Good Morning Reader,

For those in the U.S., I hope you are having a wonderful summer. It's been pretty sticky here in Asheville, and I've been working on protecting my garden from bugs and bears.

July Through September Uncorked Reading Bingo Card

What a whirlwind year! It is already time to start a brand new bingo card. It's OK if you have not finished the last one. We are a pretty chill group; if you are in our Facebook group, Uncorked Readers, please feel free to share what you are reading no matter where you are in the challenge.

Grab your Bingo cards here, in our Facebook group, or on Canva. These are 1000x1500 in Canva (the 'Pinterest pin' template).

As noted in our Facebook group, we are doing away with book review templates and share threads per theme since only a handful of people use them (they are a lot of work to create).

Reading Lists For This Bingo Card

Disclosure: You may find affiliate links to products I love. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

As linked in the full Uncorked Reading Challenge, here are a few book lists and ideas per theme:

• Appalachia - Travel across Appalachia through states including Alabama, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and more. Our sister Asheville site, Uncorked Asheville, has just the Appalachia reading list for you.
• Celebrity Memoir - There have been many great celebrity memoirs in recent years. Read about a celebrity you know and love or try something different. Prince Harry and Michelle Obama's are sitting on my shelves.
• Apocalypse - It's the destruction of the world as we know it. Find a great book about the apocalypse. Post-apocalyptic tales work too.
• Great Outdoors - Breathe in that fresh air, go for a hike, road trip, and more with our great outdoors theme. To get you started, try our hiking and backpacking reading list.
• Croatia - If you follow me on social media, you know Tom and I traveled to Croatia, enjoying day trips from Split. For our armchair travelers or if you are planning a visit, head off to Croatia with this reading list.
• Vietnam - Whether you want to learn more about the Vietnam War or Vietnamese culture, this theme promises to teach you more and take you there. Be sure to peruse our Vietnam reading list filled with nonfiction and fiction selections.
• Noir Mystery - Part of the crime-fiction genre, enter a darker world of mysteries filled with unethical, cynical characters, gritty backdrops, and disturbing scenes.
• BIPOC - Read a book with a BIPOC character or from a BIPOC author; "BIPOC" stands for Black, Indigenous, and people of color. We have an Indigenous author reading list.

Bonus Summer Bingo Card

New this year, we are in the midst of a fun bonus summer reading bingo card. These are just a few of my favorite summer 2024 reads so far.

Get Buzzed With These Current Reads...

I just finished reading Katherine Center's The Rom-Commers, which is also a great summer read backed by hype. Center is a go-to author for me, and I completely bought into Charlie and Emma's chemistry. I appreciated the discussion of what it means to be a caretaker.

Over the weekend, I read Ally Condie's The Unwedding (I scored a signed copy at a local Greenville bookstore). I found this one highly atmospheric, a wedding set at a Big Sur resort, where everyone has secrets. If you read it - and this is not a spoiler - the final messaging just didn't jive for me, and I still question wtf is up with Ravi... I loved Condie's Matched Trilogy in my teen and MLIS librarian days. However, I did like this one and would recommend it.

Lastly, I was supposed to be starting the new Ruth Ware (sorry!), but instead opted for Ali Hazelwood's newest, Not In Love. She starts with a disclaimer that the book might be triggering for some and is also a bit different than her norm. It's got more steam. I'm only 50 pages in, but I can already sense a different tone. I'm not sure how I feel... I'll let you know!

Happy July Uncorked Reading! As always, support this reading challenge with a small tip here.