Reading Bingo Challenges

Reading Bingo Challenges
For ALL adults and teens. You don’t need to be an alum!
The Ohio State University Alumni Association’s Reading Challenges are designed to encourage reading and lifelong learning. This free program features a bingo card with reading categories, a Facebook group for readers to share recommendations and the chance to win prizes.
Join the Summer 2025 Challenge
Join our digital-only Reading Bingo Challenge for Summer 2025! This free program runs June 1–August 31, 2025, and is open to all adults and teens. Registration for a digital bingo board and tracker is open through June 25. You must be registered to qualify for prizes.
Most popular books from past challenges
Check out the most-read books by Buckeyes from previous years' categories. Use the book titles below for inspiration in future challenges.
Black author/black history:
- A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Collette
- A Promised Land by Barack Obama
- James by Percival Everett
Inspired by true events:
- Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan
- Gray After Dark by Noelle West Ihli
- The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
Set in winter:
- Cruel Winter with You by Ali Hazelwood
- Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
- The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
Nonfiction:
- I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
- Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show by Bethany Joy Lenz
Reread a childhood favorite:
- Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
- Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
“Scarlet” or “Gray” in the title:
- A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
- Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan
- Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Author’s latest book:
- Funny Story by Emily Henry
- Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
Set in Ohio:
- Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
- Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
- Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Set in the future:
- Cinder by Marissa Meyer
- Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
About a journey:
- James by Percival Everett
- Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
About spies or spycraft:
- Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan
- First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston
- The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
About or by a president:
- A Promised Land by Barack Obama
- The President is Missing by Bill Clinton and James Patterson
- You Never Forget Your First by Alexis Coe
New York Times Bestseller:
- Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
- The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
- Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
About science or nature:
- Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
- Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
- The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
A top book from the 2024 challenge:
- Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
- Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
- A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Mental health/wellness:
- The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
- The Wedding People by Alison Espach
Book I’ve been meaning to read:
- Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
- Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
- Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
Set in Ireland:
- A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy
- Foster by Claire Keegan
- Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
Animal as a character:
- Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
- Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
- Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
Cozy Mystery:
- Mother – Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon
- Murder in an Irish Village by Carlene O’Connor
YA Adventure:
- Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
- Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
- Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan
Book Club choice:
- First Lie Wins by Ashley Elson
- Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
A novella (less than 200 pgs.):
- Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
- A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
“Love” in the title:
- How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
- Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood
- The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
New-to-me genre
- "A Court of Thorns and Roses" by Sarah J. Maas
- "A First Time for Everything" by Dan Santat
A classic
- "Animal Farm" by George Orwell
- "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
- "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee
Author’s debut book
- "Remarkably Bright Creatures" by Shelby Van Pelt
- "Lessons in Chemistry" by Bonnie Garmus
About music or a musician
- "Daisy Jones and The Six" by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- "The Storyteller" by Dave Grohl
- "The Woman in Me" by Britney Spears
Banned book
- "1984" by George Orwell
- "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie
- "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee
Includes a sport/athlete
- "Carrie Soto is Back" by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- "Icebreaker" by Hannah Grace
- "The Deal" by Elle Kennedy
More than 300 pages
- "The Women" by Kristin Hannah
- "A Court of Thorns and Roses Series" by Sarah J Maas
Recommended by a Buckeye
- "The Women" by Kristin Hannah
- "A Court of Thorns and Roses Series" by Sarah J Maas
Set during a war
- "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
- "The Nightingale" by Kristin Hannah
- "The Women" by Kristin Hannah
National book award
- "A First Time for Everything" by Dan Santat
- "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie
Book I’ve been meaning to read
- "The Housemaid Series" by Freida McFadden
- "Lessons in Chemistry" by Bonnie Garmus
- "Remarkably Bright Creatures" by Shelby Van Pelt
A memoir
- "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing" by Matthew Perry
- "I’m Glad My Mom Died" by Jennette McCurdy
- "The Woman in Me" by Britney Spears
Character older than 50
- "A Man Called Ove" by Fredrik Backman
- "Remarkably Bright Creatures" by Shelby Van Pelt
- "Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers" by Jesse Q. Sutanto
By or about indigenous people
- "Firekeeper’s Daughter" by Angeline Boulley
- "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
- "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie
Set in rural area/small town
- "Everything I Never Told You" by Celeste Ng
- "Funny Story" by Emily Henry
- "Home is Where the Bodies Are" by Jeneva Rose
True crime
- "If You Tell" by Gregg Olsen
- "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
Top book from 2023 Challenge
- "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
- "Happy Place" by Emily Henry
- "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
Title starts with “THE”
- "The Housemaid Series" by Freida McFadden
- "The Teacher" by Freida McFadden
- "The Women" by Kristin Hannah
Book including time travel
- "The Midnight Library" by Matt Haig
- "The Seven Year Slip" by Ashley Poston
- "This Time Tomorrow" by Emma Straub
- "Wrong Place Wrong Time" by Gillian McAllister
A sequel
- "Iron Flame" by Rebecca Yarros
- "It Starts with Us" by Colleen Hoover
- "The Housemaid’s Secret" by Frieda McFadden
Set in the decade when I was born
- "The Women" by Kristin Hannah
- "Daisy Jones and the Six" by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
- "Malibu Rising" by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Ohio author
- "Everything I Never Told You" by Celeste Ng
- "Funny Story" by Emily Henry
- "Happy Place" by Emily Henry
- "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
Set at a college or university
- "Kent State" by Deborah Wiles
- "The It Girl" by Ruth Ware
- "The Deal" by Elle Kennedy
- "Icebreaker" by Hannah Grace
Published in 2024
- "First Lie Wins" by Ashley Elston
- "Funny Story" by Emily Henry
- "Just for the Summer" by Abby Jiminez
- "The Women" by Kristin Hannah
Books set in Ohio
- “Ready Player One” by Ernest Cline
- “Little Fires Everywhere” by Celeste Ng
Historical fiction
- “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr
- “The Nightingale” by Kristin Hannah
Poetry or short story collection
- “The Hill We Climb” by Amanda Gorman
- “Milk and Honey” by Rupi Kaur
Graphic novel
- “Maus” by Art Spiegelman
- “Heartstopper” by Alice Oseman
- “They Called Us Enemy” by George Takei
Ohio author
- Various titles by Emily Henry
- Various titles by Celeste Ng
Personal or professional development
- “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck” by Mark Manson
- “Atomic Habits” by James Clear
Sci-fi
- “The Midnight Library” by Matt Haig
- “Ready Player One” by Ernest Cline
- “Project Hail Mary” by Andy Weir
Health and wellness
- “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck” by Mark Manson
- “The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living” by Meik Wiking
Scarlet or gray cover
- “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” by Holly Jackson
- “The Maid” by Nita Prose
- “Local Woman Missing” by Mary Kubica
Nonfiction book about a current issue
- “Just Mercy” by Bryan Stevenson
- “Go See the Principal: True Tales from the School Trenches” by Gerry Brooks
- “I’m Glad My Mom Died” by Jeanette McCurdy
- “Going Remote: A Teacher’s Journey” by Adam Bessie
Re-read a favorite
- “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
- “Are you There God? It’s Me, Margaret” by Judy Blume
- Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Main character who is disabled or neurodiverse
- “The Maid” by Nita Prose
- “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr
- “Cassandra in Reverse” by Holly Smale
Recommended by a celebrity book club
- “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens
- “The Last Thing He Told Me” by Laura Dave
- “Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus
Set in a warm climate or season
- “Malibu Rising” by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- “Beach Read” by Emily Henry
Cookbook or "how to"
- “Feed These People” by Jen Hatmaker
- “Magnolia Table” by Joanna Gaines
Takes place in a country you've never been
- “A Man Called Ove” by Fredrik Backman
- “The Tattooist of Auschwitz” by Heather Morris
Award-winning
- “Demon Copperhead” by Barbara Kingsolver
- “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr
- “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee
Two-word title
- “Fourth Wing” by Rebecca Yarros
- “Happy Place” by Emily Henry
Book in a series
- Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
- “It Starts with Us” by Colleen Hoover
- “It Ends with Us” by Colleen Hoover
Written by an author under 35
- “Happy Place” by Emily Henry
- “Yellowface” by R.F. Kuang
- “The Mothers” by Brit Bennett
- “Call Us What We Carry” by Amanda Gorman
Young adult novel
- “The Summer I Turned Pretty” by Jenny Han
- The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins
- Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Adapted into a TV series or movie
- “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens
- “A Man Called Ove” by Fredrik Backman
- “The Summer I Turned Pretty” by Jenny Han
Join other readers in our Facebook Group
We encourage you to join our Reading Bingo Challenge Facebook group, where you will receive updates, connect with other Buckeye readers, find loads of book recommendations and have fun with the challenge.