I started this blog almost two years ago, and my very first post was about a book. Way back then I challenged myself to read one horror or gothic classic a month, and I began the blog partly to record my progress.

Judging from my list of posts, I failed that challenge almost instantly and my blog became an unfocused collection of all the things I like. That’s included a lot of books, but not in a focused way. I don’t regret the blog part at all. Writing, and thinking about what to write, has inspired me in many different ways. Mostly, writing about the things I like makes me actually do them more. Writing about fashion makes me dress better, writing about home decor made me finally paint my walls, writing about movies and music leads me to new stuff to watch and listen to. The whole process makes me more active and creative, even if it is a bit random.

But still, I feel bad about the book challenge. Not guilty, just a bit regretful. It’s not that challenges make me read more–I’ve always read plenty of books. It’s the structure I miss. Reading several books of the same genre or period or style, one right after the other, can be a really rich experience. It can help you slip more fully into the atmosphere and world view behind that genre or period, understanding and enjoying all the books more deeply. Even if you burn out and take a break, when you come back that richer world is usually still waiting for you. I’ve read a fair amount of horror and gothic novels but it’s always been a book here and a book there, with lots of other genres in between. I’ve never set out to immerse myself in them fully, and it’s long past time I did.

I realize this is more of a lit geek thing than anything. Goths are more likely to read than the average person, at least in my experience, but the subculture is much more about music and fashion than books. There’s no required reading list for baby bats. You don’t even have to read Anne Rice or Edgar Allan Poe, and you certainly don’t have to read Carmilla or Mysteries of Udolpho to pass your goth exams. Lit geeks, on the other hand, are all about reading lists. It’s sort of our thing. And when I read lists of gothic novels I see so many I need to get around to.

So I’m revamping my personal challenge, focusing on gothic horror. For structure’s sake, I’m focusing mostly on this list of “best gothic horror” while adding one or two other authors I’m curious about. It’s a good mix of modern and classic stories, so it’s a great place to start. I’ve read about half of them already. I’m including the list below, noting which ones I’ve read, and my goal is to read all the rest.

I’d love to hear which ones you’ve read and what else you’d put on your own personal “best gothic horror” list. I plan to post reviews as I go and keep you all updated on what I’m reading next, so anyone who wants to read along is welcome. I just started the grandfather of gothic novels, The Castle of Otranto, a couple days ago and it’s going quickly so that’ll be book number one of my new challenge. Here are the rest:

1. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley (More rambling than I expected, but it gives you a lot to think about.)
2. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson (Quick and exciting.)
3. Dracula, by Bram Stoker (The ending felt rather rushed, but it’s very atmospheric.)
4. The Monk, by Matthew Lewis (This has been on my kindle reader for ages. Must get to it.)
5. Interview with the Vampire, by Anne Rice (This is a whole series, of course, but I only read the first five books.)
6. Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte (I really liked this one. Everyone in it is so annoying and so fascinating.)
7. The Mysteries of Udolpho, by Ann Radcliffe (Not my favorite, to be honest. I preferred The Italian.)
8. The Castle of Otranto, by Horace Walpole (So far, so good.)
9. The Turn of the Screw, by Henry James (My very first blog post was about this book.)
10. Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier
11. The Woman in Black, by Susan Hill
12. The Vampyre, by John Polidori
13. The Tell-Tale Heart, by Edgar Allan Poe (I think they cheated a bit, adding short stories, but it’s still great.)
14. The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde (I never much cared for Wilde in school, but I did like this book.)
15. The Fall of the House of Usher, by Edgar Allan Poe
16. Perfume: the Story of a Murderer, by Patrick Suskind
17. Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen (I went to college with a pack of rabid Austen fans and became known as “the girl who hates Jane Austen” but I really don’t hate her. I “meh” her.)
18. White is for Witching, by Helen Oleyemi
19. We Have Always Lived in the Castle, by Shirley Jackson (I loved this book. Loved. It.)
20. Vathek, by William Beckford
21. The Woman in White, by Wilkie Collins (I started this years ago, got bored and put it down. Must try again.)
22. The Witching Hour, by Anne Rice
23. The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield
24. The Shining, by Stephen King (Stanley Kubrick might strike me down for this, but I liked the book better than the movie.)
25. The Pit and the Pendulum, by Edgar Allan Poe (I now have the urge to read this again.)
26. The Phantom of the Opera, by Gaston Leroux (Remember the Austen fans? Also fans of Andrew Lloyd Webber, which has sort of poisoned me against anything he’s touched. Please convince me this book is awesome.)
27. The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson (Read it. Watch the original movie. Watch the new Netflix series.)
28. The Devil’s Elixirs, by E.T.A. Hoffmann
29. Tales of Terror and Mystery, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (I haven’t read anything by him since junior high.)
30. Melmoth the Wanderer, by Charles Maturin
31. Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte (It’s been a while. I’d really like to reread this one.)
32. In a Glass Darkly, Sheridan Le Fanu
33. House of Leaves, by Mark Z. Danielewski (This is kind of two books interwoven, and I much preferred the parts about the house. Amazingly creepy.)
34. Carmilla, by Sheridan Le Fanu (This one is also part of In a Glass Darkly so I look forward to reading it again.)

Bonus novels:

1. Fledgling, by Octavia Butler. I’ve been hearing about her everywhere lately, but mostly in science fiction circles. I’m really curious about her and this book in particular.
2. As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner. I’ve read some Faulkner, as many lit geeks have, but this one sounds like a great choice for some summertime “southern gothic” reading.
3. Flowers in the Attic, by V.C. Andrews. When I was a kid they made this into a movie and it seemed like all my friends were reading the book but I was not allowed, and I was not yet old enough to dare sneak-reading it behind my mom’s back. Decades later I’m still curious.