Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
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[2021] The Wild Discussion
Hello everyone, as I will probably be missing the next poll (I'm on CET, so 9 p.m. Central will be four o'clock in the morning for me), would anyone like to suggest the Wikipedia prompt for me? I think the revised wording will just be:A book related to a random or featured article on Wikipedia
Maybe add that the prompt is in honor of Wikipedia's 20th birthday in 2021 to give people some context and make the suggestion less random.
If you'd rather suggest or second your own prompts, don't feel obliged; there will be another poll I can catch for sure :D But I know that people have offered to post on another's behalf in the past, so if anyone would like to do that, feel free :) Of course, if the mods end up putting the thread up much earlier than they said, I might still catch it myself, but I'd rather not rely on that.
I will be asleep too.I would recommend explaining that random doesn't mean any article but one found via the random link. If I hadn't seen the discussion I might not make the connection.
Ellie wrote: "I will be asleep too.I would recommend explaining that random doesn't mean any article but one found via the random link. If I hadn't seen the discussion I might not make the connection."
I hadn't seen the discussion and didn't get it, so I agree with Ellie.
Conny wrote: "Hello everyone, as I will probably be missing the next poll (I'm on CET, so 9 p.m. Central will be four o'clock in the morning for me), would anyone like to suggest the Wikipedia prompt for me? I t..."Sorry Conny, I will be suggesting my own prompt this time, but I hope someone else can suggest it for you!
I love the wikipedia prompt but agree that it might need to be clarified. Would it be too long/wordy if you reworded it like this?
In honor of Wikipedia's 20th birthday, read a book related to a featured article on Wikipedia, or one selected by clicking "random article".
List of Featured Articles here
Irene, I think that wording is great. Sadly I also think I'll (hopefully!) be asleep
Conny, if I happen to catch the poll and no one else has suggested I'll suggest it for you. I'm usually still awake around then though typically starting the getting ready for bed process. If you are good with Irene's rewording I will use that.
Mod
I still think this is pretty broad because I assume those featured and random articles change all the time, so I could check periodically until I find one I like. The idea in general is clever but maybe could use even more clarification.
What do you guys think of this prompt?A book related to a codeword from the NATO Phonetic Alphabet (Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, India, Juliett, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra, Tango, Uniform, Victor, Whiskey, X-ray, Yankee, Zulu)
You could pick any word and be as creative as you want. To make it harder, you could use only the A/T/Y letters, the letter U (21st letter) or use only letters from your own name/initials. I think it's English language-centric, but not American-centric, so international friends can you tell me if you still get this reference?
Examples:
- Characters or authors named Charlie, Mike, or Victor
- Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet)
- Set in India, Canada (Quebec), or Peru (Lima)
- Set during November holidays like Election Day or Thanksgiving
- Features a father-child relationship (papa)
- Related to golf, baseball (yankee), or dancing (foxtrot, tango)
- Character in the military (uniform)
- Related to sorority/fraternity (alpha, delta)
- Related to a TV show broadcast on Bravo TV
Mod
There are lots of possibilities there, Avery. For instance, I immediately thought of Ernest Hemingway with the Papa reference. I like it!
Avery wrote: "What do you guys think of this prompt?A book related to a codeword from the NATO Phonetic Alphabet (Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, India, Juliett, Kilo, Lima, Mike, Nove..."
Sounds fun to me.
I really like the NATO alphabet idea! That’s fun, and a nice selection of possibilities to read. I’d probably look for a book set in Quebec or India.
I just discovered a website designed to help you find new authors similar to ones you already love. You enter the names of three of your favorite authors and it generates authors for you to explore. You choose if you like that author, don't like them or don't know them and another author name is generated. It's fun. Suggestion: Discover a new author using Gnooks.com
I may or may not be awake when the suggestions start. Feel free to suggest this if it interests you :)
Amy, that idea seems like a lot of fun!
I like the phonetic alphabet idea.Because it's NATO I would say it's generally well known across Europe. Though most people forget it and make up their own words! Someone I work with always says sugar instead of sierra.
Amy - There is a similar website which I remember being in a prompt of the Seasonal Reading Challenge group several years ago. It produced a map with the authors most similar closer to the center. I found some good authors using that site! I like the idea.
Mod
Very interesting site and seems much better than Amazon recommendations, which are laughable, and even GR recommendations. I tried it in several different genres and got some authors I've never heard of.
The only issue is that ome people only want to read books that they own or that are already on their TBR, but maybe it would turn out something recommended would be one they already have and forgot about or didn't think of as linked to favorite authors.
I like the NATO idea, and the Gnooks.com one. Although I just tried it and after entering 3 names, it suggested one of those names as the first suggestion, which I thought was funny (and as a software tester, poor programming).I was thinking of submitting a prompt about a book related to a disaster or tragedy, but I was thinking large-scale - plane crash, natural disaster like a hurricane, or a terrorist attack a la 9/11. There are fiction options for these as well, like Before the Fall for plane crash, or Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close for 9/11. And lots of fiction about the holocaust.
If I submit it as "large-scale disaster or tragedy" would that invite questions about what large-scale means? The intention is something that affected a lot of people, not just a personal tragedy. And would people vote for this or is it too depressing?
If I submit it as "large-scale disaster or tragedy" would that invite questions about what large-scale means? The intention is something that affected a lot of people, not just a personal tragedy. And would people vote for this or is it too depressing?I really like this prompt, and timely based on the Beirut explosion. I think large-scale is self explanatory.
I hope it would make it in because it doesn't specifically speak to the disasters of 2020, even though I think COVID would count as a large-scale disaster. I think it'll be unfortunate if we don't have anything next year that can include COVID as this is a big part of our history now. However, I know some do just want to forget it and move on, which is also understandable.
I love Avery's NATO prompt and I am very happy with Irene's rewording of my Wikipedia prompt suggestion. Bearing in mind what Robin said, maybe clarify further like this:In honor of Wikipedia's 20th birthday, read a book related to a featured article on the Wikipedia landing page, or one selected by clicking" random article".
Robin, sure, it leaves you some leeway, but you could BIO by limiting your article selection to a specific day or allowing yourself a limited number of clicks on the Random feature. I just wanted to suggest something a bit more out of the ordinary but still not too limiting or exclusive to one culture or another.
Khara, thank you for offering :) Nevermind if you can't make it. I can still suggest it in a future poll.
Ellie wrote: "I like the phonetic alphabet idea.Because it's NATO I would say it's generally well known across Europe. Though most people forget it and make up their own words! Someone I work with always says ..."
I always say sugar because I feel like I'm just saying my name wrong when I say sierra
Mod
In honor of Wikipedia's 2..."
I like that wording, thanks!
Personally I wouldn't vote for a disaster but that's just me.
I'm glad someone clarified the "random article" part of the Wikipedia prompt above. I'd missed the discussion about it too, and assumed it meant an article that I found at random. I'm just looking through the Featured Articles list now, and it's a bit overwhelming! I really like the NATO word prompt. I like the disaster one too, but I feel like after the year we're having, people might not be too interested.
I'm in a staff meeting this evening so I can't suggest anything for anyone tonight, but I'm potentially open to doing it in the future.
I just thought of a prompt. A book featuring a mode of transportation during any war. It could be feet,cart,horse,elephant, car, Jeep, airplane, ship. The sky is the limit.
Sherri wrote: "I just thought of a prompt. A book featuring a mode of transportation during any war. It could be feet,cart,horse,elephant, car, Jeep, airplane, ship. The sky is the limit."Mode of transportation is actually a prompt for this year (minus the "war" piece). I'd guess people wouldn't vote for it 2 years in a row.
This was a cover prompt, which is a little different, but I do think Alicia is right and people might not want anything that close.
Oh apologies, I thought this was cover prompt. If it was a content prompt, could someone on a boat count or would they have to be on a warship? And does the mode of transportation need to be used in the book for war? In that case, wouldn't it be a book related to war?
I think as a content prompt it would either be too broad, almost all books have feet =). Or too narrow because of the war aspect (depending on how you want the mode of transportation to be interpreted).
With 2020 being such a downer, how about a book that is a feel good or joyful read? Or a book that has a optimistic or positive message. I don’t know the best way to word it. Nothing from a list, though there are lists to choose from.
Pam wrote: "With 2020 being such a downer, how about a book that is a feel good or joyful read? Or a book that has a optimistic or positive message. I don’t know the best way to word it. Nothing from a list, t..."I would personally be happy to see something like that.
I like prompts based on moods and feelings so I’d be happy with something like an uplifting book or a book that brings you joy!
Pam wrote: "With 2020 being such a downer, how about a book that is a feel good or joyful read? Or a book that has a optimistic or positive message. I don’t know the best way to word it. Nothing from a list, t..."Is there a way to narrow it down? It sounds like a freebie. I get excited just to read a book I've been waiting for, but it doesn't necessarily mean it's a feel good read.
Mod
I do and I'm the only person who does ;)
jk lol, I'll open it in about an hour
I personally down vote any prompt that a majority of my tbr would fit and that's how I feel about the phonetic alphabet prompt. I do love the feel good prompt especially when I've been reading a lot of fantasy and thrillers. I think a feel good is a more light-hearted happy story.
Prompts I love, looking through are the gnooks.com and large scale disaster.
Mod
Conny wrote: "Hello everyone, as I will probably be missing the next poll, would anyone like to suggest the Wikipedia prompt for me?"
suggested with irene's the new wording! hope that's okay
suggested with irene's the new wording! hope that's okay
Conny wrote: And thank you, annie, for nominating my Wikipedia prompt :)
hope you didn't mind, conny! i saw you got there on time in the end but just in case, i thought i'd suggest it for you
hope you didn't mind, conny! i saw you got there on time in the end but just in case, i thought i'd suggest it for you
annie wrote: "Conny wrote: And thank you, annie, for nominating my Wikipedia prompt :)hope you didn't mind, conny! i saw you got there on time in the end but just in case, i thought i'd suggest it for you"
Absoutely! Sure, I got there in time, but only barely, and if I had posted my suggestion then, it would have locked me in a battle for seconding with the last suggestion (which I ended up seconding myself), and I wouldn't have wanted to lock horns with another suggestion, so I'm very happy it played out the way it did ;)
Ellie wrote: "I like the phonetic alphabet idea.Because it's NATO I would say it's generally well known across Europe. Though most people forget it and make up their own words! Someone I work with always says sugar instead of sierra"
Ah man, I used to work in a call centre and people come up with all sorts.... My favourites were always when people said things like "N for knife" "L for elephant" or clearly they had a total blank mind moment and can only think of like "S for supercalifragilisticexpialidocious"
Mod
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Ali wrote: "Ellie wrote: "I like the phonetic alphabet idea.Because it's NATO I would say it's generally well known across Europe. Though most people forget it and make up their own words! Someone I work wit..."
My first present for my baby niece was P Is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever. It still makes me giggle.
I was thinking of suggesting something like “a book about a postponement, do-over, or second chance” in light of all the things being postponed till next year, like the Olympics, vacations, etc. Do people like that wording? I feel like it could encompass a lot of different genres - is it too broad to be interesting?
Chrissy wrote: "I was thinking of suggesting something like “a book about a postponement, do-over, or second chance” in light of all the things being postponed till next year, like the Olympics, vacations, etc. Do..."I love the idea of second chances/do-overs/new beginnings. I wonder if it would make it to the top though, because in Poll 2 "A book that deals with second chances" was neutral in the results. I think including the extra examples in the prompt would help though (vs. just saying second chances only).
Chrissy wrote: "I was thinking of suggesting something like “a book about a postponement, do-over, or second chance” in light of all the things being postponed till next year, like the Olympics, vacations, etc. Do..."Put in that context, I like it. I didnt think about it that way before.
I liked the second chance and would up vote it again with the new phrasing.
I didn’t even realize something that similar had been suggested!
I think I voted yes to second chances the first time, so I’m in. I’m fond of the “second chance romance” trope.
Ali wrote: "Ellie wrote: "I like the phonetic alphabet idea.Because it's NATO I would say it's generally well known across Europe. Though most people forget it and make up their own words! Someone I work wit..."
It made me think of Michael McIntyre's comedy on that topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd7LS... (skip ahead to around 1:00 for the relevant part), or this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nvv4L... (skip to around 8:10, it's the same idea, but a bit more time spent on the joke)
I loved the second chance prompt when it was first suggested, and I hope that one is suggested again!
I made the suggestion the first time and intended to resubmit it down the line. I'm happy with the rewording, Chissy, so let's go for it. Perhaps the second time around will be a charm.
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Agreed. This is what I meant to post - professional team name. Since it's not actually a sports prompt, I would prefer more specific, but I'm hearing the group say to keep it general!."
I think "professional sports team" is general enough but still provides a bit of structure.