firewhiskeyreader

I am so excited to bring y’all the new #FallInLoveBingo board!! First of all, my sister really outdid herself. Please join me in trying to convince her to turn the Old Habits Die Screaming image into a full shirt for me to purchase. Secondly, I just love Fall and third, I think that Dani, Aarya, and I did a good job picking some fun prompts this time around. I’m excited about this board and the way it really leans into basically all of my varied reading moods right now.

So the basics first. #FallInLoveBingo will run from September 1st through November 30th. Black Love is, as always, a prompt on the board so as a reminder, Black Love means a book written by a Black author that features Black love interests. And then, also, as a request for inclusivity and accessibility, please make sure you capitalize the first letter in each word that creates the hashtag to make it easier for people who use screen readers and then also please use alt text if you share any images about the challenge! (Which, for the record, we hope you will because I love to see them. I think it’s so fun.) And now, FINALLY, let me share with you the board!!

Row One

Old Habits Die Screaming

If you haven’t heard the song before, you may be wondering what this prompt is inspired by… The answer is “The Black Dog” by Taylor Swift, which is one of my favorite songs from The Tortured Poets Department. As for how this song relates to a reading prompt, you’re welcome to interpret it however you feel. I think it would work well with a second chance romance where there’s been some contact between times (think Hate to Want You by Alisha Rai or Right Where We Left Us by Jen Devon), but I also think you could really personalize it for you. Maybe there’s an author that you feel like you should quit because their books haven’t been working for you, but you keep going back. Or put a positive spin on it and make it an author that you love and just keep going back to. And then, of course, there’s the option of taking a different lyric from “The Black Dog” and focusing in on that, like, “I don’t understand how you don’t miss me,” which is a good starting point for some romances OR perfect for that absolutely gut wrenching third act break up. I know I will likely come up with significantly more TBR books than this, but at the moment, the book I’m thinking of reading is One Last Kiss by Jessica Lemmon (which would also work for category romance!)

Training Montage

A classic training montage always makes me think of Rocky for some reason, even though I’ve actually only ever seen the Creed movies because Michael B. Jordan — I mean, the plot… Anyways, a training montage in book form really just means showing the work that a character puts in, whether it’s for sports, or magic training, or survival training. I will say that I don’t think you can always know in advance if a book is going to have a training montage, but I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that Vows and Ruins by Helen Scheuerer will have one, so that will be my TBR book.

Orange

I’m already excited for the changing colors of the leaves and it’s only August 19th as I sit here writing this paragraph. In honor of Fall, orange is a prompt this season and you can interpret it as the color of the cover (or a color if you need to stretch), a word in the title, or if you want to get really creative, a book where a character eats an orange. Again, you do you, my friends. For me, I’ve got two options here. One is Love and Sportsball by Meka James, a sapphic basketball romance that looks like a delight, and then the other is A Crown of Bitter Orange by Laura Florand, whom I adore so much and haven’t let myself read one of her books all year because I’m rationing them. I should read both, so we shall see if I do so!

Casual

I know you’re all going to be shocked, but this prompt is actually inspired by the Chappell Roan song, “Casual,” which if you haven’t heard it has lyrics like

Knee deep in the passenger seat, and you’re eating me out
Is it casual now?
Two weeks, and your mom invites me to her house on Long Beach
Is it casual now?

So it’s obviously perfect for a romance themed readathon, where our stunning main characters are so often stunningly oblivious to the fact that they are developing real feelings. Since this prompt was inspired by the Chappell Roan song, I went with a book I saw recommended for “Casual” on reddit, On the Same Page by Haley Cass, which has the added benefit of being sapphic so it feels even more fitting! I will say, I also think Truly, Madly, Deeply by Alexandria Bellefleur will likely work as well based on the synopsis.

Excavate Your TBR

Listen, we all have those books that we either bought a million years ago or we added to our Goodreads TBR back when we first made it or we just have had it on our mental, one day TBR for a really long time. Here’s your chance to excavate your tbr. To go on a deep dive through those books and find one that’s calling to your soul now. And it doesn’t have to be the oldest book on your TBR, just a book you’ve had for more than like a month. Make this prompt work for you. For me, I am currently leaning toward The Lord I Left by Scarlett Peckham. It’s calling to me right now because Peckham’s angst tends to work for me and that’s the mood I’m currently in. Plus, this was a highly anticipated read when it first came out and I’ve still not read it.

Row Two

So High School

Back to my roots with a Taylor Swift inspired prompt, though I think Aarya chose this one? Regardless, this is inspired by the Taylor Swift song by the same name, which is 100% about Travis Kelce and how he makes her feel. Normally I try not to speak on her relationships and what song is about whom publicly, but she has made it very clear that this song is about him so I feel good about it too. Anyway, you can interpret this song in a couple of ways. One, read a YA set in high school. Two, which is the way I’m inclined to interpret this, stumble on a book where the main characters give one another that giddy “So High School” feeling. Because I’m leaning toward the second, I can’t say for sure what book I’ll wind up using, so here I’m going to just pick a YA book for my TBR, Going Bicoastal by Dahlia Adler.

Hidden Gem

As a person who keeps giving into the hype right now and following everyone down the fantasy romance rabbit hole, I do think it’s important to remember that there are books that are amazing that aren’t getting enough attention. So you can stumble upon a book for this prompt and crown it your hidden gem or you can find a book that you want to read that has fewer than 1,000 ratings on Goodreads, whatever you choose. Here’s a small selection of books I’m thinking of and the person(s) who put it on my radar:

• All the Best Nights by Hanna Earnest (Jen Prokop)
• Striking Gold by Janine Amesta (B.andherbooks)
• Big Wild Love Adventure by Julianna Keyes (Jess)
• The Sweetest Charade by Jadesola James (Nick)

Turn of the Century

“Typically, historians consider this period to comprise about ten years after (and sometimes ten years before) the start of the new century.” This means a book set in the Edwardian Era should do it, which is what I’m going with because I have a couple of options. First up, we have Proper English by K.J. Charles and then we have a fantasy option, which I know seems weird, but I think would work. That is, A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske. I’ll be sharing my own recommendations in a different post, but please tell me your recs for Turn of the Century!

Scratches Your Id

Finding a book that appeals to the impulsive part of your brain is easier said than done when you’re me, anyway, but I am very much looking forward to the journey. I think you can be broad in your interpretation of this book and find something that appeals to the part of you that maybe you sometimes try to tamp down. So, actually, for me, that might be a motorcycle romance because there’s something that’s usually present in those books that I don’t find in my usual contemporary romance fare that does appeal to a part of me that I don’t often indulge. Alternatively a mafia book. I could go the Cate C. Wells route and pick up Heavy, which I’ve had on my kindle for quite some time. Hm. We shall see!

Latinx

Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15 – October 15th and in honor of that, we wanted to specifically celebrate Latinx books. Our preference would be that you find a book written by and featuring at least one Latinx character, but at the very least, please pick up a book by a Latinx author. I have several books on my TBR by Latinx authors and am struggling to pick which one I’ll wind up slotting in here, but here are a few of my options:

• Delicious Complication by Sabrina Sol
• Resort to Love by Priscilla Oliveras
• Raiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura
• A Caribbean Heiress in Paris by Adriana Herrera
• Ana Maria and the Fox by Liana de la Rosa
• Swing Batter Swing by Zaida Polanco

Row Three

Black Love

Black Love has a very specific definition, as discussed up top, but just a reminder, this means a book by a Black author and about Black love interests. I have so many books that I could pick up for this, but the one I’m currently leaning toward is Curvy Girl Summer by Danielle Allen. But I’ve also been wanting to read The Secret to a Southern Wedding by Synithia Williams for ages too. Honestly, there are just so many. Anyway, I’ll read one of the multitude on my TBR. (Hopefully more than one.)

ReRead

I love re-reading so very much. I also love Taylor Swift and the Bookish Swifts Club hosts a September Readathon and one of the prompts that I’m planning to fulfill is to reread a book that made you feel alive, so ya girl is going to break her own heart again and re-read Magnolia Parks 2. Or Daisy Haites 2. Probably both, tbh. I cannot wait.

HEA

Your freebie spot is just any romance novel. Find that book with a happily ever after that just somehow doesn’t fit in anywhere else! I’m throwing a random ARC in here because I have too many. So let’s go with Love in Bloom by Lucy Eden.

Preordered

This can be a book you actually pre-ordered or if you don’t purchase your own books, maybe a book you requested form your library pre-release or just a book you WOULD have preordered if you could do so. For me, I’m probably going to be picking up Daydream by Hannah Grace the second September hits (sooner if my B&N pre-order gets to me in a timely fashion since it drops on Tuesday), but if not Daydream, I also have so many preorders I haven’t read yet, like Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse or The Fiancé Dilemma by Elena Armas.

Cozy

Find a book that gives you cozy vibes or get cozy to read a book, whatever you need to do to make this prompt work for you! I’m probably going to read The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore because reading a book inspired by Gilmore Girls sounds like a good time for me.

Row Four

Category Romance

I have so many category romances on my TBR, including ARCs, and I really love them so I wanted to take a moment to spotlight categories. I think they can be really fun and really great and you can find almost anything you want. I desperately want to read Unexpectedly Wed to the Heir by Lydia San Andres, but also, Falling for His Fake Girlfriend by Shannon Stacey. And also, I could keep going. But there are my two that I’m currently in the mood for!

Someone Else Chooses for You

I acknowledge that the way this reads it sounds like you literally have to give control over to someone else (and really, that’s probably what I should do). However, the second I make a book a mandatory read, I lose all willingness/desire to read it. So I wanted to make sure I had alternative ways to utilize this prompt and here are my alternatives: 1. Read a book for a book club (doesn’t have to be one you always join!), 2. Give your friend three books you want to read and let them choose the one you read first, 3. Read a book you received as a gift that you have let linger on your shelf (digital or otherwise). Do what you need to do! Personally, I’m currently leaning toward just going ahead and reading Snowed In by Catherine Walsh even though it’s Fall not winter time. But I’ve been wanting to read Snowed In all year so…

Audiobook or Graphic Novel

For me, this space could be a freebie because I love audiobooks, so if I wanted to challenge myself, I could read a graphic novel and I bought a few at McKays yesterday, actually. Some of my graphic novel options are Pumpkinseeds by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks and The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang. But truly, I could just read an audiobook, so I have an audio ARC of Hot Hex Boyfriend by Carly Bloom so for now, we’ll slot that in as an option too.

On Page Medication

There is arguably not enough representation of mental health representation where a character takes medication to manage their anxiety/ADHD/bipolar/depression/etc., but also there are maybe even fewer where a character is taking medication to manage chronic pain/migraines/arthritis/etc. So this prompt is really to help us find a book that contains that representation. I went ahead and searched a couple of books that I knew had ADHD representation to see if there was medication included on page for those and both Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake by Maisie Eddings and Fall for Him by Andie Burke do include medication. Please share any of your own recommendations down below!

Lost Heir

On the one hand, a lost heir is often a plot spoiler and on the other hand, it’s often extremely obvious that a book is going to be a lost heir book based on the synopsis or the first hundred pages. That said, if you don’t want to know the book series I’m reading that does feature a lost heir… Look away?

I’m finishing Lady of Ashes today, which is book three in the Lady of Darkness series, so I’m hoping that I’ll be reading Lady of Embers pretty early on in September. (But also, leave me some other recommendations down below because this is such a fun trope that I love!)

Row Five

Grab Your Passport

(and my hand, I can make the bad guys good for the weekend) Anyway, yes, this is another Taylor Swift inspired prompt, but really it’s just a spin on read a book set in a different country than where you live. For me, I live in the US, so some options for me are One Last Shot by Betty Cayouette, which is set in Italy (and the cover looks like Positano for me, though it’s actually Cinque Terre), Codename Charming by Lucy Parker (set in England), and A Wish Upon Jasmine by Laura Florand (set in France). Do I have a million more options? Yeah. I definitely do. But here are the three at the top of my list.

Five Word Title

I don’t know why but finding titles that are a specific amount of words long is something I think can be really fun and five words seemed like a good pick to have still quite a few options but definitely less than like three word titles. A few of my options are You’re the Problem, It’s You by Emma R. Alban, After the Shut Up Ring by Cate C. Wells, and A Castle in the Air by Kelley Armstrong.

Road Trip

Y’all, I have so many road trip romances on my TBR? I had no idea. But look at this non-exhaustive list:

• Along for the Ride by Mimi Grace
• Tycoon by Joanna Shupe
• Mrs. Nash’s Ashes by Sarah Adler
• Watch Your Mouth by Kandi Steiner
• Saint by Sierra Simone
• Irresistible Cowboy by Sarah Mayberry
• Swordheart by T. Kingfisher
• Syncopation by Anna Zabo
• In Which Matilda Halifax Learns the Value of Restraint by Alexandria Vasti

So which one am I going to read? Your guess is as good as mine. I will say, I’ve ben anxious to read Swordheart for a while and lately I think about picking it up a lot.

Divorce

As a person who adores books about people starting over after a big life disruption, I am very excited about the books I’ve picked out for this prompt, but I think I’m missing some books that are really going to hit for that life in upheaval aspect so please share with me the recommendations you have for this! I’ve picked out the following books that I know fit this prompt that I’ve been drawn to lately and we’ll see what I land on!

• Catch and Keep by Erin Hahn
• Come as You Are by Jess K. Hardy
• Love in a Small Town by Zoe York
• Pain in the Axe by Daphne Elliot
• Wait for It by Mariana Zapata
• Unbreakable by Melanie Harlow
• Beautiful Secret by Christina Lauren

Horses

I don’t know if you’ve also experienced the sudden popularity of cowboy romances, but I, for one, have been fully swept away in that. However, you absolutely do not have to read a cowboy romance, you can just read a romance with a horse or with a horse girl or whatever you choose (like a fantasy romance or something). But for me? My TBR books are Lost and Lassoed by Lyla Sage, The Grump Whisperer by Katy James, The Feud by Sawyer Bennett, and Fire Line by Maggie C. Gates.

Closing Thoughts

Is it September yet? I’m getting so excited to start working on these prompts! Which prompts are you most excited for? Are you even participating? Let me know!

xx