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[2020] Voting for the 17th Mini-Poll
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Entropia wrote: "....and jail time are prompts for which I don't really know (or don't remember) any books I'd like to read."Even though the prompt is worded "A book where a character spends time in jail or prison" I think it could be interpreted metaphorically. Like a character who feels imprisoned by their circumstances, like an abusive relationship or an oppressive culture. Or a person can feel imprisoned by less threatening things, like a character who is unhappy with their job, relationships, health, etc. Or it could be a thriller in which a character is kidnapped and held captive or a character is threatened by a stalker or murderer or something.
For the pregnant character prompt, dystopian novels about women's rights and reproduction are a huge trend right now. Here are some lists:10 Dystopian Novels to Inspire You to Fight for Your Reproductive Freedoms
How I learned to stop worrying and love the mom
16 powerful dystopian novels that every woman should read
Dystopian Novels With Something to Say About Motherhood
Five Books About Motherhood and Dystopia
For the "outside your comfort zone" prompt, I think that can be interpreted in multiple ways. For some, it might be to read a really long book. For instance, I have The Count of Monte Cristo on my list, and it makes me a little nervous to think about starting it, because it is so long and I worry about getting stuck in such a long book. For others, it might be reading a different genre that you think you might not care for, or taking another stab at a genre that you didn't care for the last time you read it. Or just a genre that you haven't ventured into in the past, like Nadine suggested above.
Another interpretation might be to read a book about something that is out of your comfort zone. For me, one book I just added to my list today was about 9/11. I don't like talking about, reading about, or even thinking about that day. This book is about an alternate reality, where someone has the opportunity to go back and stop the events of the day from happening. Even though I am not sure about it, I want to give that book a try. That would definitely be out of my comfort zone, though. Another idea for this would be a straight, white person reading a book about a black person's struggles, or an LGBTQIA+ person's struggles, and having to remind yourself that the world we live in doesn't treat us all the same. That can be an uncomfortable, although in my opinion, necessary, realization.
Just my two cents on the prompt.
For outside my comfort zone I´m thinking books that slightly scare me, but are books I would still kinda like to read (Ulysses and Marie Kondo´s book come to mind).
5 upvotes and 3 downvotes for me this round. I really hope the atmospheric book gets in. It is the prompt I am most excited about in this round. I would be happy with any from this group except one of my downvotes.Now the waiting begins again...
Peter wrote: "...the atmosphere the authors create evoke a sense of dread and urgency from the reader despite the setting being more generic."I guess this kind of explains why I don't quite understand the "atmospheric" prompt. Books don't make me feel things, aside from the enjoyment of a compelling story and/or well written book. This is also why I don't like prompts like a book that makes you feel happy/sad/amused/angry etc.
Nadine wrote: "I’m probably up-voting “comfort zone.” I don’t think it means: read a book you don’t want to read. It means: read a type of book that you don’t normally read...."I dunno, I think there's a difference between something that's "outside my comfort zone" and something I don't read much of because there are too many books for me to read everything I want to and I have to prioritise somehow. I don't like reading about people having affairs, so that's outside my comfort zone. It's a downvote for me.
This is interesting! I’m only in my “comfort zone” when I’m doing what’s familiar to me, so anything unusual is outside my comfort zone.
dalex wrote: "Peter wrote: "...the atmosphere the authors create evoke a sense of dread and urgency from the reader despite the setting being more generic."I guess this kind of explains why I don't quite "atmospheric" prompt."
I am the same way. I have read several of the books on the list but I don't have the atmospheric connection so the idea does not really work for me.
My votes ended up being 4/4 this week. My favorite is the tarot one. I like prompts to be broad enough that I can put my own restrictions on them. It also feels like a fun prompt which is something I look for in a challenge. The guilty pleasure and outside of my comfort zone are the main two I hope do not make it. My other down votes are ones I'm less interested compared to the other prompts.I wonder if there are two groups, those who are looking for a personal connection to the prompts and those who do not want a personal connection. It seems that we often have prompts that are based upon something you like or dislike. I occasionally like a prompt that has some personal connection but generally a personal connection leads to a prompt being a down vote.
I’m not sure how I’ll vote! I have a few favorites but no downvotes since I have ideas for all of them. I was going to downvote the prison prompt, but it could push me to read a classic like The Count of Monte Cristo or The Gulag Archipelago. So, I’ll stay neutral on it. Daley’s comment about atmosphere is true for me, too, but I could work something in. I pick up on atmosphere more from a movie than a book. For outside my comfort zone, I would go with romance, poetry, manga, drama, or one of Ellen Hopkin’s YA books (that my daughter loves). Hope we get several prompts out of this vote!
I don't know why, but I'm really fascinated by prison stories. The chance of redemption? Besides Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, The Enchanted was something special
Mod
I don't usually like personal connections in prompts (don't ask me for my favorite, or for a certain numbered book on my TBR or any of that because I'll definitely cheat), but I like the outside of your comfort zone. I think there are a lot of prompts I voted for because they pushed and stretched my reading a little, but they didn't make it in. I'd probably go back to one of those prompts when looking for inspiration for this one.
I went 5 up and 3 down this time. My upvotes were Goodreads Choice awards, recommendation, collaboration, fantasy, and atmospheric, If fantasy gets in, I will slot in an epic fantasy book. If not, I will use epic fantasy for the prompt that didn't get in. If atmospheric makes it through, I might do a reread of Dracula. I can't think of anything more atmospheric than that.
If collaboration wins, I might do an audiobook. There are a couple of author/narrator combos that almost always work together--like John Scalzi and Wil Wheaton.
Ooh I like the author/narrator take on the collaboration prompt!
Thank you Perry for The Enchanted recommendation! That sounds really good. Now that I’ve given it more thought, there are probably lots of sci-fi books involving imprisonment. E.g. Jack Glass by Adam Roberts. I’m leaning toward voting for it now! 😀
I guess anything about Prisoners of War would be ok
Nadine wrote: "I know I’m overthinking this but I’m not sure I understand this one:What is a “traditional holiday”? I assume Passover, Yom Kippur, Kwanzaa, Thanksgiving, St Lucia Day, Valentines Day, Halloween,..."
Talk Like A Pirate Day?
Avery wrote: "If the Tarot Card doesn’t get through, I think it’d be a great multi-week prompt option next year!"Exactly! For my discard challenge this coming year, I used the Tarot deck for the multi week prompt of connected to a deck of cards. It was an awesome search.
dalex wrote: "I guess this kind of explains why I don't quite understand the "atmospheric" prompt. Books don't make me feel things, aside from the enjoyment of a compelling story and/or well written book. This is also why I don't like prompts like a book that makes you feel happy/sad/amused/angry etc..."I agree. So for me when these ones get in I just go with a list and pick a book. I often read a good book, but don't feel anything. I didn't feel a sense of place in the book I read for that this year (Beartown), but enjoyed the book netherless.
I went 5 up and 3 down again this time. I picked the Goodreads Choice Awards because I always find that a good push to pick up a more recent release, and I'm lucky enough to live near a large branch of a generally great library system. I also surprised myself a bit and voted for a book recommended by an influential person. I'm not generally interested in prompts that require recommendations from others, but I've had so many great ones from several of the blogs/vlogs I follow that I'm sure I can find something I'd like.I also voted for the collaboration between 2+ people since I realized it fit several books/authors that I wanted to read next year anyway, like Liv Constantine, Christina Lauren, or Sarah Pekkanen & Greer Hendricks. I voted for the fantasy, although I did find it a bit too broad, and after much consideration, I voted for the tarot card prompt because I just love the creativity of the idea.
There was nothing on the list that I would absolutely dread seeing if it made the final cut, so I picked downvotes based on the prompts that interested me least or I thought might be difficult. I downvoted the book outside my comfort zone, the guilty pleasure prompt, and the traditional holiday because they are all prompts that I've done at least once before in reading challenges, and they'd all be a bit tough for me to tackle. I don't really have any guilty pleasures, and I got stuck with being probably way too literal about the comfort zone prompt. Whatever book I pick would be something that I still at least somewhat wanted to read...and therefore in my comfort zone, at least according to my thinking.
Marie wrote: "It's nice to know I'm not the only one who doesn't feel bad about the things they enjoy - zero guilty pleasures for me.I'm not sure how to interpret the comfort zone one. It just seems to be read..."
When I suggested a book related to Christmas (which was later amended to a traditional holiday as suggested by dalex), I never considered your interpretation of it, but actually I really like it and I think if that suggestion gets through, I may follow it! I never got to do one of those traditional British holidays when I was younger and am absolutely desperate too, so perhaps a book is a good way to get that feeling.
I know this is a not too bright question, but I can't find the link to vote...Has it not been posted yet? Or am I looking in the wrong place?
Manda wrote: "Avery wrote: "If the Tarot Card doesn’t get through, I think it’d be a great multi-week prompt option next year!"Exactly! For my discard challenge this coming year, I used the Tarot deck for the ..."
I must be missing something here, since I don't see how I would find a book related to tarot cards... and doing that more than one week has no appeal at all. This probably says more about my ignorance about tarot cards that the merits of the potential prompt.
@viemag: at the end of the first post is the link.
Edie - the tarot deck has regular numbered cards plus the special “major arcana” cards:The Magician, The High Priestess, The Empress, The Emperor, The Hierophant, The Lovers, The Chariot, Strength, The Hermit, Wheel of Fortune, Justice, The Hanged Man, Death, Temperance, The Devil, The Tower, The Star, The Moon, The Sun, Judgement, The World, and The Fool.
So for a multi week prompt, maybe a book with magic, a book with a emperor/empress, a book about lovers, and a book about death, for example, or some other combination.
Edie wrote: "I must be missing something here, since I don't see how I would find a book related to tarot cards... and doing that more than one week has no appeal at all. This probably says more about my ignorance about tarot cards that the merits of the potential prompt."1. It's not a multi-week prompt. You only have to read one qualifying book.
2. It doesn't have to about tarot cards, it just has to be related in some way. For example, you could read a romance for The Lovers, or a book in which a character dies for Death, or a fantasy novel for The Magician, or a book with "sun" in the title for The Sun, or a legal thriller for Judgment.
Edie- Regarding your tarot card question, the easiest thing to do would be to find a title with one of the words in it (e.g. sun, Star, moon, magician). You can use subject also. Lots of fantasy books would work. Non-fiction like astronomy and history of monarchies, e.g., are other options. Of course, you can also read a tarot card book.
Mod
Thanks for the many insights on tarot cards. Armed with this knowledge, this seems like a pretty easy prompt.
Edie wrote: "Thanks for the many insights on tarot cards. Armed with this knowledge, this seems like a pretty easy prompt."yeah! it's far too broad for my tastes, so I didn't vote for it, because I get all discombobulated when I have hundreds and hundreds of options for a prompt. But of course it will be easy for me to fill if it wins.
Ellie wrote: "Marie wrote: "I'm not sure how to interpret the comfort zone one. It just seems to be reading a book you don't really want to read? That doesn't sound like something I'd want to do...."Hah yes th..."
For this, I’m considering genres I don’t often read and m/or struggle with - westerns and poetry, or a book that deals with Christianity and transgender issues - because I’m relatively uncomfortable with a lot of modern Christianity because of LGBTQIA issues.
That said, I have always tried to read in genres I don’t like, so it’s not really out of my comfort zone. Manga was one that I never really enjoyed until finally this year I read My Brother’s Husband and loved it. Until that one, even if a manga sounded right up my alley, it usually ended up that the format just wasn’t for me.
Westerns and poetry for me are genres I have to push myself towards, but I do often enjoy the results - though equally often, I really don’t.
The guilty pleasures one, I might just read a romance novel - they aren’t guilty pleasures for me as an adult, but I absolutely used to steal them from my mom’s bookshelf and try to read secretly without anyone knowing in my early teens. Otherwise, maybe the fast food, poorly treated workers aspect. It doesn’t really work for me - I don’t find fast food a pleasure, more of a convenience and I hate shopping for clothing etc on so many levels, but certainly I buy things I should feel guilty about not working harder to avoid considering the practices in the mainstream clothing industry.
Perhaps something environmental, because I do find animals and nature pleasurable and I feel guilty that humans haven’t done better in terms of stewardship.
I love how everyone interprets prompts differently. Those difficult prompts are less so when someone else shares their thoughts on what it means.
I’m torn on the atmospheric because while I do find that pretty different than sense of place, I mostly associate it with suspense/fear. I like a horror book every now and again but I have a very overactive imagination and they scare me a lot. The last I read was Horrorstör and I read it late at night and... I may have almost died of fright!
That said, the Wayfarer trilogy by Becky Chambers really does give me a strong sense of a cosy atmosphere - the first two, anyway, since I haven’t read the third. I love how accepting and kind and helpful the characters are. I find them super relaxing and wonderful. I suppose cosy mysteries would fit very well, since that sense of cosy is right there in the genre and I think is absolutely meant to designate an atmospheric commonality in that sub genre.
Which makes me wonder if there are other sub genres out there that are also largely about an atmospheric classification.
It's funny you're talking about the Wayfarer trilogy as I'm just starting Record of a Spaceborn Few right now! Her characters are absolute gems, I'm happy to read another book, but sad it's the last one!
That’s such a coincidence, I was literally just looking to see if my library has Record of a Spaceborn Few as an ebook yet (it doesn’t 🙁). I can’t wait to read it as I loved the first two books. Chinook, I really agree with you about the characters being so accepting and kind. I’m not usually much of a sci-fi reader but I loved these books and I think that cosy atmosphere you described is what makes the books so appealing to me.
That’s awesome - I just put Record of a Soaceborn Few on hold.
I read (and loved!) the first two books in the Wayfarer trilogy this year. The world building and characterization are phenomenal but I would say they have "a strong sense of place" more so than that they are "atmospheric." I guess I just find the whole idea of "atmospheric" to be a bit puzzling. :)
I don't see how you can tell a book is atmospheric until you have read it. Others may find it atmospheric, but you don't necessarily feel the same. It's a bit like a read a book that makes you laugh, you just don't know until you have read it, if it does.
So far it looks like To Be Taught, If Fortunate will fit into quite a few 2020 prompts:- A book that can be read in one day (153 pages)
- set in a place you wouldn't want to live (subjective)
- same author who wrote 2018/19 best reads
- set in a sparsely populated area
- related to time
- related to Maximillian Hell (space study)
- LGBTQIA+ author
(And possibly things like rejected prompt, letters of your name, duology.)
I've been keeping an eye out because I splurged and bought a copy of the book, but probably won't get to it until next year. (At least I won't start reading until I have finished this year's challenge.)
Eujean2 wrote: "So far it looks like To Be Taught, If Fortunate will fit into quite a few 2020 prompts:- A book that can be read in one day (153 pages)
- set in a place you wouldn't want to live (..."
I might use in a pair of opposites, with A Key, an Egg, an Unfortunate Remark!
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
To Be Taught, If Fortunate (other topics)A Key, an Egg, an Unfortunate Remark (other topics)
To Be Taught, If Fortunate (other topics)
Record of a Spaceborn Few (other topics)
Record of a Spaceborn Few (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
John Scalzi (other topics)Wil Wheaton (other topics)
David Baldacci (other topics)
I’m probably up-voting “comfort zone.” I don’t think it means: read a book you don’t want to read. It means: read a type of book that you don’t normally read. So if you read all literary fiction, find a SFF book that looks interesting and give it a try. ... If you never read Westerns (me), try a Western that comes highly recommended. ... If you read all UK mysteries, try a Japanese mystery. I have lots of choices because I keep a Goodreads shelf for books I “wouldn’t normally read.”