Here we go, reading goals for 2026!
| Short story collection | Award winner | Poetry | Nonfiction | Science fiction |
| Debut (YA) | Non-US-based writer | Book in a series | Independent press | Picture book |
| Thriller | Fantasy | Novel (any genre) | JA history (fiction or nonfiction) | Debut (Adult) |
| Comic or graphic novel | Recommended to me | Mystery | Horror | Novel in verse |
| Middle grade | Nikkei writer | Published before 2000 | Biography or memoir | Historical fiction |
I really wasn’t expecting to make bingo this year, but somehow I did. And I mean really wasn’t expecting, as in, I assumed I hadn’t until I looked at my bingo card just now and realized I did. How’s that for a nice holiday surprise?
For those who keep track, I got a diagonal bingo, top left to bottom right. Here are the books:
Adib Khorram and Crystal Maldonado are definitely turning into two of my favorite authors. It’s somewhat unusual for contemporary YA to hold my attention, especially across multiple books from the same author, but I will definitely be keeping up with these two. I also recommend Khorram’s adult romance novels for a definitely-not-YA but equally fun reading experience.
Here are the other books I read toward my bingo card. The order of the books reflects the order going straight down the bingo card, from left to right, row by row, with the 5 bingo books omitted.
I already wrote a separate post about it, but The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones was hands-down the best book I read this year. (I keep accidentally calling it The Buffalo Buffalo Hunter when I recommend it to friends, but I can’t be the only one…) Reasons We Break by Jesmeen Kaur Deo was a close second. It was one of the books that I was super excited to add to my TBR at the time, but, as often happens, I completely forgot about it, read TJ Powar Has Something to Prove by chance, and was happily surprised to realize Reasons We Break was its sequel.
All in all, though I may have barely scraped by with a bingo, I’m pretty satisfied with the reading I did this year. See you in January, by which time I will, of course, have actually made my bingo card for 2026 Reading Goals.
So much for thinking I’d be caught up by now. Next month will be the Reading Goals roundup and then we’re into the new year.
This isn’t even really an oops, to be honest. I’m reading a book that I intend to write about on here, but haven’t had the time to finish it yet.
See you next month (hopefully)!
It’s been a busy month! Back in August.
Here are my reading goals for 2025.
| Poetry | Nikkei author | Independent press | Horror | Award winner |
| Biography or memoir | Young adult (any genre) | Historical fiction | Novella | Non-US-based writer |
| Picture book | SFF | Novel (any genre) | Comic or graphic novel | Anthology |
| Nonfiction | Short story collection | Published before 2000 | Romance | Novel in verse |
| Debut novel (any year) | Book in a series | Translated work | JA history (fiction or nonfiction) | Middle grade (any genre) |
Below are my reading goals results for 2024. Hope everyone had an excellent year in books.
| The Truth of the Aleke | Lunar New Year Love Story | While You Were Dreaming | The Lagos Wife | The Fisher Boy |
| Waverider | Numamushi | Before the Ships | Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors | The Wishing Pool and Other Stories |
| Independent press | Horror | Moon of the Crusted Snow | Boys of the Beast | Published before 2000 |
| Fake Dates and Mooncakes | Shima | Anthology | Novel-in-verse | Bilingual work |
| Historical fiction | The Drone Eats with Me | SFF novel | Translated work | Biography or memoir |
I’m pleased to announce I got bingo in the top two horizontal rows, books listed below in left-to-right order by row:
Happy 2024!
Hoping to hit some professional milestones this year in addition to these reading goals. Best of luck to those of you who are also hoping to grow professionally.
As always, all books in the running are written by authors of color, indigenous authors, or occasionally white Latinx authors.
| Novella | Comic or graphic novel | YA or MG | Mystery or thriller | Nikkei author |
| Book in a series | Non-US-based author | Picture book | Romance | Short story collection |
| Independent press | Horror | Novel (any genre) | Award winner | Published before 2000 |
| Debut novel (any year) | Poetry | Anthology | Novel in verse | Bilingual book |
| Historical fiction | Nonfiction | SFF novel | Translated work | Biography or memoir |
I’ve been thinking I should revamp this Reading Goals series somehow, but haven’t quite decided on the specifics. In the meantime, here are my results for 2023.
| More Than Just a Pretty Face | Measuring Up | My Name is Seepeetza | Summer Bird Blue | Shutter |
| Short story collection | SFF novel | Bilingual book | In Limbo | They Call Me Guero |
| Translated work | Those Who Helped Us | Lone Women | Hope’s Path to Glory | Taaqtumi |
| The Lies of the Ajungo | Body of Empire | Windmaker, vol. 2 | Tokyo Night Parade | Cradle and Grave |
| Published before 2000 | Your Emergency Contact Has Experienced An Emergency | Jackal | Starfish | Aarti and the Blue Gods |
Titles listed in the order they appear in the table, left to right, top to bottom:
Happy New Year! Below is my reading goals bingo for 2023.
| Romance | Graphic novel | Award winner | YA novel | Debut (any year) |
| Short story collection | SFF novel | Bilingual book | Memoir or biography | Novel in verse |
| Translated work | Independent press | Novel (any genre) | Historical fiction | Anthology |
| Novella | Academic work | Book in a series | Picture book | Non-US-based writer |
| Published before 2000 | Poetry | Horror | Nikkei writer | MG novel |
NICOLE NOGI 
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