The 52 Book Club: 2026 Challenge discussion

December 2025 - Mini Bingo Challenge

How does this December Mini-Bingo challenge work?
This December Mini is a little different than our regular mini-challenges. This month, we’re playing a round of Mini Bingo! (Similar to regular BINGO, except smaller.) This December Mini has nine different prompts, laid out in a three-by-three grid. Choose any three prompts either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally on the December Bingo graphic to complete this challenge.

While this challenge was inspired by holiday romance movies, you do not need to read Christmas or holiday-themed books. (Unless you’d like to, of course!) Books that fit each prompt can be any genre and cover any topic, theme, or plot; fiction or non-fiction. Don’t be afraid to get creative!

As an optional add-on, some members may choose to get extra ambitious and complete two or three bingos (anywhere from three to nine prompts). And, for those feeling extra festive, feel free to try and complete your Bingo line twice: once with books, once with holiday movies.

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ROW 1: Feels Like Home -- Character With A Career Change -- "That's So Predictable"
ROW 2: Blizzard -- Set In A Small Town -- A Seasonal Romance
ROW 3: Features A Contest -- Baked Goods -- Snow On The Cover

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Prompt Walkthrough:
While the prompts for this challenge were inspired by holiday romance movies, the books you choose do not have to be holiday-themed, Christmas-related, or romance-driven. (But they may be, if you’d like!)

1) Feels like home — For the first prompt on this mini-bingo, we’re looking for any book that somehow relates to the saying, “Feels like home.” This may be a book featuring a character who is “coming home” or a story set in a home. It may be a comforting or cozy read that “feels like home” for you personally.

2) Character with a career change — A common trope in holiday movies is characters with career changes! For this prompt, choose any book in which a character (either a main or a secondary character) undergoes a career change. This may or may not be central to the plot.

3) “That’s so predictable” — For this prompt, choose any book somehow related to the phrase, “That’s so predictable.” This may be a book with a predictable ending, a plot twist that you saw coming, a book that follows a predictable trope, etc. Romance novels are often predictable (you know the two love interests are going to get together eventually), but that predictability can help build anticipation. It also might be a book that’s a predictable read for you personally. (Your favourite genre, author, or a book that if someone close to you saw you reading, they’d say, “Oh, that’s such a predictable book choice for you!”)

4) Blizzard — Choose any book featuring a blizzard (snowstorm). The blizzard may feature a key role in the plot or overall story (for example, blizzards are a common device in locked-room mysteries, keeping characters trapped in a specific location while a murderer wanders loose) or it may play a minor role in a smaller scene or portion of the book.

5) Set in a small town — Books matching this prompt must be set in a small town. They may be fully or partially set in any small town, fictional or not. Small towns are areas with smaller populations. They usually feature a slower-paced life or a strong sense of community, but the opposite may be true as well.

6) A seasonal romance — What’s a “holiday romance-inspired” mini-bingo without a seasonal romance prompt? For this prompt, choose any romance novel set around a specific holiday or season. It does not have to feature a December holiday.

7) Features a contest — Another common trope within holiday movies is some sort of contest. For this prompt, choose a book that features a contest. It may or may not play a core part in the overall story. It can be any type of contest: a character competing to win a prize, be the next princess, stay alive in the Hunger Games, etc.

8) Baked goods — It wouldn’t be a holiday movie if our main characters didn’t stop at a bakery for some coffee and baked goods, or if we didn’t get a baking scene somewhere! For this prompt, choose a book somehow related to baked goods. This may be a specific scene within the book, or it may play a larger role in the plot or story as a whole (for example: a character who is a baker, or a couple who first meet at a coffee shop while eating scones. It may also be a book with any kind of baked goods on the cover or in the title.

9) Snow on the cover — Our final prompt in this mini bingo is for a book with snow on the cover. This may be part of the cover design, the word “snow” in the title, the author’s last name, etc. The snow may be prominent, or it may be a more subtle part of the background or cover design. As a creative twist, you might decide to take any book outside while it’s snowing and let it catch a snowflake or two.


Website Link: https://www.the52book.club/december-2...
YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0yNL...


**Goodsreads Lists exist for these prompts (linked in website), I'll link them here to the prompts above this afternoon**

December 2025 - Mini Bingo Challenge

1) Feels like home — Christmas Miracle for Two Finished 8/12
2) Character with a career change — A Minor Chorus 22/12
3) “That’s so predictable” — Accidental Leigh 14/12
4) Blizzard — The Frozen Fortune Cookie at the Morning Glory (Arc Book Not Released Yet) 11/12
5) Set in a small town — The Frozen River12/12
6) A seasonal romance — Holiday Romance 27/12
7) Features a contest — Midnight10/12
8) Baked goods — Christmas Claws 17/12
9) Snow on the cover — A Very Country Christmas 6/12

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December 2025 - Mini Bingo Challenge

1) Feels like home —
2) Character with a career change —
3) “That’s so predictable” —
4) Blizzard —
5) Set in a small town —
6) A seasonal romance —
7) Features a contest — Olympiska spelen: De första tusen åren by Allan Klynne

8) Baked goods — Damer som baker kaker by Sølvi Wærhaug

9) Snow on the cover — Istiden by Jamie Woodward

How to Honeymoon Alone is one I was reading for the grumpy sunshine trope prompt, and it unexpectedly had a contest in the second half of the book.

I read The Nightmare Before Kissmas for a seasonal romance. Super cute, with several laugh out loud moments (the cook at the Christmas Court put pureed spinach in the pancakes so the boys would eat vegetables.)

Update to message #3
Finished 1/9

I read Penitence for Prompt 9-snow on the cover. 4.5 stars

🥳completed 14 December

✔️1. Feels Like Home: Midwinter Murder: Great for Holiday and Christmas Reading or Gifting*
✔️2. Character with a Career Change: Legends & Lattes*
✔️3. "That's So Predictable": Deep End*
✔️4. Blizzard: Wolf in the Snow
✔️5. Set in a Small Town: Open, Heaven*
✔️6. A Seasonal Romance: Merry Inkmas
✔️7. Features a Contest: The Favorites*
✔️8. Baked Goods: A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking*
✔️9. Snow on the Cover: First Snow

✔️: read/watched
*: fulfills multiple challenges/goals I’m completing this year

Update message # 3
Finished 5 of 9

Blākie 9/9
December Bingo

I judged a little harder than normal in case people were looking for suggestions. I hate to steer people wrong, although we all have different tastes in books. Happy Holidays everyone!🎊

✅ Feels like home:
Wizard of Most Wicked Ways~ Charlie Holmberg ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

✅ character with a career change: Santa Cruise~ Fern Michaels ⭐️⭐️⭐️

✅ that’s so predictable:
Marry Me at Christmas (Fools Gold #19) ~ Susan Mallory ⭐️⭐️⭐️

✅ blizzard: The Children’s Blizzard~ Melanie Benjamin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

✅ small town: Winter Solstice Winter #4) ~ Elin Hilderbrand ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

✅ seasonal romance: Snow Place Like Home~ Laura Pavlov ⭐️⭐️

✅ features a contest: Murder at an Irish Bakery(Irish Village Mystery #9) ~ Carlene O’Connor ⭐️⭐️⭐️

✅ baked goods: The Gingerbread Bakery (Dream Harbor #5) ~ Laurie Gilmore ⭐️⭐️⭐️

✅ snow on cover: The Wishing Bridge~ Viola Shipman⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Feels like home -- The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
Character with a career change -- Starter Villain by John Scalzi
"That's so predictable" -- A Virtuous Death by Christine Trent
Blizzard -- The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
Set in a small town -- Winter at the Door by Sarah Graves
Seasonal romance -- The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch
Features a contest -- The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Baked goods -- The Secret, Book & Scone Society by Ellery Adams
Snow on the cover -- Hidden in Snow by Viveca Sten

How did I miss this until now??

Feels like home - A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens I have a collection of movies that retell this story, and I love reading it.
Character with a career change - Lonesome Dove (Lonesome Dove, #1) by Larry McMurtry Gus and Call become cattle drivers.
"That's so predictable" - The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer so, so, so many rom-com tropes
Blizzard - The Christmas Diary (The Christmas Diary, #1) by Elyse Douglas a blizzard forces the FMC to pull off in a small town
Set in a small town - A Christmas Grace (Christmas Stories, #6) by Anne Perry set in a small town in Ireland
Seasonal romance - Christmas at Gate 18 by Amy Matayo MCs fall in love stranded in an airport over Christmas; MPG Christmas and Romance
Features a contest - Tell Me What You Did by Carter Wilson the end of the book describes a contest for survival
Baked goods - Bah, Humbug! (Christmas Street, #1)) by Heather Horrocks gingerbread man on cover

Snow on the cover - A Christmas Visitor (Christmas mysteries, #2) by Anne Perry yes

1. The Christmas Ring by Karen Kingsbury
5. Christmas in Winter Hill by Melody Carlson
9. A Cross-Country Christmas by Courtney Walsh

UPDATE message #3

Challenge complete

I really enjoyed this mini challenge to get into the holiday spirit. I read a diagonal bingo!
1. Feels like home: A Lot Like Christmas by Connie Willis
5. Set in a small town: Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
9. Snow on the cover: The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson

Was thi challenge for the month of December, or is it ongoing? Right now is the read/watch mini challenge the only active one?

Kelly_Hunsaker_reads wrote: "Was thi challenge for the month of December, or is it ongoing? Right now is the read/watch mini challenge the only active one?"

None of our challenges expire or have deadlines, you can start & finish them any time you want! I'm still working on a 2024 prompt myself. The only challenges we've released in 2026 so far are the main 52 list and the read/watch, but plenty of people are still working on the older challenges.

5/9

1) Feels like home —
✅2) Character with a career change — The Pumpkin Spice Café
✅3) “That’s so predictable” — Leave It Up To Love
4) Blizzard —
✅5) Set in a small town — Broken Country
6) A seasonal romance —
✅7) Features a contest — The Briar Club
✅8) Baked goods — Books & Bewitchment
9) Snow on the cover —

Lindsey wrote: "Kelly_Hunsaker_reads wrote: "Was thi challenge for the month of December, or is it ongoing? Right now is the read/watch mini challenge the only active one?"

None of our challenges expire or have d..."

thank you!