Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
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[2022] Poll 16 Voting
Mod
1. A book with 22 or more letters in the title
This would be pretty easy for non-fiction books, which often include subtitles, but there are also quite a few fictions books with long titles, including:
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
The Widows of Malabar Hill
The House in the Cerulean Sea
The Nature of Fragile Things
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Sharks in the Time of Saviors
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires
Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line
One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
These are just a few I found with a quick look at my own book list.
3. A book by an author named Elizabeth
As it is the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II next year and we don’t have many author prompts so far…
Some off the top of my head include Elizabeth Gaskell, Elizabeth Gilbert, Elizabeth Acevedo, Elizabeth Strout etc.
4. A book related to Earth Day
A few ideas:
* Non-fiction about climate change or the environment. (The World Without Us or Silent Spring)
* "Cli-fi" (fiction with a plot centered around climate change, such as: Migrations, Gold Fame Citrus, The Water Knife, Legend, The Fifth Season)
* Science fiction about saving Earth or leaving Earth (loosely: Old Man's War, Time And Stars, or Venus of Dreams)
* Fiction or non-fiction about trees (since a common way to "celebrate" is to plant a tree) (The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World or The Overstory)
* A book with a green cover (Little Fires Everywhere, Boy, Snow, Bird, or Britt-Marie Was Here)
There are (of course!) many lists - here are just a few:
Earth Day Books: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/8...
Environmental Books: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Sustainability Nonfiction: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/5...
Cli-fi: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...
Climate Change: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...
Green Covers: https://www.listchallenges.com/books-...
5. A book related to the song "It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" by R.E.M.
https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/rem/i...
Earthquakes - A Splendid Ruin, Sarah's Quilt
Mountains - The Mountains Sing, And the Mountains Echoed, Cold Mountain,Go Tell It on the Mountain
Uniforms - military, police, first responders, etc.
Listen to yourself...
Speed - Veronica Speedwell, Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans
Ladder - A Ladder to the Sky
Furies - The Heart's Invisible Furies, Fates and Furies, The Furies
Reporters - journalism books
trump - Trump
bookburning -
bloodletting -
renegade - Renegades
solutions, alternatives - lots of nonfiction, Solutions and Other Problems, The Seven-Percent Solution,
end of the world - A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World, any dystopian book, sci-fi books about leaving a dying earth.
Light a candle - Light a Penny Candle, Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake
Birthday party, cheesecake - lots of cozy mysteries
jellybeans, boom - (Easter, Independence day)
Symbiotic - evolution
I'd add that the four people mentioned in the song Leonard Bernstein, Leonid Brezhnev, Lenny Bruce, and Lester Bangs offer lots of historical fiction and non-fiction possibilities either for themselves or their fields or time periods.
6. An adventure book
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/5...
7. A book related to a nursery rhyme
It could be:
An actual children’s book based on a nursery rhyme
An adult book with a title based on a nursery rhyme (e.g., “Along came a spider”or “And then there were none “)
The subject or title of a book that is about something in a nursery rhyme (e.g., “Baby Bumblebee“— read a book about a bee!)
The main character with the same name as one in a nursery rhyme (Jack for e.g., “Jack and Jill”, “The house that Jack built “)
A list of nursery rhymes:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_...
Goodreads list of adult books with nursery rhyme titles.
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/6...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
8. A book related to the phrase "a shot in the dark"
Some ideas for "a shot in in the dark":
- a book that you choose without knowing anything about it
- a murder mystery, thriller, or true crime taking place at night
- a character that takes a chance on the unknown
- you could also find something related to the movie (from the Pink Panther comedy/mystery film series)
9. A book about breaking barriers
2022 is the 75th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color line in Major League Baseball (and 2022 is also the 50th anniversary of his death). In honor of that, pick any fiction or nonfiction book in which a character breaks barriers or sets out to, or the theme is about defeating individual or systemic obstacles.
Feel like this prompt might be broad enough to capture what prior proposed prompts like women facing systemic obstacles or book related to isms were looking for but can also have some BIO options too.
10. A book related to “soul”
Soul in the Title:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Our Souls At Night by Kent Haruf
Soulless (Parasol Protecorate, #1) by GailCariger (Steampunk)
A Discovery of Witches (All Souls Trilogy) by Deborah Harkness
The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois
Inés of My Soul by Isabel Allende
Good for the soul:
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
The Gift of Imperfection by Brene Brown
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
About our soul:
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
The Gift of Imperfection by Brene Brown
The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (Hardcover) by Miguel Ruiz
Anatomy of the Soul: Mind, God, and the Afterlife by Stephen Goldberg
Soul Music:
https://bookauthority.org/books/best-...
Higher Ground: Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Curtis Mayfield, and the Rise and Fall of American Soul by Craig Werner
Otis Redding: An Unfinished Life by Jonathan Gould
The Influential Legends of Soul Music: The Lives of Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, and Stevie Wonder by Charles River Editors
Soul Train - The Music, Dance, and Style of a Generation by Ahmir Questlove Thompson
About soul food:
https://www.delish.com/kitchen-tools/...
https://blacksouthernbelle.com/soul-f...
Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time by Adrian Miller
The Taste of Country Cooking by Edna Lewis
The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South by Michael W. Twitty
11. A book published by an independent publisher
Not limited to this list, but it's good source including publishers in US, UK, Canada and Australia:
https://nonconformist-mag.com/the-big...
12. A book with a non-linear timeline
It would include books that bounce between the past, present and future, condense time, provide contradictory timelines, mess with time, or ignore time completely.
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
13. A book that is written as a pastiche (a literary piece that imitates a famous literary work by another writer)
These seem to often be called "sequels" to books written by different authors or "retellings"
Books shelved as Pastiche: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
Sherlock Homes style pastiche: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Jane Austen sequels and pastiches: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
15. A book with a theme of exploration
I think exploration could be a bit wider than adventure... exploration of your heritage, exploration of yourself, exploration of history, exploration of religious/philosophical beliefs... I liked the prompt because it was more wide open than just adventuring and exploring new worlds (though it could absolutely be an adventure book as well).
I'd like some guidance on how a book with a theme of exploration is different from an adventure book.
Mod
How does this work for new members of this group?
I'm not too familiar with the pastiche genre. Would someone be able to explain how it differs from a retelling?For clarification, would If We Were Villains be a pastiche of a Shakespearean tragedy because of the five-act storytelling structure, even though the plot or characters don't necessarily mimic one particular play over another?
Or would it be more like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, which uses the characters of Hamlet to tell the story from a different perspective?
Mod
Sydney wrote: "I'm not too familiar with the pastiche genre. Would someone be able to explain how it differs from a retelling?"I like this definition of a pastiche - "These are novels, novellas and short stories done by one writer using characters and settings of another writer."
I think of a retelling as the same story told differently (like Cinderella is glbtq or Goldilocks and the bears are in outer space) whereas a pastiche is a continuation of the story, like a sequel or another book in a series (like Cinderella & the princess get married and become glbtq activists or Goldilocks and the bears open a widely successful honey factory).
I personally quite dislike the explanation of pastiche given in the prompt list. It's muddled and confusing, imo.
I’m likely to have more upvotes than I’ve had in a while. There are more prompts that I like than there are spaces left on the list.
Nadine wrote: "I'd like some guidance on how a book with a theme of exploration is different from an adventure book."According to one definition: "Adventure fiction is a genre of fiction in which an adventure, an exciting undertaking involving risk and physical danger, forms the main storyline."
In other words, adventure (to me) is a physical undertaking that often involves risk and usually involves action.
Exploration seems a lot more nebulous. Exploration could be physical, involve traveling without significant danger, etc. Or it could be something like, exploring new ideas or cultures, exploring one's family history, etc.
There could be some overspill, certainly. But adventure is a specific genre while exploration is an overall theme that could apply to a variety of plots.
That's my answer, anyway.
I will upvote: Non linear
Elizabeth
Adventure
Nursery Rhyme
Shot in the Dark
will downvote:
Goodreads awards, independent publisher and government
dalex wrote: "Sydney wrote: "I'm not too familiar with the pastiche genre. Would someone be able to explain how it differs from a retelling?"I like this definition of a pastiche - "These are novels, novellas a..."
I am the person who suggested the pastiche prompt and I am fine with rewording the definition. That said, I hadn't heard it described as Dalex stated but more like "a book written in a style similar to an earlier popular author" So it's the style that is copied, not necessarily the characters though that is often done as well. But I'm not a lit major so I could be wrong.
Oxford defines it as: an artistic work in a style that imitates that of another work, artist, or period.
Dictionary.com: a literary, musical, or artistic piece consisting wholly or chiefly of motifs or techniques borrowed from one or more sources
Wikipedia: a work of visual art, literature, theatre, music, or architecture that imitates the style or character of the work of one or more other artists
Merriam Webster: a literary, artistic, musical, or architectural work that imitates the style of previous work; also : such stylistic imitation
Sydney wrote: "I'm not too familiar with the pastiche genre. Would someone be able to explain how it differs from a retelling?For clarification, would If We Were Villains be a pastiche of a Shak..."
I would say that both count as they imitate the style of earlier works
°~Amy~° wrote: "I am the person who suggested the pastiche prompt."Amy, I didn't mean to offend you with my comment about the wording of the prompt. :) :) :) I realized only later that I most likely sounded quite harsh. Many apologies!
At first glance, I am leaning toward upvoting:A book with 22 or more letters in the title
A book by an author named Elizabeth
A book related to the song "It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" by R.E.M.
A book related to soul
A book with a non-linear timeline
A book with a theme of exploration
Not sure about my other 2 votes. I'm going to watch the discussion here over the next 24 hours - I could be swayed, I think.
Mod
I really like the pastiche prompt. I understand what was meant by the definition provided, granted this is the first time I've heard of that term. I'll also likely vote for independent publisher and non-linear timeline, although I'm also confused on how Gone with the Wind is on the list.
I'm not sure I like the author named Elizabeth. We usually have a lot of prompts that we downvote for being too US specific, and I feel like this is too UK specific. Doesn't the Queen have jubilee's every few years? What is a jubilee besides celebrating that she's been on the throne for a while? It just seems a little arbitrary to pick a single "world leader's" name.
Right now I only have 3 definite upvotes. I may have reached prompt fatigue at this point.I'm intrigued by pastiche. First, I've never heard that word before and I love learning new words. But the definition seems to vary, and I'm really not a fan of retellings in general (the fact that there's a 3 page Listopia for Jane Austen sequels and pastiches makes me stabby). However, I've also had Wide Sargasso Sea on my TBR forever and I think it works for this?
Emily wrote: "Amy, if you'd like to reword the definition, please let me know!"Emily, I would like to go with "a style that imitates that of another work, artist, or period"
Mod
@Sydney both books would work as pastiche. The first one is taking the authors style of writing, the second is characters from the author to continue the story.
Mod
I wondered about that. I left the definition in but I know we have to keep them short for voting. I'm concerned that not knowing the word "pastiche" will keep voters away. (They could take 10 seconds to look it up.) I think of a pastiche as keeping the style of the original, such as Sherlock Holmes or Jane Austen. The idea is that someone could be fooled into thinking it was by the original author.
Nancy wrote: "Right now I only have 3 definite upvotes. I may have reached prompt fatigue at this point.I'm intrigued by pastiche. First, I've never heard that word before and I love learning new words. But th..."
I haven't read it but it seems to fit! It doesn't have to be a retelling or prequel/sequel either. It's any work that pays homage to another work by copying it's style. The Jane Austen list made my skin crawl a bit too honestly! I've never been a Jane Austen fan unfortunately!
A lot of prompts this round are 'related to' ones which I generally am not a fan of unless I have some books that I can immediately connect without looking them up. I think I will leave most (if not all) of them as neutral.Prompts I'm considering voting for are:
- GR choice
- independent publisher
- author named Elizabeth (I can't not vote for my fellow namesakes!)
- non-linear timeline
- character in government/royal family
- 22 or more letters in the title (I like this but am not sure whether to upvote as it feels like we already have a few references to 2022)
Adventure book and pastiche are likely downvotes as I don't typically enjoy those.
Robin P wrote: "Emily wrote: "You got it, Amy. For reference, the definition will be removed from the final prompt if it does make the list, but we will have the definition in the weekly thread."I wondered about..."
I think the definition is only removed for the final list if it is a TOP vote, not for the voting itself. That way members will understand what they are voting for.
Mod
To further clarify the term pastiche, would style include mimicking just author, a book written in the style of a time period (like neo-Victorian novels), or both? I am enthusiastically voting for this prompt if it includes style from the past - I have a lot of neo-Victorian novels.
Yes, pastiche can include the style of a movement or era, not just a specific author/artist.
I like the R.E.M song because there are so many ways to relate books to the song. It will probably be my one upvote although I am still deciding.
Some independent press lists:https://bookriot.com/indie-press-books/
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7...
Since we're near the end of the process, I think it's helpful to take a big picture approach to the list, and identify the needs of the group as a whole. I'm curious about people's opinions about any big holes in the overall list. Goodreads Choice seems like an obvious choice.
Biographies, non-fiction, and big-themes. Earth Day and Exploration are ideal for this I think. 22 letters will encourage new non-fiction and content rich memoirs.
I think we did more than usual with demographic diversity (authors, YA and golden years, nationalities, religion, women, etc.). The Barriers Prompt can cover remaining underrepresented groups and social issues, and include issues related to disabilities, health, youth and age.
Are there any genres or segments that are not represented or that couldn't easily be fit into existing prompts? Love, mysteries, thrillers, fantasy, sci-fi, historical fiction. Science, history, psychology, society, culture, business, self-development.
Do the prompts encourage our own growth in terms of Literary knowledge, appreciation, writing? (The 2021 authors with long careers was enormously helpful to me in this regard.) Pastiche, non-linear, and independent publishers might be relevant to this.
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I am most excited by Earth Day, and I think this is my favorite song prompt all year.
I really like that exploration could be used well by people who are very different from one another. One person might read a book about an epic explorer, conquest or adventure, while another might use it for a personal exploration of psychology, spirituality or the meaning of life. It could be used to explore a new topic, a new genre, or a new frontier. I'm in a space right now that calls for deeper introspection about what is really important to me, and what I can still do with my life. Otherwise I might use this prompt to explore a new sci-fi interest.
Soul is another interesting concept that could be easier used for fiction, music, or for something more personal or spiritual.
Thanks all for your responses to my question about "pastiche"! I think that one is going to be an upvote for me, as well as independent publisher, and R.E.M. (I was pleasantly surprised how many lyrics I could directly relate to books out there!) I'm still deciding where my other votes will go, but it looks like I'll probably go upvote heavy again this week.
Sydney, I might vote for pastiche too, just to force myself to learn something new about literature or writing. I somehow managed to go through college and graduate school without taking a single English or literature course.At this stage I'm going to try to do all upvotes again too. I think it's important at this stage to pay attention to the needs of the whole group. I don't want to downvote someone else's favorite ideas, especially for a picky or minor reason.
I am most familiar with pastiche from Sherlock Holmes, who has had millions of pastiches written about him. Wikipedia breaks them down into 4 broad categories:new Sherlock Holmes stories;
stories in which Holmes appears in a cameo role;
stories about imagined descendants of Sherlock Holmes;
and stories inspired by Sherlock Holmes but which do not include Holmes himself.
Kathy wrote: "Some independent press lists:https://bookriot.com/indie-press-books/
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7..."
Thanks for posting these helpful lists. I found quite a few on the bookriot page that I liked or want to read. Fifteen Dogs was particularly memorable.
On the indiespensible list, Did You Ever Have a Family and Sing, Unburied, Sing were really special to me. Haunting and moving. I have a copy of Mudbound that keeps moving around the house. It really needs to be read.
Earth Day, REM, Soul, and Royalty are probable upvotes for me.
Mainly upvotes for me for this one too. I tend to miss the suggestions thred - this time it seemed to happen overnight for me in Australia, but a good lot I think.
I always thought pastiche was a negative term, being a poor copycat version of something classic or iconic. It sounds like I’m wrong.The only bookish example I can immediately think of is Sarah Ferguson’s Budgie the Little Helicopter as a pastiche of Thomas the Tank Engine.
Joyce wrote: "I always thought pastiche was a negative term, being a poor copycat version of something classic or iconic. It sounds like I’m wrong...."I think that comes from the art world, like it's one up from a fake, but they are implying the artist is copying rather than coming up with their own style. Usually to make money. I guess now that very few people paint, people are impressed if you can copy a famous painter, so the negative aspect has worn off a bit.
For those who think independent publishing is all about obscure titles, here are some examples of more popular authors.Bloomsbury still call themselves an independent publisher, and they have authors like Sarah J. Maas, Madeline Miller, Stuart Turton, Samantha Shannon and Susanna Clarke.
In the UK Canongate publish Matt Haig and Ruth Ozeki. And the imprint who publishes Rebecca Roanhorse here is owned by an independent games company, who branched out into comics and books. Black & White have the Amie Kaufman/Jay Kristoff collaborations, Illuminae Files and Aurora Cycle.
If you like comics, Image Comics who publish Saga and Monstress are independent.
I don't think I really understand what adventure is as a genre. Whenever it comes up in readathons I never put books down against it because I thought it was quite a narrow genre, usually with independently wealthy individuals going off on travels and then getting into trouble.But the definition given suggests that a lot of thrillers and SFF would fit? Just that the characters need to be in danger a lot and travelling around?
Ellie wrote: "For those who think independent publishing is all about obscure titles, here are some examples of more popular authors.Bloomsbury still call themselves an independent publisher, and they have aut..."
That's great to know. I like many of those authors.
Does "independent" seem to be based on the size of the organization? Or corporate structure, stockholders, total assets? Do you know if RK Rowling was with an independent publisher with the first HP book?
It would be nice to have a list of indie authors.
Joyce wrote: "I always thought pastiche was a negative term, being a poor copycat version of something classic or iconic. It sounds like I’m wrong.The only bookish example I can immediately think of is Sarah F..."
Just found this:
"Pastiches may have great literary value if pastiches-writers know very well about the stories they're pastiching. I do think that there's only a very thin line between a good pastiche and a tribute. " I like other suggestions better.
Judy wrote: "Does "independent" seem to be based on the size of the organization? Or corporate structure, stockholders, total assets? Do you know if RK Rowling was with an independent publisher with the first HP book?..."To me it just means that they are their own company, not part of a big media group, like the Big 5 are. Bloomsbury are pretty big because they were the ones that took a chance on HP. They were fairly small when they published the first books...some people may not count them now because they are listed on the stock market. But they say they are an independent publisher on their website so I'd count them for a prompt.
Alicia wrote: "Doesn't the Queen have jubilee's every few years? What is a jubilee besides celebrating that she's been on the throne for a while? ..."Next year is significant because she will be the first monarch to reach a platinum jubilee (70 years on the throne) and we in the UK have all been given an extra day off work. I get not liking it if you want the prompts to mean something to you.
Personally I like the idea of using my extra day off to read a book by an Elizabeth. It's a common enough name, especially if you include all the shortened versions. I'm not a big fan of the royal family, but I like the prompt in isolation. Plus did I mention a day off? 🤣
In the UK, Galley Beggar Press are quite tiny but have a reputation for good judgment in taking a chance on more unusual books. Some of theirs I’ve valued include A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing, We That Are Young and Ducks, Newburyport.And, in a burst of nepotism, I should mention Cinnamon Press who publish prose and poetry, much of it innovative, and are run by my sister-in-law.
Mod
Emily wrote: "Isn't Tor an indie publisher? That's who TJ Klune is with (The House in the Cerulean Sea, The Extraordinaries) and his earlier works are published with an even small..."Nope it's part of Pan Macmillan.
Mod
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
A Shot in the Dark (other topics)Return to Dyatlov Pass (other topics)
The Extraordinaries (other topics)
The House in the Cerulean Sea (other topics)
The Extraordinaries (other topics)
More...
Voting will open in the morning of Thursday, September 30 and results will be posted in the morning of Monday, October 4.
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 with 22 or more letters in the title
2. A winner or nominee from the 2021 Goodreads Choice Awards
3. A book by an author named Elizabeth
4. A book related to Earth Day
5. A book related to the song "It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" by R.E.M.
6. An adventure book
7. A book related to a nursery rhyme
8. A book related to the phrase "a shot in the dark"
9. A book about breaking barriers
10. A book related to “soul”
11. A book published by an independent publisher
12. A book with a non-linear timeline
13. A book that is written as a pastiche (a style that imitates that of another work, artist, or period)
14. A book that has a character in government, royal family or governing body
15. A book with a theme of exploration
Feel free to discuss the prompts below, but please remember to be respectful to the other group members.
VOTE HERE: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/F3ARMO/