Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
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[2023] Wild Discussion
Yes there will always be different interpretations. The only thing for me is I tend to avoid “ it was all a dream” theories just makes the read feel pointless
Planning is half the fun! Plus it helps me remember all these great books I want to read, even if I decide to read something else later (and I absolutely will).
Have been pondering if it would be ethical for me to read my own book (the one I wrote and self-published) for one of the prompts
Sunny wrote: "Have been pondering if it would be ethical for me to read my own book (the one I wrote and self-published) for one of the prompts"If you include rereads in your challenge reading, I don't see why not.
Now I am curious about your book and which prompt it fits! Please tell.
Lindsay wrote: "I’ve planned a lot of my reading for next year but I know I’ll probably change my mind before January. I’ve enjoyed planning it anyway."Exactly! I already have multiple books listed for every ATY prompt voted in for 2023. But if previous years are any indication, I may NEVER read some of those books! :)
For me, the "spirit of the prompt" means a book that feels like it fits the OP's intent with their suggestion (or at least as best as I understand it). That's why I struggle with a lot of "related to" prompts because unless I can see a clear and direct connection, it doesn't feel "related enough" to fit for me. I suspect part of the reason so many prompts may have felt vague this year is because in general, we want to make sure there is enough options that people can comfortably find something that interests them, and that naturally seems to lead to prompts that are more broad. This is *not* a bad thing by any means, but it can sometimes make it a little harder to know what the OP intended.
I’m the same as Rachel. I’m a very literal person and am always amazed by everyone’s creativity. An example is this year’s prompt of related to glass. I saw others interpret it to mean all these wonderful things and the best I could stretch was a glass vial.
Gail wrote: "Just an FYI - for reference for anyone that wants to add to and/or use the Banned/Challenged book list I created, I have changed it to be any book banned/challenged "around the world" [Thanks Lynn!..."Are you going to suggest it as a prompt if we have another poll? I know some people didn't like it in the past, but it's different now.
"First Contact" was suggested last year, and I made a shelf with 8 books. My interpretation is that it fits a book about the first contact of white man (woman) and an indigenous tribe. (I would read Euphoria, about Margaret Mead). Do you all think this fits "the spirit of the prompt?" If it wins, I wouldn't want to put something on the listopia that might lead others astray. Please don't hold it against the prompt if you disagree with someone's interpretation.
If we need another poll, I'd like to come up with a new(ish) prompt idea. These topics were mentioned in the Wild Discussion. Which, if any of these, would you support? Plan to submit?
Nonfiction (all types including narrative non-fiction, biography, memoir)
Migration - Migration, refugees, immigration. It's a world crisis.
Books shelved as Science Fiction or Speculative Fiction.
Science Fiction and Fantasy (I took off the gender restriction)
War and Peace - (not Tolstoy)
Time Travel
Historical Fiction
If no one has any interest in these, I would resubmit journalism.
Judy wrote: "If we need another poll, I'd like to come up with a new(ish) prompt idea. These topics were mentioned in the Wild Discussion. Which, if any of these, would you support? Plan to submit?
Nonfictio..."
I would upvote
Non-fiction
War and Peace (not Tolstoy)
Historical Fiction
I would downvote
Journalism
Neutral on the others
I'll echo everyone else about interpreting the prompt the way you want! I like to police myself because it makes me feel better when I feel like I didn't have to stretch a prompt, but I see people use books for prompts that I don't think they fit all the time and have never once thought it was weird or wrong - your challenge, your rules!
@Judy - my favorites of those you suggested are:Nonfiction
Speculative (not fantasy)
Time travel
I would be happy with any of them except science fiction/time travel.
Judy- all good but if Asian disopora were selected this time I would be less keen on migration
Judy wrote: "If we need another poll, I'd like to come up with a new(ish) prompt idea. These topics were mentioned in the Wild Discussion. Which, if any of these, would you support? Plan to submit?
Nonfictio..."
Of those I like the non fiction and migration prompts most.
Non fiction is really really broad though. It’s a freebie for me.
For the migration though, I’d read a book about wildlife migration, of which I have several on my tbr, although you probably aren’t thinking of that kind of migration.
I really like the journalism prompt, because it’s the most different from my usual reads.
Edit: i reread what I wrote and find it interesting that in one case, I prefer one prompt because it’s a freebie, and another because it pushes me out of my usual reads.
Lailah wrote: "Sunny wrote: "Have been pondering if it would be ethical for me to read my own book (the one I wrote and self-published) for one of the prompts"If you include rereads in your challenge reading, I..."
I use rereads for prompts when it's something I haven't read in awhile or if it's something I read annually. I try, though, to do the majority of things as new reads. I haven't read my book in a few years and thought it would be fun to read it for a challenge prompt this year.
It would work for :
a book set in the 21st century
An unusual or surprising title
And since there's only a person's foot on the cover I suppose you could stretch it for : faceless person on the cover =D
Robin P wrote: "I would say , “There’s is no spirit of the prompt “ Just like an author who puts a book into the world, readers may interpret it differently, and nobody can say they are wrong. Especially in this ..."
Agreed!
Judy wrote: "If we need another poll, I'd like to come up with a new(ish) prompt idea. These topics were mentioned in the Wild Discussion. Which, if any of these, would you support? Plan to submit?
Nonfictio..."
Nonfiction - I'm not sure I'd upvote, would probably be neutral
Migration - I'm not sure what I'd read. If someone proses this, you'd need to give people lots of ideas.
Science Fiction, Fantasy, Speculative Fiction - I'd downvote SF because I don't read it. I'd upvote fantasy or a combo of SFF. I still don't understand speculative fiction.
Time Travel - Isn't this just a restrictive form of SF?
Historical Fiction - That would be a downvote from me.
Dubhease wrote: "Time Travel - Isn't this just a restrictive form of SF?"I think it depends on the means of travel and genre. Steins;Gate would be sci-fi time travel by machine and scientific means.
There are non-machine versions that take place in fantasy and romance, which could be a portal or magic or object or some other supernatural means.
A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong is a murder mystery with soul transference time travel, which is more paranormal than sci-fi imo.
IMO time travel can be sci fi or fantasy depedning on how it's done
Another round of discussions is ready on the KIS/BIO board! Up next is:36. A book with an unusually large version of an animal in the story
Baseline: can be a very large version of an everyday animal (Great Dane, Maine Coon Cat, etc) or a fictionally giant creature (Clifford the Big Red Dog, King Kong, etc)
37. A book from the NPR “Books We Love” lists
Baseline: “is meant to be for any year of the NPR list (going back to 2013)”
38. A book whose author has published more than 7 books
Baseline: greater than 7 (2+0+2+3) books
39. A book related to the arts
Baseline: No explanation given
40. A book with a con, deception, or fake
Baseline: Con Artists & Hustlers, Books about scams or that were themselves scams, fraud & theft, fake news, fake dating, etc
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Thomas wrote: "IMO time travel can be sci fi or fantasy depedning on how it's done"I love the idea that the trope of entering a fantasy world through a portal (like Narnia) counts for time traveling. It would be a KIS, should this prompt get in.
Dubhease wrote: "Thomas wrote: "IMO time travel can be sci fi or fantasy depedning on how it's done"I love the idea that the trope of entering a fantasy world through a portal (like Narnia) counts for time travel..."
that's a possibiltiy as well. For me if thecharcter time travels through worm holes or time machines, basically anything that could be discussed in scientific firms I would consider it sci fi but if the charcter is sjut in the past with no explnation I would say its essentially magic and therefore fantasy
Dubhease wrote: "I love the idea that the trope of entering a fantasy world through a portal (like Narnia) counts for time travel..."Imo that's portal fantasy, not time travel. Now if they go through a portal and they're in the same place but in a different time period that would be time travel.
I think time travel can also be magical realism, if someone is sent backwards/forwards in time within the normal (non-fantasy) world, without the use of technology. Such as In Five Years and maybe Before the Coffee Gets Cold. And I agree with Thomas that time travel can also be fantasy, such as the time turner in Harry Potter.
The dreaded death by semantics. OK, let's say time travel can use any form at all, including machine, portals, wormholes, or magical objects. Do you like it?
A time travel book involving any method of time travel or manipulation.
Pros: This is a specific topic (not too broad), that spans multiple genres. Fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, historical fiction. It doesn't share the mental block that science fiction triggers in some people.
Cons: Not as broad as sci-fi or fantasy.
Science-fiction-fantasy
Pros: Covers soft and hard forms of science fiction, fantasy, magical realism. From heavy science, to the lightest magic. Many people like it, but it's not on the list. Very broad.
Cons: Very Broad
Alternative:
Read a sub-genre of science-science-fantasy
(Boundaries: The sub-genre should be acknowledged on at least one website, book, or magazine associated with science fiction or fantasy.)
Pros: It's still broad, but not mindless. It's fun to explore and discover new topics/books.
Cons: Requires some exploration, and decision making. Some books might not fit in a sub-genre.
I’d be open to a time travel book. I almost want another poll now so we can have this one.
I think it comes down to people interpreting time travel however they want. I’d probably downvote it, only because outside of Harry Potter with time turners and port keys (which may or may not be officially time travel) I’ve never enjoyed a book that had that aspect. I just have to many questions and issues re: butterfly effect.
Mod
(This a good example of when the Wild Discussion overcomplicates a prompt lol)
That being said, I like "A science fiction or fantasy novel" the most because I rarely read time travel books and I think a broader genre prompt has a better chance of getting in. I'm not a fan of the sub-genre prompt as... pretty much any book that fits as sci-fi or fantasy would also fit into one of the sub-genres so it's basically the same thing as just having the broader genre out there (in my opinion!)
Emily- I think the point is it was suggested alongside sci fi which led to the suggestion that it was the same prompt twice. Leading those of us who don’t see it that way to say “we’ll actually”
Emily wrote: "Maybe I missed some of the conversation, but why can't it just be "A time travel book"? You don't really need to put "involving any method of time travel or manipulation" since those words aren't l..."Thanks Emily. The simple wording should work.
The other options I was considering were Non-fiction, historical fiction, and migration/immigration. These are all topics that I don't think are well represented on the list so far.
Some of the cover/title prompts might fit some of these genres in ways I don't recognize. Has anyone noticed cover-genre commonalities?
Regarding SFF subgenres, it would be more limiting because they don't all fit neatly in named subgenres. The broader prompt is a lot easier, and would fit any of the new books in SFF.
Mod
Judy wrote: "The dreaded death by semantics. OK, let's say time travel can use any form at all, including machine, portals, wormholes, or magical objects. Do you like it?
A time travel book involving any meth..."
Judy, I don't think you need to add any descriptor, since it seems like most of us already view time travel as something that can occur across different genres. I think only one person asked if it was a restrictive form of SF and everyone else was saying that it's not limited to just SF.
Edit: Basically what Emily said! Lol
Maybe include timeslip novels for those that are completely opposed to time travel and/or sci-fi?(Timeslip novels are those that tell stories in two (or more) distinct time periods, usually past and present, and in the end the plot lines all converge.)
Judy wrote: "The other options I was considering were Non-fiction, historical fiction, and migration/immigration. These are all topics that I don't think are well represented on the list so far. Some of the cover/title prompts might fit some of these genres in ways I don't recognize."Unless a prompt is genre specific, a prompt can work for almost any genre, imo.
We do have the 3 centuries prompt, which can be all historical fiction books if someone wants them to be.
Migration/immigration is a theme, not a genre, and there are multiple prompts that are open enough that you could read a book about this topic without needing a prompt that explicitly says so.
if we don't have another poll I hope someone remmebers time slip/ time travel for next year
Alicia wrote: "I think it comes down to people interpreting time travel however they want. I’d probably downvote it, only because outside of Harry Potter with time turners and port keys (which may or may not be..."
Alicia, have you read Kindred by Octavia Butler? One of my favorite books and the time travel is involuntary (no cute devices involved) and in service of a powerful story.
In the historical fiction genre, the majority of Susanna Kearsley books involve either the time slip form or straight up time travel, like Mariana and The Rose Garden. For whatever reason I find it so much more palatable to read historical fiction when there is also an anchor in the present.
well voting is over. Sevral prompts I still haven't picked so got to get thinking.
If Emily is reading this - I absolutely love where you've chosen to place all the prompts.I love the one inspired by MLK close to his birthday. I love the two spookiest prompts in October. I love the lists (NPR and ATY best of the month) near the end so that there is more choice.
Chef's kiss to you. (And any other mods who helped.)
Mod
That being said, the final list is posted! We will be archiving this thread (and the rest of the folder) in the next couple of days, so feel free to carry on any discussions in our Book Discussions thread.
You can find the final list here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
And the Book Discussions here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Emily- before you archive the thread thank you for all your work
Emily, just saw your "plans" name for next year — LOVE it!I am also inspired by how you set up all your tracking. A lot of info, but all in one place. I have a lot of mine in spreadsheets, but I may borrow some of your ideas of additional info to track.
Mod
Am I the only one that already has a loose plan? I pick books as we go. A few prompts are still open but I have options slotted in already for most of them.In the past I've been one to make a plan and then not stick with it, but I read in order this year and that made me pretty much read what I had planned. There were a few changes of course but for the most part, I stuck to the plan.
Nancy- I’ve already started reading for my challenge, I will make sure I finish by a corresponding date in 2023 so it’s still a year
Since I haven't finished this year yet (not only reading in order, but doing my best to read during the related week) I won't be starting 2023 any time soon!
I'm not really a planner - in fact, I only this week planned out the remaining prompts for this year's challenge, now that I'm down to the harder prompts - so I won't be looking much at the 2023 list yet, but I have to say that I'm getting secondhand excitement watching you all do it!
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Around the Year in 52 Books
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Authors mentioned in this topic
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Just like an author who puts a book into the world, readers may interpret it differently, and nobody can say they are wrong. Especially in this group! There are some challenges that are moderated to approve members’ selections, but that’s not us.