Hey all, I'm always optimistic about my ability to actually track a bingo card but I find the categories really helpful in looking for new reading! The Squares: First Row Across: First in a...
Hey all, I'm always optimistic about my ability to actually track a bingo card but I find the categories really helpful in looking for new reading!
The Squares:
First Row Across:
First in a Series: Read the first book in a series. HARD MODE: The series is more than three books long.
Alliterative Title: Read a book where multiple words in the title begin with the same letter. For example, Legends and Lattes, A Storm of Swords, Children of Blood and Bone. HARD MODE: The title has three words or more that start with the same letter.
Under the Surface: Read a book where an important setting is either underground or underwater. HARD MODE: At least half the book takes place underground or underwater.
Criminals: Read a book in which the main character is a criminal. This could be a thief, assassin, someone who commits mail fraud, etc. HARD MODE: Features a heist.
Dreams: Read a book where characters experience dreams, magical or otherwise. HARD MODE: The dream is not mystical or unusual, just a normal dream or nightmare.
Second Row Across:
Entitled Animals: Read a book that has an animal in the title. The animal in the title does not have to appear in the story. Examples: The Raven Tower, Wolfsong, A Feast for Crows. HARD MODE: The animal in the title is a fantasy or sci-fi creature, i.e. The Last Unicorn, Leviathan Wakes, or The Kaiju Preservation Society.
Bards: Read a book in which the primary protagonist is a bard, musician, poet, or storyteller. HARD MODE: The character is explicitly called a bard.
Prologues and Epilogues: Read a book that has either a prologue or an epilogue. HARD MODE: The book must have both.
Self-Published or Indie Publisher: Self-published or published through an indie publisher. If a formerly self-published novel has been picked up by a publisher, it only counts for this challenge if you read it when it while was still only self-published. HARD MODE: Self-published and has fewer than 100 ratings on Goodreads OR an indie publisher that has done an AMA with r/Fantasy.
Romantasy: Read a book that features romance as a main plot. This must be speculative in nature but does not have to be fantasy. HARD MODE: The main character is LGBTQIA+.
Third Row Across
Dark Academia: Read a book that fits the dark academia aesthetic. This includes school and university, secret societies, and dark secrets. Does not have to be fantasy, but must be speculative. HARD MODE: The school itself is entirely mundane.
Multi-POV: Read a book with at least three point of view characters. HARD MODE: At least five point of view characters.
Published in 2024: A book published for the first time in 2024 (no reprints or new editions) First translations into your language of choice are allowed. HARD MODE: It's also the author's first published novel.
Character with a Disability: Read a book in which an important character has a physical or mental disability. HARD MODE: A main character has a physical or mental disability.
Published in the 1990s: Read a book that was published in the 1990s. HARD MODE: The author, or one of the authors, has also published something in the last five years.
Fourth Row Across
Orcs, Trolls, and Goblins - Oh My!: Read a book featuring orcs, trolls, or goblins. HARD MODE: As a main character.
Space Opera: Read a sci-fi book that features a large cast of characters and has a focus on social dynamics which may be political or personal in nature. Set primarily in space or on spaceships. HARD MODE: Written by an author of marginalized gender identity (e.g. women, trans people, non-binary people).
Author of Color: Read a book by an author of color. HARD MODE: Must be a debut novel published in the last five years.
Survival: Read a book in which the primary goal of the characters and story focuses on survival. Surviving an apocalypse, surviving a war, surviving high school, etc. HARD MODE: No superviruses or pandemics.
Judge A Book By Its Cover: Choose because you like its cover. HARD MODE: Pick the book based only on the information available on the cover. No reading the blurb!
Fifth Row Across
Set in a Small Town: The primary setting is a small town. HARD MODE: The small town can be real or fictional but the broader setting must be our real world and not a secondary world.
Five SFF Short Stories: Any five short stories or novelettes. HARD MODE: Read an entire speculative anthology or collection.
Eldritch Creatures: Read a book featuring a being that is uncanny, unearthly, and weird. This can be a god or monster from another plane or realm and is usually beyond mortal understanding. See this link for further information. HARD MODE: The book is not related to the Cthulhu mythos.
Reference Materials: Read a book that features additional material, such as a map, footnotes, glossary, translation guide, dramatis personae etc. HARD MODE: Book contains at least two types of additional materials.
Book Club or Readalong Book: Any past or active r/Fantasy book clubs count as well as past or active r/Fantasy readalongs. See our full list of book clubs here. NOTE: All of the current book club info can also be found on our Goodreads page. Every book added to our Goodreads shelf or on this Google Sheet counts for this square. You can see our past readalongs here. HARD MODE: Must read a current selection of either a book club or readalong and participate in the discussion.
This will be my 4th year doing Bingo, and I'm super excited! I did 4 cards last year, not sure if I'll be able to get that much reading done this year, but I hope to do at least 2, one hm and one...
This will be my 4th year doing Bingo, and I'm super excited! I did 4 cards last year, not sure if I'll be able to get that much reading done this year, but I hope to do at least 2, one hm and one some other theme tbd (possibly all greek/roman myth retellings)
My reading was definitely not where it used to be, major life changes will do that for sure. But I mostly just fall off on the 'tracking' portion. 4 cards is amazing!
My reading was definitely not where it used to be, major life changes will do that for sure.
But I mostly just fall off on the 'tracking' portion.
haha I love this part!! It's so much fun to have 24 squares filled and not able to find a book for the 25th and then frantically rearrange everything, only to, the next week, read something that...
But I mostly just fall off on the 'tracking' portion.
haha I love this part!! It's so much fun to have 24 squares filled and not able to find a book for the 25th and then frantically rearrange everything, only to, the next week, read something that is perfect for your "missing" square. It's like a logic game + reading planning, I love it.
Look in theory I love it, but the maintenance of that long term is new impossible, the first five books I read get tracked perfectly the rest just stop 😅
Look in theory I love it, but the maintenance of that long term is new impossible, the first five books I read get tracked perfectly the rest just stop 😅
I don't know if they qualify as fantasy but the King Must Die and Bull From the Sea by Renault and Lavinia by Ursula le Guin are my favorite Myth retellings.
I don't know if they qualify as fantasy but the King Must Die and Bull From the Sea by Renault and Lavinia by Ursula le Guin are my favorite Myth retellings.
Hmm, I was really amped about doing this challenge last year, then the third party app wipe killed off much of my motivation to participate on reddit. Since you've shared the bingo card here,...
Hmm, I was really amped about doing this challenge last year, then the third party app wipe killed off much of my motivation to participate on reddit. Since you've shared the bingo card here, let's see if I can muster up some of the old enthusiasm.
Hey all, I'm always optimistic about my ability to actually track a bingo card but I find the categories really helpful in looking for new reading!
The Squares:
First Row Across:
First in a Series: Read the first book in a series. HARD MODE: The series is more than three books long.
Alliterative Title: Read a book where multiple words in the title begin with the same letter. For example, Legends and Lattes, A Storm of Swords, Children of Blood and Bone. HARD MODE: The title has three words or more that start with the same letter.
Under the Surface: Read a book where an important setting is either underground or underwater. HARD MODE: At least half the book takes place underground or underwater.
Criminals: Read a book in which the main character is a criminal. This could be a thief, assassin, someone who commits mail fraud, etc. HARD MODE: Features a heist.
Dreams: Read a book where characters experience dreams, magical or otherwise. HARD MODE: The dream is not mystical or unusual, just a normal dream or nightmare.
Second Row Across:
Entitled Animals: Read a book that has an animal in the title. The animal in the title does not have to appear in the story. Examples: The Raven Tower, Wolfsong, A Feast for Crows. HARD MODE: The animal in the title is a fantasy or sci-fi creature, i.e. The Last Unicorn, Leviathan Wakes, or The Kaiju Preservation Society.
Bards: Read a book in which the primary protagonist is a bard, musician, poet, or storyteller. HARD MODE: The character is explicitly called a bard.
Prologues and Epilogues: Read a book that has either a prologue or an epilogue. HARD MODE: The book must have both.
Self-Published or Indie Publisher: Self-published or published through an indie publisher. If a formerly self-published novel has been picked up by a publisher, it only counts for this challenge if you read it when it while was still only self-published. HARD MODE: Self-published and has fewer than 100 ratings on Goodreads OR an indie publisher that has done an AMA with r/Fantasy.
Romantasy: Read a book that features romance as a main plot. This must be speculative in nature but does not have to be fantasy. HARD MODE: The main character is LGBTQIA+.
Third Row Across
Dark Academia: Read a book that fits the dark academia aesthetic. This includes school and university, secret societies, and dark secrets. Does not have to be fantasy, but must be speculative. HARD MODE: The school itself is entirely mundane.
Multi-POV: Read a book with at least three point of view characters. HARD MODE: At least five point of view characters.
Published in 2024: A book published for the first time in 2024 (no reprints or new editions) First translations into your language of choice are allowed. HARD MODE: It's also the author's first published novel.
Character with a Disability: Read a book in which an important character has a physical or mental disability. HARD MODE: A main character has a physical or mental disability.
Published in the 1990s: Read a book that was published in the 1990s. HARD MODE: The author, or one of the authors, has also published something in the last five years.
Fourth Row Across
Orcs, Trolls, and Goblins - Oh My!: Read a book featuring orcs, trolls, or goblins. HARD MODE: As a main character.
Space Opera: Read a sci-fi book that features a large cast of characters and has a focus on social dynamics which may be political or personal in nature. Set primarily in space or on spaceships. HARD MODE: Written by an author of marginalized gender identity (e.g. women, trans people, non-binary people).
Author of Color: Read a book by an author of color. HARD MODE: Must be a debut novel published in the last five years.
Survival: Read a book in which the primary goal of the characters and story focuses on survival. Surviving an apocalypse, surviving a war, surviving high school, etc. HARD MODE: No superviruses or pandemics.
Judge A Book By Its Cover: Choose because you like its cover. HARD MODE: Pick the book based only on the information available on the cover. No reading the blurb!
Fifth Row Across
Set in a Small Town: The primary setting is a small town. HARD MODE: The small town can be real or fictional but the broader setting must be our real world and not a secondary world.
Five SFF Short Stories: Any five short stories or novelettes. HARD MODE: Read an entire speculative anthology or collection.
Eldritch Creatures: Read a book featuring a being that is uncanny, unearthly, and weird. This can be a god or monster from another plane or realm and is usually beyond mortal understanding. See this link for further information. HARD MODE: The book is not related to the Cthulhu mythos.
Reference Materials: Read a book that features additional material, such as a map, footnotes, glossary, translation guide, dramatis personae etc. HARD MODE: Book contains at least two types of additional materials.
Book Club or Readalong Book: Any past or active r/Fantasy book clubs count as well as past or active r/Fantasy readalongs. See our full list of book clubs here. NOTE: All of the current book club info can also be found on our Goodreads page. Every book added to our Goodreads shelf or on this Google Sheet counts for this square. You can see our past readalongs here. HARD MODE: Must read a current selection of either a book club or readalong and participate in the discussion.
This will be my 4th year doing Bingo, and I'm super excited! I did 4 cards last year, not sure if I'll be able to get that much reading done this year, but I hope to do at least 2, one hm and one some other theme tbd (possibly all greek/roman myth retellings)
My reading was definitely not where it used to be, major life changes will do that for sure.
But I mostly just fall off on the 'tracking' portion.
4 cards is amazing!
haha I love this part!! It's so much fun to have 24 squares filled and not able to find a book for the 25th and then frantically rearrange everything, only to, the next week, read something that is perfect for your "missing" square. It's like a logic game + reading planning, I love it.
Look in theory I love it, but the maintenance of that long term is new impossible, the first five books I read get tracked perfectly the rest just stop 😅
I don't know if they qualify as fantasy but the King Must Die and Bull From the Sea by Renault and Lavinia by Ursula le Guin are my favorite Myth retellings.
Lavinia is definitely on my list! I haven't heard of the other 2 but I'll check them out, thanks!
Also Til we have faces by Lewis. Enjoy
Hmm, I was really amped about doing this challenge last year, then the third party app wipe killed off much of my motivation to participate on reddit. Since you've shared the bingo card here, let's see if I can muster up some of the old enthusiasm.