Short Story Sundays: W.S.

For my first Short Story Sunday post that is a part of the the R.I.P IV Challenge, I have chosen W.S. by L.P. Hartley. I've had "Roald Dahl's Ghost Stories" sitting on my bookshelf for over 4 years, and I am finally taking this opportunity to read some of the selections from this book of Roald Dahl's favorite ghost stories.

I chose to read the first story in the book "W.S.", which is about a writer named Walter Streeter who starts getting disconcerting post cards in the mail by an anonymous sender who simply signs them W.S. "W.S." is only 10 pages that tells how these postcards effect Walter Streeter and concludes with discovering the identity of W.S. I can't say more than that because it would give the story away.

I have to admit that "W.S.", was a little disappointing. It was a fine story, but just didn't have the creep factor that I was hoping for. On my rating scale it gets a 3 out of 5. It is definitely a story where the more you think about it the creepier it gets, but I was expecting it to be more sinister. I am going to continue to read more from this book and I'm sure I'll find something more to my liking. I will keep you updated on my findings!

*Incase you didn't see the post written after this one or the comments on this post, I originally said that this story was written by Roald Dahl instead of L.P. Hartley. I was totally confused and thought this collection was of Dahl's works and found myself being corrected by a fellow blogger (thanks again Carl!). Sorry for the incorrect information, I really wasn't paying attention and I totally messed up.

On My Chair

This is where I post the books that I borrow from the library, buy, or I receive via mail in the last week.

"Soul Screamers: My Soul to Take"
by Rachel Vincent

SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH KAYLEE CAVANAUGH

She doesn't see dead people, but...

She sense when someone near her is about to die. And when it happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoying having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next...

It has taken me weeks to get this book in my hands, but it finally came into the library this week! I just hope it is as good as everyone says. I am currently reading "City of Glass", but as soon as I'm finished with it then I'll jump into "My Soul To Take".

This meme (In My Mailbox) is brought to you by Kristi's (The Story Siren)

My First Book Challenge: R.I.P. IV!

I have decided to take on my first book challenge! Due to my love of Halloween and for supernatural books, I have decided to attempt the R.I.P. IV Challenge. This challenge runs from September 1st (today!) through October 31st. You may be asking, what is R.I.P IV, so here is Carl (host of the challenge) of Stainless Steel Droppings description right from the blog:

Readers Imbibing Peril, that is what it is all about. I hope you’ll consider joining us on this more eerie road less traveled.

Walk this way.

Mystery.
Suspense.
Thriller.
Dark Fantasy.
Gothic.
Horror.
Supernatural.

The desire for the thrill that comes with this kind of reading drifts in on the autumn winds. You breathe it in and it takes hold of you, tempting you to late nights, book-in-hand, turning pages and starting at every unknown noise. Something wicked this way comes…

I find that kind of melodramatic fear to be a delicious intoxication, one that makes this time of year an especially enjoying time to be a reader. There is enough bad fear in the world: fear of losing one’s job, fear of the state of the world, fear of failure…the list is endless. It is time to reject that fear, embrace hope, and while doing so embrace the fun kind of fear–the kind that had us sitting around camp fires as children, listening to adults tell us ghost stories. The kind that made you want to stay up past your bed time to peek at the late night scary movie on television.

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

1. Have fun reading.
2. Share that fun with others.

As I do each and every year, there are multiple levels of participation that allow you to be a part of R.I.P. IV without adding the burden of another commitment to your already busy lives.

My main goal is to reach the first level of the challenge by reading 4 books that fit into any of the categories listed above. I may not post reviews for all the books I read for this challenge, simply because they may be adult books; however, I will try to post reviews for at least 3 books! That is my ultimate goal.

The second goal I want to meet is participating in Short Story Sundays. For this I would review a short story every Sunday. I'm not sure how successful I will be at this, but I think it could be fun. I haven't read a short story in at least 2 years... but I have plenty of great anthologies! I think I will begin by reading some of Roald Dahl's short stories. I have a collection of them, but they've been sitting on my bookshelf for years! It is time to crack those open.

Here is a list of books that I would like to complete for this challenge:
"Shiver" by Maggie Stiefvater
"From Dead to Worse" by Charlaine Harris
"What the Dickens" by Gregory Maguire
"Forest of Hands and Teeth" by Carrie Ryan
Or
"Night World: Secret Vampire" by L.J. Smith
I may change my mind on the last few titles I have listed, but so far those are the books that are standing out in my mind.

I am really excited about this because I think it is just the motivation I need to make sure I don't slack on my blog during my final semester of my graduate program. I hope that my reviews get you in the mood to pick up some great books or at least get you thinking about your Halloween costume!

Teaser Tuesday

"Shiver"

Maggie Stiefvater
Excerpt from page 15:

I had imagined great adventures where I became a wolf by night and ran away with my wolf to a golden wood where it never snowed. I knew now that the golden wood didn't exist, but the pack - and my yellow-eyed wolf - did.

I have been hearing so many great things about "Shiver" that I had to see what the fuss was all about. I really want to read the final "Mortal Instruments" book, but I honestly couldn't resist "Shiver".

Teaser Tuesdays was started by MizB on her blog. On Teaser Tuesdays participants are asked to grab the book they are currently reading and open it to a random page. Then fist two "teaser" sentences on that page between lines 7 and 12. The key is to entice readers to pick up the book without giving away any

Captivated by "Catching Fire"

"Hunger Games: Catching Fire"
Suzanne Collins


6

Synopsis: Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.


Review: Suzanne Collins has done it again! "The Hunger Games" was one of my favorite books and "Catching Fire" did not disappoint. This book shows the true power and fury that The Capitol has over the districts. This book had me sitting on the edge of my seat because I just could not wait to here what was going to happen next! I was shouting out in excitement (yes I got that into the book) at 1 am while reading this book. The end of the book was so awesome that I cannot believe I am going to have to wait to get the 3rd book! I am having a lot of trouble writing this review because I really do not want to give anything away! The twists of this book are fantastic and I really do not want to detract from any of them. My love for the characters has grown so much in this book that some of the scenes were heartbreaking. Even the fates of newly introduced characters were heartbreaking to read as the story developed.

Suzanne Collins is a wonderful writer who combines all of the elements of writing to create captivating stories. If you loved the first "Hunger Games" then I am positive you will love "Catching Fire". If you have not read "Hunger Games" then I urge you to read it. I hardly ever purchase books after I read them, but these books will be a part of my permanent library. "Catching Fire" comes out today (Tuesday the 1st of September) and I hope it becomes a bestseller!

NPR posted an excerpt of "Catching Fire" on their website, you can read or listen to chapter 2 of the book by clicking here.