It’s time for a Q1 progress review on Nic’s (Dragon Rambles) Law of Fives reading bingo challenge! This is the first time I’ve done something like this, and I found it really fun to plan out – and as an excuse to mess about with spreadsheets.
I am bit surprised by the squares I have already managed to cross off already because those were ones I thought I might have a hard time with as “not a fantasy reader”, but the Tiffany Aching series of books have all done excellent duty as Locus Awards winners, published in 2000s and have offered a new fantastic creature (Nac Mac Feegle, Hiver, Elemental) and animal each time (sheep, goats, cat) .. also they are flipping delightful and I highly recommend them!
I made a dent in Australian authors two, which also got me a good way into the Historical genre as well, which wasn’t really planned that way, but it turns out that is mostly what is on the ‘Australian authors’ lists in BorrowBox! I’ve learned some interesting things about the early colonial days of Sydney, so I’m not upset about it! I think I’m going to try some more contemporary Aussie stuff next, though.
I could do with making a start on New Zealanders; there are 2-3 books I’ve owned for a while on that list, which I am excited to get into. I am currently whizzing through Gideon the Ninth, and I know I’m going to want to get into the next books, but I can’t count Tamsin Muir twice!
I’ve not read any PKD or Angela Carter yet this year, nor anything from the 1990s, but I am currently working through re-reading the Adrian Mole series, and he’ll soon be contemporaneously in the 1990s with his diaries for 3 books so no problem there!
- Australian Authors — 60%
- New-to-me Authors — 60%
- Book twos — 20%
- Series start — 40%
- Series end — 20%
- Neglected Genre 1: Historical — 40%
- Neglected Genre 2: Horror — 20%
- Genre exploration: SFF — 20%
- Favourite subgenre: Literary Fiction — 40%
- Locus Awards Top 5 — 80%
- 1980s — 40%
- 2000s — 60%
- 2010s — 20%
- Under 200 — 20%
- Over 500 — 20%
- Rereads — 40%
- Animals — 100% ☑️
- Fantastical creatures — 100% ☑️
- Book buying — 50%
Australian Authors — 60%
Read a book from each of five different Australian authors. There are a stack of good Australian authors to choose from too.
- Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty (2018)
- A Room Made of Leaves by Kate Grenville (2020)
- The Rat Catcher: A Love Story by Kim Kelly (2022)
New-to-me Authors — 60%
Read five authors that you’ve never read from before.
- A Room Made of Leaves by Kate Grenville (2020)
- The Rat Catcher: A Love Story by Kim Kelly (2022)
- White Noise by Don DeLillo (1985)
Book twos — 20%
Read five books that are the second in a series, excluding second books from duologies.
- A Hat Full of Sky (Tiffany Aching #2) by Terry Pratchett (2004)
Series start — 40%
Start five series.
- The Wee Free Men (Tiffany Aching #1) by Terry Pratchett (2003)
- The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 (Adrian Mole #1) by Sue Townsend (1982)
Series end — 20%
Finish five series.
- Leviathan Falls (The Expanse #9) by James S. A. Corey (2021)
Neglected Genre 1: Historical — 40%
Pick a genre you have been neglecting or don’t read much from, and read five books from that genre.
- A Room Made of Leaves by Kate Grenville (2020)
- The Rat Catcher: A Love Story by Kim Kelly (2022)
Neglected Genre 2: Horror — 20%
Pick a second genre you have been neglecting, and read five books from it.
- Rouge by Mona Awad (2023)
Genre exploration: SFF — 20%
Pick a favourite genre and read a book from each of five different subgenres.
- Space Opera – Leviathan Falls (The Expanse #9) by James S. A. Corey (2021)
Favourite subgenre: Literary Fiction — 40%
Pick a favourite subgenre and read five books from it.
- Rouge by Mona Awad (2023)
- White Noise by Don DeLillo (1985)
Locus Awards Top 5 — 80%
Read five books from the Locus awards top five, from any year. You can see all of the years and the places here. https://www.sfadb.com/Locus_Awards_All_Nominees
- Leviathan Falls (The Expanse #9) by James S. A. Corey (2021) – 2022 – 3rd
- The Wee Free Men (Tiffany Aching #1) by Terry Pratchett (2003) – young adult book 2004 – winner
- A Hat Full of Sky (Tiffany Aching #2) by Terry Pratchett (2004) – young adult book 2005 – winner
- Wintersmith (Tiffany Aching #3) by Terry Pratchett (2007) – 2007 young adult book – winner
1980s — 40%
Read five books published in the 1980s.
- White Noise by Don DeLillo (1985)
- The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 (Adrian Mole #1) by Sue Townsend (1982)
2000s — 60%
Read five books published in the 2000s.
- The Wee Free Men (Tiffany Aching #1) by Terry Pratchett (2003)
- A Hat Full of Sky (Tiffany Aching #2) by Terry Pratchett (2004)
- Wintersmith (Tiffany Aching #3) by Terry Pratchett (2007)
2010s — 20%
Read five books published in the 2010s.
- Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty (2018)
Under 200 — 20%
Read five books under 200 pages.
- The Rat Catcher: A Love Story by Kim Kelly (2022)
Over 500 — 20%
Read five books over 500 pages.
- Leviathan Falls (The Expanse #9) by James S. A. Corey (2021)
Rereads — 40%
Reread five books.
- Rouge by Mona Awad (2023)
- The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 (Adrian Mole #1) by Sue Townsend (1982)
Animals — 100% ☑️
Read five books that each feature one of five different animals. The animal doesn’t have to be a main character or an animal companion; it just needs to be a significant part of the book. For example, if the book has a lot of travelling via horse, then that counts.
- Rat (Old Scratch) – The Rat Catcher: A Love Story by Kim Kelly (2022)
- Sheep – The Wee Free Men (Tiffany Aching #1) by Terry Pratchett (2003)
- Goats – A Hat Full of Sky (Tiffany Aching #2) by Terry Pratchett (2004)
- Dog (‘the dog’) – The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 (Adrian Mole #1) by Sue Townsend (1982)
- Also, Muskocka is a dog analogue in Leviathan Falls (The Expanse #9) by James S. A. Corey (2021)
- Cat (You) – Wintersmith (Tiffany Aching #2) by Terry Pratchett (2007)
- Also Angelica, (her Mum’s cat) in Rouge by Mona Awad (2023)
Fantastical creatures — 100% ☑️
Read either five books that each feature one of five different fantastical creatures OR read five books that all feature a single fantastical creature. Examples of creatures include dragon, centaur, unicorn, selkie, mermaid, vampire, and shape shifter.
- Soul Jellyfish (also Vampires) – Rouge by Mona Awad (2023)
- Nac Mac Feegle – The Wee Free Men (Tiffany Aching #2) by Terry Pratchett (2003)
- The Hiver – A Hat Full of Sky (Tiffany Aching #2) by Terry Pratchett (2004)
- Elementals (Wintersmith/Summer Lady) – Wintersmith (Tiffany Aching #3) by Terry Pratchett (2007)
- Mysterious aliens (also whatever Duarte/Amos/the kids are) – Leviathan Falls (The Expanse #9) by James S. A. Corey (2021)
Book buying — 50%
Don’t buy any books for five months in 2026. These do not need to be consecutive months
- January
- March
![Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir 4/5 stars [The Locked Tomb #1]. I didn’t think this would be for me, and yet... against all the odds (tone, style, characters) ... I LOVED IT?! A surprisingly challenging novel that I already plan to re-read in print.](https://thewallflowerdigest.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/gideon-1-600x600.png)
You’ve made some great progress!
Ideas for Australian authors that aren’t historical fiction:
– Trudi Canavan (fantasy; easy to find at the library in the UK; Black Magician trilogy is a good place to start but her best is the Age of Five trilogy)
– Charlotte McConaghy (literary fiction; Once There Were Wolves, set in Scotland, is good; I have The Last Migration (aka Migrations), and Wild Dark Shore on my shelves waiting to get to them – friends have told me these are both excellent)
– Jane Harper (mystery/thriller; I’d recommend picking up The Dry or The Lost Man)
– Joan Lindsey (mystery; Picnic at Hanging Rock)
Ideas for NZ authors:
– David Hair (fantasy; Tethered Citadel and Talmont trilogies are both good and the books not that long, but if you picked up Moontide you’d also hit your over 500 pages square)
– Phillip Mann (science fiction; I’ve enjoyed everything of his that I have read so far)
– Elizabeth Knox (wide variety of genres, so far I’ve read just her sci-fi horror Wake, but I have several others on my shelves)
– HG Parry (fantasy)
– Nikki Crutchley (mystery/thriller; To the Sea had the most harrowing intro ever, and was a fascinating story of a cult-like family)
– Michelle Holman (romance of the uncommon kind; Bonkers and Divine are both fun reads)
Thanks for these lists!
Picnic at Handing Rock is top of my list at the moment! And I have Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose.
Charlotte McConaghy sounds great though and I can get all her books from the library! They don’t have her listed as an Australian author in the catalogue though!
NZ I might go for The Bone People by Keri Hulme, apparently it was the first NZ novel to win The Booker, which also means plenty of second hand copies about! Though everyone describes it as a harrowing read, with very intense subject matter so I don’t think it’ll be “fun” 😅
And I have a couple of contemporary lit fic I got last year (Catherine Chigley and Eleanor Catton).
For my 5th I may try to look for something lighter and more fun! I’ll check out Michelle Holman
I have a copy of The Bone People, but I confess I’ve not yet been drawn to pick it up. One day. So it’ll be interesting to see your thoughts – maybe it will prompt me to pick it up sooner rather than later.
I’ve read one Chidgey (The Axeman’s Carnival) and attempted to read one Catton (Birnam Wood). I’ll look forward to seeing what you choose to read from them and what you think of the books.