2026 Halfway to Halloween Book Tag

- May 02, 2026

Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,

It is that time of year again, The Halfway to Halloween Book Tag!

This is a fun way to interact with the book community to see what everyone is reading. Have fun and feel free to tag someone. Let us see what answers I came up with this year (links to each book review included).

1. Right Behind You (a book that has a plot that snuck up on you and shocked you) It's Not Her by Mary Kubica. This book had a wild plot twist that shocked me. But that was not the end. Kubica blind-sided me with yet another reveal in the last chapter!

2. Don't Go There! (a book with a creepy setting) Bad Liar by Tami Hoag traversed the back end of the Bayou, delivering a seedy underbelly of one Louisiana Parish. Murder, disappearance, and an axe-wielding villain had me creeped out.

3. My Worst Half (a relationship that becomes toxic) Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena delivers a family riddled with deception. When the mother and father of the Merton family are found murdered, their children must find out who killed them. What they discover leaves them cold.

4. Yummy Desserts (a book so good you ate it up in one sitting) Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson was a Sunday well spent. Curled up in bed, I visited 1800's Gold Rush territory. A girl with magical powers, a grueling journey across the United States, and villainous robbers determined to stop her. Part historical fiction, part thriller, this young adult book was a favorite I couldn't stop talking about.

5. Really? Vampires Again? (a least favorite book trope) Lately, my least favorite book trope has been the character I loved throughout the book and they are revealed to be the main villain. But in defense of the authors, they really pulled the wool over my eyes with deft precision.

6. “Pumpkin Spice Everything” (a favorite book set in Autumn) Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. Either the book or the movie are visited yearly by me. I plan to re-read it this year, as well.

7. Evil Incarnate (A deadly villain that stuck with you long after the book was finished) Gary Sonjei from Along Came a Spider by James Patterson. This twisted villain does not care about life, only snuffing it out. Thankfully, he is featured in several books by Patterson.

8. Ouji Board (a book that summons chills) The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty always gives me chills. I have read this thriller numerous times and each sitting with the McNeil family's story of possession leave some chilled.

9. Howling at the Moon (a character that made you yell into your book for any reason) Tracy Crosswhite's boss in One Last Kill by Robert Dugoni had me frustrated. She never listened to Tracy and because she didn't listen, a dormant serial killer was activated and began killing again. I found myself constantly shouting at the book every time she ignored Tracy's warnings.

10. The Veil is Thin (a book world would you love to be swept up in if it merged with our world for a day) The whimsical world of The Witch's Boy by Kelly Barnhill. Filled with magical kingdoms and characters. This young reader adventure delivers a fun world I would love to visit.

11. Trick or Treat? (a book you thought would be a treat, but ended up being a trick) Forget Her Name by Jennifer Jaynes started out strong and delivered several red herrings. Ultimately the twist disappointed me and was easy for me to figure out. It went in the wrong direction for me.

12. Knife in the Back (an author you felt betrayed by after finishing their book) The Crooked Staircase by Dean Koontz introduced me to characters I absolutely loved. Then he killed them off in grisly ways. This book was amazing. But I felt betrayed.

13. Boil and Bubble (A book or series that had a lot of different components thrown in but the result was magical) The Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. Crazy characters, wild adventures, and laugh-out-loud shenanigans. Plum Lucky did this the best. A crazy casino romp with gangsters and dangerous octogenarians driving scooters. Look out Stephanie!

Let me know in the comments below what you are reading.

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