Looking back, I think the idea of my Aussie YA Challenge took hold right when I was supposed to be making my book bingo and the fear and uncertainty about trying something new was what I focused on and forgot to create my card. But now we’re a year on, and the regular New Year chaos of January has arrived I can return to our regular programming with posts about goals, my blogiversary, trying to catch up on the backlog of reviews, and of course bingo!
I really like my choices this year. I do think I copped out a little avoiding things I didn’t really want to read. I could have added fantasy but then I’d have to read one and I don’t want to be forced to, especially when I have a record of hit or miss when it comes to that. I’ve also done this enough that I have a few dozen options to cycle through that give me a variety of reading options. Classics, space operas, and mythology will all cycle round again no doubt. I might have fun with creative covers next time too.
The other thing I avoided was a trope box. I’ve never been good with finding a book based solely on tropes. Until recently, when the trope is usually the only thing listed on a blurb instead of a plot, how were you supposed to even know something was enemies to loves or fake dating until you read it? I’ll happily discover these things later, but I don’t need to seek them out.
Maybe I’ll be brave next year and go wild on tropes, fantasy, and covers, but for now I’ve got this lot to tackle.
A few days ago as I went to write my book bingo wrap up I realised, despite announcing it to the world in January, I never actually ended up making it. Which is a shame because it is one of my favourite challenges, not only to do but to create. Who knows what happened to distract me. But now we are here, and I made one quickly a few days ago to keep my goals alive.
After last years complete nonexistent Book Bingo attempt, I am calling this a win. Not only for making it, but also for getting quite a lot of spaces filled. I liked my categories and I think I managed a great variety in books in filling each spot. Of course practically none have reviews, but maybe through the upcoming year I will be able to fill some review gaps with these books. Especially cause some were really great reads.
This year I’ve compiled a document filled with previous book bingo categories and found it’s a thousand times easier to pick 24 from the list than it is to try and remember or think up ones every new year. One of those things that would have been handy years ago but at least I have it now. I found some on there I’d used years ago and totally forgot about, as well as scouted some new ones for something different.
I will admit triumph may be a big word to use but given the circumstances and the difficulties (can we call them that?) of the previous couple years I think having most of my card filled in is a triumph. Though looking at the last couple years an almost filled card seems to be as far as I go, I haven’t had a filled card since 2018 but whether officially a win is getting a line or a full card who knows what’s right and what isn’t. My card my rules I think at this point; a win is what I decide it is and to be honest I think I change my own rules every year.
