Top row:
Relics and Curiosities : Etiquette & Espionage. Very quirky and fun. Sequels on deck for Vampires and Supernatural. The book fits because the entire book revolves around the recovery of a steampunk’ish “prototype” device that has been stolen, which would qualify as a “curiosity.”Country House Mystery : Dead Man’s Folly: classic country house mystery set in stand-in for Dame Agatha’s real life country home, Greenway.Darkest London : The Beekeeper’s Apprentice by Laurie R. King – takes place at least partially in London.International Woman of Mystery : The Thirteen Problems by Agatha Christie. I really love this short story collection – it features Miss Marple at her absolute best and Christie at her most charming.Fear Street : Trick or Treat by Richie Tankersley Cusick: one of the Point Horror series, this was fun, nostalgic read.
Second row:
A Grimm Tale : House of Salt and Sorrows: retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses with a nautical theme. Very enjoyable.In the Dark, Dark Woods : Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (301 pages). This is a Lovecraftian mindfuck and I’m still trying to process how I really feel about it. Used the amplification card.Spellbound : The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson: combines The Handmaid’s Tale with witchcraft.Black Cat Murder, She Knit by Peggy Ehrhart: A quick cozy mystery set in a quaint New Jersey town featuring a skittish black cat named Catrina. Recommended by Lora – very cute.Sleepy Hollow : The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories by Washington Irving: This is a standard autumnal listen for me and I enjoy it every year.
Third row:
Ghost Stories : The Ballad of Black Tom: group read can be used to fill any space. Really interesting novella.Southern Gothic : The Familiar Dark by Amy Engel: I’m not sure how much I actually liked this book. It was set in a small methy town full of awful people in the Missouri Ozarks, though, so it was perfect for this square.
Free: O Jerusalem by Laurie R. King.Grave or Graveyard : The Three Coffins by John Dickson Carr. I really enjoyed this snowy, London mystery featuring Gideon Fell.Film at 11 : The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré: What a bleak story – this one was adapted for film all the way back in 1965, starring Richard Burton. In addition, there is a rumor that it is being adapted again for television starring Aiden Gillen.
Fourth row:
Fear The Drowning Deep : Blackwater: The Complete Saga by Michael McDowell (800 pages). I read this one for my “long read” head start and I absolutely loved it. What a brilliant way to start 2020 HB!Vampires : (used wild card author Agatha Christie): The Mysterious Affair at Styles: Read for the Agatha Christie October group read.Supernatural : The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart. One of my favorite Arthurian retellings.Serial/Spree Killer (transfigured to Murder Most Foul): Ripley Under Ground by Patricia Highsmith.Dark Academia : Death In Holy Orders by P.D. James: set in a theological seminary on the East Anglian coast.
Fifth row:
Creepy Carnivals (called 9/4): Corpse at the Carnival by George Bellairs: One of the Inspector Littlejohn mysteries that’s available through KU. I liked this one a lot.Gothic : Catherine House: the most disappointing book of the game so far. Meh.Doomsday : The House with a Clock in Its Walls: this is a reread – I read it as a kid, and then read it to my son when he was around 9. So nostalgic!Terror in a Small Town : A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder: reminiscent of One of Us is Lying and No One Else Can Have You. Not a bad read, but not great either.Dystopian Hellscape (swapped for Cozy Mystery) : Help the Poor Struggler by Martha Grimes: I read a mass market paperback copy that I picked up somewhere. This is the 6th Richard Jury mystery. I’m sure I’ve read it before, but I didn’t remember it at all.