[2023] Poll 12 Results

[Pearl]

Pam wrote: "For me, these are great results since I voted for all of them and I’m ready for the list to be finalized! WRT an unusually large animal, my first thought was the 1950 movie Harvey with Jimmy Stewar..."

lol

[Rachel]

I strongly considered voting for the geometric shape prompt but ended up just leaving it neutral because I have no idea how to tackle it. It will probably end up being a title prompt for me since that seems like the clearest connection to the shape compared to the other options, at least for me.

I'm very happy ghost/phantom/specter got in, that was one of my favourites of this batch. Novella is fine. I didn't vote for it either way but I have a few that I want to read so I can make it work. Not thrilled about tropical setting because it's another geographical prompt, and like Jillian said, I hope it's the last of those.

Unusually large animal is interesting, but the only books I can think of that fit are James and the Giant Peach and Clifford, neither of which are that appealing to me. I had the exact same thought process about dragons -- they could be seen as "unusually large" lizards, but they are normal size for dragons, so I'm not sure if I'd personally count them or not.

[Joy D]

Michelle wrote: "Yeah I still don't understand it, I guess I'm confused by what people are adding. How are the earth and moon geometric shapes?"
They are spheres.

[Abbie]

I am happy to see geometric shape, but I voted for it hoping to math geek out and actually read a book about a geometric shape. Now looking at some pop-math lists, there are some geometry related books, but not too many adult ones about shapes. If I can get it, The Shape of a Life: One Mathematician's Search for the Universe's Hidden Geometry sounds interesting to me. No idea what the Calabi-Yau manifold is, but if the blurb calls it a geometric shape, I’m counting it.

For the “unusually large version of an animal” I think there’s some ambiguity provided by the word “version”, whether intentional or not. For example, the cat bus in Totoro is an unusually large (bus) version of a cat. Or the Trojan horse is an unusually large (wooden) version of a horse. Not sure if anyone else sees it that way. Anyway, I have a soft spot for spiders so maybe I will read Giant Spider & Me: A Post-Apocalyptic Tale Vol. 1.

[NancyJ]

Abbie wrote: "I am happy to see geometric shape, but I voted for it hoping to math geek out and actually read a book about a geometric shape. Now looking at some pop-math lists, there are some geometry related b..."

I loved Totoro. I saw the film, is it a book too? If you like spiders, have you read Children of Time with a giant sentient spider? Your spider book sounds sweet.

I love the cover on the math book. I always liked math but I'm sure that's over my head. Though I like stories about scientific progress even when the science goes over my head. I might try Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions

[Kathryn]

Well considering I’ve been asked to read Clifford's Big Book of Stories every single day for the past three months, I’m thinking the giant animal prompt will fill itself unless my son moves on to something else by 2023. 😅 The book is even right next to me as I type.

[Kathryn]

As for the other prompts, this is the first time this entire cycle that I’ve upvoted more than one (I voted for all except geometric shape but I can work with that one), so I’m glad about that!

[Tracy]

Abbie wrote: "I am happy to see geometric shape, but I voted for it hoping to math geek out and actually read a book about a geometric shape. Now looking at some pop-math lists, there are some geometry related b..."

@Abbie - I love your take on the "unusually large version of an animal". I hadn't thought of things like the Trojan Horse. A whole new world has opened up!

[Tracy]

Kathryn wrote: "Well considering I’ve been asked to read Clifford's Big Book of Stories every single day for the past three months, I’m thinking the giant animal prompt will fill itself unless my so..."

So funny Kathryn! Clifford was actually the first thing I thought of, but it's been close to 25 years since I would have had anyone to ask me to read it. I think at our house the "over and over" books were Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

Trish wrote: "Hmm. I wonder if a Maine Coon would count as an unusually large version of a cat.

Or something like a Great Dane for an unusually large dog."

Not sure if this was already answered but yes, that is one way you could interpret it.

I have a feeling this will be one where I read something for a different prompt and it turns out to have some kind of big creature that I didn't expect.

[Michelle]

Thanks for some of the definitions for “novella”. I have never really understood the criteria for a novella of how to know if the book I am reading is considered one.

[Pam]

I really like Abbie’s take on the word “version”, which could be something representing an animal like the Trojan Horse. Another option - the Russian classic The Master and Margarita which has an enormous black cat who talks and walks on 2 legs.

[Bec]

I'm loving these results. I upvoted 2 of the winners (geometric shape and ghost ect). Novella will be easy enough to fill and given tropical is also or hot place of the planet I can read the book I've got set in Darwin that I haven't got to yet (All Our Shimmering Skies: the next bestselling novel from the author of Boy Swallows Universe).

I also downvoted 2 of the bottoms.

[Abbie]

NancyJ wrote: "Abbie wrote: "I am happy to see geometric shape, but I voted for it hoping to math geek out and actually read a book about a geometric shape. Now looking at some pop-math lists, there are some geom..."

There is what I believe is a movie to book version of Tototo, My Neighbor Totoro. I have a copy somewhere…

I have not heard of Children of Time, but am excited by the spiders. Thanks for the rec!

[Alicia]

Or another Greek mythology reference of the Sphinx for a large version of animal. Maybe that could include a book that has so riddles.

[NancyJ]

Pam wrote: "I really like Abbie’s take on the word “version”, which could be something representing an animal like the Trojan Horse. Another option - the Russian classic The Master and Margarita which has an e..."

That's right. I hated that cat in Master and Margarita lol. The book is full of dark wicked humor (a little too dark for me). It might be a great alternative for those who hate the idea of reading a sweet fantasy book for younger readers.

[NancyJ]

Has anyone read Elizabeth Gilbert's books Eat Love Pray or Signature of All things? They are both partially set in tropical locations - Bali and Tahiti. I'm wondering how much of those books are set in the tropics.

I'm trying to limit my listopia votes to books that are set entirely in the Tropical region - between 23 N and 23 S latitudes. I'm sure I let a few multi-location books slip through though. Feel free to let me know if I goofed.

I saw a few posts about confusion over the listopias earlier. I agree with the explanations above. The mods would not change a prompt on us! The intentions of the prompts haven't changed. See the voting threads if you're not sure. The Tropics details are on message 9 I think.

I love that some people have included the latitudes in the comments on the Tropics listopia. I had a minor emergency today, and I didn't get one minute of reading yet. I'm going to update my lists now, and start my readathon tomorrow.

[Kathy]

Thomas wrote: "Now that we have this week’s prompts would those who were up for it before still be interested in a prompt in honour of Elizabeth II?"

I really like this idea, Thomas.

[Tracy]

@NancyJ - I read Signature of All Things, but it’s been a few years. I remember the time in the tropics being important and significant, but the whole book definitely does NOT take place there. I don’t remember how much of the time, but 50% I think would be a fair guess? If someone said differently I wouldn’t argue though.

[Joy D]

NancyJ - In Eat, Pray, Love (which I read last year) a third of the book is set in Italy, a third in southwestern India, and a third in Indonesia. The portions set in India and Indonesia would qualify for a tropical setting, so roughly 67% of the book.

[Nadine in NY]

Rachel wrote: " I had the exact same thought process about dragons -- they could be seen as "unusually large" lizards, but they are normal size for dragons, so I'm not sure if I'd personally count them or not...."


But if you read Anne McCaffrey's Pern books, there are BIG dragons, and there are LITTLE dragons (called fire-lizards). (These are featured especially in Dragonsong / Dragonsinger) The fire-lizards are native to the planet of Pern, and the big dragons were bred from them to help humans fight Thread. So in those books, the big dragons ARE "unusually large."

In other dragon stories, yeah, dragons are dragons and they are all really big.

[Tracy]

Last night as I was going to sleep I had a couple of other ideas about Unusually Large Versions of an Animal. I haven't looked to see what kind of books might include these two, but:

1) King Kong: I'm only familiar with the movies, so I don't know if there are any books that the movies were based on.

2) Babe the Big Blue Ox: For anyone not familiar, this is the "sidekick" of Paul Bunyan, who is a giant lumberjack and folk hero in American and Canadian folklore. I'm sure there are books out there, but they may be considered more children's books.

Even if these don't lead to specific books, maybe they will help us think of other unusually large versions of animals.

[RachelG.]

I was thinking of Sasquatch/Bigfoot/Yeti as an unusually large version of an animal or some other cryptid but haven't found a book I actually want to read yet.

[Nadine in NY]

RachelG. wrote: "I was thinking of Sasquatch/Bigfoot/Yeti as an unusually large version of an animal or some other cryptid but haven't found a book I actually want to read yet."




I wasn't quite sure if that would count, but I did put a bigfoot book on the Listopia! Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre

[Tracy]

I’ve heard about Devolution in a reading podcast I listen to (“Currently Reading”). They seemed to like it. Normally I wouldn’t be particularly attracted to a Bigfoot book, but the premise here sounded interesting.

[Tracy]

Just a thought... since we humans are actually animals, could we read a book about an unusually large human? Paul Bunyan, Hagrid, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, King Henry VIII, President Taft?

[Nancy]

I would say Devolution isn't actually about Bigfoot itself, but about a small community and how his presence affects them. I really enjoyed it.

[Nadine in NY]

Tracy wrote: "I’ve heard about Devolution in a reading podcast I listen to (“Currently Reading”). They seemed to like it. Normally I wouldn’t be particularly attracted to a Bigfoot book, but the premise here sou..."



The main reason I listened to the audiobook was because Nathan Fillion had a small role.

The book is pretty good. It's mostly about what happens to a small group of people when they are cut off from the rest of the world during an emergency (and the emergency is, partly, the sasquatch - there's a whole group of them). Similar to WWZ, it's written as a documentary of something that happened, with interviews from various people. Terry Gross even has a small part (as herself).

[Tracy]

Interesting format!

[RachelG.]

Thanks for the suggestion!

[Irene]

I'm so happy with these results!! I think I upvoted all 4 of the ones that made it in (which would be a first) and downvoted 2 of the bottom prompts. And I really love how unique the summer challenge winner is as well. Haven't thought of what I'd read for it yet but I'm really glad that an original prompt that I haven't heard of has made it in.

[Pam]

Other books w unusually large animals- Jaws, Squeeze Me by Carl Hiassen (giant Burmese python), and any book with Big Bird! The Giant Spider and Me graphic novels sound interesting.