It’s time for a Q2 progress review on Nic’s (Dragon Rambles) Law of Fives reading bingo challenge!

I’ve now read 29 books for this challenge, with most of them counting for 2 or 3 categories. That is 16 audiobooks and 13 print books. I’ve filled 8 squares, though none of them in a line for Bingo!

I’ve now read 5 Australian authors, three of which were Historical novels. I didn’t plan it that way, but it was more of a coincidence that there was a lot of overlap in what my library offered in audiobooks. I do find the history of the Australian colonies fascinating though, so I’m happy about that even if I didn’t love all the books. I had some bad luck with this square; I had a couple of disappointments, but I loved The Rat Catcher so that made up for them!

The Kiwi authors are doing much better so far, probably helped by overlap in my more favoured genres! I became fully obsessed with The Locked Tomb series, and Isobar Precinct was a very interesting debut novel I found through my library. I have some long-anticipated reads to make up the 3 more I need.

I finished the Tiffany Aching series and my reread of the Adrian Mole series, so I’m 200% for the 5 book series square. Loved both of those, and they both had me feeling very sad for a while that their authors died too soon and we had to say goodbye to characters who felt like friends, and who could have gone on for decades more.

I have felt a bit marooned out in Series Land though for Q1-2. I’m not typically a series reader, so it’s felt strange to be stuck in just a couple of worlds for so long. I’m now getting back to ‘normal service’ with some good old standalone lit. Though with the audio format I’ve now found myself in Dungeon Crawler Carl’s world… I honestly didn’t think I’d like it, but they’re fun, and most of them are more than 500 pages so they can do me a favour on that tricky square!

In Q3 I’m planning to focus on Philip K. Dick for a while; I’m excited for that as I had so much fun rereading Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Then I need to get into Angela Carter, who will also help me out on the Horror and Literary Fiction squares.

At this stage the only square I’m concerned about is managing 3 more non-book buying months! Otherwise a full house is looking possible…

I’ve really been loving this reading challenge this year! It was fun to plan, and it’s nice to have a loose kind of focus to my reading. I also love my spreadsheet! I’m already thinking what I might like to do next year; I might take Nic’s format but mix it up a bit to suit my own reading goals. I’ve got 6 more months to plan that!

I’ve added a 🆕 emoji for everything I’ve read in Q2.

Featured Author 1: Philip K. Dick — 20%

1. 🆕 Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? By Philip K. Dick (1968)

New Zealand Authors — 40%

Read a book from each of five different New Zealand authors.

1. 🆕 Gideon The Ninth (The Locked Tomb #1) by Tamsyn Muir (2019)
2. 🆕 Isobar Precinct by Angelique Kasmara (2012)

Australian Authors — 100% ☑️

Read a book from each of five different Australian authors. There are a stack of good Australian authors to choose from too.

1. Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty (2018)
2. A Room Made of Leaves by Kate Grenville (2020)
3. The Rat Catcher: A Love Story by Kim Kelly (2022)
4. 🆕 The Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose (2018)
5. 🆕 Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay (1967)

New-to-me Authors — 180% ☑️

Read five authors that you’ve never read from before.

1. A Room Made of Leaves by Kate Grenville (2020)
2. The Rat Catcher: A Love Story by Kim Kelly (2022)
3. White Noise by Don DeLillo (1985)
4. 🆕 Gideon The Ninth (The Locked Tomb #1) by Tamsyn Muir (2019)
5. 🆕 Isobar Precinct by Angelique Kasmara (2012)
6. 🆕 Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl #1) by Matt Dinniman (2020)
7. 🆕 Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay (1967)
8. 🆕 The Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose (2018)

Five Book Series — 200% ☑️

Read a complete five-book series or read five books from a longer series.

1. 🆕 Tiffany Aching
2. 🆕 Adrian Mole

Book twos — 80%

Read five books that are the second in a series, excluding second books from duologies.

1. A Hat Full of Sky (Tiffany Aching #2) by Terry Pratchett (2004)
2. 🆕 The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole (Adrian Mole #2) by Sue Townsend (1984)
3. 🆕 Harrow The Ninth (The Locked Tomb #2) by Tamsyn Muir (2020)
4. 🆕 Carl’s Doomsday Scenario (Dungeon Crawler Carl #2) by Matt Dinniman (2021)

Series start — 80%

Start five series.

1. The Wee Free Men (Tiffany Aching #1) by Terry Pratchett (2003)
2. The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 (Adrian Mole #1) by Sue Townsend (1982)
3. 🆕 Gideon The Ninth (The Locked Tomb #1) by Tamsyn Muir (2019)
4. 🆕 Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl #1) by Matt Dinniman (2020)

Series end — 60%

Finish five series.

1. Leviathan Falls (The Expanse #9) by James S. A. Corey (2021)
2. 🆕 The Shepherd’s Crown (Tiffany Aching #5) by Terry Pratchett (2015)
3. 🆕 Adrian Mole: The Prostrate Years (Adrian Mole #7) by Sue Townsend (2009)

Debuts — 40%

Read five debut novels. These don’t need to be 2026 debuts, and they can be from the backlist of authors that you have read from before.

1. 🆕 Gideon The Ninth (The Locked Tomb #1) by Tamsyn Muir (2019)
2. 🆕 Isobar Precinct by Angelique Kasmara (2012)

Neglected Genre 1: Historical — 60%

Pick a genre you have been neglecting or don’t read much from, and read five books from that genre.

1. A Room Made of Leaves by Kate Grenville (2020)
2. The Rat Catcher: A Love Story by Kim Kelly (2022)
3. 🆕 Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay (1967)

Neglected Genre 2: Horror — 20%

Pick a second genre you have been neglecting, and read five books from it.

1. Rouge by Mona Awad (2023)

Genre exploration: SFF — 80%

Pick a favourite genre and read a book from each of five different subgenres.

1. Space Opera – Leviathan Falls (The Expanse #9) by James S. A. Corey (2021)
2. 🆕 Space Fantasy – Gideon The Ninth (The Locked Tomb #1) by Tamsyn Muir (2019)
3. 🆕 LitRPG – Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl #1) by Matt Dinniman (2020)
4. 🆕 Dystopic Earth – Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? By Philip K. Dick (1968)

Favourite subgenre: Literary Fiction — 60%

Pick a favourite subgenre and read five books from it.

1. Rouge by Mona Awad (2023)
2. White Noise by Don DeLillo (1985)
3. 🆕 Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay (1967)

Locus Awards Top 5 — 140% ☑️

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

1. Leviathan Falls (The Expanse #9) by James S. A. Corey (2021) – 2022 – 3rd
2. The Wee Free Men (Tiffany Aching #1) by Terry Pratchett (2003) – young adult book 2004 – winner
3. A Hat Full of Sky (Tiffany Aching #2) by Terry Pratchett (2004) – young adult book 2005 – winner
4. Wintersmith (Tiffany Aching #3) by Terry Pratchett (2007) – 2007 young adult book – winner
5. 🆕 Gideon The Ninth (The Locked Tomb #1) by Tamsyn Muir (2019) – winner first novel 2020
6. 🆕 Harrow The Ninth (The Locked Tomb #2) by Tamsyn Muir (2020) – 3rd fantasy novel 2021
7. 🆕 Nona the Ninth (The Locked Tomb #3) by Tamsyn Muir (2022) – 3rd fantasy novel 2023

1980s — 80%

Read five books published in the 1980s.

1. White Noise by Don DeLillo (1985)
2. The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 (Adrian Mole #1) by Sue Townsend (1982)
3. 🆕 The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole (Adrian Mole#2) by Sue Townsend (1984)
4. 🆕 True Confessions of Adrian Albert Mole (Adrian Mole #3) by Sue Townsend (1989)

1990s — 60%

Read five books published in the 1990s.

1. 🆕 Adrian Mole and the Small Amphibians (Adrian Mole #3.5) by Sue Townsend (1991)
2. 🆕 Adrian Mole: The Wilderness Years (Adrian Mole #4) by Sue Townsend (1993)
3. 🆕 Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years (Adrian Mole #5) by Sue Townsend (1999)

2000s — 100% ☑️

Read five books published in the 2000s.

1. The Wee Free Men (Tiffany Aching #1) by Terry Pratchett (2003) 
2. A Hat Full of Sky (Tiffany Aching #2) by Terry Pratchett (2004) 
3. Wintersmith (Tiffany Aching #3) by Terry Pratchett (2007)
4. 🆕 Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction (Adrian Mole #6) by Sue Townsend (2004)
5. 🆕 Adrian Mole: The Prostrate Years (Adrian Mole #7) by Sue Townsend (2009)

2010s — 80%

Read five books published in the 2010s.

1. Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty (2018)
2. 🆕 I Shall Wear Midnight (Tiffany Aching #4) by Terry Pratchett (2010)
3. 🆕 The Shepherd’s Crown (Tiffany Aching #5) by Terry Pratchett (2015)
4. 🆕 The Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose (2018)

Under 200 — 80%

Read five books under 200 pages.

1. The Rat Catcher: A Love Story by Kim Kelly (2022)
2. 🆕 True Confessions of Adrian Albert Mole (Adrian Mole #3) by Sue Townsend (1989)
3. 🆕 Adrian Mole and the Small Amphibians (Adrian Mole #3.5) by Sue Townsend (1991)
4. 🆕 Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay (1967)

Over 500 — 60%

Read five books over 500 pages.

1. Leviathan Falls (The Expanse #9) by James S. A. Corey (2021)
2. 🆕 Harrow The Ninth (The Locked Tomb #2) by Tamsyn Muir (2020)
3. 🆕 The Dungeon Anarchists Cookbook (Dungeon Crawler Carl #3) by Matt Dinniman (2021)

Rereads — 160% ☑️

Reread five books.

1. Rouge by Mona Awad (2023)
2. The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 (Adrian Mole #1) by Sue Townsend (1982)
3. 🆕 The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole (Adrian Mole #2) by Sue Townsend (1984)
4. 🆕 True Confessions of Adrian Albert Mole (Adrian Mole #3) by Sue Townsend (1989)
5. 🆕 Adrian Mole: The Wilderness Years (Adrian Mole #4) by Sue Townsend (1993)
6. 🆕 Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years (Adrian Mole #5) by Sue Townsend (1999)
7. 🆕 Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction (Adrian Mole #6) by Sue Townsend (2004)
8. 🆕 Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? By Philip K. Dick (1968)

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.

1. Rat (Old Scratch) – The Rat Catcher: A Love Story by Kim Kelly (2022)
2. Sheep – The Wee Free Men (Tiffany Aching #1) by Terry Pratchett (2003)
3. Goats – A Hat Full of Sky (Tiffany Aching #2) by Terry Pratchett (2004)
4. 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)
5. Cat (You) – Wintersmith (Tiffany Aching #2) by Terry Pratchett (2007)
   • Also Angelica, (her Mum’s cat) in Rouge by Mona Awad (2023)
   • Also Princess Donut in Dugeon Crawler Carl but does she also count as Fantastical because she talks?!

Fantastical creatures — 180% ☑️

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.

1. Soul Jellyfish (also Vampires) – Rouge by Mona Awad (2023)
2. Nac Mac Feegle – The Wee Free Men (Tiffany Aching #2) by Terry Pratchett (2003)
3. The Hiver – A Hat Full of Sky (Tiffany Aching #2) by Terry Pratchett (2004)
4. Elementals (Wintersmith/Summer Lady) – Wintersmith (Tiffany Aching #3) by Terry Pratchett (2007)
5. Mysterious aliens (also whatever Duarte/Amos/the kids are) – Leviathan Falls (The Expanse #9) by James S. A. Corey (2021)
6. 🆕 Bone constructs – Gideon The Ninth (The Locked Tomb #1) by Tamsyn Muir (2019)
7. 🆕 The Cunning Man – I Shall Wear Midnight (Tiffany Aching #4) by Terry Pratchett (2010)
8. 🆕 Mongo the baby dino – Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl #1) by Matt Dinniman (2020)
9. 🆕 Electric animals/Androids – Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? By Philip K. Dick (1968)

Book buying — 50%

Don’t buy any books for five months in 2026. These do not need to be consecutive months

1. January
2. March