[2020] Voting for 1st Mini Poll

[Serendipity]

I think I’m worried. Based on the way it seemed to go last year the fact that there seem to be lots of comments indicating they downvoted the year you were born prompt means it is probably going to come out in top place. But I’m not really too worried. It seems Nadine and I were born in the same year. Brown Bear, Brown Bear shouldn’t eat into my reading time too much😉

[Ellie]

Laura wrote: "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 ..."

This was a Popsugar prompt last year and I found it difficult finding things specifically set in the 80s.

[Nadine in NY]

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."



gahhhhh no that would not be easy!! many books don't even specify which exact year they take place. And there will be a lot of books set in a BIG year when something took place, but very few books in all the other years.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

I'm also really liking the two word prompt starting with "the". My TBR has some great options:

The Alienist by Caleb Carr
The Diviners by Libba Bray
The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker
The Futures by Anna Pitoniak
The Huntress by Kate Quinn
The Leavers by Lisa Ko
The Ramblers by Aidan Donnelley Rowley
The Wonder by Emma Donoghue

[Laura, Celestial Sphere Mod]

Emily wrote: "I'm also really liking the two word prompt starting with "the". My TBR has some great options:

The Alienist by Caleb Carr
The Diviners by Libba Bray
[book:The Dreamers|..."

This was in my top choices but doesn't seem to be getting a lot of attention. Thanks for pointing it out!

[Katie]

I am actually most excited about the 2 word title prompt. It's crazy to me because as I was thinking of prompts to suggest sometime this year, I came up with this exact prompt, a 2 word title starting with the word the. It was so surreal when I logged onto the suggestion thread & saw that someone had already suggested it.

[Sophie]

If the prompt about 2 queer women is chosen, I wonder what people think about using a book in which two women are believed to be lesbians but the book never says it outright (perhaps because of when it was written). I’m think particularly about Fried Green Tomatoes. There must be others as well. That might expand choices.

[Silvia]

Whaaaat!? I have missed the whole process!!!!

[Pam]

I also like the 2 word starting with”The” prompt. I already had a list of possible books from my bookshelves since it is a prompt in the Summer Seasonal Reading Challenge. It’s one that fits any genre so it might appeal to a lot of readers.

I tend to not like the date published prompts, although I’m fine with the current year since I always find books on the library’s New Book shelf. And, if you don’t like what’s out in January, just keep checking back every month.

[Allegra]

Just want to make a blanket comment based on the discussion about a book that "takes place" the year you were born.
Above most criteria, I like prompts that I can search for, or otherwise know I've found a fit, BEFORE I read the book. It's great when I'm reading along and discover I've completed a prompt, but that typically accounts for 3 or 4 books each year, max. Trying to guess that "the MC visits a zoo" or "someone discusses their family history" can make me nuts. Most book descriptions/GR details don't even confirm where the book takes place.
This preference increases throughout the year, and spikes in mid-November.
I guess that says it. I'll go back to going with the flow.

[Edie]

Laura wrote: "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 ..."

As someone who was born during WWII, there are lots of books set during that decade, so that would work much better than a specific year.

[Pam]

I think, for many of us, reading a book that takes place during your birth year may be more challenging than published during the year. Personally, I don’t care for that idea. I would probably go with non-fiction. That would be the easiest to research.

[Anastasia]

I was born in 1975. Here is two lists of things that happened that year.

http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1975....

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975

taking one of the events I looked up books and found this one https://www.amazon.com/Space-Mountain...

It may not exactly take place the year I was born, but the original event did.

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

https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...

Just some other ideas

[Joanne]

Allegra wrote: "Just want to make a blanket comment based on the discussion about a book that "takes place" the year you were born.
Above most criteria, I like prompts that I can search for, or otherwise know I'v..."

Agreed. Especially if you read in order like I did this year. For example, I just happened to pick up a book for another challenge and the main character is in her 70s, but since I'm not at the "read a book with an elderly character" yet, I'll be picking up a different book for that one. Earlier in the year I also read a book by and about an indigenous woman but since I hadn't reached that prompt yet, I read a different book when I got there. The ability to research and know if something works in advance is something I'll always take into account when I vote.

[°~Amy~°]

I would prefer a book set in my birth decade to a book published in my birth decade and far far FAR more than a book published in my birth year. 1974.....ugh.

Sidenote: It seems like every time a prompt idea comes up that has to do with ourselves, we eventually vote it down, for instance a book published the year you were born, a book placed in or written by an author in your hometown/state/territory etc, a book about a job you always wanted/dreamed of etc, a book about a person your age, a book character/author with your name/initials....

Why do we hate book prompts based on ourselves so much? lol

[Rachel]

°~Amy~° wrote: "I would prefer a book set in my birth decade to a book published in my birth decade and far far FAR more than a book published in my birth year. 1974.....ugh.

Sidenote: It seems like every time a..."

Good question. I've noticed the same thing, but I'm also the type to vote against prompts that are connected to myself in some way. I wonder if it's just because of the specific ones that we've had so far, but I've always found them really hard to fulfill. Even when it's something that should be broad like a dream job or even a character in my actual job, I find it really difficult to find anything that fits. An author with my initials was a nightmare when I had it in 2015 although I'd be okay with it now that I have a lot more authors on my TBR.

In terms of the geographic-based ones, I'm just kind of over those in general. It seems like every year I have one or more prompts that have to do with places I live (I'm Canadian, and rarely enjoy books set in Canada) or places I've visited (I'm not a huge traveler, so I'm limited to only a few places). I wonder if there's a different way to have a prompt that relates to ourselves in some way that would seem more open, but I have no idea how that would work.

[Anastasia]

To answer your question Amy, I personally like to read about others who are not like me. Understanding anothers point of view, maybe getting answers to questions it is not polite to ask, travelling to places I will never go are reasons that I read.

Frankly people like me are boring. They never go on adventures. How else am I going to get to be a pirate and still make dinner on time?

[Ellie]

°~Amy~° wrote: "Why do we hate book prompts based on ourselves so much? ..."

I often feel they don't take into account people in different circumstances, so whilst a handful of people think it's a great prompt for them, it turns into a terrible prompt for everyone else. A non-personal prompt is a level playing field so I prefer them.

[Nadine in NY]

°~Amy~° wrote: " ... Why do we hate book prompts based on ourselves so much? lol ..."


LOL!! Because we know ourselves quite well, and we either read to escape or read to learn about others, neither of which is accomplished when reading about something to do with ourselves?

That's not always true, of course. I have at times enjoyed reading a book set in an area I know well, or a time period I remember well, but I don't find it an interesting challenge.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

When does voting close?

[Laura, Celestial Sphere Mod]

Saturday, June 8

[°~Amy~°]

Anastasia wrote: "To answer your question Amy, I personally like to read about others who are not like me. Understanding anothers point of view, maybe getting answers to questions it is not polite to ask, travelling..."

I feel the same Anastasia, I am so BORING, why would I want to read about someone like that? Yuck. Lol

[Jill]

I also wonder if it has something to do with this being the internet , and it is not a good idea to give too much personal information.

[Ellie]

Jill wrote: "I also wonder if it has something to do with this being the internet , and it is not a good idea to give too much personal information."

Well a lot of us have already shared our year of birth in this thread! To me the kind of personal things prompts require aren't really security issues, just annoying to find books for.

[Raquel (Silver Valkyrie Reads)]

It's funny, I tend to like the 'personal' prompts. (Though, I agree with Jill, I haven't always wanted to post publicly what I'm reading for certain prompts, like 'local author'.) While I agree that one of the great things about reading is getting inside the head of someone with different experiences and way of looking at the world, I find it even better when there's a point of connection despite the differences. My favorite characters tend to be the ones I feel like I could have been very much like "IF"... 'if' I were better at math, or had grown up in a worse family, etc.

The name based prompts though, don't do anything to actually connect the reader to the story, and just make it super difficult for people with unusual names/letters to find something to read for that prompt.

[Jill]

Ellie wrote: "Jill wrote: "I also wonder if it has something to do with this being the internet , and it is not a good idea to give too much personal information."

Well a lot of us have already shared our year ..."

I wasn't being specific about the birth year, I was answering why people don't like many of the personal related stuff that crops up. Still forget it, was just a throw away comment.

[°~Amy~°]

Raquel wrote: "The name based prompts though, don't do anything to actually connect the reader to the story, and just make it super difficult for people with unusual names/letters to find something to read for that prompt. ..."

That is VERY true. On the other side of the coin though, I have a very common first name and it annoys the heck out of me when my name keeps popping up in a book. It takes me out of the story for a second when I "have" to stop each time to make a snarky comment like "No, Amy did NOT say that." or "Amy WOULD not say that." or "Nope, Amy absolutely would never in a million years fall for an jerk like him", and most often "Oh ok, so Amy is a complete idiot who doesn't learn her lessons then? Just like reality then, how shocking!", etc. It's very difficult to enjoy a story when you have a constant snarky commentary running in your head. lol

[°~Amy~°]

Jill wrote: "I also wonder if it has something to do with this being the internet , and it is not a good idea to give too much personal information."

I hadn't considered that one but it could very well be true for some people. I'm sure there are many different reasons people are uncomfortable (or not) with personally related prompts. :-)

[Jackie, Solstitial Mod]

I'm fine with personalized prompts as an idea, but a problem that crops up in some challenges (not just this one) is that they're not always accessible to everybody. Like the 'book you bought on a trip' one (from popsugar a year ago I think?) was downright impossible for some people. People found workarounds sure, but I personally think every prompt should at least be possible for every participant. And that's where some of the personalization gets tricky, those prompts will be inherently harder for some people than others due to things they can't control. It's one thing for me to be picky about finding a book I want to read, but if I get stuck with a really limited selection of say local authors because I happen to live somewhere literature-ly challenged, I'm going to hate that prompt. So I think that's where some of our personalized prompt phobia comes from: not wanting to get stuck in a tight spot over something you can't control.

[Sophie]

That's perfectly said Jackie!

[Jody]

I also had the same idea of the "The (Something)" for a prompt - great minds think alike! I really hope that gets in.

[Katie]

That is too funny, Jody!

[Serendipity]

I finally committed. I voted in favour of six prompts- an emotion in the title, a location that had only 2 readers on 2019 map (I’m slowly trying to read my way around the world and this prompt will help with that), a two word title including The (lots of those on my TBR), set on an island (I live in an island nation and am surrounded by others and am determined to read more locally next year so this prompt ties in with that), Summer Olympics (I like prompts that are connected to the year and hope we get a few of them) and author’s name included a colour that is also on cover or in title (I thought it was a clever prompt and I’ve got a few possible candidates on my TBR). I only downvoted the year you were born prompt. I’d be happy with any of the other nineteen.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

It's a good thing theres the summer reading challenge and also a Read-A-Thon because it feels like Saturday and the results will never get here!

[Stacey]

For our first polling round, these were all great choices. I had a lot of trouble voting down, so I went with 7 up and 1 down. That’s a first! I hope many of these reappear in upcoming polls. They’re too good to miss out on ;))

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

HAPPY RESULTS DAY!

[Katie]

Voting closes at the end of the day today & results will be posted tomorrow, June 9. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, haha.

[Jill]

I have been so into the start of the read-a-thon that I forgot the poll closes today. So seeing as I have something to keep my mind off the suspense of the results I can wait until tomorrow! LOL

[Rachelnyc]

After a brutal 2 weeks dealing with my own, still unsolved mystery illness and my mother having surgery and my now trying to take care of her and myself, I am so glad that I got in at the nick of time to vote in the 1st poll.

I read through the entire thread for thoughts on the various prompts but ultimately had to go more with my gut feeling than usual because I didn't have much time to consider the options. Very excited that I only have to wait a day for the results and even more excited to participate more fully in the rest of the process.

[Katie]

Rachel, that sounds awful. Hope you & your mom are both on the mend soon!

[Rachelnyc]

Katie wrote: "Rachel, that sounds awful. Hope you & your mom are both on the mend soon!"

Thanks Katie!

[Jody]

Oh Rachel, that is horrible. Fingers crossed you both get well soon!

[Sara]

Good wishes from me also, Rachel. Get well!

[°~Amy~°]

Rachelnyc wrote: "After a brutal 2 weeks dealing with my own, still unsolved mystery illness and my mother having surgery and my now trying to take care of her and myself, I am so glad that I got in at the nick of t..."

So glad that you made it in spite of all the hurdles you are dealing with. I hope you and your mom both feel better very soon!

[Rachelnyc]

Thanks Jody, Sara and Amy! All focus is on Mom now who is doing well and and should be self reliant in the next week or so.

I so appreciate what a thoughtful and supportive group this is!

[Kathy]

Rachel, I hope you and your mother are feeling better soon.

[Sophie]

Rachel, all my best for you and your mom! Hang in there!

[Milena]

Rachel, I've noticed that you haven't been around much lately. Hope things get better for you both soon.

[Rachelnyc]

Milena wrote: "Rachel, I've noticed that you haven't been around much lately. Hope things get better for you both soon."

Thank you so much Milena, Kathy and Sophie!

[LukasmummyReads]

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 that wasn't a par..."

Gail Carriger's Romancing The Inventor would fit this perfectly