So I’d seen Book Bingo posts from the fabulous bloggers Cleo over at CleopatraLovesBooks and Marina at Finding Time to Write. I thought it seemed like a fun way of looking at the books I had read over the year so thought I’d give it a go myself.

 

Book with more than 500 pages

Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld. A tongue in cheek re-write of Pride and Prejudice, this novel certainly didn’t feel like it was 502 pages long.

A forgotten classic

This is one I’ll have to skip this year, but I’ve made a note to read more classics, forgotten or otherwise, next year

A Book that Became a Movie

Bit of a cheat because the author is also making a film of this book but I’ll say Fever at Dawn by Peter Gardos.

A book published this year

Bit of an easy one in that most of the books I’ve read were published this year. The hard part is choosing just one. I’ll go with When She Was Bad by Tammy Cohen, my first of her books but which won’t be my last.

A book with a number in the title

Just managed to fill this square with The One-in-a-Million Boy by Monica Wood

A book written by someone under thirty

Given I have no idea how old an author is when I pick up a book I’ll have to leave this one blank.

A book with a non human character

Turns out I’ve read three such books this year, and I had been inclined to say none. The one I’ll use for this square is the thought-provoking The Man I Became by Peter Verhelst

A funny book

Possibly a bit of a cheat but I’ll pick Meet Me at Beachcomber Bay by Jill Mansell, a warm novel shot through with humour.

A book by a female author

Again lots to choose from here, though again I don’t tend to look to see if the author is male or female. I’ll go for The Secrets of Wishtide by Kate Saunders.

A book with a mystery

Turns out the majority of my reading is in the crime/thriller category so lots of titles could fit this square on the board. I’ll choose The Missing Hours by Emma Kavanagh for this square, an engaging novel about kidnap and ransom.

A book with a one word title

Again a couple to choose from but I’ll have to go One of the stand out mystery/crime books for me this year (though it isn’t published until next year) was Ragdoll by Daniel Cole.

A book of short stories

Since blogging I’ve discovered a love for short stories and I’ve read two collections this year. The one I’m choosing for this square is Sweet Home by Carys Bray, a lovely collection of stories.

Free square

This is one of my stand out books for this year. It was a joy to read and I’d urge anyone to give it a go. I’m choosing The Finding of Martha Lost by Caroline Wallace.

A book set on a different continent

I like to read books from a variety of locations so I’ve a few to choose from including books set in North America and Africa. But I’ll go for The Dry by Jane Harper which is set in Australia.

A book of non fiction

Initially I thought I wouldn’t be able to complete this square then realised I’ve actually read three non fiction books. I’ll definitely be making room for more on the to read pile next year but my choice for this square is Lab Girl by Hope Jahren.

The first book by a favourite author

I have lots of favourite authors and its often difficult to decide if a new author is going to become a favourite. That said I read both books by Liz Nugent this year and have to say she fits the bill as a new favourite author. Her first novel, Unravelling Oliver was a great read.

A book you heard about online

As literally 100% of my reads now come from online recommendations this is list could basically be all of the books I’ve read this year. I’ll pick Let Me Tell You About A Man I Knew by Susan Fletcher for this square as it’s a book I don’t think I would have read if I’d not seen it online and it’s one I loved.

A best selling book

I don’t really follow the best seller charts, so unless a book sells so many it is all over the media then I’ve not really a clue. But if I had to guess I’d say that R&J Bookclub pick The Ballroom by Anna Hope would have been a bestseller.

A book based on a true story

Turns out I have a few that could cover this square too. I’ll go for The Unseeing by Anna Mazzola, a wonderfully atmospheric and well researched novel about a woman accused of murder in Victorian England.

A book at the bottom of your to read pile

I have long since lost sight of my to read pile, and have decided to no longer attempt to tame it or try to read in order of receiving the books but I guess one of the books I’d had the longest out of the ones I’d read was The Girl in the Red Coat by Kate Hamer.

A book your friend loves

This one has to be filled by In Her Wake by Amanda Jennings, much loved by the blogging community.

A book that scares you

I don’t really read scary books, or I should say that books rarely scare me. The Last Days of Jack Sparks was however found to be creepy by many readers.

A book that is more than 10 years old

Can’t fill this one this year. All the books I’ve read are far younger than a decade old.

The second book in a series

I love a good series and since blogging I’ve found loads to satisfy my series craving. One of my new favourites features Oswald De Lacy and I read the second book in the series – The Butcher Bird by S.D. Sykes, this year.

A book with a blue cover

A couple of choices for this square but I’ll go with The Museum of You by Carys Bray, a lovely story of growing up and moving on.

 

So I managed to fill 22/25 squares. How many would you fill?