2020 ScaredyKIT Planning Thread

Welcome, fellow readers of books that give us chills and thrills. Here, I will be collecting volunteers to host a theme for each month. Hosting means you post the thread for the month with a short intro and some suggested reads. 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.

Some ideas that we have or have not done before: psychological thrillers, slashers, crime, true crime, disasters and survival, animals and nature, monsters and creatures, supernatural (vampires, werewolves, etc.), mythic, classics, aliens, paranormal (telekinesis, telepathy, etc.), ghost stories, occult (witches, demons, etc.), comic horror, romantic suspense, gothic, creepy kids, weird, and the ever-popular Stephen King and family. And you are free to suggest your own. I'd love to see some new inventive categories!

January - 1970s-1980s Horror / luvamystery65
February - Psychological Thrillers / DeltaQueen50
March - Haunted Places / mstrust
April - Paranormal / LisaMorr
May - Occult / LibraryCin
June - Cryptids and Legendary Creatures / tess_schoolmarm
July - Femmes Fatales / sturlington
August - Serial Killers / lowelibrary
September - International / mstrust
October - Halloween / Kristelh
November - Stephen King and family / sturlington
December - Classics / Kristelh

I will get the ball rolling with a category that I don't think we've done before: Femmes Fatales. This theme will include books about "bad" women as well as crime written by women. I'll take July because I think this would be a good theme for summer reading.

hmm, hard to come up with new ideas
Halloween themed (for October). Would this work? I could take it if everyone thinks it is a topic that would work.

I'd like to do a Haunted House (Or Any Haunted Structure) theme. If this is alright, could I have either March or September?

I was reading an article about 80s horror. Horror was big in the 80s and there was a lot published. I would love to use that as a category.

I would love January as I wont be in school until February

ETA: Any thriller or crime book would work too. As long as it was published in the 80s

>5 luvamystery65: This is a cool idea, but can it also be expanded to the 1970s? The reason why is I have this book: Paperbacks from Hell. It would be a great source of ideas for the category.

>3 Kristelh: I think if we were loose with the theme, it would work. I have read a few books set on Halloween, but it could also be a book that has something Halloween-y on the cover. There are a lot of children's books about Halloween, as well.

>4 mstrust: I gave you March unless someone would prefer to have it, then I'll move you to September.

I would like to host February with the theme of psychological thrillers.

Also, if you want to repeat a category, that's fine too. Don't feel you have to come up with something new! We like tried-and-true as well.

>7 sturlington:, I was thinking very loose. Such as ghosts, witches, vampires, bats, skeletons, bones, blood, monsters. Yes, children books galore but would need to be mystery themes or scary, I imagine to fit the general category.

I love the idea of 80s and 70s themes for horror. There was a lot from those decades.

I think a category for classic horror would work too and if needed would be willing to host 2 months. If needed.

I'll take paranormal, how about April?

Thought I'd see what other subgenres of horror I could find. Not sure how much different is listed here, but if this helps someone think of something, feel free to take a look here:
http://popcornhorror.com/genres/

So, what we have listed as Occult (witches, demons, etc), they have separated into two: Witches & Occult, separate from Devil, Demon and Hell.

Anyway, my point being, I will take "Occult (witches, demons, etc)". If someone wanted to do "Devil, Demon and Hell" separately, I would be happy to just do a "Witches and Occult" month.

Put me in for the next open month. I'll do May.

>12 LibraryCin: Yeah, I think if we keep the topics broader, it will help more people be able to find a suitable book and participate. I also associate the occult with things like seances, alchemy, and magic.

>13 sturlington: Sounds good!

How about cryptids? (Yeti, abominable snowman, mothman, etc.)

>15 Tess_W: That's an interesting one that I don't think we've done before. I looked at the Wikipedia page and it would also include Loch Ness Monster and other lake monsters, kraken and other sea monsters, chupacabra, Jersey Devil. I would suggest including any legendary creatures such as mermaids, dragons, and unicorns to broaden it a bit.

Do you have a month preference for hosting?

June will work for me. And yes, was going to include Nessie and the Jersey Devil, etc. But will also add the legendary creatures. (Dragons, unicorns, etc.)

>6 sturlington: Yes the 70s and 80s were huge decades for horror publishing. I'm fine with doing both if you like. Or we could save the 70s for next year? I'll leave it up to you.

>18 luvamystery65: I'd love to add the 1970s if you're ok with it. We can always repeat the category next year if it's popular. There's a lot to choose from in those two decades!

>15 Tess_W: >16 sturlington: Ooh, now I'm really looking forward to that category!

We've got four months open. Someone mentioned Classics--would you like me to add that?

Do you want to do Stephen King and Family again? I'd be willing to host that again, if so. November is a good month for it because if he does come out with a new book, it's usually in October.

>21 sturlington: I would love Classics as a category!

>21 sturlington: I think classics are always a good category. Also, there is such a library of King works that it would be a good category for years!

I'd like both another King and a Classics category. King seems to have an unending catalog. I've read many from him but I don't think I've read even half.

I put Stephen King in November, and I can host that. I penciled classics in for December. I always like reading a classic ghost story around the holidays. Would someone be willing to host? (I can move the month too if the host wants.)

>25 sturlington: I had volunteered for classics if no one else steps forward.

>26 Kristelh: Great, thanks!

And I'll host a second month if you need someone.

Great! August and September are still open, if you have any ideas for topics.

Sounds good. I'll take September just because I'll be away a few days in early August.
How about Asian or International Horror? Or "cursed objects"?

>30 mstrust: I think International Horror would be a good topic!

Ok good!

>30 mstrust: >31 sturlington: Oh, and I was going to vote for "cursed objects"! LOL! Maybe next year? Or maybe whoever does August, if it's one that intrigues them.

We still have August up for grabs, but I'll make it a "vacation/reader's choice" month if there are no takers.

So, horror fans, the first month of the year is horror from the 1970s and 1980s. Wondering what to ask Santa for? Let me direct you to Valancourt Books, which reissues old horror in very nice trade paperbacks. They have started a "Paperbacks from Hell" series, which are reissues of some of those lurid 70s and 80s titles, with original cover artwork, featured in Paperbacks from Hell, and they have several other reissued books from the time period as well. Just a thought--their website is here and their books are for sale on Amazon as well. I, for one, am planning my Christmas list.

I will take August. How about Serial Killers (fiction or nonfiction).

>34 sturlington: Aren't they great?! It will be very hard to choose which one to read!

>35 lowelibrary: Ooh yes! I have The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper on my TBR.

>35 lowelibrary: Sounds good. Thanks, everyone! Time to start planning.

>34 sturlington:. Here's a title that will fit for October. October the First is too late by Fred Hoyle.

I have started the wiki for our KIT here: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/2020_ScaredyKIT

Thanks to all the volunteers! Sorry I did not offer to host, as I've done in previous years. I've been busier than usual with work and so did not want to commit but I'm really looking forward to participating again!

January Scaredy Kit- 1970s/1980s Horror (& Thrillers) is here. https://www.librarything.com/topic/314030

February ScaredyKit: Psychological Thrillers is up: https://www.librarything.com/topic/315590#

March's "Haunted Places" is up: https://www.librarything.com/topic/316828

April thread, paranormal, is up: https://www.librarything.com/topic/317751#.

Just posted May's thread:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/319004

June's thread has been posted:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/319791

July's thread is up: https://www.librarything.com/topic/321351

September's thread is up: https://www.librarything.com/topic/323278#

I have October theme so I will be getting that up soon.

October thread is up, https://www.librarything.com/topic/324422

October thread is up, https://www.librarything.com/topic/324422

November thread is up: https://www.librarything.com/topic/325392

Also while I have you here, I will post in the 2021 planning group as well, but I wanted to ask all you regulars if you are interested in continuing this KIT next year. If so, I will be glad to set it up again.

I would continue to participate.

I would love to participate again. This is one of my favourite KITs, even though I don't always manage to read a book for it every month.

>52 sturlington: Count me in to participate next year! I don't have as much time to read while I'm in school, but I make some time. It's what keeps me from going mad. I love this group.

I'd like it to continue too!

I don't read one every month but enjoy the KIT when I find the right book for it.

I would continue

Some of my favourite reads have come from this one, so it's a yes from me!

I'm really excited to keep on with this KIT. I've posted a planning thread here so stop by and suggest a theme: https://www.librarything.com/topic/325456

I will get our December thread up probably tomorrow. Thank you for your patience.

Here's the December link, https://www.librarything.com/topic/326339

>62 Kristelh: Thanks!