Free space
Read a book with an epic journey – Journey to the River Sea, Eva Ibbotson
- A quick reread before going to the library. When orphan Maya is sent to South American to live with her twin cousins, things aren’t as great as she thinks they will be, but then she meets a boy with a secret and begins to explore the Amazon.
Borrow a puzzle or game
Read a book with a library in it – The Midnight Library, Matt Haig
- An exploration of the concept of the different lives you could have had if you’d made a different decision somewhere along the way. It’s always interesting to see the changes between lives, but I think it’s hard to pull off in a way that’s not predictable, which The Midnight Library kind of was, unfortunately. It’s not bad, but not great either.
Read a novel set in the Great Outdoors – Miracles on Maple Hill, Virginia Sorensen
- Another reread. Fun to hear about a family experiencing the seasons out in nature in the Pennsylvania countryside, but the language romanticizes some of the realities.
Read an author new to you – Fan Fiction, Brent Spiner
- Part memoir, part mystery novel, Spiner sets his book in the middle of filming Star Trek: The Next Generation. While filming, he starts getting creepy stalker letters and must figure out what’s going on. The writing’s a little rough, but the appearances from the other main cast members are entertaining.
Read a book with “path” in the title – The Road, Cormac McCarthy
- I’m substituting “road” for “path.” In a post-apocalyptic America ravaged by an unknown disaster, a father and son walk for days looking for some place they can survive, scavenging food and supplies as they go. This was a good book, in a haunting way.
Listen to an audiobook – Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
- Angel Aziraphale and demon Crowley have been on Earth to make sure their respective overlords’ plans are fulfilled, but after thousands of years, they’re kind of friends now? As Armageddon approaches, it’s not going as planned, and it’s up to them to sort things out. I enjoy both Pratchett and Gaiman, so I found this book funny, if a bit bizarre.
Read a book set in the future – Federation (Star Trek), Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens
- Star Trek is set in the 22nd century and beyond, which is currently the future. In Federation, both Kirk’s Enterprise and Picard’s Enterprise-D get tied up in a mystery that seems to revolve around the inventor of the warp drive, vital to the decades of space exploration that have since occurred. Federation somewhat conflicts with the second TNG movie, but can kind of work around it, and taken by itself, is a solid crossover event with the characters you know and love.
Read a book set in the past – Star Wars: X-Wing: The Krytos Trap, Michael Stackpole
- According to the opening text, Star Wars takes place “a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. . . .” which I’m taking as canonical proof of being set in the past. The X-Wing novels follow the adventures of Rogue Squadron, led by Wedge Antilles, as they work with the rebellion to rout out remnants of the empire. At least the first four X-Wing books are genuinely good (the writing isn’t stellar, but it’s pretty strong), not just “good despite being what could be considered fan fiction.”
Read a book with a supernatural creature – Dracula, Bram Stoker
- I’ve read Frankenstein a couple times, but not Dracula. I liked the different perspectives it was written from and how the characters put together who/what Dracula was. It did get kind of weird at times, but I don’t mind weird.
Read a book someone keeps recommending – Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, Mindy Kaling
- If by keeps recommending you mean I listened to the Office Ladies podcast more than once, and they kind of had to recommend Mindy Kaling’s book. It’s a light, fun read, about growing up as the child of Indian immigrants and how she came to be a writer/actor on The Office, among her other accomplishments.
As a low-maintenance summer reading activity that goes a little beyond the usual “read x number of books or minutes,” book bingo was a good idea. It helps to get people reading books they otherwise might not pick up, and is more flexible than a checklist since people can aim for a single line of five squares or for filling out their whole card (which is what I did).
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| Massachusetts puzzle |
Take a walk
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| Frog in a pond, taken while on a hike |
Read a book with a library in it – The Midnight Library, Matt Haig
- An exploration of the concept of the different lives you could have had if you’d made a different decision somewhere along the way. It’s always interesting to see the changes between lives, but I think it’s hard to pull off in a way that’s not predictable, which The Midnight Library kind of was, unfortunately. It’s not bad, but not great either.
Read a novel set in the Great Outdoors – Miracles on Maple Hill, Virginia Sorensen
- Another reread. Fun to hear about a family experiencing the seasons out in nature in the Pennsylvania countryside, but the language romanticizes some of the realities.
Read an author new to you – Fan Fiction, Brent Spiner
- Part memoir, part mystery novel, Spiner sets his book in the middle of filming Star Trek: The Next Generation. While filming, he starts getting creepy stalker letters and must figure out what’s going on. The writing’s a little rough, but the appearances from the other main cast members are entertaining.
Read a book with “path” in the title – The Road, Cormac McCarthy
- I’m substituting “road” for “path.” In a post-apocalyptic America ravaged by an unknown disaster, a father and son walk for days looking for some place they can survive, scavenging food and supplies as they go. This was a good book, in a haunting way.
Listen to an audiobook – Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
- Angel Aziraphale and demon Crowley have been on Earth to make sure their respective overlords’ plans are fulfilled, but after thousands of years, they’re kind of friends now? As Armageddon approaches, it’s not going as planned, and it’s up to them to sort things out. I enjoy both Pratchett and Gaiman, so I found this book funny, if a bit bizarre.
Read a book set in the future – Federation (Star Trek), Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens
- Star Trek is set in the 22nd century and beyond, which is currently the future. In Federation, both Kirk’s Enterprise and Picard’s Enterprise-D get tied up in a mystery that seems to revolve around the inventor of the warp drive, vital to the decades of space exploration that have since occurred. Federation somewhat conflicts with the second TNG movie, but can kind of work around it, and taken by itself, is a solid crossover event with the characters you know and love.
Read a book set in the past – Star Wars: X-Wing: The Krytos Trap, Michael Stackpole
- According to the opening text, Star Wars takes place “a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. . . .” which I’m taking as canonical proof of being set in the past. The X-Wing novels follow the adventures of Rogue Squadron, led by Wedge Antilles, as they work with the rebellion to rout out remnants of the empire. At least the first four X-Wing books are genuinely good (the writing isn’t stellar, but it’s pretty strong), not just “good despite being what could be considered fan fiction.”
Read a book with a supernatural creature – Dracula, Bram Stoker
- I’ve read Frankenstein a couple times, but not Dracula. I liked the different perspectives it was written from and how the characters put together who/what Dracula was. It did get kind of weird at times, but I don’t mind weird.
Read a book someone keeps recommending – Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, Mindy Kaling
- If by keeps recommending you mean I listened to the Office Ladies podcast more than once, and they kind of had to recommend Mindy Kaling’s book. It’s a light, fun read, about growing up as the child of Indian immigrants and how she came to be a writer/actor on The Office, among her other accomplishments.
As a low-maintenance summer reading activity that goes a little beyond the usual “read x number of books or minutes,” book bingo was a good idea. It helps to get people reading books they otherwise might not pick up, and is more flexible than a checklist since people can aim for a single line of five squares or for filling out their whole card (which is what I did).
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