Poll

Beth :D

Out of interest, I looked at the shelves of everyone who has clearly told us here in this thread what they voted for. Only one person has managed to vote for something that's on their GR shelves!

edit: No, I'm not going to update this stat if everyone now tells me what they voted for.

Since it was a tie, I'll give you both truly useless pieces of information!

Rating doesn't tell you anything about how anyone has rated it, just if my rating is higher or lower than the GR average rating. I will tell you that none of these books have an unusually low average rating, I wouldn't have used books like that in a poll :)

Dr. Akopian: I AGREE with the rating
Heather: My rating is SLIGHTLY LOWER
Unikitty: My rating is SLIGHTLY HIGHER
Darryl: My rating is LOWER
Valencia: My rating is SLIGHTLY HIGHER

There are many reasons a person would or would not reread a book, and I obviously won't be telling you any of them!

Dr. Akopian: I WOULD reread
Heather: I MIGHT reread
Unikitty: I HAVE and WILL reread
Darryl: I WON'T reread
Valencia: I HAVE and WILL reread

Let's see:
- Dr. Arkopian: I think I have this in my TBR but I'm not super interested. If it's the one I think it is, it's on AP and that means I'm more likely to get around to it.
- Heather: If this is the one I think it is, I'm not a fan of the author's writing style & unlikely to read it.
- Unikitty: I believe I've read this one. Could be wrong?
- Darryl: Read it and not likely to re-read.
- Valencia: Dinos! Sorta think I know which one this is and I don't think I've read it.

My pick is Valencia and the runner up is Dr. Akopian. =)

Soo, if you want to make guesses you can send those to me in a DM :)

I didn't add Audible Plus availability to the Stats, because I don't have the same selection as the US does, and that's probably true for other countries, too, and I don't think there's a way to see the catalog without logging in?

edit: And, obviously, when I log in, it knows I'm me, and that I'm in Finland, and so I can only see the catalog available to me.

edit2: FWIW, none of these are on A+ for me in Finland

I'm being lazy and I wanna be surprised! =D

Waiting on the reveal.

Damn, I wanted to see if you'd actually correctly guessed some of them, because I think you haven't :P (Based on what I can see on your shelves.)

I checked for the AP one and it's not on my TBR. If my guess is right, it is on the US AP.

Tricky TBR =)

There are books on my TBR I need to take off and I haven't because I don't know it's on there. Then there are books that I plan to read as long as I can get it by easy access from library, on AP or cheap sale.

ETA: My guess is not on my TBR. Hence: Tricky TBR
It is downloaded on my Audible app and shows up in the "Not Started" collection.

I think I know what your guess is for Akopian, but I obviously can't say what it is or if it's correct XD

edit: Actually no, I checked your shelves again, and I think my guess about your guess is incorrect. (Beth, does this answer your question about the rabbitholes? :P )

Is this what they mean by playing chess 5 moves ahead?

I think my strategy here is more along the lines of there is none?

For chess, my play style changes depending on who I play. lol

Anna, my guess for Akopian is not on my shelves at all. Bwahahahhaha

That's why my TBR is tricky. Mwahahah~

Oh yeah, the deal about not all TBR books being on the TBR was in my original post that the net goblins ate. I forgot to put it back in.

*goes to edit*

Soo yeah I got that about Akopian, but I "guessed" and posted based on something else, and didn't think to check your shelves. When I did after posting, my guess *was* on your shelves, so it can't be your guess XD

Is anyone still keeping track of wtf is happening?!

My "TBR" is also very complex. Part of it is on GR, some are just on my various devices, and the rest is in my brain. The last one is the hardest to browse.

Also, if you don't DM me your guesses, you're 100% not allowed to say "I knew all of those!" after they're revealed! Essentially, no guess == YOU LOSE!

LOL I can still think it or post it in a spoiler? LOL

I'll think about DMing you. Bwahahah

Well, unfortunately I can't read your mind, so you won't be penalized if you think it :P

Anna wrote: "Since it was a tie, I'll give you both truly useless pieces of information!

Rating doesn't tell you anything about how anyone has rated it, just if my rating is higher or lower than the GR average..."

*changes vote again*

Anna and Soo back and forth in an endless loop...

*Holding breath for the results*

Melissa, it's the right meme. lol

Shhhhhhhhhhhhh! Hahahahah

(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]

Reveals coming very soon! Thank you so much to everyone who voted and participated in our mod madness! ^_^

I'm also going to reveal how our private guessing game went. I can tell you we have at least one person who guessed something correctly! :)


🎵 I'm goin' to the top! Everybody head gon' rock! 🎵

lol

Teehee!

Heather = The Gate to Women's Country
I'm a challenging, reflective, and tense Trojan Woman. I think Girls Run the World, although they tend to Generalize About Men.

I don't think I even need to explain the links? The book is about a dystopian matriarchal society, and the characters are preparing to perform an adaptation of The Trojan Woman. Tepper is of course known as a feminist writer, and I thought this might've sparked interesting discussion? Yes, I had two books by Tepper on my list of twelve. I was very much hoping Nathaniel would make it to the poll over this, because it focuses on ecological themes, always close to my heart! Do I think this is worth reading? Yes. Would I prefer people know this is the book they're voting for? Also yes.

Meredith guessed Heather correctly! One point to Meredith!

I thought the description sounded like Gate to Women’s Country. I was hoping it would be a similar book I hadn’t read yet. Which is why I voted for it. Yes, this is an excellent book that should be read by everyone.

I thought that this was fairly easy to guess if you'd read the book or happened to read the blurb recently. Of course, as Allison pointed out to me, there are so many feminist works from that time period that could've fit, which is why we have Trojan Woman as the extra clue. I figured if someone guessed the book based on that, it would be OK, since not everyone has read it and knows to look for that.

Valencia = Amatka
I'm a challenging, dark, mysterious, and sad Triceratops, whose life motto is Don't Give Up! I enjoy learning the everchanging Word of the Day.

I couldn't trick you into voting for Amatka :( It was so hard to try to describe this book with music videos! I'm not sure I can describe it with words, either, which is sad, considering that the book is very much about words and language. A bleak dystopian, it also has glimpses of hope, and you really should read it. It's so weird and wonderful!

Meredith guessed Valencia correctly! Two points to Meredith!

Dr. Akopian = Woman on the Edge of Time
I'm a dark, emotional, hopeful, and reflective Dream Ghost, who's Tightrope walking Back to the Future. (Please know that Anti-Depressants Are So Not A Big Deal!)

This is a book about Connie Ramos, a Mexican-American woman who is committed to a mental hospital because she thinks she can travel into the future. Dr. Akopian is a psychiatrist, but since that isn't evident in Dream Ghost, I added Anti-Depressants as a clue. I was worried that choosing both Dr. Akopian and Janelle would give the impression that the book is about or by a Black woman. The book does examine racial inequality, so I didn't feel like I was misleading you too much.

It's a difficult but rewarding read, and I really wanted to see this make it to the shelf. I thought this book was absolutely beautiful, and those who don't mind knowing a little bit more about where the story takes you, you should read the description on Marge Piercy's website. Not for the super spoiler averse.

I think my mind pulled the visual for the setting from Tightrope while I was reading, and the beginning of Dream Ghost fits very well:

You know the trope
In storytelling it's a norm
When a person's in trouble, a manifestation of
Their subconscious appears in the form of a

Dream Ghost!
Giving advice you kind of already knew
I'm a Dream Ghost!
I'm really just your mind working things through

It's not clear if I'm hallucinated
Or actually magic
Let's leave it vague
It's more interesting that way

I'm going to take you
On a journey through time and space
And in the end you'll realize
You knew the answer all along

No one guessed Dr. Akopian correctly.

Darryl = Unconquerable Sun
I'm an adventurous and tense Gentleman Jack. I'm Gettin' Bi living on the Star Trek Voyager, although sometimes it makes me Spin Round (Like A Record).

Oh Darryl! I feel like I betrayed both the book and y'all by forcing this through! I should've saved this book for a normal mod poll, where I'm sure it would've had an enthusiastic reception, and you'd have known what you were voting for. I listened to this on audiobook, and it just wasn't working. I had to listen to the first 30% three times, and I was still not taking in everything. I then listened to the other 70% without even trying to concentrate properly. It was the combination of a complex book on audio and 2020 completely fritzing my brain out. I'm sorry! I have no idea how well my links fit the book, because they were chosen based on what I knew before I started reading it. I was/am confident that many would enjoy the book despite my troubles, which is why I decided to use it.

So, it's a gender-bent (Gentleman Jack, You Spin Me Round) Alexander the Great (GJ for historical?!) space opera (Star Trek), about a woman in power (Voyager) in a society where everyone is bisexual (Gettin' Bi). I eventually learned that there are two other POV characters, who are actually much more interesting than what I was able to convey here, but alas I was so frustrated with my audio experience, that I didn't feel like I could accurately try to portray them. Again, I'm sorry!

No one guessed Darryl correctly.

Laurie wrote: "Which book was the StoryGraph recommendation?"

The winner! :)

Laurie wrote: "Did I miss the other 2 books or did we really wait this long for an hour-by-hour reveal"

I'm revealing them slowly, because Allison is still sleeping and I can't add the books to the group shelf before she has revealed hers!

Phew! :D

Anna wrote: "Darryl = Unconquerable Sun
I'm an adventurous and tense Gentleman Jack. I'm Gettin' Bi living on the Star Trek Voyager, although sometimes it makes me Spin Round (Like A Record).

O..."

Aughh, I own this but somehow I never shelved it so I never considered it when I was trying to guess.

Meredith, don't feel too bad, you are the uncontested Guessing Winner! If you'd guessed this one, too, I'd have had to start looking for hidden cameras!

I can’t resist puzzles and guessing games.

Unikitty = The Best of All Possible Worlds
I'm a Super Cool, hopeful, and reflective Alien from Cloud Cuckoo Land, who needs a Makey Makeover.

Warning:

This book's gonna get stuck inside yo' head

'Cause it's so crazy, crazy
It's such a Crazy Book
Gonna make you happy, happy
Don't try to fight it, read along

This book's gonna get stuck inside you
Run but you can't hide, I'll find you
Shine so bright, my bling-bling blind you
Read this book, I must remind you

There's nothin' that you can do
There's nothin' that you can say
This book is stuck on replay
You better read it every single day

Even if you go insane
This book is now in your brain
And in your brain it will remain

This book is now stuck inside yo' head

It all starts when our protagonist's home is destroyed :( He has to travel to a new planet to find new friends. Their personalities aren't a perfect match, but they learn to work together as they travel the planet and meet space fairies ^_^

OK, I have no idea why everyone voted for this?! It was *clearly* the odd one out, not named after a CXG character, with a looooong warning about this book being hard to get rid of? I kept adding more and more layers of annoying to it, wanting to make it absolutely clear, that if you choose this one, it's on you! The Alien video actually does fit the plot of the book pretty well, but all the Lego nonsense refers to me trying to make you read this book. I've used it in a mod poll, and keep nominating it every single time it fits the theme. I can't believe I got it on the shelf in this magnificent manner!

🎵 And if you wonder who's to blame? Yeah, it's me! 🎵

Also, you've accidentally chosen the book with the most romance, but it's not exaaaactly a Kissing Book? *cackles*

I do actually like this book! :) I think? I keep wanting to read it again and again to find out!

🎵 I bet I’ll never forget it, cause once I read it, then I read it! 🎵

You Spin Me Round was initially a Unikitty song. I moved it because I didn't want to give a false impression about this having LGBTQIA+ rep. It does have one NB character, but that's really not in the center of the plot at all. The book just makes my head spin!

🎵 Open up your lovin' arms. Watch out, here I come! 🎵

Satan Anna Fiend was originally about Unikitty. I'd rewritten all the lyrics for the book, but it kept nagging at me how much better it would work if I just made it about *me*. So I decided to indulge in self-aggrandizement, and edited a whole video that's just about me?!

🎵 I'm mystical but also carry distressing plots. I bring whimsy and freakish fairies. 🎵

Meredith guessed Unikitty correctly! That brings her total to 3/5, amazing! No one else managed to guess even one book correctly, so I'm officially naming Meredith the Guessing Queen! :D

Karen Lord is on the shelf!!!1 *happy dances into the sunset*

I've read it twice, and my "reviews" are mixed :D That's why I'll have to read it a third time to know how I feel about it!

I've wanted to read this for a while and now I really do after all this drama and build up!

My original wrong guess for Unikitty was Space Opera, by Cat Valente.

Everyone is going to be so disappointed when the books isn't about singing/dancing Lego figures!

As I said to Meredith when she guessed that, I can totally see all the Unikitty stuff fitting Space Opera! That was a very Crazy Book, too!

Space Opera might have been my guess for #3, but in my failed attempt to read it I didn't parse it how Anna described. So I had no real idea of what it was.

For #1 I guessed Planetfall. I'm a silly person who didn't check the group bookshelf. If I had, I'd have seen it was already there. :D

The rest I had no idea at all.

Elliott: as someone who's read five of her books, and have come to appreciate her work after a rough start, she can be a tough sell. The trilogy of hers I read (Cold Magic) felt kind of messy on a chapter, or even a single book level, but as a whole it has really stuck with me and I have very pleasant memories of it. "Give her three books and you'll like her stuff" is a lot to ask of people. Especially since they might not, anyway. I suspect that the Unconquerable Sun series will have a similar structure and overall effect, and also suspect the group as a whole might not respond well to just its first book.

This was so fun! Thanks, Anna!
Fun fact: I voted for Darryl, and then in the last week, I started Unconquerable Sun. I guess that means your description was true to its spirit? Or maybe that I like what I like?