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‘Nutcracker’ November – Book Bingo

Hours

With November’s Bingo, I was tempted to create a non-fiction board of prompts. However, I did Non-Fiction November for last year’s Bookopoly board, so I wanted to try something different this time. As we move closer to Christmas, many readers begin picking up festive reads. Some to savour slowly throughout the season, while others have long reading lists to make their way through.

The thought of Christmas instantly brought The Nutcracker ballet to mind, and that’s what inspired the prompts for this month’s Bingo Board.

‘Nutcracker’ November – Bingo Board

A "Nutcracker November Bingo Board" with a 3x3 grid. Each square contains a category inspired by The Nutcracker for a book to read: CLARA: A book that captures childlike wonder or nostalgia. THE NUTCRACKER: A story about bravery. THE MOUSE KING: A book with a dark twist or an unexpected villain. THE SUGAR PLUM FAIRY: A sweet, enchanting read. THE PRINCE: A book about loyalty, honour, or a noble heart. THE SNOW QUEEN: A wintry or frost-kissed setting. MOTHER GINGER: A story bursting with chaos, colour, or community. DROSSELMEYER: Read a book featuring a mysterious mentor, inventor, or creator. THE WALTZ OF THE FLOWERS: A book that feels like renewal or growth.

Recommendations

With recommendations, a lot of the books will fit more than the one prompt. But please comment below if you have any recommendations!

Jumping in…

Book recommendations for the theme 'Clara - a book that captures childlike wonder or nostalgia'. Top Row: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Middle Row: The Toymakers by Robert Dinsdale, The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey, Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce, Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire. Bottom Row: Night of the Stars by Renji Miyatake, The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune, The Museum of Ordinary People by Mike Gayle, The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams.
Book recommendations for the theme 'The Nutcracker - a story about bravery'. Top Row: The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, Uprooted by Naomi Novik, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. Middle Row: Circe by Madeline Miller, The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab, Skyward by Brandon Sanderson. Bottom Row: The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden, The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh, The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow, A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman.
Book recommendations for the theme 'The Mouse King - a book with a dark twist or an unexpected villain'. Top Row: The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield, Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. Middle Row: A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers, Vicious by V.E. Schwab, Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough, Home Before Dark by Riley Sager. Bottom Row: Bunny by Mona Awad, We Were Liars by E. Lockhart, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell.
Book recommendations for the theme 'The Sugar Plum Fairy - a sweet, enchanting read'. Top Row: The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George, The Girl Who Reads on the Metro by Christine Féret-Fleury, The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner, Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen. Middle Row: The Spellbook of Second Chances (or The Spell Shop) by Sarah Beth Durst, Rewitched by Lucy Jane Wood, Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna. Bottom Row: Keeper of Enchanted Rooms by Charlie N. Holmberg, The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller, Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe by Heather Webber, A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki.
Book recommendations for the theme 'The Prince - a book about loyalty, honour, or a noble heart'. Top Row: The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri, All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel, The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. Middle Row: Les Misérables by Victor Hugo, To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo, The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak, The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni. Bottom Row: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles, Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera.
Book recommendations for the theme 'The Snow Queen - a wintry or frost-kissed setting'. Top Row: The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen, The Ice Palace by Tarjei Vesaas, The Call of the Wild by Jack London, The Blue Fox by Sjón. Middle Row: Meet Me Under the Northern Lights by Emily Kerr, One Day in December by Josie Silver, The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler, The Christmas Wish by Lindsey Kelk. Bottom Row: Snowblind by Ragnar Jónasson, The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah, Winter in Madrid by C.J. Sansom, The Ice Princess by Camilla Läckberg.
Book recommendations for the theme 'Mother Ginger - a story bursting with chaos, colour, or community'. Top Row: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See, The Witches of Eastwick (or Those Above to Magic Need Not Apply) by John Updike (or a different title shown), Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. Middle Row: One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle, Beach Read by Emily Henry, Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams, Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. Bottom Row: The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods, The House of Hidden Wonders by Sharon Gosling, Beartown by Fredrik Backman, The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan.
Book recommendations for the theme 'Drosselmeyer - read a book featuring a mysterious mentor, inventor, or creator'. Top Row: The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin, The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman, The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow, The Binding by Bridget Collins. Middle Row: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan. Bottom Row: The Magicians by Lev Grossman, Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan, Arcadia by Iain Pears.
Book recommendations for the theme 'The Waltz of the Flowers - a book that feels like renewal or growth'. Top Row: The Keeper of Stories by Sally Page, The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams, The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley, The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul by Deborah Rodriguez. Middle Row: When the Apricots Bloom by Gina Wilkinson, The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman, Our Endless Numbered Days by Claire Fuller, The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo. Bottom Row: Lost Flowers by Holly Ringland (or Lost Flowers of Alice Hart), Tom Lake by Ann Patchett, The Last Garden in England by Julia Kelly, The Comfort Book by Matt Haig.

Prompts and books included in the images above

Clara: A book that captures childlike wonder or nostalgia
  • The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
  • Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
  • The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
  • The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
  • The Toymakers by Robert Dinsdale
  • The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
  • Tom’s Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce
  • Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire
  • Night of the Stars by Renji Miyatake
  • The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune
  • The Museum of Ordinary People by Mike Gayle
  • The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
The Nutcracker: A story about bravery
  • The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
  • Uprooted by Naomi Novik
  • The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
  • The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
  • Circe by Madeline Miller
  • The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
  • The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
  • Skyward by Brandon Sanderson
  • The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
  • The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh
  • The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
  • A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
The Mouse King: A book with a dark twist or an unexpected villain
  • The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
  • The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
  • Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
  • Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
  • A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers
  • Vicious by V.E. Schwab
  • Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough
  • Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
  • Bunny by Mona Awad
  • We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
  • Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
  • The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell
The Sugar Plum Fairy: A sweet, enchanting read
  • The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George
  • The Girl Who Reads on the Metro by Christine Féret-Fleury
  • The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
  • Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
  • The Spell Shop by Sarah Beth Durst
  • Rewitched by Lucy Jane Wood
  • Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh
  • The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
  • Keeper of Enchanted Rooms by Charlie N. Holmberg
  • The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller
  • Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe by Heather Webber
  • A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
The Prince: A book about loyalty, honour, or a noble heart
  • The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri
  • All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
  • The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel
  • The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
  • Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
  • To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo
  • The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
  • The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni
  • Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
  • A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
  • Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
  • The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera
The Snow Queen: A wintry or frost-kissed setting
  • The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen
  • The Ice Palace by Tarjei Vesaas
  • The Call of the Wild by Jack London
  • The Blue Fox by Sjón
  • Meet Me Under the Northern Lights by Emily Kerr
  • One Day in December by Josie Silver
  • The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler
  • The Christmas Wish by Lindsey Kelk
  • Snowblind by Ragnar Jónasson
  • The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
  • Winter in Madrid by C.J. Sansom
  • The Ice Princess by Camilla Läckberg
Mother Ginger: A story bursting with chaos, colour, or community
  • The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
  • The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See
  • The Witches of New York by Ami McKay
  • Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
  • One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle
  • Beach Read by Emily Henry
  • Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
  • Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
  • The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods
  • The House of Hidden Wonders by Sharon Gosling
  • Beartown by Fredrik Backman
  • The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Drosselmeyer: Read a book featuring a mysterious mentor, inventor, or creator
  • The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
  • The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman
  • The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
  • The Binding by Bridget Collins
  • Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
  • The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
  • The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
  • Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
  • The Magicians by Lev Grossman
  • Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
  • A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan
  • Arcadia by Iain Pears
The Waltz of the Flowers: A book that feels like renewal or growth
  • The Keeper of Stories by Sally Page
  • The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams
  • The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley
  • The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul by Deborah Rodriguez
  • When the Apricots Bloom by Gina Wilkinson
  • The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
  • Our Endless Numbered Days by Claire Fuller
  • The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo
  • The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland
  • Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
  • The Last Garden in England by Julia Kelly
  • The Comfort Book by Matt Haig

TBR / What I Read Cards

As always, I’ve created these boards to help you build your TBR or track what you’ve read. You can also upload them to share on your Instagram stories!

A beige 3x3 bingo board titled “‘Nutcracker’ November Bingo Board TBR.” Each of the nine squares is blank, ready to be filled in with book titles. The design is simple and elegant, with soft neutral tones and the Instagram handle “@afictionalplace” centred at the bottom.
A beige 3x3 bingo board titled “‘Nutcracker’ November Bingo Board Reads.” Each of the nine squares is blank, bordered by a row of white stars underneath each one. The stars create a festive touch, matching the neutral aesthetic. The Instagram handle “@afictionalplace” appears at the bottom centre.

November’s Goal

After a disappointing October, my goal this month is simply to read. There are a few books on the Bingo Board that I already own and would love to get to, but with the festive season being such a busy time for me, I’m trying not to put too much pressure on myself.

What’s your goal for November?

And that is the ‘Nutcracker’ November Book Bingo! I’d love to hear your thoughts, and if you decide to play along, please tag me on Instagram @afictionalplace.

Comment below or find me on Facebook, Instagram, Bookstagram or Pinterest.

As always, thanks for reading…

Hannah Marie x

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