Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
2020 Plans
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[2020] Keep it Simple (KIS) or Bring it on (BIO) Group Collab List
If you would like to make the entire list more KIS or more BIO, consider these ideas:Whole list options:
KIS options:
1. Read only children's books or middle grade books or graphic novels or short stories to fulfill all the prompts
BIO options:
1. Read one "type" of author or book for the entire challenge:
For example: Only female authors, only own-voices authors, only LGBTQIA+ characters, Only POC characters, only debut works, only new-to-you authors (no repeats) etc.
2. Read only books on your tbr or from the library or used book store
3. Read only books in translation or books from other countries
4. Read the alphabet; the first prompt has an A in the title or author name, second prompt has B, third a C and so on
5. Pick a monthly theme (ie. Gay pride month, women's history month, etc), each prompt must fit that month's theme and the weekly prompt
6. Read only non-fiction or classic books for the entire challenge
7. Link all the books in a chain (ie book 2 is related to book one in some way, book 3 is related to book 2, etc)
8. Tour the world, each country in each book shares a land or water border with the country/setting in the previous book
9. Restrict the entire challenge to only close call/polarizing prompts
10. Restrict the entire challenge to only prompts that were in the bottom
11. Choose one prompt before the year starts and fill only that one prompt (52 times)
12. Do a 2020 diversity challenge : read books from at least 20 different countries, read at least 20 ownvoices books, read at least 20 nonfiction books AND read at least 20 books from the 1001 books to read before you die list
By individual topic:
1. A book with a title that doesn't contain the letters A, T or Y
KIS Options:
1. Don't include The, A, or An at the beginning of a title
BIO Options:
1. Choose a title longer than 3 words
2. A book by an author whose last name is one syllable
KIS options:
1.
BIO options:
1. Restrict yourself to last names with one syllable AND five or more letters
2. Restrict yourself to last names with one syllable AND three or fewer letters
3. Must have one syllable first name also
3. A book that you are prompted to read because of something you read in 2019
KIS Options:
1. A book related to a news, magazine, or research article you read in 2019
2. A book you read good reviews about in 2019
3. A book you started in 2019 but didn't finish
4. The next book in a series you read in 2019
5. A book by an author you read in 2019
6. A book with a cover that is similar (image, styling, font) to a book you read in 2019
BIO Options:
1. A book that was referenced in another book you read in 2019
2. Include only places you've visited
3. Include only places you've never visited
4. A book that has the same time period, location, and/or theme as a book you read in 2019
5. A book about the same person or subject as was featured in a book you read in 2019
6. A book with the exact same title as a book you read in 2019
4. In honor of the 200th anniversary of the discovery of Antarctica: A book set in a place or time that you wouldn't want to live (dangerous, inhospitable, etc)
KIS Options:
1.
BIO Options:
1. Restrict it to places that exist on Earth
2. Select a book set in Antarctica
3. Choose a place/time where you have lived and would not want to live again
5. The first book in a series that you have not started
KIS Options:
1. Read any book in a series (not just the first)
2. Include books in series that you have already started (reading out of order or a reread)
Bio Options:
1. Read a series that is outside of your comfort zone (YA or fantasy, for example)
6. A book with a mode of transportation on the cover
KIS Options:
1. a book with a path for transportation on it, such as a road or train tracks
2. a book with a mode of transportation in the title
3. a book with a horse, paper airplane, roller coaster, or shoes on it
BIO Options:
1.
7. A book set in the southern hemisphere
KIS Options:
1.Allow a book set in a country that is only partially below the equator
BIO Options:
1. Read from a country that you haven't read from yet
2. Limit yourself to books NOT set in Australia
3. Limit yourself to prompt set in areas where English is NOT the primary language
4. If you live in the northern hemisphere, choose a book set in your antipode (or closest landmass) https://www.geodatos.net/en/antipodes
5. If you live in the southern hemisphere, choose a book set above or below the tropic of Capricorn, depending on which side you don't live on
6. a book set in a country that intersects the 20th parallel south (20 for year 2020)
8. A book with a two-word title where the first word is "The"
KIS options:
1. Choose a title starting with THE with 3 or 4 words total
BIO options:
1. Limit second word to only include occupations
2. Limit the second word to only adjectives
3. Limit the second word to words not describing a human (eg. The Wonder)
4. Restrict the second word to only one syllable
5. Restrict to books originally published in a language other than english (eg. The Alchemist, The Stranger, The Lover)
6. Restrict to titles made into a movie or a TV show
9. To celebrate the Leap Year, a book that can be read in a day
KIS options:
1. A children's book
2. A poem
3. A novella
4. Graphic Novel/Comic book/Manga
5. Take several days to read your chosen book (just because you CAN read a book in a day, doesn't mean you HAVE to!)
BIO options:
1. Choose a longer book and ACTUALLY read it in one day
2. Whatever book you choose, actually read the book in one day
3. Read your chosen book on the 29th of February
10. A book that is between 400-600 pages
KIS Options:
1. Include acknowledgements/appendix etc. in the page count
BIO Options:
1. A book with 420 or 520 pages in honor of 2020
2. Restrict to 550-600 page books
11. A book originally published in a year that is a prime number
KIS options:
1. Only the last two numbers of the year need to be a prime number: 02, 03, 05, 07, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, 47, 53, 59, 61, 67, 71, 73, 79, 83, 89, and 97 (for instance, 02 could be a book published in 2002, 1902 or 1802 and 97 would be a book published in 1997 or 1897)
BIO options:
1. Read a book published before 2000
2. Read a book published before you were born
3. Read a book published at least 50 years ago
12. A book that is a collaboration between 2 or more people
KIS Options:
1. Include graphic novels, audio books, translations, anthologies
2. A book with an author and an illustrator
3. A book of poems, essays, short stories, etc. that are by different authors
4. A book with a foreward by a different person than the main author
BIO Options:
1. Read a book with two or more authors' names on the cover
2. A book with an author and a ghost writer
13. A prompt from a previous Around the Year in 52 Books challenge
KIS Options:
1.
BIO Options:
1. Select 1 (or several topics) before Jan 1 2020
2. Choose a prompt that is different than the other 51 prompts in 2020
3. Choose a prompt from a year that you did not participate in the challenge
4. Randomly select a number from 1-52 and only use that prompt # from any of the years or from a specific (randomly chosen) year
14. A book by an author on the Abe List (list of 100 women authors)
KIS Options:
1. Read a book by ANY female author
BIO Options:
1. Read only a book shown as an example on the list itself
15. A book set in a global city
KIS Options:
1. Use any city in the world
2. Choose a fictional city (including on another planet)
BIO Options:
1. Connect the Urban and the Rural prompts by using settings in the same state or country for both prompts
2. Read about a city you have visited (or haven’t)
3. Read a book from/about a city you have never read from before
16. A book set in a rural or sparsely populated area
KIS Options:
1.
BIO Options:
1. Connect the Urban and the Rural prompts by using settings in the same state or country for both prompts
2. A book with only one character (Eg. The Martian or I am Legend)
By individual topic: (cont.)17. A book with a neurodiverse character
KIS options:
1. Use any book where even a minor character is neurodiverse.
BIO options:
1. Use only own voices books
2. Use only books where the main or viewpoint character is neurodiverse
18. A book by an author you've only read once before
KIS Options:
1. Read the second book in a series
BIO Options:
1. Choose an author whose book you didn't particularly like
2. Choose an author you read prior to 2020
3. A book that is a stand-alone, not part of a series
4. A book in a different genre from the one you read previously by that author
19. A fantasy book
KIS Options:
1. Choose any book with a fantasy tag
2. A speculative fiction or magical realism book
BIO Options:
1. Restrict it to high/epic fantasy
20. The 20th book (eg. on your TBR, in a series, by an author, on a list)
KIS Options:
1. Choose several interesting (to you) Goodreads listopia lists, find the 20th book on each list and choose your read from among those choices
2. Choose your book by counting 20 over from the left of your own physical TBR shelf at home
3. Count 20 over from the left on a library or bookstore shelf
BIO Options:
1. Choose the 20th oldest book on your tbr
2. Use a random number generator to pick a section and a shelf at your local bookstore or library and you MUST read the 20th book on that shelf
21. A book related to Maximilian Hell, the noted astronomer and Jesuit Priest who was born in 1720
KIS Options:
1. A book with HELL in the title
2. A book with HELL as a setting
3. A book with a character who is a mathematician
4. A book with a character who is an astronomer
5. A book with a character who is a physicist
6. A book with a character who is employed in a technology related field
7. A book with a character who is a member of a religious order
BIO Options:
1. A book about or set on Venus
2. A book set in Hungary in the 1700s
3. A book about someone who was exonerated after their death
22. A book with a major theme of survival
KIS Options:
1. A thriller or crime fiction
BIO Options:
1. A book about overcoming adversity, such as illness, trauma, disasters, bullying, etc.
2. A book about survivalism or survival of the fittest
23. A book featuring an LGBTQIA+ character or by an LGBTQIA+ author
KIS Options:
1.
BIO Options:
1. Choose a book that has won an LGBTQIA+ award (e.g., Lambda Literary Award, Stonewall Award)
24. A book with an emotion in the title
KIS options:
1. Include subtitles
2. Include Series' name
3. Include facial expressions associated with emotions (eg. frown, smile, smirk, etc.)
4. Include titles that contain an emotion as part of a larger word (eg. MADame Bovary)
BIO options:
1. Restrict yourself to only the the 6 basic/classic emotions: happy, surprised, afraid, disgusted, angry or sad.
25. A book related to the arts (eg. literature, performing arts, visual arts)
KIS Options:
1. A picture book, graphic novel, book of poems, or audio-book
2. Choose a book with an "artistic" cover
BIO Options:
1. A book that focuses only on performing and visual arts and NOT literature
2. A book that uses art to enhance the reading experience. For example, (The Ensemble has a list of chamber music that goes with each section of the novel. Or a book that has an photographic/illustration insert like Becoming.
3. Read a play and watch a performance of it on TV, stage, etc
26. A book from the 2019 Goodreads Choice Awards
KIS Options:
1. Use a book nominated in ANY year of the Goodreads Choice Awards
BIO Options:
1. Restrict your choices to the winners
27. A history or historical fiction
KIS Options:
1. An historical fiction novel set in your favorite historical period or a time period that you often read about
BIO Options:
1. An historical fiction novel set during a time period you don't normally read about
2. An historical fiction novel about a subject, time period, or location that you know little or nothing about
28. A book by an Australian, Canadian or New Zealander author
KIS Options:
BIO Options:
1. Choose an indigenous author
29. An underrated book, a hidden gem or a lesser known book
KIS Options:
1. A newer publication (2019 or 2020)
2. A children's book, a poetry collection, a play, and other not-a-novel types of books
3. A translated novel
4. A book that is published by a vanity press or a boutique press or other form of small publication
BIO Options
1. A book with less than 1,000 ratings on goodreads
2. A book that was nominated for a major award such as the Booker, the Edgar, or the Hugo
3. An older publication (2015 or earlier)
4. A book published by one of the "Big Five" publishing houses - Random House, Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, Macmillan
30. A book from the New York Times '100 Notable Books' list for any year
KIS Options:
1.
BIO Options:
1. Read a book not already on your TBR or that you discovered because of the list
2. Choose a genre that you rarely read
31. A book inspired by a leading news story
KIS Options:
1. Use a historical newsworthy event
BIO Options:
1. Use a current event that is in the news at the time you choose and read your chosen book
32. A book related to the 2020 Olympic Summer Games in Japan
KIS Options:
1. A book related to the 2020 Paralympics or the Special Olympics
2. A book related to a winter Olympic sport
3. A book with a Japanese character
4. A book that has an Olympic sport word in the title, such as Swimming Lessons for swimming, All the Pretty Horses for equestrian, Bird Box for boxing, Sailing to Sarantium for sailing, The Dive From Clausen's Pier for diving
5. A book that has something related to an Olympic sport in the cover art, like a horse or a swimming pool
6. A book related to Japanese culture, like The Last Samurai or a book with a teacup on the cover
7. A book set in Washington state (because the capital is Olympia)
8. A book about Greek mythology (because Mount Olympus was home to the Greek gods)
8. A Star Trek tie-in novel (because Star Trek has an Olympic class of starships)
9. A book set in any country that has hosted the Olympics
10. A book in which a character travels (because people travel to participate in the Olympics)
11. A book that takes place in several different locations (because it is a global event)
12. An author named Olympia, like Olympia Vernon
13. A book with a character named Olympia
Bio Options:
1. A book related to one of the new sports added to the 2020 Olympic programme (baseball, softball, karate, skateboarding, sport climbing, surfing)
2. A book related to Miraitowa and Someity, the official mascots of the 2020 Summer Olympics (teleportation, future, eternity, cherry blossoms)
3. A book related to both Japan and an Olympic sport
33. A book about a non-traditional family (eg. grandparents raising grandkids, LGBTQ+)
KIS Options:
1. Include orphans (no family or makes family from group of friends)
BIO Options:
1. Use less commonly published storylines such as LGBTQIA+, child kidnapped by non-parent and raised as family, in-vitro family, polygamist family, friends co-habitating to raise child, child raised by wild animals, child raised by Artificial Intelligence, AI child raised by human parent(s) etc.
34. A book from a genre or sub genre that starts with a letter in your name
KIS Options:
1. Include nicknames
2. Use the name of your child, spouse or pet
3. Use your full name for the most options
4. Allow for broad categories like YA, nonfiction and fiction
5. Pick a genre that starts with the letters A, T or Y
BIO Options:
1. Use only your first (or last) name to narrow down the options
2. Pick one category for each letter and don't deviate
3. Choose a book with a title that ALSO starts with a letter in your name (same letter used for genre for added difficulty)
4. Randomly select a letter in your name and ONLY use that name to select a genre
35. A book with a geometric pattern or element on the cover
KIS Options:
1.
BIO Options:
1.
By individual topic: (cont.)36. A book from your TBR/wishlist that you don't recognize, recall putting there, or put there on a whim
KIS Options:
1.
BIO Options:
1.
37 & 38. Two books that are related to each other as a pair of binary opposites (e.g. hot/cold, top/bottom, high/low, etc.)
KIS Options:
1. Choose books with opposite colors on the cover (black/white, red/green, etc)
2. Choose books with authors or main characters who are of opposite genders/identities
3. Choose a children's book and an adult-age book, or with main characters who are "opposite" ages (child/elderly)
BIO Options:
1. Add two layers of difficulty by choose a fiction and a nonfiction that are also binary opposites (eg. The Black Stallion (fiction/stallion) and Alexandra the Great: The Story of the Record-Breaking Filly Who Ruled the Racetrack (non-fiction/filly)
39. A book by an author whose real name(s) you're not quite sure how to pronounce
KIS Options:
1.
BIO Options:
1. An author who is the same nationality and/or ethnicity as you
40. A book with a place name in the title (town/city, state/province, country, continent, planet...)
KIS Options:
1. Include fictional places or fantasy locations
2. Include references to place (room, shop, house, etc.) rather than specific names
BIO Options:
1. A book with a title that is only the name of a place
41. A mystery
KIS Options:
1.
BIO Options:
1. A book in the mystery genre (not just any book with a mystery central to the plot)
2. A book in a mystery subgenre that is not one you usually read, such as noir, nordic, urban fantasy, cozy, espionage, etc.
3. A mystery novel by a person of color
4. A mystery novel by an author not from the anglosphere (US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand)
5. A classic mystery
42. A book that was nominated for one of the 10 Most Coveted Literary Prizes in the World
KIS Options:
1.
BIO Options:
1.
43. A book related to one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse (death, war/conquest, famine, plague/pestilence)
--war--
KIS: A war that is covered in a lot of books (WW2, WW1, Civil War, Vietnam War); a not-real war (like in sci-fi and fantasy)
BIO: A real war/conflict that you know very little about
--death--
KIS: Characters dealing with grief after the death of someone
BIO: Death as a character
--plague--
KIS: Bubonic plague, AIDS, end-of-the-world caused by plague
BIO: A plague that isn't often featured in books (Spanish Flu, cholera outbreak, leper colony)
--famine--
KIS: A character with an eating disorder
BIO: A non-fiction concerning famine
--other--
KIS:
1. An apocalyptic book (not just one that is caused by or results in the horsemen)
2. A book about horses
BIO:
1. Four Horsemen must be actual characters in the story
44. A book related to witches
KIS Options:
1. a book with a character who is a witch, fortune teller, wizard, warlock, or sorcerer
2. a book about witchcraft or magic
3. a book about Halloween
BIO Options:
1. Read a non-fiction book about witches (witchcraft/witch-hunts/paganism in history
45. A book by the same author who wrote one of your best reads in 2019 or 2018
KIS Options:
1. Pick a short story anthology the author contributed to
2. Include 4-star books as favorite reads
3. Choose an author from a favorite book from any year
BIO Options:
1. Choose from your top reads in the ATY challenge only
46. A book about an event or era in history taken from the Billy Joel song "We didn't Start the Fire"
KIS Options:
1. Any book set between 1949 and 1989
BIO Options:
1. One of the books mentioned
2. Non-fiction about one of the events referenced
47. A classic book you've always meant to read
KIS Options:
1. Read ANY classic book
2. A contemporary classic from the 2000s or 1990s
3. A retelling of a classic
BIO Options:
1. Older than x year (published before 1900, or 1800, or 1700)
48. A book published in 2020
KIS Options:
1. Include books published in another country during 2020 (not all books are released in every country at the same time. There is often a gap of several months or more. For example, a 2019 US release may not be published until 2020 in Ireland or vice versa.
2. Use a book with an EDITION or Translation published in 2020
3. A book published in a new format in 2020 (paperback, ebook, audiobook, etc)
BIO Options:
1. An author you've never read before
2. A debut book
3. A book on a "most anticipated" list
49. A book that fits a prompt from the list of suggestions that didn't win
KIS Options:
1. Use prompts from any of the previous years' lists that didn't win
BIO Options:
1. Use a prompt that you yourself suggested or seconded
2. Use only a prompt that you up-voted
3. Use a prompt that you yourself downvoted
4. Use a prompt that was a bottom (eliminated) voted prompt by the group
50. A book with a silhouette on the cover
KIS Options:
1. A book with shadows of people or objects on the cover
2. Use traditional definition (black/dark item against a white/light background)
3. Limit to only silhouettes of people
BIO Options:
1. Only use a book with the “cutting portrait” on the cover
51. A book with an "-ing" word in the title
KIS Options:
1. Use words in the title and/or subtitle that include -ing anywhere within a word (Spooky Trails and Tall Tales Connecticut: Hiking the State's Legends, Hauntings, and History or Crooked Kingdom)
BIO Options:
1. Use only words in the main title that END in -ing (The Shining but NOT The Interestings)
52. A book related to time
KIS Options:
1. The word “time” in the title
2. A word like “midnight” or “dawn” in the title
3. A word like “hours” or “year” in the title
4. A word like "past," "present," "before," or "after" in the title
5. A time keeping device in the title - clock, watch, sun(dial)
6. A month or a day of the week in the title
7. A book in which a character spends time in prison - “doing time”
BIO Options:
1. A book that covers a very short span of time, like one day
2. A book that covers a very long span of time, like a character’s entire lifetime
3. A book that captures the mood of a specific time period, like the Jazz Age or the Victorian Age
4. A book in which time is altered - time travel or alternate history
Graphic novel or manga is an easy KIS option for a book that can be read in a day.
Milena wrote: "Graphic novel or manga is an easy KIS option for a book that can be read in a day."Added :-)
Milena wrote: "Graphic novel or manga is an easy KIS option for a book that can be read in a day."Thank you for this awesome idea!!! I do struggle a bit with knowing if I can read a book in one day or not, so a graphic novel is a very "safe" choice for me - plus I read a lot of graphic novels!! :-)
Mod
You could also limit it to something that is not describing a human (like The Wonder)
For emotion in the title, a BIO option could be to restrict to the emotions on the list of 6 basic/classic emotions: happy, surprised, afraid, disgusted, angry, and sad.
KIS emotion: a title that contains an emotion as part of a larger word, like MADame Bovary.BIO the ____: restrict the second word to only one syllable
BIO for 2 word The ___ title: 1) originally published in a language other than English. Example: The Alchemist, The Stranger, The Lover
2) made into a movie or TV show
Mod
I love your BIO options for the entire challenge, Amy. Next year I'm planning to follow Marina & Jody's lead from this year and read only long books, but I think I might definitely try out some of your other ideas for 2021. (Why am I already thinking about 2021, hahaha?)
I really want to try one of the BIO options for the whole list next year. I planned one this year (only books published in 1799 or earlier) but I ended up not following my plan as this year is pretty busy for me and I could imagine having ended up in a major reading slump reading only books more than 220 years old.
Katie wrote: "(Why am I already thinking about 2021, hahaha?) ..."So are you saying everyone isn't already planning 2 years out? Oh ok, well I guess it's nice to know that we aren't alone at least! lol
I did pretty well on using only books from my tbr/library/used book store this year. I did preorder a book online and I ordered a series of graphic novels used online recently too. I don't think any of those will be used for AtY 2019 though. In 2020 I will be tracking what books are from where. My physical tbr is around 200+ books and my kindle tbr is huge, those stacks need to get attacked over the next 2 years.
I'd also love to use the books in translation or the tour the world option to make some progress on my around the world challenge. I know I don't have enough on my tbr currently to do that though so do I throw out my plan to only read my tbr for 2020 or do I plan on picking up Around the World in 2021 or 2022? Choices, choices!
Mod
I was thinking of doing the same. I was thinking all diverse authors (LGBTQ+ or POC), but there are some good ideas up there!
I haven't decided if I'm reading in order... I was thinking of using Jody's Magic Jar for each prompt. But if I decide to go in order again, I like the idea of linking each book to the previous one!
I also really like Jody's Magic Jar of Prompt Reading Order :)
Emily wrote: "Bryony wrote: "I really want to try one of the BIO options for the whole list next year. I planned one this year (only books published in 1799 or earlier) but I ended up not following my plan as th..."I don't read in order, ever but I was thinking about roughly linking the books as I go and mapping how I got from prompt to prompt.
I pick BOOK A for prompt number 7 to start, then I pick a book (BOOK B) that has an an author with the same initials as the author of BOOK A and use that to fill prompt number 28, I connect BOOK C to BOOK B by length of the title and slot it into prompt number 52, BOOK D connects to BOOK C and I fill prompt number 3.....and on and on. So prompt 7 took me to prompt 28, then to 52 and back up to 3.....
It all makes an interesting little graphic in my head at least lol
Mod
Johanne wrote: "I also really like Jody's Magic Jar of Prompt Reading Order :)"I actually had not heard of Jody's Jar before now. I started a jar of tbr books earlier in the year and was working from that to fill the challenge but I like Jody's take on it better. I might have to try that next year! If I add in the challenge of connecting the books somehow AND sticking to my tbr pile....hmmmm, it might be a lot of fun OR I might go crazy trying to keep it all straight lol
BIO ideas for inhospitable setting:1. Restrict it to places that exist on Earth
2. Select a book set in Antarctica
3. Choose a place/time where you have lived and would not want to live again
BIO for author of favorite reads:
1. Choose from your top reads in the ATY challenge only
KIS for favorite reads:
1. Pick a short story anthology the author contributed to
2. Include 4-star books as favorite reads
Marin wrote: "BIO ideas for inhospitable setting:I..."
All great suggestions Marin. The list has been updated. Thank you!
Copying from the voting discussions thread. Some thoughts for "A book related to time".....
The word “time” in the title
A word like “midnight” or “dawn” in the title
A word like “hours” or “year” in the title
A word like "past," "present," "before," or "after" in the title
A time keeping device in the title - clock, watch, sun(dial)
A month or a day of the week in the title
A book in which a character spends time in prison - “doing time”
A book that covers a very short span of time, like one day
A book that covers a very long span of time, like a character’s entire lifetime
A book that captures the mood of a specific time period, like the Jazz Age or the Victorian Age
A book in which time is altered - time travel or alternate history
Mod
For BIO on the global cities, read a book that is set in a city you haven't read from before.
Emily wrote: "Bryony wrote: "I really want to try one of the BIO options for the whole list next year. I planned one this year (only books published in 1799 or earlier) but I ended up not following my plan as th..."What is Jody's Magic Jar? Several folks are referencing, but there is not explanation of what it is in this thread. I am guessing it is pulling prompts randomly which wouldn't work for me since I rely on the library for most of my books and those books may have hold times of days or weeks or months. If it is something else that might work with getting library books, I am interested.
Edie wrote: "Emily wrote: "Bryony wrote: "I really want to try one of the BIO options for the whole list next year. I planned one this year (only books published in 1799 or earlier) but I ended up not following..."I went and looked at Jody's challenge thread to figure it out recently, and best I can tell she randomly pulls a PROMPT number from the jar, and then picks a book she wants to read for it. So, the exact book is still flexible, which could work if you're checking out books that work for multiple prompts.
Thank you Dalex and Emily. The list has been updated.
Mod
(I'm reading in order this year and not really having any trouble with it because I have enough side reads to keep me entertained, but I would like to loosen up a bit next year.)
Emily wrote: "I would say that of dalex's suggestions, most of them are KIS options, with short span, long span, specific time period, and time being altered being BIO."Thanks Emily!
BIO for A book set in a rural or sparsely populated area - a book with only one character I think I Am Legend or The Martian would work for this idea.
For the global cities - you could try and read about a city you have visited (or haven’t.)Or, read about a city you’ve not read a book set in before.
Since the rural prompt and global city prompt are sort of linked, a BIO option could be that both of these prompts are in the same state or country. For example, one book set in up-state New York State, and the other set in New York City. Or one set in the Australian outback, and the other in Sydney.
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All updated with prompt ideas and the latest list of winners!
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- Restrict it to only close call/polarizing prompts
- Restrict it to only prompts that were in the bottom
- Choose one prompt before the year starts and fill only that one prompt
For Southern Hemisphere BIO:
- Read from a country you haven't read from yet
A book that fits a prompt from the list of suggestions that didn't winKIS - a prompt that you upvoted
KIS - a prompt that you suggested
BIO - a prompt that you downvoted
BIO - a prompt that was eliminated
Sorry for the delay guys. I have not been feeling well the last few days. I can't think of anything to add to our latest KIS/BIO prompts so I leave it to you for now. I'll be back when I am feeling a bit better!
For book set in the southern hemisphere a BIO would be to limit yourself to books NOT set in Australia.
Raquel wrote: "For book set in the southern hemisphere a BIO would be to limit yourself to books NOT set in Australia."Or what about books set in the southern hemisphere where English is not the primary language?
A book related to the arts (eg. literature, performing arts, visual arts)KIS: A picture book, graphic novel, book of poems, or audio-book.
BIO: a book that focuses only on performing and visual arts and NOT literature.
BIO: a book that uses art to enhance the reading experience. For example, (The Ensemble has a list of chamber music that goes with each section of the novel. Or a book that has an photographic/illustration insert like Becoming.
BIO for a book set in the southern hemisphere:- If you live in the northern hemisphere, choose a book set in your antipode (or closest landmass).
- If you live in the southern hemisphere, choose a book set above or below the tropic of Capricorn, depending on which side you don't live on
KIS for a book set in the southern hemisphere:
- Allow a book set in a country that is partially below the equator
Marin wrote: "If you live in the northern hemisphere, choose a book set in your antipode (or closest landmass)."Antipodes of cities of United States. (I thought this was super cool and interesting!)
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(The Shining vs. The Interestings - Interestings wouldn't work because it ends in "s")
KIS: Allow for -ing to appear anywhere in the word (The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane)
dalex wrote: "Marin wrote: "If you live in the northern hemisphere, choose a book set in your antipode (or closest landmass)."Antipodes of cities of United States. (I thought this was super cool and interesting!)"
This is awesome! (And makes my BIO a lot more difficult, since my closest landmass is an island I could not see on the map).
That geodata site is so cool! I'll be needing recommendations for books set in Waitangi, Chatham Islands, New Zealand (Closest liveable place to the antipode of Copenhagen, Denmark)
I've got this far through life thinking it was Australia on the other side, but turns out it's New Zealand (or a point just south).
I like the antipode idea but would have a severely limited selection of books set in Kergeulen! I found a couple of options but don’t know how accessible the books are. Antarctica would be an easier option!
Another BIO option for the southern hemisphere could be to do a book set in a country that intersects the 20th parallel south (20 for year 2020)!https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th_pa...
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
The Golden Hour (other topics)The Lioness of Morocco (other topics)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (other topics)
Galápagos (other topics)
Manhattan Beach (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Amy Bloom (other topics)Susan Quinn (other topics)
Iain Pears (other topics)
Lauren Groff (other topics)
Mike McCormack (other topics)
More...
We started this list in 2019 due to a lot of comments about the prompts being "too easy" or "WAY too difficult" to fill. We've all felt that way about a prompt (or 20) at different times so this board was set up to brainstorm ideas to make every prompt accessible to EVERYONE. On this list you will find options and ideas to make every prompt easier, or harder depending on your preference. Personally, I jump around depending on my mood. Sometimes I am feeling like I want to spend hours researching a possible book, and sometimes I just want to grab something as quick as possible. However you do it, just have fun!
Here are the terms we use on this page:
KIS: The "Keep It Simple" option is for times when you feel a topic is just too difficult to find a good book for. For topics you might want to make a tad bit easier on yourself, go for these options. You've probably got a couple of good choices on your bookshelf already!
BIO: The "Bring It On" option is for when you really, really want to challenge yourself. These might require more research, which can be a lot of fun, when you are in the mood. You might have to go hunt down a book, you might have to steal one from a friend (don't do that, friends get cranky when you steal their books but you might have to ask nicely to borrow a book), or you might have to visit your library to find something to fit.....basically, BIO is meant to make things a bit more challenging then just grabbing the next book off the top of your tbr pile.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel to post them below. The first 4 comment boxes are reserved for our list as it grows, and grows and GROWS!