JD Robb/Nora Roberts 

Lynn Cahoon

Susan Elia MacNeal

Shelly Laurenston

Edgar Allen Poe

Victor LaValle

Rather than go spooky or gory, I went vintage fashion (Brighton Belle) plus a background that is less fashion and a bit more gritty (Mr. Churchill's Secretary, Princess Elizabeth's Spy, and Death in the Air). I love the AU version of Wonder Woman as Rosie the Riveter. The last two covers are for the upcoming bingo (the true crime square and a square to be named later). The last cover screams autumn and I love it. 

From Halloween Bingo 2018:

The Siren by Kieran Cass

In Her Bones by Kate Moretti

Mr. Churchill's Secretary (Maggie Hope #1) by Susan Elia MacNeal

From Halloween Bingo 2017:

Saga Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples

DC Bombshells Volume 1, 2 by Marguerite Bennett et al

Call of Crows series by Shelly Laurenston

From Halloween Bingo 2016:

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor Lavelle

Vision Volume 1 by Tom King et al

Without a doubt, my choice will be mystery. I can't handle horror (gore or psychological) because I enjoying sleeping and like to do it often. Usually when asked which squares to omit for my bingo card, all my choices are horror. With that being said, there are particular reasons for each of the subgenres of mystery, and those reasons can be contradictory.

Literary mystery - read solely for the puzzle. Most literary characters are either dull or alpha-holes. And since they are usually stand alones, I don't have to be around the characters in subsequent books. Lowest spot on my subgenre preferences, only one I would recommend - In Her Bones by Kate Moretti.

Police procedurals - although I have shared ups and downs with the quality of each book in recent years, my favorite series is still In Death by JD Robb because I get both a great puzzle and characters I can return to again and again (after all, there are 49 books in the series, not counting the novellas). I have been meaning to try more, but the ones at the library are usually male asshole as the main character variety.

Cozy - this subgenre is my jam. Tourist Trap Mysteries by Lynn Cahoon, the first few Liz Talbot books by Susan Boyer, the PJ Sugar trilogy by Susan May Warren, the Debutante Mysteries by Susan McBride, Magical Cats by Sofie Kelly, and the High Heels series by Gemma Halliday are my favorites. Fast reads and a bit more adventurous, so not as interested in the puzzle as I am in the characters and their hijinks and the world building. A big part that plays into my wanting to read cozy mysteries is that I can get my contemporary romance fix as well, since most contemporary romance genre books leave me cold. Plus no gore even though there is usually dead body somewhere (other crimes are hard to come by). I do admit some books go into the too silly for suspension of disbelief territory.

Historical - this subgenre is my newest path through mystery. I like these books because I (usually) get a strong female character plus rich historical details in addition to the mystery. Not as silly as cozies, not as serious as literary. A nice even balance between characters, world building, and puzzle solving. Again dead bodies everywhere yet no gore. So far I am enjoying the Mirabelle Bevan series (although they are hella expensive, so I have only read the first two) and the Maggie Hope series.

Romantic suspense - this used to be a big subgenre for me, but I feel the quality of the work in general has gone down a lot (too much sex, too little puzzle). I can't really suspend my disbelief of the MCs deciding that when the bad guys are chasing them right now would be a good time for sex. Geez, can't the MCs wait until the police come and arrest bad guys and take your statements, then have sex? Now I just read the yearly romantic suspense from Nora Roberts and call it good. 

Classical mystery/horror - only read during Halloween bingo.

Big thank you to Obsidian Blue and MR for another successful Halloween Bingo. I am all good on suspense/horror/creepy reading until next year. Also a thank you to Dewey Read-a-thon, for without that one weekend of nothing but reading I don't think I would have gotten my first bingo. I read for a total of four bingos (two columns, one row, one diagonal).

Not much in quantity, but good stuff quality wise. I found a new series to glom (Maggie Hope mysteries) and a new author to read more from (Kate Moretti). I'm feeling some strong effects of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), so the reading challenges and read-a-thons helped me get out of my inertia. 

Here is what I read this month:

1. Eighth Grade Bites #1: The Chronicles of Vladmir Tod Graphic Novel by Heather Brewer, Tony Lee, and Julia Laud - 2.5 stars

2. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James - 2 stars

3. Leverage in Death (In Death #47) by JD Robb - 3.5 stars

4. In Her Bones by Kate Moretti - 5 stars

5. Mr. Churchill's Secretary (Maggie Hope Mystery #1) by Susan Ella MacNeal - 4.5 stars

6. Croc's Return (Bitten Point #1) by Eve Langlais - 3 stars

7. Killer Countdown (Man on a Mission #6) by Amelia Autin - 1.5 stars

8. Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol - 4 stars

9. Don't Call Me Princess: Essays on Girls, Woman, Sex, and Life by Peggy Orenstein - 5 stars

10. Radio Free Vermont by Bill McKibben - 4.5 stars