[2021] The Wild Discussion Showing 551-600 of 2,279

[Sara]

Precisely. I much prefer this prompt as originally written and would vote for it in that form.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

I've always hated song-related prompts because I don't listen to a lot of music, but I just came across a bookstagrammer who recommended one book for each of the songs on Taylor Swift's new album and now I want to read all of them haha!

[Irene]

Edit: Oh no!! Didn't realize I missed this round, yet again!! I guess I'll just have to keep trying. I have a few more I wanted to suggest as well, but I'll just focus on this one for next time.


I think I'll try to suggest my prompt that I forgot to do last time! It seemed like it was well-received:

A book whose title refers to a character/characters, fictional or not, without explicitly naming them.

(Note: The character referred to in the title would not have to be the protagonist!)

Examples:
The Alchemist, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Magicians, Lord of the Rings, The Time Traveler’s Wife, The Little Prince, The Couple Next Door, The Silent Patient, The Bird and the Sword because it is obviously referring to the two main characters, and even Pres. Obama's Dreams from My Father because it's not explicitly naming his father.


Fingers crossed that I'll be able to post it before suggestions all fill up again!

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

Maybe someone else will volunteer to post for you as well. I just happened to be on line this time right when voting started, otherwise I'm not always on top of it.

[Nadine in NY]

Emily wrote: "I've always hated song-related prompts because I don't listen to a lot of music, but I just came across a bookstagrammer who recommended one book for each of the songs on Taylor Swift's new album a..."


that sounds fun! do you have a link? or the name of the bookstagrammer?

[Kelly]

Emily wrote: "I've always hated song-related prompts because I don't listen to a lot of music, but I just came across a bookstagrammer who recommended one book for each of the songs on Taylor Swift's new album a..."

This sounds fun! I remember PopSugar had a prompt like that a few years ago, though (book that shares its title with a song, or something like that) and it was really hard to find something. Maybe "a book inspired by a song you like"? We could choose something with the same theme, or with similar words in the title... hmm. I'm sure there's a better way to phrase this.

[Ellie]

The song title prompt turned out much easier than I expected. I didn't have any requirement to actually like the song the book matched. Book inspired by a song makes it sound like the author was inspired to write the book because of the song.

[Alicia]

I really like the song prompt! Especially as it’s not tied to just one song. Maybe a book “closely related” to a song. Or something along those lines.

Then it doesn’t have to be an exact match in title, but also doesn’t cause confusion with a book being inspired/written because of a song.

[Bana AZ]

Emily wrote: "Ana, I was planning on waiting a month before submitting it (maybe at the end of August), just so people would have more choices to see before they vote on it! ..."

Good point!

[Irene]

Robin P wrote: "Maybe someone else will volunteer to post for you as well. I just happened to be on line this time right when voting started, otherwise I'm not always on top of it."

I will try that!! I will ask in the next poll suggestions thread, thanks!

[Shelley]

This is going back a bit, but for the monochromatic prompt there's a website that breaks down the colour amounts.
https://labs.tineye.com/color/
The ones I played around with were:
with 82% red
66% grey 34% black
79% blue 21% grey
which was more all of the place than I expected
It's obviously not a perfect system, but it's a way to be a bit more systematic about it.

[Jackie, Solstitial Mod]

Shelley wrote: "This is going back a bit, but for the monochromatic prompt there's a website that breaks down the colour amounts.
https://labs.tineye.com/color/
The ones I played around with were:
[bookcover:Mayb..."

Oh cool a thing I can spend several hours playing with

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Definitely have nothing else to do, must spend the next 10 weeks checking out the colors of every book on my TBR! Hooray!

😂

[dalex]

Shelley wrote: "This is going back a bit, but for the monochromatic prompt there's a website that breaks down the colour amounts.
https://labs.tineye.com/color/
The ones I played around with were:
[bookcover:Mayb..."

I love this so much! This link should be included in the post for this prompt for those that want to be at least sort of strict about the prompt.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

I'll try to remember to include it on the weekly thread for this prompt!

[Mary Beth]

Shelley wrote: "This is going back a bit, but for the monochromatic prompt there's a website that breaks down the colour amounts.
https://labs.tineye.com/color/
The ones I played around with were:
[bookcover:Mayb..."

Thanks for sharing this! I currently am going with Beloved by Toni Morrison but I will check out how monochromatic it is for fun. I had considered The Warmth of Other Suns and Out of the Silence when I was choosing mine. Thought we must have similar reading habits.

[Mary Beth]

I checked Beloved is 95% Red so I think that's my choice.

[Shelley]

Mary Beth wrote: "I checked Beloved is 95% Red so I think that's my choice.
"

Beloved was my knee jerk choice, but I wanted to see if some of the others could get away with being only one color and white or black. More data points are always welcome.

[Khara]

Oh, that is a really interesting tool. Was surprised by a few I was considering that came up as mostly "grey" when to my eyes it looks like another color. Think I will still count them since I'm not factoring black/white personally to account for some shading. Made me question my perception of the color grey though!

[Ellie]

I had a book that was green and black but it said it was all grey. It was definitely green looking at the hex code even, so I would take their definition of grey with a pinch of salt.

[Sara]

I worked for years with printers and all colors are mixtures. This takes apart the colors--so we see green, but there is grey in some of the green to create the softer hue. I think we will be fine with this prompt if we trust our eyes.

[Chelsey]

Do we hate looking up page counts or would something like a book with 21 in the page count work?
121 pages. 221 pages, 621 pages. 213 pages etc..

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

Chelsey wrote: "Do we hate looking up page counts or would something like a book with 21 in the page count work?
121 pages. 221 pages, 621 pages. 213 pages etc.."

I sometimes have a problem with it because when I read on a tablet I have the print bigger and that takes up more pages. I have to look it up separately to see the official page count. I also do a lot of audiobooks and I have to look those up.

[Sara]

I don't like page counts, again because it just has no meaning for me. Boy, I sound disagreeable today!

[Khara]

Personally I think the page count one is fun but I tend to like more "scavenger hunt" prompts at times. I see where it could be tricky with digital versions or having one page amount listed on goodreads and then end up with a version that has a different page count. I'd probably shop that one off my already owned pile of TBR but I know not everyone has those.

[Ellie]

Quite often the official page count doesn't even match the physical book, I think they sometimes count unnumbered pages at the back? Or if it has a sample that's added on. Goodreads is definitely not the definitive answer, there is too much manual intervention.

[Alicia]

Ellie wrote: "Quite often the official page count doesn't even match the physical book, I think they sometimes count unnumbered pages at the back? Or if it has a sample that's added on. Goodreads is definitely n..."

This is my biggest issue with it. I try to count my actual pages read each year, and so many times I feel like I can't trust the count on Goodreads. Also, ebooks I've noticed either overestimate or underestimate, but I can't figure out how to make it equal.

[Sara]

I never use the page count for an ebook--always check the paperback version and use that. I also check my hard copy against the pages listed by GR, but there is no rhyme or reason to why they disagree.

[Alicia]

I was looking through the prompts that didn't make it in last year, and I really liked the ones that had us receive recommendations from friends and family. Specifically, there was one that said "pick a book from a friend's TBR".

Since this is my first year in the voting process, does anyone have insight into how that prompt was viewed last year and if it would be worth suggesting this year?

[Rachel]

The page count is a fun idea in theory, but I can see it posing all kinds of logistical issues. It would bug me a bit if the edition of the book that I had didn't have the "right" number of pages, and the page counts on Goodreads tend to vary quite widely.

[Wendy]

I had some random ideas I figured I'd put out there:

- A book with alliteration in the title (two words that start with the same letter). ex: Love in a Cold Climate, Daniel Daronda, A Room of One's Own
- I read a lot of nautical fiction this year and was thinking either a task of nautical fiction (set on a boat/ship), or more broadly a book that somehow involves the ocean.
- Or perhaps a book involving mountains somehow.
(darn, that could have made for a fun 2 book task, mountains and sea)
- I've been slowly chipping away at the "500 Great Books by Women" list. We don't have task yet that references lists, and this could be an interesting one to tackle. (here's an alternate link that is more easily searchable with ctr+f)
- Is anyone else hankering for travel? what about a task that involves a voyage of some kind? travel writing, road trip, expedition, fiction or nonfiction...

I'll keep thinking...I keep missing the suggesting/seconding window, oops.

[Mary Beth]

Alicia— this is my first year too. I had a similar thought. A book recommended by someone you trust.

This could be a friend, family member, newspaper review, something you saw on a talkshow, Obama’s list etc.

[Khara]

Wendy I like the alliteration and travel/voyage ones especially!

I am thinking of suggesting one that is related to turning 21. Here are a few that could be worked in. Possibly, "Read a book that related to traditions around turning 21". But I know some people don't like prompts quite that open because it feels like a freebie.

I'm particularly interested in the key tradition personally so I also would consider one along the lines of "Read a book related to keys."

[Alicia]

I really like that 21 prompt Khara. I was thinking of that last night but didn’t know if 21 was a special age outside of the US. I like that it can include royalty, knighthood, alcohol, etc.

[Kelly]

Wendy wrote: "I had some random ideas I figured I'd put out there:

- A book with alliteration in the title (two words that start with the same letter). ex: Love in a Cold Climate, Daniel Daronda, A Room of One'..."

Yessss please nominate the mountain idea so I can read something else about mountaineering disasters (....anyone else like those? Just me? 😅)

[Khara]

Alicia, I knew about the key because my Auntie Jean (who was like a grandmother to me) was from England originally and she gave me a key when I turned 21 and explained the meaning. I would have never known that birthday had any significance outside the US otherwise.

Was pleasantly surprised to see that there were more traditions tied to it as well with a little poking around google. I would love if any of our non US members also had any thoughts on this or any traditions from their own countries to share too!

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

Wendy wrote: "I had some random ideas I figured I'd put out there:

- A book with alliteration in the title (two words that start with the same letter). ex: Love in a Cold Climate, Daniel Daronda, A Room of One'..."

I like all those, Wendy!

[Serendipity]

Found this article https://cultursmag.com/the-global-per... which covers some traditions associated with turning 21.

[Wendy]

Kelly wrote: "Yessss please nominate the mountain idea so I can read something else about mountaineering disasters (....anyone else like those? Just me? 😅)."

HA! You are not alone! Ever since reading Into Thin Air, I've had a hankering for mountaineering disasters too! Into the Silence, Dark Summit, Buried in the Sky...

@Robin & Khara - oh great! glad you like the suggestions :)

[Nancy]

I like the idea of traditions related to turning 21.

As for mountain disasters I'd rather see a more broad disaster prompt. Plane crash, terrorist attacks, volcano eruptions, etc.

I've been pondering a list prompt, would people want a prompt like "Caldecott or Newbery winners?" I'd love a children's book prompt.

[Anastasia]

The reason the family member/friend prompt did not make it last year is because some people do not have others that read in IRL. It can also be triggering for others. After this year that may even be more so.

[Wendy]

Nancy wrote: "As for mountain disasters I'd rather see a more broad disaster prompt. Plane crash, terrorist attacks, volcano eruptions, etc. ."

Ah, actually I was thinking it would be a broad "mountain" theme. So, disasters as a subset, but also...maybe a book set in the mountains (a la Heidi or The Magic Mountain), or with cover/title element...

Although, a broad disaster prompt I could see working as well.

[Nancy]

I could see having both a mountain theme and a disaster theme. Different enough that both would work, I think.

[Kelly]

Wendy wrote: "HA! You are not alone! Ever since reading Into Thin Air, I've had a hankering for mountaineering disasters too!"

Have you read The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest? It's about the same event as Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster, but is written by one of the expedition guides. I thought it was a really interesting alternate account, and offered a different perspective.

[Wendy]

Kelly wrote: "Have you read The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest?"

I haven't read that one yet! Or Touching the Void for that matter, which is another *biggie* of the genre. Thanks for the suggestion!

[Wendy]

Nancy wrote: "I could see having both a mountain theme and a disaster theme. Different enough that both would work, I think."

I agree!

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

Anastasia wrote: "The reason the family member/friend prompt did not make it last year is because some people do not have others that read in IRL. It can also be triggering for others. After this year that may even ..."

You could count Goodreads friends, which would be some of us. But it sounds like we might have a prompt of "a book that was listed under best book of any month in 2020", which would come to the same thing. In real life, I have been burned too many times by books that other people rave about.

[Kat]

Khara wrote: "Wendy I like the alliteration and travel/voyage ones especially!

I am thinking of suggesting one that is related to turning 21. Here are a few that could be worked in. Possibly, "Read a book that ..."

I've been workshopping a few ideas and one of mine was "a book related to the bingo phrase for 21 'key to the door'" It could be on the cover, in the title, important to the storyline etc. I also wasn't sure if it would have any meaning to members outside the UK.

I really like the focus on the key. I moved house last year and found so many from my 21st. My favourite is an antique that my grandma was given for hers in 1935.

[Irene]

I have two more prompt suggestions, and was wondering what you guys think of them! (If there's interest, I'll try to submit these in later polls I believe there's a limit of one suggestion per poll - please correct me if I'm wrong)

1. A book for which you are not the target or intended demographic/audience.

Examples: reading any book published before you were born, any book published originally in another language/country, reading middle grade or a children's book if you are an adult, reading chick lit if you don’t identify as a “chick,” etc.


2. A book about a character who breaks gender stereotypes

This could work for biographies of famous people, like Amelia Earhart, Marc Jacobs, Queen Elizabeth I, lots of celebrities. It would also work for lots of fiction, especially surrounding the underrepresented LGBTQIA+ community. (Any book featuring a “non-traditional” non-cis-gender character like any nonbinary or trans character would work).

It could also apply to a character who breaks “traditional” gender norms in a more subtle way, like a female character with a shaved head or a male character with very long hair, or is very fashion-forward. A woman who is a CEO, mechanic, soldier, etc.

(I'm reminded of Where the Forest Meets the Stars, where the main character had her breasts removed I believe due to cancer, and doesn't feel the need to get any kind of reconstructive surgery/implants to feel like a woman)

And I love the suggestions of a nautical theme (so many books have the ocean/water on the cover!), mountains, and natural disasters! I also like 21 in the page count as well, although it's more of a challenge since I'd go by my physical book page numbers rather than trusting goodreads.

[Ellie]

Now I'm going to have to ask around if anyone got keys for their 21st. Do you think it's a generational thing? My grandparents weren't alive when I turned 21.

I like that the key one can be linked to 21 by the bingo phrase but also it doesn't matter if it's not something you have any idea about. I'd rather that than a prompt about traditions.

Anyway 21 is a milestone age in a lot of countries, even if the things you can do vary. I think in the UK it's just being able to supervise a learner driver and become an MP.