[2021] Poll 13 Voting

[Nadja]

I didn't know the term "vector art" style before but yes with trendy I thought of such covers. But afterwards I wasn't sure if this would be too exclusive from genres other than Romance and added the other lists as well. But now it seems that the prompt is in contrary too broad?

In general I don't mind if we add the "vector art style" to the prompt to clarify - but only if the person who seconded it agrees.

[Katie]

I personally think the prompt should stay worded as just illustration. Just because a certain illustration type inspired the prompt, I think more broad wording increases its appeal. I take the prompt to learn any cover with an illustrated element, so for me, it rules out ones with photographs and covers with just words.

Here are some that I would consider illustrated:

[Katie]

Also when I google vector art style, a term with which I was not previously familiar, it is not obvious to me that the certain type of cover like those in the original link is what is intended.

I am planning on voting for that prompt, but if the wording got changed, I wouldn't vote for it, because to me it makes it more confusing. Maybe I'm the only one, and others feel like that would be really clarifying.

[Jillian]

I’m glad to learn about Vector art covers. The ones I have read I have liked but I do think that would be to narrow of a prompt. I also think, that all illustrated covers is way too broad but it is not something I dislike. So, I’m just going to be neutral on voting for this one.

[Pam]

I probably won’t vote either way on illustrated cover since it’s so broad but, if it gets through, I would make it a book I chose partly because of the illustration on the cover.

[Angie]

Thanks for the clarification. I agree that "illustrated" is a broad category. But if "vector art" were added to the prompt, it would definitely skew in favor of romance (and probably confused people as to what exactly fit and did not fit).

[Ellie]

I would probably go with illustration as a drawing but that's just my immediate thought as the illustration kids at art college mostly did drawings.

However a photo can be an illustration, it's just the name given to an image in a book...So it's not very clear.

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

I think of those covers as "cartoony" - extremely common now on romance & chick lit but used on some other books as well. In the future, it will be obvious a book was published around this time because of the style of the illustration. I always find it amusing how a classic like Pride and Prejudice is constantly reprinted in paperback and you can often tell by the style of the cover whether the edition is from the 1950's, 1970's, 2000s, etc.

[Pam]

Yes, “cartoonish” is what I thought of when I saw the examples! I guess mid-grade books would work also, if this style is used.

[Jackie, Solstitial Mod]

Whoops! Almost forgot to post the voting link:

https://www.surveymoz.com/s/NOV84L/

[Cheri]

Ellie wrote: "I would probably go with illustration as a drawing but that's just my immediate thought as the illustration kids at art college mostly did drawings.

However a photo can be an illustration, it's ju..."

I was mystified by illustration, too, and finally decided it meant drawing, and I think that would be a fine prompt. But the second two listopias have all sorts of books that don't seem to fit that.

[Jill]

4 Up votes and 4 down for me. I don't reread so that was easy to choose for downs. I associate the covers with romance, and I don't read that

[SarahKat]

For those of you downvoting second chance because you don't re-read, when I suggested it I was thinking of possible re-reads, yes, but also books you said you'd never pick up and then had second thoughts (For instance, I recently read Midnight Sun even though I had washed my hands of the whole Twilight business).

Or reading a book by an author you may have given up on. I don't like Stephen King but someone told me to read 11/22/63 anyway and I loved it!

That sort of thing.

[Wendy]

SarahKat wrote: "For those of you downvoting second chance because you don't re-read, when I suggested it I was thinking of possible re-reads, yes, but also books you said you'd never pick up and then had second th..."

yes, I was also thinking books you bought or added to the library wishlist on a whim and then never got around to reading before you got distracted by something else. But now you can give that book another chance before "kondo-ing" it! ha

[Serendipity]

Just realised why I’m feeling a bit uninspired by this week’s prompts. So many of them are title or cover prompts. I’m much more interested in what a book is about and so I tend to prefer character, theme or list prompts. Still deciding whether to downvote or not vote either way. Im obviously a minority since cover and title prompts seem pretty popular.

[Chelsey]

Serendipity wrote: "Just realised why I’m feeling a bit uninspired by this week’s prompts. So many of them are title or cover prompts. I’m much more interested in what a book is about and so I tend to prefer character..."

So I also prefer character or plot prompts but they don't seem to do well here because sometimes you don't know until after you have read the book. Would like to see more suggested.

[Rachel]

I think this was the most difficult time I've had voting so far. There was nothing on this list that I strongly didn't like, and plenty that I did like, but not necessarily strongly enough to vote for them.

I ended up with 6 upvotes. My top 3 were ensemble cast, own voices debut, and illustrated cover. Besides that, I picked the Muslim character/author because I have several on my TBR and somehow keep putting them off, so I thought it would be a good extra push to read them. I also went for the 6+ words in the title because there were surprisingly a lot of those on my TBR.

It took me a ton of time to figure out my last vote. I had it narrowed down to the building in the title, the colour in the title, or non-human narrator. I eventually went for the non-human narrator because I had 2 or 3 strong options in mind that would fit.

For downvotes, I picked the endangered animal because it would be the most difficult for me to fulfill, especially if I'm limited to only my own books again (Covid cases are rising in my province, so I don't know what next year will look like). I also downvoted the book that deserves a second chance. I saw it as similar enough to the other reread prompt that I'd likely be able to pick the same books for either of them, and also didn't really care to reread something that I hadn't previously liked.

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

I have no desire to reread or to give a 2nd chance, too many books, too little time!

[[deleted user]]

Rachel wrote: "I think this was the most difficult time I've had voting so far. There was nothing on this list that I strongly didn't like, and plenty that I did like, but not necessarily strongly enough to vote for them."

same, i'm struggling to choose my votes for the first time this round.

[Sara]

This is the least excited I have been for a vote. Nothing I really want except My Favorite Things. Very blase about the others. This year the process seems to be long and exasperating somehow.

[Traci]

This is the second one I've really struggled with voting. There are a bunch that would be fine, but I didn't know which to vote for with not enough that I definitely wanted to vote up or down. I went 5 up and 3 down and am really curious to see the results.

[Ali]

Awww I liked loads of these. Shame others aren't enthusiastic. The only one I'm really negative about is the reread for a different perspective one because if I'm rereading something it's probably a comfort read - that prompt makes me feel like I should be writing an essay....

[Angie]

Finally voted, and it was a tough choice. I wound up going 5/3 after some research (I thought I might go 3/5).

My upvotes were: the "My Favorite Things" prompt. There is some great imagery to work with. I voted for ensemble cast because I love those. I went with "own voices" debut. While the debut part makes it tricky, I figured I could use this category to do either the trans/non-binary+ or mental health prompts that didn't make it earlier. I voted for "building in the title." It was fun to research, and I have lots of options. At the last minute, I decided to upvote the book I find unusual. I have some books that work really well for this one.

My downvotes went to the "endangered animal" prompt. Even with all the recommendations (thanks everyone!), I just couldn't find much I 1) hadn't read already and 2) wanted to read. I also downvoted "illustrated cover," as it seems skewed toward modern rom-com type books and "command," as I found very few things on my list that qualified. I don't mind adding books to my TBR, but I just wasn't finding much that appealed to me.

[Irene]

My favorite was definitely "My Favorite Things" because it's unique and fun. Downvoted the illustrated cover because it seems either too broad if it encompasses literally any type of illustration, and too narrow if it's only the cartoony vector art (which I strongly dislike even though I love Romance as a genre!).

I like title/cover prompts in general, but would not like to have too many so I'm trying to only vote for the ones that I really love versus the ones I'm okay with. I could read a book with a shoe on the cover but it just seems a bit.. uninspiring. We already have a prompt for several people being on the cover and I think it would have a lot of overlap with that.

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

Irene wrote: "My favorite was definitely "My Favorite Things" because it's unique and fun. Downvoted the illustrated cover because it seems either too broad if it encompasses literally any type of illustration, ..."

My thoughts exactly on this week's prompts!

[Avery]

Caught up on the discussion and voted!

I loved the ensemble cast and song lyrics prompts this time. It seems like the list always lacks character prompts in the beginning and I think the ensemble cast is unique and fills a void! The My Favorite Things prompt is so fun, and so much more my taste in songs than the other previously suggested songs.

I think I'll have to upvote the command in the title as well. I love title prompts, and this one just feels new and fresh. So many fun options like Do Not Become Alarmed, Get a Life, Chloe Brown, Know My Name, Meet Me in Monaco, Tell the Machine Goodnight, and You Think It, I'll Say It.

I strongly dislike re-read a favorite book. I have enough trouble right now being motivated to read, so I'd like to not put off my huge stack of TBR books any longer.

The rainbow colors prompt is a bit too limiting. But if it was expanded to any color in the title, it's way to broad. I think it's just a bit bland in general and been done a lot.

The non-human narrator will also be a downvote because of the term "narrator" I don't know a ton of books in first person POV, and finding a non-human one is going to be way too hard. If it was non-human protagonist, I would also downvote it for the same reasons. The only way I wouldn't downvote it would be if it was non-human character.

[Jette]

I'm strangely excited about the second chance prompt...maybe this will be the year that I get to mark Pride and Prejudice as 'read'. After finishing 'Reading Lotlita in Tehran', I think I have a different view of P&P and might be ready to give it another try.

My only down vote this round was for the 'own voices debut'. Its just not a category that I typically enjoy.

My top 3 up votes are:
a book that you consider 'unusual' - I like the 'you read WHAT?' prompt and this preserves the flavor of that suggestion;
a book with 6 or more words in the title - the new Stephanie Plum has a title with the number as a subtitle and I always try to work one of these into my challenge;
a book with an illustrated cover - I think these reveal the tone of the book and sometimes I do pick a book by the cover based on my mood at the time.

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

I was also skeptical of "own voices debut" - not so much the own voices part as the debut part. A first book isn't always on the level of later efforts.

My concern about the title one is that if subtitles are part of it, almost all nonfiction books would count. It seems to be a rule now, that nonfiction books have 2 parts to the title, the 2nd one explaining it, such as The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo or The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The only exception is if you are super famous like Bob Woodward who was able to call his new book the one word Rage.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

I typically ignore subtitles when I'm planning my reads for the challenge, Robin, for that specific reason. But that's a personal thing for me... we don't have a rule one way or another.

[Pam]

I ignore subtitles also unless the prompt specifically includes them.

[Sarah]

I don't include subtitles either unless specified, because I'm so accustomed to the Seasonal Reading Challenge rules. But I do like that this group has the flexibility to interpret it either way.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Happy Tuesday!

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO VOTE!