My Book Bingo for 2026

I tend not to do reading challenges because I am a mood reader. With challenges, I often feel like I am restricted on what I need to read to fit the challenge for the month. However, I decided to create a custom book bingo for 2026. In this post, I want to share my book bingo board and give you ideas and tips if you want to create your own.

My Book Bingo Topics

For my book bingo board, I intentionally chose topics based on my 10 Books I Want to Read in 2026, as well as other books I may want to read throughout the year.

• Reread – rereading a book I read last year or in previous years
• First book in series – the first book of any series length
• Cookbook – a book with recipes
• Winter read – a book set during winter or has winter themes
• Published this year – a book published this year
• ARC – a book I received through NetGalley or was sent to review
• Japanese translated book – a book that was originally published in Japanese and is now translated into English
• Summer read – a book set during summer or has summer themes
• Book that was gifted to me – a book that I have received as a birthday or Christmas gift
• Graphic novel – a book that uses art and text to tell a story
• Under 250 pages – a book that is 250 pages or less
• Book with a cat – a book that prominently features a cat
• Romance – a book with romance as the main genre
• Poetry – a book of poems
• Set in Paris – a book that is mainly set in Paris, France
• Book with a vampire – a book that features a vampire as a main character
• Magazine – a print or digital magazine with articles
• Last book in a trilogy – the last book that is in a series, specifically a trilogy
• Set in a shop – a book that is mainly set in a shop, including a bookstore or even a café
• New author to me – a book by an author I have not read before
• Sequel – a book that is a sequel to a book I have already read
• Favorite author – a book by one of my favorite authors
• Cozy read – a book that gave me a cozy feeling
• Mystery – a book with mystery as the main genre

Potential Topics for Book Bingo

If you want to create your own book bingo board, here are a variety of ideas you can choose from.

• Genre – mystery, romance, fantasy, science fiction, historical fiction, graphic novel, poetry, non-fiction
• Length – novella, under 250 pages, more than 500 pages
• Year – published this year, the year you were born, a classic
• Series – first book, sequel, last book
• Authors – new author to you, debut author, favorite author, local author, author you are giving a second chance
• Setting – in a specific city or country, set in a shop, in nature
• Trope – friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, fake dating, sunny vs grumpy, second chance, love triangle, time travel, dystopian society, the chosen one, hidden identity, found family, small town, unreliable narrator, locked room mystery, missing person, isolated setting, haunted house
• Seasonal or holiday – spring, summer, fall, winter, Valentine’s Day, Halloween, Christmas
• Mood – cozy, spooky, funny, emotional, nostalgic
• Supernatural or creature – witch, vampire, werewolf, fairy, mermaid, dragon
• Animal – cat, dog, bird, favorite animal
• Reread – a favorite, read as a kid, read in school
• TBR – on your shelf the longest, started but never finished
• Recommended – by a friend, family member, librarian, BookTuber, Bookstagrammer

Tips for Making Your Book Bingo Card

When you are making your book bingo card, I first recommend looking at your shelves and your TBR to see what topics would fit. For example, you do not want to pick a genre you normally do not read unless you want to push yourself to read something different. I would also pick topics that multiple books you want to read could fit under. Ideally, you do not want to choose a topic that is so limited that you are pressured to read one specific book.

Furthermore, I recommend picking topics that have some overlap. For example, I chose Japanese translated books as one of my squares, as I have several on my shelves and TBR I want to read. Many Japanese translated books are also under 250 pages, and I have read two books before that prominently featured a cat. Lastly, you can create a physical book bingo board or a digital one on Canva, as they do have bingo templates you can customize.

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Have you made a book bingo card before? Would you want to make one for this year?