It’s almost August – how’s your Book Bingo card coming along? If you need inspiration and recommendations for filling up those final (or first!) squares, we’ve got you. We asked a few veteran Book Bingo players for their favorite reads, and how they keep Book Bingo motivation strong through August.
Tips included poetry, sticky notes, and reminders not to “slog through something you’re not excited to read” and “stick to short books at the end.”
And it’s never too late to play! Download your card at www.spl.org/BookBingo, or pick up a card at any SPL or KCLS location. You can find ideas for each square at our Book Bingo pages. Turn in your card by Sept. 2 to be entered in a drawing for prizes.
Brooke Williams
Favorite Book Bingo read so far
This is tough, but the one that stands out is “The Girls Who Grew Big,” by Leila Mottley. I loved her first book, “Nightcrawling,” so when I spotted her new book on the Peak Picks shelf I picked it up right away and used it for the “Suggested by a Library Worker” square.
This category is a great example of how I plan for some spontaneity during Book Bingo! I plan out a bunch of the squares early in the process but often leave the “Suggested by a Library Worker,” “SAL Speaker (Past or Present)” and “Suggested by an Independent Bookseller” open to allow me to pick something up that I spot at a library, bookstore, or in the upcoming Seattle Arts & Lectures 2025-2026 Season as the season goes along.
Most surprising read
I’ve had Leah Hunt-Hendrix & Astra Taylor’s “Solidarity: The Past, Present, and Future of a World-changing Idea” on my shelf for a while so I slotted it in for the Resistance square. I knew it would be an excellent history of historical movements rooted in solidarity, but I didn’t expect it to be such a timely and even uplifting(!) roadmap for building new movements with solidarity at the core as a principle and a practice, which is absolutely critical in this time.
Tip for making Bingo or Blackout
Don’t slog through something you’re not excited to read! You may have plotted out a square (or squares) early in the process, but now are dragging your feet to read the books that past you selected. Let it go! Go back to the Book Recommendations for each square, list of SAL authors past and present, check out staff picks at a bookstore IRL or submit a Your Next Five Books request asking for exactly the kind of book and mood you’re feeling for a square that might have you stuck.
This is also a great time to try out a genre or format you may not typically read — audiobooks, graphic novels, children’s & YA, cookbooks, or so much more!
Erin Okuno
Favorite Book Bingo read so far
“Dial A for Aunties” for humor.
“Being Heumann” is really great too for disability, I’m about 40% into the book.
Most surprising read
The “New-to-You format” was a surprisingly fun category. My tween gave me a webtoon to read. “Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint” has been on my to-read pile since December when my kid told me to read it.
Tip for making Bingo or Blackout
I like to start off reading what I want. As the summer goes on and I fill in squares that is when I figure out what holes on the board I have. I want this to be fun, not feel like homework.
I also recommend trading titles with other readers. Unexpected gems emerge for me when others recommend books, especially since we read different books.
Sarah Sinclair
Favorite Book Bingo read so far
“I’m Sorry for My Loss” by Rebecca Little and Colleen Long, which I read on a librarian recommendation for the “Grief” category! Everyone knows someone who has experienced pregnancy loss, but it’s not something that we often talk about. These authors did an amazing job covering history, healthcare policy, and their own personal experiences with loss with tons of heart and humor. I don’t think I would have ever found this book without Book Bingo, and it felt so resonant for our times!
Most surprising read
I’m reading “S.” by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst right now for “New-to-You Format.” It’s the first book I’ve ever read that has objects (newspaper clippings, postcards, photographs, old telegrams, etc.) stuck between the pages. These items are diegetically part of the story and discussed in the marginalia. I had no idea books could do this, and I’ve been so delighted every time I turn the page and discover something new! You do have to be a little careful to not dislodge the objects while reading, though!
Tip or strategy for making Bingo or Blackout
I’ve been using sticky notes to chart out the books I’m planning to read so it’s easy to see what categories I still need to reserve books for. It reminds me to make decisions about what I want to read in a timely manner, which I find is half the battle!
Jessica Stone-Weaver
Favorite Book Bingo read so far
My favorite book so far has been “Braiding Sweetgrass” (“SAL Speaker”). I’ve been hearing raves for years, and I’m so glad I finally made space for it in my bingo board. It’s beautiful and warm and thought-provoking. Her message is urgent, but she also makes the path forward feel inviting and rewarding, instead of the punishing and scary visions of the future I’ve read about elsewhere. I think this should be required reading for everyone!
Most surprising read
The most surprising book so far was “Pansy” by Andrea Gibson (“Flower in the Title” square). I’ve been trying for years to get into poetry and it has always felt just beyond my grasp. This collection, however, was so accessible — and moving and funny and sad and maddening. I’m starting to understand why people like this poetry thing! Andrea will be missed.
Tip for making Bingo or Blackout
Scroll the #BookBingoNW2025 feed to get recommendations from fellow players — and then check the page count! Stick to short books as you push through to the end!
Thanks to Brooke, Erin, Jessica and Sarah for sharing their Book Bingo tips and reads! Find more recommendations at our Book Bingo pages.