It’s time for a Q3 progress review on Nic’s (Dragon Rambles) Law of Fives reading bingo challenge!

I’ve now read 40 books for this challenge, with most of them counting for 2 or 3 categories. That is 19 audiobooks and 21 print books. I’ve filled 14 squares, and I got a BINGO! Five in a row for:

Literary fiction
Australian authors
Over 500 pages
Fantastic creatures
Published in the 2000s

I’m not going to stop, though, because I think a full house is within reach!! Now we’re a couple of weeks into October (Q4) I’m already close to getting another row done. I think the one that will give me trouble is the last in the series. However, I just finished The Hunger Games on audiobook (and loved it), so as long as I can get Catching Fire and Mockingjay from the library by the end of the year, that should do it (counting the original trilogy, not the new prequels!).

I feel I’ve been on a real reading journey in the last three months! At the end of Q2, I was a way into the Dungeon Crawler Carl audiobooks and still broadly enjoying them, but my interest waned with each new one – each getting longer and longer, accounting for a chunk of the over 500-page books square! – until at book five I realised they’re actually pretty bad and I was wasting my time. I found myself getting more wound up by the lazy, repetitive writing and shallowness of it all.

Possibly my strong rejection of DDC (and shame that I ever thought it was good?) was hastened by the fact that at the same time I’d started to really get into a good rhythm with Philip K. Dick, and Matt Dinnimen does not do well in comparison. PKD is how you write pulp sci-fi that is weird, wacky, genuinely satirical and somehow also embedded with deep philosophical ideas about humanity and reality! Plus they’re all around the 250-page mark. I really enjoyed focusing on reading 5 of his works in a row – they’re not all gold, but they were all very interesting to think about, and I believe they helped me improve my literary analysis skills.

I am moving on to Angela Carter now. I loved re-reading Wise Children, which, as I say in my effusive review, was a formative text for me when I studied it at A Level! I’m partway through The Passion of New Eve, which is only about 200 pages, but I’ve been taking my time to get through it as I’ve not had the focus in the last couple of weeks. Her books are often macabre and tip into Horror territory, as well as being short, so that’ll help with a couple of squares. I also have a few other potential Horror books lined up.

I made great progress with New Zealand authors, who are knocking it out of the park with Literary Fiction; two books that I’ve had on my list for ages and happily did not disappoint. My 6 days in Majorca gave me the time and space to take on The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton (850 pages, thank you!), just brilliant. A disgusting achievement for one so young! Then I got to The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey (more speculative than literary), and also loved it. I could hardly put it down; it’s exactly my kind of thing, and I’m excited to seek out more from her. I plan to read The Bone People by Keri Hulme as my final Kiwi author, and that is also published in the 1980s, a debut and historical (tick, tick tick, tick!). I’m excited and a bit scared to read it because so many reviews say it’s really intense!

In the last couple of weeks, I’ve already finished the Gormenghast trilogy on audio (spoilers for Q4!), which is another masterpiece that I’m looking forward to re-reading next year so I can get better stuck into it. So all in, with the exception of The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow (womp womp), it’s been a fantastic few months of reading!

I’ve updated the list below for everything I’ve read in this challenge, and I’ve added a 🆕 emoji for everything I’ve read in Q3.

Featured Author 1: Philip K. Dick — 100% ☑️

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? By Philip K. Dick (1968)
🆕 Dr. Bloodmoney, Or How We Got Along After the Bomb by Philip K Dick (1965)
🆕 Ubik by Philip K. Dick (1969)
🆕 Flow My Tears the Policeman Said by Philip K Dick (1974)
🆕 The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K Dick (1965)

Featured Author 2: Angela Carter — 20%

🆕 Wise Children by Angela Carter (1991)

New Zealand Authors — 80%

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

Gideon The Ninth (The Locked Tomb #1) by Tamsyn Muir (2019)
Isobar Precinct by Angelique Kasmara (2012)
🆕 The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton (2013)
🆕 The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey (2025)

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.

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)
🆕 The Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose (2018)
🆕 Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay (1967)

New-to-me Authors — 220% ☑️

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)
Gideon The Ninth (The Locked Tomb #1) by Tamsyn Muir (2019)
Isobar Precinct by Angelique Kasmara (2012)
Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl #1) by Matt Dinniman (2020)
Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay (1967)
The Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose (2018)
🆕 The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow (2025)
🆕 The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton (2013)
🆕 The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey (2025)

Five Book Series — 200% ☑️

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

🆕 Tiffany Aching
🆕 Adrian Mole

Book twos — 80%

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

Series start — 100% ☑️

Start five series.

Series end — 60%

Finish five series.

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

Debuts — 60%

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.

Gideon The Ninth (The Locked Tomb #1) by Tamsyn Muir (2019)
Isobar Precinct by Angelique Kasmara (2012)
🆕 Titus Groan (Gormenghast #1) by Mervyn Peake (1946)

Neglected Genre 1: Historical — 80%

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)
Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay (1967)
🆕 The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton (2013)

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 — 100% ☑️

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)
Space Fantasy – Gideon The Ninth (The Locked Tomb #1) by Tamsyn Muir (2019)
LitRPG – Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl #1) by Matt Dinniman (2020)
Dystopic Earth – Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? By Philip K. Dick (1968)
🆕 Alternate history – The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey (2025)

Favourite subgenre: Literary Fiction — 100% ☑️

Pick a favourite subgenre and read five books from it.

Rouge by Mona Awad (2023)
White Noise by Don DeLillo (1985)
Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay (1967)
🆕 The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton (2013)
🆕 Wise Children by Angela Carter (1991)

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

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
Gideon The Ninth (The Locked Tomb #1) by Tamsyn Muir (2019) – winner first novel 2020
Harrow The Ninth (The Locked Tomb #2) by Tamsyn Muir (2020) – 3rd fantasy novel 2021
Nona the Ninth (The Locked Tomb #3) by Tamsyn Muir (2022) – 3rd fantasy novel 2023

1980s — 80%

Read five books published in the 1980s.

1990s — 80%

Read five books published in the 1990s.

2000s — 100% ☑️

Read five books published in the 2000s.

2010s — 120% ☑️

Read five books published in the 2010s.

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty (2018)
I Shall Wear Midnight (Tiffany Aching #4) by Terry Pratchett (2010)
The Shepherd’s Crown (Tiffany Aching #5) by Terry Pratchett (2015)
The Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose (2018)
Isobar Precinct by Angelique Kasmara (2012)
🆕 The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton (2013)

Under 200 — 80%

Read five books under 200 pages.

Over 500 — 120% ☑️

Read five books over 500 pages.

Leviathan Falls (The Expanse #9) by James S. A. Corey (2021)
Harrow The Ninth (The Locked Tomb #2) by Tamsyn Muir (2020)
The Dungeon Anarchists Cookbook (Dungeon Crawler Carl #3) by Matt Dinniman (2021)
🆕 The Gate of the Feral Gods (Dungeon Crawler Carl #4) by Matt Dinniman (2021)
🆕 The Butcher’s Masquerade (Dungeon Crawler Carl #5) by Matt Dinniman (2022)
🆕 The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton (2013)

Rereads — 200% ☑️

Reread five books.

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)
- Also Princess Donut in Dungeon 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.

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)
Bone constructs – Gideon The Ninth (The Locked Tomb #1) by Tamsyn Muir (2019)
The Cunning Man – I Shall Wear Midnight (Tiffany Aching #4) by Terry Pratchett (2010)
Mongo the baby dino – Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl #1) by Matt Dinniman (2020)
Electric animals/Androids – Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? By Philip K. Dick (1968)

Book buying — 80%

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

January
March
July
August

Nic

October 22, 2026, 9:14 pm

Wow, you are smashing this! You are so close to a blackout. I’ll be over here cheering you on.

My year of reading hasn’t gone to plan, mostly because my year hasn’t. So I have no hope of getting a blackout. It didn’t help that I fell down a rabbit hole by reading Sheepfarmer’s Daughter by Elizabeth Moon. I just had to go on and read the rest of the trilogy, then the prequel duology, and now I’m reading the first of the sequel series of 5 books and will probably pick up one or two more before the end of the year. I am putting featured authors back on the bingo board for next year though, so at least I get another chance there 🙂

It was interesting to hear about your reading journey this quarter. I must admit I was initially surprised that you seemed to be a fan of DCC. So it’s particularly interesting to read your thoughts on that series. Though maybe it’s less that you thought they were good and just that you felt they were the right sort of entertainment for what you needed at the time? I’ve enjoyed plenty of trashy books that aren’t great (though possibly better written based on your points) but they were what I needed at the time. I’ve even pulled some out and reread them when I was in the right mood for them.

It’s funny the direction you took with NZ authors. I think mine has been slanted towards crime – we have a lot of crime writers here. And if I manage to get a slice of time this coming weekend when I’m not working, I’ll try and take the time to write a post about a side challenge I have set for myself to do with NZ authors.

I haven’t read Bone People yet. It’s been sitting on my shelves for a few years but I just haven’t been in the mood. One day. I’ll look forward to seeing what you think of it.
I have attempted Eleanor Catton, but her more recent Birnham Wood which put me off her. Sounds like I started in the wrong place.
I’ve only read one Chidgey, The Axeman’s Carnival. The ending rather let it down, but overall it was a good book. Though the underlying metaphor that I thought was being used, which made me appreciate the book more, turns out not to at all be what the author intended. What she said the book was supposed to represent actually made me think the book was a bit of a fail.

3 Comments

Nic
October 22, 2026, 9:14 pm
Wow, you are smashing this! You are so close to a blackout. I’ll be over here cheering you on.
My year of reading hasn’t gone to plan, mostly because my year hasn’t. So I have no hope of getting a blackout. It didn’t help that I fell down a rabbit hole by reading Sheepfarmer’s Daughter by Elizabeth Moon. I just had to go on and read the rest of the trilogy, then the prequel duology, and now I’m reading the first of the sequel series of 5 books and will probably pick up one or two more before the end of the year. I am putting featured authors back on the bingo board for next year though, so at least I get another chance there 🙂
It was interesting to hear about your reading journey this quarter. I must admit I was initially surprised that you seemed to be a fan of DCC. So it’s particularly interesting to read your thoughts on that series. Though maybe it’s less that you thought they were good and just that you felt they were the right sort of entertainment for what you needed at the time? I’ve enjoyed plenty of trashy books that aren’t great (though possibly better written based on your points) but they were what I needed at the time. I’ve even pulled some out and reread them when I was in the right mood for them.
It’s funny the direction you took with NZ authors. I think mine has been slanted towards crime – we have a lot of crime writers here. And if I manage to get a slice of time this coming weekend when I’m not working, I’ll try and take the time to write a post about a side challenge I have set for myself to do with NZ authors.
I haven’t read Bone People yet. It’s been sitting on my shelves for a few years but I just haven’t been in the mood. One day. I’ll look forward to seeing what you think of it.
I have attempted Eleanor Catton, but her more recent Birnham Wood which put me off her. Sounds like I started in the wrong place.
I’ve only read one Chidgey, The Axeman’s Carnival. The ending rather let it down, but overall it was a good book. Though the underlying metaphor that I thought was being used, which made me appreciate the book more, turns out not to at all be what the author intended. What she said the book was supposed to represent actually made me think the book was a bit of a fail.
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- Alice
  October 26, 2026, 8:00 pm
  Thanks, Nic! I would not have got this far without audiobooks; those account for most of what I’ve managed to get through. I’m glad you found a series that you’ve been enjoying! I’ve just done that with The Hunger Games (I am very impatient to get the next book now), but luckily it’s also exactly what I need to finish my bingo with a full house!
  DDC was definitely hitting the spot at the time; I think the length of the series and the growing length of each book had just gotten sloppier and more bloated. I might re-listen to them one day; maybe just the first few, though! Like you say, this sort of thing does have it’s place in the right moment. And I did/do love Princess Donut!
  I think there are a lot of crime writers in general everywhere! I don’t think I’ve read any straight crime/thrillers this year, though I read quite a lot last year! I am a Lit Fic girl so I will usually go to that first; most were already on my radar (and already owned), and I didn’t realise they were NZ authors! I have Birnham Wood, but the premise has not really drawn me in to actually pick it up. Now, after finding Luminaries so conceptually interesting, I think I’ll try to read it next year. The Rehearsal sounds most intriguing, though, I think.
  I’m interested in what your side challenge is, so I do hope you post about it!
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  - Nic
    October 27, 2026, 12:16 am
    It’s even better when a challenge can help us to pick up books we already own. I’m glad this one did that for you
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Q3 2026 Law of Five Reading Bingo Progress – BINGO!