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.
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Plays With Words:
Written in a stylistically unconventional way. HARD MODE: Fits the definition of Experimental Literature.
I asked this question a few months back and had a ton of replies. I'll leave a link to the thread and highlight my two favourite books so far.
Children of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky "Evolutionary storytelling". It tells the story of an entire civilization as it grows and evolves from nothing, whilst simultaneously telling a story that takes place over a much more conventional timescale. Very good book IMO, with two slightly-less-strong sequals
Idaho Winter - Tony Burgess What a bizarre book this was. I don't know if it's a good book, but it was weird and kept me entertained so that's good enough for me.
::: spoiler Spoiler for what made it weird The author gets dragged into the story at one point and becomes a character in the book by accident :::
The Post
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.
The gathering, by C.J. Tudor
Nuclear war: a scenario, by Annie Jacobsen
ALT - She Blinded Me With Science
The author has a background and degree in a hard science. HARD MODE: More than one post graduate degree.
There Is Another…:
Not the first in a series. HARD MODE: Series has 5 or more entries.
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.
LGBTQIA+ Lead:
A main character identifies as LGBTQIA+. HARD MODE: Includes a significant romance between characters that identify as LGBTQIA+.
Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller would fit the hard mode here, for those interested.
Questions, Complaints, Whines, General Commentary, Shitposting
Just a quick note, Jaymes and I seeded the Storygraph challenge they built with literally hundreds of literary and genre fiction books (some of which they've crossposted here), in case you're looking for ideas and prefer a more visual browse. (No account required!)
ALT - 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.
"100 Years of Solitude" Gabriel García Márquez (this works for HARD MODE) "Love in the Time of Cholera" Gabriel García Márquez
Mashup:
A combination of two or more genres or non-fiction topics. HARD MODE: Unusual combo, like fantasy thriller.
Have read and enjoyed:
ALT - 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.
ALT - Pseudonymous Work
Published under a pen name. HARD MODE: The author generally never writes under their own name.
It’s About Time:
The passage or manipulation of time is a major theme or plot driver. HARD MODE: Backward in time, not forward.
Won't fit the hard mode, but Charles Sheffield's Tomorrow and Tomorrow was an interesting read. The first third wasn't really my thing, but after that the book goes way far into the future.
Among the Stars:
Features space, astronomy, or stardom. HARD MODE: The title references the theme, too.
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
Mr Palomar by Italo Calvino.
Also qualifies for hard mode (the character is named after an observatory).
The Three-Body Problem, by Cixin Liu
Bookception:
Features a book-related aspect. HARD MODE: Something other than a book, like an author or library.
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.
The Expanse series by James S A Corey
The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu
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.
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+.
Anything by Roxanne Gay and Nikki Giovanni will work for HARD MODE.
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.
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.
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.
It Takes Two:
Written by two or more authors. HARD MODE: Written by three or more authors.
Water, Water Everywhere
The title refers to some form or body of water. HARD MODE: Not liquid water.
Award Winner:
Has won a significant literature award. HARD MODE: More than one award.
I would love some suggestions for awards to look up, that you'd consider big for your country or preferred genre. I've looked up lists of awards, but they tend to be pretty US-focused, and it's hard to tell what's actually significant.
I'm familiar with the Hugos (SFF), Nebula (SFF), Bram Stoker (horror), Edgars (mystery), Pulitzer (lit), Booker (lit), and Newbery (kids).
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.
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
“100 Years of Solitude” Gabriel García Márquez (this works for HARD MODE)
Debut Work:
An author’s first work. HARD MODE: The author is widely regarded as having a profound impact on the genre/topic.
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie, with the caveat that her early work is a bit racist. Styles, for example, I recall having an n-word casually dropped into a conversation, along with a couple of antisemitic remarks. If you don't mind reading around that, however, it's a nice little Poirot case.
I had a similar experience when I was working through some of the early “The Shadow” pulps and was surprised a couple times at just how blatant the racism was.
Older Than You Are
Published before your birthdate. HARD MODE: Published before 1924.
This category is a bit tougher to recommend because the qualification depends on your age, but these are all over 100 years old and I've enjoyed all of them.
Institutional:
Set at a non-commercial institution or facility, like a school, science lab, or prison. HARD MODE: Not a school.
The institute, by Stephen King
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.
Stranger in a Strange Land:
The primary PoV is dropped into a completely unfamiliar situation or location. HARD MODE: Not portal fiction or isekai.
ALT - A Change in Perspective
Written in third-person perspective. HARD MODE: Second-person perspective.
What’s Yours Is Mine:
Theft, piracy, fraud, or espionage is a major topic or plot point. HARD MODE: No MacGuffins.
The Recognitions by William Gaddis
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson