[2020] Voting for 1st Mini Poll

[Laura, Celestial Sphere Mod]

Interpreting the prompt as China is stretching it a bit too much for me. I suppose it could be argued but given it’s connected to porcelain and is lowercase, I think it’s taking it outside the intended meaning of the word.

[Raquel (Silver Valkyrie Reads)]

I'm in the camp of loving the idea of 'china/porcelain on the cover' but having few options on my TBR. I think this might be only one (from my owned TBR at least) that fits: The Birdwoman's Palate

Since it includes porcelain, has anyone looked for books with toilets on the cover yet...?

I actually really love the group reading map related prompt, but I seem to be in the minority there.

For the summer olympics/Japan prompt you also have anything Japan related. This one is on my TBR: When My Name Was Keoko. And you could read a manga--there's probably even several about sports that would relate to the olympics, though the one I'm hooked on is Food Wars!, Vol. 1.

[Sandra]

Hannah wrote: "Sophie wrote: "I'm trying to put a little bit more diversity in my reading and failing miserably this year because I'm tackling books that have been on my TBR for the longest and a few years ago th..."


I prefer the prompt if it broadens to “includes” instead of features. A Closed and Common Orbit could be included (also books 1 and 2 of the Wayfarer series)

[Raquel (Silver Valkyrie Reads)]

My initial concern after looking at the dishes on cover lists was that most of the options would be limited to romance or mystery, but there are definitely a few literary/historical options on my 'not yet owned TBR':

The Taster
Together Tea

As well as cookbooks:
The French Laundry Cookbook
Mastering the Art of Japanese Home Cooking

Contemporary:
Convenience Store Woman

And Christian inspriational/devotional:
Come and Eat: A Celebration of Love and Grace Around the Everyday Table
Finding Spiritual Whitespace: Awakening Your Soul to Rest

So, even if the options are limited, there do seem to be a wide enough range of genre options that everyone should be able to find something.

[Peter]

Raquel wrote: "My initial concern after looking at the dishes on cover lists was that most of the options would be limited to romance or mystery, but there are definitely a few literary/historical options on my '..."

I found a couple outside of the mystery or romance area.

Sci-fi/Dystopia - Countdown City (picture of coffee mug on the cover)

Fantasy - The Boy with the Porcelain Blade

Memoir - Porcelain: A Memoir or The Porcelain Thief: Searching the Middle Kingdom for Buried China

[Jackie, Solstitial Mod]

You know when I suggested the china/porcelain prompt, I didn't really think it would be too hard to find any variety of porcelain products on covers. I read a lot of mystery books though, and people always seem to be getting smashed over the head with antique vases. Or getting poison in their teacups. Or getting stabbed in their beautiful antique porcelain bathtubs.

[Rachel]

Ellie wrote: "I think grouping them might make them harder, rather than letting people pick what three senses they'd use. But that is really a discussion for another poll if neither of the sense prompts get thro..."

Personally, I'd be less interested in grouped senses, and I'm not sure if I'd want to do "pick 3" either. I know most of us (myself included, generally) are opposed to longer multi-week prompts but something about the 5 senses one really struck me as interesting. I guess technically if the sight/vision one makes it in this time and five senses doesn't, the remaining 4 senses could become a multi-week suggestion. I have 3 or 4 prompts already in mind as my top choices, but I'm not 100% sure of my votes yet.

I also agree that the time the poll will be posted should be specified. I don't think everyone will notice what time the suggestions closed.

[Kathryn]

Edie wrote: "Jillian wrote: "Based on my experience in other groups challenges with a similar map like prompt; I have found that it can be quite time consuming to try and find a book located in an available cou..."

If anyone is looking for books specific to a certain country, the Around the World in 80 Books group is a great resource.

https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

[Laura, Celestial Sphere Mod]

The poll will be open for a week and there will be an announcement once the poll goes live. So it should be pretty difficult to miss ;)

[°~Amy~°]

While I do like the map prompt for how difficult I could make it, I would ask how important it is at this point to be inclusive of readers who join our challenge but do not wish to participate in the group at all. Back in the day (Yes, I am putting on my best grandpa voice for this one!) we had agreed that we wanted our list to be usable and accessible for people who just stumbled across it on the net, similar to how they find Popsugar and Bookriot. A few years ago, we didn't want any prompts that meant that everyone HAD to be a member of this group. We do have participants who found the challenge through a booktuber, or posted on Instagram or facebook or various blog sites who participated but didn't want to actually join goodreads to participate. They loved the list, just not goodreads in general. So, if we have a prompt where the reader HAS to be a member in order to access the map, would that turn some people away from doing the challenge at all? Do we care?

Basically what I am wondering is do we want to make this challenge strictly from group members or do we want it to be inclusive for anyone who stumbles on the list anywhere at any time? Just some food for thought as we move forward.

[Lizzy]

°~Amy~° wrote: "While I do like the map prompt for how difficult I could make it, I would ask how important it is at this point to be inclusive of readers who join our challenge but do not wish to participate in t..."
Amy... as a relative newbie, I was not aware of that original intention. I think if we did not want to tie it to our map, we could do something associated with the 2020 Olympics. I was at first thinking of choosing from a country that had won a medal. But, maybe to get some of the less read countries, we could suggest a book from a country that did NOT win a medal at the Olympics. I haven’t done any research on the number of countries this would be, but I think it would lend to a lot of options.

[Laura, Celestial Sphere Mod]

I’ve been around since the beginning and I vaguely remember that intention.

Regardless, I think the group is such a huge component of our reading list that they should go together. We’ve worked hard to create a distinct community with unique group features. And the list is a product of the members.

I think the reading map is a cohesive way to word a prompt that encourages diversity in settings, since the requirement is to read a book set in a location that is rarely read.

But I can see both sides of the argument.

[Rachel]

Laura wrote: "The poll will be open for a week and there will be an announcement once the poll goes live. So it should be pretty difficult to miss ;)"

I think the concern was the confusion about what time the poll would start, not that people might miss it. I saw a few comments above that people didn't realize there was a day of discussion happening first, or that the poll said it would start on June 2 but it wasn't clear what time. Not a big deal, but I think posting the start time as mentioned above would be a great help.

In terms of the map prompt, I can see both sides of the argument too. I love to stumble upon challenges online, and it would probably put me off if I saw there were extra requirements involved in the prompts. Joining a group isn't really a big deal, but some people rarely use the site/app, and even those of us who do might not check the group very often to see what's going on with the map. Until the prompt was suggested, I had literally never looked at this year's map myself. I thought it was a cool idea, but wasn't particularly interested in participating because I knew I was unlikely to be able to keep up with remembering to post consistently.

On the other hand, I also think it could be cool to have something community-specific about our challenge. Compared to other groups that I'm part of on Goodreads, this one definitely feels the most like a community and it's the most fun for me because of that. I think Amy makes a great point, but I'm fine with whatever the group decides if this prompt is chosen.

[Raquel (Silver Valkyrie Reads)]

As a person completely new to the group this year, I don't feel I can really speak to the intentions or hopes of how inclusive the challenge is. But, as the prompt is currently worded, I don't see why it excludes anyone who isn't part of the group--there will be a set list of countries from the 2019 map that will end up being eligible, and both that list, and I think even the link to the map, would be accessible to people who stumble across the group/challenge without being members of the group.

[°~Amy~°]

Laura wrote: "I’ve been around since the beginning and I vaguely remember that intention.

Regardless, I think the group is such a huge component of our reading list that they should go together. We’ve worked h..."

I agree, I've just been arguing with my self all day about if we should be all-inclusive or not. I think that I am fine with the list evolving into a group-centric challenge. I just thought we might, as a group want to be aware from the start that we may be leaning that way (should the map prompt survive the voting). It's easier to address a possible issue now before voting starts than it will be 5 or 6 weeks from now.

I do think we should limit the map prompt to actual earth-based locations. My own reading is primarily sci-fi based, however the heart of the prompt really feels like it should be about diversifying our reading and honoring lesser read authors. Again, just my opinion. I'll probably include the non-reality fantasy/sci-fi locations as a KIS option on the KIS/BIO list either way. :-)

[°~Amy~°]

Raquel wrote: "As a person completely new to the group this year, I don't feel I can really speak to the intentions or hopes of how inclusive the challenge is. But, as the prompt is currently worded, I don't see ..."

Raquel,

It would exclude people who aren't part of the group because they can't see the map that the prompt refers to unless they are first, a member of goodreads and then, a member of our group. Do we want to turn off those participants, or not? I don't know. How many outside participants do we actually attract? I don't know. It's simply a discussion that we had years ago and we felt strongly about it then. Quite possibly we have evolved beyond that point now because we are a much larger group. Maybe the majority still wants to be inclusive to all. I don't know, I'm just throwing the information out there for voters to ponder before voting. It's interesting to me that one prompt could be so pivotal to the evolution of the list and to our group. It's quite exciting actually. :-)

[Raquel (Silver Valkyrie Reads)]

°~Amy~° wrote: "Raquel wrote: "As a person completely new to the group this year, I don't feel I can really speak to the intentions or hopes of how inclusive the challenge is. But, as the prompt is currently worde..."

I just completely signed out of goodreads to double check, and you can actually still see any of the group posts without even being a member of goodreads. You can't post without joining, but you just need the link to the group to read everything.

[Raquel (Silver Valkyrie Reads)]

To be clear, I get that maybe that's still too group-centric depending on what people want the vibes to be, I just don't think there should be a decision made based on a false impression of how difficult it is to access the group information.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Katie, can you edit the first message to reflect the updated map prompt? It still currently says 2020 list, and I think we are changing it to the 2019 list, correct?

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

I really like the prompt about a child being raised by someone not their biological parents.

Here's a few links:
Books about Orphans
Kids in Foster Care
YA Adoption Fiction
Orphans

And for some different (more adult?) ideas...
Favorite Fictional Orphans
Best Books About or Featuring Orphans
Wikipedia's Novels about Orphans

[Jill]

Emily wrote: "I really like the prompt about a child being raised by someone not their biological parents.

Here's a few links:
Books about Orphans
Kids in Foster Care
YA Adoption Fiction
Orphans"

I really like this prompt as well. Thanks for the lists!

[Katie]

Post 1 has been updated to change the wording for the map topic to reflect the 2019 map. Unfortunately, Goodreads does not have awesome mobile capability, so I can't make the updates I'd like to make when I access from my phone. Even accessing Goodreads from my phone browser instead of the app won't let me edit something I've already posted. Ughhhh.

[Katie]

Voting is now open. The link to the poll has been added to message 1 and posted below.

https://www.surveymoz.com/s/AKSO7/

[Laura, Celestial Sphere Mod]

It's hard to predict the length of the list of countries but the group could easily list the qualifying countries without requiring people to actually view the thread or the image of the map.

I would assume it would be listed in the corresponding weekly topic.

I think it's interesting to reflect on the evolution of the group, as Amy said. When we had that discussion, I believe it was our first (maybe second) year in the current group. So we were pretty fresh off the "Yay, Popsugar was so fun, now we have our own group!" mindset. I think now it feels more like a separate community. We do have an awesome printable that people may come across on other sites (i.e. Pinterest). I would interested to know how many people came across the group through that means.

[Laura, Celestial Sphere Mod]

Given we have always posted specific times (in EST) in the past, I'm sure it's safe to say that Katie just missed it in her post.

No need to panic, folks.

We will post times in the future. Just be aware that the mods are human, with sometimes hectic lives, so times are always a goal, not a set deadline, and we may very well miss those times slightly.

[Anastasia]

I love that we had the discussion before the voting. There were some great ideas shared. While the discussion did not change my mind this time it means that I down voted less.

[Kathryn]

Emily wrote: "I really like the prompt about a child being raised by someone not their biological parents.

Here's a few links:
Books about Orphans
Kids in Foster Care
YA Adoption Fiction
Orphans

And for some d..."

There's these lists as well -
Best Fiction About Adoption
Adoption Memoirs
Books With Adopted Characters - this one says these books aren't necessarily about adoption, just that there are adopted characters in the books

[Serendipity]

No idea which way I’m going to vote yet. Currently I’m at the airport waiting to fly home after a 4 day conference and I think I’ll take a day to decompress before I commit. But I am liking the prompts connected to 2020 specifically the Olympic one. And I’m not feeling the book from the year you were born prompt. Sorry to whoever made that suggestion. I think I have to find one for another reading challenge this year and I know I had one last year. I struggle to find anything I want to read from the year I was born. Same for the year I graduated etc. If it gets in I’ll probably just reread a kids picture book from the year in question. Overall I thought there were some fun, inventive prompts.

[Ellie]

The poll is very pretty this week! There's only one I down-voted: book published the year you were born. 1981 was not a stellar year for publishing!

[Boipoka]

Katie wrote: "Post 1 has been updated to change the wording for the map topic to reflect the 2019 map. Unfortunately, Goodreads does not have awesome mobile capability, so I can't make the updates I'd like to ma..."

Does your phone browser support viewing a page in "Desktop Mode"? In both Firefox and Chrome, you can find a checkbox under the hamburger menu [those 3-vertical-dots on the right side] that says something like "Request Desktop Site". 'The Internet' says Safari has the option as well. If you select that box and refresh the page, you should be able to Edit your posts, and in general get all the same features as on a computer ...

I personally always browse GoodReads in desktop mode - the mobile UI is just, well, < insert some not polite words here >

[Sophie]

Amy, I think you brought up a very good point about the group intention a few years ago to be as inclusive of non-members as possible. I'm not sure we can tell we were feeling "strongly" about it at the time, but it was discussed.

However, I think we defeated this intention by repeatedly including a prompt involving a rejected suggestion each year since! For me the map is exactly the same and I certainly won't take it into account when considering it as a prompt or not.

Laura wrote: "Given we have always posted specific times (in EST) in the past, I'm sure it's safe to say that Katie just missed it in her post.

No need to panic, folks.

We will post times in the future. Just..."

I drafted the text for the first post and I purposefully not included the time not to tie us up to a schedule that we may not be able to commit to. Chill out people, our lives are hectic as it is without putting up more schedule when there's no need to!

And please do read what we're writing otherwise you'll come up to blank posts one day 🤣

[Boipoka]

On the prompts, personally I really like the countries prompt, though I didn't even know such a map existed before reading this prompt! I love reading from out of the way places!

[Also. may be it helps that I have a book of Guatemalan stories sitting on my book shelf! Guatemala was the theme country in my city's book fair this year]

[Sophie]

What I really like about the 8 votes to spread is the new way I'm voting: I tick everything I like, everything I don't like and then balance it out.

For this poll, I only had 2 bottoms: the birth year (nothing good in 1987 that I haven't read yet) and horses (sorry, I don't really like them).

I initially had 11 tops, so I first unticked everything linking to the title because last year we had tons of those and I'm pretty sure we'll have them again this year. In the end, I kept: a book about two queer women, 2020 summer Olympics, set on an island, originally written in another language, related to the 5 senses and a child raised by someone else.

I can already see a lot of diverse options for all these suggestions, I'm excited about next year's challenge!

[Nadine in NY]

Katie wrote: "Post 1 has been updated to change the wording for the map topic to reflect the 2019 map. Unfortunately, Goodreads does not have awesome mobile capability, so I can't make the updates I'd like to ma..."


ITA! When will Goodreads get their act together and update the app??? It's really annoying to not be able to reply or edit or view spoilers when I'm on the app, because I use the app more than I use a browser-version.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

So I just got home after a long weekend and really started diving into the prompts.

I currently have 6 votes allocated. My 4 tops are emotion in the title (so unique! I haven't seen this one before), relating to the five senses (an easy one to KIS or BIO depending on where it falls in the list), two-word title (I kind of love title prompts...), and the one featuring a child not living with bio parents.

My two downvotes are for the group reading map (just not as interested in that scavenger hunt) and the book in translation (it was one of my least favorite prompts in last year's list - and also, it was in last year's list).

So now to just figure out if I want to use my other two votes and what they will be. I wasn't super excited by any other ones, but I also don't think I'd mind any of the others ones getting in...

[Joanne]

This is my first time participating in the voting (I'm doing the challenge this year but only joined the group around November), so this is really exciting for me.

My favourite one was the emotion in the title. I love the idea of it and know I would have a lot of options for it. Also voted for the 2 queer women because I want to get more LGBTQ reads in always and I feel like a lot of the focus out there is on M/M. I also picked the more than 20 letters prompt because I love long and interesting titles, and because in a pinch, it's easy to fit in a non-fiction there with a subtitle. And my last vote was for 2-word title starting with "the". I confess I love title and cover prompts because sometimes it's hard to research if a book works and I like a few easier options I can just scroll my TBR for.

[Maple]

I hate that I haven’t been as active in posting this year, but my reading is off the charts. I am so happy the process has started and think we are off to a great start with a lot of wonderful suggestions. Thank you to those who contributed to the suggestions and in helping to form the lists!

[Sarah]

@Sophie I was born in 87 too and I agree, there was a book drought that year!

[Katie]

Manda, I always think your reading is off the charts, so it must be scary awesome if you think it is too, hahaha.

[Bryony]

Regarding the published in your birth year suggestions, Goodreads has a list of popular books published in each year going back as far as 1919. It’s one of those features I didn’t discover until I’d been on Goodreads for ages, so I thought I’d suggest it here for anyone else who hasn’t already seen it.

As an example, here’s the list for 1987. You can change the year, and also the month, in the menu on the right of the page.

[Jackie, Solstitial Mod]

Bryony wrote: "Regarding the published in your birth year suggestions, Goodreads has a list of popular books published in each year going back as far as 1919. It’s one of those features I didn’t discover until I’..."

That's an interesting feature, but it reaffirms that my particular problem is not finding books published in the year I was born, but finding books from that year that I actually want to read, lol. Problems of a picky reader.

[Jillian]

I think the main problem with read a book published in the year you were born is for those of us who have been doing challenges for awhile have encountered this prompt several times. It makes the selection of books I actually would want to read slim pickings.

The Goodreads’ list is very helpful though.

[Samantha]

I know that last time we had a year you were born prompt it was hard to find something I wanted to read. If it wins I think instead of looking for something I would normally read I will search for a children or middle grade book; something that would be a little nostalgic. Another idea I had was that Harlequin Romances were pretty short and I am sure kind of wacky so could be fun and I think I could find one cheap at a used books store.

[Jill]

This prompt comes up so often, it has lost all appeal. If it wins I will probably play a wild card.

[Nadine in NY]

LOL Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? was published in my birth year, if that prompt wins ...

[Angie]

I only had two down votes this time around, and out of those, only one of the two would be a headache to fill. Mostly, this is a good crop of topics. I especially like the emotion prompt.

[Edie]

Sarah wrote: "@Sophie I was born in 87 too and I agree, there was a book drought that year!"

This was one of my down votes too. 1945 wasn't a great year for books either.

[Anastasia]

A book that takes place during the year you were born would be so much easier. That maybe a better fit for you too Edie.

[Laura, Celestial Sphere Mod]

Anastasia wrote: "A book that takes place during the year you were born would be so much easier. That maybe a better fit for you too Edie."

Possibly decade? It seems like a specific year would be hard to find.

[Rachel]

I ended up with 5 top choices, and 3 bottom choices. There were another 2 or 3 that I strongly considered downvoting, but decided I could live with them if they were chosen. I also really like the emotions prompt.

My problem with the "year you were born" prompt and the reason I downvoted it (no offense to whoever suggested it) is because I've done it so many times before in challenges over the years that I feel like I've run out of books that fit that actually interest me. I'm sure there are still tons of options, but I've struggled with it since the first time it showed up on a challenge list and it just gets harder for me ever year.