Emily’s
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(group member since Jan 04, 2017)
Emily’s
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from the Around the Year in 52 Books group.
Showing 21-40 of 11,185
I'll second the personal or cultural identity
Done!
4 spots remaining
Updated through 24 - please check my work haha
Becky, it looks like GailW beat you to it! Feel free to suggest or second something else.
It's time for our next round of suggestions!Just a reminder that you can find a full list of prompts already on the 2026 list in the third post on this thread.
A little reminder of how things are done around here:
How it works:
- The topics for the 2026 reading challenge list will be determined by a series of mini-polls, the number of which depends on the number of prompts winning in each mini-polls
- Suggestions for each poll will be opened until 15 suggestions are received and “seconded”.
- The voting thread will open the day after suggestions go live. You can find the schedule here.
- The poll will be posted after the voting thread is opened for 24 hours, and will remain open for three full days.
- Each user has 8 votes to spread between their favorite (top) and least favorite (bottom) prompts
- The prompts with the more favorable votes (comparing top votes to bottom votes, and looking at the overall number of votes it received) will be added to the final list (between 2 and 5 depending on how the votes are spread)
Rules:
- Each member can only suggest OR second one prompt
- Suggestions close after 15 total seconded prompts
When suggesting and seconding, feel free to provide examples and descriptions that may help other members understand the prompt better. These descriptions and examples will be copied over to the voting thread for further discussion.
As always, please express any and all feedback (respectfully, of course), either here or in The Wild Discussion.
Moving on to Voting:
1. A book title that contains the name of a professional sports team
2. A book with twins, doppelgängers, or mistaken identity
3. A book with a rebel
4. A book with a trial
5. A book with a character who appears in more than one book
6. A book with a character who is searching for knowledge, love, courage or a way home
7. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2025 or 2026
8. A book with the name of a planet or their moons in the title
9. A book where all or part of the action takes place in a library, a museum, a school, or another public building
10. A book about wildlife or nature conservation
11. A book with a title that contains a pun, a dad joke, or other word play
12. A book exploring personal or cultural identity
13. A book related to medical science or health
14. A book with a window on the cover
15. A book related to baking
To Be Seconded:
- A book with a character taking a break, whether by choice or not, from their usual life
Results are posted for Poll 10!https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
The next round of suggestions will open around 4 pm CST on Saturday, August 30.
Listopias are updated!
Another big (and surprising) round of results this week!Top
A book related to the name of one of Santa's reindeer
A book set in an isolated location
A book with a symbol of death on the cover
Bottom
A book either written by or featuring a “Nepo Baby”
A book with an intriguing first line
Close Call
A book related to a painting by Vincent Van Gogh
The next round of suggestions will open around 4 pm CST on Saturday, August 30.
I don't close the poll until the I'm ready to tally the final results, so if you were able to submit a vote, your vote counted! I close the poll to submissions before I do the final tally. Your vote may have been the swing on, NancyJ!
Voting is open for Poll 10! Catch up on the discussion and vote here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
CLOSED
THOUGHTS AND IDEAS FROM THE SUGGESTIONS THREAD1. A book related to the name of one of Santa's reindeer
For example:
Dasher - a runner, a character on the go
Dancer - a book about dance
Prancer - a spirited horse - for everyone who wants more horse books
Vixen - actual foxes or a sexually attractive and alluring female character
Comet - anything astronomy or space related
Cupid - Roman god of love - anything romance related
Donner and Blitzen - derived from German for Thunder and Lightning
Rudolph - an outcast or person with a physical difference.
A lot of these could work for fiction or non-fiction.
Some of our readers don't read in English. If the reindeer have names in another language, readers can interpret those words as they see fit.
2. A book set in an isolated location
This can be interpreted in many ways. Here are some lists for inspiration:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
https://www.bookbub.com/blog/mysterie...
4. A book suggested by one of the song titles from Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon
Title, cover, or content. Fiction or non-fiction. Be inspired...don't overthink it.
Song List:
1 Speak To Me/Breathe
2 On The Run
3 Time
4 The Great Gig In The Sky
5 Money
6 Us And Them
7 Any Colour You Like
8 Brain Damage
9 Eclipse
It's the song title that should inspire your pick, not the song lyrics
5. A Bildungsroman (coming-of-age) book
Some lists for inspiration:
https://tacoma.bibliocommons.com/v2/l...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9...
https://bookriot.com/best-coming-of-a...
https://lithub.com/the-50-greatest-co...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
6. A book for which all of the words in the title start with one of the letters in OLYMPICS
Examples:
Murder in Second Position
Stranger In Paradise
Lady Chatterly's Lover
O Pioneers!
Skeleton Crew
Missing Pieces
Chestnut Street
7. A book related to a painting by Vincent Van Gogh
Some options off the top of my head: shared titles or title words (e.g. using "Starry" or "Night"), covers that share primary colors/color palettes or primary painting subjects (e.g. yellow books, books with sunflowers), books set where the painting was painted (the Netherlands, France), autobiographies (so many self portraits!), and so on.
8. A book either written by or featuring a “Nepo Baby”
A "Nepo Baby" is a popular term to refer to those who have benefitting greatly by the family's position, fame & wealth: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepo_baby
Examples: written by : Anne Hillerman, Joe Hill/Owen King, Victoria Benton Frank, Samantha Van Lear
Featuring: The Nest, Age of Vice, Crazy Rich Asians, MacBeth, Empire of Pain, etc.
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
Like in "Succession" or even "Game of Thrones"
9. A book with a symbol of death on the cover
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbols...
Symbols of death are the motifs, images and concepts associated with death throughout different cultures, religions and societies.
Skull, coffin, hourglass, tombstone, grim reaper, scythe, crow, bat, owl, cross, angel, black dog, candle, lily, red poppy, noose, pale horse, etc.
Crows: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Crosses: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...
Tombstones: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
10. A fiction or non-fiction book that could be considered a microhistory
This could be a traditional non-fiction micro history about a specific thing (salt, cod, the building of a famous bridge, etc).
Or if non-fiction just isn’t your thing, then it could be novel that focuses on a particular micro-topic or a historical fiction novel focusing the invention or discovery of a specific thing (airplanes, penicillin, etc.), or a very narrow historical event told as historical fiction.
Micro-Historical-FICTION Listopia (thanks to JoyD!): https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...
Micro-histories (Non-Fiction) Listopia: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
12. A book that includes the "fish out of water" trope
This trope can be found in general fiction, romance, fantasy, sci-fi, horror, gothic. and cross genre mysteries. Time travel, immigration, relocation, space aliens, and travel all fit well.
“The beloved fish out of water trope” (from a blogger)
… It provides opportunities for misunderstandings that aren’t contrived and humor that arises organically from the situation. It gives characters a way to compare/contrast cultures, and to poke gentle fun at the unique foibles of any group. It can do all of that on the lighter side but can go alongside darker themes, like the universal experiences of alienation, yearning for that place that means “home” to us, and wanting to belong to a place and people who value us.”
In realistic fiction, it is often found in books involving immigrants, travel, major relocation, cross culture conflicts, survival, and stories about starting over in a new location. Variations can be found Romance and paranormal romance, involving all types of outsiders.
In sci-fi-fantasy, the fish out of water trope can often be found in books involving time travel, time slip, portals, and books involving space aliens, animals, body swaps, and fairytales.
Popular books can be found on the attached list and listopia.
Genre page https://www.goodreads.com/genres/fish...
Tag page: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
Info about the trope
https://nofilmschool.com/fish-out-of-...
https://jeevesreads.com/2024/09/07/15...
https://booktrib.com/2021/06/10/8-boo...
https://daveastoronliterature.com/202...
https://iheartsapphfic.com/theme/fish...
https://www.writersrelief.com/5-steps...
13. A book about women crossing borders and boundaries
https://heyimreading.com/2022/05/21/b...
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/th...
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/th...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://electricliterature.com/8-nonf...
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/th...
A book related to psychology, mental health or neuroscience
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/psyc...
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/tag?id...
It's now time to get ready to vote for our next set of prompts! The thread will be open for at least 24 hours before the poll gets posted. This is a good opportunity to ask any question you may have regarding the prompts, do some research, or ask for recommendations.Voting will open in the morning of Monday, August 25 and results will be posted in the morning of Friday, August 29 (CST time).
How it works:
- When the voting opens, follow the link to the mini-poll that will be added at the end of this post
- You have a total of 8 votes this poll to spread across your favorite and least favorite prompts (you can also use less than 8 votes)
- You can find examples of acceptable voting practices on the Introduction thread.
- The prompts with the more favorable votes (comparing top votes to bottom votes, and looking at the overall number of votes it received) will be added to the final list
We are asking people to include their Goodreads profile address when they vote. To find this, just go to your own profile and then copy the URL/web address. If for some reason you can't link to your Goodreads profile, please post your full Goodreads name with enough identifiable information that we'll be able to access your profile.
Poll Prompts:
1. A book related to the name of one of Santa's reindeer
2. A book set in an isolated location
3. A book that is one of the first 20 books on your Goodreads "want to read" list
4. A book suggested by one of the song titles from Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon
5. A Bildungsroman (coming-of-age) book
6. A book for which all of the words in the title start with one of the letters in OLYMPICS
7. A book related to a painting by Vincent Van Gogh
8. A book either written by or featuring a “Nepo Baby”
9. A book with a symbol of death on the cover
10. A fiction or non-fiction book that could be considered a microhistory
11. A book with an intriguing first line
12. A book that includes the "fish out of water" trope
13. A book about women crossing borders and boundaries
14. A book whose character has the same hobby or pastime as you
15. A book related to psychology, mental health or neuroscience
Feel free to discuss the prompts below, but please remember to be respectful to the other group members.
Vote here: https://forms.gle/dE79cJZNaLAixcTs5
4 spots remaining!
Ok great.For future reference, I'd prefer no one delete messages, just to make sure we don't have confusion in the threads! (Mostly because, with my pregnancy brain, I'm like "wait did I make that up?" lolol)
Sandra seconded microhistory - do you still want to withdraw your suggestion, MJ?
Updated through 31, 6 spots remaining
Per Google: "A nepo baby is a person whose career in a particular industry, often entertainment or politics, is significantly aided by their famous or powerful parent's connections and established career within that same field. The term, a shortened form of "nepotism baby," is often used pejoratively to suggest that the individual's success is largely due to unearned privilege and connections rather than pure talent or effort."
