[2023] Poll 12 Voting

[dalex]

Jaime wrote: "That "Little House on the Prairie" aesthetic that's all over the place right now. Fields and flowers and mushrooms and frogs, etc."

Personally I think of cottagecore as more British - rural, simple, but still cultured and refined. Little House on the Prairie makes me think of farmers and Americana style.

Aesthetically, it’s a nod to the traditional English countryside style, romantic and nostalgic,” says Davina Ogilvie.
https://www.architecturaldigest.com/s...

The concept of back-to-nature self-sustaining is more like being a hippy than a farmer.

[Trish, Annular Mod]

Thomas wrote: "RIP Queen Elizabeth. And long live King Charles"

The end of an era, to be sure.

[Jill]

Thomas wrote: "RIP Queen Elizabeth. And long live King Charles"

Seconded!

[NancyJ]

Nadine in NY wrote: "Victoria wrote: "A lot of classics also fit into the dark academia aesthetic, like Frankenstein, Wuthering Heights or the Picture of Dorian Grey...."
I've seen Wuthering Heights listed before and..."

I agree (though my memory isn't great). I think Victor Frankenstein attended college early in the book, but his work on the monster was done in secret and not at a college. The bulk of the story regards what happened afterwards If anyone has read Frankenstein recently, they might be a better judge (the movie is different).

I read Dorian Grey not too long ago, and I don't recall a college setting. Though his partying might have started when he was a student. I recall a lot of time spent in homes, parties, bars, opium dens, brothels, gambling halls, etc. His friend might have been called a professor?

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

So is he Charles III? And what is Camilla's title, will she be called princess?

There aren't many people around who remember living under any other British monarch!

[Tracy]

I just heard he will King Charles III and she will be Queen Consort Camilla

[Juliet]

He may or may not be King Charles III, he will choose a name to reign under when he is coronated

[Nancy]

He is King Charles III. Camilla is Queen Consort.

[NancyJ]

Tracy wrote: "For anyone who doesn't want to vote for the Sherlock Holmes prompt because they don't want to read another rehash of Sherlock, Watson, Moriarty, Charlotte or Mary Russell, consider these ideas:

No..."

@Tracy @Judy
Thanks for the book examples for Sherlock Holmes. I would probably go with a Laurie King book (they're so smart), but I like the extra options. I don't agree that all detective books are related to Sherlock Holmes, but some certainly are. Holmes was deeply flawed in interesting ways, and I would look for that in another detective. (I just realized who I could ask.) Friendly amateurs in cozy mysteries wouldn't work imo.

If I voted early, I probably would skipped right over Ghosts, Sherlock Holmes, Comedy, and Dark Academia. Now I might upvote the first 3, maybe 4. Tropics and Novella are Definite upvotes - I have many great options for both that don't fit other prompts.

I also like Shapes, Game set Match, and literary archetypes. I might also like Character W name or Trade profession, but I don't have any titles or authors in mind. I'm good on Shapes. If anyone already has specific books in mind for Game Set Match*, Archetypes, W Character, or Author last name - I'd love to see them.

*The new tennis book by TJR would work if I can resist the temptation to read it now.

[Amy (Other Amy)]

dalex wrote: "Personally I think of cottagecore as more British - rural, simple, but still cultured and refined. Little House on the Prairie makes me think of farmers and Americana style."

There's how you think of it and how people use it. Cottagecore bloggers very much do include Americana in their aesthetic spreads, and tend to be interested in farmcraft and self sufficiency. (Just speaking there to what I see go by me on Tumblr.)

[NancyJ]

I'm sorry to hear about the Queen. I'm happy for Charles. Do the British people feel good about him and Camilla now? Camilla was his first love, and I always wondered if anyone has written a romantic story about them (perhaps with the characters disguised out of respect to Diana).

[Siobhan]

I feel neutral about the entire royal family, as a UK person, but I will say that the one I have the biggest soft spot for is actually Charles. I'm glad he and Camilla got their happy ending in the end.

[NancyJ]

We discussed this book the other day and it's on sale for $1.99 right now on BOOKBUB.com (It was sent out Sept 7)

Black Water Sister - Fits Tropics, Ghosts, LGBT, Asian Author, Asia continent, Set in Malaysia, maybe set on water.

It's a new book so it might only be on sale for a couple days. (Ellie and Nadine gave it good ratings on GR, and I just bought it.)

For the readathon it fits Mystery/horror, but not Southern Hemisphere.

[NancyJ]

Siobhan wrote: "I feel neutral about the entire royal family, as a UK person, but I will say that the one I have the biggest soft spot for is actually Charles. I'm glad he and Camilla got their happy ending in the..."

I always felt bad for him too. If he could have married the woman he loved in the first place, it all would have been different, and he wouldn't have been cast in the role of the bad guy. Things have changed a lot in 40 years. It also must be strange to prepare all your life for a job you don't get until you're in your 70's. Was the queen not allowed to retire?

[Nancy]

Can they retire? Wouldn't that be abdicating or something?

[Dubhease]

Nancy wrote: "Can they retire? Wouldn't that be abdicating or something?"

Technically yes. But she saw how her uncle's abdication affected her father and probably shortened his life. She probably resolved to do the job until the end.

[Jill]

I think she also wanted to last longer than Queen Victoria.

[Nike]

Joyce wrote: "Somebody has to say it Amy - what’s cottagecore?"

Thank you! I was also wondering but since I just asked about Dark Academia I was a bit reluctant to show my ignorance again! 😄

[Nike]

Roxana wrote: "On the dark academia question- I think a lot of books that aren’t really in the subgenre, such as Dorian Gray or The Great Gatsby (mainly classics), get added to these lists because they fit the DA..."

Wow, it gets more and more intricate 😂. I wouldn't know at all what book to chose if this prompt will be on next year's challenge. Thank you for your explanation, you seem to know this so I might ask you for reading advice next year. 🌺

[Thomas]

Thank you. Regarding the issue of monarchs retiring in Britain we have never really had that king of system. The only monarchs who didn’t die in office since 1066 were Richard II (at knife point) Henry VI (who was murdered in captivity shortly afterwards), Edward V ( declared illegitimate and deposed) James II ( Who fled with an army on its way to attack him and Edward VIII ( with a government threatening to resign if he didn’t abdicate). For a monarch to simply retire is pretty much unheard of

[Thomas]

Regarding my position on the new king ( I’m a Brit) I think Camilla and Charles deserved to be together.

[NancyJ]

Thomas wrote: "Thank you. Regarding the issue of monarchs retiring in Britain we have never really had that king of system. The only monarchs who didn’t die in office since 1066 were Richard II (at knife point) H..."

That's reassuring in a way. I always wondered if her refusal to step aside was a negative reflection on him - like she didn't have enough confidence or respect for him.

It feels nice to think of them as star crossed lovers getting a happy ending.

Thanks for sharing.

[Siobhan]

NancyJ wrote: "Siobhan wrote: "I feel neutral about the entire royal family, as a UK person, but I will say that the one I have the biggest soft spot for is actually Charles. I'm glad he and Camilla got their hap..."

Exactly! So many people have cast him as the bad guy, but it's not his fault he was forced to marry Diana. It was just a sucky situation all around, really.

[Pamela, Arciform Mod]

Siobhan wrote: "I feel neutral about the entire royal family, as a UK person, but I will say that the one I have the biggest soft spot for is actually Charles. I'm glad he and Camilla got their happy ending in the..."

I will say, all thoughts of royals aside, I heard Charles speak at the National Building Museum in DC some time ago and he was one of the most interesting and engaging speakers we had. Yes, he was talking about architecture and preservation, but hey, it was the venue and main reason I was there! I would read a book he wrote!

eta- speaking of which, have you seen this fictional story about when the Queen became a voracious reader? Quite cute.

https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v29/n...

[Tracy]

Yes! That was the first book I thought of when we started talking about having a prompt in her honor.

And re: King Charles (that will take a while to get used to), I appreciate his commitment to organics and climate change work. I hope he can use his expanded influence to help in those matters.

[Kendra]

Nancy wrote: "Can they retire? Wouldn't that be abdicating or something?"

No abdicating is quitting. She could have retired and named Charles regent. She still would have been Queen, and he would have been Prince Regent.

And, yeah, King Charles is going to take a while to get used to... but yes, long live the King. (I'm Canadian and he's our King too)

[Thomas]

The only regent was due to king illness. Had she wanted to retire presumably she would have formally abdicated but as the circumstances were differ to her uncle presumably the process would be different

[Siobhan]

In The Netherlands 2 (maybe even 3?) monarchs have now abdicated in favour of their oldest child. I think their current king has stated that he's probably going to do that too.

Obviously a very different country, but if any monarch wanted to retire I think they'd probably look at that system for pointers.

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

A very funny book about the royals is The Queen and I. It was written back in the days of Diana, so might not come across so amusing today. The idea is that the Brits throw out the royals and they have to go live in a "housing estate" (public housing for the poor). Charles is happy to work in the garden, Diana tries to improve the house, the boys play with the other street kids in abandoned cars, the Queen has to cook for the family and poor Philip can never adjust. The audiobook was narrated by the wonderful Barbara Rosenblatt.

[Pamela, Arciform Mod]

Siobhan wrote: "In The Netherlands 2 (maybe even 3?) monarchs have now abdicated in favour of their oldest child. I think their current king has stated that he's probably going to do that too.

Obviously a very di..."

"Till death" is one thing when people died at 50, different now that they live to 100. Charles is the same age as my parents, happily retired for several decades.

[Siobhan]

Pamela wrote: "Siobhan wrote: "In The Netherlands 2 (maybe even 3?) monarchs have now abdicated in favour of their oldest child. I think their current king has stated that he's probably going to do that too.

Obv..."

When Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands abdicated/retired she was 75 years old. Only two years older than Charles now!

[Perri]

Really interesting to read all the opnions on the monarchy! I guess if most of the UK are OK with Charles and Camilla, it's past time to get rid of my grudge :D

[Alicia]

My mom and I just had a debate about why she should be mad at Charles for cheating on Diana, not Camila lol

[Siobhan]

I mean, to throw the cat in amongst the pigeons Diana also cheated a fair amount too... Like, she was definitely wronged by the royals. But when it comes to her relationship with Charles both of them were up to a lot of stuff.