Preparing to Spring Into Horror with another great readathon

A sure sign that winter has ended for me is the announcement of one of my favorite readathons from Seasons of Reading, Spring Into Horror which begins on April 17 and runs until the 30th.

Sign-ups have already begun, with the hashtag #SpringHorrorRAT ready for use on social media. If you haven't done this particular one before, the guidelines are easy to follow. You have to read at least one scary book, whether it be a cozy mystery,Gothic thriller or straight out horror story, in order to join in.

So far, I have three books lined up and each one covers the sinister spectrum on more than one fear front, in my opinion. Here's what I have on my terrifying TBR at the moment:

THE DEAD ZONE: It has become a habit of mine to reread Stephen King novels for this readathon and this season's pick is rather timely to say the least. It was the basis for one of the better film adaptations of King's work and a long running TV series to boot.

The leading man of TDZ is Johnny Smith, a school teacher whose life seems to be perfectly ordinary until the night he and his serious girlfriend Sarah are in a car accident. Johnny winds up in a coma for five years,awaking to a new world and a new set of psychic powers.

At first, he uses his abilities to help solve crimes and prevent terrible disasters but the emotional toll that it takes on Johnny(not to mention unpredictable outcomes to his actions) make those choices harder and harder to make. When he happens to shake the hand of up and coming politician Greg Stillson, Johnny is faced with a decision that could not only affect their lives but the future of the world as well.

This is a book that I haven't read in a good long while and revisiting this story in the times we're living in now makes TDZ all the more chilling there. However, I do feel that this is a look back worth taking and maybe I'll even re-watch the movie,we'll see:

MISS TREADWAY AND THE FIELD OF STARS: I've been looking for the right time to read this interesting mystery and this particular readathon seems to be picture perfect.

 Miranda Emmerson's debut novel is set in London during the 1960s where theatrical dresser Anna takes it upon herself to search for missing American actress Iolanthe Green. She was the last person to see Iolanthe that fateful night and even though official interest in the case has waned, Anna is bound and determined to find her and the truth as well.

She picks up a few offbeat allies along the way,all of whom have one thing in common-each has left their past behind in search of a better life in London.  As their mutual path takes them into some treacherous territory, Anna and her new band of friends must embrace their own haunting secrets as preparation for what's to come of their investigation. This certainly sounds like what folks use to call a "thumping good read" and should go well with a strong cup of tea:

A LONG FATAL LOVE CHASE: This unsung classic from Louisa May Alcott has been on more than one of my TBRs over the years and it's high time that it joined the other LMA titles on my "have read" shelf.

The plot has hapless bride Rosemond fleeing from her charismatic yet cruel husband Phillip Tempest, adapting a number of disguises along the way and finding a new love as well. Think of it as an old school version of the Julia Roberts thriller Sleeping with the Enemy.

This book was actually written two years before Little Women was published, yet held back from the literary world until 1995, when many of Alcott's "blood and thunder" stories started to become more well known. I know full well that Alcott and Jane Austen were not contemporaries but I do think that Jane would've appreciated this Gothic adventure of LMA very much, given her own taste in terror reading:

Since this is a two week readathon, I'm leaving a little room for perhaps another book or two, depending on my page turning pace. Seasons of Reading always makes these bookish events fun and engaging while not tiring you out too quickly as a dance marathon ultimately does. Granted, the one dance marathon I know best is from Gilmore Girls but unlike Babette and Morrie, I don't intend to tap out early: