Sapphic Book Bingo 2026

Happy New Year and welcome to the Sapphic Book Bingo 2026!

This year, I’m running an annual reading challenge for the eight time, and I hope it will help you discover new favorite sapphic books and authors all year long!

 

What is the Sapphic Book Bingo?

The Sapphic Book Bingo is a fun, year-long event for readers of sapphic fiction. It runs from January 1 to December 31, 2026. You can join any time you want.

 

Why is it called Sapphic Book Bingo?

In case you aren’t familiar with the term sapphic: It comes from the Greek poet Sappho, who wrote about love and passion between women.

Compared to terms such as lesbian, WLW (women-loving women), or F/F, sapphic is a more inclusive term. It includes any woman who’s attracted to women as well as nonbinary people and intersex people who identify as sapphic (not all nonbinary or intersex people do).

 

The rules of the Sapphic Book Bingo

• The Sapphic Book Bingo will run from January 1 to December 31, 2026, and you’re welcome to jump in at any point without the need for registration—just pick a book and start reading!
• The goal is to complete the entire bingo card by reading one book for each square. If tackling 25 sapphic books in 2026 seems a bit much, consider aiming for just one line (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal) of the bingo card, which requires reading 5 sapphic books.
• Two bingo cards are available for you to choose from: a regular 25-square bingo card and a Hidden Gems card featuring 12 categories. You can opt for the regular card, the Hidden Gems card, or challenge yourself by completing both—it’s entirely up to you.
• Each book you choose must feature at least one sapphic main character (see the definition of sapphic above).
• Each book can only be used once, even if it fits several different squares. Exception: If you read the same book twice in 2026, you can use it for two different squares.
• I’ll post book recommendations for a different square on my blog three to four times a month. You’re free to select a book from my lists or pick any other sapphic book that fits the category. If you want to get each recommended-books list sent to your inbox, you can  sign up for my blog .
• Only books started and finished in 2026 will count toward the challenge.
• Books can be any format—ebook, paperback, or audiobook.
• Books can be any language. In fact, there’s also a  German version  of the reading challenge.
• The books you’re reading for the Sapphic Book Bingo don’t all have to be novels. Novellas, anthologies, fanfiction, and graphic novels count too. You can even throw in a few short stories.
• Not every book you read for the Sapphic Book Bingo needs to be new-to-you. Re-reads of books you’ve previously enjoyed count too.
• Email me your filled-out bingo card by December 31, 2026, at 10 am German time, to be entered into the drawing (see below for the prizes you can win). You can find my email address on my contact page .
• If you are a voracious reader who reads more than 25 sapphic books a year, feel free to send in several bingo cards. You’ll get one entry into the giveaway for each completed card.

 

The prizes

The real prize, of course, is discovering a lot of awesome books and new favorite authors.

But there’ll also be a big giveaway at the end of the year. Everyone who sends in their bingo card with at least one complete line will be entered into the drawing.

There will be 15 winners:

• I’ll draw 5 winners among those readers who send in a bingo card with one complete line. Each of these winners wins 1 ebook.
• I’ll draw 5 winners among those readers who send in a completed Hidden Gems card. Each of these winners wins 2 ebooks.
• I’ll draw 5 winners among those readers who send in a complete bingo card, with all 25 squares filled out. Each of these winners wins a bundle of 5 books—a mix of paperbacks and ebooks or all ebooks (winner’s choice).

Email me your filled-in bingo card—either the filled-in PDF you can download below or a screenshot/photo of it—by December 31. I’ll draw the winners on December 31, 2026, at 10 a.m. Central European Time, using a random numbers generator.

 

The regular Sapphic Book Bingo card

Here are the 25 categories for the main bingo card. I’ll post a new recommended-reading list three times a month on Thursdays. I put together a mix of popular tropes and topics as well as categories that’ll push you to try new books and diversify your reading. I encourage you to read diversely, from a wide spectrum of authors and genres.

You can  download a PDF  of the regular bingo card. Fill it in with the titles of the sapphic books you read in 2026. You can either type in the PDF or print it out and fill it in by hand.

 

The categories for the regular Sapphic Book Bingo card

For book recommendations, you can click on the links for each of the categories I have already posted:

1. Sports romance: Read a sapphic book in which at least one main character is an athlete, coach, or otherwise involved in the world of sports, e.g., playing professionally or on a college team.
2. Set in a school or academia: Read a sapphic book that takes place in an academic setting, such as a high school, college, university, or research environment.
3. Character works in a bakery or is a baker: Read a sapphic book featuring a main character who works in or owns a bakery or makes a living baking bread, pies, pastries, etc.
4. Published before 2015: Read a sapphic book that was first published before the year 2015.
5. New or new-to-you author: Read a sapphic book by an author who is either new (hasn’t published more than two full-length novels) or new to you.
6. Character is a firefighter: Read a sapphic book with a main character who works as a firefighter.
7. Golden retriever/black cat romance: Read a sapphic book where one main character is friendly, easygoing, and cheerful (= the “golden retriever” character), while the other is reserved, introverted, and mysterious (= the “black cat” character).
8. Tattooed main character: Read a sapphic book featuring a main character who has at least one tattoos.
9. Character works in fashion: Read a sapphic book with a main character who is involved in the fashion industry, e.g., as a designer, stylist, model, creative director, or fashion journalist/editor.
10. Free book or free choice: Read a sapphic book that you (legally) got for free, e.g., as a gift from a family member, friend, or the author. Many authors have a free story for you to download on their website (you’ll find mine  here ). I’ll post a huge list of free books for you to download in May. Note: Books in Kindle Unlimited are not free since you pay a monthly subscription fee. Alternatively, you can read any book of your choice for this square.
11. Sapphic Western: Read a sapphic Western. It can either be a historical novel set in the Old West or a contemporary story that takes place on a modern ranch.
12. No-angst or low-angst romance: Read a sapphic romance that is a light-hearted feel-good read without heavy angst or drama.
13. Takes place on a ship or a boat: Read a sapphic book where a significant part of the story takes place on a ship, boat, yacht, or other watercraft.
14. Set in South America and/or written by a South American author: Read a sapphic book that is set in South America or written by an author from a South American country.
15. Queer friend group: Read a sapphic book featuring a close-knit friend group made up primarily of LGBTQ+ characters. Often, the queer supporting characters also have their own book.
16. Character with a disability or chronic illness: Read a sapphic book with respectful and authentic representation of a main character living with a disability or a chronic health condition.
17. Plane crash: Read a sapphic book in which a plane crash plays an important role.
18. Character is hiding a secret: Read a sapphic book where a main character is keeping an important secret that affects the plot.
19. Autistic main character: Read a sapphic book featuring a main character who is on the autism spectrum.
20. Established couple: Read a sapphic book in which the main characters are already in an established relationship with each other when the story begins.
21. Thriller or suspense: Read a sapphic book that includes suspenseful elements such as danger, mystery, crime, investigations, or high-stakes tension. If thriller and suspense fiction cause you anxiety, please feel free to read any book that you consider suspenseful—for example, a romance where the “will-they-or-won’t-they” is so gripping that it keeps you on the edge of your seat. See my note below on adjusting the categories to your needs.
22. Diverse LGBTQ+ representation: Read a sapphic book that features several LGBTQIA+ characters, representing as many different LGBTQ+ identities as possible. For example, the main characters could be a lesbian woman and a bisexual woman, while the supporting cast includes characters who identify as gay, trans, nonbinary, asexual, aromantic, pansexual, queer, or intersex.
23. Strap-on sex: Read a sapphic romance that includes on-page strap-on sex between consenting adult characters.
24. Sapphic character involved in politics: Read a sapphic book featuring a main character who works in politics, e.g., as a politician, campaign staffer, activist, or policy advisor. The character’s political involvement doesn’t have to be on a federal level. They could be a mayor or city council member, etc.
25. Set in the mountains: Read a sapphic book where a significant part of the story takes place in the mountains. It could be real mountains such as the Rockies or the Alps or a fictional mountainous setting.

 

The Hidden Gems bingo card

This year, we are back to Hidden Gems for the second bingo card!

Hidden Gems represent harder-to-find themes and categories. These are often books that often don’t get the attention they deserve in the publishing world, so there are either not a lot of books out there or they are harder for readers to track down.

The Hidden Gems card is a 3×4 grid instead of a 5×5 grid, so there’s a total of 12 categories.

I’ll post a recommended-reads list for one category of the Hidden Gems card once a month.

You can  download a PDF  of the Hidden Gems card here. You can either type in the PDF or print it out and fill it in by hand.

 

The categories for the Hidden Gems bingo card

Here are the 12 categories of the Hidden Gems bingo card:

1. More than one ice queen: Read a sapphic book in which there’s more than one ice queen (a powerful, cold, aloof, intimidating character). Ideally, both are main characters.
2. Mafia romance: Read a sapphic romance in which the main character is involved in organized crime, e.g., a member of a mafia family.
3. Two BIPOC main characters: Read a sapphic book in which both main characters are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color. Ideally, the book should be written by a BIPOC author to ensure the story is told from an authentic perspective.
4. Masturbation scene: Read a sapphic book that includes an on-page masturbation scene involving a main character engaging in solo sexual pleasure.
5. Butch character who is blonde: Read a sapphic book featuring a butch main character who has blonde hair.
6. Main character is Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, or Buddhist: Read a sapphic book with a main character who practices or identifies with a religion other than Christianity. For example, the main character could be Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, or Taoist.
7. Supportive ex: Read a sapphic book that features an ex-partner who is supportive and genuinely wants the main character to be happy.
8. Pirates: Read a sapphic book featuring pirates or other seafaring outlaws. It could be a historical, contemporary, or fantastical setting (e.g., space pirates).
9. Both main characters are bi or pan: Read a sapphic book in which both main characters identify as bisexual or pansexual.
10. Main character is 50+: Read a sapphic book featuring a main character who is at least fifty years old.
11. Main characters have different nationalities: Read a sapphic book in which the main characters come from different countries or hold different citizenships.
12. Unusual pet: Read a sapphic book that features a main character with an unusual, e.g., a goat, reptile, farm animal, or a magical creature in a fantasy story.

 

Adjust the categories to make it work for you

No one should ever feel pressured to read books they aren’t comfortable with or that negatively affect their mental health. While I encourage you to read widely, try new things, and step outside your comfort zone when you can, reading should never be harmful. So please feel free to adjust the categories as needed.

For example, if you’re unable to read thriller or crime books because they’re triggering for you or cause anxiety, please read a book that you consider suspenseful instead. It could be any book that keeps you at the edge of your seat and makes you turn the pages, wanting to find out what happens next.

I want the Sapphic Book Bingo to be a safe, inclusive, judgment-free space for readers, so please read in whatever way feels best for you and know that your well-being always comes first. If you can’t think of a way to adjust a category for you, feel free to reach out to me anytime–I’m always happy to help brainstorm options with you.

 

Don’t miss the first square of the Sapphic Book Bingo

I’ll post the book recommendations for the first category of the Sapphic Book Bingo on Thursday, January 8. To make sure you don’t miss it,  subscribe to my blog , and I’ll send the post to your inbox!

 

Need more book recommendations to fill your bingo card?

As I said, you’ll get weekly book recommendations on this blog. I’ll share 15 books for one category every Thursday.

But if you need more book recommendations, here are a few options:

If you are on Facebook and want book recommendations from other readers to fill your bingo card—or you just want to chat about the books you love, feel free to join my Facebook group for readers. It’s a private group, so only members can see who’s in it and what we are discussing.

We keep a folder to which authors are adding little cards that help you see what categories of the Sapphic Book Bingo their books fit into. Here’s an example:

If you prefer Goodreads over Facebook, I also set up a  Goodreads group  for the Sapphic Book Bingo. You can also track your progress on Storygraph. Here’s the link to the main categories challenge and here the one for the Hidden Gems.

I also put together a site that shows you where  my own books  fit into the Sapphic Book Bingo as well as into the 2026 I Heart SapphFic Reading Challenge .

 

Leave a comment

Please leave a comment below and let us know which bingo card you will pick for this year’s reading challenge. Are you aiming to complete the 25 squares of the regular bingo card? Just one line? Or will you take on the Hidden Gems card?

 

Previous reading challenges

Sapphic Book Bingo 2025

Sapphic Book Bingo 2024

Sapphic Book Bingo 2023

Sapphic Book Bingo 2022

Sapphic Reading Challenge 2021

Lesbian Book Bingo in 2018