[2021] Poll 12 Voting

[Jackie, Solstitial Mod]

It's now time to get ready to vote for our 12th set of prompts! The thread will be open for at least 24 hours before the poll gets posted. This is a good opportunity to ask any question you may have regarding the prompts, do some research or ask for recommendations.

Voting will open on Sunday September 6 and results will be posted on Thursday September 10.

How it works:
- When the voting opens, follow the link to the mini-poll that will be added at the end of this post
- You have a total of 8 votes this poll to spread across your favorite and least favorite prompts (you can also use less than 8 votes) - You can find examples of acceptable voting practices on the Introduction thread.
- The prompts with the more favorable votes (comparing top votes to bottom votes, and looking at the overall number of votes it received) will be added to the final list (between 2 and 5 depending on how the votes are spread)

We are asking people to include their Goodreads profile address when they vote. To find this, just go to your own profile and then copy the URL/web address. If for some reason you can't link to your Goodreads profile, please post your full Goodreads name with enough identifiable information that we'll be able to access your profile. We’ve introduced this for two reasons:

1. On a few occasions in each poll, people have used more than the allotted number of votes, either because they aren’t familiar with the rules or just by mistake. When this happens our only option is to disregard the vote as we can’t identify the voter to ask them to resubmit. By asking for your profile address we’ll be able to message you and ask you to vote again if you’ve accidentally used more than the allotted number of votes.

2. Unfortunately a very small number of people have voted more than once per poll and so we are asking for this information to prevent duplicate votes.

As a reminder: You have a total of 8 votes to use among your top and bottom votes. The mods have access to each individual vote, so we can see if you use more than 8 votes. If you use more than 8 votes in the poll, your vote will have to be deleted, so please make sure to follow the directions so your voice can be heard.

Possible Prompts:

1. A book with a profession in the title or subtitle
2. A book with a non-binary/trans/+ author or character
3. A book with a trope or story element you know you love
4. A book related to a local industry or small business
5. A book related to mental health/mental illness
6. A book with who, what, when, where, why, or how in the title or subtitle
7. A book with the word "book" in the title
8. A book related to a dream
9. A book nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award
10. A book about music or dance
11. A book involving a nun
12. A book about or set in outer space
13. A book with a food item on the cover
14. A winner or nominee from the 2020 Goodreads Choice Awards
15. A book set in a made-up place

Feel free to discuss the prompts below, but please remember to be respectful to the other group members.

VOTE HERE: https://www.surveymoz.com/s/CPWIF4/

[Jackie, Solstitial Mod]

Links and Examples from the Discussion


2. A book with a non-binary/trans/+ author or character
Here are some lists:
Trans/NB authors: https://medium.com/@strandbookstore/c...
Fantasy Novels by Trans/NB Authors: https://electricliterature.com/8-fant...
YA Own Voices featuring Trans/NB Characters: https://www.epicreads.com/blog/ya-boo...
Wikipedia Article of Fictional Trans Characters: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...
Books featuring Asexual or Aromantic Characters: https://twincitiesgeek.com/2017/10/21...
Books featuring Intersex Characters: https://seattle.bibliocommons.com/lis...

3. A book with a trope or story element you know you love
For example, a snowed-in mystery, enemies-to-lovers romance, pirate fantasy or 'there is only 1 bed....'


9. A book nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award
https://www.bookcritics.org/awards/past/

"Each year, the National Book Critics Circle presents awards for the finest books published in English in six categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Biography, Autobiography, Poetry, and Criticism."


11. A book involving a nun
Inspired by all the nuns I’ve run into in sci-fi and fantasy lately (specifically space nuns—is this an emerging subgenre?) but you could also do anything involving real life nuns, or to stretch it, something where the title has a word with “nun” in it, such as “conundrum”

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[Nicole]

Okay, so for the nun one, I’m interested in what books the suggestor (or others) have read that are set in space or sci-fi or wherever. I have not encountered these, but they sound like fun! Just looking for ideas to check into. I will probably vote for it, even if I just read a “normal” book with nuns in it, but I would love to hear about some of those others.

[Kelly Sj]

So many mystery-solving nuns series...who knew?

The Novice's Tale
Absolution by Murder
Wine of Violence
Novena for Murder
Hangman Blind
Murder in a Nunnery
A Shameful Murder

[Bree]

Oh boy I've been WAITING for someone to ask me about sci-fi/fantasy nuns!!

The Tombs of Atuan
Sisters of the Vast Black
Red Sister, Grey Sister, Holy Sister
Gideon the Ninth, Harrow the Ninth
And possibly The Unspoken Name though I haven't started this one yet, but I think there's some kind of temple with acolytes involved, which I feel like would count.

[Ellie]

The only nuns in space I know of is Sisters of the Vast Black, which I will keep for next year if nuns get in. Probably won't vote for it though, I still have the set in a monastery/convent struggle fresh in my mind (not sure what challenge that was for) but won't downvote it thanks to that.

There's also the Nunslinger: The Complete Series books which I think is a western.

[Kelly Sj]

Some existing listopias for music and dance:

Nonfiction music: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/5...

Rock/Pop fiction:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4...

YA Music:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

Hip Hop:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...

Dancers in Romance:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

Musicians in Romance:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

I was thinking about music and dance in reference to the prompt from the NATO alphabet because of "foxtrot" and "tango" being 2 of the words.

[Nadine in NY]

I've read some books about nuns, but I'll need ideas on additional books. I despised Red Sister, so ... not that. Or anything else by Mark Lawrence.

I do like Robin LaFevers so Igniting Darkness is a possibility for me (if I don't read it this year, which I had been planning to do).

Gene Wolfe's Long Sun books sort of involve nuns, I guess? Litany of the Long Sun, etc

I enjoyed Dead Woman Walking, which involved some nuns.

What else is there?

[Pamela]

Nadine wrote: "I've read some books about nuns, but I'll need ideas on additional books. I despised Red Sister, so ... not that. Or anything else by Mark Lawrence.

I do like [aut..."

There's always books about Maria von Trapp!

Is a nun strictly a Catholic thing? Cause there's the British Anglican nuns so could read the Call the Midwife books. And I just finished a Barbara Pym book and it had a Anglican nun

There's also those memoirs of nuns and priests who fell in love

[Kathy]

Here’s a Listopia: Get Thee To a Nunnery https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9...

[Kathy]

Pamela wrote: "Nadine wrote: "I've read some books about nuns, but I'll need ideas on additional books. I despised Red Sister, so ... not that. Or anything else by Mark Lawrence.
..."

I think any nun, not just Catholic.

[Wendy]

I'm not aware of the SFF nun trend, but I have actually read a number of nun books. They pop up in gothic stories and also WWII a lot (thanks Sound of Music, I guess!)

The Monk - over the top gothic ridiculousness. It's been a while but I'm sure there was some 1700's era sexy nun stuff going on here

The Nun by Denis Diderot. Haven't read it yet but I get more gothic vibes off this. I want to read it but haven't found myself a copy yet.

Obedience - set in a convent in wwii

Dead Man Walking: The Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty That Sparked a National Debate - written by Sister Helen Prejean

The Lilies of the Field - a short classic read

Island of the Sequined Love Nun - humorous read by Christopher Moore

The Nun's Tale - historical mystery

The Canterbury Tales - includes the Prioress's Tale

The Patron Saint of Liars by Anne Patchett, set in a home for unwed mothers

Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith and Love - she was a nun

Les Misérables - sometimes you just need to escape a convent by hiding inside a coffin

A Tale for the Time Being - the life story of a grandmother and Zen Buddhist nun

The Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times - set in a convent, more or less, and basis for the Call the Midwife series

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch - has "satanic nuns" waiting for the antichrist, coauthored by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant, historical fiction set in a convent in 16th century

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

There are quite a few on this list I really like, and none that I really hate. Looks like I'll be doing a lot of upvoting this week.

As I was looking up links for the trans/nb/+ prompt, I got more and more excited about it. There are so many books on my TBR that I didn't realize had trans/nb characters or were written by trans/nb authors. I really hope this prompt gets through this week.

[Ellie]

If anyone wants SF ideas for mental health I can recommend Planetfall and This Story Is a Lie.

[Pam]

Here's the GR listopia for professions in the title:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

[dalex]

Nuns.

The Crown by Nancy Bilyeau
Illuminations by Mary Sharratt
The Ninth Hour by Alice McDermott
Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant
The Sacrament by Olaf Olafsson
Holy Fools by Joanne Harris
Unfinished Desires by Gail Godwin
Obedience by Jacqueline Yallop
The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett
In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden

[Molly]

Jackie wrote: "Links and Examples from the Discussion


2. A book with a non-binary/trans/+ author or character
Here are some lists:
Trans/NB authors: https://medium.com/@strandbookstore/c...
Fantasy Novels by Tr..."

I don't think the full links for the non-binary/trans/+ prompt copied over. The only one that links directly to an article is the Electric Literature link.

[Lizzy]

dalex wrote: "Nuns.

The Crown by Nancy Bilyeau
Illuminations by Mary Sharratt
The Ninth Hour by Alice McDermott
[bo..."

There’s a Buddhist nun in [book:A Tale for the Time Being|15811545] by Ruth Ozeki... reading it right now.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Here are the Trans/NB/+ links I put in the suggestions thread!

Trans/NB authors: https://medium.com/@strandbookstore/c...
Fantasy Novels by Trans/NB Authors: https://electricliterature.com/8-fant...
YA Own Voices featuring Trans/NB Characters: https://www.epicreads.com/blog/ya-boo...
Wikipedia Article of Fictional Trans Characters: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...
Books featuring Asexual or Aromantic Characters: https://twincitiesgeek.com/2017/10/21...
Books featuring Intersex Characters: https://seattle.bibliocommons.com/lis...

[Molly]

Thanks Emily!

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

No problem! And I'd love to see links to other books on the "+" spectrum. I included Ace and Aro and Intersex, but if anyone has any other links to drop, I'd like to see them. My TBR is exploding a little right now lol.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Also, there's nuns in The Poisonwood Bible, if anyone was looking for an excuse to read it.

[Sarah]

So for a book set in a made-up place, obviously lots of fantasy and scifi would work, but there are plenty of other options.

Ella Minnow Pea is set on a fictional island off the coast of South Carolina.

Shame is set in a fictionalized version of Pakistan.

Here's a list of many more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...

[°~Amy~°]

Looks like all upvotes for me this week! I dont see anything that I really dont want. :)

[Rachel]

I'll have to spend some more time looking through the National Book Critics list. So far, I haven't seen many books that I'm very excited about, but I only went back a few years.

Mostly upvotes for me this week too.

[Serendipity]

We seem to be opposites Amy. There are three I’m excited about and the rest vary from meh to “I really hope that doesn’t make it through”. I’m normally like awards and lists prompts but typically with the Goodreads ones I’ve either read the books or don’t want to read them while the book critics seems to skew fairly literary and I haven’t yet found anything I’d be excited to read. Still positive attitude since experience has taught me the prompts I like don’t always lead me to the best books for me.

[Martha]

More music lists: https://bookriot.com/books-about-music/
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/8...

Both lists include fiction and nonfiction.

[Pam]

Possibly 7 upvotes for me, even though there are only 2 prompts that I have given any thought to and have a specific book in mind (Nun and Dreams). Mental health - probably a down vote for me, after having such a depressing spring and summer. I will be looking for upbeat and uplifting books next year.

[Nadine in NY]

what kind of book is related to a dream?

[Kelly Sj]

Nadine wrote: "what kind of book is related to a dream?"

Here's one dreams list https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/8...

[Pam]

The Dream book that I’m thinking about is Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver.

[Avery]

Hmm this list looks like a very big repeat list to me. Either prompts being resubmitted from this year’s voting, or prompts that have already been on the list in the last 2-3 years. Nothing super exciting to me. I think I’ll have a lot to downvote.

The profession in title is pretty similar to the prompt we already have about referencing people without saying their name.

I’ll be voting for the goodreads choice as I wish that one is a default prompt each year. I was going to vote for mental health but good point about it already being a pretty rough year and next few months probably.

[Angie]

I have to do some more research, but I'm not wild about a lot of these prompts. There is one that I love, and three or so that I like. On the flip side, there are a couple of hard nopes and a few that I'm lukewarm about. Maybe some research will change my mind.

I've looked through several pages of The National Book Critics Circle Award and have only found a couple of "well, I guess I could do that" books. Nothing I'm chomping at the bit to read.

A few prompts are very similar to ones we've had recently (2019, 2020). Not sure how I'll vote yet.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

I don't typically like setting prompts, but I think I'll vote for both "made up place" and outer space. I don't read a lot of sci-fi or fantasy, and both of these prompts seem like it will stretch me a bit. Plus I've been trying to read Illuminae for 3 years now but I always end up picking something else up instead of it. Outer space would fit that one well.

[Jillian]

I only have one up vote. As others have pointed out, this group of suggestions has a significant amount of repeats from previous years (some are worded slightly different but they have the same meaning). They are not so much that I dislike them but I'd rather have something new.

Between this year and having just read The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, I feel spent on mental health. Does anyone have any upbeat suggestions for it? It is a prompt that I feel like I should be up voting but right now I'm not feeling it.

[Jill]

I do believe that doing this year after year we will have to have repeats, as there is only a finite number of prompts that can be chosen.

[Marie]

The Mirror World of Melody Black is a really positive book about a woman with bipolar disorder. It's not without dark moments, but I'd definitely recommend it as an upbeat/uplifting read.

It's the only one that comes to mind immediately, because I read it this year, but there must be more like that?

I don't mind repeat prompts if the available books to fill them have grown or changed since last time - things like 'in translation' or 'made into a film or tv show' are ever-expanding, but (sadly) The Rory Gilmore Challenge won't have anything new on it since we last did it.

Having said that, I don't understand why the Goodreads Choice Awards prompt is always restricted to the most recent year. That doesn't happen with other awards prompts.

[Angie]

Does anyone know any positive depictions of men dealing with mental illness? My friend and I were discussing this today, and neither he nor I were able to find much. I'd be interested in locating something of that ilk.

Jillian wrote: "Between this year and having just read The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, I feel spent on mental health. Does anyone have any upbeat suggestions for it? It is a prompt that I feel like I should be up voting but right now I'm not feeling it."

I've heard good things about Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened, but as I haven't read it yet, I can't say for certain.

Marie wrote: "Having said that, I don't understand why the Goodreads Choice Awards prompt is always restricted to the most recent year. That doesn't happen with other awards prompts."

I would assume that it's to encourage people to keep up with newer releases that made an impact. That's why I like it anyway.

[Rachel]

Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened is a lot of fun to read, so I would say it's a good choice for people looking for a mental health book that isn't too dark. The sequel Solutions and Other Problems is finally being released this year too!

[Alicia]

Thank you Emily for suggesting non-binary/trans/+.

Here are some other lists specifically focusing on asexual and intersex:

Asexual
https://bookriot.com/asexual-books/
Fiction: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/6...
YA: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4...
https://www.bustle.com/p/asexual-read...

Intersex
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
https://www.autostraddle.com/intersex...

[Becky]

Jenny Lawson's writing about her struggles with mental illness is entertaining and uplifting. (Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things, Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir)

[Kat]

I think making GR choice awards specific to 2020 is that there are so many nominations in so many categories you should be able to find something to read.

I don't often like the choices and usually down vote it but there are usually at least a couple I'm interested in. My main problem this year was that I read most of the books I liked in 2019 and have to wait for my small library to catch up with newer releases.

[Roxana]

Angie wrote: "Does anyone know any positive depictions of men dealing with mental illness? My friend and I were discussing this today, and neither he nor I were able to find much. I'd be interested in locating s..."

Just off the top of my head, Darius the Great Is Not Okay and Darius the Great Deserves Better are about a teenage (17/18) boy with depression, dealing with that + his relationship with his dad who also has depression, and handle that element really well.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Kat, I had that problem this year for the first time. I think it's because I'm reading more of my Book of the Month club books (which are all new releases), so it was harder for me to find books that were nominated that I haven't already read and want to read.

I ended up reading With the Fire on High and realizing after that it fit with the 2019 GR Choice Awards, so I slotted it in. It was one of my favorite YA books of the year.

All that to say, I will always vote for GR Choice Award prompt because I think there's such a wide variety to choose from (literally any genre you are interested in) and the long list is pretty long, if you choose to look at all of the books nominated (not just the short list).

[dalex]

Nadine wrote: "what kind of book is related to a dream?"

Dreamworlds and dreams are often a plot device in fantasy and sci-fi - The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin, The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon, Palimpsest by Catherynne M. Valente, Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater.

You could look at it metaphorically, like an immigrant pursuing the American Dream or someone growing up in poverty dreaming of a better life or someone who’s been abducted dreaming of escape or a lonely girl dreaming about Mr.Right.

You could read non-fiction about sleep and/or dreaming. Or a book about dream interpretation. Or a memoir about someone who made their dreams a reality. Or a self-help about some area of your life you’d like to improve, like you dream of living a more minimalist life.

You could read a book that was inspired by a dream

https://www.world-of-lucid-dreaming.c...

Or N.K. Jemisin discusses how much of her work is influenced by dreams in this article -

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/20...


A book with “dream” in the title.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

dalex, I love how creative you get with the prompts. I hadn't even thought about the American Dream, but that's definitely something that would fit this category and actually makes me like the prompt a bit more.

[dalex]

Avery wrote: "The profession in title is pretty similar to the prompt we already have about referencing people without saying their name.“

Actually if you look at the listopia for the “refers to people but not by name” prompt there are very few with occupations in the title.

[dalex]

Emily wrote: "dalex, I love how creative you get with the prompts. I hadn't even thought about the American Dream, but that's definitely something that would fit this category and actually makes me like the prom..."

Thanks Emily! I like to believe that “out-of-the-box thinking” is one of my super powers. :)

[Pam]

Thank you Dalex for your explanation! I liked this prompt the first time it was suggested because of the interpretation possibilities!