R. I. P. X

It's that time of year again, when bloggers everywhere look forward to the Readers Imbibing Peril Challenge!  I only joined last year, so this is my second time around.  This year, Carl, inventor of the RIP Challenge, decided to change things up a little, so the ladies at Estella Society are hosting.  The venue has changed but the rules have not:

Without further ado, pick your poison, won’t you? September 1st is here, and we’re ready to begin!

Mystery.
Suspense.
Thriller.
Dark Fantasy.
Gothic.
Horror.
Supernatural.
Or anything sufficiently moody that shares a kinship with the above.

That is what embodies the stories, written and visual, that we celebrate with the R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril event.
As time has wound on, we’ve discovered that simple rules are best:
1. Have fun reading (and watching).
2. Share that fun with others.
 
R.I.P. X officially runs from September 1st through October 31st. 
Multiple perils await you. You can participate in just one, or participate in them all.

I'm going to try for Peril the First, which asks that we read FOUR books.  We'll see how it goes; I'm going to try to make at least one a Classics Club title, like Hawthorne's House of the Seven Gables or Poe's Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque.