[2022] Wild Discussion Showing 1,301-1,350 of 2,340

[Ellie]

Pearl wrote: "
A book about a character with a common mental health issue
A book about a character with a mental health issue, where mental health is not the primary plot or point of the book.
Can anyone help to rephrase it?..."

On the first one I'd rather drop the "common" as to me that is limiting it to anxiety and depression and I think we could all do with understanding less common conditions too. Nathan Filer's The Heartland: Finding and Losing Schizophrenia made me completely reconsider how I think about schizophrenia.

The second one is a hard one. I think it is covered by a character with a mental health issue. Something like Planetfall it is hard to separate out her mental health as it's crucial to the plot but it is also not a book solely about mental health, it's a mystery on an alien planet.

So I get what you're trying to do with it not being a focus but think the more open prompt is my preference, because I'd be forever there wondering if there was too much focus on it.

[Angie]

I would also vote for literary fiction.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

For a literary fiction prompt, I would make it "A book that is shelved as literary fiction" so that people aren't having to make the distinction for themselves. I love literary fiction, but I know it can be difficult to determine what's "literary" versus contemporary genre fiction. So narrowing it to books that are on a literary fiction shelf on GR (like it's one of the main page genres that show up when you search the book) could help people define "literary fiction" better.

If I'm around for suggestions, I'll throw that one out there.

[Kat]

I tend to read literary fiction by accident and find it hard to describe so tags would help.

[LindaLH]

NancyJ wrote: "I want this prompt to include books about aging, not just fictional old people. Which phrase works better for that? Other ideas? I decided not to set a specific age, since that's hard to tell when ..."

I prefer #4. "Read a book that involves aging, or a character in their golden years."

Please let the wording of the prompt be aging positive. I'm so tired of the grumpy old person trope. People could read a book like that, but I'd prefer that the prompt not require it.

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

LindaLH wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "I want this prompt to include books about aging, not just fictional old people. Which phrase works better for that? Other ideas? I decided not to set a specific age, since that's har..."

I also like "Read a book that involves aging, or a character in their golden years."

And I read a lot of literary fiction so that would be fine with me.

[°~Amy~°]

I think just saying the book is tagged as literary fiction is enough. Adding addendum about what page the tag is on just makes the prompt clunky.

[Ellie]

Just because people have shelved something as a genre doesn't mean it's correct, just see the amount of adult fantasy shelved as YA on here.

[NancyJ]

Jill wrote: "NancyJ wrote: " I like .. golden years''."
Martha wrote: "Older characters sounds good to me. Here's a Book Riot list about older women characters. https://bookriot.com/novels-about-old...
Another list about Aging and End of Life: https://mindjoggl..."
Alicia wrote: "I like #1-#4. What if it’s just a nice normal older person. I want them included too."
Harini wrote: " I like the way 2 and 4 are worded. Golden years add an interesting touch to the prompt."
i>Shannon wrote: " 4 or 5..."
Robin P wrote:" 4
LindaLH wrote: " '
I prefer #4. "Read a book that involves aging.
"
Thanks for all the help everyone! I love this process. Thank you to Shannon for "golden years, and Martha for the extra lists. I think the introspection idea is very important.

4. "Read a book that involves aging, or a character in their golden years."
This could be
* a fun "up-lit" book about a character on a new adventure, connecting with others, acts of kindness, bucket lists, new loves
* a story of a forever-young 70+ person still working, solving crimes, entertaining others.
* a mystery about a family secret
* an introspective search for meaning, purpose, and legacy,
* reconnecting with family, friends or a past love.
* a book about adapting to change, dealing with illness, or last steps.


Books about older characters
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/old-...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

Books about aging
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/aging
https://mindjoggle.com/books-about-ag...

Reifungsroman: Novels that feature aged woman as protagonists
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1... -
https://bookriot.com/novels-about-old...

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Yea, Amy, I was thinking of just doing

"A book shelved as literary fiction"

That way, you could use your library shelves or your bookstore's shelves or GR shelves... not necessarily restricted to just GR, and not wide open to interpretation as other literary fiction books are.

I don't know if I'll be online in a few minutes when the suggestion thread goes live (now that school is back in session, I'm busier than I was over the summer), so if someone else wants to suggest it, feel free.

[LindaLH]

NancyJ wrote: "Jill wrote: "NancyJ wrote: " I like .. golden years''."
"

"Reifungsroman"! Thank you for the vocabulary builder. I love the translation, "A Ripening Novel" xo

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

The suggestion thread for Poll 9 is now open

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[NancyJ]

ARGH I want to vote on all the options in this round so far. Can someone please suggest something awful to make voting easier?!

A book about Beethoven's Hair - there is actually a book like this.

[NancyJ]

Nancy wrote: "What do people think about a prompt like "A book with a theme of food or drink?" I just finished The Lager Queen of Minnesota, where one of the MCs bakes pies, and several women bre..."

I loved the Lager Queen of Minnesota. I loved the older woman starting a whole new career. I also liked the estranged sisters plot line.

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

The audio of that book was great. I lived in Minnesota 25 years, and I felt they got the accent and personality types right.

[Pearl]

My idea is too similar to one that was already posted. I can't decide which one to second. Classic is similar to literary fiction. Healing overlaps with redemption and uplit.

I seconded Food and Drink
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

[Nadine in NY]

Pearl wrote: "My idea is too similar to one that was already posted. I can't decide which one to second. Classic is similar to literary fiction. Healing overlaps with redemption and uplit.

I seconded Food and D..."


I like both "a classic" and "literary fiction" and I don't think they are the same at all. For "literary fiction," I would read a recent publication. For "a classic" I'll read something from early 20th century that might also be literary, but would most likely be a crime novel, like Raymond Chandler or Chester Himes.

[NancyJ]

Robin P wrote: "The audio of that book was great. I lived in Minnesota 25 years, and I felt they got the accent and personality types right."

I was born there and I agree that the narration was spot on. I even liked the parts about how they made beer. I wasn't crazy about the author's other book. I liked it until the very end of the first chapter, which killed my interest in continuing the book.

[NancyJ]

The person who suggested uplit didn't post any lists. I had a few lists already.

https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

NancyJ wrote: "Robin, the person who suggested uplit didn't post any lists. I had a few lists already. I was planning to add these to the voting thread near the top if I get back in time.

https://www.goodreads...."

I see you got them in. Thanks!

[Nancy]

Agreed, classic and literary fiction are very different.

[NancyJ]

They do overlap though. One of the literary fiction lists seemed to be mostly older classics (on the first page anyway), so I left that one off when I posted the literary fiction lists. I like them both, and I'll find spots for both of them if they make the list or not.

[Nancy]

I agree with Nadine, though. Classics are typically older, and literary fiction are more recent. There could be overlap, if you consider modern classics, but I think it's too soon to call a recent publication a classic.

[Rachel]

A little off-topic lately, but I relatively recently discovered the "Pick Your Poison" challenges, and I'm so tempted, even though I have a ton of challenges on the go already. I'm impressed by how creative many of their prompts are!

Almost forgot to include the link: https://gregoryroad.blogspot.com/2020...

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

Rachel wrote: "A little off-topic lately, but I relatively recently discovered the "Pick Your Poison" challenges, and I'm so tempted, even though I have a ton of challenges on the go already. I'm impressed by how..."

Interesting, it's always fun to see other challenges. Some of those are super-specific (a book by a celebrity known for body positivity!)

[NancyJ]

Rachel wrote: "A little off-topic lately, but I relatively recently discovered the "Pick Your Poison" challenges, and I'm so tempted, even though I have a ton of challenges on the go already. I'm impressed by how..."

Cool, I like the names of the groupings. Who's in charge - includes prompts about a new parent, or a cat.

[Alicia]

I was going to suggest a book related to cats, but thought it may be me pushing cats too much this year. I’m weird.

[Ellie]

Rachel wrote: "A little off-topic lately, but I relatively recently discovered the "Pick Your Poison" challenges, and I'm so tempted, even though I have a ton of challenges on the go already. I'm impressed by how..."

Oh I love the idea of being able to choose your set of prompts. I will keep an eye out for their list for next year, though I would definitely need to double up on books unless I drop a challenge.

[Kat]

That's such a fun challenge. I'm over half way through my second ATY and finished Popsugar so might give this a try for the last few months of 2021.

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

Voting is now open for Poll 9! The link is at the end of the first post here

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Pearl]

Would anyone vote for a book about mental health? "person" could be a character or the author of a memoir.

A book about a person with a mental health issue.
or
A book that includes a character with a mental health issue.

[Jill]

We had neuro diverse character last year. Maybe if you give some examples.

[Juliet]

Jill wrote: "We had neuro diverse character last year. Maybe if you give some examples."

While there is some overlap 'neurodiverse' and 'mental health issue' are NOT the same and we should be very wary of implying they are

[Jill]

Juliet Brown wrote: "Jill wrote: "We had neuro diverse character last year. Maybe if you give some examples."

While there is some overlap 'neurodiverse' and 'mental health issue' are NOT the same and we should be very..."

That was why I asked for examples. I do not know much about mental health issues.

[Dubhease]

Pearl wrote: "Would anyone vote for a book about mental health? "person" could be a character or the author of a memoir.

A book about a person with a mental health issue.
or
A book that includes a character wit..."

I think a character with a mental health issue would be more broad because sometimes books are written from the perspective of a family member whose parent/sibling/child has the issue.

And I'd upvote it.

[Kathy]

I'd upvote a character with a mental health issue also. Some books I've liked:

Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness
The Bell Jar
Everything Here Is Beautiful
Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things
Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened
Girl, Interrupted

[Beth]

I think I would prefer the wording to be 'mental health condition' over 'issue' - to me issue is a much more negative term. That's just my personal feeling though, I'm not sure how others would interpret it.

[Shannon SA]

I agree with Beth re the wording, but I would down vote either way.

[NancyJ]

Jill wrote: "Juliet Brown wrote: "Jill wrote: "We had neuro diverse character last year. Maybe if you give some examples."
..."
Here are some examples of books:
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/new_...

Many novels don't directly identify or diagnose a mental health condition, and characters may simply come across as quirky, or moody.

The most common issues (especially among women) are depression and anxiety, especially right now, when people lack meaningful social support. Victims of violent crime, police, and veterans might experience PTSD. Other issues include manic behavior, attention deficit, hyperactivity, obsessive compulsive behaviors, self-harm (cutting) self sabotage, difficulties with people in authority, narcissism, delusions, psychosis, schizophrenia, paranoia, suicidal thoughts, suicide.

The suggestion was for mental health, not mental illness, so Pearl might have other ideas regarding healthy ways to cope with various conditions. Meditation, gratitude exercises, therapy, medication, and all useful to improve mental health. Many short behaviors could be caused by a situation rather than something innate. Some of the symptoms are also seen in normal teenagers.

https://www.goodreads.com/genres/new_...
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

[Ellie]

NancyJ wrote: "Many novels don't directly identify or diagnose a mental health condition, and characters may simply come across as quirky, or moody..."

No, there is a difference writing a character with depression or anxiety and just making them "moody or quirky". I don't need someone to tell me their diagnosis to know they are struggling with their mental health. I would not go round calling them moody or quirky.

I have anxiety and I have had depression in the past. But I also read about real experiences of other conditions so I am better placed to be considerate.

I would vote for a book about mental health though and I am happy to provide recommendations that fit across genres.

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

Wording it as mental health (like "a book concerned with mental health"?) allows for both nonfiction books about the subject or dealing with it, as well as fiction where characters experience depression, anxiety, etc. Just as "a book concerned with physical health" could be nonfiction information or advice, or could be fiction on someone's story where this plays a major role in their life.

[Jill]

NancyJ wrote: "Jill wrote: "Juliet Brown wrote: "Jill wrote: "We had neuro diverse character last year. Maybe if you give some examples."
..."
Here are some examples of books:
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/ne..."

Thank You Much appreciated

[Pearl]

Robin P wrote: "Wording it as mental health (like "a book concerned with mental health"?) allows for both nonfiction books about the subject or dealing with it, as well as fiction where characters experience depre..."

Thank you Robin. I like this wording.

Thank you to all for the feedback and the lists. I think books in this category can range from mild subtle descriptions to extreme illness and suicide. This is different from neuro-diversity. Goodreads descriptions don't always indicate a mental health topic, so I think the lists provided will be helpful. (But do not use the neurodiversity listopia.)

"Read a book concerning mental health"

Should I propose this as is?

[Fee]

I love the prompts so far and would also like to contribute with a few ideas. English being only a second language for me, I have a hard time with the wording. But maybe you can help :) What do you think about these ideas?

A book with an underground setting. Here is a list with possible books: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

A fictional story about an author or poet who also lives or lived in reality. I think authors like Dickens, Stoker, Wilde, Byron are often presented in novels as fictional characters. Or rather modern books likeThe Map and the Territory where the author writes himself in the story as a fictional character.

A book where a community plays an important role
I'm thinking about books where a group of people are helping each other or working together to reach a goal. Or just a book set in a small village where a lot of villagers are presented. Thats often the case in (cozy) mysteries but not only..

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

Fee wrote: "I love the prompts so far and would also like to contribute with a few ideas. English being only a second language for me, I have a hard time with the wording. But maybe you can help :) What do you..."

Your wording is fine. For fictional story about author - There are mysteries where Austen, Dickens, etc. solve the mystery. Anthony Horowitz writes himself into a couple of his mysteries.

Underground could include a book featuring miners, like Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, and the Miracle That Set Them Free, maybe that's already on the list.

[Alicia]

Maybe for the second suggestion you could rephrase it as “a fictional story about a real-life author or poet”.

[Mana]

Some possible ideas...

A book where the protagonist is a woman in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math). This could refer to a protagonist who is either studying or working in these fields.
Here's a list with possible books: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

A book where the main character isn't human. It could be an animal, cyborg, alien, mythical creature, etc.
Here's a list with possibilities:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

I would love some feedback on these ideas!

[NancyJ]

Fee wrote: "I love the prompts so far and would also like to contribute with a few ideas. English being only a second language for me, I have a hard time with the wording. But maybe you can help :) What do you..."

A book where a community plays an important role

I like this idea a lot. I think of London during the Blitz, when everyone worked together to carry on. Life after Life. Floods, hurricanes, snow blizzards are often followed by community efforts. A community might also play a negative role by enforcing conformity and oppressive rules, telling on people. Balzac and the Little seamstress. France and Germany during wwii.
Long Petal of the Sea.

[NancyJ]

Mana wrote: "Some possible ideas...

A book where the protagonist is a woman in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math). This could refer to a protagonist who is either studying or working in these field..."

I like both of these ideas.
Could the women in STEM apply to science fictions, or futuristic fields?

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

Yes, women in sci fi or the future who are scientists, spacecraft operators, AI experts, or in fields not yet invented would count!