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[2023] Poll 10 Voting
Pam wrote: "I disagree that a well-known classic would be something on a high school reading list. In HS, I had American lit and British lit and that’s it. (My daughter had a completely different and more dive..."I completely agree with you. If the classics prompt does get in, I will not read an American or British classic. There are so many Indian classics I haven't read yet or may be a classic from another country.
I haven't made up my mind yet but my definite upvotes will be -
2. A book related to a chess piece
3. A book by an author who has been threatened, imprisoned or otherwise persecuted because of their work
10. A book about words or language, or emphasizing the spoken word
12. A book related to "On the Road"
A book can be well known without being well read. Plenty of books I’ve heard of but never read
Nadine in NY- I appreciate your response but I personally would consider the classics prompt a little broader than your description. Just with your example alone, I don’t know how well-known even Rebecca is. I wouldn’t pick the most obscure book by an author but I would pick one that is well-known by other readers. It’s a very subjective term which is what prompted my post. But, using the idea of a book being well-known because there’s a movie adaptation, I agree that’s a good benchmark and I have tons of options! Most of the time, when my husband asks me if I’ve read a book (classic), I answer, “No, but I’ve seen the movie!” Also, I appreciate your Count of Monte Cristo comment since I read 1/2 of it last year and still have 500 pages to go!
Nadine in NY wrote: "Pam wrote: "Also, how do you define “well-known”? Well-known to the general public who haven’t read a book since HS or to active readers like GR members? Also, well-known in which country or region..."Well-known to YOU, or to the people in this group would be the best definition for our purposes. Many adults don't read books after they leave school, so what do they know? Or as Pam says, they might know movies.
Harini wrote: "Pam wrote: "I disagree that a well-known classic would be something on a high school reading list. In HS, I had American lit and British lit and that’s it. (My daughter had a completely different a..."I like these too. I'm also upvoting Classic book, on the road, the author and maybe the last one.
Other than Midnight Children, what would you read by an author who is threatened?
I voted for the language prompt last time, but it no longer has linguistics. I thought that was the main idea. I'm not sure what spoken word means. Is it like Poetry slam, or story telling that occurred before most people could read, or both?
I also preferred the previous wording of the language prompt. I didn't vote for it this time.
On the phone app so bear with me on not linking books, but for authors who were threatened you have a lot of classics, Oscar Wilde, Christopher Marlowe and Fyodor Dostoyevsky all fit, more modern work includes The Unbearable Lightness of Being or the poetry collection A Dove With Wings OutSpread
"Classic" reading lists in schools have changed a lot over the years. Sure, there are still some older books, but my son's reading list included:The Kite Runner
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
Things Fall Apart
Holes
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Cloud Atlas
The Road
6 up 2 down, but this is another round where I'd be happy with any of these prompts getting in. Two really fantastic rounds in a row!
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Glad to know someone got the joke! (although it might be a fascinating memoir, I'm v interested in his art collection)
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As someone plodding through Jamaica Inn for the weather prompt, I say rightly so less well known!
Pamela wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Pam wrote: "Also, how do you define “well-known”? Well-known to the general public who haven’t read a book since HS or to active readers like GR members? Also, well-known in wh...As someone plodding through Jamaica Inn for the weather prompt, I say rightly so less well known!"
oh noooo. That's my book for "same title as a board game" in Popsugar this year. Sounds like I'd better get a backup plan in place, STAT.
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I have a feeling that this one won't get in, but if it does, please don't worry about forcing yourself to read something you don't like. I know we all have different approaches and mine is often a loose one, but it's always up to you how strictly you want to interpret any prompt.
Judy wrote: "Harini wrote: "Pam wrote: "I disagree that a well-known classic would be something on a high school reading list. In HS, I had American lit and British lit and that’s it. (My daughter had a complet..."(A book involving linguistics would definitely close enough to "about words or language" to qualify! I took that word out because it didn't seem to help people find books they wanted to read.)
Also, poetry slam would fit, but so would something about storytellers of old, etc.
Nadine in NY wrote: "Pam wrote: "Also, how do you define “well-known”? Well-known to the general public who haven’t read a book since HS or to active readers like GR members? Also, well-known in which country or region..."I think people in my generation read the 500 page version of The Count of Monte Christo years ago, and we liked it. That's what was in the stores, and I think it's a more entertaining story. I read the 1200 page version a few years ago, and the rambling second half makes it a completely different story. In the short version (which is what the movies were based on) you cheer for him. By the end of the long version I absolutely hated the MC.
There are another couple of authors who I have read this year who have been threatened. Naguib Mahfouz was also stabbed in the neck in an attempted assassination by Islamic militants. His best known work is probably Palace Walk, the first part of his Cairo Trilogy. I also greatly enjoyed By Night the Mountain Burns by Juan Tomás Ávila Laurel who now lives in exile owing to his political involvement in Equatorial Guinea.
Trish wrote: "I like the "book that's unlike what you usually read" prompt. I'd take that as genres I don't usually read, as it would get me out of my usual go-to genres (like mystery, crime, history, and SFF)."@Nancy - I was a little concerned about this one at first because I have at least tried most genres, and those I haven't I'm just never going to be interested in (poetry, horror). BUT, then I remembered hearing about people who actually READ cookbooks. I am NOT going to sit down and read-cover-to-cover my Joy of Cooking. For me that would be like reading the dictionary. But I'm aware of a few (and I'm sure there's more) cookbooks by well known-ish chefs or food industry people that include either an interwoven memoir, or essays about food culture or the "why" behind what we do with food. That's the direction I'm going to go with this.
Some examples:
My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes That Saved My Life by Ruth Reichl
The Red Rooster Cookbook: The Story of Food and Hustle in Harlem by Marcus Samuelsson
Notes from a Young Black Chef by Kwame Onwuachi
Buttermilk Graffiti: A Chef’s Journey to Discover America’s New Melting-Pot Cuisine by Edward Lee
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking by Samin Nosrat
Pearl wrote: "I would upvote 11 or 12 if I could! My top favorites so far all relate to the reasons I joined this group. NPR list
Characters in helping careers
Well-known classic
An author you feel you should ..."
@Pearl - which 2 options do you consider to be the "2 quirky ideas"?
Judy wrote: "Other than Midnight Children, what would you read by an author who is threatened?"As someone said, “work” doesn’t have to be the author’s writing, so books by people who were threatened would count, too. For instance, the autobiography of Malcolm X, Ghandi, MLK, or even JKR, since she has been threatened, Many politicians have also been threatened (Hillary Clinton, for example - lock her up!). Lots of people have been persecuted during the McCarthy era. The author of Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup has been threatened while writing the story.
I had 7 upvotes and no downvotes. I can work with all of these prompts. I particularly liked chess piece and rock, paper, scissors, evem though chess piece is likely a gimme: I read lots of medieval/reneissance history, so kings, queens and knights abound. But I like the creativity of the prompt.I also upvoted “author you feel you should have read by now” (mine) because it lets me finally cross some off my tbr that I’ve been putting off.
NancyJ wrote: "I think people in my generation read the 500 page version of The Count of Monte Christo years ago, and we liked it. That's what was in the stores, and I think it's a more entertaining story. I read the 1200 page version a few years ago, and the rambling second half makes it a completely different story. In the short version (which is what the movies were based on) you cheer for him. By the end of the long version I absolutely hated the MC."There is a 500 page version??
I read classics young because my parents had them lying around. I read Monte Christo a couple times, but The Three Musketeers was my favorite, I must have read it at least four times. The adventure! The romance! Good times.
Just a few more thoughts: -Am author who was imprisoned because of his work - Daniel DeFoe (Robinson Crusoe)
- book you don’t normally read- I like the cookbook idea. I also have some yoga and health related books. Hope punk, which I’m still trying to understand, is a genre possibility. Essay collection, memoir, drama, dual language or a book in Spanish, a long classic, nature writing and a travelogue are some other options.
Marta wrote: "Judy wrote: "Other than Midnight Children, what would you read by an author who is threatened?"As someone said, “work” doesn’t have to be the author’s writing, so books by people who were threate..."
Great examples. I've had Bad Blood on my tbr for a long time, and Hilary Clinton's thriller is very good. I would look for one of the more controversial books to meet the spirit of this prompt.
I'm pretty sure Gabriel Garcia Marquez was exiled and I'll likely read something by him if the author who has been threatened, etc. prompt makes it through. I've also been meaning to read a book by him for years now. I doubt GGM is the only author from South America who has been banned, threatened or exiled.Another author I'll look at for the banned prompt is Orhan Pamuk. He has a new book coming out soon about the Bubonic plague. Turkey has a lot of authors in this category.
Thanks for the suggestions of John Carreyrou and Orhan Pamuk for threatened authors. I looked through the PEN list but it was hard to know who has translated books available and what they are. Didn't vote either way on it in the end but at least I now have some ideas if it gets in.
Pamela wrote: "As someone plodding through Jamaica Inn for the weather prompt, I say rightly so less well known!.."I thought it was just the old-fashioned audiobook narration that was bad... I think Jamaica Inn is well known, it's a real pub in a super touristy place that has a Daphne du Maurier museum in it! So I don't like this prompt even more because I can't tell what's well known or not.
Isabel Allende was exiled from Chile and had her life threatened by the government. If this gets in I'll read something by her, probably.
Ellie wrote: "So I don't like this prompt even more because I can't tell what's well known or not."I am quite addicted to the Listchallenges website and I am pretty good at telling which books show up on the “best books” or “books everyone should read” lists. Here are a couple of examples:
https://www.listchallenges.com/kaunis...
https://www.listchallenges.com/amazon...
https://www.listchallenges.com/300-bo...
These are great fun to tick off, so I always have some classic lurking on my tbr that would help me get a higher score. :)
Another way of telling is number of ratings on Goodreads. If over 50 thousand, I would say it is well known.
But in general, if YOU think it is well known, go for it.
Here is the classics genre on Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
I would say all of these are well known. Look at the number of ratings.
Down votes2. A book related to a chess piece
3. A book by an author who has been threatened, imprisoned or otherwise persecuted because of their work
10. A book about words or language, or emphasizing the spoken word
Up votes
7. A book that has an object that is repeated on the cover
8. A book with rock, paper or scissors on the cover
14. A well-known classic book
@Tracy I have read a couple of books that like that which merge recipes and memoir. One of them referred to itself as a 'foodoir' which I like!
Nancy wrote: "Isabel Allende was exiled from Chile and had her life threatened by the government. If this gets in I'll read something by her, probably."I thought of her. But she was exiled because of her uncle and politics, not because of her work, so the way this prompt is written, she wouldn't qualify. (But I might read something by her anyway if this prompt wins.)
Having voted yet because there are three prompts I really don't understand. Maybe the OPs will see this.1) In the Wild discussion the chess prompt was originally going to be a character prompt. Read a book with a character represented by a chess piece. Or something like that. I have a ton of books to read with kings, queens, knights, or bishops in them. But now it's a book "related to" a chess piece. What does "related to" mean in this context. If this isn't a character prompt, what is it?
2) What exactly is the definition of "an adventure book"? Other than the Jungle Book and Treasure Island (both of which I read), what fits here?
3) I still don't understand the spoken word prompt. Is this like a word with a framing device where they are telling oral stories and you're kind of the eavesdropper as the reader. (e.g. 1001 Arabian Nights or the Decameron). Is this like witchy books where magic is created by the power of the spoken word? Other than a linguistics text book, what on earth would someone read under this prompt?
Dubhease wrote: "Having voted yet because there are three prompts I really don't understand. Maybe the OPs will see this.1) In the Wild discussion the chess prompt was originally going to be a character prompt. R..."
You can still interpret it as a character prompt as long as it sort of relates to chess pieces.
Adventure is how you interpret it. Something with a lot of action is my interpretation.
Hobbit would be a fantasy adventure. Star Wars would be sci-fi. It’s however your books fit.
Beth wrote: "@Tracy I have read a couple of books that like that which merge recipes and memoir. One of them referred to itself as a 'foodoir' which I like!"Ooh, I like that term! Thanks Beth :)
Dubhease wrote: "Having voted yet because there are three prompts I really don't understand. Maybe the OPs will see this.1) In the Wild discussion the chess prompt was originally going to be a character prompt. R..."
@Dubhease - OP of the chess prompt here. Without sifting back through the Wild Discussion I don't remember what I exactly said initially. I know my initial thought process was to find a new character prompt, but because not all the pieces are strictly people, or even living beings, it got switched to "related to" instead. I suggested using "a character or setting related to" and was told that this was a little redundant. So most of the pieces would be characters (although there may be a way of interpreting King, Queen, Bishop, in a non-character way that I haven't thought of). Knight could be human character, or however you would categorize a book about horses (since that's what the pieces look like). Rook could be a setting (castle, fortress, tower) OR a character(like horses) because a "rook" is also a type of bird. Pawn could be a character (soldier or manipulated person), but could also be about war, or a pawn shop!
So, use it how you like, as long as you can tie it back to one of the chess pieces. Message 2 of this thread (Poll 10 Voting) includes my extensive discussion of ideas and shelves/listopias.
Thanks for asking instead of just discounting this prompt as "weird".
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1) In the Wild discussion the chess prompt was originally going to be a character prompt. R..."
As far as the spoken word, that is only one part - it is words and language. It could involve a writer or public speaker. It could be something like The Dictionary of Lost Words or The Great Passage. It could be a book where language is significant, like Native Tongue (women have their own language). I think Project Hail Mary was mentioned, although the reader won't understand why till halfway through.
The language prompt is meant to allow multiple interpretations, so yes, all of the above. If inwere giving recs to someone who likes what I like, I’d suggest Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters, Intimacies, The Poet X, The Sparrow. I’m about to read Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution, which looks perfect for this. Also, Carry On is another take.
Tracy wrote: "@Jillian - Have fun with the pup!"Thank you!
Alicia wrote: "How exciting Jillian! What’s its name? Are they potty trained?"
We renamed him Sherlock. He is not potty trained but he has done very good today. Having an older dog teach him the ropes helps. Along with taking him outside all the time. He pretty much has not slept since we got him so I'm really hoping he sleeps tonight. He seems to be very happy and has made himself at home.
Dubhease wrote: "Having voted yet because there are three prompts I really don't understand. Maybe the OPs will see this.1) In the Wild discussion the chess prompt was originally going to be a character prompt. R..."
For Adventure - I didn't think this was my kind of book, but I found many that I really liked or want to read. Check out the Genre page or tag list for the most popular adventure books. You can find them in many different genres - fantasy, sci-fi, space operas, thrillers, man versus nature (Into Thin Air), road trips, quests, rescues, races, escapes, even romance and literary fiction. There are even more if you like animals and YA.
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/most...
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
I really liked This Tender Land, Project Hail Mary, The Lincoln Highway,
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, Circe, Into the Wild, Into Thin Air, The Girl with the dragon Tattoo series, How the penguins saved Veronica , Canyon Solitude: A Woman's Solo River Journey Through the Grand Canyon, The Hobbit, Harry Potter, His Majesty's Dragon, Dark Matter.
Adventure books on my tbr include: Watership Down, Old man's War, Something Wilder, Uprooted, Throne of Jade.
I'm going to wait to vote until I have time to pick out something for the threatened authors. I like the character prompts - compassionate job and two of the chess pieces. NPR, and On the Road are strong upvotes.
I have some books that could work for both On-the-Road, and Adventure. One could also work for King-Tut. Adventure is the surprise prompt this week.
For 15. A book that's unlike what you usually read - I would pick a specific genre or sub-genre that it totally new to me. Or one that I rejected in the past but might be ready for now.
NancyJ Those links were really helpful. At least two series I'm reading had books on the list.
I might have 8 upvotes this week which has never happened in two years of voting.
Marta wrote: "I am quite addicted to the Listchallenges website and I am pretty good at telling which books show up on the “best books” ..."Sorry I do not like those kind of lists at all. Not everyone likes the same sort of books and I don't really enjoy reading old fiction all that much. The prompt was a solid downvote before I made that comment.
Ellie wrote: "Sorry I do not like those kind of lists at all. Not everyone likes the same sort of books and I don't really enjoy reading old fiction all that much. The prompt was a solid downvote before I made that comment."If it gets in, you could always choose a children’s classic. Anne of Green Gables is really wonderful. And there are modern classics, too. Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, P.G. Wodehouse are great fun. You might find that oldies are often goodies. :)
Edit: I looked at your books and we both like Pratchett! Well, you should definitely try some Wodehouse. Any will do, but you can’t go wrong with The Code of the Woosters. Also, The Importance of Being Earnest is hilarious. So is Three Men in a Boat.
I am liking this round of prompts and have more upvotes than downvotes, but could work with any of these, I think.I downvoted the well-known classic (I read so much, either I've already read it or I'mreally not interested in reading it, and I usually try to avoid re-reads for challenges) and the 2nd or 3rd in a series (even though I like the nod to 2023 in that one), because right now I can't guarantee I'll be starting a new series at a point where reading book 2 or 3 will fit into my 2023 reading.
In contrast to other lists, I actually found a TBR book and several I'm interested in on the NPR list, so that was a n upvote this time. Also loving the chess piece, the objectz on the cover, the punctuation, and the words or language prompts :)
I was going to say that I didn’t have many strong feelings this round, and then I ended up upvoting six! Ah well, good to find that I’m being more positive than I thought I’d be!Up
A book from the NPR "Books We Love" lists - “I don’t generally like lists” I say, and then upvote another list! What can I say, I opened this up and immediately saw two books I want to read.
A book by an author who has been threatened, imprisoned or otherwise persecuted because of their work - I just really like the thought behind this prompt. It may be a bit of a challenge for me to fill, but unfortunately persecuted authors are on the rise…
An adventure book - I do like adventure stories. This would be a fun one to fill.
A book that is the 2nd or 3rd in a series - I just like this! I read a lot of series piecemeal, so this would be a fun one to slot in.
A well-known classic book - I have a few Classics in mind that I’d love to reread next year (I will be honest: mainly Frankenstein), and this seems like a fun excuse to do that.
A book that's unlike what you usually read - I probably wouldn’t have upvoted this at the beginning of the year, but these past few months I’ve been reading a lot of slightly unexpected things and really enjoying them. This would be a nice push outside my comfort zone!
Down
A book related to King Tut - I mean, I do like King Tut! I’m just not sure I have very much related to him on my TBR pile.
A book by an author you feel you should have read by now - generally when I want to read an author I read them pretty much immediately. This would end up being a bit of a struggle for me to fill.
Another great batch of prompts!Definite upvotes:
- A book related to a chess piece
- A book that has an object that is repeated on the cover
On the fence but leaning towards upvoting:
- Author who has been threatened/imprisoned/persecuted
- King Tut
- A book featuring a character who is engaged in a typically compassionate profession or career (I think I preferred the more specific medical profession suggestion. I think compassionate could be stretched to fit a lot of careers)
- A book with rock, paper or scissors on the cover (maybe I'm imagining this but was this suggested before without the cover element? I have some great options for books related to rock/paper/scissors but I like it less as a cover prompt)
- A book by an author who uses punctuation in their name
- A well-known classic book
Possible downvotes:
- NPR list
- An adventure book (it's a genre I dislike if I'm looking for a book that are actually shelved as "adventure". If I interpret it too broadly, then it becomes too easy).
- A book about words or language, or emphasizing the spoken word
- Author I should have read (for me personally, it would overlap too much with classics, which is the prompt I prefer)
- A book that is the 2nd or 3rd in a series (this would require me to also read the first book)
- A book that's unlike what you usually read
Irene wrote: " A book with rock, paper or scissors on the cover (maybe I'm imagining this but was this suggested before without the cover element?..."Yes. I went through last year's rejects looking for inspiration...it was a multiweek suggestion and also submitted as related to rock, paper, scissors, Spock, but thought it might do better as a cover prompt. And without Spock.
Around the Year in 52 Books
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- Language/linguistics/spoken word
- Chess piece
- Author with punctuation in their name
- Author that's been threatened/imprisoned/persecuted
I'm also on the fence a..."
The brand new books on the NPR list aren't very familiar yet, because they aren't all the ones being pushed by the publishers. The NPR list as a whole has more than 52 books I want to read. So I'll upvote it every year.