What Are You Reading? How to Win The Seattle Public Library's Summer Book Bingo

by The Seattle Public Library

It's August — that means there's just five weeks left to blaze through your Summer Book Bingo reading!

Now in its ninth year, Summer Book Bingo is an adult summer reading program by The Seattle Public Library and Seattle Arts & Lectures that encourages you to read for pleasure and to talk about books with friends, co-workers, and neighbors.

Get started by downloading your Book Bingo card in English, designed by Monyee Chau, at www.SPL.org/BookBingo or www.Lectures.org/Book-Bingo; or a "Lotera de Lectura" card in Spanish, designed by Esmeralda Vasquez, at www.SPL.org/Loteria. Book Bingo and Lotera cards are also available at any library location.

You can read five books to complete a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal row on your card or read 25 books to complete all the squares for blackout. Submit your card by Sept. 5, 2023, for a chance to win great prizes!

If you need help finding books for certain squares, our librarians are here to help you! Below, library staff offer ideas for three specific squares, and you can also find more reading recommendations on the library's Book Bingo webpage. Remember: Any type of reading counts, including audiobooks and young adult books.

Manga or Graphic Novel

Bitch Planet by Kelly Sue DeConnick: If you're a self-sufficient, self-empowered, non-compliant woman, you may end up on Bitch Planet, where all the unruly women are placed … indefinitely. —el Evans, Reader Services

Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons by Kelly Sue DeConnick: A feminist retelling of Wonder Woman's birthplace and the creation of the Amazonian people. —el Evans, Reader Services

Those Who Helped Us by Ken Mochizuki: A story of two young Japanese American sisters from Seattle who are suddenly uprooted from their home. Interned in Minidoka, Idaho, they struggle to adapt to the changes, but receive help from their neighbors and friends in Seattle. Ken is a local author who wrote this book in collaboration with Kiku Hughes (illustrator of Displacement). It is the second installment in the same series as Frank Abe's We Hereby Refuse, combining fiction and nonfiction with real stories from the internment. —Lauren Nagasawa, Reader Services

My Brain Is Different: Stories of ADHD and Other Developmental Disorders by Monzusu: This is a collection of nine people's experiences with ADHD, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and learning disabilities (LD). It opens with an autobiographical story about Monzusu herself and her experiences with living undiagnosed until adulthood. It's an informative book that covers the experiences of both children and adults. —Lauren Nagasawa, Reader Services

The Keeper by Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes, illustrated by Marco Finnegan:As the jacket description asks, "What part of us is left when we lose everything we hold dear, and what will we do to protect what remains?" This is a brilliant work of Black social horror that follows Aisha as she loses and then reforms her family. Themes of generational trauma and loss permeate the story. The artwork is stark, blocky, and realistic. The characters' faces and body language are particularly emotive, and the color palette helps guide the reader through Aisha's emotional transitions. Dread for the Keeper builds throughout, but the real monster is white supremacy. —Genesee Rickel, Reader Services

Grand Slam Romance by Ollie Hicks, illustrated by Emma Oosterhous: Romance meets sports meets the magical girl trope in this hilarious queer debut graphic novel. Mickey Monsoon and Astra Maxima, one-time childhood friends (and sometimes more), are now rivals in the statewide softball tournament. Both Mickey and Astra grew into messy adults with messy romantic lives, and the resulting tension helps propel the plot forward. The banter, the sexual innuendo, and gentle insider pokes and classic queer community norms will keep you laughing, and the art will keep you fully engaged. A full-color spread of manga and Sailor Moon-inspired art covers each detailed page. This graphic novel was published by Surley Books, an imprint curated by award-winning creator Mariko Tamaki, dedicated to highlighting queer stories by queer creators. —Genesee Rickel, Reader Services

Vern: Custodian of the Universe by Tyrell Waiters: Burned out due to late-stage capitalism (how relatable!), Vern moves back home to Florida, where his grandma immediately sets him up with a job at the mysterious Quasar company. Vern quickly learns that his job scope as the company's custodian will take him to several different universes and planets, all experiencing a climate crisis like Earth. Vern's laid-back attitude is in stark contrast to the wild planets he visits. Despite the heavy subject matter and the desperation of some of the secondary characters, this is a funny, fast, and light science fiction romp. Waiters is both the author and illustrator of this debut. —Genesee Rickel, Reader Services

Golden Rage, Volume 1 by Chrissy Williams, illustrated by Lauren Knight, Sofie Dodgson, and Becca Carey: Billed as "Battle Royale meets The Golden Girls," this full-color, gritty, and darkly humorous graphic novel pushes back against the idea that the older you get, the weaker and less valuable you are. In this dystopian world, those who are unable to bear children are banished to an island where they have established a Lord of the Flies-like society. The first four issues in this volume are accompanied by a different internal narrative (one for each of the main four characters), which helps flesh out their backstories and motivations without taking away from the real-time action. Aside from the concept, the real standout element of this volume is the art. The pastel palette is gorgeous, and the characterization is marvelous. Unlike many collections, this volume contains all the backmatter from the original issues, including book reviews, foraging guides, and more. If you are in the mood for bloody bonding, pick this up. —Genesee Rickel, Reader Services

Indigenous Author

Red Paint by Sasha taqweblu LaPointe: Sasha taqweblu LaPointe is a Tacoma-based author from the Upper Skagit and Nooksack Indian Tribe. Her 2022 memoir Red Paint is a captivating and intense account of a young Indigenous woman coming up in the PNW punk scene, first love, the aftermath of sexual assault, and finding strength and resilience in her Native heritage. —Abby Bass, Arts, Recreation, and Literature

Held by the Land: A Guide to Indigenous Plants for Wellness by Leigh Joseph: Ethnobotanist Leigh Joseph is a member of the Skwxw7mesh (Squamish) First Nation and the founder of Sḵwlwen Botanicals. This recent release discusses how to move toward right relationships with plants and the land and the impacts of colonization and cultural erasure on the natural world, then provides a detailed reference guide to local flora and their uses. —Jane Singer, Reader Services

This Town Sleeps by Dennis E. Staples: Marion is a gay Ojibwe man who lives on the Languille Lake reservation near the town of Geshig, where he grew up. He starts hooking up with a former high school football star, a white man named Shannon, who is closeted. The ghost of a dog under a playground merry-go-round appears, stirring up memories of the murder of a childhood friend and the echoes his death left behind. This is a haunting debut. —Misha Stone, Reader Services

To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose: Anequs, a young Indigenous woman from the Maqsuisit nation, is chosen by a baby dragon to be its Nampeshiweisit — one who is uniquely bound to a dragon. The colonizing nation that threatens Anequs' people, the Anglish, however, have rigid rules for dragons and their riders, and Anequs is forced to attend a dragon-rider training academy. Anequs faces many challenges and through it all holds on to her true self and her community's values. This is an engrossing historical fantasy debut starring a bisexual main character. Author Moniquill Blackgoose is an enrolled member of the Seaconke Wampanoag Tribe and a lineal descendant of Ousamequin Massasoit. —Genesee Rickel, Reader Services

A Broken Blade by Melissa Blair: Keera is the King's Blade, an enslaved assassin charged with hunting her own kind, halflings, and any other threats to the crown. The Shadow is the latest and greatest threat, able to outfight Keera and pick apart the kingdom. In her final mission to kill the Shadow, Keera faces painful truths from her past and must decide where her loyalties lie. Readers who enjoy a messy main character with a redemption arc and rich world building will embrace this fantasy debut (with another bisexual main character!). TikTok sensation and author Melissa Blair is an Anishinaabekwe of mixed ancestry living in Turtle Island. —Genesee Rickel, Reader Services

BIPOC Poetry

I Can't Talk About the Trees Without the Blood by Tiana Clark: This is a collection that bears reflection and rereading. The poem about having a conversation with her white mother-in-law about taking some family photographs on a plantation — "Soil Horizon" — was shattering. Clark is a poet to watch, follow, and listen to with open ears. —Misha Stone, Reader Services

Breakpoint by Betsy Aoki: Seattle poet and winner of the Patricia Bibby First Book Prize from Tebot Bach delivers a wholly unique poetry collection that delves into the experiences of a Woman of Color in the tech field. Bridging the gap between the delightfully geeky world of tech and video games with the emotional undertow of racism in the workplace, this collection is a standout. —Misha Stone, Reader Services

Brother Bullet by Casandra Lpez: Poet and educator Casandra Lpez, who is Tongva, Luiseo, Cahuilla, and Chicana, teaches at Northwest Indian College on the Lummi Reservation. Her poetry collection Brother Bullet contextualizes personal and collective grief as she explores the murder of her brother and Indigenous ancestry across borders. —Jane Singer, Reader Services

Tributaries by Laura Da': Tributaries traces Shawnee history through poetry, from 1830s forced removal and relocation, through allotment and the Dawes Act, to present day, from Redmond Poet Laureate Laura Da', who is Eastern Shawnee. Whether describing Midwestern plains or the waters of the Pacific Northwest, Da' grounds the reader in the lands of her people. — Jane Singer, Reader Services

📸 Featured Image: This year's English Summer Book Bingo cards were designed by Monyee Chau.