Category: Other Posts

Since my last update, I’ve read: bupkis.  Well, that’s not true, I have been on a re-reading binge of the urban fantasy series The Others, but none of those count for Halloween Bingo.  I do have a book lined up for Read by Candlelight or Flashlight, but I have to stay awake long enough to read it, and that’s been a problem lately.

Squares on my card that have been called:
Black Cat;
Tropical Terror;
Mad Scientists and Evil Geniuses;
Plagues and Diseases
Vintage Mystery
Noir
Gallows Humor
Locked Room Mystery
Creepy Carnivals
Truly Terrifying

Accumulative reading table with links to reviews below the card.

The spreadsheet:

Since my last update, I’ve read:
Anna Lee Huber’s Murder Most Fair for Country House Mystery;
The Filigree Ball by Anna Katherine Green and it was excellent – best book I’ve read all year.  I’m using it for Vintage Mystery;
Charleston Green by Stephanie Alexander for my Murder Most Foul Square;
A re-read of The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde for my Noir square;

Squares on my card that have been called:
Black Cat;
Tropical Terror;
Mad Scientists and Evil Geniuses;
Plagues and Diseases
Vintage Mystery
Noir

Accumulative reading table with links to reviews below the card.

The spreadsheet:

Since my last update, I’ve read:
Donna Andrews’ Murder Most Fowl for Gallows Humor;
Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews for my Cryptozoologist square;
Kevin Hearne’s newest, Paper & Blood; it takes place in the Dandenong Ranges here outside Melbourne (AU), and it definitely fits In the Dark, Dark Wood;
Carolyn Haines’ Independent Bones, which I’m using for the Dem Bones square.

Squares on my card that have been called:  Black Cat, Tropical Terror and Mad Scientists and Evil Geniuses

Accumulative reading table with links to reviews below the card.

The spreadsheet:

Since my last update, I finished Carpe Jugulum, which takes care of my Splatter square, Like a Charm, for my Center / Raven square, and On the Edge for my Relics and Curiosities square.  Without intending to, I’ve read for my middle row, across.  Yay!

I’ve started Donna Andrews’ Murder Most Fowl today.  My intention was to use it for Gallows Humor, but it’s just possible that it might fit Dark, Dark Woods; I’ve only read one chapter so far, but they’re in the woods where a camp of MacBeth re-enactors.  I’ve also got Kevin Hearne’s new one Paper & Blood that takes place in the Dandenong Ranges here outside Melbourne (AU), I’ve been there many times and it definitely fits Dark, Dark Wood, but how much of the story takes place there remains to be seen.

Squares on my card that have been called:  Tropical Terror and Mad Scientists and Evil Geniuses

Accumulative reading table with links to reviews below the card.

The spreadsheet:

I’ve had my first square on my card called: Tropical Terror, a square for which I had just yesterday finished The Mimosa Tree Mystery.  Woot!

I’ve also done my re-read of Agnes and the Hitman for Terror in a Small Town.  After reading and loving The Mimosa Tree Mystery, I dived right into The Cannonball Tree Mystery which I used, along with my Amplification spell card, for my Truly Terrifying square.

I have a few more books I know I want to read that will work for my Bingo card, but 2-3 of them haven’t arrived yet.  I’m going to take a break from reading for a few hours and then see what appeals to me from what I currently have on hand.

Accumulative reading table with links to reviews below the card.

The spreadsheet:

I think just about everybody knows we here in Melbourne and Sydney are in level 4 lockdowns and will be until at least October.  My immediate reaction to this has been to go on a reading binge and read all the books.  That means I finished two books I started over the weekend and binge read a third from start to finish.

This won’t continue, of course; I’ll either run out of books or develop blood clots from sitting too long.  So while this update comes right on the heels of my last Bingo post, it’s not a sign of future frequency.  Although I do have my re-read of Agnes and the Hitman that I’ll finish up today for Terror in a Small Town.  After that, I have no idea what I’ll pick up next.

There have been two calls thus far, and neither are on my card, so my card remains just hints of stickers to come.

Accumulative reading table with links to reviews below the card.

The spreadsheet:

For those of us who eagerly anticipate Halloween Bingo each year, it’s that most special day – the official kickoff! For those who don’t participate: apologies – the next 60 days might be a tad tedious.

I hate WordPress almost as much as I hate GoodReads, but I got my card to work almost 100%. I simply had to let go of all that silly mathematical nonsense and make my sticker images bigger than the card itself. So I’m back to using a mystery image – this year’s is far edgier than most might expect from me, but given the days we live in, it fit my mood.

If I’ve read it, the sticker is semi-transparent over the square; once the square has been called, it will go fully opaque. I’m assuming the WordPress Reader app will break these posts and make it look like a dog’s breakfast, but I can’t fight WP on two fronts without going stark raving.

Accumulative reading table with links to reviews below the card.

The spreadsheet: