilling although really enjoyed the back story.
Final Destination 5--I'm not too keen on these movies because they make me constantly watchful in real life for final destination moments.  LOL! I did like the way they wrapped it up with the other movies, but the deaths were a little more far fetched this time.
Dream House--what a disappointment.  This could have been so great, but it really just kind of fell flat.
Contagion--technically not a horror film, but one of the scariest movies I've ever seen! Wash your hands...A LOT...and don't touch your face, for God's sake!
Straw Dogs--a disturbing film with themes of bigotry and sexism and a shocking sequence of events.  I thought it was really good.  A different role for our Eric Northman!

On cable:
I watched a bunch of old scary movies on TCM on Halloween...not sure of all the titles, but Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee were in the majority of them so you get the gist.  These are some of my favorite kinds of horror films...the oldies. =O)

Also:
Forget Me Not--creepy movie about...well, I really don't know, but it was definitely creepy.
Dexter (Showtime)--one of the best shows on cable.  The serial killer with the heart of gold.  LOL
American Horror Story (FX)--excellent new show (IMO)...has some genuinely creepy moments
Survivors of the Dead (AMC)--a new George Romero zombie flick...gotta love zombies!
Zombie Apocalypse (SyFy)--another zombie movie...new SyFy original...relatively entertaining
The Walking Dead (AMC)--LOVE. THIS. SHOW.  Excellent story lines and zombies.  What else could I ask for?
Flight of the Living Dead--(I think that's what it was called) zombies...on a plane! Truly entertaining. =O)

I would like to thank Carl again for once again hosting one of the funnest challenges ever! Looking forward to next year. =O)

R.I.P Challenge VI

It's time for my favorite reading challenge of the year...the R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril VI, hosted by Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings.  Here are the challenge details (condensed version) as laid out by Carl:

The purpose of the R.I.P. Challenge is to enjoy books that could be classified as:
Mystery.
Suspense.
Thriller.
Dark Fantasy.
Gothic.Horror.

Supernatural.

The emphasis is never on the word challenge, instead it is about coming together as a community and embracing the autumnal mood, whether the weather is cooperative where you live or not.

There are two simple goals for the R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril VI Challenge:

1. Have fun reading.

2. Share that fun with others.

R.I.P. VI officially runs from September 1st through October 31st.

There are multiple levels of participation (Perils) that allow you to be a part of R.I.P. VI....  Multiple perils await you. You can participate in just one, or participate in them all.

Peril the First: Read four books, any length, that you feel fit (my very broad definitions) of R.I.P. literature.

Peril the Second: Read two books of any length that you believe fit within the challenge categories.

Peril the Third: We all want you to participate. This Peril involves reading one book that fits within the R.I.P. definition.

Peril of the Short Story: I am a big fan of short stories and my desire for them is perhaps no greater than in autumn. I see Poe and Lovecraft in my future for sure. You can read short stories any time during the challenge.

Peril on the Screen: This is for those of us that like to watch suitably scary, eerie, mysterious gothic fare during this time of year. It may be something on the small screen or large. It might be a television show, like Dark Shadows, or your favorite film. 

Peril of the Group Read: This Peril is new for this year. I’ve recently discovered the joys of group reading and I posted about three group reads that I am hosting during this year’s R.I.P. Challenge. If you feel so inclined please join us in one (or more) of the planned group reads, information is located here.

For full, non-condensed details and to sign up, visit the post HERE.  Also, Carl asks that we post any reviews, including books, short stories, film/television viewed, at the R.I.P. VI Review Site.

Now...here are the perils I'm planning on doing:

I have a lot of scary reading to do in the next two months, largely due to starting this blog so the requirement is 4 books, but I may end up reading more:

Dust by Joan Frances Turner

Decayed Etchings by Brandon Ford

Danny Marble & the Application for Non-Scary Things by Jessica McHugh

American Horror edited by Scott Nicholson

will probably add more...

Stories from My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me edited by Kate Bernheimer
possibly others...

Oh, I'm a big watcher of horror films!

Are you joining the fun?

Welcome to my new blog!

Welcome to Castle Macabre.  I created this blog for reviewing one of my other favorite genres...horror.  The focus of The True Book Addict is steadily transitioning toward historical fiction and the horror genre does not quite fit.  While I feel literary fiction and even fantasy still have a place there, I think horror is a unique genre that warrants its own blog.  I also realized that many of the readers of The True Book Addict may not be keen on horror.  Plus, I wanted a place that I can occasionally discuss the horror films I see.  Horror films are actually my favorite movies to watch.  I just love having the ---- scared out of me! However, the primary focus here will be books.  I own an abundance of horror fiction and there are exciting new titles released every day so I know there won't be a lack of material.  Plus, Halloween is just around the corner and Carl's R.I.P. challenge starts in September so this might shape up to be a busy introduction for Castle Macabre!

Update:  I'm planning a blog launch event and giveaway for September.  Stay tuned for details. Authors/publicists/publishers interested in promoting your/a book during my event (giveaway, guest post, etc.) can contact me.  View my review policy and contact information in the About/Contact tab listed at the top of the left sidebar.

Certain sections are still under construction so please bear with me.  I hope you will visit often.  I think this will be a fun place for horror lovers everywhere!