Summer reading
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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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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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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
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Book Bingo NW 2025: Found Family
While stories of romantic love and family drama are easy to find, many of us, especially queer folks who might be estranged or abandoned by their families of origin, find community, solace, and meaning through a network of friends who become family – also known as “found family” or “chosen family,” which is one of… Continue reading
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Book Bingo NW 2024: LGBTQIA+ Poetry/Essays
Colleen Lindsay, Bookseller at Charlie’s Queer Books, offers suggestions to fill your “LGBQTIA+ Poetry/Essays” AND “Suggested by an Independent Bookseller” squares for Book Bingo NW 2024. Since we’re headed toward the last weeks of Book Bingo, I thought I’d share a few suggestions for a category that sometimes intimidates readers: queer poetry and essays. Don’t… Continue reading
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Book Bingo NW 2024: In Translation
This summer, check out a book in translation! Translated works allow the reader to find new stories and perspectives, delving into another viewpoint or geography through language and story. To fill the In Translation square on your Seattle Public Library #BookBingoNW2024 board, check out the titles suggested below, or find 25 more on this list:… Continue reading
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Book Bingo NW 2024: Refugee/Immigrant Memoir
Memoirs are a wonderful way to experience what Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop termed “mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors,” the ways we as readers can see ourselves and others through books. Given that more than 120 million people worldwide have been forcibly displaced, reading the stories of refugees and immigrants is particularly important for highlighting… Continue reading
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Book Bingo NW 2024: Suggested by an independent bookseller, University Book Store
Milo Michels, bookseller at University Book Store, offers suggestions to fill your “Suggested by an Independent Bookseller” square – and more – for Book Bingo NW 2024. Maybe you’re looking for a suggestion from an indie bookseller! Or maybe your bookseller was publicly nostalgia-weeping into a copy of Because Of Winn-Dixie the last time you… Continue reading
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Book Bingo NW 2024: Fantastical
To mark off your “Fantastical” Book Bingo NW 2024 square, let yourself be swept away to the realms of gods and monsters, magic and intrigue with the following titles, where everything is not quite as it seems… Godkiller by Hannah Kaner is an engrossing quest fantasy with unlikely friendships and found family set in a… Continue reading
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Book Bingo 2024: Short Story Collection
I have a confession – in the past I was not a fan of short stories. They always left me wanting MORE. But recently, I have evolved from a hater to a serious fan. There are so many incredible collections out now that are chock full of absolute bangers. Below, I’m highlighting four stunning short… Continue reading
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Book Bingo 2024: Environmental
With climate change dominating our daily lives, it’s no surprise that writers are tackling one of the most pressing and world-changing issues of our time. However, these authors are not all doom and gloom—themes of resilience and renewal shine in both fiction and nonfiction abound. Ranging in tone from irreverent to meditative, the following four… Continue reading
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Book Bingo NW 2024: Friendship
“Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.” — Anaïs Nin In 2023, one of our more popular Book Bingo categories was “Read With a Friend.” We often hear how often friends tackle Book Bingo… Continue reading
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Book Bingo NW 2024: One Big Book
It’s time to read that daunting book. The big one. The good news: it will fill up two squares on your Book Bingo. As a few suggestions for you, I’ve provided a smattering of different genres. Hopefully one of them will appeal. For even more suggestions check out our booklist Book Bingo NW 2024: One… Continue reading
