Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
Archives
>
[2023] Wild Discussion
Mandy wrote: "Juliet Brown wrote: "I would phrase it ‘unusual or unique ‘ occupation ´strange and weird ‘ sometimes are perceived as condescending or otherwise negative in this sort of context"works for me. ho..."
tack on "interesting" and I'm, well, interested. In general I tend to avoid "occupation" prompts, because most occupations are not that interesting.
Mod
How about: A book where the character has a strange/weird/unusual/etc. occupation.
Off the top of my head, some..."
I love occupation prompts but people are so weird about them!
How about taking judgement out (I think funeral director is a cool job, not unusual or weird!). I found a list of the most common jobs in America (sorry to be US centric but googling world got me American results!) https://stacker.com/stories/3487/most.... Maybe a prompt based on facts not judgement would be less polarizing?
Course I also like the dream career and other type prompts.
I don't mind occupation prompts as long as it's not, like "related to your occupation" or "your dream job." I love the idea of a unique or unusual occupation. BTW we have two character prompts in poll 5, I agree that we need one which is why I suggested character who is an athlete, which popped into my head so I rolled with it.
I am on my phone, so I can’t respond directly to Dubhease, but I did forget that other countries “go on holiday” or have “summer holidays” whereas in the US it might be vacation. I guess I was thinking how you mentioned Independence Day in the US, whereas there is Canada Day in Canada that I have never celebrated. I have never celebrated Ramadan, Eid, Diwali, Boxing Day, Hanukkah, Queen Victoria Day, etc. For example, I just finished Cemetery Boys which centered around dia de los Muertos, which is a holiday I do not celebrate.
Mandy wrote: "i think we need a character prompt. we have covered most of the other categories. How about: A book where the character has a strange/weird/unusual/etc. occupation.
Off the top of my head, some..."
At my 10th(?) high school reunion I co-won the award for "most unusual occupation". My co-winner was a goat farmer (we went to high school on coastal California, so this was not a typical job to have after school), and at the time I was a manufacturing engineer for a breast implant manufacturer. Seemed pretty normal at the time... Several of my co-workers must have had an interesting time when they decided to move on from the company an apply for new jobs — Job History: "Stripper"... No, they did model our product. They worked in manufacturing and "stripped" a part off the molding form.
Some jobs sound more odd than they really are. Not that there are going to be any books about my and my co-workers jobs. But maybe the goat farmer!
just fialed my Librian exam again. Feeling really down. So hows everyone with these prompts?
Juliet Brown wrote: "I would phrase it ‘unusual or unique ‘ occupation ´strange and weird ‘ sometimes are perceived as condescending or otherwise negative in this sort of context"I like "unusual or unique" mostly because I actually DO have to sex some chickens tonight and I don't want to be reminded just how strange and weird that is to normal people lol
°~Amy~° wrote: " I like "unusual ..."I have been not really paying attention to this thread today because I have been at work but this got me to go back and actually read the idea.
I enjoy reading about other people's jobs but do not read books that relate to my own job since I read in order to take a break from being a caregiver.
Earlier in this thread, I posted an idea about a prompt relating to a reality TV show. I was kind of half-joking. Today I see that there is a reality TV show in the works for America’s Next Great Author! The article said it will have an “American Idol-esque spin”.
Mod
OK, that sounds boring. Like watching them sit there and write?
If you think about it, with reality tv you get words like Bachelor, Survivor, Ninja, Model, Drag, Island, Project, Bake, Pottery.... seem lots of choice.
Or maybe a character prompt? There's been discussion of career prompts-- what about someone whose career could land them on a reality tv show?
Haha I was thinking that sounds boring too.
Mod
Sorry to hear that, Thomas.
Thomas wrote: "just fialed my Librian exam again. Feeling really down. So hows everyone with these prompts?"That's too bad, Thomas.
Pamela - Obviously, the other types of reality shows are dramatic and lend themselves to interesting topics/careers, which is why I originally mentioned it. (Although, baking and dog grooming don't sound that interesting to me.) I do still like the idea as a prompt. I just thought it was interesting to have an author reality show, since this is a reading group. You never know, they might have some really crazy contestants with drama! Maybe?? If not, they won't have much of a fan base. I don't think they will be sitting around writing.
Mod
I love me some reading...but as exciting tv? Plus, if said author is any good, I want more than I'll get in a quick segment but maybe not enough to buy the book.
Still, if they had told me they were doing a reality show about baking, I would have said "watching bread rise? How boring can that be!"
Ok I actually am excited for this show! I’m certain it won’t just be them writing silently. But I’m a reality tv fan girl.
If it is a reality show, I am sure they will engineer some drama.
I don't really count a baking competition as reality TV. Or do you guys have one where they follow the lives of the contestants and have controversy for no reason? Reality TV is things like Big Brother or Made in Chelsea which I hate.
I think every reality show has controversy for no reason, lol.
Oh I consider contest shows to be reality tv, but maybe that’s a US interpretation? Like top chef, project runway and drag race don’t follow people around, but I’d count it. However, I’d also count kardashians and the real world. I guess love island would be a mix?
Mod
In any case, I personally wouldn't vote for a prompt linked to a reality show, although Eligible: A Modern Retelling of Pride & Prejudice is a very good book that would fit if we end up with that.
I don’t think that just the US in the UK we had a show called Big Brother that became notorious for putting in contestetants who would hate each other
I believe a book related to reality TV would be too narrow but perhaps something like “a book with a competition” would work though it still might be too narrow.
How about taking judgement out (I think funeral director is a cool job, not unusual or weird!). I found a list of the most common jobs in America (sorry to be US centric but googling world got me American results!) https://stacker.com/stories/3487/most.... Maybe a prompt based on facts not judgement would be less polarizing?Course I also like the dream career and other type prompts
What about something along the lines of "a book featuring a hobby or career you know little about"? That would open up a pretty wide variety of books and allow people to choose unique/unusual options if they wish, but also books with more "generic" careers or hobbies if they feel they'd like to learn more about them.
Jillian wrote: "I believe a book related to reality TV would be too narrow but perhaps something like “a book with a competition” would work though it still might be too narrow."That's my concern. It's both too narrow and too broad. What would I read for that? I have read one romance and one thriller that feature characters on reality shows, and I have one more romance on my TBR that I'm planning to read on the beach next month. What else is there to read?
If it's "read a book with a character who could be on a reality show," then that's ANY book.
I was surprised how many books were on these listopia's Reality Show-Themed Novels https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9... has ~300 books
Cooking Contests in Fiction https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1... ~90 books though 1/4 look like they are from one graphic novel series
Jillian wrote: "I was surprised how many books were on these listopia's Reality Show-Themed Novels https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9... has ~300 books
Cooking Contests in Fiction..."
Wow! Okay! that definitely answers my question!!!!
Mod
I've been watching Love Island and the producers are def manipulating the contestants, even if they're sober.
Mod
The game prompt this year is the only one I have not a clue what to read!
I'm planning on The Winners for the game prompt (hockey is a sport but also a game), but I may change it as I think the spirit of the prompt is more board/card game rather than sport.
Robin P wrote: "My understanding is that reality shows in the US really engineer drama by getting people drunk, keeping them awake, egging on fights, etc. I have zero interest in anything like that. And I detest t..."There was definitely a time period where this happened, but actually most don't really let contestants get drunk. At least the ones I watch, people generally become good friends. Some don't and there is always someone that is annoying, but for the most part they are just there to win and show off their craft (cooking, baking, fashion, drag). Even Big Brother here is more problematic because people forget they are filmed 24/7 and say things they shouldn't.
Pamela wrote: "Jillian wrote: "I believe a book related to reality TV would be too narrow but perhaps something like “a book with a competition” would work though it still might be too narrow."The game prompt t..."
I read The Cardturner: A Novel about a King, a Queen, and a Joker by Louis Sachar for the game prompt. I had bought this book several years ago without knowing what it was about since my son likes Louis Sacher. I finally read it it was good and a bit unexpected a YA book centered around competitive Bridge.
Pamela wrote: "Thomas wrote: "I don’t think that just the US in the UK we had a show called Big Brother that became notorious for putting in contestetants who would hate each other"I've been watching Love Islan..."
Alicia wrote: "Robin P wrote: "My understanding is that reality shows in the US really engineer drama by getting people drunk, keeping them awake, egging on fights, etc. I have zero interest in anything like that..."
I like the competitions that are all about real skills and abilities, like the cooking and crafts shows. And Ninja Warrier. LOL I hate the fake/reality shows like the Bachelor, Real Housewives and Big Brother. I don't know which is sadder, the real fights or the faked fights. The contestants on these shows must have a high tolerance for humiliation.
I read Beauty Queens and it was funny and unexpected. I liked Hunger Games back in the day.
Ha, despite loving Love Island (UK version only), I totally forgot about the bachelor and real housewives. I agree those are not the best of America.
Nancy wrote: "I'm planning on The Winners for the game prompt (hockey is a sport but also a game), but I may change it as I think the spirit of the prompt is more board/card game rather than sport."For what it's worth, the game prompt this year was mine (I won last summer's drawing to put a prompt in), and sports were absolutely intended as part of it, just as much as cards, board games, competitions or anything like the Hunger Games or Inheritance Games books! I love sports books, actually (just finished Carrie Soto Is Back, and it was a one-sitting read for me😅)
I happen to love competition reality shows like Great British Bakeoff, Project Runway, Top Chef, etc. (although I too have a hard time imagining how one would make dramatic TV out of writing a book...guess we'll find out when it airs, lol). But I do think I would interpret "related to a reality tv show" as more like, oh this book is about a baker, and Great British Bakeoff is a popular reality show, so it would be related to it; or say, Spin the Dawn is a fantasy that starts with a sewing/clothesmaking competition so it could be related to Project Runway... as opposed to "related to reality TV" which would feel to me more like I had to find a book where they were actually dealing with reality TV in the book. (Although there are really a surprising number of novels coming out in the last couple of years with reality TV-centric plots!)
Irene Radford has a great urban fantasy series that startes with Confessions of a Ballroom Diva that is absolutely reality tv based
I worked with someone whose friend was on Britain's Next Top Model and she said they made her have a confrontation when she'd had a disagreement with one of the other models. They'd just gone to their rooms to cool off but the producer told them they weren't allowed to do that. I liked the photography bit of that show but all the fakery and drama is awful.
Pamela wrote: "The game prompt this year is the only one I have not a clue what to read!"I highly recommend Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. It is absolutely perfect for this prompt and it is so so so good!!!
Roxana wrote: " Spin the Dawn is a fantasy that starts with a sewing/clothesmaking competition so it could be related to Project Runway."I love Project Runway and this book sounds amazing!!! I'm ordering from Amazon immediately. Thank you.
I think there is a wide range of TV shows, including competitions but also those with people living together and their daily drama, that are considered reality TV. It seems like there is a show for everything nowadays! I don’t know if this book is on the list that someone provided but Chomp by Carl Hiassen is a fun book that fits this prompt. The kid’s dad is hired on to produce a nature survivalist show, like Naked and Afraid. It’s hilarious, classic Hiassen, but targeted for mid-grade readers.
I did the same thing dalex with Spinthe Dawn!
Thanks Dalex for the Tomorrow… recommendation! My library hold just came in so I’ll start it this weekend.
I've had Tomorrow from NetGalley and hope to get to it soon. I am planning to use it for the Pop Sugar prompt of a character who uses a mobility aid since that's one I was having trouble filling and I understand that it works.Roxana that's good to know about the game prompt! I will probably still read The Winners for that, assuming I can get my hands on it!
Nancy wrote: "I've had Tomorrow from NetGalley and hope to get to it soon. I am planning to use it for the Pop Sugar prompt of a character who uses a mobility aid.."I used it for that prompt for PopSugar. I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did!
Pam wrote: "Thanks Dalex for the Tomorrow… recommendation! My library hold just came in so I’ll start it this weekend."Yay!
Alicia wrote: "I did the same thing dalex with Spinthe Dawn!"
Love that!
Thomas wrote: "just fialed my Librian exam again. Feeling really down. So hows everyone with these prompts?"Sorry to hear this Thomas. I sure hope you try again!
New Suggestions:"A book written by an author who's primary occupation is/was something else entirely."
1) Does anyone have any less awkward wording for this?
2) Although this would easily be filled by any number of memoirs, I was inspired to suggest this because of several excellent novels I've read that were written by doctors (Khaled Hosseini, Abraham Verghese), Amor Towles was an investment banker, and Hillary Clinton has written both non-fiction and fiction (State of Terror with Louise Penny).
3) Other than non-fiction or memoirs, does anyone have a good way of finding other authors of fiction who have/had major careers in a different field? The short lists I've found have a few in the vein I'm thinking of, but others are like "Stephen King used to be a janitor", or "Octavia Butler used to be a potato chip inspector" - so not really the kind of "different careers" I had in mind.
Tracy wrote: "New Suggestions:"A book written by an author who's primary occupation is/was something else entirely."
In the UK it feels like lots of entertainers have also written novels. Off the top of my head I’m thinking of the comedians Jo Brand, Jenny Eclair and Ardal O'Hanlon plus presenters Fern Britton, Simon Mayo, Graham Norton and Dawn O'Porter.
Tracy- I’ve seen your suggestion somewhere else, maybe a different challenge, and I like it. An alternate wording could be An author who is primarily known in a field other than writing.
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Harriet the Spy (other topics)The Kaiju Preservation Society (other topics)
The It Girl (other topics)
The Lost Metal (other topics)
The Kaiju Preservation Society (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Louise Fitzhugh (other topics)Susanna Kearsley (other topics)
Jhumpa Lahiri (other topics)
Salman Rushdie (other topics)
Celeste Ng (other topics)
More...
works for me. ho..."
I would vote for this prompt, although unusual is in the eye of the beholder. My next door neighbors son warned his mother before he brought his new GF home that she had an "odd job" and to not freak out. His mother was afraid that she was a hooker or stripper. It turned out that she was a funeral director.