Yay, I am actually writing about Bingo at a reasonable time this year! As of April 1st, my favourite reading challenge has officially restarted, so I thought I would share about it. If you aren’t aware, I am a mod over on the r/Fantasy sub, and had a small hand in creating this years card, so definitely come and say hi and consider joining us!
Wait, what is Book Bingo?
In very simple terms, it’s a list of 25 prompts that you have one year to complete. Each prompt has a regular mode and a hard mode, so you can choose your level of challenge. It runs from April to April, so you have plenty of time to get stuck in!
The books you read must be speculative fiction (unless otherwise stated), and all the books must be new-to-you (one reread allowed) with no repeated authors. We are all about discovering new authors and expanding your horizons on the mod team!
The rules are laid out in more detail in the Official Bingo Post on the subreddit.
Bingo 2025 wrapped
Here is my completed 2025 card! It was a fun one this year with some really interesting prompts, including our wildcard ‘Not a Book’!
Book in order by row and from L-R:
- Knights and Paladins: The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman
- Hidden Gem: Mischief Acts by Zoe Gilbert
- Published in the 80’s: The Integral Trees by Larry Niven
- High Fashion: Spin the Dawn
- Down With the System: The Salt Oracle by Lorraine Wilson
- Impossible Places: Mad Sisters of Esi by Tashan Mehta
- A Book in Parts: Ragwort by Sam K. Horton
- Gods and Pantheons: The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen
- Last in a Series: The Enduring Universe by Kritika H. Rao
- Book Club: Slewfoot by Brom
- Parents: Lanny by Max Porter
- Epistolary: Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
- Published in 2025: The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
- Author of Colour: The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar
- Self-Pub or Indie Publisher: Down in the Sea of Angels by Kahn Wong
- Biopunk: The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
- Elves and Dwarves: Falling in a Sea of Stars by Kristen Britain
- LGBTQIA Protagonist: They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran
- Five Short Stories: Sourdough by Angela Slatter
- Stranger in a Strange Land: The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association by Caitlin Rozakis
- Recycle a Square: When There Are Wolves Again by E. J. Swift
- Cosy SFF: The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst
- Generic Title: Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab
- Not a Book: Baldur’s Gate 3 (videogame)
- Pirates: The Two Lies of Faven Sythe by Megan E. O’Keefe
Bingo 2026 plans
And here is the 2026 card! Another exciting selection imo. To see the square descriptions in full, check out the Official Bingo Post on the subreddit.
This year I’ve actually decided NOT to plan my card out like I usually do, and see how much I can fill just by reading whatever I fancy. I do expect to have some gaps because of that, probably at least Middle Grade, Game Changer and First Contact, since they aren’t things I usually gravitate towards in books.
A couple of books I know I definitely want to read for the card are Mad Sisters of Esi (yes, yes, my one reread, I loved it that much), and The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin. I also already have Book Club underway, as I am hosting this month’s book, Sabriel by Garth Nix (come and join me!), so I am feeling good!
I’d loooove for any of you to come and join us for Bingo. It’s so much fun, and we put a ton of work into it each year. Please please ask me any questions here if you have them!
Pages of Emma 
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