Announcing: The 2014 Bingo Challenge!!!

Ah, January, the time of year when people make optimistic resolutions and sets goals for the days to come. But resolutions are not confined only to the domains of exercise, organization, and de-stressing! Indeed it’s possible we’ve made some resolutions of this more usual variety, but we thought it’d be extra fun to create some resolutions pertaining to that most wonderful of our hobbies, reading. We’ve seen lots of other bloggers do the same, whether by vowing to increase the diversity of their reading lists, setting a goal for the number of books to read in 2014 (in fact, we’ve taken on Girls in Capes’ challenge to read 100 books this year), or any number of other things. But we, being us, felt compelled to take it a jump to the left and a step to the right and make it into a game. We are challenging ourselves, and you, dear readers, to a game of…

2014 Reading Bingo!!!

Fun, eh? Although there is no free space as in a standard 5 by 5 bingo card (we just kept coming up with more ideas of things to read and couldn’t limit ourselves to a measly 24!), we challenge you to complete a bingo horizontally, vertically, or diagonally in your reading this year. Or, if you’re feeling especially confident and responsive to dares, we challenge you to complete a BLACKOUT. That’s right, full bingo card annihilation!!!

As for us, we will be playing a Connect Four/tic-tac-toe version of the game, working off of the same bingo card and trying to get a bingo while simultaneously blocking the other party from getting one. (Alyssa will be green and Susan red, as per usual.) Once one of us achieves bingo status or we come to a stalemate, we will move on to our separate games of bingo and each strive for a blackout by the time 2015 rolls around.

We entreat you to join us in printing out a card and getting to work in choosing some likely candidates for filling the plethora of happy squares smiling up at you from the page! If you find this sort of thing to be fun, we then encourage you to check out our original inspiration from Pinterest, and this one and this one, too. You could conceivably have your whole year’s reading list governed by bingo if you so chose! We will be providing updates throughout the year as to our progress and what books we’ve found to fit each category. If you decide to play along at home (and why wouldn’t you?), keep us updated on your bingo status and what books you’ve fit into which squares! The more the merrier, yes? Happy reading in 2014, and remember—fortune favors the bingo-winner.*

* Or something.