[2021] The Wild Discussion Showing 1,751-1,800 of 2,279

[Ali]

Yeah I use an ereader and find page number prompts pretty annoying as well. I just use whatever goodreads says for the default edition normally. Other than how many hundred pages there are, I find it all pretty arbitrary whatever you do

[Kim]

Maybe I'm being influenced by the book I'm reading (The Keeper of Lost Things), or maybe because I'm thinking about the schoolchildren for whom this is a lost year, but -

what about "a book about something lost"?

[Anastasia]

I can hardly wait for the next poll. There are some really creative ideas that everyone is throwing around.

I was thinking about how we are all stuck at home reliant on different devices to communicate. How about a book that features a mode of communication. Eg, telephone, texting, letters, blog posts

[Avery]

I’d like either something lost or features a different mode of communication! That could be satisfying for those who liked multimedia element, but it doesn’t necessarily have to refer to the way the ebook is actually written!

[[deleted user]]

i am so in love with a lot of the prompts being suggested here!

i love expanding the nun prompt to include priests & other religious figures. there's definitely some books with priests on my tbr.

i'd vote for the 'something lost' and non-european royalty (i prefer the more specific term than just non-british personally)

Anastasia wrote: "How about a book that features a mode of communication. Eg, telephone, texting, letters, blog posts"

i also love this! it's kind of spin on the multimedia prompts we've had

[Ellie]

If you look at 50 year anniversaries falling in 2021, you get less depressing things coming up.

1971 brought us:
The first email sent between computers
Starbucks
Walt Disney World
First Mr Men book published (Mr Tickle!)
Open University enrols its first students
UK adopts decimal currency
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory film released

Also noticed 2021 will bring a solar eclipse in some places.

[Katie]

All this number talk is making me think of: a book with a math term in the title. Did we have something like that before? It feels vaguely familiar. It could include books with numbers in the title obviously, or more creative interpretations:

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
One Plus One
The Solitude of Prime Numbers
Life of Pi

[Thomas]

Katie do you mean a maths term?

[Lizzy]

Katie wrote: "All this number talk is making me think of: a book with a man term in the title. Did we have something like that before? It feels vaguely familiar. It could include books with numbers in the title ..."

Another good math... not really math ... book is The Mathematician's Shiva

[Nancy]

While I love the idea of a math term (not man, lol), I will likely not vote for another title prompt.

[Ali]

Yaay maths!

[Alicia]

I'm also likely to not upvote any title or cover prompts. I'd like more prompts about the contents of the book.

I'd upvote Scandium, nuns or religious people, and non-British royalty. I think non-European ended up being too complicated to discuss with Russia, Cleopatra, other possible Euro born princesses/queens, former colonies, etc.

[Tracy]

Thomas wrote: "Katie do you mean a maths term?"

hah! Thanks for interpreting, because I was sitting here scratching my head for a minute.

[Jillian]

We had a STEM prompt before which I liked.

I’m not planning on voting for any title prompts next round unless those are the only ones I like.

[Pam]

Katie- I remember a math term in the title being suggested one year but it may not have gone through.

[Jen K]

I might have suggested the math term in title and I still love it!

[Katie]

People talking about previous prompts they like has my thinking. What is the one prompt that was suggested that didn't make the list that you'd love to see on the final list?

I went back & looked at the list of all the ones I voted for that didn't make the final list, and there weren't really any that really stuck out to me.

I think I would pick the book related to the name of a professional sports team, or the 2 word (2/1 syllable) ones.

[Steven]

I think I'd probably choose Scandium, it's such a unique prompt, and I like the connection to 21 for the year.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Ohhhh good question, Katie!

I would have liked to see at least one more list make it on -- The Millionaire's Most Anticipated is a favorite of mine so that's one I'd like to see, or the NYPL 125 Books.

I also would like an LGBTQIA+ prompt. I liked the one that was put forward and I wish it would have made it in.

I really liked the documents prompt -- I thought it was more unique than just epistolary. And the prompt where you are not the intended audience (good place to slot in a classic and/or a YA),

Ok well looking at my votes, there are quite a few I'd like to see on the list. I was thinking of suggesting a prompt related to page count next poll (a long book, maybe 500 or 600+ pages?), but now I want to resubmit one of these lol.

[Steven]

When fibonacci was brought up earlier, I had planned on making it a book with a page count in the fibonacci sequence. It starts 1 1 2 3 5 8 13 etc. but it can continue infiinitely. So you can get to 144, 233, 377, 610, 987, 1597

[dalex]

Katie wrote: "People talking about previous prompts they like has my thinking. What is the one prompt that was suggested that didn't make the list that you'd love to see on the final list?"

I can't pick just one! My top five are:

A work of fiction with a reference book in the title
A book related to a person featured in a Google doodle
A book that is mostly written as a series of documents
A book involving a nun
A book related to folklore

[Thomas]

Katie wrote: "People talking about previous prompts they like has my thinking. What is the one prompt that was suggested that didn't make the list that you'd love to see on the final list?

I went back & looked ..."

The alliteration prompt for me it will undoubtedly be my prompt that did not make it pick.

[Thomas]

Emily wrote: "Ohhhh good question, Katie!

I would have liked to see at least one more list make it on -- The Millionaire's Most Anticipated is a favorite of mine so that's one I'd like to see, or the NYPL 125 ..."

Not with I'm afraid I think list prompts are too restrictive. Either its on the lit or its not. I agree about LGBTQ but i down voted the one put forward because I disagree that some gay groups are not underrepresented.

[Ellie]

Katie wrote: "People talking about previous prompts they like has my thinking. What is the one prompt that was suggested that didn't make the list that you'd love to see on the final list? ..."

A book related to the bingo call for 21 "key to the door"

I just think it's unique, related to 2021 and I have loads of options for it.

[Nadine in NY]

Katie wrote: "People talking about previous prompts they like has my thinking. What is the one prompt that was suggested that didn't make the list that you'd love to see on the final list?

I went back & looked ..."



that's a fun question!!! For this year, the first prompt that I had STRONG love for, that never made it onto the list, was "set in one of 5 communist countries"

[dalex]

Ellie wrote: "A book related to the bingo call for 21 "key to the door". I just think it's unique, related to 2021 and I have loads of options for it."

You could use one of those books for the NATO alphabet prompt for the letter L. Lima is the Roman goddess of doorways.

[Jill]

Maybe we should have just gone with any book related to the number 2021, then all the options regarding birthdays, page counts, dates set, and dates published and card games would have been appropriate.

[Steve]

I love the Google Doodle one and the related to the nickname of a professional sports team one. I still really like my "related to a favorite recipe" one (or however it was phrased) that wound up as a bottom.

[Sophie]

Steven wrote: "I think I'd probably choose Scandium, it's such a unique prompt, and I like the connection to 21 for the year."

I had suggested a prompt earlier this year related to a mineral in part because the 21st wedding anniversary is brass or nickel. I wonder if we could expand the Scandium prompt to provide people with more options but still have it relate to 21.

Perhaps something like “A book related to a mineral such as Scandium (21st element), or Brass or Nickel (21st wedding anniversary)”

People could use one of these as a bio, but have the option of any mineral as a kis option

[Joyce]

Steve wrote: "I love the Google Doodle one and the related to the nickname of a professional sports team one. I still really like my "related to a favorite recipe" one (or however it was phrased) that wound up a..."

I liked the favourite recipe suggestion too. I cook a mean Rogan Josh which greatly expanded the choices.

[Serendipity]

The one prompt that hasn’t made it that I’d most like to have seen is lesser known literary prize. Biased I know since it was my suggestion but we didn’t vote through a single prize prompt . I’m excluding Goodreads Award because it gets its own separate category on our master list and let’s face it is is more a popularity contest rather than being on any supposed literary merit. I also liked the way it played off this year’s prompt from the ten most coveted prizes.

I also liked the UN 2021 International Year, fat-positive (assuming it doesn’t make it) and TQIA+. I’m sure I’ll read all of these next year and fold them in to the challenge if they also work for another prompt.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

We have the Warwick Prize, but I agree that we haven't voted any in, and I would like to see at least one more award or list prompt.

[Alicia]

Serendipity wrote: "The one prompt that hasn’t made it that I’d most like to have seen is lesser known literary prize. Biased I know since it was my suggestion but we didn’t vote through a single prize prompt"

We have the Warwick Prize prompt!

[Nancy]

But we didn't vote in the Warwick Prize, it was picked by the winner of one of the raffles.

I liked the lesser-known literary prize one too, I feel like every book I read has all of these prizes listed on its GR page.

[Serendipity]

I’m so glad the winner of the readathon picked a prize prompt. An one I hadn’t heard of.

[dalex]

I love book awards and would love to see more on the list.

The fact that I love awards is exactly the reason I don’t really like the “lesser known prize” prompt. What counts? I would have to hunt for something pretty obscure to feel like I could legitimately fulfill the prompt. (Also, weirdly, I would prefer the prompt said “book award” instead of “literary prize.” Literary prize makes me think of the Booker Prize or the Womens Prize whereas book award feels like it covers every genre.)

[[deleted user]]

we also have the well-read in literature prompt which is a 'list' prompt

i am not a big fan of lesser known prize purely because apart from the man booker or hugo, i couldn't name a single award or prize. i don't follow that sort of thing myself so i wouldn't know what counts as lesser known unless a list was provided (or if it's meant to be intrepeted as a prize you don't know about personally, they would all count so it feels like a throwaway prompt). i also enjoy using the prompts to tackle my tbr, not to read books that i have no interest in to fulfill a prompt.

i'm sad the tqia+ prompt didn't make it! but i also loved so many of the suggested prompts, i'm considering doing a rejects challenge

[Chrissy]

Do people know that book records in Goodreads list the awards they've won? It is really easy to click through a few of your TBR books you want to read and find one that has won an award you haven't heard of. This year we did the 10 most sought after awards, and I would interpret "lesser known" to mean anything not on that list. After all, "lesser" is relative.

[Alicia]

I did know that and it was why I didn’t vote for it. While still a list/award prompt it was just too broad. I don’t know of any awards besides Pulitzer and Hugo so lesser known awards is everything else. And there are so many books on my TBR that have some sort of an award that it becomes a freebie for me.

[Sue]

I don't understand the negativity around "freebies", which might represent a challenge that's a very easy choice for some, but quite a difficult one for others. I love it when I can choose from a wide range of books on my physical tbr, but am irritated when the task is one where not one book fits, so I have to go to the library or buy a book. People drop out of the challenge because they just want to read what they like - this is what the broad tasks are there for - there's a delicate tipping point between not challenging enough, and too challenging across the whole year.

[Ellie]

dalex wrote: "You could use one of those books for the NATO alphabet prompt for the letter L. Lima is the Roman goddess of doorways..."

I've put the goddess of doorways in my alphabet side challenge, but I'll probably still use the key to the door for my prompt that didn't make it, because I like the 2021 link.

[Ellie]

Sue wrote: "I don't understand the negativity around "freebies", which might represent a challenge that's a very easy choice for some, but quite a difficult one for others. I love it when I can choose from a w..."

I'd rather have a freebie prompt than one that makes me read something I have zero interest in. And yes, it definitely depends on what your preferences are whether a prompt is easy or not. I don't read much US contemporary fiction for instance, but I imagine most group members would say that was a freebie.

[Kim]

I don't understand what "A book related to the bingo call for 21 "key to the door" means - specifically the bingo call for 21 part. Could someone explain that to me? Thanks!

[Ellie]

Kim wrote: "I don't understand what "A book related to the bingo call for 21 "key to the door" means - specifically the bingo call for 21 part. Could someone explain that to me? Thanks!"

In bingo the callers have little sayings that go with the numbers, I guess a bit like the phonetic alphabet so you can hear which number they are calling in loud bingo halls.

So when number 21 is called, they would say "key to the door, twenty-one!".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...

It seems this might a bit of a British thing.

[°~Amy~°]

Sue wrote: "I don't understand the negativity around "freebies", which might represent a challenge that's a very easy choice for some, but quite a difficult one for others. I love it when I can choose from a w..."

This is why we created the KIS/BIO list a few years ago, so people could find ways to make every prompt easier or more difficult, depending on their personal needs. :-)

[Steve]

Ellie wrote: "Kim wrote: "I don't understand what "A book related to the bingo call for 21 "key to the door" means - specifically the bingo call for 21 part. Could someone explain that to me? Thanks!"

In bingo ..."

For further information: https://forum.wordreference.com/threa....

I Googled the phrase because I still didn't understand why 21 = "key to the door" even with the bingo explanation.

[Thomas]

21 used to be the age of majority in the uk

[Ellie]

To be fair I didn't know about 21 year olds getting door keys until it was discussed here.

[Johanne]

My 11-year old has a door key, and has had that for some time. I don't quite understand that tradition. Is it implied they're part owners of the house or something? Or that they're moving to their own place? Okay, okay I'll follow the threads now.

[Johanne]

Oh okay, so it's not a tradition anymore?