by Neil Gaiman

This is a very imaginative story about a baby whose parents are murdered, but he alone of his family escapes into a graveyard. He is adopted by the spirits there and has an unusual life, growing up among the dead.

He is called Bod, short for Nobody, and as he grows, his adventures take us through different worlds, including discovering the city of the ghouls. He learns ghostly antics that should be impossible for humans, but it's a Fantasy, so rules of Physics do not apply.

The trouble with Gaiman books is that I can't help comparing them to other Gaiman books. I can't say this is as good as The Ocean At The End Of The Lane, but it's a good story, if a little on the young side. It gets quite exciting towards the end. The people who killed his family are still out there and eventually we will learn who they are and why.

It's a satisfying read and will definitely appeal to children and YA readers.

Well I swapped the coffee for a glass of white wine, and the comfy sofa for a deckchair, and spent a lovely afternoon in the sunshine reading The Graveyard Book.

And got myself bingo #3 too.

I've read this one for previous bingo games, and it's always a pleasure to revisit it. So my plan for this afternoon is big cup of coffee, my comfy sofa, and this book.

Joining the Halloween Bing pre-party a bit on the late side, but having a blast with all the traffic on my feed. Now, let's see:

Mystery or Horror?: Horror all the way

Vampires, Werewolves, Zombies or Other?: I'm partial to Witches, though the hodgepodges where everything simmers on the same pot are mighty fun.

Favourite Ghostly Tales:

The Everlost Series by Neal Shusterman and The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. They are all written for that nebulous gap between children books and adult, and they are the that perfect balance of cruel and kind that often becomes emotional.

Favourites from Halloween Bingos Past:

Lol! This might get long.

It took me 1 page to realize I had a new favourite author with Nights at the Circus, by Angela Carter. Naomi Novik's His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire #1) amply jumped my expectation's bar. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt surprised me by how engrossed I got into a book where there is not exactly something like a plot.

The year before last, I was happy to find that Murder on the Orient Express and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie are as good as promised. And horrified by how excellent and still current The Crucible by Arthur Miller is. I was also surprised by The Haunting of Hill House, after what I felt was a lackluster experience with Shirley Jackson's We've Always Lived in the Castle, and so very glad that I took the game's reviews to heart. Joyland by Stephen King ended up being a campy and perfectly nostalgic read. I also read The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin, that while polarizing, is still my favourite of hers (well, maybe fighting for top with Four Ways to Forgiveness)

Favourite Series with Supernatural Elements:

Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews. Takes a couple of books to find some polish, but they are immensely entertaining. On a darker bent, I quite liked the Darkfever Series by Karen Marie Moning, but they are more of a problematic-elements guilty pleasure.

Favourite Seasonal Covers:

Favourite Halloween Bingo Authors:

Since I always end up picking at least one more book, Stephen King. If I search for number of entries during the game, John Wyndham and Agatha Christie too. And Illona Andrews, because I'm always up for a re-read.