Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
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[2023] Wild Discussion
Jillian wrote: "Lynn wrote: "How about..."Read a book written by or about a Nobel prize winner"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_P...
This could include not only all those who have won for Literature..."
Oh. Well, this would be a bit different with Peace Prize included?
I was thinking of Swinging on A Star for a song prompt, but we already have Birds Bees and Bunnies
Ellie wrote: "I was looking at list songs and all the ones I liked had too much cross over so I didn't suggest them. List songs often have birds in!https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_song"
On Wikipedia's list is "The Booklovers" by The Divine Comedy which is basically a list of 75 authors culminating in Salman Rushdie. To read something by one of those authors would give plenty of choice but I suspect it's too many classics for most.
The lyrics are here:
https://genius.com/The-divine-comedy-...
"A book set in either China or India"India is predicted to surpass China to become the world’s most populous country in 2023
I would rather the India/Pakistan prompt be resubmitted, with the addition of Bangladesh. Combining India with China seems arbitrary.
Pamela wrote: "Marta wrote: "I am also thinking of bringing back an old prompt, “a book by an author you think you should have read by now”. Made me read Dickens and Stephen King back then. A bit less shameful no..."Well said, Pamela, there are some prompts that I would be happy to have repeated most years and others I would never like to see again.
°~Amy~° wrote: "Hm. I just had a thought. What IF, the voting wasn't one long process like it is now? What IF we started earlier in the year, had a shorter period of voting, took a break, had another burst of voti..."I think one plus of voting as it is now, is that it is predictable and continuous. I, for one, would likely lose track of when we were going to vote again. Personally I am not feeling burned out, looking forward every few days for a new list of suggestions and, as someone who votes early, anxiously awaiting results. I do think we could have one less day of voting each round... which would shorten the whole process.
Lynn wrote: "Jillian wrote: "Lynn wrote: "How about..."Read a book written by or about a Nobel prize winner"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_P...
This could include not only all those who have wo..."
I think next year the prompt should just be "Read a book by a Nobel laureate". Literature or peace - or if someone wants a challenge to read published research or books by a Physics, Medicine, Economics, or Chemistry laureate, that would work too.
Joyce wrote: "Ellie wrote: "I was looking at list songs and all the ones I liked had too much cross over so I didn't suggest them. List songs often have birds in!https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_song"
On Wi..."
I think this is a great list song and I've never heard the actual song. Apparently, this was a thing last year - people couldn't vote for "It's the end of the world" if they'd never heard the song ... no matter how open the song was for possibilities.
Louise wrote: "uhm - 2xtypewriter?"It was "a typewriter" or "a typewriter font", like the fonts:
'Courier' href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courier...
or 'American Typewriter' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America...
Alicia wrote: "Do you have any hopepunk recommendations. I’ve read an obscene amount of fantasy - so def need a break from that. I also read a good amount of literary fiction, mystery (not really thriller thoug..."
Came across this hopepunk title last night. I haven't read it, but the description sound totally like hopepunk. A Half-Built Garden by Ruthanna Emrys. Just came out 2-3 weeks ago.
Dubhease wrote: "I think this is a great list song and I've never heard the actual song. Apparently, this was a thing last year - people couldn't vote for "It's the end of the world" if they'd never heard the song ... no matter how open the song was for possibilities."I found this super frustrating last year. I wonder if we should try again this year? I thought it was a great idea.
Nancy wrote: "Dubhease wrote: "I think this is a great list song and I've never heard the actual song. Apparently, this was a thing last year - people couldn't vote for "It's the end of the world" if they'd neve..."Does anyone have a Wikipedia account to add to this list song list? This list is missing What Do You Want From Life by The Tubes. Not everything on the list would lead to a book, but many of them would. Example: If you aren't familiar with 'Randy Mantooth' (mentioned in the lyrics), he was an actor in the 70s - going by Randolph - who was in a TV show about paramedics. I know there is a new book out, a memoir, by a paramedic/EMT who worked through the worst of COVID: Riding the Lightning: A Year in the Life of a New York City Paramedic by Anthony Almojera
Lyrics: https://www.google.com/search?q=what+...
What about a "What if" book. I am reading one right now. "What if" Marie Curie had NOT invented radiation etc.. It could go many ways. I read one years ago about Jack in the Beanstock. Also in Seattle where I live there is a book club reading "what if" the big one hits...earthquake of 8.0 or more. Or "what if" a war came out with a different result.
Thank you all for your suggestions. Definitely going to find some hopepunk books. I've been meaning to dive into more cozy mysteries but they are harder to find at libraries. And I've added some of the suggestions from the thread!Ann wrote: "What about a "What if" book. I am reading one right now. "What if" Marie Curie had NOT invented radiation etc.. It could go many ways. I read one years ago about Jack in the Beanstock. Also in Seat..."
I'm starting my very first choose-you-own-adventure books and those would definitely fit the "what if"
Ann wrote: "What about a "What if" book. I am reading one right now. "What if" Marie Curie had NOT invented radiation etc.. It could go many ways. I read one years ago about Jack in the Beanstock. Also in Seat..."I like this idea. I would vote for it.
I like the “What if” idea. Is it any different form Alternate History? If not, it at least sounds more fun/creative.
Now that I thought about it for more than 2 seconds (Sorry), I guess it would also include ‘speculative future’? Like “What if we figured out how to talk to animals?” or “What if we found a way to eliminate aging?”, etc.
yay. now if I can get it suggested before all fifteen are taken.
Mod
Seriously? You just have to read the lyrics, not sing the song on video! People! I've never hear of the Divine Comedy or that song, but I can read lyrics! And then you don't get an airworm- as much as I liked the Billy Joel prompt, I gpt the darn song in my head every time I had to find a book for it!
Ann wrote: "What about a "What if" book. I am reading one right now. "What if" Marie Curie had NOT invented radiation etc.. It could go many ways. I read one years ago about Jack in the Beanstock. Also in Seat..."I would vote for this prompt. I read a book a couple of years ago about what if Anne Frank had survived the war. It was surprisingly good.
I don't feel all that strongly about it, but I get not being very interested in a prompt based on a song I don't know. Sorry, but after all, we're each voting for a list of prompts we're interested in doing, and if I don't have any knowledge of or attachment to a song, I'm generally not especially interested in a reading prompt based on it, even if I can look the song up and read the lyrics or listen to it. I'll still find a book for it perfectly happily if it gets voted in, but that doesn't mean I have to vote for it. (As it happens, I was already familiar with It's the End of the World and I did upvote it last year, lol. But just, in general, I don't think it's all that unreasonable for people to downvote - or at least not upvote - prompts based on things they don't care about.)
Mod
But why not look at the lyrics and see if it works for you?
Nancy wrote: "I would rather the India/Pakistan prompt be resubmitted, with the addition of Bangladesh. Combining India with China seems arbitrary."What if we said Indian subcontinent to give the prompt more breadth?
Something else I was thinking about was a prompt for books about clothing - potential topics include fashion & style, making clothes, the environmental aspect, etc.
Ann wrote: "What about a "What if" book. I am reading one right now. "What if" Marie Curie had NOT invented radiation etc.. It could go many ways. I read one years ago about Jack in the Beanstock. Also in Seat..."This is an awesome prompt! What is the Curie book? It sounds very interesting.
Nancy wrote: "I would rather the India/Pakistan prompt be resubmitted, with the addition of Bangladesh. Combining India with China seems arbitrary."I am thinking of resubmitting the prompt and also adding Bangladesh in it. I am just waiting for a couple of polls to have a bit of space before resubmitting the prompt.
Mahi wrote: "Ann wrote: "What about a "What if" book. I am reading one right now. "What if" Marie Curie had NOT invented radiation etc.. It could go many ways. I read one years ago about Jack in the Beanstock. ..."I read Half Life about Marie Curie - not sure if it's the same one Ann was talking about but it was very good. It had her life take 2 different paths.
Nancy wrote: "Dubhease wrote: "I think this is a great list song and I've never heard the actual song. Apparently, this was a thing last year - people couldn't vote for "It's the end of the world" if they'd neve..."I think I read 4-5 books this year that fit the REM song. I love it! "It's the end of the world as we know it." ("As we know it" is important because it's never really the end of the world.)
Every time I see those titles I hum the song to myself.
Most of the time when someone lists a song title, I think "I don't know that" but when I listen to it on youtube, it turns out I do know it.
Mahi wrote: "Nancy wrote: "I would rather the India/Pakistan prompt be resubmitted, with the addition of Bangladesh. Combining India with China seems arbitrary."What if we said Indian subcontinent to give the..."
"Read a book set in the India Subcontinent" I think this is perfect! It's logical, clear and concise. It's easy to look up on google. It includes a few more small countries nearby, which might be nice if there are books that cross over into those areas.
"Why is India referred to as a subcontinent?
– India is sometimes referred to as a subcontinent because it is a separate landmass, not just a country. … It is thus called the Indian sub-continent. COUNTRIES THAT FORM CONTINENT OF INDIAN SUB: Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Maldives, Sri Lanka.
I would also be very happy with a prompt to read a book set in Asia. Or Asia, excluding Japan - for the same reason we excluded UK from the Europe prompt.
Pamela wrote: "Roxana wrote: "I don't feel all that strongly about it, but I get not being very interested in a prompt based on a song I don't know. Sorry, but after all, we're each voting for a list of prompts w..."What would "works for me" mean, though? I'm saying, even if I do look up the lyrics, listen to the song on Spotify or youtube, go learn all about it, even if I can see what books it might lead to, I still don't have any particular attachment to it - it's just a random song I don't care about (assuming it doesn't become a new favorite after I've checked it out, of course!). I think lots of people had a similar reaction to the suggestion of a Twilight Zone-related prompt for the 2022 (I think it was last year, anyway, if it was just this year...apologies, time is a mess, lol) list - it's not necessarily a case of not being able to think of books that would fill the prompt, but not having any actual interest in a prompt inspired by something you don't know or care about. (I voted for the twilight zone one, too 😂)
And like I said, I don't feel very strongly about that aspect myself, I just think many voters who don't know a particular song might feel that way, and that doesn't seem unreasonable to me in a voting process like this, even if looking up the lyrics might suggest relevant books.
Joyce wrote: "Ellie wrote: "I was looking at list songs and all the ones I liked had too much cross over so I didn't suggest them. List songs often have birds in!https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_song"
On Wi..."
I love that! I would vote for it!
NancyJ wrote: "Mahi wrote: "Nancy wrote: "I would rather the India/Pakistan prompt be resubmitted, with the addition of Bangladesh. Combining India with China seems arbitrary."What if we said Indian subcontinen..."
I like this, I'd vote for Indian Subcontinent
Tracy wrote: "Louise wrote: "uhm - 2xtypewriter?"It was "a typewriter" or "a typewriter font", like the fonts:
'Courier' href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courier...
or 'Am..."
Ah sorry - I missed that, thanks for explaining :-)
What about W as the 23rd letter of the alphabet, in celebration of 2023? I have two books on my TBR where both author and title start with W, but it would be easier to say either title or author to start with W
Roxana wrote: "Pamela wrote: "Roxana wrote: "I don't feel all that strongly about it, but I get not being very interested in a prompt based on a song I don't know. Sorry, but after all, we're each voting for a li..."Yeah I feel the same way. I'm not particularly excited about finding a book related to a song, any song. I don't see the appeal of linking a book to a song lyric. Sure, I COULD find a book that fits, but it's not fun an exciting for me, so I tend not to vote for those ideas.
Last year I suggested a book related to a Shelley poem - that was fun for me, because I love that poem and it would be fun to find a book related to it. I can't remember the details now, but 2022 was some sort of anniversary for either Shelley or the poem or the subject of the poem (Ramses). But clearly that poem doesn't mean anything to most people here, and they didn't see any excitement in linking a book to an old poem that they maybe had never even read before, so it didn't make the list. That's okay.
Sue wrote: "What about W as the 23rd letter of the alphabet, in celebration of 2023? I have two books on my TBR where both author and title start with W, but it would be easier to say either title or author to..."I would vote for that, but maybe a lot of people would say "we already have that with a book with a "W" word in the title."
Or how about a book related to WWW (the World Wide Web)?
Nadine in NY wrote: "Sue wrote: "What about W as the 23rd letter of the alphabet, in celebration of 2023? I have two books on my TBR where both author and title start with W, but it would be easier to say either title ..."Oh, I had forgotten about that one!
Watt, a unit of power, is expressed using the symbol "W." What about something related to that? A book with a theme of power? A book with a strong character? A book with an inventive or clever character (because the watt is named for James Watt, the inventor of the steam engine)?
Ellie wrote: "Or how about a book related to WWW (the World Wide Web)?"Yikes, with the imaginations in this group, "related to" the internet could be anything, since you can find anything on it. Maybe a book "about" the WWW, or a book involving the internet? There is a lot of non-fiction that could be relevant. For fiction, I would look for books with a plot involving it. Or perhaps a character is a social media blogger or influencer.
Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language was on the suggestions for the language prompt.
I felt that a book involving language could be anything too but people seemed to like it.I like prompts that let you interpret them how you like but the group seems set against those this year.
Ellie wrote: "I felt that a book involving language could be anything too but people seemed to like it.I like prompts that let you interpret them how you like but the group seems set against those this year."
Such as?
I like "involving" more than "related to" for both topics. Do you think "involving the WWW "would work?
dalex wrote: "Watt, a unit of power, is expressed using the symbol "W." What about something related to that? A book with a theme of power? A book with a strong character? A book with an inventive or clever char..."I like this connection! Especially a book with a theme of power. But I wonder if we already have a lot of theme prompts.
NancyJ wrote: "Such as?.."This year we have:
Related to Earth Day (technically you could read any book set on earth or have fun with it)
Related to flora and fauna
Related to inclement weather
Related to glass
Related to Here Be Dragons
Those are the sort of open prompts that I want.
Mahi wrote: "Ann wrote: "What about a "What if" book. I am reading one right now. "What if" Marie Curie had NOT invented radiation etc.. It could go many ways. I read one years ago about Jack in the Beanstock. ..." Curie book Half Life
I am interested in resubmitting the linguistics/spoken language idea in a week or so, but I’d love feedback from people who found the wording too open ended. I didn’t intend it to include any book where people speak, or any book composed of words (lol!). Is that the issue, or is it something else that didn’t occur to me?
The other idea that got floated here but never suggested that I liked was a book set in an apartment building. What if it was expanded to include hotels, hospitals, retirement/nursing homes, and other places of aggregate housing?
Chrissy wrote: "I am interested in resubmitting the linguistics/spoken language idea in a week or so, but I’d love feedback from people who found the wording too open ended. I didn’t intend it to include any book ..."Hahah yeah it was kind of "involving language"? All books involve language. I didn't downvote it but I could see myself just shoving any book in rather than trying to find something focused on language.
I know I sound like a hypocrite because I said I like open prompts...but not too open!
Chrissy wrote: "I am interested in resubmitting the linguistics/spoken language idea in a week or so, but I’d love feedback from people who found the wording too open ended. I didn’t intend it to include any book ..."I have no idea what your intent was - that prompt really confused me. Can you explain it again?
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Around the Year in 52 Books
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"Read a book written by or about a Nobel prize winner"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_P...
This could include not only all those who have won for Literature (https://en...."
“A book by a Nobel Prize winner for literature” was in the bottom of poll 3.