[2023] Poll 6 Voting

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

It's now time to get ready to vote for our first set of prompts! The thread will be open for at least 24 hours before the poll gets posted. This is a good opportunity to ask any question you may have regarding the prompts, do some research, or ask for recommendations.

Voting will open in the morning of Monday, August 1 and results will be posted in the morning of Friday, August 5 (CST time).

How it works:
- When the voting opens, follow the link to the mini-poll that will be added at the end of this post
- You have a total of 8 votes this poll to spread across your favorite and least favorite prompts (you can also use less than 8 votes)
- You can find examples of acceptable voting practices on the Introduction thread.
- The prompts with the more favorable votes (comparing top votes to bottom votes, and looking at the overall number of votes it received) will be added to the final list

We are asking people to include their Goodreads profile address when they vote. To find this, just go to your own profile and then copy the URL/web address. If for some reason you can't link to your Goodreads profile, please post your full Goodreads name with enough identifiable information that we'll be able to access your profile. We’ve introduced this for two reasons:

1. On a few occasions in each poll, people have used more than the allotted number of votes, either because they aren’t familiar with the rules or just by mistake. When this happens our only option is to disregard the vote as we can’t identify the voter to ask them to resubmit. By asking for your profile address we’ll be able to message you and ask you to vote again if you’ve accidentally used more than the allotted number of votes.

2. Unfortunately a very small number of people have voted more than once per poll and so we are asking for this information to prevent duplicate votes.

As a reminder: You have a total of 8 votes to use among your top and bottom votes. The mods have access to each individual vote, so we can see if you use more than 8 votes. If you use more than 8 votes in the poll, your vote will have to be deleted, so please make sure to follow the directions so your voice can be heard.

Possible Prompts:
1. A Christmas book
2. A book with a character that travels as a part of their job
3. A book from the first 5 books added to your TBR (the books that have been on your list the longest)
4. A character that might be called a Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, or Spy
5. A book about a farm, a farmer, or a farming family
6. An author's debut book
7. A book that involves a murder
8. A book about crossing over to another world
9. A book that involves a moral dilemma or question
10. A book involving wolves or werewolves
11. A book written by an author that is a different race and gender than you are
12. A book related to the Harlem Renaissance
13. A book with a purple cover
14. A book related to a recipient of Time Magazine's Person of the Year award
15. A book set in an apartment building or house

Feel free to discuss the prompts below, but please remember to be respectful to the other group members.

VOTE HERE: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/3OQN0R/

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

NOTES AND IDEAS FROM THE SUGGESTIONS THREAD

2. A book with a character that travels as a part of their job
Examples:
musicians/singers
pilots
flight attendants
athletes
long haul truckers
assassins
military
travel writers
cruise directors
doctors without borders

4. A character that might be called a Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, or Spy
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is a classic espionage novel. The idea was because someone mentioned a book involving a spy or soldier, and it was extended to include a few more professions and also had the literary link.

I thought it would be an opportunity to choose between a range of characters - tinker would be someone who travels for a living, or someone who 'tinkers around', perhaps a mechanic or hobbyist. Tailor - anyone working in the fashion industry, or involved with concerns around fast fashion. Soldier and Spy are pretty self-explanatory but fairly wide, and Spy could include anyone involved with surveillance.

5. A book about a farm, a farmer, or a farming family
Lists and Genres:
Agriculture - https://www.goodreads.com/genres/agri...
Down on the farm- https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/8...
Farmers in romance- https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...
YA/Middle grade farm fiction- https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Farms and Farm life- https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Cozy Mysteries farming- https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

6. An author's debut book
Can include a nonfiction author's debut fiction novel, or a YA author's debut adult fiction, or a fiction author's debut nonfiction book (or the reverse of all of these)

Brand new and about-to-drop debuts -July 29 blog:
https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/2...

Most popular debut books:
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/debu...

There is also at least one award given for first time authors, and those lists of winners/nominees would be helpful

8. A book about crossing over to another world
It can mean figurative to literal

Examples:
Going from being poor to entering the world of the super rich (crazy rich Asians, royal tutor, Cinderella type stuff),
The reversal super rich to poor (like schitts creek) https://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8...
Isekai novels (Japanese light novel term for being summoned or reincarnated into another world) skeleton knight in another world, saint’s magic power is omnipotent, curse so dark and lonely https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Is...
Going into video game (sword art online, ready player one, bofuri)
time travel
Traveling into books
Culture shock - moving to a new country, rural to city, city to rural, to a new environment
Different planes of existence - angel/demon onto to earth, god/goddess exiled, etc.
Alternate/parallel world - by means of science or magic (not summoning or reincarnation)
Alien on earth or brought to another planet

10. A book involving wolves or werewolves
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

My favorite books with werewolves: Soulless and the rest of the Parasol Protectorate series!

And a couple good wolf books I read this year: The Wolf's Trail: An Ojibwe Story, Told by Wolves and Once There Were Wolves

Coincidentally, I just realized they also start with W (23rd letter) - but I suggested this without that connection in mind :)

12. A book related to the Harlem Renaissance
Could be one of the many by Harlem Renaissance writers, could be a study or memoir, a book set then, a book about jazz etc

13. A book with a purple cover
Since it is being predicted that lavender will be the Panettone colour of 2023
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

14. A book related to a recipient of Time Magazine's Person of the Year award
1923 is when Time Magazine was founded

[Ellie]

The Wikipedia page for Time Person of the Year lists some concepts that aren't people, like the computer or the endangered earth. Do they still count?

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

I think so, Ellie. The more I look at the list, the more intrigued I am with this prompt!

[Katherine]

Ellie wrote: "The Wikipedia page for Time Person of the Year lists some concepts that aren't people, like the computer or the endangered earth. Do they still count?"

This was a possible prompt mentioned awhile ago in the Wild Discussion thread that I loved and hadn't seen suggested, yet. I liked that it could apply to both people AND classes of people like "the protester" or "silence breakers" as well as the random inanimate object.

[NancyJ]

I am most excited about:
Debut books,
TIme Magazine . I would pick one of years with more than one person, such as 2017 Silence Breakers
Harlem Renaissance,
Moral Dilemma,
and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy .

NSFW fits Debut and Moral Dilemma, and Time Magazine 2017 Silence Breakers. (I'm not sure what NSFW means but it sounds interesting.)
American Spy fits Debut, Spy, Crossing over, and especially Moral Dilemma.
The Alice Network is the oldest on my GR tbr, and it fits Tinker-Spy, and probably moral dilemma.
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois fits Debut, and Harlem Renaissance

Debut links:
Brand new and about-to-drop debuts -July 29 blog:
https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/2...

Most popular debut books:
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/debu...

There is also at least one award given for first time authors, and those lists of winners/nominees would be helpful.

[NancyJ]

Emily wrote: "I think so, Ellie. The more I look at the list, the more intrigued I am with this prompt!"

I hope so, because those were the ones that really intrigued me.

[Mandy]

Emily could you add the rest of my examples please.

time travel
Traveling into books
Culture shock - moving to a new country, rural to city, city to rural, to a new environment
Different planes of existence - angel/demon onto to earth, god/goddess exiled, etc.
Alternate/parallel world - by means of science or magic (not summoning or reincarnation)
Alien on earth or brought to another planet

Thanks!

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Ah sorry I missed those in the Suggestions thread! Updated it!

[NancyJ]

Thanks!

[RachelG.]

A link to the Wikipedia Time Person of the year. I think this is what the prompt refers to?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Pe...

[Mandy]

Emily wrote: "Ah sorry I missed those in the Suggestions thread! Updated it!"

No prob. I was adding to my original post as I thought of different interpretations. Figured if I could cover a bunch of different genres it would help in decision making.

[RachelG.]

For a book set in an apartment building I enjoyed Good Citizens Need Not Fear: Stories which is set in an apartment building in Ukraine.

[LeahS]

RachelG. wrote: "For a book set in an apartment building I enjoyed Good Citizens Need Not Fear: Stories which is set in an apartment building in Ukraine."

That looks interesting, thanks.

[Jill]

List of books for Moral Dilemma if it helps

https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

[Jillian]

I’m not sure how I’m going to vote. I have one definite down vote, the TBR. My first four books are books series #13-16, from a series I’d like to someday catch up on but need to restart the series first.

There are a few that I have no idea if I want to up vote them, down vote or just remain neutral.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

I have a ton of upvotes this round, but two definite downvotes, so I'll need to narrow down my upvotes for those two. This is a good round!

[NancyJ]

I would not have thought farms could interest me, but I just read Barbara Kingsolver's memoir Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life. It's wonderful. Her novel Prodigal Summer fits too as I recall. Plainsong by Kent Haruf fits (it also fits the 2022 small town prompt.) My Year of Meats is a fictional expose' of the cattle farming business.

For Apartment house stories I recommend Interpreter of Maladies by Jhuma Lahiri. It includes two contrasting stories of how residents treat the women who manage the buildings. I want to read The Elegance of the Hedgehog about an apartment house in France.

[RachelG.]

The link to the First book awards category on Wikipedia for people looking into debut books.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categor...

[RachelG.]

I currently have 4 upvotes and 2 definite downvotes so far.

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

Neither wolves nor werewolves interest me, and the oldest books on my TBR may not interest me now or may be unavailable. Otherwise I like all the options.

[Juliet]

I was looking forward to the ‘on the road ‘ prompt from The Wild Discussion and now have to decide how I feel about ‘character who travels as part of their job’ since it doesn’t seem to me to include the through hiking memoirs or fantasy quest books I was looking at

[NancyJ]

RachelG. wrote: "The link to the First book awards category on Wikipedia for people looking into debut books.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categor..."

Thanks Rachel! I had no idea there were that many awards for debut books. Some look like they're related to specific genres too. It would be cool if some of these were already on listopias. I'll bet they are.

[NancyJ]

Juliet Brown wrote: "I was looking forward to the ‘on the road ‘ prompt from The Wild Discussion and now have to decide how I feel about ‘character who travels as part of their job’ since it doesn’t seem to me to inclu..."

Yeah, me too! This prompt has one part of "On the road" and another prompt has bits of "Fish out of water." I didn't have enough examples of books to post either one yet, but maybe these posters do.

An idea - Depending on the context of your stories, a trip or quest might fit prompt #8.

I know a lot of people want a comprehensive travel or exploration prompt to satisfy those kinds of trips, but some don't, and we didn't get it in last year.

[NancyJ]

Mandy wrote: "Links to listopias

That's a lot of lists. Are there 1 or 2 lists that are the most relevant to the prompt? Or maybe you could identify a few of the most popular books that might fit?

Project Hail Mary might fit (at the end), and The Sparrow fits the alien idea.

[Mandy]

NancyJ wrote: "Mandy wrote: "Links to listopias

That's a lot of lists. Are there 1 or 2 lists that are the most relevant to the prompt? Or maybe you could identify a few of the most popular books that might fit..."

Isekai is a rabbit hole. But a very fun one to delve into. I really wasn’t sure which lists to pull really because they had they had such variety.

I do have some books linked in my original post in suggestions for ideas. I’ll bring them over.

Examples:

Going from being poor to entering the world of the super rich
Crazy Rich Asians
The Royal Tutor, Vol. 1
Cinderella type stuff

The reversal super rich to poor (like schitts creek)

Isekai novels (Japanese light novel term for being summoned or reincarnated into another world) and Portal fantasy -Skeleton Knight in Another World, Light Novel Vol. 1
The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent (Light Novel) Vol. 1
A Curse So Dark and Lonely

Going into video game
Sword Art Online, Vol. 01: Aincrad
Ready Player One
Bofuri: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense. Light Novels, Vol. 1

time travel.
A Rip Through Time
Steins;gate: The Complete Manga
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

Traveling into books.
Fushigi Yûgi, Vol. 1
Inkheart

Culture shock - moving to a new country, rural to city, city to rural, to a new environment
Divergent
Or like the movie son-in-law with pauley shore.

Different planes of existence - angel/demon onto to earth, god/goddess exiled, etc. -
Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 1
To the Sky Kingdom
Lucifer, Vol. 1: Devil in the Gateway
The Sandman: Overture

Alternate/parallel world -
The Kaiju Preservation Society
Coraline

Alien on earth or brought to another planet -
Ice Planet Barbarians
Heart of a Warrior
The Exchange Student

[dalex]

Does anyone know of historical fiction novels that focus on the Harlem Renaissance?

I tried googling and I only seem to find books by authors that were part of the movement. I’m trying to find out if there’s a way to fulfill the prompt other than reading classic/vintage books.

[Michelle]

as a non Christian I respectfully propose we broaden the Christmas prompt to include winter in general. it's really not cool to all the non Christians out there

[Ellie]

I'm not Christian but I read Christmas books, they don't tend to have a single thing to do with religion. They are usually rom-coms. I tend to finish the challenge before December though so not sure I want to read them earlier than that.

[Steve]

dalex wrote: "Does anyone know of historical fiction novels that focus on the Harlem Renaissance?

I tried googling and I only seem to find books by authors that were part of the movement. I’m trying to find out..."

Off the top of my head, all I can think of is Toni Morrison's Jazz.

[Mandy]

Michelle wrote: "as a non Christian I respectfully propose we broaden the Christmas prompt to include winter in general. it's really not cool to all the non Christians out there"

Agreed.

[Michelle]

the absolute last thing I want to read is Christmas rom com...

[Jillian]

Michelle wrote: "as a non Christian I respectfully propose we broaden the Christmas prompt to include winter in general. it's really not cool to all the non Christians out there"

I personally don’t think this prompt will be in the top. If for some reason it does, it would be perfectly fine to just read a winter book. There is also the wild card option since we all have certain prompts that are not a good fit.

[Joy D]

dalex wrote: "Does anyone know of historical fiction novels that focus on the Harlem Renaissance?

I tried googling and I only seem to find books by authors that were part of the movement. I’m trying to find out..."

Homegoing spans centuries, but has a segment set in Harlem after the Great Migration

[NancyJ]

dalex wrote: "Does anyone know of historical fiction novels that focus on the Harlem Renaissance?

I tried googling and I only seem to find books by authors that were part of the movement. I’m trying to find out..."

Probably the most recent is:
Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead I don't know when it is set.

Showtime at the Apollo: The Epic Tale of Harlem’s Legendary Theater

The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois - DuBois was a major part of the renaissance, so this would fit even if it's not set in the city. This is also a debut novel.

Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow
is set a little earlier, but it captures the feel of the era. (Part of the movie was filmed across the street from where I used to live.)

Jazz by Toni Morrison is a possibility.

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles is really excellent historical fiction, but the MC 's are white. If I remember correctly, they liked to go to the clubs in Harlem. I think this was a debut novel too.

Lady Sings the Blues by Billie Holliday
Lady Sings the Blues 50th Anniversary Edition

I really loved Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, and I have other books by her on my tbr.

I also saw this yesterday: Zora and Langston: A Story of Friendship and Betrayal


I know there is more.. Try jazz age (or era), books set in Harlem, Billie Holliday, Cotton Club, Jazz historical fiction, African American books set in 1920s-1930's.

[Juliet]

I know there is a cozy mystery series set in the Harlem Renaissance, also Victor LaValle’s Ballad of Black Tom is also set then . But I left the prompt as ‘related to’ so things like Harlem Shuffle would also work

[NancyJ]

Is anyone else having a problem with Goodreads today? I've had to sign in at least 10 times in the past 30 minutes. I have several windows open but that's nothing new, as I go back and forth between google and goodreads. I wonder if my latest update deleted cookies or something.

[Jillian]

Nancy, I had to reenter my password on my laptop this morning and it was a bit slow. I have not had any problems on the app which is mainly what I’ve been using.

[Kathy]

There is a historical mystery series with two books: Dead Dead Girls and Harlem Sunset.

[NancyJ]

Thanks.

I also had this one list of jazz age his fic
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/8...

I own this book: The Chaperone which is set in the right time period.

[Rachel]

Emily wrote: "I think so, Ellie. The more I look at the list, the more intrigued I am with this prompt!"

I was intrigued at first, but there are a lot of options on the list that make it essentially a freebie for me. I also feel a bit weird about Hitler being a "person of the year," but maybe I'm misunderstanding what it means. I always thought it was to honour someone, so seems a bit weird. However, for prompt purposes, that makes it easy since most WWIII historical fiction books would be related to him.

I would hope that the concepts on the list (ie. the computer) and/or the groups (like the women from the #MeToo movement) would count, although again, "American Women" is on that list, so it seems like a freebie. I probably won't downvote it, but I don't think I'll actively vote for it either.

At first glance, I had quite a few that I immediately wanted, and a couple of immediate no's. Not to be a Grinch, but a Christmas book is an automatic no for me. As someone who doesn't celebrate Christmas, I don't have any attachment to these kinds of books, and I haven't really enjoyed the ones that I have read. First 5 books on my TBR is also a no for me, since the first chunk of my TBR is all classics that I'm not particularly motivated to pick up right now. They were first on my list because I was trying to figure out how Goodreads worked at the time, and I left them there because I technically do want to read them, but I'd rather pick them up when I genuinely want to, not because of a prompt.

On the other hand, I love apartment/house, and I'm also strongly considering TTSS, and traveling character. Debut book and murder both fit quite easily with books I'm very interested in picking up next year. I'm also interested in the other worlds prompt and/or moral dilemma, depending how many votes I have left.

[Steve]

Rachel wrote: "Emily wrote: "I think so, Ellie. The more I look at the list, the more intrigued I am with this prompt!"

I was intrigued at first, but there are a lot of options on the list that make it essential..."

If you want to get total “it’s a freebie” interpretation: about a decade ago the winner was “you.” So literally any person in the world can be considered person of the year if they were alive then! (I think interpreting that way would be a little obtuse though).

[Rachel]

Steve wrote: "Rachel wrote: "Emily wrote: "I think so, Ellie. The more I look at the list, the more intrigued I am with this prompt!"

I was intrigued at first, but there are a lot of options on the list that ma..."

Yeah, if it gets in I'm definitely skipping over the "you" option lol

[Joy D]

From the Wiki page Time Magazine person of the year features

"a person, a group, an idea, or an object that 'for better or for worse... has done the most to influence the events of the year'."

(which explains Hitler and Stalin)

[Erica]

Lots of good ones this time! And a couple of strong downvotes, especially the Christmas one. I do celebrate Christmas (but like an atheist version..) but I agree that it’s excluding people who don’t celebrate it, and I actually can’t think of a Christmas related book I’ve enjoyed (besides classics and kids books). Also don’t want to read my first 5 on my TBR. They are doozies (physics and Nietzsche). I’m very interested in TTSS, Time, apartment/house (I’ll read a haunted house book), and a few others.

[Thomas]

I know a lot of people who celebrate Christmas who are completely unreligious as Ellie said most Christmas stories don’t mention religion ( even A Christmas Carol only does in abstract) so I do think it’s rather nasty to imply that anyone who suggested this was unaware “ there are plenty of non Christians out there”. Even if this were the caseWe had Judaism this year and Islam last year why shouldn’t my faith get a turn?

[Juliet]

Thomas wrote: "I know a lot of people who celebrate Christmas who are completely unreligious as Ellie said most Christmas stories don’t mention religion ( even A Christmas Carol only does in abstract) so I do thi..."

I am inclined to agree with you. Particulary because my annual 'Christmas' read is Hogfather which certainly takes place in a European inspired context but definately does not include Christianity

[Nadine in NY]

At one point someone floated the idea of a Diwali book, and no one suggested that it would exclude people who are not Hindu. Same would seem to hold true about a Christmas book. Personally I don’t like reading Christmas themed books very often so I probably won’t vote for it, but I don’t see how it’s exclusionary.

[Steve]

Thomas wrote: "I know a lot of people who celebrate Christmas who are completely unreligious as Ellie said most Christmas stories don’t mention religion ( even A Christmas Carol only does in abstract) so I do thi..."

Reading back through this thread, I don’t believe anyone implied that at all, so I think it’s unfair to say that people are acting “nasty.” I think like Emily said in another thread regarding mixed opinions on the recipe prompt: we can discuss prompts and our approaches/thoughts about them without judging or commenting on other users.

[Marta]

I celebrate Christmas and I don’t think it is a Christian-only holiday. I am not a Christian. That said, I am simply put off by the Christmas season as I find it long, tiresome and commercial. I keep it to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. That way it feels special.

I am not sure if we had a Christmas prompt before on ATY, but I have seen many prompts on challenge lists that called for a holiday and I really did not like them.