[2021] The Wild Discussion Showing 101-150 of 2,279

[[deleted user]]

Both good prompts!

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

I like the oppression prompt a lot! Especially the way Jackie worded it -- it's concise and to the point but allows for interpretation.

Serendipity, I know we have some readers who are really widely read (people who do Around the World challenges and whatnot), and there are people who don't track that at all, so saying that they've never read from a specific country would be difficult. You may be better off going with something like

"A book set in or written by an author from a country outside of your usual reading".

I usually read authors from the US or UK or Australia, so picking an author from South Africa would be outside my usual reading (even though I read Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood a couple years ago).

[Hannah]

I've been thinking about a "setting I've never read before" prompt as well, as I recently put together my own reading map using the google drive map feature (which was SO FUN). Anyway, I recognize that it could still be overly restricting but I do think it could be kind of fun to have a prompt that would encourage you to read a book set in a place that you likely haven't read before. Maybe a book set in a country with a population of less than 10 million or a country you've never visited.

[Entropia]

Serendipity wrote: "Another prompt I’d be keen on is a book set in a country you haven’t yet read or by an author from that country."
I really like this, but I have shelves for where authors I read are from, so it's easy for me to research. I can imagine that for people who don't pay attention to it and have huge amount of books read, it might be quite a hassle, so I second Emily's rephrasing suggestion.

[Johanne]

I like the suggestions, including the country one, and I don't track my reading like that, but an idea to rephrain from words like 'never' because it's hard to be certain for folks like me with an uncertain memory.

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

Hannah wrote: "I've been thinking about a "setting I've never read before" prompt as well, as I recently put together my own reading map using the google drive map feature (which was SO FUN). Anyway, I recognize ..."
Interpreting more loosely, "a setting I've never read before" could be a fantasy planet, like in Dune, if someone is really having trouble coming up with a location.

[Hannah]

Robin wrote: "Hannah wrote: "I've been thinking about a "setting I've never read before" prompt as well, as I recently put together my own reading map using the google drive map feature (which was SO FUN). Anywa..."

Wait, that's a great point! If it's "setting I've never read before" as opposed to "country I've never read before," that would also allow for people to just choose very specific places. Like, if you haven't read Little Fires Everywhere how likely is it that you've read a book set in Shaker Heights, Ohio, regardless of how many books you've read?

[Hannah]

Johanne wrote: "I like the suggestions, including the country one, and I don't track my reading like that, but an idea to rephrain from words like 'never' because it's hard to be certain for folks like me with an ..."

Good point. We could say something like "that you think you've never read before" or "that you don't remember reading before" - I like that better anyway.

[[deleted user]]

this is my first year joining the group so i didn't get to see the voting process play out last year. just for some clarification, could someone pls explain how the voting works. there are more than eight polls planned so do we just not get to vote in all of them?

[[deleted user]]

i personally prefer prompts that are easy to personalise! award list prompts tend to be too us-centered or exclusively literary fiction (which is a genre i just don't enjoy reading) so they can be a drag. i also really don't like the joint prompts but it's interesting to see everyone else's preferences

[Steve]

annie wrote: "this is my first year joining the group so i didn't get to see the voting process play out last year. just for some clarification, could someone pls explain how the voting works. there are more tha..."

Generally we wind up with around 15-18 different polls throughout the process. Each poll starts with an open thread for suggestions. Each member can suggest one prompt, and then someone needs to second that prompt (you only get to suggest or second once each poll). This continues until 15 prompts (assuming that's still our number) have been suggested/seconded. Then we move to voting where every member gets 8 votes; you can use all 8 to vote yes on 8 different prompts, vote no on 8 different prompts, or mix it up in any combination that adds up to 8. After a few days, the moderators look at the votes and determine how many of them will be added to our final list of 52. Then we repeat the process until we get 52 prompts in total.

[Jillian]

annie wrote: "this is my first year joining the group so i didn't get to see the voting process play out last year. just for some clarification, could someone pls explain how the voting works. there are more tha..."

You get 8 votes per poll. You can vote in all the polls, some of the polls or none of the polls whatever works for you.

[[deleted user]]

Steve wrote: "Then we move to voting where every member gets 8 votes; you can use all 8 to vote yes on 8 different prompts, vote no on 8 different prompts, or mix it up in any combination that adds up to 8."

Jillian wrote: "You get 8 votes per poll. You can vote in all the polls, some of the polls or none of the polls whatever works for you."

oooh! thanks for clarifying. i was wondering how i would pick which eight polls to vote on but that makes a lot more sense, silly me

[[deleted user]]

i'll have to start thinkng about the sort of things i'd like to suggest. i love that the prompts are set by popular vote and the result of brainstorming & collaboration

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Thanks for jumping in, Steve and Jillian. I missed annie's first post with the question.

And just a reminder, we do have the voting schedule published here so you can plan out when you will be able to suggest and vote: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Steve]

Emily wrote: "Thanks for jumping in, Steve and Jillian. I missed annie's first post with the question.

And just a reminder, we do have the voting schedule published here so you can plan out when you will be abl..."

Oooh, I missed that we had a set schedule this year. I'm used to the more fluid way of the past, though, it was usually on a similar schedule.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Yes, Steve! It's usually more fluid, but we were taking 7-9 days per round, which everyone felt was a bit long. Hopefully with this 6 day set schedule, the shortened amount of time to vote will be ok since everyone will know the days ahead of time.

[[deleted user]]

thanks to everyone for explaining! i'm honestly so keen to start

[Chelsey]

I like a lot of these prompts being suggested. I've been trying to come up with a few prompts I would like to nominate and so far I have these.. give me opinions on wordings or if they are just terrible ideas.

Book told from the point of view of a child.

A book published in the year you turned 21 or set in the future if you are not 21.

Book featuring a character who practices a religion different than your own.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

I turned 21 in 2010, and it has some really good books, so I'm going to vote for that one haha!

I feel like the POV of a child would be fine, especially if you read YA a lot. I'd honestly probably just use a YA book (although I'm sure you meant your prompt to be more of an adult fiction with unique POV instead).

The different religion is interesting, but for those of us who don't practice a religion at all, this would be just... any book that has any religious slant at all, which is pretty wide open. Not a criticism.. just a thought.

[[deleted user]]

i like the idea of reading a book from the point of view of a child! it doesn't limit it to just middle grade fiction if people don't want to step too far out of their comfort zones

if we include one about religion, maybe we could focus it on supporting a marginalised author instead? like an #ownvoices Muslim or Jewish author, for example

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

annie wrote: "i like the idea of reading a book from the point of view of a child! it doesn't limit it to just middle grade fiction if people don't want to step too far out of their comfort zones

if we include ..."

Yes, books like Room and To Kill a Mockingbird have a child's point of view but adult subjects.

[[deleted user]]

Robin wrote: "Yes, books like Room and To Kill a Mockingbird have a child's point of view but adult subjects."

exactly! there's lot of adult lit options too

[Jillian]

"A book published in the year you turned 21 or set in the future if you are not 21."

This is an interesting twist on the year you are born but I think it might have trouble making it. Some of us don't like books tied to us personally. Also, not everyone is comfortable with sharing information about the year they were born.

[Chelsey]

annie wrote: "i like the idea of reading a book from the point of view of a child! it doesn't limit it to just middle grade fiction if people don't want to step too far out of their comfort zones

if we include ..."

I like the idea of choosing a marginalized religion because as others have pointed out it forces people to read more diversely but this is in a different way than just race or ethnicity. So maybe A book from a Muslim Author.

[[deleted user]]

Jillian, agreed. Some people might not be comfortable disclosing their age.

Chelsey, I really like that! I think it's incredibly important to diversify our reading habits so I think I'll definitely be suggesting a prompt like that. It's also good because it doesn't limit it to fiction or non-fiction for people who prefer one or the other

[Serendipity]

Thanks for the suggested change to my country prompt Emily. I can see that’s likely to work better for a wider range of readers.

Love the idea of the religion prompt. I had a similar prompt this year (I take on a lot of reading challenges). I don’t identify with a particular religion myself so planned to pick one about a religion I don’t know a lot about or where religion played a major role in the plot. I’m slowly reading around the world and found a memoir by a Yemeni man whose Christian beliefs meant his life was in danger. Love killing two birds with one stone so to speak. I’d have no trouble with a similar prompt next year.

I like the prompt from a child’s perspective as well. It didn’t get in this year but I used it as part of my rejects challenge. I normally read a couple of middle grade books each year and there are some great adult books containing a child’s perspective.

[Serendipity]

Another idea I (can you tell I’ve been keeping a running list of ideas?) is a book from The Tournament of Books. Here’s a link to the website for those unfamiliar with it - https://themorningnews.org/tob/ . It’s been going for about sixteen years so there’s a good range of titles to pick from and the BIO folks could limit themselves to actual winners. Not sure if there is something similar in other countries. Canada has a televised Battle of the Books which is similar but also different. Not sure about other countries. Could make it a more open prompt- a book from a battle of the books competition - give the two examples but leave it open in case people know of other options.

[Bana AZ]

I like list prompts. Maybe we could make use of this group's best books of the month threads for next year. My idea for a prompt like that is

"A book that was mentioned in the ATY 2020 best books of the month."

Or maybe that'll fall under the category: GOODREADS & RECOMMENDATIONS

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Seredipity, I love the Tournament of Books and, while I rarely participate, I follow the proceedings as they come to my email inbox. That would be a fun prompt.

Ana, I love that idea! It would both encourage people to post their favorite books (more options) and get us recommendations from the group.

[Sherri]

I really like the idea of reading a book in the year you turned 21, 1977. I did a quick look & I have a lot of good options. I was surprised to see how many of those books I had read. I was also surprised to see how many of those authors are still popular and working today.

[Sara]

I love that, Sherri, but do we have any members who aren't 21 yet...and what would they choose from?

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

Sara wrote: "I love that, Sherri, but do we have any members who aren't 21 yet...and what would they choose from?"

The original suggestion said that if you are not yet 21, you would read a book set in the future. My daughter turned 21 in the dramatic year of 2000, she figured that out some time before the event.

[Jackie, Solstitial Mod]

I'm not in love with the published in the year you turned 21 prompt. Maybe it could be reworked in a way that doesn't require an alternative for the under 21 crowd? I generally feel like a prompt shouldn't need a built-in alternative.

Perhaps something like "a book related to the 21st year of someone's life"? That could be a book published when you were 21, or it could have a protagonist who's 21, or a book your mom read when she was 21, etc etc. Also that would let people re-read books they read when they were 21, that weren't published that year.

[Stacey]

I like my lists to have a little bit of everything; that's why I enjoy the ATY challenge so much. So far I really like Sophie's idea for a multi-week prompt of confinement/freedom themes, the social justice prompt and a book written by a black woman, as Molly mentioned.

And since "We Didn't Start the Fire" was such a hit, maybe we can find a similar (protest) song with social commentary lyrics. Or, maybe everyone chooses their own line from a song that prompts a book title or theme. For example, "C'mon turn, turn this thing around," which makes me think of something nautical or solving a personal or global problem. I like those "out of the box" prompts!

[Laurel]

What about a book title inspired by a Shakespeare quote?

[Kathy]

Jackie wrote: "I'm not in love with the published in the year you turned 21 prompt. Maybe it could be reworked in a way that doesn't require an alternative for the under 21 crowd? I generally feel like a prompt s..."

I like this version of the turning 21 prompt, Jackie.

[Chelsey]

Laurel wrote: "What about a book title inspired by a Shakespeare quote?"

I really like this idea, there are so many options in different genres.

[[deleted user]]

Emily wrote: "I turned 21 in 2010, and it has some really good books, so I'm going to vote for that one haha!

I feel like the POV of a child would be fine, especially if you read YA a lot. I'd honestly probabl..."

That was actually going to be a suggestion of mine! And, there's lots of books that have children's povs, that are adult books and not YA. Some examples-It by Stephen King, the Favia de Luce series by Alan Bradley, A Painted House by John Grisham, Swamplandia! etc.

[Chelsey]

ZeeJane wrote: "Emily wrote: "I turned 21 in 2010, and it has some really good books, so I'm going to vote for that one haha!

I feel like the POV of a child would be fine, especially if you read YA a lot. I'd ho..."

It seems to be a prompt that lots of us like. It really does fit so many genres but still give a fun prompt to search for a book.

[Juliet]

I cant figure out exactly how to phrase it, but how about something about 'an author with another author family member"? There are actually a LOT of options across diffrent genres

[Chelsey]

Juliet wrote: "I cant figure out exactly how to phrase it, but how about something about 'an author with another author family member"? There are actually a LOT of options across diffrent genres"

So like... A Book written by someone who has a family member who has also authored a book.

This is interesting... could make it harder for the people who like a challenge they could try to find a book co-authored by two family members. I know Jodi Picoult wrote a book with her daughter.

[Juliet]

So like... A Book written by someone who has a family member who has also authored a book.

Yes, that is much clearer than how I phrased it, it occured to me because I have read books by Stephen King and Joe Hill this year.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Challenger Deep was written by Neal Schusterman and in collaboration with his son. I think it's an interesting prompt!

[Jill]

Do you mean like these?
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4...

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Oh good list, Jill!

[Juliet]

Jill, the list is on the surface exactly the sort of thing I had in mind, it does however seem to include a number of entries like Penelope Fitzgerald ( no relation to F Scott) and Patrick Bronte ( no relation to the sisters) where only last names are shared

[Sara]

This prompt has real possibilities.

[Jill]

Juliet wrote: "Jill, the list is on the surface exactly the sort of thing I had in mind, it does however seem to include a number of entries like Penelope Fitzgerald ( no relation to F Scott) and Patrick Bronte (..."

I suppose that is the trouble with Listopias, any one can add to them, but it is something to start on and weed out those that don't apply

[Chelsey]

This could also be a multi-week prompt. Read a book from each author so two weeks.