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[2023] Poll 11 Voting
Again more rejects that keep getting voted, just for us to reject them again. Why???This will be mostly downvotes for me. I actually upvoted the disability prompt, but I really don't like how we keep seeing exactly the same prompts repeatedly.
I don't understand the imagery prompt. The W award thing is going to be a PITA. The syllable one will also be a PITA. Also don't understand the widow/woman scorned one.
There's really not one prompt I genuinely like. I'll probably leave the 23 years one and the 500+ pages ones at least not downvoted, maybe the millions most as well.
I hated the tookie's list one before - I hate that we're somehow still having to downvote it again.
Michelle wrote: "Again more rejects that keep getting voted, just for us to reject them again. Why???..."We're allowed to resubmit any prompt that doesn't get bottomed, that's just group rules. In past years we have voted in prompts that didn't get in the first time. Sometimes people change their minds, sometimes they're up against less popular prompts.
I'm sorry you don't like the prompts we're suggesting, if you are missing out on the suggestions window, feel free to leave your ideas in the wild discussion where someone can submit on your behalf.
And remember we can always use wild cards for prompts we don't like ;-)I haven't made up my mind 100% yet, but I think for me it will be downvotes for
4. A winner or nominee of the Goodreads Choice Awards
11. A book nominated for an award beginning with W
12. A book connected to (100 years of) Hollywood, Disney or the land of Oz
15. A book about healing
And upvotes for
5. A book by an author with a first name popular in 1923
6. A book with a sign (literal or figurative) on the cover
7. A book featuring The Widow, the Wallflower, or the Woman Scorned
9. A book mainly set underground or underwater
Michelle wrote: "Again more rejects that keep getting voted, just for us to reject them again. Why???This will be mostly downvotes for me. I actually upvoted the disability prompt, but I really don't like how we ..."
I only see three on here that were suggested before. Maybe there are more and I just forgot. They are not rejected, they were just not top votes. If there are, hypothetically, TEN fantastic ideas in one poll, and I only have EIGHT votes, I have not "rejected" the other two ideas, I just ran out of votes. So just because an idea doesn't win doesn't mean it's rejected by the group (although clearly they were rejected by you haha!) I love Tookie's list so I'm happy it is in this poll.
A fun KISS option for the 1923 name prompt would be to do last names instead of first names. I was actually jotting down possible book options based on that idea before I realized the prompt specifically says author's first name.
I have some sympathy with you Michelle. But as other say it can be that it was popular but not popular enough. I certainly won’t be voting for tookie list because it has nothing I want to read and I try to confine myself to one WC. But if it gets in that’s how democracy works
Michelle wrote: "Again more rejects that keep getting voted, just for us to reject them again. Why???" Emily told us that some polls had prompts that were very close especially that one week. The repeated prompts give them a fair chance.
The W award and Widows could be a lot of work or very easy if someone else does the digging. We could wait to see what people recommend. I voted for the Language prompt because it had a book I already bought, so it was easy.
Does anyone have some recommendations for W Awards or The Widows prompts?
Judy wrote: "Michelle wrote: "Again more rejects that keep getting voted, just for us to reject them again. Why???" Emily told us that some polls had prompts that were very close especially that one week. The..."
Here is a list of listopias of widows
https://www.goodreads.com/list/tag/wi...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...
It lists a bunch of international literary awards alphabetically. Unless it’s been done before, it will be a rabbit hole to play with all the different countries and award genres.
dalex wrote: "A fun KISS option for the 1923 name prompt would be to do last names instead of first names. I was actually jotting down possible book options based on that idea before I realized the prompt spec...
Or both first and last names. And make it a 1923 book. That's a challenge. Were there more with first names or last names? I look forward to your list.
Mandy wrote: "Judy wrote: "Michelle wrote: "Again more rejects that keep getting voted, just for us to reject them again. Why???" Emily told us that some polls had prompts that were very close especially that ..."
Well that was easy. The first two books on the widow or widower list are books that my bookclub wants to read. Thank you Mandy.
The Widows of Malabar Hill
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows
Judy wrote: "Mandy wrote: "Judy wrote: "Michelle wrote: "Again more rejects that keep getting voted, just for us to reject them again. Why???" Emily told us that some polls had prompts that were very close es..."
You welcome
Judy wrote: "Mandy wrote: "Judy wrote: "Michelle wrote: "Again more rejects that keep getting voted, just for us to reject them again. Why???" Emily told us that some polls had prompts that were very close es..."
Oh! Thanks for those suggestions! The first one has been on my tbr for several years and the second looks really fun! I had already decided to upvote the 3 Ws, and now I have some really good options for it!
Judy wrote: "Does anyone have some recommendations for W Awards or The Widows prompts?."I absolutely love the Women's Prize for Fiction! Some of my favorites that were nominated for the prize:
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Elizabeth Is Missing by Emma Healey
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Normal People by Sally Rooney
The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie
There are already two big posts with easy links. The Walter Scott prize is historical fiction
https://www.goodreads.com/award/show/...
Days Without End
Still Life
The Magician
Fortune
Women's Prize for Fiction
https://www.goodreads.com/award/show/...
Great Circle
Piranesi
The Vanishing Half
The Paper Palace
The Island of Missing Trees
Hamnet
Judy wrote: "Or both first and last names. And make it a 1923 book. That's a challenge. Were there more with first names or last names? I look forward to your list."First and last name would definitely be a BIO option! Yikes. (Although I can think of one off the top of my head - Elizabeth George)
I'd say it was about equal between first and last names. But I had to look for variations for last names, like Johnson for John and Williams for William.
Judy wrote: "Does anyone have some recommendations for W Awards or The Widows prompts?..."I can't see your profile to see what sort of books you read, but you could just pick one award that appeals to you and look through the books for that.
My tastes run contrary to most this group 🤣, but I enjoyed:
The Tidal Zone by Sarah Moss (Wellcome)
How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu (Waterstones Debut)
Saga, Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan + Fiona Staples (Will Eisner)
My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, Vol. 1 by Emil Ferris (Will Eisner)
A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes (Women's Prize)
The Changeling by Victor LaValle (World Fantasy)
dalex wrote: "Judy wrote: "Does anyone have some recommendations for W Awards or The Widows prompts?."I absolutely love the Women's Prize for Fiction! Some of my favorites that were nominated for the prize:
[..."
I agree. I found 10 books in a minute. I didn't see all the books you listed 'cause i didn't get past the first page.
https://www.goodreads.com/award/show/...
I'm not ready to vote yet. I feel like this isn't a week for knee-jerk decisions.
Mod
You are so right, Thomas, since this is done by voting, there's no way everybody will love all the prompts. We can always use a wild card or get "creative" and interpret it a different way. For instance, if a list gets in that has nothing for you, maybe pick a different list that you would have liked better. That way you're not just using it as a freebie. Our Completed thread for each year always asks, "What was your favorite prompt?" "Your least favorite" and "The prompt you cheated on". Many people don't "cheat" but this is one group with a lot of flexibility. There are many challenges out there where a moderator has to check and approve all your books to make sure they fit. I can understand why that appeals to many people who want a clear answer of what to read. But this group is very diverse and has a lot of different tastes and personalities, which may be frustrating in the short term but contributes to our strength.
Sometimes I have been surprised to find a book I read fit a category I didn't expect and wasn't looking forward to. For instance, Hieroglyphics is a present-day family drama, but it turned out the male character was a professor of history or anthropology specializing in ancient Egypt. And some of that was relevant to the story. So I was able to use it for the Egyptian museum prompt, which I was totally stuck on.
Bec wrote: "Riley wrote: "I really like the idea of reading Louise Erdrich's The Sentence for one of the previous rounds' prompts (maybe the one about a book where books are important?) and then reading one of..."Bec you can read historical fiction for the centuries books, or sci-fi for the 22nd century. I don't know how old you are, but the 23 years prompt is harder for the oldest people in the group.
Only 3 up for me - I downvoted 5 that I just didn't like, particularly the 500+ pages. I'm tired of looking for books based on length. Long books don't scare me & short books are hard to find. Do you ever wish that you could put exclamation marks on a vote? LOLThe one that I'm excited about is the wacky book. It reminds me of a screwball comedy on paper.
Judy wrote: "Mandy wrote: "Judy wrote: "Michelle wrote: "Again more rejects that keep getting voted, just for us to reject them again. Why???" Emily told us that some polls had prompts that were very close es..."
I loved The Widows of Malabar Hill which is one of the inspirations for my suggesting a book set in India/Pakistan or as it evolved to a book set on the Indian subcontinent (which was a close call).
Ellie wrote: "Judy wrote: "Does anyone have some recommendations for W Awards or The Widows prompts?..."I can't see your profile to see what sort of books you read, but you could just pick one award that appea..."
Thank you. I like the Walter Scott list for historical fiction and The Women's Prize. The Changeling looks good too. I keep my reading records on a spreadsheet so my profile isn't helpful. I mainly use Goodreads for research, to-read lists, and gift lists for friends and family.
Judy wrote: "Bec wrote: "Riley wrote: "I really like the idea of reading Louise Erdrich's The Sentence for one of the previous rounds' prompts (maybe the one about a book where books are important?) and then re..."Yes, Judy. Books written at least 23 years before your were born is tough when you are older. There are few books to choose from and many of them I have already read. Alice in Wonderland is great, but have no desire to reread it.
I kind of like all the prompts! I almost immediately thought of possibilities for every suggestion which is VERY unusual for me!1. A book about a person/character with a disability
2. A book by an author with a 2 syllable first/given name and a 3 syllable last name/surname
by Brandon Sanderson3. A book from one of the Millions Most Anticipated lists
4. A winner or nominee of the Goodreads Choice Awards
No idea yet but love that there is no date restrictions on this one, there are 12 years of books to choose from!
5. A book by an author with a first name popular in 1923
by John Scalzi6. A book with a sign (literal or figurative) on the cover
or
or
or
or
( I keep adding to this list as I am scouring my tbr adding to listopias. I didn't realize how many SIGN books I own!)7. A book featuring The Widow, the Wallflower, or the Woman Scorned
,
,
8. A book published at least 23 years before you were born
1951......
?9. A book mainly set underground or underwater
(reread!)10. A book off the Totally Biased List of Tookie’s Favorite Books found in Louise Endrich's The Sentence
11. A book nominated for an award beginning with W
12. A book connected to (100 years of) Hollywood, Disney or the land of Oz
13. A book with 500+ pages
( a MUST read asap book!)14. A wacky book
15. A book about healing
This is going to be VERY hard to narrow down this week!
Mod
Not that hard for me as an "oldster", even though I will have to go back to 1929, I read plenty of classics.
Emily wrote: "Thanks for those lists, Nadine. The Google doc helps tremendously!I addd the 2021 and 2022 lists as those were the lists that were (attempting to be) posted in the suggestions thread.
As a remi..."
No problem, I know how it is! You've got to draw the line somewhere!!
Some more Listopias for the disability prompt:Characters with mental illnesses or learning disabilites
Blind/Deaf/Mute
Stories about Individuals with Disabilities
Disability-positive stories
Books Written by Disabled Authors (some nonfiction choices here)
Firsthand Accounts of Living with Chronic, Invisible Illness(es)
Fantasy Books with Disabled Protagonists
Books With Disabled Protagonists
Mod
I'm torn about voting for the 500+ page book and will probably just leave it alone. I hate picking a book that long as I'm a slow reader, but I still end up reading several each year that qualify.
Pamela wrote: "Jette wrote: "Only 3 up for me - I downvoted 5 that I just didn't like, particularly the 500+ pages. I'm tired of looking for books based on length. Long books don't scare me & short books are hard..."I sort of like the idea of getting "credit" for reading a long book, though I think I read more of them this year than I did when we had a prompt for a long book (which I defined as 600 pages). 500 gives me a lot more choices.
Mod
Well, I started a 1,274 page book this morning and am only annoyed that I had to stop reading to go to work. But I picked it for the book and it just happens to qualify for long book prompt (which I've already filled so it's going for female detective book instead)
I've wanted to nominate the Wainwright Prize for awhile but thought it was a bit niche so I love that an expanded prize prompt has been suggested that includes it. I also try to read a few of the Womens Prize books and the Warwick Prize seemed really interesting when it came up in another challenge.
I downvoted the 500 pages. I can easily read a long book in a weekend; I read City of Saints and Madmen in just over a day. But I can never predict when lightning is going to strike me lately and I don't like having to commit to putting a chunkster on my schedule right now.
NancyJ wrote: "Pamela wrote: "Jette wrote: "Only 3 up for me - I downvoted 5 that I just didn't like, particularly the 500+ pages. I'm tired of looking for books based on length. Long books don't scare me & short..."As a former school librarian who used to try to persuade students to read books that I knew they would enjoy that were longer than books I thought they would hate because they were short, I developed a "don't judge a book by its length" motto. :) That's another reason why I love reading electronic books - I seldom know how long a book is when I choose it
From my student's perspective, I totally get the desire for credit for reading longer books. LOL
Happy ATY 23!
dalex wrote: "Judy wrote: "Does anyone have some recommendations for W Awards or The Widows prompts?."I absolutely love the Women's Prize for Fiction! Some of my favorites that were nominated for the prize:
[..."
I think it was popsugar that recently did this one though
Popsugar was restricted to Women's Prize winners so it was kinda narrow and not really comparable to a prompt that is any nominated book in quite a large number of awards. I get it if people don't want to do an award prompt or look through lists, I don't think you need to blame it on Popsugar...
Michelle wrote: "Again more rejects that keep getting voted, just for us to reject them again. Why???This will be mostly downvotes for me. I actually upvoted the disability prompt, but I really don't like how we ..."
I think the new disability prompt is much better than the original one (part of the language on the old one was mine, and I'm willing to say I was wrong).
What do you like to read Michelle?
The W Award doesn't have to be a PITA. I'll bet someone on this post can direct you to the W award list or books that most closely fits your interests. The Women's Prize is my absolute favorite (I could happily read a bunch every year). There are awards for the people here who might prefer to read about History, Nature, Journalism, Historical Fiction, Children's books, world fiction, or even Westerns (the Willa award, named for Willa Cather). I didn't finish looking at all the lists, but others might have.
Kat wrote: "I've wanted to nominate the Wainwright Prize for awhile but thought it was a bit niche so I love that an expanded prize prompt has been suggested that includes it. I also try to read a few of the W..."The Wainwright prize was part of the reason I suggested this prompt, I find it so soothing listening to nature writing while walking my dog!
Michelle wrote: "Again more rejects that keep getting voted, just for us to reject them again. Why???"
It is pretty typical for prompts to show up on multiple polls. Last poll, the multiple items on a cover made it to the top on its second time being on a poll. I did not vote for it in it's first poll because there were so many prompts I did not want so I used 7 of my votes to down vote other prompts. I also did not vote either way for the disability prompt before because I did not like the POV part. It was dropped in this poll so I up voted it. There are definite ones no matter how they get reworded that I will down vote like Tookie's list. It would be hard to have 15 new ideas ever poll. Also, there are prompt winners that in a different poll could have ended up as a close call and some poll's close calls in a different poll could have been winners. It makes sense that ideas have more than one chance even the ones I strongly dislike.
Kat wrote: "I've wanted to nominate the Wainwright Prize for awhile but thought it was a bit niche so I love that an expanded prize prompt has been suggested that includes it. I also try to read a few of the W..."Kat wrote: "I've wanted to nominate the Wainwright Prize for awhile but thought it was a bit niche so I love that an expanded prize prompt has been suggested that includes it. I also try to read a few of the W..."
A lot of people will like that one. When I daydreamed about winning the right to pick a prompt, I was thinking of the Women's prize, but this option has so much more. I think I saw a journalism award yesterday too. Joy and other NF fans will love this prompt.
4 up, 4 down! A nice even spread.Up
1. A book about a person/character with a disability - I’m so thrilled somebody else suggested this, definitely cheered up an extremely long day at work. :D I’m disabled myself, and I can think of a few interesting options (mainly romance novels, I'll admit) that could fill this prompt.
5. A book by an author with a first name popular in 1923 - Glad this one was suggested after all the discussion! This just looks like such a fun prompt.
8. A book published at least 23 years before you were born - I said this last poll, but I’ll say it again now. A nice excuse to reread Frankenstein.
11. A book nominated for an award beginning with W - Another prompt that I’m glad was nominated after all the discussion! It’ll require a bit of research, but this could be really fun.
Down
3. A book from one of the Millions Most Anticipated lists - I’m not a big fan of literary fiction, I just find it extremely hard to read, and these lists seem to have mainly literary fiction on them. I browsed for an entire evening, and found only one book I’d actually like to read.
4. A winner or nominee of the Goodreads Choice Awards - I just don’t often like Goodreads Choice awards, I’m afraid. I think last year I’d only heard of two from the entire list?
10. A book off the Totally Biased List of Tookie’s Favorite Books found in Louise Endrich's The Sentence - I downvoted this list last time, and I’m afraid I have to downvote it again now. I could probably find something, but from a quick glance through none of the books on it are really to my taste.
12. A book connected to (100 years of) Hollywood, Disney or the land of Oz - I like the theory of this prompt, but the actual grouping itself seems a little random. I think if it was separated out (A book connected to (100 years of) Hollywood, a book connected to (100 years of) Disney, etc…) I’d like it a lot more.
Thank you to everyone who has been submitting suggestions, not to mention helpful explanations, ideas and lists. I’ve really been enjoying the voting process and, while I’ve been happy to second some suggestions (when I’ve been quick enough!), I’m just not creative enough to think of any original ideas myself. Lol. So thanks to those of you who are - and who risk having your ideas criticised!
Sorry if this is obvious, but what does PITA stand for?
This is the first time this year that I completely missed the suggestion round, I was volunteering with Habitat For Humanity so didn't touch my phone until I got home. I seem to be in the minority with these suggestions, I have a few definite upvotes but other than that I'm kind of meh on them. Will continue reading discussion and ruminate before I vote.
Alicia wrote: "Sorry if this is obvious, but what does PITA stand for?"I assume they mean Pain in the A**
I ended up with 3 up and 5 down this week - voted up the person with a disability, W award, and Widow, Wallflower or Woman Scorned.
Amy (Other Amy) wrote: "Some more Listopias for the disability prompt:Characters with mental illnesses or learning disabilites
Blind/Deaf/Mute
Stories about Individuals with Disabilities
Disability-positive stories
Books..."
Thanks Amy-other-Amy!
My bookclub read True Bizthis month and loved it. It's very entertaining. For romance, I liked Get a Life Chloe Brown*. Still Alice is very good, as is anything by Lisa Genova. (*The cover still makes me grin - the short curvy woman with a tall skinny man.)
I found some good choices for my present 24/7 job as a caregiver.
Just by Looking at Him
Waist-High in the World: A Life Among the Nondisabled
ALS Saved My Life ... until it didn't
How to Be Sick: A Buddhist-Inspired Guide for the Chronically Ill and Their Caregivers
The Diary of Frida Kahlo: An Intimate Self-Portrait
The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher - she's always funny.
Float Plan is on the Disability main page, but it sounds more like a HEALING-from-grief romance. (It's exactly what I'd want my husband to do - go sailing.)
:-) My pleasure. I was reminded of several books on my TBR by those lists. Seriously thinking about The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, but I have quite a few options.
Jette wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Pamela wrote: "Jette wrote: "Only 3 up for me - I downvoted 5 that I just didn't like, particularly the 500+ pages. I'm tired of looking for books based on length. Long books don't s..."My library system used to have an adult reading challenge every winter in each branch. The prize was an Amazon gift card. I wish they did it during covid. Now they just have it for kids and teenagers.
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Notes from the Underground (other topics)Olive (other topics)
Get a Life, Chloe Brown (other topics)
The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street (other topics)
It (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Stephen King (other topics)Quentin Tarantino (other topics)
Ron Howard (other topics)
John Scalzi (other topics)
Brandon Sanderson (other topics)
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Goodreads awards ( particularly now write ins are gone it’s too restrictive)
Totally biased list ( nothing I really like)
500 pages ( I’m a slow reader I don’t need to be made to read long books)
I do however like 23 years before birth ( I agree with Ellie that the centuries doesn’t make anyone read old books as there are plenty of period books)