[2023] Poll 5 Results

[Marta]

Pamela wrote: "I'm shocked at the reaction to the recipe word- it's pretty much the food prompt with additional verbs added"

That’s how I interpreted it, too. I primarily thought of common baking ingredients and terms, like eggs, flour, sugar, mix, cook, bake, etc.

[Rachel]

MJ wrote: "This is already a record year in terms of my upvotes getting in. I’ve been really frustrated the last few years because I felt I was always voting against the current!

I upvoted the recipe prompt..."

I thought I was relatively in sync with the group this year, but I just checked my list where I keep track of my votes each week, and I've literally had one of my bottom votes make the list in all but one of the polls so far (except the pre-poll). However, I've also had at least one top vote make the list every week too, except for multi-week.

I'm happy recipe word made it through. 5 W's was very narrowly not in my top votes, so I'm fine with it. But I'm really not happy about UNESCO making it through, and I'm actually surprised that it did. I really don't enjoy picking books by geography, and was especially not into this list. I'm sure I can find something, but there were so many other prompts that I wanted a lot more.

[dalex]

Joy D wrote: "Is "all" a cooking term? I am mystified by some of these listopia books (e.g., All the Light We Cannot See, All That I Am). I'll have to find one of my own using a term that I associate with cooking..."

The prompt is not "an ingredient" or "a word associated with cooking." It's "A title that contains a word often found in a recipe," which is basically ... everything.

It's words like all, before, after, under, over.

It's pretty much all numbers and colors.

It's cities and places (New York Style Cheesecake).

It's words like excellent (Mom's Excellent Meatloaf) and best (World's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies) and death (Death by Chocolate Cake) and marry (Marry Me Chicken).

I really don't understand why people love this prompt and upvoted it because it's so ridiculously broad it's basically a prompt that says "read a book."

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

I was a bit confused about the listopia books added but I figured that I would leave them all on there and people can decide for themselves if they would accept words like "all" and "again". Doesn't feel like it's in the spirit of the prompt to me, but to each their own challenge.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

NOTE FROM THE MODS: We've decided to add the word "word" into the W questions prompt to make it better align with the spirit of the prompt. You should see it changed everywhere (but if you catch it somewhere that it's not, please let me know)

[Perri]

That's a nice group of prompts. I didn't vote for the UNESCO cites, but it'll be a fun hunt.

[Nadine in NY]

dalex wrote: "Joy D wrote: "Is "all" a cooking term? I am mystified by some of these listopia books (e.g., All the Light We Cannot See, All That I Am). I'll have to find one of my own using a term that I associa..."


you are looking at it so differently than I am. For me, the prompt means a word that is associated with a recipe, not ANY word that could be found in a recipe. So, words like "stir" and "mix" and "bake" would be on my list, but words like "next" and "the" and "put" would not. I can see why you were complaining that it's just too broad. For me, it's not too broad, it's fun and just specific enough.

[Rachel]

I guess the way I'm interpreting the recipe prompt is a bit different. If I see the word and it immediately strikes me "that's a cooking/food word", then I'll probably use it. If it's more of a general word (all, place names, etc.) that has a less direct connection to cooking, then I probably wouldn't.

For the 5 W's, it never even occurred to me that the title would have to be structured as a question, so it confused me completely when others were asking about that. I've very often seen "5 W questions" with that exact wording on teaching materials, etc. so it was always clear to me.

[Nancy]

Nadine in NY wrote: "you are looking at it so differently than I am. For me, the prompt means a word that is associated with a recipe, not ANY word that could be found in a recipe. So, words like "stir" and "mix" and "bake" would be on my list, but words like "next" and "the" and "put" would not. I can see why you were complaining that it's just too broad. For me, it's not too broad, it's fun and just specific enough."

This is exactly my take on the prompt. I see it very different from this year's prompt related to food or drink. In that case the book itself should be about a food or a drink. If you want to KIS you can use a title. But a recipe word in the title definitely means a food-related word found in the title, IMO.

[Rachel]

Sorry to double-post, but in general I think it would be a great help if more of us (myself included) utilized the option to specify why we added a book to a listopia more often, especially if the connection to the prompt is a little more vague.

I'm not trying to force anyone to do it, I've just been finding it hard to understand why certain books were added (ie. Ask Again, Yes on the recipe word list). It would be great if Goodreads allowed those comments to be visible all the time without having to click on an extra option, but I guess that's asking too much of them.

[Nadine in NY]

Rachel wrote: "Sorry to double-post, but in general I think it would be a great help if more of us (myself included) utilized the option to specify why we added a book to a listopia more often, especially if the ..."




I was careful to add that info on the UNESCO listopia, but completely forgot to do it on the recipe list. I'll go back and edit it now.

[NancyJ]

I'm very disappointed by the two in the bottom. I'm sorry that hope and hope-punk didn't make it, but I'm particularly shocked to see thought-provoking/eye-opening at the bottom. The bottom? I would like all the books I read to be thought-provoking, so I feel like maybe I just don't belong here at all.

Re W, there were two listopias provided, and few or none had question marks at the end. It sounds like everyone who voted for it interpreted it as a title with one of those 5 words.

I'm pleasantly surprised that the UNESCO prompt made it.

[NancyJ]

dalex wrote: "Joy D wrote: "Is "all" a cooking term? I am mystified by some of these listopia books (e.g., All the Light We Cannot See, All That I Am). I'll have to find one of my own using a term that I associa..."

People seem confused by a lot of terms, but there is no lack of imagination when it comes to interpreting title prompts. I don't know how the originator of the recipe prompt feels about it, but the listopia is way over the top.

[Elizabeth]

I'll admit I didn't really understand what hopepunk was and didn't bother to look into it and I wish I had because it's a genre I read a lot, so whoops.

[Jillian]

NancyJ wrote: "I'm very disappointed by the two in the bottom. I'm sorry that hope and hope-punk didn't make it, but I'm particularly shocked to see thought-provoking/eye-opening at the bottom. The bottom? I woul..."

You definitely belong.

I don’t care for prompts that feel like an assignment or that I feel pressure to read something to be a better person. Not to say that was your intention but it was my interpretation of the prompt.

[Joy D]

I did not vote for the recipe prompt, so I was looking at the listopia to get ideas. I was not complaining, just wondering why some of the books were added to the list. Personally, I'll be using terms like "bake, broil, fold, stir" not "all" and "again."

[Kahlia]

I'm very disappointed by the two in the bottom. I'm sorry that hope and hope-punk didn't make it, but I'm particularly shocked to see thought-provoking/eye-opening at the bottom. The bottom? I would like all the books I read to be thought-provoking, so I feel like maybe I just don't belong here at all.

I think thought-provoking is just one of those vague words that people don't really know how to interpret, so it being in the bottom isn't really a sign that people don't want to read books that give them that feeling more generally. Are we looking for books that teach us something new? Or that make us think about something differently? Every book does that for me (even light-hearted romances often leave me thinking about certain types of character dynamics etc), so it didn't really work for me as a prompt... but it certainly doesn't mean I don't want to read thought-provoking books.

[Steve]

As the nominator of the recipe prompt, I'll say this: everyone is welcome to interpret it however they wish as with every prompt in the ATY challenge... but the spirit with which it was nominated was definitely to go with words like bake, stir, saute, etc. or common spices and such, and not very broad words like "again" or "all."

[°~Amy~°]

Unesco is going to be hard for me since so many of the books I read each year aren't even set on earth, never mind in a specific city

As for the recipe prompt, from the way the conversation in the voting thread was headed, I was afraid that the listopia was going to turn into a huge mess. It certainly has. For me, only measurement words (not numbers), food words and specific actions like mix, bake, knead, etc should count. Anything else is a KIS option that doesn't belong on the listopia.

[Steve]

°~Amy~° wrote: "As for the recipe prompt, from the way the conversation in the voting thread was headed, I was afraid that the listopia was going to turn into a huge mess. It certainly has. For me, only measurement words (not numbers), food words and specific actions like mix, bake, knead, etc should count. Anything else is a KIS option that doesn't belong on the listopia.."

Yup, that's the spirit in which the prompt was intended!

[Joy D]

Rachel wrote: " I think it would be a great help if more of us (myself included) utilized the option to specify why we added a book to a listopia more often, especially if the connection to the prompt is a little more vague. ..."

Good idea. I hope we can encourage people to do this - now that I know how, I certainly will.

[NancyJ]

Emily wrote: "I feel like some version of hope gets submitted every year (up-lit, etc.) and every year it crashes and burns. Maybe we just love misery?

I was also surprised by how few "who what when where why" ..."

The funny thing is - most of the hopeful books ARE largely about misery (at least at the beginning). Many are dystopian in some way or involve grief. Also this got a lot of positive feedback early on, and many of the books on the hope/hopeful lists are on the ATY best books of the month lists. Most of the hopepunk books are dystopian too.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
Station Eleven
Dear Edward
The Martian
Migrations
They both die at the end
The House in the Cerulean Sea

I feel like I've been spinning my wheels for nothing, posting links so that people can see what kinds of books fit a prompt. I don't think anyone bothers to look at them.

[Kathy]

Joy D wrote: "I did not vote for the recipe prompt, so I was looking at the listopia to get ideas. I was not complaining, just wondering why some of the books were added to the list. Personally, I'll be using te..."

Me too, Joy. Exactly that type of word - fry, set, knead, bake, broil

[Rachel]

°~Amy~° wrote: "Unesco is going to be hard for me since so many of the books I read each year aren't even set on earth, never mind in a specific city

As for the recipe prompt, from the way the conversation in the..."

That's exactly how I interpreted it too, and although it certainly can include other words, I guess I just don't see a strong need for it to be stretched to more general words like "all" or "again" unless someone is really stuck for options. Of course, everyone can interpret it however they want, but it just seems like an intentional stretch of the prompt to include words that are less recipe-specific, at least to me.

[dalex]

If the recipe prompt was meant to mean what some of you think it means it should be worded "a title that contains a food ingredient or cooking term" or "a title that contains a word associated with cooking."

It's a badly worded prompt, imo. I read a lot of recipes and they absolutely contain words like all, again, before, after, colors, numbers, etc. They are words that appear in recipes.

[Nancy]

I will admit I don't look at every link posted for every prompt suggested. I just don't have that kind of free time to look through tons and tons of sites. I did look at suggestions for some of the ones I ended up not voting for and none of them appealed to me, or I've already read them, which actually applies to the list you just posted for hope, NancyJ. I've read every single one of those books except the last one.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

The listopia will sort itself out as more people add to it and vote... the titles that contain the words more commonly associated with cooking will rise to the top of the listopia and those who are more liberal with the words they consider as "part of a recipe" will still have options later in the list.

I do appreciate the people who are listing reasons why they added books to the listopia as it helps me understand and make a personal decision on if I would count it or not.

Friendly reminder that everyone approaches the prompts for the challenge according to their own interpretations and we aren't here to judge or police it if it does fit within the bounds of the prompt. Like I said, I personally wouldn't be as wide open as including "all" and "again", but I won't fault people who do as they are words that do appear in recipes and it falls within the guidelines of the prompt as written.

[Dubhease]

I found a list of 100 verbs used in Julia Child's recipes and put those words into my books list.

[Jillian]

Emily wrote: "The listopia will sort itself out as more people add to it and vote... the titles that contain the words more commonly associated with cooking will rise to the top of the listopia and those who are..."

You make a good point. One of the reasons, I liked the recipe prompt, is anyone who wants to read from books they own, or TBR list can use a open term if needed while those who like to research can search for more challenging words.

[Roxana]

For me, the word "often" is doing a lot of heavy lifting in the recipe prompt (which I did upvote, as it happens), lol. Totally see how the listopia can get chaotic and feel less useful right at the beginning of this, especially, but I don't think that's necessarily a prompt phrasing issue.

@Dubhease - just googled to find that list, how fun! Thanks for mentioning it! (https://diannej.com/2013/100-action-v... if anyone else is curious like me)

@Kahlia - same for me re thought-provoking/eye-opening. I certainly don't avoid books that could be described that way, but it felt to me even more open-ended and "this applies to most of what I read" than a broad interpretation of the recipe prompt. So, at least personally, it isn't that I don't like, or don't want to read, thought-provoking books, as that I just wasn't as interested in it as a prompt, as in things that are narrower, like the Cities of Literature or W question words prompts.

[Marta]

Yes, I only downvoted thought-provoking, because quite frankly I don’t read a book if it isn’t thought-provoking (or dnf it). It just wasn’t a prompt but a freebie.

[Alicia]

I agree with dalex. I always saw the prompt as too broad based on how it was worded. Someone in the discussion thread mentioned pink and I was like “yup, that’s the problem with the prompt”. But I since it’s voted in now, people really can use any word. Including “any”. I actually think based on how it’s worded, those of you doing cooking/baking terms are BIOing the prompt. I also generally don’t like food/recipe prompts. So wah wah.

I’m disappointed with the results. I downvoted all the top prompts and upvoted hopepunk =(. Here’s to Week 6!

[Bec]

I'm not sure what I think about these results. I voted for UNESCO city as I live in Australia so thought good chance to read a book set in Australia as I saw Melbourne was on the list.
The other winners I didn't vote for either way.

Most of my votes don't factor anywhere in the results.

[Shannon SA]

I like the recipe prompt and will use a word usually associated with a recipe, like a typical ingredient, or verb such as mix, stir etc, which is how I initially read the prompt.

I'll use a W question word without the requirement of an actual question. (When God Was a Rabbit pencilled in.)

I may have a bit of a problem with a UNESCO city (I'm reading only from TBR, no new purchases unless they're free LOL) but if so I'll go with a country that the city is in. Bit of a stretch, I know but heyho.

[°~Amy~°]

Ellie wrote: "It's a bit weird to judge other people's recipe words. Like I'm going to be thinking of words found in recipes by British chefs mostly because those are the recipes we have. And yes pink is a commo..."

It's not about judging anyone. If you want to use PINK or UP or AGAIN or any word at all, that is your choice. It just feels like some people are intentionally muddying up the listopia with words that they know are very generic. I hope that isn't the case, it just feels a bit like that at the moment.

[Ellie]

I wasn't saying people were judging people, they were judging the words. I'll remove my books from the listopia. I didn't think mine were that far out but someone specifically said me suggesting pink was a problem with the prompt!

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Hi, quick reminder: People can add whatever they want to the listopia as long as it is within the bounds of the prompt. Like "pink", "again", and "all". If the mods think something is outside the bounds of the prompt, we will remove it.

I have said it previously, but again... please do not police the way people approach the prompt, or assign intentions behind their adding to the listopias. We can have a conversation around this prompt in a way that is respectful without judging or blaming or condemning anyone's choices. Feel free to discuss how you would approach the prompt, but any further discussion of judgement on how others are approaching the prompt will be removed.

[Alicia]

Ellie, I’m sorry my comment made you feel like you couldn’t add books to the listopia. That truly was not my intention! I do think Pink, Again, Any do fit the prompt as worded and should be on the listopia.

My comment was about how I think the prompt is too broad as worded which is why I didn’t vote for it. I didn’t intend for it to hurt or discourage anyone. I’m sorry! 😞

[Nancy]

I personally think pink is a great recipe word.

[Ellie]

Thanks Alicia.

[MJ]

Emily wrote: "Hi, quick reminder: People can add whatever they want to the listopia as long as it is within the bounds of the prompt. Like "pink", "again", and "all". If the mods think something is outside the b..."

Thanks for this. For the past two years here,, I’ve exclusively voted based on prompts ONLY… without reading all the minutiae of all the threads. There was a while when comments were pretty judgey, and it was either disengage from the comment section or leave the group. I love doing the challenge, but it’s impossible to make everyone happy… and the wading through all the comments gets to be too much. Lucky for us we can interpret how we want and use the BIO or KIS options!

[dalex]

Alicia wrote: "I agree with dalex. I always saw the prompt as too broad based on how it was worded. Someone in the discussion thread mentioned pink and I was like “yup, that’s the problem with the prompt”..."

Thank you!

[NancyJ]

Bec wrote: "I'm not sure what I think about these results. I voted for UNESCO city as I live in Australia so thought good chance to read a book set in Australia as I saw Melbourne was on the list.
The other wi..."

I look forward to seeing your list of books set in Melbourne. I looked at the Miles award winners, but I couldn't tell the setting on many of them.

[L Y N N]

I just checked to see what had won and I voted for none of these 3. It is so funny to see what wins!

[Debbie]

I think the 5Ws could be very intriguing. Question... can it be the 6Ws: who, what, where, when, why, which?