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message 1: by Robin P, Orbicular Mod (last edited Sep 12, 2021 07:41AM) (new)

Robin P | 3960 comments Mod
It's now time to get ready to vote for our next set of prompts! This thread will be open for around 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 in the morning of Sunday, Sep 12 and results will be posted in the morning of Thurs, Sep 16.

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 (usually between 2 and 5 depending on how the votes are spread)

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 related to Shelley's poem Ozymandias
2. A book by an author with two sets of double letters in their name
3. A book with a journalist author, journalist character, or journalism topic
4. A book with a character who speaks at least two languages.
5. A book with a great opening line (in your opinion)
6. A cover with a view from above
7. One of the top 15 books published by year according to GR list of Most Popular Books by Year
8. A book with a theme of courage or heroism
9. A book about a woman in STEM (science, technology, engineering, maths)
10. A book with a child on the cover
11. A book connected to health or medical science
12. A book about organized crime or families
13. A book that involves a secret society or club
14. A book featuring a prophecy
15. A book between 300-400 pages

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

Voting is now open for Poll 13 at this link
https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/2QB411/


message 2: by Robin P, Orbicular Mod (last edited Sep 11, 2021 04:19PM) (new)

Robin P | 3960 comments Mod
Ideas from the Suggestions Thread

1. A book related to Shelley's poem, “Ozymandias” (to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Shelley’s death in 2022):

I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal, these words appear:
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

Poet Percy Bysshe Shelley died in 1822, so 2022 will be the bicentennial of his death. Ozymandias is the Greek name for the Egyptian Pharoah Ramesses II, often called the greatest Pharaoh. Shelley was inspired to write this poem when he saw a statue of Ramesses II brought to London.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramesse...

A few ideas:
a book about or set in Egypt or the Middle East
a book set in 1250 BC, when Ramesses was Pharaoh
a book set in a desert
a book about a king (or someone who wants to be king)
a book about travelling
a book about an ancient artifact
a book about “the Greatest” (Muhammed Ali, or someone else)
a book of poetry
a book with a sculpture or statue on the cover
a book related to Oz (or Ozzy!)
a biography of Percy or Mary Shelley (or one of their peers or family members)

2. A book by an author with two sets of double letters in their name

Think this is hard? Check your to-read list, you might be surprised!

Examples:

Brit Bennett
Cadwell Turnbull
Kimberly Llewellyn
Hannah McKinnon
Sally Rooney
Audrey Niffenegger
Ann Patchett
Bonnie Blodgett
Jeannette Walls
Rebecca Makkai
Gabrielle Donnelly
Siddhartha Mukherjee
Kathleen Finn
Paddy O'Reilly
Gillian Flynn
Sarah Addison Allen
Allison Leotta
William Sutcliffe
Jennifer Hillier

3. A book written by a journalist, about journalism or the news media, or with a journalist character

Read a book written by a journalist, about journalism or the news media, or with a journalist character.

Shorter version:
Read a book with a journalist author, character, or subject matter.

*Powerful non-fiction books written by investigative journalists.
*Books about the importance of a free press and what happens in countries without it. Journalism and politics.
*Criticism or social commentary about journalists, news, fake news, integrity, entertainment news.
*Journalist characters can be found in many fiction genres.
*Memoirs by Foreign correspondents, political reporters, etc.

18 must-read books by journalists:
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/th...

Journalist listopias:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/tag/jo...
Journalism:
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/jour...
Journalists:
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

Reminder: Many journalists have written books of all kinds, not just on journalism

4. A book with a character who speaks at least two languages

There can be many different situations where a characters speaks two or more languages - teachers, diplomats, spies, travelers - and they don't even have to be Earth languages!

5. A book with a great opening line (in your opinion)

Examples:

Circe - "When I was born, the name for what I was did not exist."

I Heard the Owl Call My Name - "The doctor said to the Bishop, 'So you see, my lord, your young ordinand can live no more than three years and doesn't know it."

The Woman in White - "This is the story of what a Woman's patience can endure, and what a Man's resolution can achieve."

The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany - "Many years ago, in Trespiano, Italy, Filomena Fontana, a plain, bitter girl whose younger sister was blessed with beauty, cursed all second-born Fontana daughters to a life without love."

A Tale of Two Cities"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times ..."

Life Expectancy "On the night that I was born, my paternal grandfather, Josef Tock, made ten predictions that shaped my life."

6. A cover with a view from above

Here's one I happen to have in front of me. Feel free to post other covers in comments below.

The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books by Martin Edwards

7. One of the top 15 books published by year according to GR list of Most Popular Books by Year

One of the top 15 books published by year according to this list. It goes back 100 years and has lots of genres- children's, young adult, nonfiction, sci fi, etc. Can change the date to see other years.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/popula...

8. A book with a theme of courage or heroism

In Remembrance of the 20th anniversary of 911 & all those who were heroes then but also to those who continue with courage:
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

A Tale of Two Cities
Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead
The Paris Library
I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban
The Three Musketeers
Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10
To Kill A Mockingbird
The Hate U Give
The Hobbit or The Lord of Rings Trilogy
Divergent
The Help
White Fang
The Hunger Games
The Odyssey
The Iliad
The Red Badge of Courage
The Diary of a Young Girl
The Nightingale
Percy Jackson
Robin Hood
Beowulf

9. A book about a woman in STEM (science, technology, engineering, maths)

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

10. A book with a child on the cover

This can be found in a wide variety of genres, and both fiction and non-fiction. Here are some examples:

The Pearl That Broke Its Shell
The Family Fang
Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family
The Power of One
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
The Nature of Fragile Things
The Snow Child
The Girl with All the Gifts
Ghost Boys
Yellow Crocus
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Boy's Life
Before We Were Yours
Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?
Claire of the Sea Light

This could also be made harder for the people who wanted a harder prompt by specifying a certain age of child (i.e. an infant, a teenager, a toddler, etc.)

11. A book connected to health or medical science

his could include:
*Non-fiction about any health issue, medical research, medical scandals, drug crisis, etc.
*Fiction with character(s) who are health care professionals, patients, or researchers.
*Memoirs, biographies of health care professionals or patients.
*Public health issues

https://www.goodreads.com/genres/medical
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/health
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/heal...
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/ment...

12. A book about organized crime or families

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Godfather movie, a book about organized crime or families (any kind of family, not just involved with crime, although you could do that as a BIO option.)

13. A book that involves a secret society or club

A couple that spring to mind are The Secret History and The Da Vinci Code, but these could be in any setting, time period or genre.

14. A book featuring a prophecy

Another prompt that spans genres - history, fantasy, mystery, etc.

15. A book between 300-400 pages
For audiobooks or ebooks, it would be best to use the hardcover or paperback version to verify length.


message 3: by Rachel (new)

Rachel A. (abyssallibrarian) | 3266 comments I really like the journalism prompt, although I'm not a huge fan of the current wording. I wonder if there's another way it could be cut down a little without losing the meaning?

On first glance, I also really love secret society/club, prophecy, and bilingual character. I'm also considering voting for double letters and health/medicine. I'm glad both versions of the double letters prompt didn't make it onto the final list. I get that they were different enough to be viewed separately, but they were so similar that I think it would have been confusing or split the vote.


message 4: by Alicia (last edited Sep 11, 2021 03:55PM) (new)

Alicia | 1490 comments On first glance, I like Shelley’s poem and double letters.

I’ll end up downvoting journalism and great first line. Both were Popsugar prompts last year, and great first line was one of my least favorites to fulfill because I kept questioning whether I really thought something was a great first line (totally my own neurosis)


message 5: by Martha (last edited Sep 11, 2021 04:00PM) (new)

Martha (marthag503) | 513 comments If Ozymandias wins, I will likely choose something about the fall of an ancient civilization, something from this list or from the other two lists mentioned: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...


message 6: by Kristina (new)

Kristina | 245 comments Here are some links to listopias with books featuring prophecies, to help with examples and ideas. There's a range of fiction/non-fiction, age range, genre, format, etc. that could fit this prompt.

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...


message 7: by NancyJ (last edited Sep 11, 2021 05:20PM) (new)

NancyJ (nancyjjj) | 3532 comments # 5 sounds like it will be fun to search. While the suggestions were in process I had to stop myself from opening up a bunch of books to find my own favorite first lines. Once There Were Wolves has a shocking first line.

#7 - I only had to look at a few years to know that I liked this one. I could imagine doing a whole decade challenge of these.

#10. I like a book with a child on the cover, because sometimes that's exactly the kind of book I need to read.

I love the content themes - Courage, Medical, Journalism, as well as women in Stem, and I have many good options for all of them.

I like the Shelly poem, and I would add a recommendation for a bio about Percy Shelly and/or Mary Shelly. His friendship with Lord Byron was pretty interesting too. The story about how Mary came to write Frankenstein was pretty interesting. I really liked Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelley

For Women in STEM, I might consider a book about Byron's daughter Ada who was a mathematician.

I like all the repeated prompts, and I might have all upvotes again. In most cases I like the way the wording was tweaked. But, I would rather see Organized Crime or 'Crime" Family, as opposed to just family. It made me think of Godfather versus Little Women. But to be fair, I voted for Blood is Thicker than Water, which would have come down to the same type of choices. I like phrases that can be interpreted in different ways.

I will need some examples for the cover looking from above. I can't see that perspective with the little cover icons on my computer.


message 8: by NancyJ (last edited Sep 11, 2021 05:45PM) (new)

NancyJ (nancyjjj) | 3532 comments Rachel wrote: "I really like the journalism prompt, although I'm not a huge fan of the current wording. I wonder if there's another way it could be cut down a little without losing the meaning?

On first glance,..."


For the JOURNALISM theme - Is this better?
Read a book with a journalist author, character, or subject matter.

Or Read a book with a journalist character, author or journalism topic.

It's still awkward. It can be a book about journalism, or a book written by a journalist, or a book with a character who is a journalist. I guess it could also simply be a book connected to journalism.

I loved: She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement
I really want to read:
Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup

For fiction, I really liked this indie book: The Weight of a Moment.

For today, Sept 11, I highly recommend The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland

Check out this list:
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/th...


message 10: by Kendra (new)

Kendra | 2084 comments Is it really supposed to be read a book about organized crime or families - or is it supposed to be read a book about organized crime or crime families?

Because as it stands the wording means that you can read a book about organized crime or a book about a normal family. (Or at least an organized family)


message 11: by Jillian (new)

Jillian | 2873 comments Kendra clarification was asked on the suggestion thread it can be any kind of family.


message 12: by Kendra (new)

Kendra | 2084 comments Jillian wrote: "Kendra clarification was asked on the suggestion thread it can be any kind of family."

Okay. I missed the suggestion window - by the time I checked in all the voting thread was already opened so I guess I missed that.


message 13: by Pamela, Arciform Mod (new)

Pamela | 2268 comments Mod
We're going to get lots of results for this cause right now I only plan on upvoting one!

My concern with #7 is is it too broad? You can find pretty much any book you want to read one one of the year? There's 1500 books! I would have voted for it if it was narrowed down more somehow.


message 14: by Alicia (new)

Alicia | 1490 comments Any examples of books that feature prophecies? My first thought goes to Greek mythology where there is always some sort of oracle, but we already have the mythology prompt.

I'm trying to think of others that would have been obvious prior to reading the book.


message 15: by Jillian (last edited Sep 11, 2021 08:35PM) (new)

Jillian | 2873 comments Alicia there were a couple of listopias posted with prophecies. They might be in the suggestion thread.

Edit message 6 of this thread.


message 16: by Alicia (last edited Sep 11, 2021 09:29PM) (new)

Alicia | 1490 comments Ahh thanks Jillian! Totally missed message 6!


message 17: by Juliet (last edited Sep 11, 2021 08:57PM) (new)

Juliet Brown | 260 comments Alicia wrote: "Any examples of books that feature prophecies? My first thought goes to Greek mythology where there is always some sort of oracle, but we already have the mythology prompt.

I'm trying to think of..."


They are pretty common in fantasy The Return of the King
Daggerspell
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Elric of Melniboné
The Sword of Shannara
The Eye of the World
all have them


message 18: by Beth (new)

Beth | 450 comments I like quite a lot of these prompts so I might have to narrow down my upvotes. I'm considering:
- author with double letters
- journalism (agree that maybe that one is a little wordy in its current form, a condensed version might work better)
- bilingual character
- great opening line (only issue is it might be difficult to research for us library readers unless the book is particularly known for its opening line)
- health or medical science
- GR popular books

I also like the secret society one but can't find much on my TBR that would fit.

Organized crime and family seem a bit of an arbitrary combination without the reference to The Godfather. I can work with it so won't downvote but I probably won't upvote either.

300-400 pages seems a bit broad as the majority of books I read would fall into this category. Again I won't downvote for the same reason as above.

I can't find anything on my TBR that fits cover with a view from above so that may have to be a downvote even though I like the idea.

Prophecies aren't something that come up often in the books I like to read so that is another likely downvote.


message 19: by Robin P, Orbicular Mod (new)

Robin P | 3960 comments Mod
Kendra wrote: "Jillian wrote: "Kendra clarification was asked on the suggestion thread it can be any kind of family."

Okay. I missed the suggestion window - by the time I checked in all the voting thread was alr..."


Sorry to hear that. This time it was open for at least 4 hours.


message 20: by NancyJ (new)

NancyJ (nancyjjj) | 3532 comments Robin P wrote: "Kendra wrote: "Jillian wrote: "Kendra clarification was asked on the suggestion thread it can be any kind of family."

Okay. I missed the suggestion window - by the time I checked in all the voting..."


Robin, people are commenting on the original journalism prompt, and I don't think they noticed the other one. This isn't short, but it's very clear (I think): Read a book with a journalist author, journalist character or journalism topic. What do you think?


message 21: by Robin P, Orbicular Mod (new)

Robin P | 3960 comments Mod
NancyJ wrote: "Robin P wrote: "Kendra wrote: "Jillian wrote: "Kendra clarification was asked on the suggestion thread it can be any kind of family."

Okay. I missed the suggestion window - by the time I checked i..."


Yes, I will change the wording, thanks!


message 22: by Emily, Conterminous Mod (new)

Emily Bourque (emilyardoin) | 11184 comments Mod
I think I'm going 4 up 4 down on this list... I would probably just have cast 5 total votes (2 up 3 down) but it makes me twitch to think about leaving votes on the table.

I am going for STEM over health and medical science, even though I like both prompts, because STEM covers medical plus some, and I read mostly women authors/women characters anyway so the distinction there isn't too different for me.


message 23: by Ellie (last edited Sep 12, 2021 06:51AM) (new)

Ellie (patchworkbunny) | 2992 comments Trying to find my examples of bird's eye view covers but I guess they were in the wild discussion...or I imagined it.

You could also say looking down on a planet from space was a view from above, or a closer view looking down at items in a table top.

Edit:

What Strange Paradise by Omar El Akkad Everyone Is Still Alive by Cathy Rentzenbrink The Castaways by Lucy Clarke The Miseducation of Evie Epworth by Matson Taylor State of Sorrow (Sorrow, #1) by Melinda Salisbury Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng Hide by Nell Pattison The Wolf in the Woods by Dan Brotzel An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield The Past Is Red by Catherynne M. Valente Dark Pines (Tuva Moodyson Mystery, #1) by Will Dean Anatomy A Love Story by Dana Schwartz The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy, #1) by Marie Rutkoski The Bus on Thursday by Shirley Barrett Five Total Strangers by Natalie D. Richards

What Strange Paradise Everyone Is Still Alive The Castaways The Miseducation of Evie Epworth State of Sorrow Little Fires Everywhere Hide The Wolf in the Woods An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth The Past Is Red Dark Pines Anatomy: A Love Story The Winner's Curse The Bus on Thursday Five Total Strangers


message 24: by Nancy (new)

Nancy (fancynancyt) | 1832 comments I have to agree with Alicia on great first line, I found it harder than expected when Pop Sugar did it. I kept flip flopping on what I thought was a great first line.

I do like the journalist one, PS also did that one and I was surprised how many books are by or about journalists. There's a Listopia that has some great suggestions.

I also like double letters (duh), the GR list (though I haven't really looked at it, maybe it is too broad), woman in STEM, and secret society, which I'll have to do some research before I vote for it.

I don't think I'm going to vote for either cover prompt as not many books on my TBR fit. Prophecy lends itself to fantasy or mythology and we already have mythology and I'm not a big fan of fantasy. 300-400 pages seems like a gimme as the vast majority of books in my TBR fit.

I think I'm going to start downvoting prompts I'd normally be neutral on when I don't have 8 solid ups.


message 25: by Ellie (new)

Ellie (patchworkbunny) | 2992 comments The wording of the view from above prompt doesn't seem right in the poll:
A book with a cover that features with a view from above


message 26: by Dubhease (new)

Dubhease | 1152 comments So many good prompts this week. I hope we have more than one winner.


message 27: by Emily, Conterminous Mod (new)

Emily Bourque (emilyardoin) | 11184 comments Mod
I edited a couple of the prompts so they are more in line with the formatting we use for our prompts. None of my changes should have altered the meaning of the prompt, but if they did, please let me know.


message 28: by Sunny (new)

Sunny | 125 comments Dubhease wrote: "So many good prompts this week. I hope we have more than one winner."

I agree.


message 29: by Ellie (last edited Sep 12, 2021 01:40PM) (new)

Ellie (patchworkbunny) | 2992 comments Emily wrote: "I edited a couple of the prompts so they are more in line with the formatting we use for our prompts. None of my changes should have altered the meaning of the prompt, but if they did, please let m..."

I seconded the prompt about view from above and I would have asked for it to be reworded if it was "with a cover that features with a view from above", it does not make sense to me 😟

Looking at wording of our other cover prompts, to be consistent it would be "a book with a view from above on the cover".


message 30: by Kim (new)

Kim (kmyers) | 539 comments I think I would have upvoted #12 if it was a book about organized crime or crime families. The current wording doesn't make sense to me, it's like two different prompts.


message 31: by Alicia (last edited Sep 12, 2021 01:39PM) (new)

Alicia | 1490 comments I'm at the point in voting where I'm going to be much pickier and will probably have more downvotes than upvotes. I'm looking for new and creative prompts or ones that are a bit more challenging to fulfill.

My upvotes were Shelley's, double letters and secret society.

My downvotes were journalism, opening line, health/medical, organized crime and families (normally I would also vote for this, but despite the Godfather reference it seems to be a weird combination since it can be any family), and 300-400 pages.


message 32: by Emily, Conterminous Mod (last edited Sep 12, 2021 01:39PM) (new)

Emily Bourque (emilyardoin) | 11184 comments Mod
Ah, sorry, it shouldn't have the word "with" in it.

The prompt should read "A book with a cover that features a view from above". I've updated the survey and the ATY spreadsheet. Hopefully that clears up your confusion.


message 33: by BookLover (new)

BookLover | 7 comments Kim wrote: "I think I would have upvoted #12 if it was a book about organized crime or crime families. The current wording doesn't make sense to me, it's like two different prompts."

I seconded it believing it to be organised crime or crime families. I agree with you that it is more like two different prompts if taken to mean any family. I wonder if it might be submitted next time with clearer wording.


message 34: by Rachel (new)

Rachel A. (abyssallibrarian) | 3266 comments I ended up going with 6 upvotes (tied with Poll 8 for the most upvotes for me all year so far): double letters, journalism, bilingual character, health, secret society, and prophecy. To be honest, I still don't love the wording of the journalism prompt but I'm not really sure how else to fix it either.

I downvoted Ozymandias and organized crime. I have no connection whatsoever to the Ozymandias poem. I'd actually never heard of it before, and even after looking at the options suggested, I felt that the directions I'd go would be too similar to prompts I've already done this year (Egypt and travel theme). I also don't love that the organized crime/families prompt blends too very different ideas together. Nearly every book I read involves family in some way, so in that sense it's a freebie unless I specifically go the organized crime route.

As a semi-interesting side note, I'm curious to see how many prompts end up on my rejects challenge. I make a challenge out of the prompts that I voted for that didn't make the list. This year, I had a total of 53, after removing duplicates and of course removing anything that makes it onto the actual list. So far this year, I have only about 30 or so as of the last poll. Of course there are still quite a few polls left, but I was surprised to see that I had fewer upvotes overall this year!


message 36: by NancyJ (last edited Sep 12, 2021 03:12PM) (new)

NancyJ (nancyjjj) | 3532 comments Nancy wrote: "I have to agree with Alicia on great first line, I found it harder than expected when Pop Sugar did it. I kept flip flopping on what I thought was a great first line.

I do like the journalist one,..."


Thanks for that listopia! It didn't come up when I searched, so I was surprised to see I already voted on it (probably early 2020) for a different type of challenge. I think I read 8-10 journalism books that month! So when Alicia said she already did it, I was surprised she wouldn't want to read more of them! I think I read mostly fiction then, but the non-fiction ones were very memorable, especially She Said, and the one on generic drugs (which dramatically improved my health because my medication was notorious for inconsistent strength).

It's two years old so there are many great new books out that could be added to it.


message 37: by Shannon (last edited Sep 12, 2021 03:53PM) (new)

Shannon Ralph | 188 comments I think I am going to be voting 4 up/3 down this time. I'm not sure yet what to with my 8th vote.

My 4 upvotes will likely be child on the cover (because I suggested it and I generally like cover and title prompts because I think they are fun to research), an author with two sets of double letters (I really want to read Sally Rooney's newest book and this would be perfect), the top 15 books (I like that we can look at previous years and there are plenty of "best" books I've missed), and a book about a woman in STEM (I liked this one the last time it was suggested).

My 3 downvotes will likely be Ozymandias (I'm not opposed to the poem, but can't think of what I could read for this and was not really excited about any of the suggestions. This would probably end up being another setting book for me, And I already did a book set in Egypt for the Grand Egyptian Museum prompt this year), a book between 300-400 words (this would just be a freebie, as probably 75% of the books I read falls into this category), and a book about journalism (I did this for the 2020 PopSugar Challenge and it was not my favorite prompt).

I'm torn on my 8th vote. I like the cover with a view from above, but I need to look at my TBR list and see what I can come up with for that. I'm kind of neutral on all the others, so still deciding on my last vote.


message 38: by Kelly Sj (new)

Kelly Sj | 483 comments I've been traveling and therefore only checking in on the app, but now that I'm home here's a couple links of lists for the secret societies & clubs idea:

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

https://www.bookdepository.com/catego...


message 39: by Jillian (new)

Jillian | 2873 comments I have only had 15 up votes make it this year so I’m going to try and pair up my favorite reject prompts with ones that have made it. My up and down votes will be based on what I think pairs well my previous up votes. I went 4 up and down this time.


message 40: by Angie (new)

Angie | 65 comments Voted. I'm being way pickier than normal as we are nearing the final prompts. I only upvoted two prompts. I'm lukewarm about several prompts and am a hard no on two of them.

The only ones I upvoted are Ozymandias and double double letter in author's name.


message 41: by Jill (new)

Jill (dogbotsmum) | 1356 comments I went 4 up and 4 down. I down voted the poem as I had never heard of it, but the explanations about it did seem repeats of what we already had. I also down voted the opening line, as I don't want to open lots of books until I find one I like that line in. I up voted double letters, as I really want to read more by Joanne Harris and the heroism as I feel that encompasses the woman in STEM.


message 42: by Robin P, Orbicular Mod (new)

Robin P | 3960 comments Mod
As far as the opening line, to me that is one I wouldn't plan ahead for. I would just be reading something, and think, "Wow, a great opening line! I guess I'll use this." But I know many people like to plan everything out ahead of time.


message 43: by Jill (last edited Sep 13, 2021 09:55AM) (new)

Jill (dogbotsmum) | 1356 comments I can't say that I have ever opened a book and thought about the opening line. Maybe I just don't think that way. I might have to now though LOL


message 44: by dalex (new)

dalex (912dalex) | 2646 comments I don't have strong feelings about these prompts except for the GR List. I really don't read many popular books, especially those that are popular on goodreads, so there are very few books on there that I'm interested in reading. Since my choices would be minimal I feel that it would be a very limiting prompt for me so that will be a downvote. I pretty much always downvote GR-related prompts for this reason.


message 45: by Irene (new)

Irene (irene5) | 904 comments My only definite upvote: Ozymandias
I love the originality of the Shelley poem, and it's like a love letter to those of us who were literature majors to have this type of prompt rather than prompts linked only to very popular/pop culture-y things. Also, I'm all for prompts that have a connection to the year.

Definite downvotes: journalism, GR list, great first line, organized crime or families.

While I wouldn't normally automatically downvote prompts I've done in the Popsugar challenge (which is why I'm not downvoting the woman in STEM), the journalism and great first line prompts were both from 2020 and I also did not have fun doing either one. Like Alicia, I got neurotic about the first line and kept thinking, Is this a great line or is it just shocking? What would make it "great"? So I ended up changing it a bunch of times.

I'm not excited about the theme of courage since it could apply to every book I've read this year. The 300-400 page would also be freebie and does not particularly interest me. No opinion about the child on cover or health prompts, but again, they don't particularly excite me.

I like the view from above on the cover prompt, and I'm intrigued by prophecy and secret society. They seem a bit difficult since I don't think I've come across a book featuring either yet this year. But I strongly prefer difficult but original prompts to broad, easy, repetitive prompts so I'd be happy if either of them got in!


message 46: by Bec (last edited Sep 14, 2021 04:00AM) (new)

Bec | 1337 comments I really enjoyed this one Malicious Malicious for secret society. I'll read book 2 (which isn't published yet) if that gets in.

I don't like great opening line as I feel like I need to know the line before reading the book, otherwise I won't know what book I'm reading for the prompt. I don't want to go read the first line of lots of books to find a great one!


message 47: by Ellie (last edited Sep 14, 2021 05:35AM) (new)

Ellie (patchworkbunny) | 2992 comments I voted for secret society in the hopes that the sequel to Ninth House is out next year...

Out of books I've read this year (view spoiler) would work.


message 48: by Robin P, Orbicular Mod (last edited Sep 14, 2021 06:04AM) (new)

Robin P | 3960 comments Mod
I'm fine either way about the first line prompt, but I always find it interesting how our minds work. I wouldn't agonize about it at all, I would just be reading a book for whatever reason and notice the first line seemed striking to me, go with it, and probably not even remember later which one I picked. I am a stickler for following the rules, but only after I have bent them to suit my taste!

I admire those who can make a plan for the whole year and stick to it, but I would feel I was missing out. I belong to a local book group as well as several on GR. They choose books during the year and if I had my whole year planned out, where would I put those books? Not to mention great new releases and recommendations. And sometimes I start a book and just don't like it, life is too short to keep reading it just because I had planned on it. I also find it fun to rearrange my ATY books as the year goes on and I feel like books fit better in other prompts. I'm sure that would drive some people crazy.


message 49: by Nancy (new)

Nancy (fancynancyt) | 1832 comments I think those of us who plan just use it as a loose guideline, at least that's what I do. I do a lot of rearranging throughout the year.

I plan, and then read whatever I want. Part of the fun for me is the planning and I have 2-3 (sometimes more) books slotted for each prompt. But I definitely will swap out a planned book for something else if it comes along.

And I don't have to finish a book just because I planned it, I DNF'd 6 books this year that were planned for a challenge.

The one thing I've started do though is move books I'd planned to a "Bumped" tab. Then I look at that list first when planning for the next year, or if I finish the challenge and am looking for something to read.


message 50: by Ellie (new)

Ellie (patchworkbunny) | 2992 comments You'd think it was easy to just stumble on a great first line but I didn't find it worked out that way. But then I don't even think Rebecca's opening line is that amazing and that's always on the list of great first lines.


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