[2021] Close Calls Poll Voting

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

I wasn't sure I had anything for disability but realized I just read the detective story Blind Justice, where the judge is blind. I'm sure I'll read more. I also recently read The War That Saved My Life where the narrator has a club foot. But after all that, I didn't end up voting for it.

I also surprised myself by voting for the winner of the lesser-known prize, after I complained that it's a pain to search through lists. I think we only have one other list prompt so far.

[Hannah]

Robin P wrote: "I wasn't sure I had anything for disability but realized I just read the detective story Blind Justice, where the judge is blind. I'm sure I'll read more. I also recently read

Oh, wow, thanks for mentioning The War That Saved My Life - I've never heard of it before. I was born with a club foot and I would really, really like to read that. Definitely going to vote for the disability prompt now!

[Nancy]

I've been wanting to read The Diving Bell and the Butterfly since PopSugar did a similar prompt a few years ago. Which also reminds me of Lock In.

Lisa Genova's books could also be considered to be about a disability, especially Every Note Played, the main character has ALS.

[Katie]

I'm in the same boat as you, Emily. I went back & looked at what I voted for when they first came through, and had no interest in voting for some of them this time around.

I don't really feel strongly about many of these prompts. I don't know if I have a total of 8 I want to vote for either way.

[Alicia]

I ended up with 6 upvotes and 2 downvotes. I voted the same way I did when the prompts first came out.

Upvotes: second chances, TQIA+, non-fiction inspired by fiction, trapped together, first 20 in TBR and book about books

Downvotes: United Nations and lesser known literary prize.

[Thomas]

I assume Altzeimer’s doesn’t count?

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Altzeimer's would be a mental illness, not physical disability, so I'd say no.

[Jette]

I only had 2 upvotes this time. I voted for alliteration in the title and a title with more than 6 words. I just realized that both are title prompts but I don't keep up with the type of prompts that make it in.

My downvotes were all suggestions that I have downvoted in past polls for one reason or another. Part of it may be that I'm allowing the stress of 2020 to color my choices...I don't want to deal with disabilities (mental or physical), conflict, or anything of that nature. That seems to explain my two upvotes that are outside a 'related to' type of prompt.

[Thomas]

Emily wrote: "Altzeimer's would be a mental illness, not physical disability, so I'd say no."

that's what I thought. Which means i have no idea for this pormpt

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

Hannah wrote: "Robin P wrote: "I wasn't sure I had anything for disability but realized I just read the detective story Blind Justice, where the judge is blind. I'm sure I'll read more. I also recen..."

That book was wonderful on audio. Just to warn you, it starts out with the girl being very badly treated because of her foot - but she isn't easily squelched. I am planning to listen to the sequel.

[Johanne]

Thomas wrote: "Emily wrote: "Altzeimer's would be a mental illness, not physical disability, so I'd say no."

that's what I thought. Which means i have no idea for this pormpt"

There are quite a lot of books with blind and deaf characters, or uses a cane (injured leg etc.).
Like
El Deafo (deaf)
All the Light We Cannot See (blind)
The Blade Itself (one of the MC's, my favourite grouch, was crippled due to torture)
Wonder (A genetic thing I don't remember)
just to name a few in totally different genres.
There is also a plethora of people hurt from war in physical therapy, books about people who are paralysed etc.

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

Just realized all the Cormoran Strike books count, as he has lost a leg. I guess I don't think of him as "disabled", I have some stereotypical images of wheelchairs and such. Good reason to read more in this vein.

[Nancy]

15 minutes of research found these:

ALS Saved My Life ... until it didn't
Cyborg Detective
The Pretty One: On Life, Pop Culture, Disability, and Other Reasons to Fall in Love With Me
House of Prayer No. 2: A Writer's Journey Home
Resistance and Hope: Essays by Disabled People
Laughing at My Nightmare
A Brief History of Time
The Story of My Life
Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot

[Kat]

Looking back I only upvoted one of these so it took a bit of thinking about. I previously downvoted three including physical disability which I've now changed my mind about. It's interesting how your thinking changes throughout the process.

[Thomas]

If either alliteration in this poll or the mystery is thriller in the other fails to get in that one will be my didn't make it pick. if both of them fail I will have to think carefully.

[Kim]

I was pretty meh about these prompts in general. I only upvoted 2 (first time ever it wasn't an even split), and I'm pretty sure those won't get in.

More importantly - any word on when the notifications will be on again?

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

I WISH I knew when notifications will be on again. It's driving me bananas!

[Alicia]

I guess this vote means those of us that already chose "A book that fits a prompt suggestion that didn't make the final list" will have to wait until these results (darn mine is in here).

[Thomas]

Yes I originally decided to pick from the bottom prompts to avoid but I didn't like them

[Harini]

I was confused about what to pick as none of prompts appealed to me much other than the book related to nature and a book with animal on the cover. I know these prompts won't win but still I upvoted them hoping against hope. In the end I went with 6 and 2.

[[deleted user]]

Emily wrote: "I'm glad it is working for you, Ellie! We hoped that releasing the schedule ahead of time would make it easier on everyone (glitches or no glitches lol).

Roxana, the Q does mean queer (or question..."

the q stands for both queer & questioning. i think those are both underrepresented identities anyway, but you can obviously choose to read an author or character with a more specific sexuality if you don't feel like it fits

[Irene]

Harini wrote: "I was confused about what to pick as none of prompts appealed to me much other than the book related to nature and a book with animal on the cover. I know these prompts won't win but still I upvote..."

Look on the bright side - those prompts got a lot of votes the first time around, so there's definitely interest for them! I upvoted those two as well so hopefully they'll make it in :)

[[deleted user]]

i'm in love with the moon & stars design for this poll!

for physical disability or chronic illness recs (i'm not sure where the line is drawn between disability & illness), there's

Six of Crows (#ownvoices physical disability rep)
The Young Elites - (mc has a vision impairment)
I Am Still Alive (mc w/ a physical disability in her leg)
Get a Life, Chloe Brown (#ownvoices chronic illness & pain rep)
The Devouring Gray (mc w/ amputated hand)
Repo Virtual (mc w/ a physical disability in his leg & love interest w/ vitiligo)
Sick Kids in Love (juvenile arthritis)
Love From A to Z (multiple sclerosis)
All That Impossible Space (asthma)
Radiance (vision impairment)
You Don't Know Everything, Jilly P! (Deaf)
The Bone Houses (chronic pain)
Mooncakes (hard of hearing)
The Never Tilting World (amputated hand)
The Diviners (mc who uses leg braces)
A Curse So Dark and Lonely (cerebral palsy)
Run (#ownvoices blind)
Wild and Crooked (cerebral palsy)
When My Heart Joins the Thousand (chronic illness)
The Architect of Song (Deaf)
A Quiet Kind of Thunder (Deaf)
The Girl at Midnight (vision impairment)
Contagion (vision impairment, tremor in hand, highly recommend this one!)
Show Me a Sign (#ownvoices Deaf)
The Girl in Red (amputated leg, another recommendation)
Blanca & Roja (vision impairment)
Braced (#ownvoices scoliosis)
Into the Drowning Deep (Deaf)
Wonderstruck (Deaf)
Nimona (amputated arm)
Spellbook of the Lost and Found (Deaf)

Unbroken: 13 Stories Starring Disabled Teens - this is an anthology of stories by disabled ya authors

[Ellie]

I made a comment about Alzheimer's before realising the prompt is specifically about physical disabilities, so I've just deleted it so I don't confuse anyone else.

[Harini]

Irene wrote: "Harini wrote: "I was confused about what to pick as none of prompts appealed to me much other than the book related to nature and a book with animal on the cover. I know these prompts won't win but..."

Yay! I really hope they do.

[Jill]

Harini wrote: "Irene wrote: "Harini wrote: "I was confused about what to pick as none of prompts appealed to me much other than the book related to nature and a book with animal on the cover. I know these prompts..."

I hope they do too.

[Rachel]

I didn't vote for physical disability this time around (although I did last time it came up), but I still really hope it gets in! It only narrowly missed out on my votes this time, and I ultimately decided against it since I'm already including it on my personal rejects challenge.

[Thomas]

This poll has gone quite quiet unlike the other one

[Jill]

Thomas wrote: "This poll has gone quite quiet unlike the other one"

I still think there being no notifications will have a big impact.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

I would agree with Jill. We have a similar number of votes like we normally do at this time in the poll, so people voted, but not having notifications is keeping people from thinking about participating in the discussion. I'm so ready to have this fixed!

[dalex]

annie wrote: "i'm in love with the moon & stars design for this poll!

for physical disability or chronic illness recs (i'm not sure where the line is drawn between disability & illness), there's ..."

Thank you for this list! I own and want to read The Girl in Red and had no idea it would work for this prompt.

[Ellie]

Emily wrote: "I would agree with Jill. We have a similar number of votes like we normally do at this time in the poll, so people voted, but not having notifications is keeping people from thinking about particip..."

For me I just felt like we'd discussed a lot of these already, so I just went and voted straight away. Though I've already forgotten what I voted for!

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

Jill wrote: "Thomas wrote: "This poll has gone quite quiet unlike the other one"

I still think there being no notifications will have a big impact."

I thought maybe Notifications was fixed because I got emails from GR telling me new books on my Want to Read are now available. But maybe that's different than notifications about groups?

[Thomas]

Ellie wrote: "Emily wrote: "I would agree with Jill. We have a similar number of votes like we normally do at this time in the poll, so people voted, but not having notifications is keeping people from thinking ..."

Quite likely hence Poll 17 has a lot more discussion

[Nancy]

I think it's a combination of no notifications and having already discussed these prompts. I don't really rely on notifications, I just keep the tab open and refresh on occasion.

[Joan]

This one also I think I had more upvotes than downvotes. I love the color one and the ensemble cast. A book about books I feel like I've done a number of times so I downvoted that. If it gets through I still have one on my tbr that I can use for it. I upvoted alliteration and a book from the first 20 on the tbr. I upvoted the non-fiction book inspired by a fiction book. Often if I read a historical fiction book I'll pick up a non-fiction book that is related. I downvoted the United Nations one and I upvoted animal on the cover. I feel like I have a handful of those on my list to read. The other prompts that I didn't vote for either way I feel like I could easily find books to fill those prompts.

[[deleted user]]

dalex wrote: "Thank you for this list! I own and want to read The Girl in Red and had no idea it would work for this prompt."

happy to help! it's one of my favourite books of this year and i wish more people would read it. the mc is also Black & sapphic fyi. if the disability prompt doesn't get it, it'd also work for the sibling prompt too :)

[Conny]

I'd just randomly like to offer my go-to recommendation for the physical disability prompt: The Lincoln Rhyme series by Jeffery Deaver!
It starts with The Bone Collector (which was adapted into a movie starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie which wasn't half bad but changed virtually everything about the book, including the identity and motive of the killer, except the fact that the main character is quadriplegic).

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Today is the last day to vote!

[Nadine in NY]

annie wrote: "dalex wrote: "Thank you for this list! I own and want to read The Girl in Red and had no idea it would work for this prompt."

happy to help! it's one of my favourite books of this year and i wish more people would read it. the mc is also Black & sapphic fyi. if the disability prompt doesn't get it, it'd also work for the sibling prompt too :) ..."


I've been meaning to read this book, and by coincidence it came up at dinner last night and now my daughter wants to know if there's any connection between this book and a Norwegian singer who calls herself "Girl in Red" and apparently her songs are also Sapphic, and she's been around since 2017.

[Jill]

Conny wrote: "I'd just randomly like to offer my go-to recommendation for the physical disability prompt: The Lincoln Rhyme series by Jeffery Deaver!
It starts with The Bone Collector ..."

Thank you for that I had seen the film so was not so interested in reading the book, which I have had here for years.

[Nicole]

I finally voted on this batch. I had up-voted almost all of these prompts the first time they came around. It was hard to narrow down my votes, but I decided to use all eight votes for up-votes this time. Fingers crossed that the couple I down-voted previously don’t make it, but I really like so many of the others that I didn’t want to waste any votes by down-voting this time around. Can’t wait for the results tomorrow! I love that I’m voting today, getting results tomorrow, and getting more results the day after! 😁

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

I wonder if we will all have voting withdrawal after all the prompts are done!

[Rachel]

I ended up voting 4-4 (a couple of days ago, but forgot to post). I went for second chances, ensemble cast, trapped together and TQIA, which were the prompts that first jumped out at me anyway. If I'd had one more vote available, it would have been for the disability prompt.

I downvoted lesser-known literary prize, non-fiction, first 20 on my TBR, and natural world. I could probably find something for each of those if needed, but they were the ones that I really was not excited for.

[Alicia]

Robin P wrote: "I wonder if we will all have voting withdrawal after all the prompts are done!"

As long as we vote in the November election, then we can all take a nice break till next summer!

[Nadine in NY]

Alicia wrote: "Robin P wrote: "I wonder if we will all have voting withdrawal after all the prompts are done!"

As long as we vote in the November election, then we can all take a nice break till next summer!"


LOL good point

[Thomas]

Alicia wrote: "Robin P wrote: "I wonder if we will all have voting withdrawal after all the prompts are done!"

As long as we vote in the November election, then we can all take a nice break till next summer!"

I'm a Brit my voting is done.

[Pamela, Arciform Mod]

Robin P wrote: "I wonder if we will all have voting withdrawal after all the prompts are done!"

I'll be sad... but also beginning to build that fawty tour that is my books for the prompts

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

After the polls are done comes the planning! Which, honestly, might be more fun for me.

[Nancy]

I already have my planning done! I select books as the results are announced. Of course there are a few I can't plan until the end of the year (GR Choice Awards winner, e.g.) but I already have at least one book picked for each prompt.

Hopefully the Pop Sugar prompts will be announced soon after we're done here and I can start planning those. If not, I think I'm going to do a close calls challenge.