Hi friends!

My library's summer reading bingo just dropped and I need help with a few prompts! Some of them are a little tricky. Since this is a summer challenge and I can't read that many books per month, I'm looking for books that are maybe on the shorter side? I'm thinking that will be easier. I can technically use one book for up to 2 prompts so if you know of a book that hits multiple please let me know!

I primarily read fantasy, sci-fi, horror, etc. Basically not much contemporary!

Here's the prompts I'm sorta stuck on: A book someone recommended to you (Luckily anything you all suggest will fit this one!) MC is the same age as you (I'm 32 but I'm thinking anything close would count? Also my aunt who is doing this with me need someone who is 51 ish. Similar genres but she'll read contemp romance too!) Make a recipe from a cook book (I have no clue for this one!) MC is neurodivergent Winter themed book Spin wheel and read non-fic category (I have to go into the library and spin a wheel but if you have short non-fics please recommend those! Not memoirs though, I won't read them.) Title has 5 words Classic published before 1900 Book with multiple timelines

A couple of mine:

1. Historical polar exploration horror
2. Queer botanical horror with an older protagonist

My husband and I are the classic "gamer boy, reader girl" pairing, but he's started reading a chapter or two with me before bed. Mr. Birch about to finish his current read and doesn't know what to pick up next. (I read mysteries and romances, so I'm no help whatsoever... as you'll see from the lists below.) What would you recommend? He plays action and massive multiplay online RPGs too. Thank you so much!

Books he's read and enjoyed (last three suggested by me, yay!): Dune by Frank Herbert Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card The Expanse series by James S.A. Corey Harry Potter series by You Know Who Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Books he disliked and/or DNFed (all three suggested by me, ouch!): The Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells Ready Player One by Ernest Cline Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

P.S. It's late here in Europe, so I won't be able to respond to comments until tomorrow morning.

just curious to kind of survey people: does anyone have a particular preference for books of a certain length? i’ve realised that i generally feel more drawn towards books on the short (<300 pages) side, and im curious about people’s different preferences and why!

personally i like reading books that don’t have a ton of worldbuilding or plot and instead are more on the character-based or even experimental side, and those tend to be much more effective when short, but i’m curious how other people feel.

i remember someone saying about film that films under 100 minutes tend to be easier to like because of their brevity, and films over 180 minutes are easier to admire because of their ambition, but films in the middle really have to work to stand out and honestly i find that rings true not just in film but in books too! most of the doorstoppers i’ve read, i really enjoyed, whereas books between 350-500 pages are more hit or miss. but curious how others feel!

Do you ever feel like you're on a reality TV show when you're posting in a book forum?

You know how they make it seem like they are reacting in the moment to a situation, but actually they have filmed their little interview parts later but have been told to speak in present tense as if they are reacting live? (It took me a long time to realise this is how it works, and they didn't just stop what they were doing, get changed and get interviewed before going right back to the competition).

Sometimes when I respond to comments in a book forum, in order to avoid giving spoilers, I feel like I am on a reality TV show where I have to put myself back in time, into the moment that that person has reached in the book. Do you know what I mean? 😂

Anyway, that led me to wonder, if you could go on a reality TV or game show what would it be? Or perhaps you already have 👀

My dream is to go on The Amazing Race or the British gameshow, Mastermind.