The tenth year of Book Bingo, the Adult Summer Reading program, just wrapped up, and we wanted to share some stats and raves with you all!
But first, here are some numbers from the past two years:
| Year | Books Read | Finishers | Bingo | Blackout |
| 2023 | 23,930 | 1,345 | 723 | 622 |
| 2024 | 22,334 | 1,303 | 692 | 609 |
Book Bingo, a program that is co-presented with Seattle Arts & Lectures, with the support of the Friends of the Library and The Seattle Public Library Foundation, is a beloved summer reading program and we always enjoy reading the outpourings of appreciation and reading discoveries when the cards start rolling in online and get turned into our branches!
We also cannot believe that, despite the cyberattack which presented many challenges to accessing our collections, we almost matched last year’s reading numbers! Seattle is a reading city, and we love that Book Bingo, in addition to programs like Seattle Reads, contributes to getting people excited about reading! 23 Book Bingo finishers were selected in our drawing with Seattle Arts & Lectures and have all been contacted.
This year we asked if some of our winners would be willing to share their thoughts on Book Bingo.
“This is my ninth blackout in a row! Summer book bingo prompts me to read widely and spurs fascinating conversations with others — I like to think about which of my friends might have great suggestions for a particular category. There’s a fun puzzle aspect: What can I shuffle around to fit that one random book that I just read? And of course, it requires fine judgment: Does the sun need to be touching my skin to count? If a book contains friends, does it count for friendship? How joyful; how many tears?”–Chris
“I always look forward to Book Bingo being released every summer! It’s fun to look up potential books for all the various categories and see what’s recommended by the library staff and my local bookstore. I also share the bingo card with my friends, including those who don’t even live in Seattle, to get their thoughts on what they would read or if they have any recommendations for categories. My favorite category this year was “Retelling” and I chose Circe by Madeline Miller. I was expecting a relatively straight forward retelling of Circe’s story but it ended up being a beautifully written book that I couldn’t put down!”–Elaine
“I look forward to playing Book Bingo every year. I start by researching all the categories to see if any book that I already have on my personal “To Read” list falls within any of the categories, then I look to see how I can fill in the rest with books I can check out from the library or pick up at a local independent bookseller.
While I have never achieved a blackout, I typically cover about half the sheet over the summer and then use the remainder of the year to read those that remain on my list. Book Bingo always introduces me to new genres and authors, new ideas that I had not encountered, or just a new perspective on an issue. This year two reads that have stuck with me are Deepak Chopra’s Life After Death for the “Something That Scares You” category and Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s Chain-gang All-Stars for “Suggested by an Independent Bookseller” category.”–Suzy
“My thoughts: I really enjoyed book bingo and finding books to fit the challenges. It pushed me to read books that I wouldn’t normally have picked up. I really enjoyed reading new things.”–Ariel
“Book Bingo was my scavenger hunt map for reading this summer. I started reading more books this year, and looking for books that match the different categories introduced me to new genres and stories that I haven’t ventured to. My favorite category would be “Suggested by an Independent Bookseller.” Thanks to their recommendations, I got to read beautiful books like Piranesi and The Light Pirate. Now I have a new hobby of visiting independent bookstores around Seattle and getting recommendations for my next read. Thank you for planning this bingo. I would love to participate again.”–Yejin
“I’ve been getting back into reading in the last couple of years, both for myself and as a way to keep in touch with friends and family through informal book clubs. Book Bingo is a fun addition to that, as I enjoy looking through the lists of suggested books in different categories to find ones to expand the range of my reading and that I may not have come across otherwise.”–Alex
“My favorite thing about book bingo is having a reason to engage my friends, family, and community about the books I’m reading. Getting recommendations, going outside of your comfort zone, and comparing notes is very fun and adds a social element to a normally solo activity.
I’m always excited about Book Bingo categories that break the format a little bit – like the big book category for this year that counted for two squares. Love a reason to read a doorstopper.”–Haley
“I’ve done the book Bingo for several years! I love finding and reading new books that are maybe not necessarily my usual pick! This year Street Trees of Seattle has been one of my favorite books because it’s gotten me outside and discovering more about this city and different neighborhoods and appreciating the trees more!”—Cassy
“I am thrilled to be chosen as a winner in this year’s contest. I enjoy playing book bingo because it gets me to discover genres I would have otherwise not. It’s fun figuring out which square to put a title in, since they can often be placed in more than one.”–Rhoda
“Book Bingo means that I find new gems to enjoy that are outside my usual choices. It’s a great way to discover new favorites.”–Ashton
“Participating in Book Bingo was such a highlight of my summer! It pushed me to read outside my usual genres and comfort zone, and I’ve discovered several new categories that I’ve continued to read from after Book Bingo was complete. It also gave me an excellent excuse to visit favorite and new independent bookstores to fuel my bingo card. I moved here earlier this year and was delighted to see that SPL had a summer reading option for adults – I haven’t been able to participate in something like this since I was a kid, and having this opportunity brought me so much joy and nostalgia. It meant a lot to have this enriching program as an accompaniment to my summer reading!
My favorite category was SAL speaker – not only did it give me a wealth of books to choose from, but it also sparked a fun deep dive into past SAL speakers, and a peek at upcoming speaker events to find ones I’d like to attend.”–Ania
“My favorite category was Queer Joy and I really enjoyed Baggage: Tales From a Fully Packed Life by the wonderful Alan Cumming. It was a joy to read about his life and his personality really shines through. #traitors4eva”–Morgan
Our winners this year echo what so many readers shared about how our categories each year stretch their reading, get them out of their comfort zone, offer surprising discoveries, and connect them with friends, family, and co-workers over the summer! They also share how much they appreciate the help of library workers, book sellers, and book lists in helping them in their Book Bingo journeys.
Care to share your Book Bingo thoughts and memories? Please do!
~posted by Misha S.
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