Book Bingo
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Book Bingo NW 2026: HEA/HFN
‘Happily Ever After’ or ‘Happy For Now’, HEA/HFN, might make you think of romance, but it doesn’t always have to be. It can be the calm at the end of a horror book, a biography where a person details finding contentment, or even the end of a dystopian novel where the big bad has been… Continue reading
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Book Bingo NW 2026: Women’s Sports
I’ve become an avid women’s sports fan over the past few years. I dedicate most of my time and interest to women’s soccer, but I’m proud to call myself a casual WNBA and PWHL fan, too. I’m super excited that women’s sports is a Book Bingo category this year! Part of what hooks me is the storylines and personalities… Continue reading
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Book Bingo NW 2026: PNW Black, Indigenous, or POC Author
Every year readers request Local Authors of Pacific Northwest as a general category, because reading about this place we call home can be so inspiring. But let’s be honest—not all local authors get the same attention and broad readership as others, and this is especially the case for authors of color. Here are some PNW Black, Indigenous, or POC titles to try: Red Paint:… Continue reading
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Book Bingo NW 2026: Queer/Trans Voices
We love reading books by queer and trans voices all year round, but here are some to finish out Pride Month and count towards your Book Bingo reading goals! Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar is a meditative, slyly comic novel about a poet and recovering addict, Cyrus Shams, who ruminates on grief, sacrifice, and art in the… Continue reading
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Summer 2026 Author and Community Events
Stay cool and cultured by attending one of the Library’s author and community events this summer, including a conversation between KUOW’s Katie Campbell and cabin-builder Patrick Hutchison, an evening with science fiction author with Rebecca Roanhorse, and a Book Bingo silent reading party at the Seattle Center’s Mural Amphitheater. Also check out Summer Quest, our… Continue reading
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Book Bingo NW 2026: World Cup Country
This summer, two of the biggest competitions are in Seattle. That’s right, I’m talking about the FIFA World Cup, and Book Bingo! In a brilliant moment of crossover potential, Book Bingo has a category for FIFA World Cup Country! Read on for suggestions on what to pick up, or check out a longer list in our catalog: Book Bingo NW 2026: World Cup Country. … Continue reading
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Book Bingo NW 2026: Historical
One of the goals of Book Bingo is to have as many entry points as possible for readers, and the “Historical” category is a great example. An alternate history speculative fiction? Check! A biography of a historical figure? Perfect! A Regency romance? That works! If you’re looking for somewhere to start, try one of these,… Continue reading
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Book Bingo NW 2026: Honorable Mentions
Every year, dozens of excellent books that are nominated for major book awards every year, but don’t quite make it over the finish line. Just because a book didn’t win doesn’t mean it isn’t worth your time. Celebrate these also-rans and runners-up, and check off a Book Bingo square, with books that were nominated, longlisted… Continue reading
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Ready, Set, Book Bingo 2026
Happy Book Bingo Day! Just in time for Memorial Day weekend, the 12th annual Book Bingo launches with a beautiful board of 24 reading challenges that invites adults to read adventurously all summer and to connect with friends, family, and neighbors around books and reading. Because we’re once again partnering with Seattle Arts and Lectures (SAL) and King County Library System (KCLS), the… Continue reading
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Discover Summer Quest, the Library’s New All-Ages Summer Program
Summer in Seattle is all about adventure and discovery: ice cream, ferry rides, tide pooling, reading outside, festivals, exploring new places … and now, Summer Quest! This summer, the Library invites patrons of all ages to discover a brand-new version of our century-old summer reading program, starting on June 15. Summer Quest will encourage kids,… Continue reading
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“Beautiful New Worlds”: Biggest Book Bingo Yet
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… Continue reading
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You Can Do It! Book Bingo Tips and Recs for the Final Stretch
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,… Continue reading
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Book Bingo NW 2025: Humor
Knock knock? Who’s there? No, Who’s on first… That was either met with crickets, a chuckle, or an eyeroll, which drives home that not everyone’s sense of humor is the same. There is something for everyone, and, notwithstanding the above attempt, the written word can be hilarious. Absurd situations, witty turns of phrase, wry retorts—all… Continue reading
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6 Titles for Mid-Summer Book Bingo Inspiration
It’s mid-July, which means we’re halfway through Book Bingo season and you have six solid weeks to read books in fun categories and fill up that bingo card. For the uninitiated, all summer long, The Seattle Public Library, Seattle Arts & Lectures and new partner, King County Library System, celebrate Book Bingo, a program that encourages… Continue reading
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Book Bingo NW 2025: New to You Format
Of all the 2025 Book Bingo categories, “New to You Format” is the one I see stumping folks the most. So let’s work through it and see if we can help even the most widely read participant find something that fits! Afterwards, visit this booklist with two examples of each category explored below: New to… Continue reading
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12 Ways to Enjoy Summer at the Library
Summer is here, and The Seattle Public Library is here for you. Head to your neighborhood library with your kids to pick up a Summer of Learning activity booklet, go to a fun program, check out some books, explore, and chill out! Here are 12 ways to turn up the summer fun and learning, library… Continue reading
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Book Bingo NW 2025: Hope
Besides being the Thing with Feathers, what is hope? How do we hold onto it and why? And if we have it, what do we do with it (or, what does it do for us)? The answers to these questions may be different for each person, but here are some reading suggestions to help fill… Continue reading
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Book Bingo NW 2025: Censorship
While Summer Book Bingo has featured “Banned” as a category for many years (2015-2017) and “Banned or challenged book” in 2022, we still get reader requests to feature “Banned Books” as a category every year. As book bans are increasing, it’s not surprising that readers want to highlight this, but we mostly see the same… Continue reading