Have you read something that you really enjoyed and want to give others a reason to try it out because it fits a square? Want to solicit help finding things to read that fit squares? This is a great place to do that.
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2A Independent Author: Read a work self-published by the author. Any work later published though a conventional publishing house doesn’t count unless you are reading it before the switch, and its rerelease date is after April 30th, 2026. HARD MODE: Not published via Amazon Kindle Direct.
My card: Michelle West - Wild Road (est. releasing this month to Patreon backers)
Questions, Complaints, Whines, General Commentary, Shitposting…
I’ve just seen the Storygraph challenge - that makes it easier to keep track, thanks! However I noticed that the announcement and card link are the ones from 2024 so you’re aware :)
Thanks! I knew I was missing some update somewhere. Should be fixed now.
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Because you haven’t fully embraced your book-dragonhood? Build that hoard! :)
Just like last year, we’ve pre-seeded the Storygraph challenge with ~500 (mostly fiction) books from various genres, if you’re looking for ideas (no account required to browse!).
ETA: The returning categories have different book suggestions from last year, so for even more ideas for those squares, check last year’s Storygraph, too.
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3E Saddle Up: The narrative revolves around someone whose identity is tied to being a rider of something, such as a horse, dragon, or motorcycle. HARD MODE: The ridden creature/object is treated as a character in its own right.
Suggestion: Anne McCaffrey - Dragonriders of Pern; Mercedes Lackey’s Dragon Jousters series or any of the Heralds books from Valdemar; Rebecca Yarros - Fourth Wing
My card: using the first suggestion for this square, Naomi Novik - His Majesty’s Dragon
The Temeraire series by Naomi Novik is a bunch of fun if you’re attracted to the idea of what if they had an air force in the Napoleonic Wars, and oh yeah, they are dragons.
3A Based on Folklore: The narrative must be based on a real world piece of folklore. Folklore encompasses fairy tales, fables, myths, and legends. HARD MODE: Non-European folklore.
My card: Katherine Arden - The Bear and the Nightingale
1E Now a Major Motion Picture: The work has been adapted into a show or single episode, movie, play, audio drama, or other format. HARD MODE: Watch or listen to the adaptation as well (rewatches are ok!).
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Suggestion: virtually anything by Jane Austen (so many movies/shows/plays); Gary K. Wolf - Who Censored Roger Rabbit? (warning: not nearly as much fun as the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit?)
My card: Jane Austen - Persuasion
5C Late to the Party: Apparently this is a really popular work, you just haven’t gotten around to it yet. Read a book that you have seen recommended over and over. HARD MODE: Not Harry Potter.
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My card: Robert Jordan - The Eye of the World
3D LGBTQIA+ Lead: A main character identifies as LGBTQIA+. HARD MODE: Includes a significant romantic relationship between characters that identify as LGBTQIA+.
Suggestion: any LGBTQIA+ romance, such as TJ Klune - Under the Whispering Door (or pretty much any other book by this author)
My card: TJ Klune - Wolfsong
2D Short and Sweet: Read a individual piece of work under 170 pages or 40,000 words. HARD MODE: Read a collection of this type of short work.
1066 and All That: A Memorable History of England, Comprising All the Parts You Can Remember, Including 103 Good Things, 5 Bad Kings and 2 Genuine Dates – Sellar, Yeatman, and Reynolds.
Worth all of its 116 pages. (Also valid for 1A, but I have other plans for that square.)
Suggestion: any anthology, especially any edited by Ellen Datlow (books span multiple genres)
My card: Ellen Datlow, ed. - Mad Hatters and March Hares
5B Political: Political movements are a major driver of the work. HARD MODE: From the perspective of machinations in the background, outside the typical positions of power or major government.
The Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa (who passed away a couple of weeks ago)
Suggestion: Jacqueline Carey - Kushiel’s Dart; John Brunner - The Squares of the City
My card: Cassandra Rose Clarke - Our Lady of the Ice
1B Author from a Different Continent: The author(s) resides on a different continent than you do. HARD MODE: The work required translation to be published in your native language.
Suggestion: Dante Alighieri - The Divine Comedy
My card: Kobo Abe - The Woman in the Dunes
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4C Judge a Book by Its Cover: Chosen because you like its cover (or cover analogue). HARD MODE: Picked using only the information available on the front cover.
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Suggestion: John Wiswell - Someone You Can Build a Nest In
My card: Paolo Bacigalupi, Tobias S. Buckell - The Tangled Lands
2C Orange Crush: The title, a prominent element of the cover, or the narrative involves some form of orange (color, word, or fruit). HARD MODE: The work you chose uses multiple types of orange features.
Suggestion: Samantha Shannon - The Priory of the Orange Tree; Anthony Burgess - A Clockwork Orange
My card: Jostein Gaarder - The Orange Girl
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I looked at this book before, what did you think of it? My brother in law makes wine, and I’ve considered doing it, but I’m more interested in fermentation for foods.
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I would not have considered fermenting acorns. Time to run out and buy a new book…
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4A New Release: New for 2025/2026 (no reprints or new editions). First translations into your language of choice are allowed. HARD MODE: This is the first work you’ve read by this author.
My card: Shalini Abeysekara - This Monster of Mine
The final book of the Fred the Vampire Accountant series by Drew Hayes was supposed to come out last year but was delayed so I’m looking forward to reading that
1C Featured Creature: A sentient non-humanoid is the primary PoV, or a non-humanoid creature holds such a prominent role that the work would be completely different without them. Examples: Call of the Wild by Jack London or Old Yeller by Fred Gipson. HARD MODE: Not a sci-fi/fantasy creature.
Suggestion: Richard Adams - Watership Down; Richard Adams - The Plague Dogs; Kenneth Grahame - The Wind in the Willows
My card: Richard Adams - Shardik
Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton was a fun take on an apocalypse book, from the perspective of the animals that are left behind. So my plan is to slot the sequel Feral Creatures in here.
