[2023] Poll 4 Results - MULTIWEEK

[Shannon SA]

dalex wrote: "Pearl wrote: "Before we add more books to the listopias, can we get agreement to clarify this prompt: "A book that is dark and a book that is light." It was not presented as a title prompt."

The p..."

Agreed, it could be theme, a word in the title, colour of cover, genre, etc

Edit: was thinking, the two books don't even have to be linked, do they? Could be for example one book with a dark cover and one book that is light in weight?

[LeahS]

I always understood that (barring competitive challenges) the prompts are open to interpretation as the reader wishes. Personally, I've been doing the challenge for five years, and, unless I'm really stuck, I don't read the section on a particular prompt until I've finished my choice of book, to see how others have interpreted it. I'm sure others do the same, or don't read the discussions at all. Obviously more people do the challenge than participate in the discussions.

I would not interpret the light/dark prompt as being about title, but I can see how you could fulfill the prompt by reading something like All the Light We Cannot See as a dark book with a 'light' title and say A Shot in the Dark as a light book with a 'dark' title.

[°~Amy~°]

dalex wrote: "Pearl wrote: "Before we add more books to the listopias, can we get agreement to clarify this prompt: "A book that is dark and a book that is light." It was not presented as a title prompt."

The p..."

I agree. If someone wants to read All the Light We Cannot See as a DARK book based on theme and someone else wants to read the same book for LIGHT based on Title, so be it. It's up to each individual to interpret the prompt as they see fit. I'm not sure how I will go about it at the moment myself.

[°~Amy~°]

Maybe we don't need a listopia for THIS century since the majority of books are set in the modern day. Maybe only the past and future centuries need to be listed?

[Jillian]

There is nothing that excludes anyone from using titles for dark/light. I personally, think there are more interesting options.

[Sherri]

To add to the discussion on the light/dark prompt I’m viewing this as an opposites
Prompt. Light/dark are opposites.

[Barbara]

Kelly Sj wrote: "Definitely linking the centuries one with a theme - maybe by location (three centuries in one country or city), or something medical (historical fiction involving surgeons, midwives, etc.), or empi..."

I love this idea!

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Thanks for the suggestions, y'all! I'll be back at my computer this afternoon so I'll work on getting those century listopias created. I do think we need to emphasize "setting" for the century prompts, as GR already provides a "best of xx century" list, but that's when it was written, not when it was set.

For example, I'm reading The Age of Innocence, which was written in 1922 but was set in the late 1800s.

[Nadine in NY]

Pearl wrote: "Before we add more books to the listopias, can we get agreement to clarify this prompt: "A book that is dark and a book that is light." It was not presented as a title prompt. It was discussed in t..."



I thought the idea was introduced as open to reader interpretation, so "a book that is light" could be a short book (light in weight), a light-hearted topic, a light-colored cover, a cover with a light source on it, a book about lights/stars/sun, a fun and light genre, a book with "light" in title, or something else. Similarly (or should I say conversely), "a book that is dark" could be a book with a dark subject (eg: "grimdark"), a book with a dark cover, a book with "dark" in the title, a book about nighttime or dark things, or something else. I think this open-ended style appealed to a lot of voters.

[Nancy]

I think for light and dark I'm not going to go solely by title, but if the title has the word, so be it. E.g. for light I penciled in The Lamplighters, which both has the word in the title and is about light.

For centuries I'm planning on 19th, 18th, and TBD. If I do 20th it will be early 20th. I haven't decided if the 3 books will be linked yet.

[°~Amy~°]

I generally read books before deciding what prompt to slot them into so I probably won't have a link between the century prompts. It's a great idea for the pre-planners though!

[NancyJ]

Regarding the Light/Dark prompt
Rachel G Suggested the prompt. This is what she said:
"I was trying to think of a opposites prompt that would be fairly open to interpretation when I thought of light and dark. I tend to read mysteries so for light I might read a cozy mystery and for dark read a thriller which are different tones for books. But it could also be covers where one is light color and the other dark color. Maybe good versus evil or humor and drama."

So, a light book has a light or cozy tone, genre or topics, a focus on good (not evil), or humor, or light color.

Nadine, I also interpreted Light as a light hearted topic or genre, about sunny things, and Emily also mentioned light, easy, rom-com when she created the listopia. The good v evil idea definitely influenced me when picking books.

I think the discussion you're remembering about light source, covers and titles was for a different prompt - Sun, Moon Stars on cover, including those words on the cover. Light source was last year, and this year we have a cover and title prompt for Sun, Moon, Stars.

[Ellie]

Any plans I have to link prompts goes out the window when I read a book that doesn't fit anything else, and in the open wide multiweek prompt it goes. This year's three continents prompt currently has a random review book in the first slot and I'm left wondering if I can be bothered trying to find a link for the two others.

[Nadine in NY]

NancyJ wrote: "Regarding the Light/Dark prompt
Rachel G Suggested the prompt. This is what she said:

"I was trying to think of a opposites prompt that would be fairly open to interpretation when I thought of li..."



yes, the light source and sun/stars part wasn't part of the "light/dark" discussion, but I think if anyone wants a reprise of those topics, it would fit nicely in "a book that is light"

I'm tentatively planning to read a cozy mystery and a noir mystery for this one, and if I can find books with light and dark covers also, that's a bonus. (I'm looking at Eileen & The Serpent on the Crown which sort of fit) But, as Ellie says, plans tend to go right out the window :-)

[Shelley]

I think it was last year that we had the past, present, and future prompt and I connected them through FBI mysteries. I think I'm going to do that again, although I don't have it quite as clean in my TBR list with the FBI connection.

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

The rule of thumb in ATY is "If you say it fits, it fits". Some of the options for light/dark could be considered BIO or KIS, if you want to look at it that way. There's lots of scope with that one and the centuries one for you to add extra parameters if you want to, such as the books having similar themes, locations, characters, etc.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Added the listopias for each century to the first post in this thread!

[Tracy]

Thanks Emily!

[Dubhease]

Emily wrote: "Added the listopias for each century to the first post in this thread!"

I have been trying to add to the listopias. I'm finding 21st century hard. Writers are clever and there are a ton of books published since 2000 where it's hard to pinpoint the year or which side of the millennium they are set in.

[Nancy]

I would really love to see more recently published books on the pre-19th and 19th century lists. Most of what's there is classics. I know there are more than the ones I've added!

[Alicia]

Oh I actually have lots for the 1700s and 1800s and a handful for some before that. I'll add later tonight! I need to catch up on the listopias anyways.

[Alicia]

Ok I added 37 to 1800s and 18 to pre-1800s

[Nancy]

Yay! Some great ones too. Now I'm leaning toward non-fiction - the book on Catherine the Great and the one about Jack the Ripper are both on my TBR. I could do one on the Troubles in Ireland for 20th century.

[dalex]

Nancy wrote: "I would really love to see more recently published books on the pre-19th and 19th century lists. Most of what's there is classics. I know there are more than the ones I've added!"

I just added 20 to the 19th century lists.

BCE through the 1700s is such an enormous time span that I'm not even sure where to start adding books. I could probably add hundreds!

[Alicia]

I love the Catherine the great book! Robert k Massie is one of my favorite authors. His book on the last Romanovs is exceptional too. You can use that for 20th century.


For a book on The Troubles, my favorite two are:
and

Secret history is more detailed and Say Nothing reads more like a fiction, but I feel like Say Nothing was a bit biased for one side. To me, both sides were wrong throughout varying parts of history

[Nancy]

Did you watch The Great on Hulu? I loved it!

[Alicia]

Yes, it’s so funny! A very loose interpretation because the king is one of the best characters in the show, but I love that too.

I edited my post above for some other 20th century recs

[Pam]

I’ll add some books to the centuries listopia this weekend. My feeling right now is that I will use all 3 options for non-fiction.

[Alicia]

Random question but can people see My troubles books in my last post? Mobile is only showing me nicholas and Alexandra.

I sometimes want to work for Goodreads just so I can fix the things that annoy me then leave. Is there a book about that dream job?

[Jillian]

Alicia wrote: "Random question but can people see My troubles books in my last post? Mobile is only showing me nicholas and Alexandra.

I sometimes want to work for Goodreads just so I can fix the things that an..."

I can see them using the web browser on my phone but not through the app.

[Bec]

Alicia wrote: "Random question but can people see My troubles books in my last post? Mobile is only showing me nicholas and Alexandra.

I sometimes want to work for Goodreads just so I can fix the things that an..."

I can see them on my laptop....haven't looked on the app.

[Nadine in NY]

Alicia wrote: "Random question but can people see My troubles books in my last post? Mobile is only showing me nicholas and Alexandra.

I sometimes want to work for Goodreads just so I can fix the things that an..."



yeah it's there. The app doesn't like to display full messages and it especially doesn't like to display cover images (or any images at all). I really hope GR fixes the app someday.

[Ellie]

I think they are rewriting Goodreads but I guess the groups will be low down on their priorities. I just wasted ages trying to work out why my Popsugar challenge was missing a book and somehow Goodreads had added 3 different editions that I'd supposedly read and of course the one I'd shelved was the one it couldn't detect. 🙄

[Nadine in NY]

Ellie wrote: "I think they are rewriting Goodreads but I guess the groups will be low down on their priorities. I just wasted ages trying to work out why my Popsugar challenge was missing a book and somehow Good..."



UGH the different editions!! It's gotten REALLY annoying because GR keeps reshuffling the editions (mostly to push the Kindle editions to the top - so, thanks for nothing, Amazon) so the one I originally clicked as "want to read" is no longer the "default" edition, and then I end up with multiple editions on my shelf. Even more annoying, when I'm browsing and decide to add a book to another shelf to maybe remind myself to read it soon or add info on the genre or to specify the era it's set in or whatever, Goodreads says "oh! I see you do not have this default edition shelved, and yet you just tried to shelve it! Clearly you meant you have READ this book! There you go! I have helpfully added this edition to your READ books!!" Is it really so hard for a computer program to check and see if I have an edition already shelved and then use that one??? IF (book is already shelved, use that one), ELSE (use default edition). THERE! I programmed it in! FIX IT, GOODREADS!!!


I go visit my Duplicates weekly to clean that mess up because I hate it.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

The worst is them forcing you to add giveaways to your want to read, but if it's a different edition than what you've already shelved, they make you reshelve it.

Like... I got an email saying a book I want to read is on a giveaway. Clearly they know I want to read that book! But then I'm forced to shelve the specific edition that's being given away... ugh.

[Nadine in NY]

Emily wrote: "The worst is them forcing you to add giveaways to your want to read, but if it's a different edition than what you've already shelved, they make you reshelve it.

Like... I got an email saying a bo..."



Yes!! I don't mind them wanting us to put giveaways on our want-to-read shelf, because I understand that giveaways are a marketing effort and activity on GR gains interest, but if I already have it shelved, please consider it SHELVED and stop adding a new edition to my shelves!

When I add a bunch of giveaways, I immediately go to my duplicates and clean it up.

[Alicia]

Is there a specific section where I can see all duplicates? Or do you just mindlessly scroll like I do to delete them where you can?

[Nadine in NY]

Alicia wrote: "Is there a specific section where I can see all duplicates? Or do you just mindlessly scroll like I do to delete them where you can?"


I don't know if you can get to it on the app, but in browser version, go to My Books then scroll down and you'll see "Find Duplicates" as an option in the left margin under Tools.

[Rosemary]

Nadine in NY wrote: "I go visit my Duplicates weekly"

What Alicia said! What does this mean? is there a simple way to do this?

*hopping about in excitement*

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

omg I've just been scrolling through and deleting duplicates that way!! Ahhhhh Nadine you're the best.

[Trish, Annular Mod]

Nadine in NY wrote: "I go visit my Duplicates weekly to clean that mess up because I hate it."

The editions thing bugs the heck out of me, too, so I'm another frequent visitor to Duplicates clean-up.

Last I heard, giveaways were only available in the US and Canada, unless it's changed recently.

[Alicia]

Nadine!! You have just become my favorite Nadine EVER!! Not just favorite Nadine from NY!

[Nancy]

I found the My Books > Duplicates thing a while ago and yes I go in there frequently and clean them up. I too HATE that it duplicates giveaways for all the reasons everyone said. I also hate that I can't add a book to a shelf without it marking it as Read. Alicia I'm with you on wanting to work there to clean up the bugs - they have hired QA on occasion but I'm not moving to San Francisco!

Also - Say Nothing is the book on the Troubles that's on my to-read shelf, I'll look into the other one as well. I have always loved books about Ireland but haven't read much, if any, non-fiction.

[Nadine in NY]

Alicia wrote: "Nadine!! You have just become my favorite Nadine EVER!! Not just favorite Nadine from NY!"


Emily wrote: "omg I've just been scrolling through and deleting duplicates that way!! Ahhhhh Nadine you're the best."




LOL! I'm glad it helped :-)

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

Dubhease wrote: "Emily wrote: "Added the listopias for each century to the first post in this thread!"

I have been trying to add to the listopias. I'm finding 21st century hard. Writers are clever and there are a ..."

I don't think we need to work much on 21st century lists or even 20th century. There are just too many and everyone can find some easily. I would go by the publication date in GR, if in doubt about the exact year a book came out around 2000.

[Ellie]

Robin P wrote: "I would go by the publication date in GR, if in doubt about the exact year a book came out around 2000..."

Publication date isn't much use for knowing when the book is set though. Lots of so-called contemporary novels are being set in the late 20th century to avoid having to deal with social media or smartphones.

[Joy D]

So glad to see I have company in hating that GR adds books to my list when I enter a giveaway. Deleting dups is a pain. I enter many less giveaways than I used to for this very reason.