Boo!

I've probably talked about this in years past, but it bears repeating: Halloween is my favorite reading season of the year. So it always surprises me when I take stock and realize how many Halloween classics I haven't yet gotten around to reading.  Each year I fully intend to settle in and get to some of these tried and true creepers, but then the rounds of kids, costumes, parties, and trick or treating get in the way and mess up my entire reading schedule and before I know it, I'm basting a damn turkey, everyone is saying "Happy Thanksgiving" and sitting down with a copy of The Exorcist just looks downright weird, however much my family gatherings might be in need a good old fashioned exorcism when they all get together.

Yeah, the pretty much sums up our holiday family dinners right ht

This year I've decided to lower my expectations a little. When I saw that Stephen King was releasing a sequel to his 1977 classic horror novel The Shining, I knew this was the perfect opportunity to finally, FINALLY, read both the original and treat myself to the new sequel, Doctor Sleep.

 

Yes, you read that correctly. Shocking truth: I have never read The Shining. And because I've never read The Shining, I've never allowed myself to watch the movie. Okay, that and I've always had this ewww factor where Jack Nicholson is concerned, but that's another discussion. While I have spent countless hours inside the Timberline Lodge which served as the Overlook Hotel in the now famous movie (which is still, by the way, shown every year on Halloween night at Timberline if you happen to find yourself at Mt. Hood, Oregon) and always meant to read the novel over a long ski weekend there, it somehow just never worked out. Broken bones, torn ligaments, you know, typical ski weekends for our family.

Timberline Lodge, Mt. Hood, Oregon

So while I may not be able to tackle all of those wonderful Halloween classic reads this year, I'm happy knowing I'll finally be able to cross The Shining off my list.  What else do I have in store for the Witching Season in upcoming years?  Sitting on my shelves, collecting what seems appropriately spooky amounts of dust because I absolutely refuse to read these books at any other time of year, includes unread copies of.....

Add to my pile. What is the one novel that scared the crap right outta you?  Happy Halloween, everyone. Don't eat the razorblades, hear?

2012: The Year of the Book Moratorium

A Reader's Respite is pulling out the Big Guns and declaring 2012 to be the Year of the Book Moratorium.  After taking a look at our Goodreads account and discovering that we have 862 books on our shelves to-be-read (Good God!), something drastic had to be done.

How on earth did we ever amass over 800 unread books in this house? Something has to be done.  So what are the terms of our Book Moratorium?  We will not be allowing a single book purchase in 2012.  No more trips to the used book store where we fill five bags full of old paperbacks.  No more random purchases from airport book shops.  No more book excursions on Ebay.  And worst of all, no more "Download Now" for the Kindle.  (Ack, we're dying already!)

Our goal?  To read at least 100 of the books floating around this house.

We're counting on you all to hold us to this.

What are your book resolutions?

2011: A Year of Books

Happy New Year.  May 2011 be filled with books.  Really good books.

Merry Bookish Christmas!

It's Turkey Day....

Ho Ho Ho (ouch, is it too early?)

Yes, A Reader's Respite knows it's far too early to be doing anything Holiday-related yet.  (And a pox on those stores who were playing Christmas music the day after Halloween.)  But if you want in on the fun of The Book Blogger Holiday Swap, this is just a friendly reminder that you need to sign up by November 14.

For those who haven't participated in the past, we really encourage you to do so this year.  Even A Reader's Respite, who has a history of turning remarkable Scrooge-like as the Holidays draw nearer, thinks that The Book Blogger Holiday Swap brings out the best in all of us.

So head over here to sign up!