Alicia’s Comments (group member since Dec 25, 2019)

Alicia’s comments from the Around the Year in 52 Books group.

If I submit it as "large-scale disaster or tragedy" would that invite questions about what large-scale means? The intention is something that affected a lot of people, not just a personal tragedy. And would people vote for this or is it too depressing?

I really like this prompt, and timely based on the Beirut explosion. I think large-scale is self explanatory.

I hope it would make it in because it doesn't specifically speak to the disasters of 2020, even though I think COVID would count as a large-scale disaster. I think it'll be unfortunate if we don't have anything next year that can include COVID as this is a big part of our history now. However, I know some do just want to forget it and move on, which is also understandable.

Traci wrote: "Emily wrote: "Could we change it to professional sports team? I feel like it is very wide open if it's just *any* sports team."

Agreed. This is what I meant to post - professional team name. Since..."

I think professional sports team is still general. It covers various countries, doesn't limit to favorite or local, and I still consider minor league teams and leagues like the XFL to be "professional".

I actually don’t think a professional sport is too broad. I don’t know much about our members, but I would generally call myself a sports lover. However, I would never have any idea about futbol teams or Australian Kookaburras. I’d guess most people have a set group of sports they know/enjoy, based on their country.

I agree with Nancy that the “favorite professional sports team” is broader and will probably appeal to more since we seem to have a large UK population.

But if you’re sold to just baseball, maybe try baseball the next round and then if it doesn’t make it, there are still other rounds to submit the broader idea.

Traci, I LOVE that prompt!! I also happen to love baseball.

I’d prefer it to be broader where we can pick any MLB team. God forbid, the Dodgers win the World Series, my poor little SF Giants heart wouldn’t be able to take it!

Ooh I didn’t know I could do that. I’ll add those notifications too

Also, one thing I think could help, is to post here when the suggestion thread is live. I have notifications for this thread, and it may be easier to notify people that post here often.

Nancy wrote: "Anastasia wrote: "I will be down voting a children's book. While I enjoyed reading those books when my children were young, I do not now."

I think that's fair, and a better reason than "why would ..."


I don't think anyone has said that adults shouldn't read any children's books because they aren't children.

But your example of how children's books discuss important issues, seemed targeted as something adults could be interested in. While adults may be interested in them and I'm glad they are, I don't think that these important issues in children's books, like white privilege and police violence, should be used for adults to learn about these topics. If it was that simple to explain to adults, it wouldn't be an issue. This may not have been your intention, that was just how I construed it.

But I don't think anyone, at least that I have seen, is knocking the genre as a whole. We all have different opinions on every genre, and despite whether we agree or not, I think they are all valid. They are personal decisions and shouldn't be discussed as better or worse reasons just because we don't agree.

Edie, I know this doesn’t completely solve the problem, but if you put your suggestion here I’ll suggest it for you.

For the Google Doodle one, since it is limited to a person, does anyone have ideas on how to translate that into fiction writing, if possible?

I looked at the books I have about individuals that I would like to read next year, but Google Doodles haven't been created about them.

I definitely think children’s books raise issues that are important and are much more open and diverse than when I was a child.

But for me, I would hope adults were reading about these issues from a book geared towards adults. I wouldn’t trust a children’s book to have the breadth and depth required to properly educate adults on the complexity, arguments, and next steps needed for adults to make a difference.

I don’t always love the award prompts, but only because I find that I usually really despise ones that are critically acclaimed. I wouldn’t upvote the prompt, but I also wouldn’t downvote.

I’m also confused about which child prompt we are discussing. I really like the idea of something you loved as a child (for me it was witches). But I would probably downvote a children book award winner/nominee. I’m generally open to different genres and pushing my comfort zone, but I don’t see myself getting any enjoyment or feeling like I’m learning anything new from a children’s book, especially since I don’t have any kids to read them to.

I really like that 21 prompt Khara. I was thinking of that last night but didn’t know if 21 was a special age outside of the US. I like that it can include royalty, knighthood, alcohol, etc.

I was looking through the prompts that didn't make it in last year, and I really liked the ones that had us receive recommendations from friends and family. Specifically, there was one that said "pick a book from a friend's TBR".

Since this is my first year in the voting process, does anyone have insight into how that prompt was viewed last year and if it would be worth suggesting this year?

Ellie wrote: "Quite often the official page count doesn't even match the physical book, I think they sometimes count unnumbered pages at the back? Or if it has a sample that's added on. Goodreads is definitely n..."

This is my biggest issue with it. I try to count my actual pages read each year, and so many times I feel like I can't trust the count on Goodreads. Also, ebooks I've noticed either overestimate or underestimate, but I can't figure out how to make it equal.

Emily wrote: "The Native American/Indigenous could be a fun way to interpret it! For future, you could go with something that is sci-fi or even fantasy like Trail of Lightning (which isn't really..."

That's actually the exact book I have down for that category!

This year I found that I read a lot of diverse authors but they are almost exclusively black with a mix of hispanic. So my goal next year is to expand the diversity of my authors to more indigenous and Asian authors.

I'm really excited for this prompt. I'm going to do it based on a common theme. My theme options are (1) book about or featuring librarian(s), (2) Native American/Indigenous groups or (3) Yuval Noah Harari's three books on humans. But really I want to do all three, so I'm sure I'll sneak most of these books in somewhere.

Edie wrote: "I am struck that this list (and our list so far) is much like a giant scavenger hunt. Find a book with "xxx" on the cover, a book with "xxx" in the plot. While there is nothing wrong with those pro..."

I feel like we had a lot of these in Poll #3, as well as in some earlier ones but most ended up with "no designation". I think they have ended up being ones where people are ambivalent on. Don't hate, don't love, but would be fine with if it ended up in the final list.

But I agree, I'd like a few more that push me to look at books that aren't on my TBR.

Robin P wrote: "I really hate when there is a movie version and they put a picture from the movie on the book cover!"

That is the ABSOLUTE WORST! I hate those editions.

I did 5 upvotes: cover with more than 2 people (which I think will win this round), Pantone, different gender author/protaganist, nom de plume and letter "u".

With Pantone, I like that we don't know what it is and I think I'm going to be really strict with the monochromatic color book and I see this one as being broader (predominant color or color in title),

I downvoted the sibling rivalry (also too close to home in my family), UN because I didn't like and downvoted it the first round so not a fan this time either, and the rabbit one. I'm actually terrified of rabbits, a childhood trauma. So this one is an actual worst nightmare prompt. That said if it got in, because I wouldn't even want a book with a rabbit on a cover, I would probably do something related to the metaphor of falling down the rabbit hole. A KIS option for those of us with leporiphobia