[2022] Poll 10 Voting

[Jackie, Solstitial Mod]

The handwriting one is definitely going to be an upvote for me. It'll be a fun scavenger hunt. Or I could always slot in an Agatha Christie since her signature is nearly always on the cover.

[Alicia]

dalex wrote: "Anyone have suggestions for BIPOC retelling that is not young adult and/or romance? That seems to be all I can find for that topic and I am not a fan of either. If you have recs for adult fantasy, ..."

A couple I can think of off the top of my head are:

Frankenstein in Baghdad - Frankenstein retelling
The Palace of Illusions - Mahabharat retelling
Mexican Gothic - Wuthering Heights retelling
Burning Roses - Red Riding Hood retelling
The Ballad of Black Tom - Lovecraft retelling
1Q84 - Orwell 1984 retelling
Home Fire - Antigone retelling

Also any adult mythology story with a BIPOC character would also apply.

[Marin]

dalex wrote: "Anyone have suggestions for BIPOC retelling that is not young adult and/or romance? That seems to be all I can find for that topic and I am not a fan of either. If you have recs for adult fantasy, ..."

Gods of Jade and Shadow might work -- it fits into adult fantasy and historical fiction. It's described as "inspired by" Popol Vuh rather than a straightforward retelling, though.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

VOTE HERE: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/X8SB8C/

[dalex]

Alicia wrote: "A couple I can think of off the top of my head are..."

Marin wrote: "Gods of Jade and Shadow might work..."

Thanks!

[Katie]

One of my favorite books with non-human main character/narrators is Skinny Legs and All. I read it for a similar category in a previous challenge and loved it.
Some of the characters are (quite literally): Can o' Beans, Dirty Sock, Spoon, Painted Stick, and Conch Shell.
Tom Robbins is a weirdo, but he's usually my kind of weirdo, at least.

Hoping that category makes it in! I'm not big into supernatural characters, but I am a big fan of atypical narrators. It would also probably be a great excuse to read another Terry Pratchett book...

[Conny]

Ugh, the banned book prompt came up in my very first challenge ever (Popsugar 2015) and I struggled so hard with it. I ended up reading Fifty Shades of Grey, which is banned in several countries, but really do not want to repeat that experience, haha.
Memoir/biography is also hard for me. This year neither PS nor ATY has it (while I actually do have one in my TBR and planned for something else; I might have to switch it out and save it for next year if this one gets through...).
Most of the others, I like :) I'm not a big fan of retelling, but the BIPOC angle would make it fun and I know there are tons of options (just none on my existing TBR).

[Thomas]

Hi. SOrry about the other day, i just got scared I couldn't fufill soem catergories. is it too late for me to opt back in?

[Harini]

Could you give some examples for 'A book where a community plays an important role' other than the ones mentioned by Nancy?

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

Thomas wrote: "Hi. SOrry about the other day, i just got scared I couldn't fufill soem catergories. is it too late for me to opt back in?"

No problem, Thomas! We never took you out of anything. You are a member of the group and you can choose to participate or not at any time in any of our yearly or seasonal challenges, readathons, etc. I'm sure you're not the only one who at first is stymied by some of the categories. Of course, we will have the listopias and threads for each prompt, so you can get ideas from others. And if there's some category you really don't want to read, you don't have to! This group is for fun and exploration.

[Chrissy]

This was the first time in memory that I haven't used all 8 votes! I guess most of the prompts seem fine/doable but didn't motivate me for one reason or another.

[Shannon SA]

so glad you're back Thomas, we need to remember this is just for fun lol

[Thomas]

Thank you all.

[Chrissy]

Harini wrote: "Could you give some examples for 'A book where a community plays an important role' other than the ones mentioned by Nancy?"

One that jumped to mind for me was Beartown, which led me down a thought process to Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream and for a different reason Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City. I think this would be a fun one to build a listopia for, by looking through my read and TBR lists on GR, and to get recommendations from others.

ETA: Here are some books I've read this year and liked that are based around a community: The MerciesMilkman, Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age, Firekeeper's Daughter and Deacon King Kong.

[Pearl]

Hey everyone! Nadine pointed out, rightly, that the NPR Science Fiction Fantasy list is NOT from the other NPR list. Sorry to yell, but it's frustrating to me when people don't listen to one another. It only takes a few minutes to look at the list to see what's on it. There is hardly any overlap at all.

Look at me, fighting for science fiction! 🤓🙃 This is a scary prompt for me and I'm willing to give it a chance.

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

Communities could be schools, churches, towns, companies, a group of explorers, etc.

[Chrissy]

Pearl wrote: "Hey everyone! Nadine pointed out, rightly, that the NPR Science Fiction Fantasy list is NOT from the other NPR list. Sorry to yell, but it's frustrating to me when people don't listen to one anothe..."

I agree - the SFF list was crowd-sourced, I gather, not "critically acclaimed". I've read about half of it and agree it is full of good ones, including for newbies to the genres. I didn't vote for it because I've already read so many of them, but will be happy to find something new (or continue a series) if it gets in.

[Nancy]

FWIW, I'm not voting for the SciFi one not because it's similar to the NPR concierge prompt (even though I did say I agree it's a subset), it's because none of the books really appeal to me. But I'm not downvoting it and if it gets in I'll find something.

[Hannah]

I'm glad there's some love for the handwriting cover prompt - I was hoping it would seem like a fun scavenger hunt. I'm also curious about a theory I have: I think there are certain cover tropes that are used intentionally to suggest to potential readers what kind of book they're looking at, and I have a suspicion that books with handwriting on the cover or handwriting fonts are often meant to imply that the book is going to be more intimate, personal, and character-driven (qualities I tend to like!)

I really like the community idea, it feels specific but still with a lot of interesting ways to interpret it. Although lots of books feature groups of people, when I actually sat down to think about it, I realized I wouldn't necessarily consider them communities without a certain sort of established cohesiveness. I tend to really like books that feature strong communities, whether that community is warm and welcoming to the protagonist like in The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet or weird and claustrophobic like in If We Were Villains or used as an interesting setting in a science fiction book like The Dispossessed.

I also will definitely vote for women in STEM, since it aligns with another very specific book preference I have, which is for books about naturalists or biologists.

And I'm surprised that I like the idea of a title that describes me! Like others have said, I usually am not a big fan of personal prompts but that one just seems super fun to research and be creative with, and I like the flexibility.

I feel conflicted about BIPOC Retellings. I want to like retellings a lot, because I love the idea and I do occasionally love them, but I have to admit at this point that I'm often disappointed by them. It's strange when you come across a subgenre that you apparently largely dislike despite not disliking the content - I realized this last week about Up Lit! Perhaps there's a similar writing style to many of the retellings I've read that doesn't do it for me? Or certain notable tropes? Maybe I'll vote for it just so I can figure my tastes out!

[Jill]

That's it, no more dithering for me. 5 up and 3 down for me, but there are others left that I would be pleased to get in the top spots.

[Pearl]

Chrissy wrote: "Harini wrote: "Could you give some examples for 'A book where a community plays an important role' other than the ones mentioned by Nancy?"

One that jumped to mind for me was [book:Beartown|334131..."

Thanks for suggesting Beartown. My bookclub friends tell me I'll like it despite the sports. Backman's other books are concerned with community and neighborhoods too.

I also recommend Beloved by Toni Morrison.

Hannah wrote: " community..."
The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet has been recommended a lot too, and this might be the book I need for this year's future prompt. I started late this year.

[Alicia]

Pearl wrote: "Hey everyone! Nadine pointed out, rightly, that the NPR Science Fiction Fantasy list is NOT from the other NPR list. Sorry to yell, but it's frustrating to me when people don't listen to one anothe..."

But that's not how I feel. You may be frustrated that people aren't listening to one another, but you clearly aren't listening either. So instead of "yelling", maybe respect that opinions can differ from yours and practice what you're preaching. I didn't insult your opinion, so please don't insult mine.

I see what others are saying and I've reviewed the listopia linked in this thread for SF/F, as well as the listopia curated for the previous NPR prompt. And as I said in my previous post, the only ones that interest ME overlap significantly. That doesn't mean that's the case for you, but I'm not voting with your book preferences in mind. I'm voting with my book preferences, as I assume everyone does.

I also gave other reasons for why I'm not interested in that prompt and it has nothing to do with the three letters NPR being in the name of both prompts.

[Pearl]

Positives so far
1. A book that includes a mental health topic
2. A book from historical fiction genre
3. A book with a non-human as one of the main characters
4. A book where a community plays an important role
7. A book (or any book in a series) mentioned on NPR’s list of 50 Favorite Sci-Fi And Fantasy Books Of The Past Decade
10. A book with a word or phrase in the title that describes you
11. A book about a character on a journey

I haven't even looked at most of the rest yet. I have a feeling I'll have 8 upvotes.

Least favorites
Retellings - I think I should read the original classics before the retellings.
Banned Books - If I were a teacher I would pay more attention to these.

[Pearl]

Alicia wrote: "Pearl wrote: "Hey everyone! Nadine pointed out, rightly, that the NPR Science Fiction Fantasy list is NOT from the other NPR list. Sorry to yell, but it's frustrating to me when people don't listen..."

Sorry about that. It wasn't directed at anyone in particular. I just kept seeing the same comments over again. You know better than anyone else what will interest you.

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

I'm not excited about retellings because I always feel like what is the point when you know the story. If we have a retelling, I would go more for one of the BIPOC versions of Jane Austen. I also have a couple of Sherlock Holmes stories by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, where Sherlock has a black partner.

[Pamela, Arciform Mod]

To be totally shallow, can I just compliment whoever puts the surveys together. They're always so pretty!

[Lindsey]

Seven upvotes for me this time:

1. Historical fiction (so many on my TBR)
2. Non-human main character
3. Handwriting on the cover
4. Woman in STEM
5. NPR's Sci-Fi and Fantasy List (again, so many on my TBR)
6. Retelling with BIPOC main character
7. Word or phrase that describes you in the title (I have A Wife of Noble Character on my TBR and I will probably do that if it makes it in just because it makes me laugh.

This was a great round of suggestions!

[Nancy]

Books on my TBR that describe me:

Book Lovers
Grown Ups
Forever, Interrupted
Earthlings
My Lovely Wife
A Nearly Normal Family
A Good American

And some others I found from searches:
Fancy Nancy (haha)
The Soccer Mom's Bad Boy
The Teacher's Wife

[Jackie, Solstitial Mod]

Pamela wrote: "To be totally shallow, can I just compliment whoever puts the surveys together. They're always so pretty!"

Emily did this one, but I'm glad someone likes the randomly selected background pictures!

[Jackie, Solstitial Mod]

After much waffling back and forth, I went 4 up and 4 down. I'll be very intrigued to see where the results land this week.

[Nancy]

I also went 4/4, also after much waffling.

[NancyJ]

Robin P wrote: "I'm not excited about retellings because I always feel like what is the point when you know the story. If we have a retelling, I would go more for one of the BIPOC versions of Jane Austen. I also h..."

I used to gravitate to the Pride and Prejudice retellings, but lately I've started to feel that a large chunk of the romance market (especially regency) is a retelling of Pride and Prejudice, with a snobby aloof man, or characters who dislike each other at first. But sometimes that's still what I want to read.

[Kim]

I also went 4/4, with my favorite being: 7. Word or phrase that describes you in the title, and my least favorites being banned books, and comedic aspect.

[NancyJ]

Has anyone started tagging covers with handwriting? If so, what shelf name are you using? I saw a few that might fit, so I want to tag them while I'm thinking about it.

I am tagging them temporarily as 00-cover if anyone wants to use that shelf tag to share.

[NancyJ]

Hannah wrote: "I'm glad there's some love for the handwriting cover prompt - I was hoping it would seem like a fun scavenger hunt. I'm also curious about a theory I have: I think there are certain cover tropes th..."

You might be right about the handwritten covers. The covers in my tbr are too small to really tell, but some blogs show nice big covers, so I'll try to pay attention.

For Community I agree about Becky Chambers books. I would add The Authenticity Project

[Anastasia]

I like retellings, but too many of them are young adult. I dislike lists so that is a down vote. I do not like cover prompts and we have a few title prompts already.
I hope that the military veteran gets resubmitted. There are some interesting possibilities both fiction and non fiction.

[NancyJ]

Avery wrote: "Hi Guys! I have missed most of the suggestions/voting threads but I found myself at the right place/right time for this one! I came up with the "word/phrase that describes you" prompt on a whim! I ..."

This one caught my eye while looking for something else, and "up all night" definitely fits me. I found many books with the same term.

Up All Night: Ted Turner, CNN, and the Birth of 24-Hour News

Up All Night - This same exact title is used a lot.
Up All Night: 13 Stories between Sunset and Sunrise
Lumberjanes: Up All Night
Thriller: Stories To Keep You Up All Night
Grumpy Monkey Up All Night
Up All Night: My Life and Times in Rock Radio

Unfortunately, these do not describe me:

Up All Night Long: From Lust to Love

[Pamela, Arciform Mod]

NancyJ wrote: "I used to gravitate to the Pride and Prejudice retellings, but lately I've started to feel that a large chunk of the romance market (especially regency) is a retelling of Pride and Prejudice, with a snobby aloof man, or characters who dislike each other at first. But sometimes that's still what I want to read.."

There's a group of P&P retellings by Muslim authors that all came out at the same time a couple years ago. All excellent. But Sonali's Des's Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors flips the story with the guy in the Bennett role and the woman playing Darcy. I'm reading the third one in the series Incense and Sensibility for the NATO alphabet book this year (the main character's name is India)

[NancyJ]

Nancy wrote: "Books on my TBR that describe me:

Book Lovers
Grown Ups
Forever, Interrupted
Earthlings
My Lovely Wife
[book:A Nearl..."

Ooh, I like these. Forever interrupted definitely fits me right now too. I don't think I'll use Nancy Drew or Fancy Nancy either. 😄

So far I found (without looking for it) Up All Night. This prompt will be a lot of fun.

[NancyJ]

Pamela wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "I used to gravitate to the Pride and Prejudice retellings, but lately I've started to feel that a large chunk of the romance market (especially regency) is a retelling of Pride and P..."

Thanks Pamela, they do sound good.

[Thomas]

I downvoted banned book but if it gets in i will reread Alice's Adventures in Wonderland I also downvoted the NPR fantasy list one as I agree with previous comments that we already have that and thsi would just be more restrictive version of the previous prompt. I upvoted histroical fiction.

[Pamela, Arciform Mod]

Alicia wrote: "dalex wrote: "Anyone have suggestions for BIPOC retelling that is not young adult and/or romance? That seems to be all I can find for that topic and I am not a fan of either. If you have recs for a..."

Mexican Gothic is Wuthering Heights??? I missed that by a mile!

[Pamela, Arciform Mod]

NancyJ wrote: "Pamela wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "I used to gravitate to the Pride and Prejudice retellings, but lately I've started to feel that a large chunk of the romance market (especially regency) is a retelling..."

There's also Ayesha at Last, Pride and Unmarriageable

[Alicia]

Pamela wrote: "Alicia wrote: "dalex wrote: "Anyone have suggestions for BIPOC retelling that is not young adult and/or romance? That seems to be all I can find for that topic and I am not a fan of either. If you ..."

Oh I thought it was! It felt very Wuthering Heights mixed with Get Out (the movie). I may be wrong. But the whole time I was reading it I was thinking about how at least this husband is better than Heathcliff.

[Juliet]

Pamela wrote: "Alicia wrote: "dalex wrote: "The ShuttleAnyone have suggestions for BIPOC retelling that is not young adult and/or romance? That seems to be all I can find for that topic and I am not a fan of either. If you ..."

I'm pretty sureSilvia Moreno-Garcia has said it interviews it's not intended as a retelling but that she took the most inspiration from The Shuttle

[Pamela, Arciform Mod]

Thomas wrote: "I downvoted banned book but if it gets in i will reread Alice's Adventures in Wonderland I also downvoted the NPR fantasy list one as I agree with previous comments that we already h..."

Banned books are my pet peeve- I have someone in my book group obsessed with them and it just annoys me. Pretty much every book seems to have been banned somewhere, somehow

[Alicia]

Juliet Brown wrote: "Pamela wrote: "Alicia wrote: "dalex wrote: "The ShuttleAnyone have suggestions for BIPOC retelling that is not young adult and/or romance? That seems to be all I can find for that to..."

Oh didn't know that. Then disregard.

[NancyJ]

I found 44 covers with handwriting (sort of) but they are not all showing up on the link yet. https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

My three favorites so far are:
When all is Said, The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot, Aristotle and Dante...


- also a bipoc retelling

[Nancy]

I seem to be the only one that is so over P&P retellings. Every time I turn around there's a new one and it's getting to be a little much.

[Jillian]

Many of the books are challenged but not banned. It is a much smaller group of books that have been banned. I find just banned to restrictive so I’m neutral on it. As a personal challenge, I try and read a banned/challenged book every September. When I was in high school, my town had a Harry Potter book burning. I feel the need to read these books but not for this challenge.