2023 ScaredyKIT Planning

Welcome to ScaredyKIT, where we read horror, thrillers, and true crime. As in previous years, please volunteer if you'd like to host a month, letting us know what you want and what your topic will be. New hosts are welcome. All you have to do is put up that month's thread around the 15th of the month before, explaining your topic and providing a few suggested reads on that topic. I'll keep track of all the topics and hosts here:

January - Comedy Horror hosted by JayneCM
February - Historical Horror hosted by sturlington
March - Indie Authors and Small Press hosted by whitewavedarling
April - Food-Related Horror/Horror Cookbooks hosted by mstrust
May - Surviving the Horror hosted by DeltaQueen 50
June - Stephen King and Family - hosted by lowelibrary
July - Horror Beach Reads - hosted by Kristelh
August - Your favorite scary trope - wildcard month hosted by JayneCM
September - Haunted Houses hosted by mstrust
October - Tricks not Treats hosted by lowelibrary
November - I don't like spiders and snakes hosted by Tess_W
December - Ghost Stories hosted by LibraryCin

Wiki: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/2023_ScaredyKIT

I will take May with the topic of "Surviving the Horror".

Can I have haunted houses in September?

>2 DeltaQueen50: Sounds like a fun topic!

>3 mstrust: Of course, I always love a haunted house story.

I am ok with hosting a month, but I have to think about what topic I'd like.

How about an indie author/small press horror month? There's so much great independent horror (both small pub and self-published) coming out lately, I'd love to host a month where we can help introduce each other to newer and/or lesser-known authors/presses. I could do any month March through August.

>6 whitewavedarling: That sounds great. I'll just plug you into March for now but we can move it if we need to.

>7 sturlington:, Perfect! Just let me know if you need me to shift!

I'm not much of a horror reader, but I am really enjoying what I call comedy horror, like Grady Hendrix Horrorstor and My Best Friend's Exorcism.
I'd be happy to host a month for that, maybe January.

Also happy to host a middle grade horror month, if that is something people might like. Maybe depends on whether KiddyCAT makes the cut - we may not need another middle grade section here. Up to you whether you want to leave that idea until we find out about KiddyCAT.

>9 JayneCM: I'll put you down for January and Comedy Horror for now, and then if we need to double up months because we don't have enough hosts, we can add the other one. Does that sound OK?

>10 sturlington: Perfect!

If >1 sturlington: sturlington does not want to host Stephen King and family. I will be happy to host it. If you are hosting, then I will take October with the theme of tricks not treats.

>12 lowelibrary: Did you want to host both? I usually host Stephen King in addition to another topic, but I'm happy to turn it over to you for next year.

I will host February with the topic of Historical Horror.

>13 sturlington: I can host Stephen King and family for you this year.

>15 lowelibrary: Cool, what month would you like for that? We usually do November, but you are also currently down for October, so you may not want a back-to-back.

I'll put out another call for hosts, but we are a small group generally, so if anyone feels up to hosting two months, shout out.

As KiddyCAT did make the cut, we may not want a middle grade horror month here. But happy to host if you think it is ok for a theme and if you need to fill in a month.

Or could do 'book with your favourite horror/scary trope' instead. I could do August.

I could take April. I don't know if this would interest anyone else, but there's been a big jump in Halloween-style cookbooks and horror tie-in cookbooks. Hocus Pocus, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Walking Dead, Supernatural, Disney Villains and just general spooky cookbooks.
Or
I'd be happy to do a zombie theme.

>18 mstrust:, To me, it feels like cookbooks might be a bit narrow, but if you don't mind a suggestion, what about expanding to a category generally revolving around food/eating related to the category? That could then include cookbooks as well as things like zombies (eating brains/humans) or any sort of food/eating-related horror/suspense...? (But if I'm the only one here who doesn't read/enjoy cookbooks lol, I'm also happy to be overruled and I'll just be entertained by everyone's reading that month!)

>17 JayneCM: Would it be possible to coordinate a middle-grade horror month to a KiddyCAT theme--they may have a genre theme, for instance? If we have them the same month, it may increase participation

I also like the favorite trope theme. It's like a wildcard. I'll add it to August for now in case we don't get enough theme suggestions.

>18 mstrust: I like the idea of food/eating/cooking as a broader theme. It could also include cannibals like Hannibal Lecter.

Did you know that a Stephen King-themed cookbook came out this year as well: Castle Rock Kitchen?

>17 JayneCM: Also, I did not put you as host for the August wildcard idea since you already have volunteered for a month and may do two if we also add the middle-grade horror month. Unless you want to replace your January topic with middle-grade horror?

How about November for me with 'I don't like spiders and snakes'?

I actually liked the cookbook theme, but I guess I've been outvoted, so food & cannibals it is.

>21 sturlington: I will keep an eye on KiddyCAT then and see how we go. If there are more volunteers here and we don't need it, I am happy to do August if you didn't want to.

>23 mstrust: Well, food does included cookbooks. If I get that Stephen King-related cookbook, I will definitely read it during that month.

I will take June for Stephen King and family. Joe Hill's birthday is June 2.

Can someone tell me what "trope" means? Thank you!

Is a "ghost" theme too close to haunted houses? I feel like haunted houses is more specific.

If it's not too close, I'd like to do a "ghost" month.

>27 LibraryCin: Trope means a significant theme that occurs across many books.
Like in romance, some examples are enemies to lovers, mistaken identity, fake dating/marriage, second chance.
In horror, some examples are a final girl, summoning of an ancient evil, abandoned places, science experiment gone wrong.

>26 lowelibrary: Got it!

>28 LibraryCin: What about ghost stories specifically? I always feel like December is a good month for ghost stories.

>27 LibraryCin: Check this site out. More tropes than you'll know what to do with: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HorrorTropes

I will take July and theme will be horror beach reads.

And I like the idea of ghost stories for December. Isn't it a tradition in England to tell Ghost stories at Christmas?

>28 LibraryCin: I will pencil you in for December for right now.

However, we can still make changes and probably switch months around if anyone wants to. Also, if anyone still wants to host a month who isn't already, we can replace August.

>29 JayneCM: Ahhh, thank you!

>30 sturlington: Well, I initially thought I would offer to host a haunted house/ghost story month, but since haunted houses are already taken, I thought I'd see if there was any "appetite" for a separate ghost story month.

>34 sturlington: Yes! Ghost stories in December works for me! Thanks!

>24 JayneCM: If you still want to host August, I'll put you down for it, since it was your idea to have a tropes month. Still up for it?

>38 sturlington: Sure! I will add it to my diary.

>39 JayneCM: Great!

I have set up our wiki here: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/2023_ScaredyKIT

January is up!

https://www.librarything.com/topic/346527#n7999970

Here is the February thread:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/347837

March thread posted!

https://www.librarything.com/topic/348625#n8068911

April is up!
https://www.librarything.com/topic/349399

May's thread is up:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/350134

June's thread is up:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/350893

August is up a bit early as I have a busy next few days with work.

https://www.librarything.com/topic/352183

September's Haunted House month is up!
https://www.librarything.com/topic/353004

October thread is here.
https://www.librarything.com/topic/353665

Planning for 2024 ScaredyKIT is here:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/355052

And December is now posted here:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/355220