2015 Horror Aficionados Reading Challenge

[Francisco]

hi, here Francisco from Spain, I hope you excuse my poor English, I'm thinking about taking part in the challenge for 2016, but I have a doubt, could they be random books or might be from the lists?

[Myst]

Francisco wrote: "hi, here Francisco from Spain, I hope you excuse my poor English, I'm thinking about taking part in the challenge for 2016, but I have a doubt, could they be random books or might be from the lists?"

Near the end of December, a new group of list/s will be posted most likely. That way everyone should be able to find a selection of books.

The lists try to hit different parts of the horror genre so there's more variety; this year there were 2 lists that didn't have any Stephen King since he dominates other lists, but other lists did have King for those who wanted King books.

Many of the lists have books in common; there is usually at least 1 Stephen King somewhere, some Clive Barker, Dean Koontz, certain classics like Dracula, Frankenstein etc.

So perhaps look at this year's lists and start getting ideas.

I did 2 Shirley Jacksons last year and you can see from post 101, she appeared on this year's lists as well.

[Robert]

Francisco wrote: "hi, here Francisco from Spain, I hope you excuse my poor English, I'm thinking about taking part in the challenge for 2016, but I have a doubt, could they be random books or might be from the lists?"

The first post for this challenge states that they can be any horror book of your choosing, and that the provided lists are suggestions, so it's not required that your choices be taken from those lists. I don't know if that's always the case or not - I think I've been here about a year and a half at this point. For myself I am limiting my selections to things I am reading for fun (not for proofreading or obligated reviewing), but that was just a personal choice.

[Maxine Marsh]

Robert wrote: "Francisco wrote: "hi, here Francisco from Spain, I hope you excuse my poor English, I'm thinking about taking part in the challenge for 2016, but I have a doubt, could they be random books or might..."

The challenge does change yearly, we opened it to be more broad a selection this year. We also recently compiled an Horror Aficionados Top 101 Best Horror Books list and so that may be the reading challenge for next year but suggestions are always welcome!

[Francisco]

So many books to read, how do you choose them?

[Latasha]

I really sucked at this challenge. I picked out all my books at the first of the year then by march, I was wondering why I had picked said books. next year i'll pick one at a time.

[Maxine Marsh]

Francisco wrote: "So many books to read, how do you choose them?"

The number of books you choose for your challenge is up to you, Francisco. And you pick those you wish. I went one by one, as long as they were on one of the lists at the beginning of this thread.

[Maxine Marsh]

Latasha wrote: "I really sucked at this challenge. I picked out all my books at the first of the year then by march, I was wondering why I had picked said books. next year i'll pick one at a time."

Just change them Latasha! No big deal. I always start out with a list and end up changing it.

[sonya]

What is the criteria for this challenge

[Estelle]

This is my favorite reading challenge! This was my 3rd time doing it and I've more than reached my original goal (I think I was aiming for 10 books at first, now I'm up to 26!).

I've been reading a lot of different things: popular horror novels like Psycho, Silence of the Lambs, Rosemary's Baby and novels by well-known authors (ex: Stephen King, Dean Koontz and Robert McCammon), some classics (Lord of the Flies, Carmilla, some Poe & Lovecraft) and short stories/novellas by authors like Harlan Ellison, William Hope Hodgson, Robert E. Howard.

I kept adding books to my list as the year went by that way it was very pressure free and just fun. :)

[GracieKat]

I was going for 100 but I don't think that's going to be happening, lol. So I'm going down to 50. That might still be a little high but with winter now here I think it might be do-able.
Anyway, here's what I have so far toward it:
1/50: The Macabre Megapack: 25 Lost Tales from the Golden Age

2/50: The Second Macabre Megapack

3/50: The Third Macabre Megapack: 25 Classic Tales of Horror

4/50: The Horror Megapack: 25 Classic and Modern Horror Stories

5/50: The Uncanny Stories MEGAPACK TM: 16 Classic Chillers

6/50: Searchers After Horror

7/50: By the Light of a Gibbous Moon

8/50: Black Wings of Cthulhu: Tales of Lovecraftian Horror

9/50: Black Wings of Cthulhu 2: Eighteen Tales of Lovecraftian Horror

10/50: Four O'clock

11/50: Horns

12/50: Lovecraft's Monsters

13/50: Calling 666: Tales Of Dark Horror & The Supernatural

14/50: A Dark Dividing

15/50: The House Next Door

16/50: The Shining

17/50: The Ghost Story Megapack: 25 Classic Tales by Masters

18/50: The Second Ghost Story Megapack

19/50: The Third Ghost Story Megapack

20/50: The Fourth Ghost Story MEGAPACK TM: 25 Classic Haunts!

21/50: The Fifth Ghost Story MEGAPACK ™: 25 Classic Haunts

22/50: The Sixth Ghost Story MEGAPACK: 25 Classic Ghost Stories

23/50: The Haunts & Horrors Megapack: 31 Modern & Classic Stories

24/50: The 2014 Halloween Horrors MEGAPACK

And I'm currently reading Cellar Door II

So, cut down to 50 I'm halfway there! Almost.

[Maxine Marsh]

I have two more books to read to finish the yearly challenge! Getting to 20 was harder for me than I thought because of all the group reads that I participated in.

How are everyone else's challenges going? Do you think you'll finish the 2015 challenge?

[Kristy]

I'm not sure I'll finish, but I'm not giving up yet! I didn't sign up until the end of August and only went for 10, but I've also been doing a lot of group reads so I'm only halfway there. It will probably come down to finding the fortitude to keep in a horror state of mind while everyone is trying to smother me with bright, sparkly holiday spirit.

[Latasha]

I forgot about it ages ago

[Robert]

I have 2 more to go as well, and I bumped up to 25 at one point. I should make it.

[Estelle]

I've completed my goal: 27 books.
My favorites were Swan Song, The Silence of the Lambs and Johnny Got His Gun.
Least favorites: Pines and The Wasp Factory.

What is the best book you've read this year?

[Latasha]

i'll have to go back and make sure it was this year but Fevre Dream and The Last American Vampire - Free Preview yep, read both during the spring & summer. seems so much longer than that.

[Sean]

Aughhhhh. I had originally challenged myself to read 12 books, but was doing so good that I switched it 20. Then life punched me in the nose and now I barely hit 15. Oh well, its still been a great year to read.

[Robert]

I made mine. In reality I read far more horror books than the 25 I set as a goal, but I ruled out any DarkFuse books since I get review copies of those. I kept the shelf at 25, and many/most are from the various linked lists in the original post, but a few I just felt were really standout books.

[Maxine Marsh]

Phew, I finally finished the challenge! 20 books was cutting it pretty close. I'll probably go with 15 for next year's challenge.

Sign up for your 2016 Horror Aficionados Top 101 Horror Books challenge HERE!

[Kelly]

Coming to this way late, just deciding to add what I read inadvertently this year and the lists they came from! :)

(from Best 100 Horror Books via Library Thing)
Red Dragon by Thomas Harris

(from GoodReads, Best Horror Books by People Other Than Stephen King)
The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Bird Box by Josh Malerman

(from GoodReads, Best Indie Horror Books)
Mr. Mercedes (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #1) by Stephen King
Darkly Dreaming Dexter (Dexter, #1) by Jeff Lindsay

(from GoodReads, Best Horror Novels Not By King or Koontz)
The Troop by Nick Cutter

(from GoodReads Choice Awards Full Horror Nominee List 2011-2014)
The Girl With All The Gifts - M.R. Carey
The Last Town - Blake Crouch

[GracieKat]

I'm going to try (again) for 150. I think this time I'll skip the huge collections. Lovecraft's Complete Collection Of H.P.Lovecraft - 150 eBooks With 100+ Audio Book Links really tanked my time reading.

I'll list them as i read because i have no idea ahead of time what I'll be reading