Summer might seem like forever ago, but we’re briefly revisiting the season of blackberries and beach reads for an official wrap-up of Summer Book Bingo 2025, which ended just over a month ago.
We’ve done the numbers. We’ve tallied the boards, the books and the blackouts. And we have news.
In the 11th year of our adult summer reading program, more of you Book Bingo’ed than ever before!
- 1,741 people turned in bingo boards to The Seattle Public Library, 33% more than last year.
- 29,300 books were read by these Seattle readers
- Of that total, 845 super-readers blacked out every square on their board. Yes, that’s right: Almost half of the people who turned in their boards to SPL achieved blackout!
- Another fun fact: 773 participants (43%) were new to Book Bingo!
In addition, King County Library System (KCLS), which joined SPL and Seattle Arts & Lectures in offering Book Bingo this summer for the first time, reported that 1,014 players turned in cards to KCLS. This means that 2,755 people around King County played bingo and returned their cards!
We also know that many people play Book Bingo without turning their cards in, which makes these numbers extra impressive.
We’re especially happy to celebrate Book Bingo’s spirit of adventurous reading during Banned Books Week (Oct. 5 through 11), which highlights the value of free and open access to information at a time when there are a record number of attempts to censor what you can read.
What was your favorite Book Bingo reading experience?
Even better than the numbers are the stories. The submission form on Book Bingo cards includes the question “What was your favorite Book Bingo reading experience?” Here are just a few of the responses we received.
“11 beautiful new worlds”
“Summer often comes with pressure to do so much. You must hike, swim, vacation, road trip, and more, not letting a single day go to waste. Summer Book Bingo gave me an excuse to slow down. I didn’t have to accomplish everything. And by slowing down, I got to experience 11 beautiful new worlds, one page at a time.”
“Shed the cobwebs”
“I’ve shed the cobwebs from my brain. I’ve read more than I have in a long while. Thank you.”
“The most fun”
Thank you SPL, library workers, everyone. I needed this. It’s the most fun I’ve had in a good while <3 Oh my god! All of it!
“Decolonizing my perceptions”
“It was illuminating to read about the history of censorship and its role in colonialism, control and marginalizing Indigenous & queer people. I loved learning about other histories — however painful — because it helped in my process of decolonizing my perceptions.”
Break room bulletin board
“Discussing books with my family, friends, and coworkers. We all put our Book Bingo lists up on the break room bulletin board!”
“My world expanding”
“I loved being pushed to read things I wouldn’t usually gravitate towards–I love to see my world expanding!”
“Structured fun”
Finally, check out this KIRO7 story on Charlie’s Queer Books, one of our wonderful bookstore partners, which includes a glimpse of the ways in which Book Bingo has become embedded in our communities. One Charlie’s patron called Book Bingo “structured fun, which is the best kind of fun.”
Congrats as well to the Book Bingo players who won prizes for Adult and Teen Book Bingo this year!
See you next summer.
About Book Bingo: In 2025, The Seattle Public Library (SPL) and Seattle Arts & Lectures (SAL) were joined by new partner King County Library System (KCLS) to launch the 11th year of Summer Book Bingo. Readers in all corners of King County participated in the summer reading program that encourages adults to read widely for pleasure and to talk about books with friends, family and neighbors. Thanks to everyone who played Book Bingo this year, whether or not you turned your cards in, and to our many partners. www.spl.org/BookBingo.