UPDATE (Tuesday, February 18, 2025): This story has been updated to include the grand prize for Winter Reading Bingo Challenge.

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C.H. Booth Library staff are encouraging people ages 18 and older to join the 2025 Adult Winter Reading Bingo Challenge before it ends on Thursday, March 13. The challenge has been underway since January 3.

Participants can pick up a bingo card at the Circulation or Reference Desk at C.H. Booth Library, 25 Main Street. After reading a book that fits into a prompt on their card, they can cross out each square that applies to the books they read. Each bingo square has a different prompt on it, ranging from a classic novel or a book set outside to a book that was adapted into a movie or a book with a one-word title.

The Bingo Challenge is a new initiative from the library’s Head of Borrower Services Cathy Filiato, who said she was inspired by seeing other libraries and bookstores doing similar things.

“We’ve seen them do challenges like this, and there’s been some really positive reactions from people who participated,” Filiato told The Newtown Bee last week. “It’s just something fun to do in the midst of the winter doldrums.”

Waiting for one lucky reader is an Amazon gift card.

“The more lines you complete, the more entries into the raffle,” Filiato said of the Winter Reading Bingo Challenge grand prize.

She said the Bingo Challenge also gives people a chance to step out of their comfort zone and read something they might not have normally read otherwise. The bingo squares are broad enough to where someone can find a book that fits the category, but also specific enough to where someone can easily find a brand new book to fall in love with.

“We want to encourage people to participate,” Filiato beamed. “It’s just a fun way to structure your reading and try something new.”

For Filiato, the Challenge encourages adults, even those who are busy with the hustle and bustle of work and daily life, to enjoy a book during the dark winter months.

For more information, visit chboothlibrary.org, or call 203-426-4533. Readers can also visit this online link to the Bingo Card and print it out.

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Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee.com.