I did have to replace some prompts since my TBR pile didn't meet all chosen critiera
Book Club → Queer
Past club → Chosen Randomly
Added to Natively → Reread
Published in 2026 → One word title
Someone’s card → 2nd Volume
MC hidden identity → Curious Title
Won an award → Lowest Level TBR
Historical fiction → Fav Color
I keep track of stuff I own, but that doesn’t mean I remember what’s in the pile… Case in point, the book I read this year for “has a cat” is something I had completely forgot I had.
I just found it back when I was looking through my stuff for something that would possibly fit the square.
As long as your list is more than 10 items, you are bound to forget about something.
Edit: that’s funny - I didn’t mean to post the same thing again, I was trying to edit my first post with some planning thoughts.
Planning
I wanted to use a modifier to only use 1 square per series (e.g., not fill up a bingo worth of squares with Frieren, lol), but if I stick to my TBR and planned reading next year, that will only be 17 books and series. I’ll allow 3 squares per series.
Summary planning thoughts, I'll have to add to this later was just doodling
Challenging prompts (may need to deviate from current read planning, but I guess that’s the point!):
Someone’s card
Published in 2026
TBR limbo - a freebie that I always think someday
Science fiction (No 6)
Prettiest book (言葉の園のお菓子番)
TBR forgotten (終点unknown)
Shouldn’t need too much planning:
Natively virgin - Harta? Onomatope?
Book Club - Hakumei Slam dunk or Frieren
Added to Natively
New author - one of my novels
Cat(s) - probably in one of my novels
Planned
Ghosts - Natume
Going in Blind - choose something from Aozora advent
Nonmodern period - Aozora?
Fantasy - Frieren 8
MC hidden identity - Frieren 9 or 怪人二十面相
Past club - History Manga 1
Historical fiction - History Manga 2 or Bird in Wonderland
Here’s my card! I’ve left in a few prompts that I wouldn’t have included if I had to choose myself to make sure I get out of my comfort zone, but I’ve also swapped out some that I know I wouldn’t do even if I included them.
Here are the new prompts:
Queer
Non-fiction
Cultural flair
Qualifier list
Character speaks in a dialect
No modifiers, but I will try and pick books from my wishlist when possible. As for manga, I’ll try to only use one book for each series I read.
I’m excited about all of the prompts, and I want to start NOW
Sci-fi OR cats:시간 고양이 | L20 Ecological sci-fi WITH A CAT? Yes. I ended up using this book for "set in a period that’s not modern. If I ever get around to reading the next books in the series though…
Dialect: I could use The Summer Hikaru Died, but I feel like it would break the spirit of the law. I’ll find something with a Korean dialect hopefully.
Non-fiction: I’d like to read an 아무튼 essay, but they look hard still. Maybe towards the end of the year…
Finish a series: this year is the year I finish series I only really have 4 that I’m hoping to finish: 노인의 꿈 첫 번째 이야기 | L20 (it’s a duology, I really have no excuse for not reading vol. 2), I’ve read 3 out of the 6 나빌레라 시리즈 | L19 books, I’ve read up to book 4 of The Summer Hikaru Died (I think there are 7 books now?), and as for Dam in the Forest I’m only missing the last 3 out of 10 volumes! 할 수 있어! I ended up finishing 노인의 꿈 첫 번째 이야기, as planned. Doesn’t mean I’m giving up on the rest though.
I swapped out 2 of the official prompts for the next-highest-voted ones that I also picked:
Join/participate in a book club → Takes place at a shrine/temple (I don’t have any intention of joining a book club)
Why is this in my TBR? → Setting is a workplace (‘TBR’ to me is just ‘books I own’, so it’s basically the same prompt as ‘I forgot I owned this’)
In 2025 I gave myself bonus stars for books that I was the first to rate/grade/review on Natively, which was a fun way to incentivize contributing to the site (and 90% of what I own nobody else has read anyway), but it ended up with me still not really understanding the level system or what level I’m comfortable reading up to, because I’ve only been grading unknown books against each other. So in 2026 my Natively-centred goal is to build a better awareness of how difficult for me each of the levels are, and instead of bonus stars, I’ll be marking off the levels of each book.
Challenge: Bingos only count if at least 1 in the line has a confirmed Natively level.
I managed a novel blackout this year with a 4x4 square, but I’m unsure if I want to upgrade to a 5x5 for 2026; the extra books feel kind of intimidating.
Decided to do a 5x5 Manga only card this year. Going for total black out but modified it so that mine is only from my TBR pile with one Series per square (though there are a few manga I only have the first volume of, or they only come in 1 volume).
Here’s my list for my card with center square being left free for a bonus series from what’s left in my TBR afterwards:
My goal is one novel a month followed by a manga (as a reward). So 12 of these boxes should fill up with novels. The rest will probably be manga unless my reading speed rapidly improves.
I looked at my bookwalker impulse buys and put up some things that might fit? There are a few others I think I would have to read first to know. I do really want to force My Happy Marriage on there…though I also have a feeling I won’t like it in book form.
I’m looking forward to when I’ve read enough novels to know what I’m looking for and can ask for recommendations.
I love it. 2026 is going to be the year of the sequel for me, I think, though I haven’t decided yet if I’ll incorporate it into my bingo.
I felt like my 4x4 was a good balance between challenging (all novels) while not being too much (not that many novels), so I think I too will do another 4x4 this year.
Oh, I missed seeing this before! Someone else who owns 終点unknown!! My brethren.
I will almost certainly be using this idea; it’s a fantastic one, and covers several books I’ve owned for a while.
Borrowing a lot from others and a little from the full prompt list (with randomization laboriously copied over from bingo baker – there was almost definitely a better way to do it), I think I have arrived at my bingo board!
for books that I was the first to rate/grade/review on Natively, which was a fun way to incentivize contributing to the site (and 90% of what I own nobody else has read anyway), but it ended up with me still not really understanding the level system or what level I’m comfortable reading up to, because I’ve only been grading unknown books against each other. So in 2026 my Natively-centred goal is to build a better awareness of how difficult for me each of the levels are, and instead of bonus stars, I’ll be marking off the levels of each book.
Cats and Dogs: 