Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
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[2018] Voting for 3rd Mini-Poll
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Katie, could you please link the Top 100 Children's books entry to the Goodreads page? I imagine that people want to now which books are included to decide if to vote for it or not..https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/6...
Thank you very much!
Thanks, all fixed. I'd meant to do that, but missed it.
Mod
Jackie, I was the opposite there were only 4 I wanted in the bottom and the other 16 I would be fine with. I did not have any strong favorites though so that is what made my top 4 harder to decided on.
that was a tough one! there were about 8 I REALLY wanted, and 8 I REALLY DIDN'T WANT, so it was difficult to choose just 4 on both sides. (What happens if someone chooses more than 4? does the survey reject it? - just hypothetical, I did manage to winnow it down to 4.)
Great list for me, plenty of suggestions which are right in my alley. My bottoms were easy to decide, so I hope none of them will make the list.
The survey will allow you to pick more than 4; we just rely on people to pick no more than four.I had 5 that I really wanted to put in the bottom that I had to whittle down, and I really really don't want any of them. And I only had 3 that I really wanted, though there were quite a few that I thought were good prompts.
I have a feeling that my choices will be different from the majority this time. I really like the twins prompt because I just think twins are really interesting, but I think people may think that is too limiting. I also really want the feminism prompt to win, but I'm not sure if that will be popular either.
This one is going to be more difficult for me than the first two polls. There are a few that I'm not interested in, or that just seem like free reads, so I can put those in my bottom four, I guess. The others mostly seem fine, but I don't have four favorites jumping out at me, so it's going to be a challenge to narrow down the choices for my top four. Since we have a week to vote, I may take some extra time to go over my Kindle & TBR list to see what I have already have that would fit certain prompts & vote for those.
There were quite a few I really didn't want and was hard to pick what I considered were the worst 4. The top four were easier but by no means easy. Now we have the long wait.
I had a relatively easy time picking my bottom 4, but I had 7 or so that I was debating between for my top 4. The first 3 were very easy, but I struggled with what to pick for the last one. Most of the suggestions were topics that I could easily live with if they were chosen, but not necessarily something I would want. My bottom 4 was mostly topics that seemed like a hassle to find something for (ie. few options) or the one or two that really didn't interest me at all.
I found this list a bit too generic. One was too specific - give me a country that starts with Y, please! I am from Hungary! If that wins, I will have to substitute. I live in the US so I could use A, but I still think this would serously disadvantage non-Americans.As for the rest, I am tired of free-for-alls and fiction oriented categories so I was voting for more specific ones and those that would accomodate non-fiction choices.
I am usually disappointed with the lack of non-fiction options because they do get onto the list but are always voted off. Classics, too. I think we do need a few spots for those for diversity, even if many don't like them. If there are no categories that stretch us, it is not a challenge, right?
I only see one definite fiction choice on the list - the realistic fiction. Unless I missed any? The top 100 children's books are mostly fiction, but not totally. If you want a non-fiction book set somewhere beginning with a Y, there's got to be plenty of stuff about the break up of Yugoslavia. Fiction might be harder to find.
If the country with the last letter gets in I will have three choices . I live in England which is also part of Great Britain or the United Kingdom. I didn't vote for it though.
Personally I strongly prefer fiction over non-fiction anyway, so I'm fine with prompts that lean heavily in that direction. I have yet to find more than one or two non-fiction books that I've really enjoyed as much as fiction. On the other hand, I can see what Marta means about it being more challenging to push ourselves. I tend to bottom 4 most non-fiction prompts since that's my preference. It would push me out of my comfort zone, but I also know I'm unlikely to enjoy the book and I don't want to be forced to read too many books that I'm not likely to enjoy.I actually thought just about every prompt here could easily accommodate non-fiction, except for the realistic fiction which I somehow doubt will make the final list. I put it in my Top 4 since i love those kinds of books, but I know many people here and in other groups have commented that they prefer reading to be an escape so they don't want their books to be too similar to real life.
The book you read for free was too much of a free choice category for me. I get almost all my books from the library, so I could literally pick anything.
I have to agree that all but realistic fiction would work with non-fiction books. On the current AtY 2017, I have used 6 non-fiction books for prompts and plan on adding a few more. I have a personal goal of 20 non-fiction books to read this year. (Some of my other non-fiction books I have put on the Popsugar list).
This one was difficult to pick my top 4. Most of the topics just did not scream interesting. On the other hand the bottom 4 were easy. My children are teens now and I no longer teach children so those books do not interest me. All of the books I read are free and I only re-read if the mood strikes me.
I can find books to fit all of the other categories so I am not that picky about them.
Few of the prompts jumped out at me one way or the other. I think they could all be doable and work well for the challenge. Instead, I nixed the ones that were too easy.
Marta, you made the comment about the topics being fiction-centric. It's funny because I think I had the same thought process as you. I read a lot of many different types of genres, including nonfiction & classics, but I don't prefer science fiction or fantasy. As topics were getting suggested, I kept thinking that they were sci-fi/fantasy-centric, like the outbreak or surviving hardship or the featuring a titled character or a book with artificial intelligence, but then I realized I could totally find a nonfiction book for any of those, so that makes me feel a little better. I didn't vote for the outbreak prompt, but if it wins, I think that's a good excuse for me to reread The Plague by Albert Camus.
I liked a lot of these. Only 3 that I really didn't want and they were more about ease of deciding what to select. My favorite set of suggestions so far!
I like a list where I can slot most of it with my tbr but I'd say there should be 5-8 categories that are specific enough and diverse enough so everyone has to stretch themselves at least some. I actually don't read that much nonfiction, maybe 10 to 12 percent. I picked on nonfiction because people seem to vote it off. I know we like to read for fun, but occasionally we should educate ourselves a bit, too...
Sorry, I get off my soapbox.
I think it's a little early to be concerned about lacking certain genres within our topics... we've only selected 8 out of the 52 total topics so far.Marta, I might be misunderstanding what you mean, but I disagree with having specific topics/genres even if the majority doesn't want them. That kind of defeats the entire purpose of the suggestions and votes. Like other people said above, non-fiction books are able to fulfill any of those topics (except the one that specifies fiction), to each member's personal preference. Unfortunately the nature of a system like this means things will tend towards the middle with few outliers or extremes, so people that want things significantly challenging are likely going to feel the need to add their own rules/restrictions to each prompt. That said, I agree with you in that I do hope a couple non-fiction topics make it because I like to try and read a few a year just to learn something.
I suggested the "outbreak" topic, and I specifically worded it so that it would encompass most genres - horror, fiction, sci-fi, non-fiction, fantasy, YA, dystopia.... partly because I haven't decided on what book I would choose if it makes our list and partly because I know we all enjoy different genres.
Also, I think the majority of the group probably have a preference for fantasy. One of the old polls shows that "fantasy" is the favoured genre, beating out the next closest with 35% more votes. It might be worth having another poll asking members what their favourite genres are, but my bet is fantasy still comes out on top.
As for this group of topics, I had a pretty clear top 3, with two very close calls for 4th. I was pretty indifferent about the rest of them, but there are a few I definitely have less than zero interest in.
Katie wrote: "Marta, you made the comment about the topics being fiction-centric. It's funny because I think I had the same thought process as you. I read a lot of many different types of genres, including nonfi..."Yeah, I thought the same, many fantasy and sci-fi oriented topics this time. I do read those genres, but I am not big on neither disease outbreaks nor artificial intelligence - so it would be a bit of a stretch, which is a good thing.
Peter wrote: "I think it's a little early to be concerned about lacking certain genres within our topics... we've only selected 8 out of the 52 total topics so far.Marta, I might be misunderstanding what you m..."
I didn't mean to say we should have them if people don't want them. Just lamenting the demise of those suggestions. They keep getting suggested but not making it. I don't want it to be too restrictive, but if all are in my comfort zone then I won't be challenged.
For example, I read my first graphic novel for Popsugar 2015 and I am hooked now! I would never have considered it otherwise. And I am now reading all The Walking Dead even though I don't even like horror. And loving it.
So I am just saying we should vote for more challenging topics sometimes, not that we should force topics on people, because I agree, what would be the point of voting then?
Btw I had no idea I would stir up controversy. I was just complaining...
Marta wrote: "Peter wrote: "I think it's a little early to be concerned about lacking certain genres within our topics... we've only selected 8 out of the 52 total topics so far.Marta, I might be misunderstand..."
That makes sense. I wasn't sure if I was understanding correctly or not. I agree, I've found some great books I likely wouldn't have read through the past challenges. I also agree with you, and wish there would be non-fiction or memoir topics included. You're right though, and they always seem to get voted out... I just try to find a few non-fiction books each year that look interesting and find a spot for them in my list instead. Last year I was really wanting to get some specific genre topics but people tend not to like genre-related suggestions. This year I've resigned myself to just incorporating different genres on my own.
I don't think you stirred up controversy, just discussion :)
I think discussions are great especially when there are different points of view. I am completely confused though how this list looks to be sci-fi/ fantasy heavy. I do hope we get something non-fiction this time like how the 2017 list has 28. A non-fiction. If that does not happen, I already have a non-fiction book picked out for: A book that takes place on, in, or underwater.
I like genre type categories but I read everything with mysteries being my least favorite, even though I checked three of them out from the library today. I total forgot about romance that is my least favorite.
I found this one hard as there were lots I liked. I like reading my kindle best but don't have a lot of money, so for me I like topics that I can get the books cheaply for on my kindle. Otherwise it's off to the library - but I dont enjoy a 'real' book any more as much. I like to read about a whole heap of things, but I read for enjoyment and just don't enjoy non-fiction (much).
I've some non-fiction periods but on very specific subjects so most of the time, I read stuff on internet. Non-fiction books aren't at all appealing, so if we have one again (or a memoir), I'll probably use a graphic novel to read it quickly without having the impression I'm losing my time. I'm not against the memoir, non-fiction and historical fiction prompts, but I'm tired of them as it's unappealing genres for me.
I'm not a huge fan of non fiction either. I've never found a non fiction that I couldn't put down. If I get a non fiction prompt, I just use it to read something related to my work.
I prefer fiction too ... however, the non fiction books I have read, I have enjoyed them very much (memoirs or based on true stories)
Zaz, I just discovered non-fiction graphic novels. They do work good for a quick read.
Wow, that was harder than I thought it was going to be. Once I sat down and looked at the list, there were more than four I wanted in the bottom, but also more than four I wanted in the top. I ended up choosing the ones I thought were most open-ended (basically any book could fill that prompt) for the bottom, because I prefer the challenge to direct us a little bit more. It doesn't seem to make sense to have a lot of prompts that can basically include any book. If that was the case, why do a challenge at all? Why not just read for pleasure all year and not worry about crossing off the list?As for my top four, I tried to pick prompts that I think would be easy enough to find books for, while at the same time being specific as to what the choices are. Now the hard part - waiting to find out the results. *twiddles thumbs*
I don't know if there is a "non-fiction what are you reading (or recommend)" thread in this group but, if not, maybe I will start one! I like to take a break (especially from sci-fi) and read non-fiction - something that brings me back to reality and expands my knowledge base. I prefer prompts that can work for fiction or non-fiction.I didn't feel like this last group was the best of choices. I had a hard time choosing a top 4. I agree with Nicole that it doesn't make sense to have prompts that are so general that they can basically include any book. That's not a challenge.
I would check out that thread Pam if you start it.I think that it is important to have a balanced list which includes a few really hard prompts along with a few easy general prompts (though I think many of us would differ on what is really hard).
For some members just reading 52 books in a year is a huge challenge and I think there has to be room for them to read books that they want that would not fit a very specific prompt. It is much easier for those of us who do read a lot more than 52 books a year to make the easy prompts harder for ourselves.
Pam wrote: "I don't know if there is a "non-fiction what are you reading (or recommend)" thread in this group but, if not, maybe I will start one! I like to take a break (especially from sci-fi) and read non-f..."I also like the idea of a non-fiction thread. I have mostly been a fiction-only girl, but in my Popsugar challenge this year, I have read a few and found that I liked them. Obviously it depends on if I'm at all interested in the topic and also if the writing is interesting and not like a textbook, but I would be up to try to read some more non-fiction books to broaden my horizons. :)
Pam wrote: "I don't know if there is a "non-fiction what are you reading (or recommend)" thread in this group but, if not, maybe I will start one! I like to take a break (especially from sci-fi) and read non-f..."A non-fiction thread sounds like a great idea!
Marta wrote: "Pam wrote: "I don't know if there is a "non-fiction what are you reading (or recommend)" thread in this group but, if not, maybe I will start one! I like to take a break (especially from sci-fi) an..."I agree. I love good non-fiction!
Let me introduce the nonfiction thread. All you nonfiction readers, head over there & let's get some good conversation going.https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Cool! Thanks Katie! I'm glad to see such a positive response.
The entire Around the Year challenge list is generated by the group members. We enjoyed the process so much in the past two years that we are creating another list for 2018.
The Process:
The topics for the 2018 RC list will be determined through around 13 mini-polls. Each user will vote for their favorite 4 topics in each mini-poll, which will then add up to the 52 topics (13 polls x 4 topics/poll=52 weekly topics). Suggestions for each poll will be opened until 15-20 suggestions are received+seconded. Then a poll will be opened for voting for one week so you can select your 4 favorite suggestions. This timeframe allows for a completed list in October-November.
The Rules:
- Voting ends July 8
- One vote per poll per user
The Entries
A book about/involving a child.
A book featuring a person or people with special abilities.
A book with characters who are twins.
A book that features a virus/plague/bacteria or other similar large scale outbreak or threat of illness.
A book by an indy author (self published) any genre.
A book with a warm atmosphere (centered on family, friendship, love or summer).
A memoir written by a person from a country different than your own.
A book where the main character (or author) is of a different ethnicity, religion, or sexual identity than your own.
A book you'd never heard of (before you picked it for the challenge).
A book about surviving a hardship of some kind (war, famine, major disasters, the apocalypse, serious illness etc.).
A book set in a country that starts with the same letter your home country ends with.
A book from Goodreads Top 100 Children's Books.
A book you read for free (free download, ARC, borrow from friend or a library).
A realistic fiction book.
A book you would recommend to someone who hates reading to get them hooked.
A book about a relationship.
A book where a featured character has either a title (Lord, Lady, Sir, etc) or a military rank (Captain, Major Lieutenant, etc).
A book with a member of the emergency services as a main character.
A book about feminism or with feminist themes.
A book with artificial intelligence theme.
Survey Link