Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
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[2023] Wild Discussion
Emily wrote: "Oh yea definitely. I'm due to have a baby November 17th, so I'm not sure I'll finish this year's challenge. We do the best that we can do under the circumstances we are facing. No one is judging yo..."Congratulations!!! And RIP to your reading time, because you'll have NO time! (At least I didn't. I managed one Stephanie Plum paperback in like a year, I think. It's been a long time now for me, my kids are teens.)
I was able to read while breastfeeding the first few months. But yeah I definitely did not read as much during the infant/toddler years.I too like the World's Fair setting over Olympics, we did Olympics in 2020 and when I suggested it last year because of Beijing it didn't make it. World's Fair is new and unique.
on a seeprtae note I was thinkign about possibilites for diversity maybe A book by an author who is NOT cist, white and male ( this would allow a BIO option of reading a book by an author who is noen fo the three but in any case require diversity)
A book more than 50 years old written by a woman
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A book by an author who is NOT cist, white and male ( this would allow a BIO option of reading a book by an author who is n..."
I like both of those!
Emily wrote: "Oh yea definitely. I'm due to have a baby November 17th, so I'm not sure I'll finish this year's challenge. We do the best that we can do under the circumstances we are facing. No one is judging yo..."Congratulations Emily! My son was born in November too. I loved that where I live the weather had cooled off immensely during the last few months of my pregnancy. I was so much more comfortable than my friends who had late summer babies. I also didn't have to bring a baby home in the freezing cold of winter. It's really the perfect time to have a baby in New England. Hopefully your area is comfortable too.
Joy D wrote: "A book set in a location that begins with A, T, or Y..."I love that this one allows for sci-fi or fantasy options as well. It can be near impossible to fit sf/f books into a lot of location based prompts. This year we had '3 books set on three different continents'. It was a STRUGGLE for me, a sci fi reader to fill those prompts.
Thomas wrote: "on a seeprtae note I was thinkign about possibilites for diversity maybe A book by an author who is NOT cist, white and male ( this would allow a BIO option of reading a book by an author who is n..."
Both are really good prompt ideas Thomas
FWIW I read very few books by CIS white men so that would be an easy one for me (of the 58 books I've read so far this year, only 6 were by CIS white men - a few of those are gay, but that's not part of the prompt). I do like A book more than 50 years old written by a woman.
Here is a lengthy post I wrote when the rabbit post came up for voting last year:A few books with "rabbit" in the title.
Black Rabbit Hall
The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes
Rabbit Cake
When God was a Rabbit
The Rabbit Back Literature Society
Rabbit Hole
The Rabbit Factor
The Constant Rabbit
The Rabbit Girls
The Night of Four Hundred Rabbits
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit
To Catch A Rabbit
Rabbit Foot Bill
Bunny
One of the main characters in The Secret History (which is a fabulous book) is named Bunny.
There's more than a few books with rabbits on the cover.
And then there's Fibonacci. The original problem that Fibonacci investigated was about how fast rabbits could breed in ideal circumstances. The solution to this problem is the famous Fibonacci sequence so you could go sideways and do something related to Fibonacci.
The design of a lot of nature things is based on the Fibonacci Sequence - trees, flowers, fruits, goat horns, spider webs, shells. A book about music would work. Piano keys in an octave are made up of Fibonaccie Numbers; eight white, five black, and thirteen in all. The cochlea of the inner ear is a spiral that follows the Fibonacci Sequence, so a book with a character that has a hearing impairment or something like that.
Spiral galaxies follow the sequence, so any space sci-fi. And there’s the golden ratio. I don’t understand it but it has something to do with Fibonacci. So, gold in the title or set during the Gold Rush or something.
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Emily wrote: "Oh yea definitely. I'm due to have a baby November 17th..."Congratulations!!!
A few thoughts from being involved with the voting process for a few years.People often do not like:
prompts that are "personal"
prompts related to lists and awards
genre prompts
prompts that require one to read "old books"
Prompts specific to plot or characters are often difficult to research, which is unappealing for the pre-planners in the group.
Cover and title prompts are very popular. It would be a fun to find a prompt that make this a challenging, yet still appealing, prompt. I think the prompt we have this year about a Monopoly token on the cover fits this idea perfectly - it's challenging yet still very doable.
It can be difficult to find the "sweet spot" on how to suggest a prompt. Prompts can be entirely too broad (such as: an historical fiction book) or too narrow (for example: a fairytale retelling with a BIPOC main character).
Emily wrote: "What prompts do we want to see on the pre-poll?"The NPR concierge prompt has been around for a couple years and seems to be reasonably well liked. Could that possibly be a pre-poll prompt this year?
I get that we want to include prompts specific to the group and goodreads, for obvious reasons, but I feel like sometimes we're trying too hard to make that happen. A prompt about the gr awards seems pretty polarizing yet it is almost always on the prompt list. And I am very over trying to find some way to have A-T-Y in a prompt.
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Dalex while there are always some cover and title prompts that get through plenty don’t and a good number of prompts that are neither get through. So I must respectfully disagree that those kinds of prompts are “ really popular” or at least no more than other kinds
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I also am quite tired of all the ATY iterations, but I think set it in a place that starts with A, T, or Y is not... terrible. It's certainly an iteration I wouldn't downvote.
Thomas, I'd argue that, based on the number of prompts we see suggested, cover and title are definitely more popular prompts to suggest than any other type. Whether they make it through or not may be a different story, but they are certainly suggested more than others.
Joy D wrote: "Suggestions:A book with two or three or twenty-three in the title
A book whose title asks a question
A book that features a past or present world leader (fiction or non-fiction)
A book set in a l..."
@Joy D — you have some great suggestions! I particularly like:
A book whose title asks a question
A book that features a past or present world leader (fiction or non-fiction)
A book featuring an artist, author, or musician
Thomas wrote: "on a seeprtae note I was thinkign about possibilites for diversity maybe A book by an author who is NOT cist, white and male ( this would allow a BIO option of reading a book by an author who is n..."
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...#
@Thomas: I like your ideas, too. The "book written at least 50 years ago by a woman" was very creative, to help shine a light on female authors who struggled to be seen in the past (it appears that their efforts have helped the current generation of authors who just happen to be female).
Re your "non-CIS white male" author idea, I have a similar one written in my notes that I hadn't shared yet. It's a bit different, and a little more constrained. Not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing. Here is what I wrote in my notes (no editing done for this intro):
A book written by a trans or genderqueer author (fiction or non-fiction). Topic does not have to be about gender issues. One list to start with: https://bookriot.com/books-by-trans-a...
In general I strive to be diverse in my reading (author, genre, and topic-wise), but since I started actually tracking my author demographics (right term?) I found that I read mostly middle aged (I used aged 41-60 when published) women from the US or England (pretty much defines ME). I did pretty well on POC, but not as well as I'd hoped with authors whose primary language was not English, or people in the LGBTQ+ community. Would love prompts that help me do better on diversifying the authors I read!
Emily wrote: "Oh yea definitely. I'm due to have a baby November 17th, so I'm not sure I'll finish this year's challenge. We do the best that we can do under the circumstances we are facing. No one is judging yo..."Congratulations Emily.
I would vote for a setting starting with A, T or Y. This would give me an opportunity to squeeze in some Indian literature.
I think one other thing to note is that the silent majority, the people who vote without participating in the conversations here, seem to feel very differently about the suggestions than do those of us who do read the boards. We never know why they vote the way they do but they are a very valid and welcome part of the process too. I guess my point is that if you have a prompt idea that you love, suggest it. Don't worry so much about what the group "likes" or "dislikes", just throw your idea out there. It may do well, it may not. You never really know what the group wants. If your idea gets through, great! If it doesn't, try it again later. The mood changes as we move through the process and it may get through on your second, or third shot. It won't ever get through if you don't speak up!
Totally agree Amy! I always welcome diversity prompts like trans or genderqueer author but for some reason they don't always make it to the list. I think it was last year we twisted ourselves into knots coming up with a wording that people would like and we finally ended up with Loving LGBTQIA+ relationship but that was definitely not the first one that was suggested.It's always interesting to see what gets through each round after following the discussions in this thread, often the suggestions with the most positive comments don't get voted in, and vice versa.
Yes, even when voting opens and more comments appear it’s amazing how many prompts people rave about that then don’t get in.
Last year was the first year I participated in the list process and I found that once I actually started the challenge in January I ended up enjoying prompts that were not necessarily my first choice and wasn't so excited about the prompts I had been excited with during the voting.
That’s interesting Rachel. Did you have particular books in mind during the voting process? And if not, were you not finding the type of books you imagined once you started to try to fulfill the prompts?Edit - typo
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That happens to me too. One of the prompts I suggested in 2020 and which was voted in turned out to be harder than I expected (more than 2 people on the cover.) I didn't have any book in mind at the time, I was just trying to think of an original prompt. I rarely have a book in mind when I propose or vote for a prompt.
Unfortunately Robin I can’t say the same. I usually have book I want to read and am biased to them when I vote
I did have books in mind and then once the year started I found that I didn't actually want to read some of the books I had added to my TBR list. I am learning that I am really a mood reader this year.
@RachelG - this year I chose several that would fit the prompts (most of the time, sometimes just one), worrying that I wouldn't be able to choose when I got to a particular prompt. But then, like you, I got there and sometimes didn't feel like reading ANY of them... Oh well, planning is a place to start anyway. I think I'm a mood reader also, if I get the chance (not with my book club books, e.g.)
How about "A book you learned about because it was highly recommended on a reading related podcast"?My favorite is Currently Reading and their list of “Books We’ve Pressed into Reader’s Hands” (https://www.currentlyreadingpodcast.c...).
Any reading podcast could be the source. Some others I've listened to are:
From the Front Porch
Sarah's Bookshelves Live
He Read She Read
NPR Book of the Day
One Great Book
What Should I Read Next?
I'm sure there are many more.
I know it's another "source" prompt, maybe similar to the NPR list, or Goodreads Choice, or various award lists, but there are so many reading podcasts to use, and therefore also a variety of people putting these lists together — bound to be something you'd like to read from one of them.
I used to plan out my reads but I've learned that I almost NEVER actually read the books I chose. I don't even bother anymore lol
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My favorite is Currently Reading and their list of “Books We’ve Pressed into Reader’s Hands” (h..."
I think it would be better to give a little more leeway in this prompt. I never listen to podcasts but I do get newsletters from several sources and I get a book magazine where I get recommendations. The reason I don't listen to podcasts is because I'd rather listen to an audiobook. I never listen to the radio any more either, unless I am driving with someone who wants it on.
Tracy wrote: "How about "A book you learned about because it was highly recommended on a reading related podcast"?My favorite is Currently Reading and their list of “Books We’ve Pressed into Reader’s Hands” (h..."
Unfortunately I don't listen to podcasts, so I wouldn't vote for this unless the site has a list of books too? Then I would vote for it, I do tend to like lists.
Alicia wrote: "Yay I love list time!! Hey everyone!"Hi Alicia! :D Hope you and your baby are doing great and that this past year hasn't been too crazy for you!
I would not be keen on the podcast one because it requires you to know about podcasts. Or do some of these podcasts have a website that lists books they discuss?
On another note regarding the Nordic vs Scandinavia issue I know some countries are Nordic but not Scandinavian but are all Scandinavian countries Nordic?
Podcasts - this was my favourite for many years until they sadly stopped making it https://booksonthenightstand.com/ but there are still lots of listed titles and episodes if anyone needs inspiration :-)
Robin P wrote: "Tracy wrote: "How about "A book you learned about because it was highly recommended on a reading related podcast"?My favorite is Currently Reading and their list of “Books We’ve Pressed into Read..."
I would vote for something broader like "a book you learned about via another media source (other than Goodreads)", or a similar formulation. That way it would cover book blogs, news articles, podcasts, etc.
Great idea Kahlia :-) The leaves room for newspapers, blogs, podcasts etc :-)
I would automatically down vote a podcast as I don’t listen to any, so opening up would be better. Maybe a book that has been recommended to you , then that could come from any source.
Prompt idea - a multi-prompt author rabbit trail. For example:#1 A book by an author who is quoted on the cover of a book you read previously this year
#2 A book by an author who shares a commonality with the author from #1 (gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, residence, religion, etc.)
#3 A book by an author with the same first and/or last name as the author from #2
#4 Another book written by the author from #3
Thoughts? Opinions? Suggestions?
dalex wrote: "Prompt idea - a multi-prompt author rabbit trail. For example:#1 A book by an author who is quoted on the cover of a book you read previously this year
#2 A book by an author who shares a commona..."
I'm confused. Simplify it to two prompts. Like two books that share a commonality.
Have you done Mythology prompts? (Nordic (vikings, a character named Thor/Odin, a Marvel comic book, American Gods)
(Greek Mythology (could be Circe, Percy Jackson or the odyssey or featuring a character named Zeus, Athene, Apollo, )
Roman Mythology etc
dalex wrote: "Prompt idea - a multi-prompt author rabbit trail. For example:#1 A book by an author who is quoted on the cover of a book you read previously this year
#2 A book by an author who shares a commona..."
It would be fun to see the "chains" peole come up with.
Louise wrote: "Have you done Mythology prompts? (Nordic (vikings, a character named Thor/Odin, a Marvel comic book, American Gods)
(Greek Mythology (could be Circe, Percy Jackso..."
Prompt Number 30 This year
Louise wrote: "Have you done Mythology prompts? (Nordic (vikings, a character named Thor/Odin, a Marvel comic book, American Gods)
(Greek Mythology (could be Circe, Percy Jackso..."
We have A book related to mythology this year!
I too would downvote a podcast as I vastly prefer to use my listening time on audiobooks.
Two books that share a commonality is too broad, IMO. I like dalex's rabbit trail idea but I fear the voters wouldn't get it. Maybe #3 though, two authors who share a name, first or last? For a multi-week.
I like the chain but not keen on the beginning
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#1 A book by an author who is quoted on the cover of a book you read previously this year
#2 A book by an author who shares a commona..."
In general, I like the idea but the cover of the book is a problem if people use a lot of ebooks or audiobooks, they don't have the blurbs. Also only certain types of books get author blurbs on the cover.
Very true Robin it also limited to modern authors
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I'd prefer World's Fair setting over Olympics just because I feel the Olympics turns up on challenge lists more often.