1christina_reads
It’s time to start planning for the 2026 BingoDog! Please post your ideas and suggestions in this thread. We'll spend a few weeks proposing possible squares and discussing them -- feel free to ask questions and share your thoughts on the various topics!
We try not to reuse any ideas from the previous two years, so I’ve listed the 2025 and 2024 squares below for reference.
I'll compile the list of proposed squares in the next post, and around mid-November I'll put out a "last call" and narrow down the list to 24 squares. (I normally do this by combining similar ideas/topics and then eliminating topics randomly to get down to 24.) The center square is always "Read a CAT or KIT," and it's meant to be a free space.
Looking forward to seeing everyone's suggestions!
Final Bingo Squares for 2026
1. Book set in a province/state bordering your own
2. A book that has won an award
3. A "green" book (see >30 LibraryCin: and following)
4. Word in the title that's an onomatopoeia (see >49 Charon07: and >51 Tess_W:)
5. Book by an indigenous author
6. A book of poetry
7. New-to-you author
8. Road trip book
9. A book published before you were born
10. Book with a tree on the cover
11. Classic from another literary tradition
12. Something living on the cover
13. Read a CAT or KIT (free space)
14. Set entirely or in part at sea
15. Features senior citizens
16. A beautiful cover
17. Great first sentence
18. Microhistory (see >45 KeithChaffee:)
19. Mode of transportation in the title
20. Dead author
21. Difficult to categorize (see >16 GraceCollection: and >26 GraceCollection:)
22. Book from an LT Legacy Library
23. End it (see >53 purpleiris:)
24. Female author's debut novel
25. Retelling of a fairy tale or myth
And feel free to share what you're reading at the BingoDOG wiki!
We try not to reuse any ideas from the previous two years, so I’ve listed the 2025 and 2024 squares below for reference.
I'll compile the list of proposed squares in the next post, and around mid-November I'll put out a "last call" and narrow down the list to 24 squares. (I normally do this by combining similar ideas/topics and then eliminating topics randomly to get down to 24.) The center square is always "Read a CAT or KIT," and it's meant to be a free space.
Looking forward to seeing everyone's suggestions!
Final Bingo Squares for 2026
1. Book set in a province/state bordering your own
2. A book that has won an award
3. A "green" book (see >30 LibraryCin: and following)
4. Word in the title that's an onomatopoeia (see >49 Charon07: and >51 Tess_W:)
5. Book by an indigenous author
6. A book of poetry
7. New-to-you author
8. Road trip book
9. A book published before you were born
10. Book with a tree on the cover
11. Classic from another literary tradition
12. Something living on the cover
13. Read a CAT or KIT (free space)
14. Set entirely or in part at sea
15. Features senior citizens
16. A beautiful cover
17. Great first sentence
18. Microhistory (see >45 KeithChaffee:)
19. Mode of transportation in the title
20. Dead author
21. Difficult to categorize (see >16 GraceCollection: and >26 GraceCollection:)
22. Book from an LT Legacy Library
23. End it (see >53 purpleiris:)
24. Female author's debut novel
25. Retelling of a fairy tale or myth
And feel free to share what you're reading at the BingoDOG wiki!
2christina_reads
Proposed Bingo Squares for 2026
Published in 1926
Written by an author younger than 30
Set in a locale in which you don’t live
Features senior citizens
Book from a Legacy Library on LT
Book that was made into a film or play
About the arts, crafts, hobbies
Something that made you laugh
A beautiful cover
Planes, trains, and automobiles: a mode of transportation in the title
Set entirely or in part at sea
Weather in the title (e.g., hurricane, sunny, rain)
A female author's debut novel
Title contains a word ending in "ing" (living, dying, running, kissing, loving, etc.)
"Hot" or "cold" in title
Alliterative title
Great first sentence
Road trip book
Book by an indigenous author
A book of poetry
I learned something new!
New-to-you author
Features animals
Dead author
Everyone's read it but me
Difficult to categorize (see >16 GraceCollection: and >26 GraceCollection:)
Classic from another literary tradition
A "green" book (see >30 LibraryCin: and following)
Something living on the cover
Book about education
Retelling of a fairy tale/myth
Book about a journalist/journalism
Title includes a question mark or an exclamation point
Microhistory (see >45 KeithChaffee:)
An impulse read, something you chose because of the title or the cover
A sequel / follow up
Number in the title
Word in the title that's an onomatopoeia (see >49 Charon07: and >51 Tess_W:)
End it (see >53 purpleiris:)
A book that has won an award
A book published before you were born
One-word title
Book with a tree on the cover
Book set on an island
Book set in a province/state bordering your own
Book with a city name in the title
Published in 1926
Written by an author younger than 30
Set in a locale in which you don’t live
Features senior citizens
Book from a Legacy Library on LT
Book that was made into a film or play
About the arts, crafts, hobbies
Something that made you laugh
A beautiful cover
Planes, trains, and automobiles: a mode of transportation in the title
Set entirely or in part at sea
Weather in the title (e.g., hurricane, sunny, rain)
A female author's debut novel
Title contains a word ending in "ing" (living, dying, running, kissing, loving, etc.)
"Hot" or "cold" in title
Alliterative title
Great first sentence
Road trip book
Book by an indigenous author
A book of poetry
I learned something new!
New-to-you author
Features animals
Dead author
Everyone's read it but me
Difficult to categorize (see >16 GraceCollection: and >26 GraceCollection:)
Classic from another literary tradition
A "green" book (see >30 LibraryCin: and following)
Something living on the cover
Book about education
Retelling of a fairy tale/myth
Book about a journalist/journalism
Title includes a question mark or an exclamation point
Microhistory (see >45 KeithChaffee:)
An impulse read, something you chose because of the title or the cover
A sequel / follow up
Number in the title
Word in the title that's an onomatopoeia (see >49 Charon07: and >51 Tess_W:)
End it (see >53 purpleiris:)
A book that has won an award
A book published before you were born
One-word title
Book with a tree on the cover
Book set on an island
Book set in a province/state bordering your own
Book with a city name in the title
3christina_reads
Bingo Squares from 2025
1 Newly in public domain
2 Features adoption/foster care/nontraditional family
3 A long title (5+ words)
4 Author has your or a relative’s first or last name
5 Nonhuman narrator
6 The sun on cover/in title
7 Hollywood!
8 A place you've never been
9 Features winged creature(s)
10 A profession in title
11 Travel
12 Child as a main character
13 Read a CAT
14 Totally random
15 Originally published in a language not your own
16 Medical topic
17 A holiday in title
18 Writing about writers
19 Either "Library" or "Thing" in title
20 Features fire
21 Recommended by a friend or LT member
22 Oldest book in your TBR
23 Set in your favorite season
24 Features a birth
25 A piece of furniture on the cover
Bingo Squares from 2024
1 Food or Cooking
2 A book with an ugly cover
3 A book with nothing on the cover but the title and author
4 Features twins
5 A topic about which you have specific knowledge
6 Published in year ending in 24
7 Epistolary or diary
8 Big or little in title
9 A book from one of the libraries listed under the "Similar libraries" featured on your LT profile page
10 About friendship
11 Three-word title
12 Paper-based item in plot
13 Read a CAT
14 Short story collection
15 Person's name in title
16 Set in a city
17 A book with fewer than 100 copies on LT
18 Something written by a person of colour
19 Written by an author 65 or older
20 Featuring water
21 Involves warriors or mercenaries
22 Re-read a favourite book
23 Written in another cultural tradition
24 Something that takes place in multiple countries
25 Current or recent best-seller
1 Newly in public domain
2 Features adoption/foster care/nontraditional family
3 A long title (5+ words)
4 Author has your or a relative’s first or last name
5 Nonhuman narrator
6 The sun on cover/in title
7 Hollywood!
8 A place you've never been
9 Features winged creature(s)
10 A profession in title
11 Travel
12 Child as a main character
13 Read a CAT
14 Totally random
15 Originally published in a language not your own
16 Medical topic
17 A holiday in title
18 Writing about writers
19 Either "Library" or "Thing" in title
20 Features fire
21 Recommended by a friend or LT member
22 Oldest book in your TBR
23 Set in your favorite season
24 Features a birth
25 A piece of furniture on the cover
Bingo Squares from 2024
1 Food or Cooking
2 A book with an ugly cover
3 A book with nothing on the cover but the title and author
4 Features twins
5 A topic about which you have specific knowledge
6 Published in year ending in 24
7 Epistolary or diary
8 Big or little in title
9 A book from one of the libraries listed under the "Similar libraries" featured on your LT profile page
10 About friendship
11 Three-word title
12 Paper-based item in plot
13 Read a CAT
14 Short story collection
15 Person's name in title
16 Set in a city
17 A book with fewer than 100 copies on LT
18 Something written by a person of colour
19 Written by an author 65 or older
20 Featuring water
21 Involves warriors or mercenaries
22 Re-read a favourite book
23 Written in another cultural tradition
24 Something that takes place in multiple countries
25 Current or recent best-seller
4sallylou61
Suggestions: Published in 1926. (Is this too much like published in year ending in 24?)
Written by an author younger than 30
Written by an author younger than 30
5LadyoftheLodge
Suggestions:
Set in a locale in which you don’t live
Features senior citizens
Book from a Legacy Library on LT
Book that was made into a film or play
About the arts, crafts, hobbies
Something that made you laugh
Set in a locale in which you don’t live
Features senior citizens
Book from a Legacy Library on LT
Book that was made into a film or play
About the arts, crafts, hobbies
Something that made you laugh
6christina_reads
Suggestions added to >2 christina_reads: above.
7Charon07
Suggestions:
A beautiful cover
Planes, trains, and automobiles: a mode of transportation in the title
Set entirely or in part at sea
Weather in the title (e.g., hurricane, sunny, rain)
A beautiful cover
Planes, trains, and automobiles: a mode of transportation in the title
Set entirely or in part at sea
Weather in the title (e.g., hurricane, sunny, rain)
8DeltaQueen50
Suggestions:
A female author's debut novel
Title contains a word ending in "ing" eg) Living, Dying, Running, Kissing, Loving etc.
Hot or Cold in title
A female author's debut novel
Title contains a word ending in "ing" eg) Living, Dying, Running, Kissing, Loving etc.
Hot or Cold in title
9markon
Suggestions:
alliterative title
great first sentence
road trip book
book by an indigenous author
alliterative title
great first sentence
road trip book
book by an indigenous author
10purpleiris
A book of poetry
I learned something new!
New to you author
Features animals
Dead author
I learned something new!
New to you author
Features animals
Dead author
11purpleiris
This message has been deleted by its author.
12christina_reads
OK, I think I've got everything so far at >2 christina_reads: above.
13KeithChaffee
I wonder about "great first sentence." How would I know that a book has a great first sentence if I haven't read the book?
14lowelibrary
I suggest "Everyone's Read It But Me" - for those books (classic or new) that everyone seems to have read but you.
15Charon07
>13 KeithChaffee: There’s always this list:
https://www.librarything.com/list/44644/Books-With-Our-Favorite-First-Lines
And many books have the first words in their Common Knowledge.
https://www.librarything.com/list/44644/Books-With-Our-Favorite-First-Lines
And many books have the first words in their Common Knowledge.
16GraceCollection
I think a few people (including myself) were disappointed when 'difficult to categorise' was removed from the running last year over confusion of what it meant. I'll include what I meant by that here in this comment in case we wanted to maybe try it again.
Difficult to categorise means anything which might be difficult to label definitively as one thing or another:
- Is it fiction or non-fiction if the information presented isn't actually true, such as satire, world-building 'non-fiction' like Harry Potter's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 'textbook', or something written about mythical creatures like fairies or outdated science like spontaneous generation?
- What genre is it? Is it historical fiction or fantasy if the book takes place in our world in the 1500s but one character is a real magical witch? Is it paranormal fantasy or murder mystery if the main character is a detective investigating a werewolf murder? Romance & sci-fi, horror & dystopia... any book that crosses genres can be included.
- Non-fiction about the intersection of two very different topics: Does a book analysing literature from a feminist lens go in social issues/feminism or in literature? Does a book about the breeding & care of cats in Ancient Egypt go in science and nature/cats or history/Ancient Egypt? Does the biography of a famous rock star which also discusses in depth their career as a successful palaeontologist go in art/music or science & nature/palaeontology?
- Those novelised versions of historical figures/events like The Agony and The Ecstasy which contain dialogue the author could not have possibly known was said, but nonetheless were researched thoroughly.
I like the suggestions so far, but I worry 'hot' or 'cold' and 1926 especially might be too difficult for me to get.
Difficult to categorise means anything which might be difficult to label definitively as one thing or another:
- Is it fiction or non-fiction if the information presented isn't actually true, such as satire, world-building 'non-fiction' like Harry Potter's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 'textbook', or something written about mythical creatures like fairies or outdated science like spontaneous generation?
- What genre is it? Is it historical fiction or fantasy if the book takes place in our world in the 1500s but one character is a real magical witch? Is it paranormal fantasy or murder mystery if the main character is a detective investigating a werewolf murder? Romance & sci-fi, horror & dystopia... any book that crosses genres can be included.
- Non-fiction about the intersection of two very different topics: Does a book analysing literature from a feminist lens go in social issues/feminism or in literature? Does a book about the breeding & care of cats in Ancient Egypt go in science and nature/cats or history/Ancient Egypt? Does the biography of a famous rock star which also discusses in depth their career as a successful palaeontologist go in art/music or science & nature/palaeontology?
- Those novelised versions of historical figures/events like The Agony and The Ecstasy which contain dialogue the author could not have possibly known was said, but nonetheless were researched thoroughly.
I like the suggestions so far, but I worry 'hot' or 'cold' and 1926 especially might be too difficult for me to get.
17KeithChaffee
“I learned something new” is another that might require you to actually finish a book to know that you can fill the square. Ditto “made you laugh.” To my mind, a good bingo square is something that you can pick up a book knowing that it will fill the square, rather than something that you have to hope you might stumble into.
18purpleiris
I actually enjoy trying to see which square a book might fill once I've finished reading it. But I can see that some of the suggestions might be tricky for people who like to plan their reading in advance.
Difficult to categorize sounds challenging but in a good way. I love "Everyone's read it but me."
For "I learned something new" you could choose a book about the history of aviation if that's something you know nothing about, for example. You're guaranteed to learn something new.
Difficult to categorize sounds challenging but in a good way. I love "Everyone's read it but me."
For "I learned something new" you could choose a book about the history of aviation if that's something you know nothing about, for example. You're guaranteed to learn something new.
19purpleiris
New post for a new suggestion to make it easier on Christina!
Classic from another literary tradition.
So, whatever your background is, you would choose a literary classic from another tradition. If you're Canadian, maybe a classic from Russia, Germany or Mali, for example.
Classic from another literary tradition.
So, whatever your background is, you would choose a literary classic from another tradition. If you're Canadian, maybe a classic from Russia, Germany or Mali, for example.
20Charon07
I usually try to select a book for a particular square, but I’m always happy to discover that a book I read for another reason fits the square by chance. Sometimes, for KITs and CATs, I find that the book I selected wasn’t really suitable after all, so it’s not like planning ahead always works either. I think it would be simple for me to find books on my TBR that I think would teach me something new or that would make me laugh, and it would also be easy to happen on them by chance in my other reading.
21LadyoftheLodge
I like the idea of making the squares/topics broad enough so readers can complete them without a huge challenge.
22LadyoftheLodge
>9 markon: Could you elaborate on road trip book? About a road trip, or something I might read on a road trip?
23LadyoftheLodge
>16 GraceCollection: I appreciate the explanation. I am wondering if this is similar to cross-genre selections? Or fits more than one genre?
24LadyoftheLodge
>17 KeithChaffee: Something that made you laugh could also be listed as humor or “described as laugh out loud or feel-good.”
25atozgrl
>14 lowelibrary: I love this suggestion!
26GraceCollection
>23 LadyoftheLodge: Yes! If it crosses genre or fits more than one genre; if it crosses the fiction/non-fiction barrier or doesn't seem to fit either; or if a non-fiction book crosses broad topics or fits more than one broad topic; any/all of those books would count for the square!
27LadyoftheLodge
>26 GraceCollection: Thanks! I like it!
28KeithChaffee
>24 LadyoftheLodge: I wouldn't object to that. Describing the genre or intent of a book feels better to me than describing the results of the book, which can't be known without actually doing the reading, and is therefore harder to plan one's reading around.
29LadyoftheLodge
>28 KeithChaffee: That makes sense. I am also a person who likes to plan ahead.
30LibraryCin
What about:
A "green" book
What I'm thinking here is green can be interpreted how someone wants to interpret it. A green cover, or maybe a book about the environment or sustainability (making it "green").
A "green" book
What I'm thinking here is green can be interpreted how someone wants to interpret it. A green cover, or maybe a book about the environment or sustainability (making it "green").
31GraceCollection
>30 LibraryCin: I really like this one! There are some publishers (off the top of my head I can't recall which) that make sustained efforts to use reliably-sourced paper.
32LibraryCin
>31 GraceCollection: That would be a great interpretation, as well!
33atozgrl
>30 LibraryCin: Or could have "green" in the title or the author's name.
34purpleiris
I really like the "green" idea. Very versatile!
35christina_reads
OK, I believe I've collected all the ideas up to this point at >2 christina_reads: above. Loving all the creative ideas!
36LibraryCin
>33 atozgrl: Yes, that, too!
37Elanna76
Hi all, new here and on LT even if my account is a year old, and I am VERY excited for this lotto!
I think I'll sit, listen and learn for now 😄
I think I'll sit, listen and learn for now 😄
38DeltaQueen50
>37 Elanna76: Welcome, Elanna!
39Elanna76
>38 DeltaQueen50: thanks :)
40JayneCM
I love all the suggestions so far!
I just have one suggestion - something living on the cover. Normally fairly easy to find as it could be a person, animal, plant, flower, etc.
I just have one suggestion - something living on the cover. Normally fairly easy to find as it could be a person, animal, plant, flower, etc.
41KeithChaffee
I went back through a few previous years of BingoDOG planning threads, and picked a few (I think) unused suggestions that I liked from those years:
Book about education
Retelling of a fairy tale/myth
Book about a journalist/journalism
Title includes a question mark or an exclamation point
Microhistory
An impulse read, something you chose because of the title or the cover
Book about education
Retelling of a fairy tale/myth
Book about a journalist/journalism
Title includes a question mark or an exclamation point
Microhistory
An impulse read, something you chose because of the title or the cover
42purpleiris
How would you define microhistory?
43AnishaInkspill
oh, this looks like fun
hi, I'm new to this, my suggestions are:
the book is a sequel / follow up
a number in the title
a word in the title that's an onomatopoeia
hi, I'm new to this, my suggestions are:
the book is a sequel / follow up
a number in the title
a word in the title that's an onomatopoeia
45KeithChaffee
>42 purpleiris: Microhistory is a deep dive into the history of a specific thing, idea, or event. When I type “microhistory” in the Amaxon search box, I get histories of salt, pockets, the calendar, watches, wood, eels, the heart, blacksmithing…
Mark Kurlansky is perhaps the best known writer of such books. I think Mary Roach’s books might also fit, or any of the “here’s an odd little story from history that you didn’t learn in school” books.
Mark Kurlansky is perhaps the best known writer of such books. I think Mary Roach’s books might also fit, or any of the “here’s an odd little story from history that you didn’t learn in school” books.
46purpleiris
Thanks! So it sounds like only nonfiction would work for this square?
47KeithChaffee
There might be some historical fiction that would work, I suppose, but yes, it would probably be nonfiction.
48LadyoftheLodge
>43 AnishaInkspill: I am not sure how easy it would be to find titles with onomatopoeia. We don’t want to makes the challenge unrealistic or undoable. What suggestions do you have?
49Charon07
>48 LadyoftheLodge: It didn’t take me long to find these titles, one of which is already in my TBR and a few others that I wouldn’t mind reading;
Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach
The creak on the stairs by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir
Roar by Cecelia Ahern
Buzz: The Nature and Necessity of Bees by Thor Hanson
Step on a Crack by James Patterson
The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side by Agatha Christie
Crackling Mountain and Other Stories by Osamu Dazai
Sizzle by Julie Garwood
Sizzle and Burn by Jayne Ann Krentz
Hiss and Hers by M.C. Beaton
Hiss of Death by Rita Mae Brown
A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes by Stephen Hawking
Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach
The creak on the stairs by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir
Roar by Cecelia Ahern
Buzz: The Nature and Necessity of Bees by Thor Hanson
Step on a Crack by James Patterson
The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side by Agatha Christie
Crackling Mountain and Other Stories by Osamu Dazai
Sizzle by Julie Garwood
Sizzle and Burn by Jayne Ann Krentz
Hiss and Hers by M.C. Beaton
Hiss of Death by Rita Mae Brown
A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes by Stephen Hawking
50LadyoftheLodge
>49 Charon07: Oh lovely! Thanks, this helps a lot. I was making it harder than necessary.
51Tess_W
>50 LadyoftheLodge: some onomatopoeia words: bang, boink, clash, clang, belch achoo, buzz, giggle, chatter, honk, crunch, slap, pop, vroom, snap, wham, thud.........
52AnishaInkspill
>44 purpleiris: hi, and to good to know I'm kind of the right lines
>49 Charon07: & >51 Tess_W: thank you for the input, >49 Charon07: that's some great titles there
>49 Charon07: & >51 Tess_W: thank you for the input, >49 Charon07: that's some great titles there
53purpleiris
How about "end it"?
Option 1 would be to finish something from your dnf list.
Option 2 would be to read a book about something ending: childhood, a career, a life...
Option 1 would be to finish something from your dnf list.
Option 2 would be to read a book about something ending: childhood, a career, a life...
54clue
>53 purpleiris: I like the topic of endings.
55lsh63
I’m loving all of the suggestions so far.
How about a book that has won an award
A book published before you were born
One word title
How about a book that has won an award
A book published before you were born
One word title
56RidgewayGirl
I love both the green and onomatopoeia ideas!
Here are my offerings:
Road trip! removing this one as it has already been a BingoDog square
Book with a tree on the cover
Book set on an island
Book set in a province/state bordering your own
Book with a city name in the title
Here are my offerings:
Book with a tree on the cover
Book set on an island
Book set in a province/state bordering your own
Book with a city name in the title
57clue
>56 RidgewayGirl: I especailly like Book set in a province/state bordering your own. That's a new one!
58christina_reads
OK, I believe I've collected all the proposed squares up to this point at >2 christina_reads: above.
59LadyoftheLodge
>51 Tess_W: Thanks for all the support and updates. I don't know what I was thinking. . .guess I forgot my grammar school lessons. . .
There seem to be some really great suggestions so far.
There seem to be some really great suggestions so far.
60DeltaQueen50
>58 christina_reads: Wow, Christina. Good luck with picking 25 out of that list !
61AnishaInkspill
>58 christina_reads: that's an amazing list, they all look really good
62purpleiris
>60 DeltaQueen50: Indeed! So many great options!
63christina_reads
Hi all -- I've made the arbitrary decision to set the cutoff date for making new suggestions for next Saturday, November 8. At that point, I'll compile the total list of suggestions and use an online randomizer to cut it down to 24 squares, and those will be our Bingo squares for 2026. So if you'd like to make some (or some more) suggestions, please use this week to do so!
64christina_reads
Hi all, just a reminder that today is the LAST DAY to suggest Bingo squares! I will compile the final list tomorrow, November 8 (EST). The current list of suggested squares can be found at >2 christina_reads: above.
Since we have (a lot) more than 24 suggestions, my plan is to narrow it down using an online randomizer. Looking forward to having the final list ready to go!
Since we have (a lot) more than 24 suggestions, my plan is to narrow it down using an online randomizer. Looking forward to having the final list ready to go!
65sallylou61
>64 christina_reads:
Before using the randomizer, will you be looking at the suggestions to combine similar ones, etc.?
Thanks for taking this on.
Before using the randomizer, will you be looking at the suggestions to combine similar ones, etc.?
Thanks for taking this on.
66christina_reads
>65 sallylou61: Yes, although from a cursory look, they seem pretty distinct.
67purpleiris
We have enough suggestions for almost two Bingo cards! Looking forward to the final list.
68GraceCollection
I wonder — and I've only been at this for a year, so take or leave my suggestion, I won't be offended — since "real" bingo is randomised and doesn't contain all possible bingo numbers, maybe there could be a few different bingo cards that have randomised squares, and folks can choose at the beginning of the year which they'd like to use? That way, more suggestions can be incorporated, AND the people who finish their bingo cards early in the year can pick another to do?
69christina_reads
>68 GraceCollection: That's a good suggestion, and I'll be honest -- the reason we don't do multiple sets of Bingo squares each year is that it's too much work for the organizers. Designing the cards takes a lot of time and effort, especially for someone like me who is not a Photoshop expert! That said, if people would like to have multiple Bingo options -- that is, different squares, not just different background designs -- I'd be happy to share the template and instructions on how to do it. If anyone is interested, message me!
70christina_reads
Here is the official list of Bingo squares for 2026! I'll also post it at >1 christina_reads: above.
1. Book set in a province/state bordering your own
2. A book that has won an award
3. A "green" book (see >30 LibraryCin: and following)
4. Word in the title that's an onomatopoeia (see >49 Charon07: and >51 Tess_W:)
5. Book by an indigenous author
6. A book of poetry
7. New-to-you author
8. Road trip book
9. A book published before you were born
10. Book with a tree on the cover
11. Classic from another literary tradition
12. Something living on the cover
13. Read a CAT or KIT (free space)
14. Set entirely or in part at sea
15. Features senior citizens
16. A beautiful cover
17. Great first sentence
18. Microhistory (see >45 KeithChaffee:)
19. Mode of transportation in the title
20. Dead author
21. Difficult to categorize (see >16 GraceCollection: and >26 GraceCollection:)
22. Book from an LT Legacy Library
23. End it (see >53 purpleiris:)
24. Female author's debut novel
25. Retelling of a fairy tale or myth
1. Book set in a province/state bordering your own
2. A book that has won an award
3. A "green" book (see >30 LibraryCin: and following)
4. Word in the title that's an onomatopoeia (see >49 Charon07: and >51 Tess_W:)
5. Book by an indigenous author
6. A book of poetry
7. New-to-you author
8. Road trip book
9. A book published before you were born
10. Book with a tree on the cover
11. Classic from another literary tradition
12. Something living on the cover
13. Read a CAT or KIT (free space)
14. Set entirely or in part at sea
15. Features senior citizens
16. A beautiful cover
17. Great first sentence
18. Microhistory (see >45 KeithChaffee:)
19. Mode of transportation in the title
20. Dead author
21. Difficult to categorize (see >16 GraceCollection: and >26 GraceCollection:)
22. Book from an LT Legacy Library
23. End it (see >53 purpleiris:)
24. Female author's debut novel
25. Retelling of a fairy tale or myth
71Charon07
>70 christina_reads: Woo hoo! I feel like I can start my 2026 planning in earnest now!
72purpleiris
Thanks for doing this, Christina. Seems like a good mix of fairly easy ones and some that will be a bit more challenging!
73LadyoftheLodge
Thanks for your work on this project! Looking forward to playing BINGO.
75DeltaQueen50
Thank you, Christina. I really appreciate all the effort you put into giving us great Bingo and Cats for next year.
76dudes22
Thanks, Christina. I know this is a lot of work and I really appreciate your dedication. Now to see what books I have to fill the prompts.
77KeithChaffee
Looks like an interesting bunch!
78GraceCollection
Exciting!! Thank you so much for putting this together, and I'm thrilled my 'difficult to categorise' made it!
79MissBrangwen
>70 christina_reads: Thank you so much for organizing this, Christina! I am really excited about next year's bingo squares!
80MissWatson
>70 christina_reads: Oh, we are ready to play! Thank you so very much, Christina, for all your efforts.
81VivienneR
Thank you Christina, for putting the bingo squares together. Already I'm looking for books that will fit, always the fun part.
82LibraryCin
Sounds fun (as always)! Thanks to Christina for organizing!
84dudes22
For number 14 - Set entirely or partly at sea - are we talking ocean? or would lake or pond be sufficient?
85christina_reads
Thanks to all for your kind comments! I'm excited for this Bingo card -- the topics are really eclectic, with a nice mix of easier and more challenging squares. The card designs will soon be under way...stay tuned in a few weeks!
86JayneCM
>85 christina_reads: Ooh, always exciting to see the card designs! Thanks again for all the work you have done.
87AnishaInkspill
>70 christina_reads: brilliant list, looking forward to this, thanks
88LShelby
And here are the links the lovely BINGO cards created by @christina_reads for 2026. :)
The magic codes are:
<img src="https://www.lshelby.com/Utilities/Bingo/bingocardC.php?type=CAT2026-1&color=orange&markers=9-13-20-5-24-6">

<img src="https://www.lshelby.com/Utilities/Bingo/bingocardC.php?type=CAT2026-2&color=maroon&markers=2-13-19-7-22-15">

<img src="https://www.lshelby.com/Utilities/Bingo/bingocardC.php?type=CAT2026-3&color=fuchsia&markers=5-8-17-15-21-1">

Don't forget that you can change the color of the markers to any of the following:
aqua, black, blue, fuchsia, gray, green, lime, maroon, navy, olive, orange, purple, red, silver, teal, white, and yellow
If you haven't used my cards before, instructions on how they work can be found at:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/180134#4971850
If there's any technical problems, drop me a note on my profile.
I hope y'all have another great year BINGO-ing! :)
The magic codes are:
<img src="https://www.lshelby.com/Utilities/Bingo/bingocardC.php?type=CAT2026-1&color=orange&markers=9-13-20-5-24-6">
<img src="https://www.lshelby.com/Utilities/Bingo/bingocardC.php?type=CAT2026-2&color=maroon&markers=2-13-19-7-22-15">
<img src="https://www.lshelby.com/Utilities/Bingo/bingocardC.php?type=CAT2026-3&color=fuchsia&markers=5-8-17-15-21-1">
Don't forget that you can change the color of the markers to any of the following:
aqua, black, blue, fuchsia, gray, green, lime, maroon, navy, olive, orange, purple, red, silver, teal, white, and yellow
If you haven't used my cards before, instructions on how they work can be found at:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/180134#4971850
If there's any technical problems, drop me a note on my profile.
I hope y'all have another great year BINGO-ing! :)
89VivienneR
Beautiful Bingo cards! Thanks to both @LShelby and @christina_reads.
90Charon07
>88 LShelby: Thank you to LShelby and christina_reads for this year’s lovely Bingo cards!
91shimmermarie
>88 LShelby: Wow! Amazing work like every year, Christina! Now comes the hardest part - picking between three great designs :D
92christina_reads
>88 LShelby: Thank you so much!
93dudes22
>88 LShelby: - Thanks - Those are lovely.
94NinieB
>88 LShelby: >92 christina_reads: Thank you for the development and the design! I'm looking forward to another year of Bingo-ing.
95DeltaQueen50
Wonderful!!
96lowelibrary
Beautiful Bingo cards
97LibraryCin
Thank you for the bingo cards!
99MissWatson
>88 LShelby: These are amazing! Thank you both! Now I am getting very impatient to set up my thread...maybe this weekend...
100MissBrangwen
>88 LShelby: >92 christina_reads: Thank you both so much for these wonderful cards! BingoDOG is my favourite and I'm looking forward to it so much!
101AnishaInkspill
>88 LShelby: WOW!!! these are amazing, I'll look at the instructions to see how this works, but Amazing!!!! thanks
102purpleiris
Thank you for the lovely cards! I already know which one I want, but will probably hold off on setting it up until next month.
105WanderDMD
Looking forward to my first bingo, as well!
Just curious, do folks usually try to complete bingo from readings for other CATs/KITs or treat bingo as its own challenge?
Just curious, do folks usually try to complete bingo from readings for other CATs/KITs or treat bingo as its own challenge?
106Charon07
>105 WanderDMD: It’s up to you! Some folks don’t allow themselves any “two-fers,” and some (like me) like to find one book that can fill as many challenges as possible.
107LibraryCin
>106 Charon07: I'll add for those doing all three CAT challenges (do we have four this year? usually it's three), if you found a book that fit all three, it was called a CATtrick. (For those who know hockey, like a hattrick in hockey - one person scoring three goals in one game.)
108christina_reads
The BingoDOG wiki is here: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/2026_BingoDog. Thanks to @LibraryCin for creating it! I've added the link at message >1 christina_reads: above as well.
109LibraryCin
>108 christina_reads: Thank you for posting the link here! I was having trouble with my keyboard yesterday (I had spilled on it; I now have a borrowed one until I can get a new one). I was probably only able to do the wiki yesterday because it was mostly copy/paste! :-) Typing a message was tricky (and it got trickier as time went on).
110Gnomeball
Been doing a bit of planning on my own Bingo journey for next year and I keep falling up against this one; Book set in a province/state bordering your own; wondering how granular, or not, it is for anyone not living in a country that uses states / provinces.
As someone who lives in the UK could this therefore be a book set in another constituent of the UK (other than my own, since they all sort of border each other); Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland; could it be a book set in a region of England/Wales bordering my own (link to a map of these); or could it be at a wider country-level, Ireland (the republic of), or even France, Belgium, or the Netherlands (which are our closest geographical neighbours)? (it could also be much more granular, right down the county, but this is distinctly smaller than most other examples of a state / province, that I can think of, in either NA or Japan etc) I'm just a bit confused.
I'm not necessarily looking for a hard answer, just a second opinion on what other people (particularly those also not in countries with a state / province dynamic) might think is appropriate.
As someone who lives in the UK could this therefore be a book set in another constituent of the UK (other than my own, since they all sort of border each other); Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland; could it be a book set in a region of England/Wales bordering my own (link to a map of these); or could it be at a wider country-level, Ireland (the republic of), or even France, Belgium, or the Netherlands (which are our closest geographical neighbours)? (it could also be much more granular, right down the county, but this is distinctly smaller than most other examples of a state / province, that I can think of, in either NA or Japan etc) I'm just a bit confused.
I'm not necessarily looking for a hard answer, just a second opinion on what other people (particularly those also not in countries with a state / province dynamic) might think is appropriate.
111Gnomeball
>84 dudes22: A very late reply that you may already have formed your own answer to, but just in case not, I've been personally planning to use any body of water that is in any way referred to as "a sea", even if that body is more akin to a lake (for example these could be the Caspian, Aral, or Dead, if you were using real-life seas).
I will personally be reading A Wizard of Earthsea to tick off that square on my own board.
I will personally be reading A Wizard of Earthsea to tick off that square on my own board.
112dudes22
>111 Gnomeball: - Thanks for the reply. I haven't decided on anything yet, so that may give me a few more options.
113christina_reads
>110 Gnomeball: I would think that any of the geographic divisions you've described would work fine! Bordering countries, or bordering regions within the same country.
114Gnomeball
>113 christina_reads: Thanks, in that case I'll probably read Albert Camus' The Fall from my to-read list as it's set in Amsterdam :D
115avatiakh
>110 Gnomeball: That was also my quandary as I live in New Zealand which is an island nation without states and limited reading choices if I try for adjacent provinces.
I'll look for something either set in the South Island or Australia, probably The Boys from Bondi which I want to read early next year.
I'll look for something either set in the South Island or Australia, probably The Boys from Bondi which I want to read early next year.
116LibraryCin
Hope it's ok I started a thread for this. No one else had yet that I found.
Anyone who wants to post there, you'll find the thread here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/377331
Anyone who wants to post there, you'll find the thread here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/377331
117LibraryCin
>22 LadyoftheLodge: Did we ever get an elaboration on "road trip book"? I'd like to know what exactly is meant by this, as well. Thanks.
118MissBrangwen
>117 LibraryCin: I wondered about that, too.
119Charon07
>117 LibraryCin: >118 MissBrangwen: I don’t think the original proposer offered any elaboration. My interpretation is that the characters in the book take a road trip, because otherwise, for me at least, any book at all could be one I read on a road trip, and that’s too easy!
120LibraryCin
>119 Charon07: Yeah, otherwise it could be any book really. But it does make it much trickier!
121LadyoftheLodge
>119 Charon07: It was not clarified as far as I know, so interpretation would be up to the reader.
122markon
Or maybe any book that includes a road trip as part of the book, or travel books that are accounts of someone's hiking, biking, sailing, etc.
123LibraryCin
>122 markon: travel books that are accounts of someone's hiking, biking, sailing, etc.
This may be the way I go with it. Thanks for the suggestion!
This may be the way I go with it. Thanks for the suggestion!
124Dreymagine
Hi! Is there an image with bingo squares somewhere? Or is it just a list? I'm not sure if I understand how this works.
125Charon07
>124 Dreymagine: See >88 LShelby: above for your choice of this year’s cards and some info about them, and see the link in that message to https://www.librarything.com/topic/180134#4971850 for more complete instructions about adding a bingo card to your thread/post.
126Dreymagine
>125 Charon07: Ah, thank you! I don't know how I managed to miss that when I was scrolling down.
127Dreymagine
I'm going to test out following that guide.

Edit: Welp. That did not work. I'm pretty sure that I know what went wrong. The examples above say Cat, not Bingo Dog. Going to retry below.

Edit 2: Hooray.
Edit: Welp. That did not work. I'm pretty sure that I know what went wrong. The examples above say Cat, not Bingo Dog. Going to retry below.
Edit 2: Hooray.
128Dreymagine
One more question and I apologize if this is answered elsewhere: When you complete a book that may apply to multiple squares (say, won an award and was published before you were born), is it standard to mark all squares to which it applies or to choose one?
129lowelibrary
>128 Dreymagine:. It is your challenge, so your rules. Typically, I use a different book for every square.
130Dreymagine
>129 lowelibrary: I see. Thanks!
131rhondak101book
Hi All,
I just made a mistake on the BingoDog Wiki. I am so sorry. I accidentally deleted the name of the reader of Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson under Road Trip. I tried to get back to where I could fix it but too late. I have tried to figure out who it was but no one on the book's page looks familiar. According to the planning thread, it could be @purpleiris or @lsh63
I do apologize, and I hope the person sees this.
I just made a mistake on the BingoDog Wiki. I am so sorry. I accidentally deleted the name of the reader of Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson under Road Trip. I tried to get back to where I could fix it but too late. I have tried to figure out who it was but no one on the book's page looks familiar. According to the planning thread, it could be @purpleiris or @lsh63
I do apologize, and I hope the person sees this.
132purpleiris
>131 rhondak101book: I haven't added anything to the Wiki this time around, so it wasn't me.
133rhondak101book
>132 purpleiris: Thanks. I hope the person sees this.
134lsh63
>131 rhondak101book: I think it was me. No worries, I start the year updating the wiki and then my efforts fall by the wayside.
135rhondak101book
>134 lsh63: Thanks for letting me know. Sorry. I will be more careful next time!
136Charon07
>135 rhondak101book: There’s a “history” in the nav bar at the left of the wiki pages where you can see, and undo, edits to the wiki. It looks to me like the entry you deleted was your own, https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php?title=2026_BingoDog&diff=next&ol..., so no harm done! None of your other edits appear to have deleted anything else, and that edit just replaced your entry with an identical one.
ETA: Not identical, since it looks like you added a square bracket to your entry.
ETA: Not identical, since it looks like you added a square bracket to your entry.

