I spotted Book Bingo posts from the fabulous bloggers Cleo over at CleopatraLovesBooks and Marina at Finding Time to Write and I thought it seemed like a fun way of looking at the books I had read over the year. I gave it a go last year and thought I’d try my hand at it again this year.

A book with more than 500 pages.

Scrublands by Chris Silver, a tomb of a book that doesn’t drag as an investigative journalist looks into a shooting in an outback town.

A forgotten classic

I’ll use Surfeit of Suspects by George Bellairs here. Not sure if it’s classed as a classic but it was certainly forgotten until the British Library re-published it as part of their Crime Classics series.

A book that became a movie

Persuasion by Jane Austen.  Perfect excuse to fit in my favourite book on the bingo calling card.

A book published this year (2019)

The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton by Anstey Harris, one of the first books I read this year, tells the tale of a woman finding herself after her relationship falters.

A book with a number in the title

The 24-Hour Café by Libby Page, the second novel from the author of The Lido sees 24 hours in the life of the staff and customers of a London café.

A book written by someone under thirty

The Reading Cure by Laura Freeman, a fascinating look at how reading helped the author on her recovery from anorexia.

A book with non-human characters

The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra. A detecting baby elephant, what more do you need?

A funny book

Tell Me A Secret by Jane Fallon, littered with humour as two friends fall out.

A book by a female author

The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary, a warm, funny, moving tale, one that causes me to be envious of people who get to read it for the first time.

A book with a mystery

Cruel Acts by Jane Casey, one of the mysteries being why haven’t I read this series sooner.

A book with a one word title

Hydra by Matt Weslowski, the second in the Six Stories series, and which left me wanting to read the third.

A book of short stories

Slightly cheating as it’s not a book of short stories but of one short story – Birthday Girl by Haruki Murakami.

Free square

I’ll go for one of my must read authors here which is Donna Leon’s Unto Us a Son is Given.  I look forward to my yearly trip to Venice to return to Guido Brunetti and his cohorts and each year I turn the last page wistfully, already eager for the next book.

A book set on a different continent

The Wedding Guest by Jonathan Kellerman, a welcome return visit to Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis, protecting the people of LA.

A book of non fiction

None for this square, though The Carlyles at Home could have fit, I’ve used it for another square.

The first book by a favourite author

The Puppet Show by M W Craven, a darkly funny beginning to a new crime series.

A book you heard about online

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow. I’d seen nothing but praise for this novel online and after reading it I could see why.

A best-selling book

Things in Jars by Jess Kidd. One of the stand out books of 2019 for me, I only hope that we shall see the return of Bridie Devine.

A book based on a true story

The Carlyles at Home by Thea Holme, a fascinating insight into a couple who were contemporaries of Dickens.

A book at the bottom of your TBR pile

I’ll say Toffee by Sarah Crossan for this, though I think technically Scrublands had been on my TBR pile for longer.

A book your friend loves

Leonard and Hungry Paul by Ronan Hession. Of all the books I read last year, this is one of the few I would recommend to anyone.

A book that scares you

I don’t read books that are classed as scary so I can’t fill this square.

A book that is more than 10 years old

The Iron Chariot by Stein Riverton, voted the best crime novel by Norwegian crime writers in 2017, it was first published  in 1919.

The second book in a series

Black Summer by MW Craven. Sadly the third one is still a way off publication so I await it impatiently.

A book with a blue cover

When All is Said by Anne Griffin, a quietly moving tale of a man reflecting on his life as it draws to a close.

So there we are I managed  24/25. To be fair I’ll never get a full house as I either avoid books I think will be scary or am inevitably not scared by ones that are said to be scary/  How many did you get?