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[2017] Voting for 7th Mini-Poll
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Difficult poll for me, I'd 2 suggestions I really wanted, then the rest was ok or "meh". I'll even be ok with my bottoms 4, but I won't have fun choosing the books. I'm curious to see the results as it'll be the 1st poll that wasn't appealing for me this year!
I think most everything on this list was covered (several times over) by items already on my 2017 TBR. They will be easy to choose. Looking for 4 more interesting (more challenging) topics was difficult, but I did find 4 that I would like on the final Challenge list. The bottom 4 is almost impossible as I would be fine with any of the others making the list. I haven't voted yet. As soon as I decide how many bottoms I will have, then I will vote.
I liked pretty much all of them. I didn't even come up with a bottom 4. Pretty interested in seeing how this turns out (what proved popular) and I am hoping that this poll manages to add more diversity to the 2017 list. It certainly has a lot of unique topics, but it is probably possible for the most boring 4 to win.
I just checked the list of Genres and subgenres and there are a lot of subgenres I have never heard before, that made this suggestion very interesting for me. The Ancient Greeks books suggestion is also interesting. I remember to read a lot of them at school, but I never finished The Iliad :(, so if this option wins, this could be my motivation to retake that classic :D
I did have a top 4 but I actually really like all the suggestions this time and would be happy with any of them. I didn't vote for any as my bottom choices.
Whoa, super hard! I think all suggestions are fine, but wanted to pick four for the bottom to create a wider result. I was the most neutral about them, even though I'd read any or all of them.
I did pick a top and bottom 4 but I'd be ok with most of the choices. There were only 2 that I really hated and I didn't bother searching for books for those. I guess if they make it i will have to find something.
I liked most of the topics so had a hard time choosing my top 4. I only voted for 1 for my bottom 4.
I voted for a top 4 and bottom 4. It took a lot of checking and unchecking to finally make those choices though. There was 1 I really want in the top 4 and 1 I really don't want in the bottom 4, but we'll see how it turns out when the results come in.
Tough choice this time. There really wasn't anything that stood out in either direction. A lot that felt the same as always and a lot that might be interesting, but no real yes!/no! entries.
I just completed the survey but noticed as I pressed submit I accidently voted for my top 5 - not 4. What do you want me to do? Can you wipe out the survey and I do it again?
I was checking the list for Speculative Fiction and I saw a lot of dystopian books on the list. Is there a relation betweem both? Is one a subgenre of the other one? Which is the difference?
Speculative fiction is an umbrella for all science fiction, fantasy, horror, alternative history, magical realism. It's basically anything that's not true to life, so it's a really wide open category.
Silvia wrote: "I was checking the list for Speculative Fiction and I saw a lot of dystopian books on the list. Is there a relation betweem both? Is one a subgenre of the other one? Which is the difference?"From wikipedia: Speculative fiction is a broad category of narrative fiction that includes elements, settings and characters created out of imagination and speculation rather than based on reality and everyday life. It encompasses the genres of science fiction, fantasy, science fantasy, horror, alternative history, and magic realism. It typically strays strongly from reality and so may feature fictional types of beings like mythical creatures and supernatural entities, technologies that do not exist in real life like time machines and interstellar spaceships, or magical or otherwise scientifically inexplicable elements.
Wow, this poll seemed to happen very quickly. I submitted my suggestion just before I left for work this morning, and by the time I got home, not only were the submissions done, but the vote was already very active. This was a tough one for me too, although I feel like I say that every time. In general, I think this poll was the most creative as a whole (but there were a few suggestions that I wrote off immediately since I've already done them a few times in other challenges).
I actually had to put quite a bit of time into researching for this one before I made my choices. I discovered I had a very mistaken impression of what high fantasy was. I had it confused with the "Golden Age" of fantasy, and I also took a while to try and figure out the difference between "speculative fiction" and "a book set more than 100 years in the future."
It was much easier for me to pick a bottom 4 than a top 4. The topics I mentioned above that I wrote off right away because I'd done them before actually were not bottom 4s at all. There were a few topics that just didn't appeal to me at all (ie. nonfiction since I'm really not a fan of nonfiction), and many of the topics I put in the bottom were just ones that I had a lot of trouble finding ideas for.
The top 4 was much harder. I had about 8 topics that I really wanted to vote for, so in the end, my final vote for the final spot in my top 4 came down to which one had the most appealing options. There were a couple of prompts that I really loved for their challenge/creativity, but even after researching for over an hour, I only found 1 or 2 books that appealed to me that would fit.
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Laura wrote: "Bec, no worries! Just post (or private message me) the one that you don't want to vote for (#5) and I'll just subtract it from the tally."PM sent!
Phew, not easy to choose again! I know I say that to each poll, but I think our list is going to be awesome! :)
I thought there were a couple of suggestions that were especially good because they were so different/something I wouldn't have thought of.I really liked the idea of a genre/subgenre that you've never heard of. I did think there's a possibility in it being a difficult one for people really well versed in genres. I studied literature in college, so I'm super familiar with a wide range of genres, but I recently found one I'd never heard of called Mythopoeia, which I had never heard of. So that's what I'll choose if that one wins. I really hope it does.
I also loved the idea of the dual timeline. I love books with multiple timelines, but I've heard a number of people (not necessarily in this group) say they don't like books with multiple timelines, so I wonder if this one will be polarizing. I think I enjoy this suggestion so much because it's something I wouldn't have thought of, and because I think it's really different from what we've had in past challenges.
That being said, there were a number of choices that I didn't want. I voted for 4 I really hope don't win, but then I also have a handful more that feel like repeats from previous years/challenges. I'd rather see more new/original tasks than ones that are repetitive, even though I'm sure I'll find books I like even if those ones do win. I guess I'm obsessed with novelty.
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I really liked the idea of a genre/subgenre that you've ..."
Same here, there are some I really don't want, but if they win, I'll just sub something else that week.
I don't mind broad challenges that repeat sometimes. There are some, like the series one or award winning ones this year, where I have a bunch of books I would have read, so am good with seeing again.
There were a lot of good choices this time. I really like havuing either an author from the Middle East or from the Southern Hemisphere since I rarely read anything from those regions. I also love the dual timelines suggestion.There were a couple I didn't like but its not too bad if they end up winning. I can't wait to see what winners we have this time.
I had a hard time deciding on the top four, as there were at least 6-7 I found really interesting. The new subgenre prompt and Southern hemisphere book are inviting, and I have to vote for the dual timeline, because it was my suggestion. I only have one that I really don't like, so I'm voting for only 1 at the bottom.
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I thought that was a silly one until I looked at the list and I've read more than half the books on it! So clearly I had to vote for it cause it is what I read!
I didn't think it was silly . Seemed to me to be one we hadn't had before, and voted for it.
question:Ancient Greeks: does it have to be any of the books listed on the web that the link takes us to, or can it be anything about Ancient Greeks
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Laura wrote: "Elizabeth, the person who made the suggestion can feel free to chime in but I believe the posted list was just a suggestion for potential topics. I do believe that it's intended to "by" Ancient Gre..."ok just wanted to know, because its one I vote for and I just realized that if it won I had no books by ancient Greek writers
Re dual time line -- I also found I had read several without realizing it. I enjoy books with multiple narrators (hey there's a category) which often lends itself to fluid time lines. Go dual time lines!
Jean wrote: "Re dual time line -- I also found I had read several without realizing it. I enjoy books with multiple narrators (hey there's a category) which often lends itself to fluid time lines. Go dual time ..."you need to check out
by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore I got a copy of it from Blogging for Books and loved it.
Elizabeth, the ancient Greek writings are in the public domain - they are free on the Kindle and you can find them online as well. Paper copies should be cheap, too.
Marta wrote: "Elizabeth, the ancient Greek writings are in the public domain - they are free on the Kindle and you can find them online as well. Paper copies should be cheap, too."thinks , going to see if I want to get any to read.
Laura is right, when I made the suggestion I intended it to be a book by one of the ancient Greeks, and the link was just an example as the lists I found on goodreads were also for books about the ancient Greeks. Wikipedia has a little more on who this can include: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancie...
Hope you can find something interesting there Elizabeth! It's a challenging topic for many for sure and makes you have to go out of your comfort zone, that's also why I suggested it :P
Otherwise loving many of the suggestions, there are several I'm having to choose between for the top 4!
Marta wrote: "Elizabeth, the ancient Greek writings are in the public domain - they are free on the Kindle and you can find them online as well. Paper copies should be cheap, too."This. A lot is available on manybooks.net. I like the UI and how it is possible to download several formats.
Aglaea wrote: "Marta wrote: "Elizabeth, the ancient Greek writings are in the public domain - they are free on the Kindle and you can find them online as well. Paper copies should be cheap, too."This. A lot is ..."
thinks i'll have to check that website out
Aglaea wrote: "Marta wrote: "Elizabeth, the ancient Greek writings are in the public domain - they are free on the Kindle and you can find them online as well. Paper copies should be cheap, too."This. A lot is ..."
just went and now I have singed up with them, thinks for letting me know about that webset.
You're welcome :) Any opportunity to increase the TBR... Bahahaa!
Aglaea wrote: "You're welcome :) Any opportunity to increase the TBR... Bahahaa!"Don't need any help with that, I now have over 1000 kindle books and so far I've read only 70 of them,plus I know that I have a birthday coming up soon so u know I'll be looking to see what kindle books I want or to see if i can order some.
Wow, a 1000 kindle-books! Good thing you're a reader ;)Thanks Marta and Aglaea for the tips and links!
Elín Birna wrote: "Wow, a 1000 kindle-books! Good thing you're a reader ;)Thanks Marta and Aglaea for the tips and links!"
I know right, it goes to show that I'm definitely a bookworm.
Elín Birna wrote: "Laura is right, when I made the suggestion I intended it to be a book by one of the ancient Greeks, and the link was just an example as the lists I found on goodreads were also for books about the ..."thinks and thinks to Aglaea I was able to find some on a website called manybooks.net , can't wait to see if it wins ,since I also voted for it.
Oh geesh, don't get me started on how many kindle books I have. But take how many I have(around 500) and multiply it by 5 and that's how many my mother has, lol.
Ha, I just had a thought. If you think about it, everyone in the world "owns" millions of books. Your local libraries have how many books on their shelves, plus a lot of libraries nowadays have kindles/nooks/ereaders you can loan that have tons of books on them. Plus you can also borrow books on your own ereader from the libraries.
^and add to that anything that is public domain.
Jennifer wrote: "Ha, I just had a thought. If you think about it, everyone in the world "owns" millions of books. Your local libraries have how many books on their shelves, plus a lot of libraries nowadays have kin..."You are so right, Jennifer. I just learned about and started using SimplyE: 300,000 E-Books to Browse, Borrow, and Read, a new app from the New York Public Library. All ebooks are free and available for borrowing by library members...and lots of the greats are up there! What a terrific service :))
Don't forget about lending your Kindle books within the US either. Us sad souls outside of it can't do that yet, but do look into the Kindle library option. A book will be borrowed once, for 14 days, during which time the licence owner has no access to it, after which it is automatically returned. It isn't completely easy to figure out, but there's a help article on Amazon.
Agleaea, I have used this option with few people. It is a great option that amazon offers.
I'm like a kid checking the group discussions lots of times not to miss the results ;)
Sophie wrote: "I'm like a kid checking the group discussions lots of times not to miss the results ;)"Me too! XD
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It will almost aways be close to 8am EST (just for future reference)
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The 2017 Reading Challenge will continue the concept of this year's challenge, with 52 weekly topics. Users then choose a book fitting each topic in order to complete the challenge.
The Process:
The topics for the 2017 RC list will be determined through around 13 mini-polls. Suggestions for each poll will be open until 20 suggestions are received and then opened up for voting for one week. Each user will vote for their top 4 and bottom 4 topics in each mini-poll, resulting in 4 challenge entries from each (13 polls x 4 topics/poll=52 weekly topics). This timeframe allows for a completed list in October-November.
The Rules:
- Voting ends August 10
- One vote per poll per user
Reminder of Current Challenge Themes:
A book by an author you haven't read before
A book in the middle of your TBR list
A book from someone else's bookshelf
A book with a strong female character
A book from the Goodreads "Top 100 YA Books"
A category from another challenge
A book that you've owned for a while but haven't gotten around to reading
A book with an animal on the cover or in the title
A book about a famous historical figure
A book based on a myth
A book from the Goodreads Choice Awards 2016
A novel inspired by a work of classic literature
A book with an unreliable narrator
A best book of the 21st century (so far)
A book set in a fictional location
A book from the BBC The Big Read list (link)
A Penguin modern classic
A book with at least 2 perspectives (more than one main character and point of view)
A book with a long title (5+ words, excluding any subtitles)
A book written by a person of color (i.e. someone who isn’t white)
An epistolary fiction book
A title that doesn't contain the letter "E"
Helpful Links
Dual Timeline Novels: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
Unfamiliar Non-Fiction Test (for fun): http://spacefem.com/quizzes/dewey/
Character from another book: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3... / https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/5...
Speculative Fiction: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
Ancient Greeks: https://daringtolivefully.com/must-re...
Survey Link