It seems to me that the end of October and first of November are just crammed with holidays/celebrations. Wonder why? Not sure if that applies to other parts of the year as well, but just saying, I was struck by this as I settled in to write this post. So, without further ado (but maybe a “Boo!” or two), here is some lists of reading lists as the months turn (with a special non-book-related link at the end). Image by  Larisa Koshkina  from  Pixabay Halloween (Oct. 31) Cozy Mystery List:  Halloween Mystery Book List   Elephant on the Road:  15 Spooky Romance Books To Read this Halloween Season   Goodreads Listopia (lists and more lists, by subgenre etc.):  Halloween Book Lists   Bookriot: New Horror Novels:  18 Books to Keep You Scared in 2021   Samhain (Oct. 31– Nov. 1) Goodreads Listopia:  Samhain reads   Best Kids’ Books:  Samhain   Irish Myths:  Samhain Reading List: 13 Frightening Works of Fiction for Ce...

Right on the heels of our month exploring humor (September) is our month on FEAR (October). So hang onto your hats, turn on the lights, and muffle the screams (or not), because I've rounded up some lists of scary reads for you to indulge in (or avoid).  Let's start at the top and go all out with Daryl Chen's 20 Scariest Books of All Times over at the Reader's Digest site. The post includes covers and short summaries, so you can pick and choose how you prefer your frights. Stephen King is well represented in the previous list, and his works appear as well in Buzzfeed's 23 Books That are Actually Really, Really Scary . ADDENDUM : King also appears prominently in another Buzzfeed article: 23 Books That Actually Freaked People Out So Badly, They Had To Stop Reading. (And here's a shout-out to my local indie bookstore, Towne Center Books , for mentioning this particular list. Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay Okay, I'm officially freaked o...

It’s October— the nights are getting longer and colder, and thoughts turn to ghosts, pumpkins (pies or Jack-o-Lanterns or headless horsemen ), and the great beyond. If you are looking for a season-appropriate book to snuggle up with on Halloween, keep reading for places to start your exploration. Online mystery lists are a great place to find Halloween-themed stories, from the cozy end of the spectrum to the dark and devious: The Mystery Fanfare blog , run by mystery aficionado Janet Rudolph, offers a looooooong list of Halloween crime fiction (what is it about mystery writers and Halloween, I wonder?). Head over to the not-entirely-cozy Cozy Mystery List to find Halloween-themed mysteries to fit your mood , from BEDEVILED EGGS by Laura Childs and VAMPIRES, BONES, AND TREACLE SCONES by Kaitlyn Dunnett, to THE WITCHFINDER by Loren D. Estleman and TRICKS (87th PRECINCT) by Ed McBain. Nightstand Book Reviews offers up a list of 55 Halloween mysteries , some brand new and some c...