The 52 Book Club: 2025 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.

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