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[2023] Poll 7 Results
Mod
I read mainly sci fi so science is easy. School subject in the title will take some research.
Sad that neither the disability prompt or the Australian book awards got through! But ah well. The science one should be interesting, maybe I'll finally reread some Gerald Durrell, and I think I should definitely be able to find a book with a school subject in the title.And I'll be most definitely asleep for the next round of suggestions... Ah well! There's always the next time.
I won’t deny a little groan at the idea of another science book. I will just have to get my thinking cap on
I accidentally discovered the new listopias before your announcement this week. I love science books, both fact and fiction so happy it got in. For romance fans, I think Ali Hazelwood's success is going to result in lots of science adjacent romance books next year. And of course more science fiction (though I probably wouldn't use something that's very light on the science).I didn't vote either way on school subjects, but I'm sure there are a lot more classes now when I was at school.
I didn't really warm to Lessons in Chemistry but it fits both our prompts this week and I can see it being recommended a lot.
Exactly as I voted, happy :)I think my school subject will be history, I have a couple of those.
I’m quite happy with the tops and bottoms! But I’m sad that Tookie’s List didn’t make it through.
Emily wrote: "(Mod Fun Fact: Tookie's list had enough upvotes to place it in the top... and enough down votes to place it in the bottom. The true definition of a polarizing prompt!)"Side Challenge!!!
A little disappointed that the science prompt made it. It feels like we have something similar every year and there were some original prompts in this round that I would have preferred to see make the list.I didn't vote for school subject either but it's doable.
I’m disappointed that we have another title prompt. I know title prompts are popular and easy to research but I hope we have a break in top title prompts until we start to fill different categories.
Emily wrote: "(Mod Fun Fact: Tookie's list had enough upvotes to place it in the top... and enough down votes to place it in the bottom. The true definition of a polarizing prompt!)"That is really interesting.
I agree Jillian I am hoping the mods send out a request soon
Thomas wrote: "I agree Jillian I am hoping the mods send out a request soon"I don't know that they will or that they even should. If the masses want a load of title prompts (as evidenced by the results) then they get title prompts. However, we are still fairly early in the process. Things should even out as we move along without any intervention from the mods, it always does.
Mod
Ellie, I noticed you had added some books this morning to the listopias haha! I had to create them yesterday afternoon so that they would be ready to go for this morning.. school starting has really limited my GR time!
In regards to limiting prompts, we definitely wouldn't consider it until we were down to 10 or so prompts remaining to be chosen, and even then, it would be a discussion, not a guarantee. We have some time before we get there, and I think we will have lots more options coming into play over the next few polls.
Mod
On the other hand, it's a really wide field, so if you don't fancy something hard sciency, like A Brief History of Time, you can always read a science-based micro-history like Hidden Figures, Longitude or The Radium Girls, all of which have "Science" as a stated genre.
I might go for Wilding: The Return of Nature to a British Farm, if I haven't read it by the end of this year.
I had already put a self-imposed moratorium on title prompts but I did vote for school subject and I'm glad it got in, I think it's a fun one. I likely won't vote for another unless I really like it though.I'm lukewarm on science and somewhat surprised it got in, but I guess sci-fi fans voted for it? And Lessons in Chemistry probably had some influence too. I may go non-fiction for it.
This is the first time this year that I had an upvote in the bottom.
I love Tookie's list and I'm glad it got so much attention for The Sentence and author Louise Erdrich. It's not for everyone, but that's OK. It will make a great side challenge. Her list of "short perfect books" is a great place to start. I would also add books by Louise Erdrich (she was too modest to put them on Tookie's list, but they belong there). I'm very happy about the Science Prompt, I think it might be possible to find a book in every genre that has a science topic of some type. I didn't really want another title prompt, but I like this one.
Mod
Maybe we try again with Tookie, although is it's so polarizing, we just side challenge as I def want to!
Mod
I read airplane and space history books, so let them count for science. Although from the Tookie list is Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants which is science and might be not too sciencey
Once again I came here to vote and discovered I missed it. A little sad the disability prompt didn’t make it, but I am guaranteed to read several of these anyway.
For those who like crime fiction, there is forensic science, so you could read Kathy Reichs or other writers that focus on that side of solving the crime.
I know Michelle - after all our discussion about how to word it too. Maybe it just wasn’t a good week for disability?
Thanks for the idea/author recommendation Ellie! I think forensics is fascinating, but I don’t really read crime novels much, so haven’t found great forensics novels.
If you're doing the 2022 challenge, any books you had penciled in but didn't get to for the "STEM prompt" can be used for the 2023 science prompt and for the "a language in the title prompt" can be used for the 2023 school subject prompt. That's the only reason I didn't upvote either of them - they're similar to prompts in the current challenge.
That's not necessarily true, for the STEM one. Science is a part of STEM, but not all STEM is science.
STEM includes science, but also math, engineering and technology - which aren’t really science.
dalex wrote: "If you're doing the 2022 challenge, any books you had penciled in but didn't get to for the "STEM prompt" can be used for the 2023 science prompt and for the "a language in the title prompt" can be..."I also thought it was too similar this year’s “language in the title” which has one of the lower percentages of completion on the spreadsheet.
dalex wrote: "If you're doing the 2022 challenge, any books you had penciled in but didn't get to for the "STEM prompt" can be used for the 2023 science prompt and for the "a language in the title prompt" can be..."That's what I had in mind for the science prompt, the book I planned to read for the STEM prompt. This is the 3rd year that I haven't read the book, although it's on my plan every year! For the school subject, I will likely go with History or Spanish. Although, I have ideas for Music and Shop, also. One subject I didn't see discussed was Health. I'm pretty sure that either my kids or I had to take this class.
I'm disappointed that Tookie's List didn't make it but I printed the list anyway and plan to read some of the books. I'm up for a side challenge.
I downvoted all the bottoms and didn't vote either way on the tops, so it's an ok result. I'm not super jazzed, but I can make it work. As for STEM being science, Technology and Engineering are applied sciences. Even math is a type of science in the broader sense. So most of that listopia would fit.
Some may think of and choose books based only on natural science topics, however "science" is a broad term that covers any structured studies of knowledge.
I am happy with the winners both were in my top. I think they both will be fun to find books and might lead to reading something I wouldn't have otherwise picked up. I liked the character who is an explorer/traveler one and thought another character prompt would be good so a little disappointed it was in the bottom.
I would have voted for A book from the Totally Biased List of Tookie’s Favorite Books if I had one more vote so if it appeared again I might vote for it.
Mod
As someone who hasn't done that week yet, it's because I start my year with the tougher weeks. There's so many choices for that week, I'm waiting!
My Didcard Challenge has almost as many prompts as the regular Challenge right now. I read quite a bit of non fiction that is related to Science. The title prompt is interesting.
For those of us reading in order, language in title hasn't come up yet. Which could also account for the low percentage.
Mod
Just checked and it looks like at least one of my top votes has made the list every week! Pretty impressive.
I was considering re-suggesting a simplified version of my original genetics related book in the next poll (just "a book involving genetics"), but now that "a book related to science" has been voted in, I suppose that encompasses genetics, so it's not really necessary. Does any think any differently? If not, for those genetics enthusiasts, here is your reminder that any genetics books you were hoping to read now have a home in Science.
Nancy wrote: "For those of us reading in order, language in title hasn't come up yet. Which could also account for the low percentage."I don't think there is a huge percentage of members who read in order. With the exception of Here there be dragons prompt (which also has 39% completion) all the prompts after the language prompt have a higher completion percentage.
I'm currently on my last prompt and the language prompt was one of my last ones because I had to actively find a book that would work for it and one I wanted to read.
I don't think that the school title prompt is a bad prompt, I'd just like to see some other prompts make the top rather than a title just about every poll. (I've only up voted one of the winning title prompts so that might add to my lack of enthusiasm towards the them).
Chrissy wrote: "STEM includes science, but also math, engineering and technology - which aren’t really science."They actually are parts of science. Engineering is definitely science, as is technology, and both require mathematics to perform. I went to an Engineering school so this is my background.
For those who do not want to read non-fiction, there are many fiction books that contain science-related subject matter.
Joy D wrote: "Chrissy wrote: "STEM includes science, but also math, engineering and technology - which aren’t really science."They actually are parts of science. Engineering is definitely science, as is techno..."
Most definitely Joy! I too went to Engineering school and has a lot of science and advanced math coursework.
Also, Science is NOT just the science courses we took in high school (chemistry, physics, biology). Science also includes many disciplines, which are discussed here; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Branche... (for more ideas of what you might use)
Jillian wrote: "I don't think there is a huge percentage of members who read in order. With the exception of Here there be dragons prompt (which also has 39% completion) all the prompts after the language prompt have a higher completion percentage."Latin American Author is actually the lowest, with 38%, and there are 4 prompts at 39%:
Powell's List - 39%
Latin American Author - 38%
Time List of YA - 39%
Language or Nationality - 39%
Here be Dragons - 39%
Nancy wrote: "Jillian wrote: "I don't think there is a huge percentage of members who read in order. With the exception of Here there be dragons prompt (which also has 39% completion) all the prompts after the l..."That is why I said one of the lowest since there were a few also at 39% and one at 38%.
Here there be Dragons is the only one in order that comes after Language. I just don't think that those reading in order is the reason it has one of the lowest completion rates. I could be wrong and that might be why, or as someone said it is an easy prompt that they are saving for the end. For me, it was not an easy prompt but rather one that I had to actively find a book to fill. I did up vote it last year but found I did not care for it when it came to the actual challenge this year. I get having popular repeats but having a similar prompt again that did not seem popular seems odd to me.
The school subject prompt should be fun and I read a lot of science books so I like both of these.I’m a tiny bit disappointed Tookie’s list didn’t make it (even though I’m not keen on list prompts), but am grateful to the person who suggested it because I started reading The Sentence the other day and am really enjoying it. Count me in for a side challenge.
Huh - those results are interesting. I don't think I voted for either. Science will be easy though. A bunch of quick romances seem to have something to do with science or math in the title nowadays. Plus I like to read science fiction. Was thinking of The Love Hypothesis to read but I might end up with a science fiction one instead.I have like three books in my tbr with the word history in them. I really want to read The Historian but I don't think that would count. What do you all think?
I am thinking of using history in the title for the school subject prompt. I have several non-fiction titles with history in it on my TBR.
Hahaha I just got an email from amazon with the title - Science fiction on sale from $1.49 on kindle....do you think they are stalking this page :) I voted for science so happy with that. I was going to vote for school subject but didn't at the last minute as I realised I actually had nothing on my TBR that fits (that said I do have 2 for the language one for this year so could read the one I don't read this year).
I didn't vote either way for tookie's books so I'm not adding to the polarizing! Of the bottoms I downvoted one and didn't vote for the other 2.
I'm sad the Australian awards and disability prompts didn't get in.
How do you know the percentage of completion rate for different prompts? Is there someplace to add this info?I only have I think 4 prompts left and one is the dragon one - finding it challenging.
Michelle wrote: "How do you know the percentage of completion rate for different prompts? Is there someplace to add this info?I only have I think 4 prompts left and one is the dragon one - finding it challenging."
It's on the group spreadsheet - the link is on the main page for the group in the group info.
Well, for the first time, a prompt I downvoted got in. I'm not too upset because I actually like the school subject prompt, but I am now downvoting all title prompts on principle. (I think we have enough for now)
Michelle wrote: "How do you know the percentage of completion rate for different prompts? Is there someplace to add this info?I only have I think 4 prompts left and one is the dragon one - finding it challenging."
Michelle, are you finding the dragon prompt challenging because you think you have to read a book about dragons, like I did? If so, I researched the phrase "Here (There) Be Dragons" and it actually came from old "flat earth" age maps that indicated that dragons lived at the edges. So reading a book involving maps or cartography could work too. I read The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd. I know there are a lot of books out there about maps besides this one — it's an interest of one of my sons.
Weird coincidence, I just saw something on Twitter about the Dragon Awards. I've never heard of them before, but reading a book that won one might be a nice twist on the Here Be Dragons prompt. This is a link, in case it's helpful for anyone - https://www.dragoncon.org/awards/2021...
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time (other topics)We (other topics)
The Girl You Left Behind (other topics)
The Cartographers (other topics)
The Love Hypothesis (other topics)
More...
Top:
A book related to science
A book with a school subject in the title
Bottom:
A book that has won a Bookbrowse award
An author who lives greater than 2023 miles from you
A book with a female or nonbinary main character who is an explorer/traveller
Polarizing
A book from the Totally Biased List of Tookie’s Favorite Books
Listopias:
A book related to science
A book with a school subject in the title
The next round of suggestions will open on Friday, August 12, around 7 pm CST.