Books
- What book(s) are you currently reading or listening? May 6
Bought couple of books for my young one, and just read through them.
- Read Race to the Rescue By Zanib Mian, book 2 of her "Meet the Maliks - Twin Detective". It's kinda like The Wimpy Kid, but about twin Muslim kids and their family.
- Read The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi. Book 1 of Amulet series. A 9 book series of graphic novels for kids.
What about all of you? What have you been reading or listening lately?
And how many of you are taking part in our Books Bingo? Any progress yet?
- 2024 Bingo Recommendations List
Have you really enjoyed reading a work that qualifies and want to recommend it to others? This is the prime spot to help people out with those recommendations.
The way this thread works is that this thread will contain one top level comment for each Bingo square. In order to preserve the organization and readability of this post, please limit recommendations to only replies on those top-level comments. We will be removing comments that don't follow this rule for for this specific post.
| | A | B | C | D | E | |:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| | 1 | Older Than You Are | Water, Water Everywhere | What’s Yours is Mine | Family Drama | It Takes Two | | 2 | New Release | Plays With Words | Independent Author | Bookception | Disability Representation | | 3 | Eazy, Breazy, Read-zie | Stranger in a Strange Land | One Less | There is Another... | LGBTQIA+ Lead | | 4 | Now a Major Motion Picture | It’s About Time | Award Winner | Mashup | Local to You | | 5 | Debut Work | It’s a Holiday | Institutional | Minority Author | Among the Stars | | | | | | | | | Alt. | Same Author, New Work | She Blinded Me With Science | Pseudonymous Work | Translated | A Change in Perspective |
You can scroll through the thread or use the links above if your reader supports comment linking directly.
Reminder, Please DO NOT make comments that are not replies to a prepopulated top-level comment. Your comment will just be removed without any additional info.
- Welcome to the Inaugural books@lemmy.world Bingo for 2024!
Want to read more, but need motivation or direction? Want to gamify or expand your reading? Try book bingo! Our hope with this challenge is to provide a fun way for you to keep up with your reading goals throughout the next 12 months.
How does it work?
The goal is to read something that fits the theme for each bingo square in any single row, column, or corner diagonal of your choice (one work per theme/square). If you would like to, you’re welcome to complete the entire card (or multiple cards). But to clarify, normal bingo rules apply, you only need 5 in a row for a bingo.
Since this is about helping you along in your reading journey, there’s no requirement to read any particular kind of work. Prefer a different format, like graphic novels or audio books? Go for it. Want to read in a different language? Cool. Only have time or energy for single short stories. That’s fine, too. You can read fiction of any genre, nonfiction of any topic, books of poetry, or whatever else interests you, as long as it works for the square. We wanted this to be as open and flexible as possible, to be welcoming to as many people as possible.
We hope you’ll participate in the community throughout the year by sharing how you’re doing with bingo, helping others with suggestions, and posting your feelings about what you’re reading in dedicated threads or the weekly "What are you reading?" thread.
In mid-April, 2025, we'll put up a turn-in post to collect what everyone's been reading; we'll be using that thread to put together a summary, once the bingo period ends. Additionally, if there's a way to provide community flair or some other recognition to participants, that's how we'll determine eligibility. So, if you want to be counted and/or recognized, please make sure to contribute to that post, even if you've made other bingo posts or comments during the year!
Rules
- You must read a different work for every square you complete, even across multiple cards. There is no conflict, however, with overlapping other reading challenges that aren't associated with c/Books.
- Repeating authors on the same card isn’t forbidden (especially for the “There Is Another…” and “Same Author, New Work” squares), but we encourage you to read as new to you or different authors for every square on a card.
- Likewise, we encourage you to primarily read things you haven’t read before.
- If you’re having trouble filling a certain square, we’ve provided a few alternates you can substitute in (see below). Please limit your substitutions to one per card.
- The 2024 Bingo period lasts May 1st, 2024 – April 30th, 2025. Anything you finish during that time period is eligible, as long as you were no more than halfway through on May 1st.
Upping the Difficulty
Want an additional challenge? Try one of these, or come up with a variation of your own (and share them!).
- Hard Mode: Each square description includes an optional extra restriction to the theme, which you can do or ignore on a square-by-square basis. It's up to you!
- Genre Mode: Read only one genre.
- Review Mode: Write a review (ratings alone don’t count) for the books you read for bingo, either here on c/Books, a personal blog, Bookwyrm, The Storygraph, Hardcover.app, or elsewhere.
The Card
The Squares
Row 1
- 1A - Older Than You Are: Published before your birthdate. HARD MODE: Published before 1924.
- 1B - Water, Water Everywhere: The title refers to some form or body of water. HARD MODE: Not liquid water.
- 1C - What’s Yours Is Mine: Theft, piracy, fraud, or espionage is a major topic or plot point. HARD MODE: No MacGuffins.
- 1D - Family Drama: Family is important, but sometimes it's also the cause of problems. Family dynamics are fundamental to the narrative. HARD MODE: Involves three or more generations of family members.
- 1E - It Takes Two: Written by two or more authors. HARD MODE: Written by three or more authors.
Row 2
- 2A - New Release: New for 2024/2025 (no reprints or new editions). First translations into your language of choice are allowed. HARD MODE: This is the first work you've read by this author.
- 2B - Plays With Words: Written in a stylistically unconventional way. HARD MODE: Fits the definition of Experimental Literature.
- 2C - Independent Author: Self-published by the author. Works later published though a conventional publishing house don't count unless you are reading it before the switch, and it's republished before April 30th, 2025. HARD MODE: Not published via Amazon Kindle Direct.
- 2D - Bookception: Features a book-related aspect. HARD MODE: Something other than a book, like an author or library.
- 2E - Disability Representation: A main character has or gains a disability to which they must adapt. This disability must be grounded in reality: if a 4,000 year old Prince of the Shokan lost an arm, that would count; if he became a werewolf, it would not. HARD MODE: The piece is at least partially from their perspective.
Row 3
- 3A - Eazy, Breazy, Read-zie: A light, popcorn-worthy read that’s not real deep (see also “beach read” and “airport novel”). HARD MODE: You actually read it while on a vacation/staycation.
- 3B - Stranger in a Strange Land: The primary PoV is dropped into a completely unfamiliar situation or location. HARD MODE: Not portal fiction or isekai.
- 3C - One Less: A book that’s been on your TBR list for a long time. HARD MODE: Overlaps with at least one other bingo square theme.
- 3D - There Is Another…: Not the first in a series. HARD MODE: Series has 5 or more entries.
- 3E - LGBTQIA+ Lead: A main character identifies as LGBTQIA+. HARD MODE: Includes a significant romance between characters that identify as LGBTQIA+.
Row 4
- 4A - Now a Major Motion Picture: The work has been adapted into a show or single episode, movie, play, audio drama, or other format. HARD MODE: The adaptation is regarded as better than the original work.
- 4B - It’s About Time: The passage or manipulation of time is a major theme or plot driver. HARD MODE: Backward in time, not forward.
- 4C - Award Winner: Has won a significant literature award. HARD MODE: More than one award.
- 4D - Mashup: A combination of two or more genres or non-fiction topics. HARD MODE: Unusual combo, like fantasy thriller.
- 4E - Local to You: The author lives in or writes about a location local to you (city, state, province, territory, etc.). HARD MODE: The author has spent a significant amount of time there, but wasn't born there.
Row 5
- 5A - Debut Work: An author’s first work. HARD MODE: The author is widely regarded as having a profound impact on the genre/topic.
- 5B - It's a Holiday: Takes place during a specific holiday, which is significant to the plot. HARD MODE: Not Christmas, a fictional variation of Christmas, or other winter festival.
- 5C - Institutional: Set at a non-commercial institution or facility, like a school, science lab, or prison. HARD MODE: Not a school.
- 5D - Minority Author: Minority or LGBTQIA+ author. A minority can be any member of a generally underrepresented population where you live. HARD MODE: Minority and LGBTQIA+.
- 5E - Among the Stars: Features space, astronomy, or stardom. HARD MODE: The title references the theme, too.
Alternates
These are available as swaps if one of the categories is difficult for your chosen genre, or if it fits better with your reading preferences. There is no obligation to do these otherwise.
- Same Author, New Work: An author you’ve read before, but a series (or standalone) you haven’t. HARD MODE: Give an author you didn’t like a second chance.
- She Blinded Me With Science: The author has a background and degree in a hard science. HARD MODE: More than one post graduate degree.
- Pseudonymous Work: Published under a pen name. HARD MODE: The author generally never writes under their own name.
- Translated: Not originally in your native tongue. HARD MODE: Has been translated into at least ten other languages. This Wikipedia page is a good place to start for widely translated works.
- A Change in Perspective: Written in third-person perspective. HARD MODE: Second-person perspective.
Resources
If you make or find any bingo-related resources, ping or DM me so I can add them here. Thanks!
- 2024 Bingo Recommendations List
- The Storygraph Reading Challenge - You don’t need to use The Storygraph or any other reading tracker to do this challenge, this is just an additional support tool for those interested.
Appreciation
- This challenge is inspired by, but totally separate from, the one run by r/Fantasy on Reddit. We deeply appreciate the past organizers and the work they did that we are now benefitting from.
- Thank you for so much to misericordiae for the design and production of the card.
- 2024 bingo card font credits: Bungee Shade, by David Jonathan Ross; Roboto Condensed, by Christian Robertson.
- Let’s talk GameLit/LitRPG…
My first experience was the Ready Player duology by Ernest Cline and the This Trilogy is Broken 4 book series by JP Valentine. I’ve also had many recommendations for Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman.
The Ready Player series was basically an ok story with a “hey, remember this thing from the 80’s‽” through-line. And while some of the jokes felt forced, the Valentine Series overall was a ton of fun and I couldn’t stop reading it.
What else have you really enjoyed? (This genre lends itself towards a couple of Bingo squares too. )
- Can anyone name the John Grisham book about a large trial with someone trying to tamper with the jury?
I think it's a tobacco trial. The main character is the wife of one of the jurors? I think the bad guy / big company is trying to buy the jurors out by using the services of the wife
- Progress Report April '24 - Joe Abercrombiejoeabercrombie.com Progress Report April '24 - Joe Abercrombie
Last time I announced that The Devils was basically finished, this time I’ll announce that it’s even more basically finished, the copy edit having been done and sent back. US and UK cover art is now pretty much finalised, more about that when it’s appropriate, and we’re currently working on some exc...
- Paul Auster died yesterday at the age of 77
His notable works include The New York Trilogy (1987), Moon Palace (1989), The Music of Chance (1990), The Book of Illusions (2002), The Brooklyn Follies (2005), Invisible (2009), Sunset Park (2010), Winter Journal (2012), and 4 3 2 1 (2017). His books have been translated into more than forty languages.
- What book(s) are you currently listening to or reading - April 29
Hi all, I’m taking over the weekly c/Books post this week to talk about what’s happening on the First of May.
But first things first, my update…
I’m finishing up Illumination by T. Kingfisher. I only found her within the last 2 years, but I’m loving all of her stuff.
On to Bingo. In 2 days, in the morning (US Central Time because that’s where I live), I’ll put up a post with details for Bingo. Our hope is to provide a some additional motivation or even gamification of reading over the next year. There are 25 categories that we’ve tried to craft to be flexible no matter what your chosen genre or category are. We’ll additionally have a post where you can find or post recommendations for each category. And throughout the year we’ll post check-ins for those who are participating.
Dresden, Misericordiae, and I are excited and hope you’ll join us.
- TIL what a fix-up novel is
> A fix-up (or fixup) is a novel created from several short fiction stories that may or may not have been initially related or previously published. The stories may be edited for consistency, and sometimes new connecting material, such as a frame story or other interstitial narration, is written for the new work.
I'd just never heard the term before this article popped up last night. Thought maybe it might be a new thing for some of you, as well!
- Alex Verus in Germany – End of the Series | Benedict Jacka
Whole series is fully translated to German.
- French national library quarantines books believed to be laced with arsenicwww.theguardian.com French national library quarantines books believed to be laced with arsenic
Chemical thought to be in emerald green covers of four 19th-century books identified by Poison Book Project
- Do you have a soundtrack when you read?
Back in the mid 90’s Steve Perry wrote Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire and an orchestral soundtrack was published to go with it.
Since then, If I’m getting in to a book where I’m just focusing on reading (vs reading while I wait for an appointment for example) I like to try and match music with the style of book I’m reading. I have playlists where Gritty detective action gets groups like Street Cleaner, classic Fantasy gets soundtracks like this from The Elder Scrolls steampunk gets Lindsey Stirling and space operas get soundtracks from games like Halo or movies like Interstellar.
Do any of you do anything similar and if so do you mind sharing what you pair?
- Best Stephen King Books, Ranked And In Order [Forbes]www.forbes.com The Best Stephen King Books, Ranked And In Order
Explore the chilling world of Stephen King with our curated list of his books, ranked and in order. Immerse yourself in a journey through horror and suspense.
From the article:
10 - Doctor Sleep (2013)
9 - Thinner (1984)
8 - 11/22/63 (2011)
7 - The Gunslinger (1970)
6 - Carrie (1974)
5 - Salem's Lot (1975)
4 - Misery (1987)
3 - Pet Semetary (1989)
2 - IT (1986)
1 - The Shining (1977)
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What do you think about the list? Anything you would like to change / add / remove?
- What book(s) are you currently reading or listening? 22 April
Reading Three Days to Never by Tim Powers. The premise is pretty interesting, can't wait to see where he takes it.
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As mentioned last week, @JaymesRS@literature.cafe and @misericordiae@literature.cafe are working on something related to Bingo card for books.
Keep your eyes peeled, just one week (or so) to go.
Also, welcome @JaymesRS@literature.cafe as a newly minted mod of this community!
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Now to topic at hand, what have you been reading or listening lately?
- What book(s) are you currently reading or listening? 15 April
Didn't get time to read at all this week, so still at the same place as last week.
- Reading Three Days to Never by Tim Powers. A standalone sci-fi book.
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Some of you may remember the post about Bingo card a little while back? Well, @JaymesRS@literature.cafe and @misericordiae@literature.cafe are cooking something up, which we will unveil in upcoming weeks.
Stay tuned!
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Without further ado, what have you been reading or listening lately?
- Scanner for newspaper
I know this may not be related, but I am trying to find a good scanner for a newspaper. I have an original 9/11 newspaper by the fresno bee that I would like to see digitized at some point.
Theres a couple others I have saved throughout the years that I would like to see make their way into archive.org. Im going to contact archive.org to see if they will accept the newspapers, but on the off chance I can do this myself (or have a service do it for not that much) I would rather do that.
- This may be the wrong place to ask, but- Does anyone know of a reputable service that would turn a decades-old print book into an eBook?
In the 1980s, my father wrote a book that an analysis and annotation of another well-known book which is now in the public domain. My family owns the rights to this annotation (we checked with the press that put it out). I think it would make a really good eBook if someone wanted to scan it all in, digitize it, and turn all the annotations into hyperlinks. I know that theoretically I could do that all myself, but I feel like that's something bigger than I can tackle alone. He was a scholar, so he did a huge amount of research on the book which is basically unavailable now to anyone who is interested in it.
So could anyone recommend a good service to do this? I don't know that I could necessarily raise the funds to do it, but I think it would be worth a try with a kickstarter or something.
- This sci-fi author had a secret life as psychological warfare mastermindboingboing.net This sci-fi author had a secret life as psychological warfare mastermind
A celebrated science fiction author who spun wild tales of subversive cat women and psychic sex parties led a shocking double life — as the military mastermind behind America's psychological…
- Suggest me your most gripping page-turners
Due to a medical enigma that is awaiting treatment, I am currently experiencing brain fog that is preventing me from focusing well. I've had to DNF multiple books now. I need something that is compelling and moves quickly. No slow-burn for me right now. Any suggestions?
- What book(s) are you currently reading or listening? 08 April
Finished Starsight by Brandon Sanderson. Second book in Cytoverse series. Loved the way the series progressed, though didn't liked the post-ending much. Going to start the novella soon.
Started Three Days to Never by Tim Powers. It's a standalone sci-fi. Don't remember who recommended Tim Powers or when, but he was mentioned in my list, so got couple of his books. I have just started the book, something is happening, but I am not sure what, so no idea what to think about it yet. Let's see how it turns out.
What about all of you? What have you been reading or listening lately?
- A Story by Bonnie Jo Campbell | Kenyon Review Onlinekenyonreview.org A Story by Bonnie Jo Campbell | Kenyon Review Online
"My Sister is in Pain," a story by Bonnie Jo Campbell on KROnline.
Bonnie Jo Campbell is really worth reading, very gritty short stories, and was a National Book Award finalist.
- What book(s) are you currently reading or listening? 01 April
Still reading Starsight by Brandon Sanderson, second book of Skyward (Cytoverse) series. About half done. It's interesting to get more details about the world.
What about all of you? What have you been reading or listening?
- Anyone else had the chance to enjoy Dubliners, by James Joyce?
A friend gave this to me in Ireland when I was living on a green card there, jobless, in debt, and in poverty. It’s really a touching collection of stories about people who have lived in Dublin.
- What are some books for someone who has been really into anime light novels for years
I was a huge anime fan back when i was younger, around 2017ish i switched to reading a lot of light novels instead. So hundreds of books later im having more issues finding anything to read. But i also have a lack of interest for non anime books and its rather annoying. I read through a song of ice and fire a while ago and loved it. I planned to delve into more american literature at the time, yet i went straight back to the same old stuff, light novels.
Im hoping i can get recommendations and let peer pressure kick in to give some books a shot! So if anyone could point me in any direction to go id appreciate it.
- Goodreads alternative that supports more than one language?
Storygraph and Hardcover don’t let me search by language. So they basically only support English.
I’ve seen Bookwyrm’s docs and it seems to be the same situation.
Can anyone recommend a platform ? I basically want to be able to tag books by language as well as follow/search by those tags.
- What book(s) are you currently reading or listening? 25 March
- Finished The Better Part of Valour by Tanya Huff. Book 2 of Confederation series. It took a long time to finish this, but I am still interested in the story.
- Read Jujitu Kaisen: Vol. 6 by George Akutmi.
- Read Skyward by Brandon Sanderson, first book of the Skyward (Cytoverse) series. Loved the book.
- Currently reading Starsight by Brandon Sanderson, second book of Skyward (Cytoverse) series.
What about all of you? What have you been reading or listening?
- ADHD: Reading hobby edition
I just keep starting books lately. Yeesh.
Star Wars: Jedi Apprentice: The Rising Force: I have a fairly decent collection of Star Wars books, and recently my dad gave me all his old books plus a bunch from when I was a kid. Wanting to read one but not wanting to start YET ANOTHER book that would take a week to finish, I picked this up yesterday. 9% done.
I May Be a Guild Receptionist, but I'll Solo Any Boss to Clock Out on Time, Vol. 2: I read volume 1 last week. Blew through it. I loved it. I started volume 2 this week rather than finish off anything else. Genius move. 11% done.
Whalefall: Library surprise! Put it on hold months ago, got an email that it was ready just before the library workers went on strike, rushed to pick it up, read a few pages. It is now in the pile. 2% done.
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: Sometimes I just want to read on my kobo. My kobo book for a long time has been Ulysses. Ulysses is a hard and long read. I needed a break from it so I started reading this... and am still reading it three weeks later. 54% done.
Ulysses : I've been reading this for a long time and wondering whether I understand it, like it, or generally have the slightest clue why I'm reading it, but when I pick it up and my brain doesn't bounce I am just enthralled by whatever the hell Joyce is doing. I'll get back to it eventually. 40% done.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: I got these lovely hardcovers a while back which are beautiful, feel lovely to read, have fantastic illustrations, and my god it's just a wonderful story... but lately I've been pretty lethargic and don't want to hold a hardcover. So it's been sitting by my bedside for ages. 37% done.
What do I start without finishing any of my other books next?
- r/Fantasy (and others) BINGO after Rexit and interest check in doing our own.
I was doing the BINGO sheet at r/Fantasy and I had heard there were a few other subreddits doing them too like r/Romance. I continued my sheet even after I left Reddit, but I’m stuck because I still want to discuss it, but don’t have any desire to return to Reddit in any fashion.
It was due for r/Fantasy on 4/1 and that’s also when they post the new one. Is there anyone else that had started it that wants to discuss theirs or start one of our own going forward?
- What book(s) are you currently reading or listening? 18 March
Reading The Better Part of Valour by Tanya Huff. Book 2 of Confederation series. Life has been pretty busy lately, so this one is taking quite a while to finish.
What about all of you? Which books have you been reading or listening lately?
- How do you read novels?
These past few months I've come back to reading novels for the first time, really, since I was a kid. I just read them an alternative to scrolling, though, so I don't really pay much attention. When I sit down to watch a film, I try to make sure my mind is clear, my environment is undistracting, and I try to watch observantly and engage on multiple levels. Not always easy to maintain that level of attention even for a 1.5-3h movie, to try to do so for a novel seems unreasonable. I've felt mostly indifferent about the novels I've been reading during this streak. I had one moment where I felt moved but I can't really speak eloquently as to why or how. I have too many goals that matter infinitely more to me to make becoming a more refined conscientious fiction reader a goal, but I'm curious by-the-by how other (more experienced?) people approaach their reading.
- What book(s) are you currently reading or listening? 11 March
No update on my side, still reading same book as last week:
- The Better Part of Valour by Tanya Huff. Book 2 of Confederation series. I made some progress though and am near the finish.
What about all of you? Which books have you been reading or listening lately?
- Review: 'Filterworld' is a sobering look at how algorithms shape what we buy, eat, listen to and watchwww.theglobeandmail.com Review: Filterworld is a sobering look at how algorithms shape what we buy, eat, listen to and watch
Filterworld is a timely and urgent interrogation of how the internet dictates our cultural taste and consumption