Mome_Rath's Grids of Doom 2023

[Mome_Rath]

New year, new board for 2023:





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[Mome_Rath]

Might as well start the year with one of the more challenging squares...

E5: More Than 500 Pages

Islands by Dan Sleigh

Country: South Africa

[Mome_Rath]

And just for good measure, I'll add this one here:

D5: Fewer Than 1,000 Goodreads Ratings

The World's Most Prestigious Prize: The Inside Story of the Nobel Peace Prize by Geir Lundestad

Country: Norway

[Mome_Rath]

This book will fit nicely here:

E2: History Mystery Set Before 1900

Lion in the Valley by Elizabeth Peters

Country: Egypt

[Mome_Rath]

And here's a spot for Africa's first winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature:

C3: An African Classic

Death and the King's Horseman by Wole Soyinka

Country: Nigeria

[Mome_Rath]

One character spends all his chapters on a plane, another character loses a son due to the lack of an automobile, and a family finds that a light rail train is scheduled to built in the area they had wanted to move, so sure -- this book can go here:

D3: Planes, Trains, & Automobiles

Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi

Country: Oman

[Mome_Rath]

And with D3, this book can go here:

D2: 2 Books Set in Adjacent Countries

City of Veils by Zoë Ferraris

Country: Saudi Arabia

[Mome_Rath]

Some more entries for the grid:

A3: Has Character That Shares Your Profession

The Cartographer Tries to Map a Way to Zion by Kei Miller

Country: Jamaica

[Mome_Rath]

And a non-fiction entry that's a lot more than just history:

C4: Nonfiction History

Man's Search for Meaning: A Young Adult Edition by Viktor E. Frankl

Country: Austria

[Mome_Rath]

Can't get much more set in a war than this study of how Churchill and the UK survived the first year of the war after the UK entered World War II.

E4: Set During a War

The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson

Country: United Kingdom

[Mome_Rath]

This graphic novel incorporates Filipino folklore, so I'll put this here:

E3: Fairytale or Folklore

After Lambana: A Graphic Novel: Myth and Magic in Manila by Eliza Victoria

Country: Philippines

[Mome_Rath]

My annual Antarctic read will fit in well here:

D4: Polar Setting

The Stowaway: A Young Man's Extraordinary Adventure to Antarctica by Laurie Gwen Shapiro

Region: Antarctica

[Mome_Rath]

This could easily have fit into another square on the board, but for me, this fits in best here:

B2: Dream Vacation

Around the World in 80 Trains: A 45,000-Mile Adventure by Monisha Rajesh

Region: Around the World

[Mome_Rath]

Been a while since I've read from Oceania, so I'm happy this space is here:

E1: Pacific Islander Author

Pina by Titaua Peu

Country: French Polynesia

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And that makes Bingo #1:

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And another addition for the board:

B4: From Central or South American Author

Slash and Burn by Claudia Hernández

Country: El Salvador

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Plenty of books I've read this year could have applied, but I'll choose this one for:

A2: Set on an Island

Hungry Ghosts by Kevin Jared Hosein

Country: Trinidad and Tobago (but really just on Trinidad)

[Ruth]

Thanks for bringing this to my attention, have just discovered the Audible edition narrated by Don Warrington who has a great voice to listen to.

[Mome_Rath]

No problem. I very rarely listen to audiobooks, but I appreciate a good narrator when I do. Hope you enjoy the book.

[Mome_Rath]

I need to get some updates. First this one:

C5: LGBTQ Character

The Words That Remain by Stênio Gardel

Country: Brazil

[Mome_Rath]

And next up:

B5: BIPOC Author

Under the Naga Tail: A True Story of Survival, Bravery, and Escape from the Cambodian Genocide by Mae Bunseng Taing

Country: Cambodia

[Mome_Rath]

And a new one:

C1: Set in a Nordic Country

The Rabbit Factor by Antti Tuomainen

Country: Finland

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A bit late on the update:

A4: Tropical Setting

Beauty Is a Wound by Eka Kurniawan

Country: Indonesia

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And that makes Bingo #2:

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[Mome_Rath]

Hurricanes feature prominently, so I’ll add this book:

B1: Fire, Flood, or Hurricane

The Prospector by J.M.G. Le Clézio

Country: Mauritius

[Mome_Rath]

Finally getting around to some updates:

D1: Published the Year You Were Born

Roots: The Saga of an American Family by Alex Haley

Country: The Gambia

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That'll be Bingo #3:

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And now this one:

C2: Set in Hotels, Inns, Guesthouses, etc.

The Inn of the Sixth Happiness by Alan Burgess

Country: China

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And two more -- Bingos #4 and #5

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Nearing the end here:

A5: BTBA Award Winner or Nominee

Satantango by László Krasznahorkai

Country: Hungary

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And another two -- Bingos #6 and #7

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Nearing the end here, with a Bengali book:

A1: Translated from India Regional Language

Anandamath, or The Sacred Brotherhood by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay

Country: India

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And thick and fast they came at last, and more, and more, and more...

Three bingos here -- Bingos #8, #9, and #10

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[Mome_Rath]

And here's the last one for the year:

B3: TBR Book Completion

We, the Drowned by Carsten Jensen

Country: Denmark

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And that completes my bingos for the year: Bingos #11 and #12

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[Mome_Rath]

This year's bingo board was pretty diverse with books representing 23 different countries, one continent, and a trip around the world.

Lots more books with sailing ships on the covers than I expected (especially since that wasn't even something required for the board).