The 52 Book Club: 2026 Challenge discussion

October Mini - Prompt 3: Pick your scare level — Cozy, Mysterious, or Keep You Up All Night

Our third prompt of the month also has three options to choose from, and this time we’re looking for “scare-levels:” cozy, mysterious, or a book that’s going to keep you up all night. While this prompt is called “scare-level” there are numerous other ways to interpret each of these three options and you do not have to read a “scary” book.

Cozy:
A cozy book typically refers to a genre, often called “cozy mystery,” characterized by a gentle tone and minimal violence (usually off-screen). Oftentimes, these books feature amateur detectives and small community settings. While cozy is most often associated with mysteries, it can be found across multiple genres (cozy fantasy, cozy romance, cozy lit, etc.) For readers looking for a lighter, non-scarier option, this is the one for you!

Looking for a creative twist? Pick this option and get cozy while you’re reading! Grab your coziest jammies, a warm blanket, and a soft place to read.

Mysterious:
For this option, we’re looking at books that are mysterious and thrilling (but not the “scariest” book you’ve ever read.) Any mystery or true crime would fit this prompt.

Looking for a creative twist? Try a “blind date with a book” or grab your next read without knowing anything about it.

Keep You Up All Night:
The scarier the better for this option! This is the sort of book that makes you sleep with the lights on after reading. This will vary for each of us but could lean towards genres like horror, true crime, mystery, etc.

As a creative twist, this could also be a book that isn’t “scary” but keeps you up all night after you finish reading because you can’t stop thinking about it! It might be a five-star read that you’re obsessed with, a book that ends in a cliffhanger, the latest book in your favorite series, etc.



Here are the links for our Goodreads Lists, please add your suggestions to them: Cozy, Mysterious, Keep You Up All Night

Each time I read this book, I had to sleep with the light on, especially if I read it late at night:

Fergemannen by Margit Sandemo

I currently read How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin, that is a cozy mystery that takes places in an small town.

My RL Book club will be reading Play Nice by Rachel Harrison later this month, so I think that will fit nicely in the "keeps you awake" category.

Have to go with Poe on this one. I haven't read him in over 20 years and his tales still have that mysterious and thrill vibe.

The Portable Edgar Allan Poe

I read Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates.

Reading Shadows of Winter Robins for this prompt. It's a small town mystery, but probably not cosy. It's 'scary' in the sense of being tense.

Finished How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin. It was a fun book with some funny characters and small town gossip.

Wrong Place Wrong Time

I'll go with The Dragon's Triangle by Charles Berlitz for mysterious since I had already picked it for this months read.

Hm...

Cozy: The Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz has a cozy mystery within a mystery.

√Mysterious: Malice Aforethought by Frances Iles is a classic golden age mystery.

√Up All Night: Home Before Dark by Riley Sager was plenty nightmare-scary for me.

Into the Drowning Deep

Picked this up as part of another challenge - not my genre at all. But does fall into this category.

I read In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead. Definitely in the "mysterious" category, about a group of college friends coming together 10 years later with the murder of one of their friends hanging over them.

Lady Hardcastle books couldn't be more cozy if they tried.

Lone Women by Victor LaValle

I just finished Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz for mysterious level.

Cozy: The Galaxy, and the Ground Within (Wayfarers #4) by Becky Chambers
This was a very "cozy" book written in a suspenseful way.
October 2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Loved this one and would really appreciate a sequel to further explore Pei and Ashby's future relationship!

I read Carrie by Stephen King. I was so glad I finally got TJ read this. I didn’t think it was particularly scary, but more tense. Star Rating-4.5 stars

Mmm, this is not my genre at all - but had to pick a book from the Goodreads list so picked this one.

Into the Drowning Deep

Sorry wasn't a fan at all :(

I read Goldfish Ghost by Lemony Snicket (5 Stars) for Cozy, What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher (5 Stars) for Mysterious, and The Library at Hellebore by Cassandra Khaw (4 Stars) for Keep you up all night

I read Play Nice by Rachel Harrison from Feb 14 to Feb 15, 2026