[2020] Voting for 13th Mini Poll

[Marie]

I think the Empire State Building absolutely counts as a historical landmark. This is just from a brief look at its website:

1981: On May 18, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission declares the building a Landmark.

1982: On December 20, the Empire State Building is listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places.

1986: The Empire State Building is recognized as a National Historic Landmark by the National Parks Services, U.S. Department of the Interior and a commemorative plaque is awarded.

(I'm already loving researching this prompt and it's not even in the list yet)

[Pam]

From Wiki, here is a list by US state US National Historic Landmarks

[Liz]

I was getting ready to vote without researching the Nobel Prize for literature prompt, just assuming it wouldn't interest me, but guilt got to me, & I decided to research it just in case. Turns out I REALLY like this prompt! While I know very few of the authors on the list, the ones I recognize are authors whose books I've had on my tbr for a long time, but I've been too intimidated to read. This one is definitely an upvote for me now.

[dalex]

A laureate is a person who has won the Nobel Prize, correct?

So the only difference between the prompt in this round (Any book by a winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature) and the prompt in round 7 (A book written by or about a laureate) are the words "or about"?

For example, for the prompt in this round you would have to read a book by Ernest Hemingway, but for the earlier prompt you could read either a book by Ernest Hemingway OR The Paris Wife, which is about Hemingway.

[Nadine in NY]

No a laureate is a person who has been honored; it’s more than just the Nobel. There was a long discussion about this.

And in fact, for the “laureate” category, I was thinking only about our Poet Laureates (and I up-voted it for that reason) - didn’t even occur to me at the time that a Nobel winner is also called a laureate.

[Jillian]

dalex wrote: "A laureate is a person who has won the Nobel Prize, correct?

So the only difference between the prompt in this round (Any book by a winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature) and the prompt in rou..."

I asked a similiar question in suggestion thread. The mods explained their reasoning (I think perhaps poll 7 prompt was too broad and this is a narrower prompt. I don't really understand it but except the mods decision). Perhaps, it will make more sense to you.

[Marie]

I have Walking Home in my plan this year, by Simon Armitage, he's the current UK Poet Laureate, so presumably that would have qualified for the round 7 suggestion, but not for this new one.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

The previous prompt was about or by a laureate (without any type of distinction on what type of laureate it would be).

This one is more focused, just by Nobel Prize-winning laureates.

The mods allowed it because some people may have downvoted the round 7 suggestion because it was too broad, where they may vote for this one because they wanted a more narrow suggestion.

This prompt is basically a sub-set of what would be acceptable in the round 7 suggestion.

[dalex]

Thanks for the answers and the clarification.

I wasn't really questioning why this prompt was re-suggested. I was confused because when I tried to research this prompt I came up with the same list of authors as I did for the earlier prompt.

[J.E.]

I dislike religious-type books, but I read Book of Strange New Things as part of this year’s reading challenge and I really enjoyed it. I felt it was more a sci-fi book trying to understand humanity and relationships rather then being a ‘religious’ book per se, which is probably why I enjoyed it. That and it’s a great story.

Still, I’ll be downvoting the religious theme. Not for me.

I’m already looking forward to working out what I’ll be reading next year. I have lots of books on my TBR and lined up on my kindle that I hope I can fit into some prompts.

Happy reading all.

[Pam]

I haven’t read it but I think that The Yiddish Policemen’s Union would fit under the faith/religion prompt. Another SF (alt history) option.

[Jackie, Solstitial Mod]

Plus, this laureate prompt is different because it's specific to the Prize for Literature, so no reading Feynman's memoir or whatever. That's why I downvoted it; the Literature prize just doesn't interest me.

[Rachelnyc]

I suggested a faith/religion theme prompt last year and it came up against a lot of the same comments people are making here.

Unless I’m reading the prompt wrong, it does not call for a “religious” book, just a book where religion is a theme.

I’m reading House of Gold right now which I wouldn’t consider a religious book but the family that the novel is based around are wealthy Jews in Europe. I think it would be perfect for this prompt because it shows how they are treated and perceived by others based on their religion as well as how they feel set apart from others in their class due to their religion.

[Nadine in NY]

I like SFF books with religions that don’t exist in our world, such as in Ann Leckie’s Ancillary series, Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series, and Gene Wolfe’s Long Sun series, and religions that are based on our world but have been significantly changed, such as Roger Zelazny’s Lord of Light. I’ve tried to find Listopias for this, but I seem to only find lists of SFF books that involve current earth-bound religions like Christianity. Those are much less interesting to me. I like it when an author takes a familiar cultural norm like religion, and then plays with the rules a bit or changes some interactions. Has anyone come across lists of books like this?

[Ellie]

Nadine wrote: "I like SFF books with religions that don’t exist in our world, such as in Ann Leckie’s Ancillary series, Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn se..."

I don't have a list but you should check out Emma Newman's Planetfall books if you haven't already.

[Traci]

Rachelnyc wrote: "I suggested a faith/religion theme prompt last year and it came up against a lot of the same comments people are making here.

Unless I’m reading the prompt wrong, it does not call for a “religiou..."

I should have commented earlier, the read-a-thon has been taking over my goodreads time! Yes, my intention for this prompt was not that it needed to be a religious book, or even a religious theme, but just where religion/faith is somehow important in the plot. The suggestions based on interaction of sci-fi and religion and also cults are all good examples. I've read a lot of WWII books where Judaism is important to the plot and books where Islam (and different ways of practicing the faith) are important, but the books aren't religious.

[dalex]

Sci-fi and fantasy novels tagged “theological” on Worlds Without End: https://www.worldswithoutend.com/sear...

[dalex]

I cannot believe we still have 2 days to wait for results! The process seemed especially slow this round.

[Nicole]

dalex wrote: "I cannot believe we still have 2 days to wait for results! The process seemed especially slow this round."

I agree, this has been the longest week ever! And we still have to wait for over 24 more hours. *sigh*

[Katie]

I keep thinking I'm supposed to be posting the results too and that I've missed it!

[Rachel]

It really did seem slow this week! No idea why. I would have thought it would feel much faster since there's the read-a-thon on.

[The Chapter Conundrum (Stacey)]

It feels slow for me too this week but I think it's because I have a prompt idea to suggest in the next suggestions thread that I'm excited about haha! :)

[dalex]

Katie wrote: "I keep thinking I'm supposed to be posting the results too and that I've missed it!"

Ha! Well, hopefully that means we don’t have to wait until evening for the results post. :)