ScaredyKIT 2021 Planning Thread

Welcome back for another year of thrills and chills! In the ScaredyKIT, we read horror, thrillers, and dark fiction around monthly themes chosen and hosted by members of the group. Anyone is welcome to join in for however many months you like, and anyone is welcome to suggest and host a theme.

Generally, the person suggesting the theme agrees to host and chooses the month they would like. All that's required to host is to start a new thread for the month introducing the theme and giving some suggested reads. Generally, these threads are posted on or around the 15th of the previous month. I'll keep a master list in this top post of the thread.

Nominate your preferred theme and give your preferred month in the thread and I'll add it to the list until we have 12. If we don't get 12, we'll have a reader's choice month.

January - YA and Graphic Novels - LibraryCin
February - Creepy Nonfiction - LibraryCin
March - Short Stories and Novellas - DeltaQueen50
April - Possessed - mstrust
May - Witches and Magic - lowelibrary
June - Diverse Perspectives - sturlington
July - Ghosts and Hauntings - majikia
August - Adrift (Water and Outer Space) - luvamystery65
September - The Dead, Their Habits and Abodes - mstrust
October - Real-Life Monsters - lowelibrary
November - Stephen King and family - sturlington
December - Horror Thrillers - Tess_W

Have we done a "cemetery/ graveyard" month before? Or I wouldn't mind hosting "children's horror/ horrible children" again.

I'll take August!

I would like my theme to be stories that take place in Water or Outer Space. I was thinking of calling it Adrift because you can be adrift in water and in space, but suggestions for a name of the theme are welcome.

>2 mstrust: I don't think we've done that theme before. Maybe we can expand it to something like graveyards or anything associated with them (graves, skeletons, mummies). That would also allow some crime thrillers (for instance, a forensics detective). What month would you like?

>3 luvamystery65: I love that idea!

Sounds good, an all encompassing "The Dead, and Their Habits and Abodes" month.
How's September?

I'll take the month of March and host a month for short stories and novellas. There are volumes of short stores from authors such as Edgar Allan Poe, Joyce Carol Oates and Stephen King just to name a few. Plus there are any number of Novellas from classic Henry James or Shirley Jackson to more modern writers of today.

I'd like to do one. I'm just not good at coming up with new ideas. There are a few that we've done before that I like.

Would graphic novels be too specific, or would it put off too many people?

If not, I'd love to see the return of a Hauntings month or a Serial Killers month. Or what about a Nonfiction month?

>7 LibraryCin: I don't read a lot of graphic novels, so it may be too specific for me. In the past, I think we've folded them in with short stories.

Any of those other topics would be a welcome return, I would think.

>8 sturlington: I saw it folded in with children's (in the old Horror group).

I think combining Graphic Novels with YA would be a good match.

>10 DeltaQueen50: Yes, I agree. I had forgotten that we had done that. LibrayCin, would you like to combine graphic novels and YA, and if so, which month do you want?

>10 DeltaQueen50: >11 sturlington: Ok, that's what I'll do, then. Thanks!

So, why don't I start off the year in January?
Graphic Novels and YA

And, if we don't have enough people to cover all the months, then maybe I'll do another month with one of the other two I'm still hoping for (unless someone else wants them to guarantee we get them!).

I will take June, and I will suggest Diverse Perspectives -- read a book written by or about a person of color, a person who is LGBTQ, a person with a disability, or a person from a marginalized background.

Some ideas, possible a month of creepy nonfiction?

>14 Kristelh: Sounds good, what month would you like?

>14 Kristelh: Oh, I like it!

I will host a Real-Life Monsters category in October. This would include serial killers, gruesome murderers. crimes against children. Anything that makes you say what a "monster" the person is. Nonfiction book reads.

>17 lowelibrary: Yay! That makes sure a serial killer month can happen!

I'm still hoping someone will do ghosts & hauntings or something along those lines. I guess if people start choosing a second month, if needed, I can do that, too.

Is creepy nonfiction and Real life monsters kind of the same? I think we probably don't need two. Nice name, real life monsters.

I'll do ghosts and hauntings. I really thought the September topic included them.

>19 Kristelh: It sounds like Real-Life Monsters would take care of a nonfiction category. Did you have another topic you'd like to propose?

>20 majkia: I think September could include ghosts but its intention is to focus on cemeteries, graves, etc. So it could also include subjects like forensics, mummies, or books with a graveyard setting like Pet Sematary. There's enough there to have a separate ghosts/hauntings month, and we still have plenty of months available. What month would you like?

>21 sturlington: July will be good.

>20 majkia: >21 sturlington: I think September would include haunted cemeteries and graveyards, but haunted houses and other things would be a different topic.
>14 Kristelh: >19 Kristelh: >21 sturlington: I would expected a "creepy non-fiction" to cover serial killers and other human monsters. I suppose a general non-fiction topic could cover disasters and tragedies.

>23 mstrust: We could do a Disasters category and let everyone choose whether to read nonfiction or fiction for it.

Yep, that would be a good one.
What about a "Possessed" month? Have we done that yet?

>20 majkia: Yay!

>21 sturlington: Kristel chose her month first, so should >17 lowelibrary: choose something different? (Or maybe I should just keep my nose out of it...)

>27 LibraryCin: I thought Kristel was saying we didn't need two nonfiction months, but whatever topic she wants to host, she should. There is certainly room to distinguish between Creepy Nonfiction and Real-Life Monsters. I have an unread book on real-life haunted houses that would fit in the first one. If there's enough interest in two nonfiction months, let's go for it.

I think we could do two nonfiction months. I will be focusing only on the human "monsters". That still leaves plenty of nonfiction reads for anything and everything else creepy.

I am okay with not actually doing any month at this time. It was just a suggestion that I had come across. I am dealing with family life/death issues and am afraid to make any commitments at the moment. Not sure what the months ahead are going to bring.

But I think it would be good to not make 2 non fiction months. It probably is best to make it also possible to do fiction.

I'm happy to do two nonfiction months. I can see where there is room for distinction, as well.

>30 Kristelh: I understand why you wouldn't want to commit right now, and I hope you continue to participate as you are able and share your reading. Take care.

We have 5 months left open, so let's see if there are any more volunteers and what they might like to host as topics. If there are no takers, those of us who are want to can double up months and perhaps use some of the topics previously suggested that haven't been assigned yet. Here are the ones I can recall but let me know if I am missing something:

Creepy Nonfiction
Disasters
Possessed

I'll add Stephen King and Family to the list, as we do this every year, and it's easy to host. Unless folks are getting tired of it.

If you need some of us to take two months, you can assign me with either "disasters" or "possessed", and either April or May.
And I enjoy King month so I vote for keeping it.

>33 mstrust: I like Possessed, it's a new one for us, so I'll give that to you for April. I enjoy King month too and am happy to host it again.

Also just saw this list, which might give ideas for someone wanting to host a Creepy Nonfiction category: https://www.denofgeek.com/books/paranormal-book-recommendations-from-the-pros/

Even horror baking books might work as part of such a category for those who like to read cookbooks: https://bookriot.com/horror-baking-books/

I like Creepy Nonfiction. Unless someone else wants to host it, I can do that one, as well. (I'll just have to remember the Real Life Monsters is its own month!)

>36 LibraryCin: Would May be all right for that month? That way, the two nonfiction months are not too close together.

>37 sturlington: Sure. That would be ok.

>37 sturlington: Would you be ok with putting me in for February instead? That still keeps the nonfiction months spread apart. I have another challenge (in another group) that I'm hosting in May, so it would just be easier if I did Feb. (I know that means me doing Jan and Feb here, but I'm ok with that.)

>39 LibraryCin: Sure, if you're fine with back to back.

Somebody at BookRiot is making lists just for us to use next year:

6 of the best scary nonfiction books: https://bookriot.com/best-scary-nonfiction-books/

10 of the best books featuring cemeteries: https://bookriot.com/books-featuring-cemeteries/

>35 sturlington: Thanks for the links!
I'd never thought of horror & baking as a genre but turns out I have two of the books on that list :-D
>42 sturlington: A very handy list for me as I'll be hosting the cemetery month next year.

>42 sturlington: ...and immediately adding some to the tbr...

ETA: Or not if they won't load. :-(

Can I do Horror Thrillers in December? I chose Dec. because this category might overlap with others, so this way I won't step on any toes.

>45 Tess_W: Yes!

If no one else picks May. I can do a second month. I would choose to do Witches and Magic.

>48 lowelibrary: Great, thanks! I don't think we've done that theme before.

We have fantastic categories for next year.

It's great to see this one all ready to go!

I have set up the wiki for next year. It is here: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/2021_ScaredyKIT

January is posted:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/327208

It's hard to believe the new year is almost here!

I've just posted February's thread: http://www.librarything.com/topic/328739

March's thread is up: https://www.librarything.com/topic/329755

April's thread is up: https://www.librarything.com/topic/330597#unread

I totally forgot that June was my month! But the thread is now up: https://www.librarything.com/topic/332336

>58 sturlington: LOL! I looked up who was doing it for June a couple of days ago, but figured it was too early to give you a reminder. :-)

Is July going up soon?

>60 mstrust: Looks like it's here:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/332943

(I missed it too, and only when looking when I saw you ask...)

Thanks so much! I guess I just wait for the link to be posted here or in the previous month's thread.

>62 mstrust: I usually do, too! Sometimes it occurs to me to go looking if a link hasn't been posted, but not always! LOL!

August ScaredyKit is up https://www.librarything.com/topic/333666

September is up! https://www.librarything.com/topic/334441#unread

October thread is up: https://www.librarything.com/topic/335228#n7603640

November thread is up: https://www.librarything.com/topic/335974

Looks like there's a really good list of scary stories being put together here: https://www.librarything.com/list/43246/all/Scary-Stories-for-the-Season#

I think it would be fun if we all added our favorites.

>68 sturlington: Oooh, thanks for that. I don't have time at the moment, but hopefully I'll remember to come back later to see what's there and maybe add more. :-)

I started the planning thread for next year here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/336260

>70 sturlington: Yay!

Did I miss the December thread? I am not finding it anywhere.

>72 lowelibrary: Here it is: https://www.librarything.com/topic/336693#

>73 sturlington: Thanks.