Welcome, book friends!
If you’d prefer to listen to this announcement and book list, you can check out the full episode on The Bookmarks ‘n Blankets Podcast on your favorite podcast platform or listen below.
I’d love to know your thoughts on any of these books if you’ve read them. I invite you to hop over to X (aka Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram where you can leave me a comment.
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Halloween is such a fun time of year to embrace all things spooky, mysterious, magical, and a little bit creepy in our reading lives. Whether you love thrillers, cozy mysteries, fantasy, paranormal stories, or something with a classic Halloween atmosphere, there are so many ways to get into the spirit of the season through books.
This year, I wanted to try something completely new and create my very first Halloween Book Bingo challenge! I was inspired by a BookTuber I follow who creates book bingo challenges, and I loved the idea of putting my own Halloween spin on it.
I thought this would be a fun way to celebrate the season while also giving us a little extra motivation to pick up some of those spooky books sitting on our TBRs. I’ve created 25 Halloween-themed reading prompts, giving you plenty of opportunities to mix and match books based on what you already want to read.
So grab your Halloween TBR, cozy up with your favorite fall drink, and get ready to play some bingo!
Halloween Book Bingo
Download your bingo board here.
The Rules:
- Books must be read during the month of October (1st-31st). Anything you’ve read earlier this year does not count.
- You can double up on books. One book can count toward a maximum of 2 prompts.
- A book only needs to reasonably fit the prompt. Feel free to interpret the prompts creatively.
- All formats count. Physical books, ebooks, and audiobooks are welcome.
- DNFs do not count. You need to finish the book for it to count toward your bingo board.
- Any genre counts. As long as the book fits the prompt, it can be used.
- Choose your own goal. Go for 5 squares in a row, complete multiple bingos, or challenge yourself to fill the entire board.
- Share Your Bingo: If you share your Halloween Book Bingo progress, TBR, or completed bingo board on social media, use #HalloweenBookBingoBNB so I can follow along and see what everyone is reading!
The Prompts:
- Free Space: Choose any spooky, autumnal, or Halloween-themed book you want to read.
- Orange or Black: Choose a book with orange or black prominently featured on the cover.
- Halloween Night: Choose a story that takes place on or around Halloween.
- October: Choose a story set during the month of October.
- Jack O’Lanterns: Choose a book featuring a jack o’lantern on the cover or somewhere in the story.
- Bats: Choose a book featuring bats on the cover or somewhere in the story.
- Black Cat: Choose a book featuring a cat on the cover or somewhere in the story.
- Witchy Reads: Choose a book featuring a witch or witches.
- Vampires: Choose a book featuring a vampire or vampires.
- Werewolves: Choose a book featuring a werewolf or werewolves.
- Ghostly Reads: Choose a book featuring ghosts, spirits, or a haunting.
- Dark Forest: Choose a book that features a mysterious, creepy, or atmospheric forest.
- Haunted House: Choose a book featuring a haunted house or another haunted location.
- Cemetery: Choose a book featuring a cemetery, graveyard, or scene that takes place in one.
- Fog or Mist: Choose a book featuring fog or mist on the cover or as part of the story’s atmosphere.
- Spooky Listening: Choose a spooky, mysterious, magical, or Halloween-themed audiobook.
- Short and Spooky: Choose a seasonal book or novella under 200 pages.
- Long and Spooky: Choose a seasonal book over 400 pages.
- Spooky Series: Continue a seasonal series or start a brand new spooky series.
- New Author: Choose a seasonal book by a debut or new-to-you author.
- Favorite Genre: Choose a Halloween or seasonal book from one of your favorite genres.
- Murder Mystery: Choose a book centered around a murder mystery.
- Dark Academia: Choose a dark or atmospheric book set at a school, university, library, or other academic setting.
- Gothic: Choose a gothic story filled with dark, eerie, mysterious, or atmospheric elements.
- Cozy and Magical: Choose a cozy fantasy or magical cozy mystery perfect for the Halloween season.
