[2023] Keep it Simple (KIS) or Bring it on (BIO) Group Collab List

[°~Amy~°]

For those of you new to KIS/BIO, here's what it is all about:

We started this list in 2019 due to a lot of comments about the prompts being "too easy" or "WAY too difficult" to fill. We've all felt that way about a prompt (or 20) at different times so this board was set up to brainstorm ideas to make every prompt accessible to EVERYONE. On this list you will find options and ideas to make every prompt easier, or harder depending on your preference. Personally, I jump around depending on my mood. Sometimes I am feeling like I want to spend hours researching a possible book, and sometimes I just want to grab something as quick as possible. However you do it, just have fun!

Here are the terms we use on this page:

KIS: The "Keep It Simple" option is for times when you feel a topic is just too difficult to find a good book for. For topics you might want to make a tad bit easier on yourself, go for these options. You've probably got a couple of good choices on your bookshelf already!

BIO: The "Bring It On" option is for when you really, really want to challenge yourself. These might require more research, which can be a lot of fun, when you are in the mood. You might have to go hunt down a book, you might have to steal one from a friend (don't do that, friends get cranky when you steal their books but you might have to ask nicely to borrow a book), or you might have to visit your library to find something to fit.....basically, BIO is meant to make things a bit more challenging then just grabbing the next book off the top of your tbr pile.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel to post them below. The first 4 comment boxes are reserved for our list as it grows, and grows and GROWS!

[°~Amy~°]

By Individual Topic:

1. A book set in a location that begins with A, T, or Y
Baseline: "This could be fiction or non-fiction city, state, province, region, place name, environment, geographical site, school, locale, era, ship, etc.
It can easily be applied to fantasy or science fiction – name of planet, spacecraft, fantasy world, imaginary place name, society, social environment, etc."

KIS
- use whole continents (Africa, Asia, etc)
- "America" as the setting
- Location can be a generic rather than proper name, such as an apartment or trailer
- Count articles (A, The) in place names

BIO
- restrict it to town/city, or even a street name
- Location must contain A, T, AND Y
- The whole story must take place in the specific location used for the challenge

2. A book by an author you read in 2022
Baseline: “For those of us who love series, this could be the next book in the series. For those who read stand alone books, this could be a chance to read something from the author's backlist”

KIS

BIO

3. A book that fits a suggestion that didn’t make the 2023 list
Baseline: No explanation given

KIS
- Include books that were discussed or suggested but not seconded

BIO
- Read a suggestion that was in the bottom of that week's poll

4. A book with an interracial relationship
Baseline: “In honor of the 60th anniversary of MLK's I Have Dream speech and his hope "little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers." read a book with an interracial relationship (love, friendship, family)”

KIS
- counts if race is not brought up (I.E the fact the friends are different races isn’t commented on nor drives the plot it just happens)
- read something written by Martin Luther King

BIO
- a book with multiple interracial relationships (friends, marriage, familial, etc)

5.A book with 4 or more colors on the cover
Baseline: No explanation given

KIS
- Can count different shades of the same color - light blue, navy blue, royal blue, pale pink, hot pink, sherbet orange, pumpkin orange, etc
- Count grayscale (shades of grey)
- 4 shades of the same base color ex: green could be sage, Hunter, olive and emerald
- black, grey, and white all count as colours

BIO
- Must be 4 distinct colors
- Must contain the three primary colors (red, yellow, bule) and one secondary color (Orange, Green, Violet)
- Black and White do not count as colors
- all the colors of the rainbow


6. A Book Where Books Are Important
Baseline: "It could be a book about an author, with a character who is a bookworm, set in a bookstore or library. Basically books are important to the story or one or more characters"

KIS
- This is a wild card. All books are important to themselves
- Has the word "book" in the title
- There is a book on the cover
- A character reads a book during the course of the story

BIO
- The book must be one where actual books (that is, multiple specific books) play a significant role in resolving the plot. These books must have named titles in the text
- A named book plays a major role in the plot

7. A book with ONE of the five "W" questions in the title
Baseline: "who, what, where, when OR why"

KIS:
- Include variations and other W questions, eg: which, whichever, whatever, whoever, whom, whose
- Include homonyms eg: hoo, Y, Wye, wot, watt, witch, were(wolf), ware

BIO:
- The title must be in question form

8. An author's debut book
Baseline: “the first book an author has every published, as well as an author's first book in a new genre (an adult fiction author publishing their first YA book, or a nonfiction author publishing fiction for the first time, for example)”

KIS
- Read an author's earliest book on your TBR

BIO
- read a debut that has won an award
- Read a 2022 debut that gets longlisted for a major prize in 2023

9. A book nominated for an award beginning with W
Baseline: Women’s Prize for Fiction, Wolfson History Prize, Wainwright Prize, Walter Scott Prize, Walter Dean Myers Award for Outstanding Children's Literature, etc

KIS
- book won an award that was later renamed to begin with W

BIO
- only counts if award had a W name at the time (ex. For example, the Women's Prize for Fiction: known as the Orange Prize from 1996-2012, the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2013, the Baileys Prize from 2014-2016, and the Women’s Prize for Fiction (again) beginning in 2017)
- award has never changed it's name or name always began with W regardless of changes
- read a book that was a finalist (or shortlisted) for a W award
- read a book that WON a W award
- Use an award you've never heard of before

10. A book related to one of the Spice Girls' "personalities"
Baseline: The Spice Girls’ Personalities are: Scary, Baby, Ginger, Posh, and Sporty

KIS

BIO

11. A book about a person/character with a disability
Baseline: No explanation given

KIS

BIO
- #ownvoices author with same disability
- a memoir of a person with a disability

12. A book connected to birds, bees, or bunnies
Baseline: Books with one or more of these creatures (in the subject matter, title, or cover), Books connected to them together or "The birds and the bees" -suggests pollination, eco-systems, sex education, reproduction

KIS
- A book with one of the three on the cover (but not in the story)
- A short children's book
- a nature book with only a brief mention of bbb
- a book about sex and romance
- Has a character with a name related to birds, bees, and/or bunnies (Bird, Bee, or Bunny, or related names like Honey, Robin, Raven, etc.)
- Has a word related to birds, bees, and/or bunnies in the title (eg Hop or Buzz)
- Takes place in springtime

BIO
- a book with all three
- a book about all three - in the content of the book
- a science book about their role in eco-systems
- A book with one of animals 1)on the Cover, and 2) in the title, and in the content of the book (as a character or subject)
- a NF book about sex education, reproductive biology, or reproductive rights
- Birds, bees, or bunnies must be the protagonists/narrators of the book

13. A book that has an object that is repeated on the cover
Baseline: No explanation given

KIS
- include letters in the title or authors name as "objects"
- The repeated object does not need to be identical. It could be many different flowers or many different shoes, etc

BIO
- The object repeats multiple times (5, 10, 20 etc)

14. A book with a con, deception, or fake
Baseline: Con Artists & Hustlers, Books about scams or that were themselves scams, fraud & theft, fake news, fake dating, etc

KIS

BIO
- A book that is itself a con, a deception, or a fake (e.g. A Million Little Pieces)

15-17. 3 Weeks: Three books, each of which is set in a different century
Baseline: No explanation given

KIS
- read three books that are set in very different time periods (not necessarily different centuries) (eg. A historical fiction, a contemporary romance and a science fiction set on a space station/ship)

BIO
- All three books have a similar theme (wars, murder mysteries, family sagas, indigenous, etc)
- A Children's book (MG), a YA book and a NA/Adult book
- 3 books, each of which is set in a different millennium

18. A book related to science
Baseline: fiction or non-fiction including topics such as: nature, biology, environment, genetics, oceans, medical topics, mental illness, chemistry, physics, psychology, neuroscience, climate change, evolution, extinction, health sciences, space, astronomy, etc.

KIS

BIO

19. A book related to the arts
Baseline: No explanation given

KIS
- Free space. All books are related to the arts by virtue of being books

BIO

[°~Amy~°]

20. A book with a cover or title that includes a route of travel
Baseline: No explanation given

KIS

BIO



21. A book by an Asian diaspora author
Baseline: “In honor of fighting Asian hate (heightened due to the pandemic), read a book by an author who is a member of the Asian diaspora (diaspora refers to “the dispersion of any people from their original homeland,” either voluntarily or involuntarily).”

KIS

BIO

22. A Book With A Faceless Person on the Cover
Baseline: "Could be an illustration without facial features, a silhouette, view from behind, face obscured or cropped out"

KIS
- The person can have a face, it just can't be showing. (Silhouette, hand or mask covering face, person has their back to the viewer, etc.)
- A book that has any part of the body on the cover
- There can be multiple people on the cover, but there is at least one where you cannot see their face.
- Face is covered by something (hands, apple, sign, shadow, etc...)
- Person/their head appears in silhouette (you can see the shape but no facial features)

BIO
- The person's face must be missing from the cover art

23. A Book With a Body of Water in the Title
Baseline: "This could be general: i.e. sea, ocean, river, creek, etc. or specific: i.e. Nile, Amazon, Pacific, etc."

KIS
- Any water is a body of water. (I.e. "the sea" counts, e.g., The Ocean at the End of the Lane.
- The title contains the word "water" or any water-related word (wet, splash, drip/drop, tear, stream, river, ocean, etc.)

BIO
- body of water must be specific like Nile or Mississippi

24. A character that might be called a Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, or Spy
Baseline: “tinker would be someone who travels for a living, or someone who 'tinkers around', perhaps a mechanic or hobbyist. Tailor - anyone working in the fashion industry, or involved with concerns around fast fashion. Soldier and Spy are pretty self-explanatory but fairly wide, and Spy could include anyone involved with surveillance”

KIS
- Tinkering, tailoring, soldiering, or spying are simply mentioned in the text or performed in the plot

BIO
- Must include all four character types
- book must include one character that covers all four character types
- read the book Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

25. A book with a tropical setting
Baseline: This could be an actual tropical location near the equator (between 23 degree North and 23 degrees South latitudes), between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. Or a comparably hot location elsewhere or in the future.

KIS
- read a book set on a fictional island (with an unknown location)

BIO
- read a book about an exploration set in the rainforests of South America
- read a colonial book set in the Tropics
- read a book set in the tropics by an author from that region
- read a book set on a fictional island (with an unknown location)

26. A Book Related to Pride
Baseline: Pride and Prejudice retellings, LGBT+ Pride, Deadly Sin, Lions, Rainbows"

KIS
- a book with a proud (arrogant) character
- Has the word "pride" in the title
- Any book with an LGBTQ+ element (eg. side character is trans)
- Pride is a UK magazine for black women - read a book by a British black female author
- Pride is a song by U2 that is a tribute to MLK - read a book about race relations or that is in some other way related to MLK
- Pride is a group of supervillains in the Marvel comic series Runaways - read a book about villains, superheroes, or runaways; read a comic book, graphic novel, manga
- Young Lions Award (pride of lions) - read a nominee or winner of the award
- Pride of lions - read a book set in Africa; read a book related to lions
- Pride & Prejudice - read the novel by Austen or a book inspired by it
- Seven deadly sins - read a book about a character who indulges in the “sin of pride”
- Lion of Judah (a Jewish national and cultural symbol - pride of lions) - read a book by a Jewish author or with a Jewish character
- Aslan (pride of lions) - read Narnia or a book about CS Lewis like The Wolf in the Attic, Once Upon a Wardrobe, or Becoming Mrs. Lewis

BIO
- Takes place at a Pride festival, or a Pride festival occurs during the story
- read a book specifically involving the Gay Pride movement. (eg. Harvey Milk, Stonewall, leaders in the movement)

27. A book by an author from continental Europe
Baseline: “The idea is to read a book that is written by a European author who is not from the UK or Ireland.”

KIS
- the author was born in or lived in continental Europe at some point, but doesn't necessarily live there now
- include all regions of Europe
- an author currently living in cont Europe who wasn't actually born there

BIO
- A translated book from continental Europe

28. A Book that is Dark
Baseline: "Genre-such as dark noir, dark fantasy, true crime, horror; Topics- war, slavery, plague/disease; Cover-black, mid night blue, night time"

KIS
- The word "dark" is in the title

BIO
- The title and cover are both predominately dark
- A book that contains a light element in an otherwise dark book (eg. The Luminous Dead)
- Connect the light and dark books somehow (eg. similar or opposite themes or titles)
- read a duology where one book is dark and the other light

29. A Book that is Light
Baseline: "Genre- up lit, beach reads, humor...; Theme- family, friends; Cover- bright colors, daytime; Physical- short not a door stop"

KIS
- The word "light" is in the title
- The book is literally light (in weight)
BIO
- The title and cover are both predominately light
- The plot/theme involves light or a light source in a significant way
- A book that contains a dark element in an otherwise light book
- Connect the light and dark books somehow (eg. similar or opposite themes or titles)
- read a duology where one book is dark and the other light

30. A book related to a chess piece
Baseline: The chess pieces are: The Pawn, The Knight, The Bishop, The Rook. The Queen, The King

KIS
- include historical or asian pieces such as The Minister, The Elephant, The Camel, The Man, The Princess, The Empress, The Amazon, etc. https://www.chess.com/article/view/10...

BIO
- must be in the title, must actually involve chess

31. A book found by inputting a favorite author on www.literature-map.com
Baseline: https://www.literature-map.com/

KIS

BIO

32. A book set in a UNESCO City of Literature
Baseline: "List of 42 Unesco Cities found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of..."

KIS
- A book set in that country/province, not in that exact city
- The book mentions one of the cities, but does not actually have any action there

BIO
- The plot occurs entirely within one of the cities
- Choose a book by an author born in the city or a book translated from that country's official language
- Choose a more obscure city, not a major city like Edinburgh or Dublin
- Literature should be important to the plot

33. A book by an author with a first name popular in 1923
Baseline: “Some American examples include: John, Mary, Frank, Dorothy, Virginia, Richard. This will naturally vary by country, so feel free to look at other countries as well!”

KIS
- the popular name is anywhere in the author's name. For example: Maureen JOHNson Maureen Johnson

BIO
- there is a popular name in both their first and last name. For example, Elizabeth Johnson, Mary Richards, John Williams
- must be the most popular name according to at least one list
- use a name popular in another country that year (extra BIO - use an author born in that country)

34. A novella
Baseline: Wikipedia definition: A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories.

KIS
- any book between 100-200 pages
- Any book or story you can read in a single sitting
- Read a short story related to true or apparently true facts (original Italian meaning of novella)

BIO
- read a classic, literary or translated novella
- read a novella with a reputation for being dense or challenging masterpiece. (eg The Hour of the Star by Clarice Lespector.)
- An award-winning novella
- Read The Decameron (one of the earliest literary sources for the form, consisting of 100 tales)
- Read the German definition of the form (a fictional narrative of any length restricted to a single, suspenseful event, usually with an unexpected twist)

35. A book with a school subject in the title
Baseline: “Examples of School Subjects: Math, Science, Chemistry, Physics, English, Spanish, French, History, Geography”

KIS

BIO

36. A book that has been translated from another language
Baseline: No explanation given

KIS
- A book that has been translated to other languages

BIO
- read a translated book NOT from continental Europe
- A book translated from a language you've never read a translation from
- A book longlisted or awarded for excellence in translation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categor...
- Read a book translated from a language you know nothing about

37. A book with the theme of returning home
Baseline: “for example, people who return to their hometowns, prodigal sons/daughters, immigrants or refugees who return to their home country, people who return to the country of their ancestors, soldiers returning after war, etc. I think there should be a lot of options for fiction - literary, crime, mystery, romance, other genres - as well as nonfiction, memoirs, etc.”

KIS

BIO

38. A Book with Sun, Moon or Stars on the cover
Baseline: "This would include the words being in the title, since it'd still be on the cover!"

KIS
- include partial or vague references to sun/moon/stars (eg. sun rays, moon glow)
- "Stars" on the cover can refer to celebrities
- a cartoonish sun/moon/stars
- Titles on the cover include the word sun, moon, or star.
- Other heavenly bodies (planets, comets, asteroids, etc.) also count. (They are seen as stars by premodern astronomers, so not a huge stretch.)

BIO
- a realistic sun/moon/stars
- all three on the cover
- There is a specific star, moon, or constellation on the cover (e.g. Europa or Phobos, Sirius or Polaris, Orion or Cassiopia)
- The sun, moon, or star on the cover is significant to the story

39. A western
Baseline: No explanation given

KIS

BIO

[°~Amy~°]

40. A Book With A Full Name in the Title
Baseline: First and Last Name in Title

KIS
- the name is Jane Doe or John Doe
- includes any proper name, even a single word name
- Nicknames are full names
- The book belongs to a series with a full name in the series title

BIO
- Full name must include a middle name
- Middle name cannot be an initial
- There are no other words in the title, just the full name.
- The named person is also pictured on the cover (e.g. Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk)

41. A book from the NPR “Books We Love” lists
Baseline: “is meant to be for any year of the NPR list (going back to 2013)”

KIS

BIO
- A book you found from browsing the NPR lists (never heard of before)

42. A book related to a ghost, spirit, phantom, or specter
Baseline: title, cover, character, etc (actual beings or “ghosts of our past, or spirits that guide us”

KIS

BIO

43. A book that involves a murder
Baseline: Fiction or non-fiction book that involves a murder either as the main focus of the book or as a minor part of the story

KIS
- Include attempted or planned murder/threat of harm

BIO
- Murder must be the main focus of the story
- Non-fiction about a murder (or multiple murders)

44. A book where the cover design includes text that is not completely horizontal
Baseline: “Anything that is not entirely horizontal, where the cover designer had to purposefully change the text so it was not “straight-out-of the-box” typed text would count. Some is subtle, some is VERY obvious.”

KIS

BIO
None of the cover text is horizontal

45. A book whose author has published more than 7 books
Baseline: greater than 7 (2+0+2+3) books

KIS
- Count authors who have published just 7 books (not more than)
- A book whose author has been published more than 7 times (any type of publication or media)

BIO
- A book whose author has published ONLY 7 books (exactly 7)

46. A title that contains a word often found in a recipe
Baseline: examples could be Add, Fold, Mix, Stir, Blend, Chop, Crush, Measure, Pour, Bake, Heat, Melt or ingredients such as Flour, Sugar, Water, Milk, Eggs, measurements such as Cup, Teaspoon, Half, Spices/seasoning (Salt, Thyme, Bay, etc)

KIS
- Choose any word from a recipe, not just cooking related words (eg. add, about, until, green)
- include number digits

BIO
- Must be an unusual or harder to find word in a recipe (e.g. "grate" not "water")
- Title contains a word from a recipe in the book (bonus BIO if it is a work of fiction with a recipe)
- Choose a favorite family or personal recipe and choose a word that is in that recipe.
- The word from the recipe must be a food
- The recipe related word must be in the title in a cooking related context (so not season in "The Fifth Season", but like "Grilled and Seasoned With Murder"

47. A book related to a geometric shape
Baseline: Shape can be a word in the title, a shape depicted on the cover, the setting (Pentagon, Times Square), Topic (love triangle, closed circle mystery), shape related place (football field, baseball diamond, drum circle)

KIS

BIO
- An award or publisher with a geometric shape in the name (National Book Critics Circle Award, Washington Square Press, etc) See msg 122 for more ideas and links
- Shape must be in title or on cover and also significant to the plot/subject (e.g. The Decagon House Murders)
48. A book with an unusually large version of an animal in the story
Baseline: can be a very large version of an everyday animal (Great Dane, Maine Coon Cat, etc) or a fictionally giant creature (Clifford the Big Red Dog, King Kong, etc)

KIS
- include dragons
- include dinosaurs
- a book with a large animal which isn't necessarily an abnormal variant of the usual (ie an elephant is just big whereas Clifford is an extraorinarily large version of a dog)
- a book with any big alive thing, like a bioship or a dragon

BIO
- The book is chiefly about the unusually large animal

49. A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2022 or 2023
Baseline: No explanation given

KIS
- a book already in your TBR

BIO
- a book you first heard about in the Best Book of the Month threads or listopias
- A book posted the month or year you plan to read it

50. A second book that fits your favorite prompt
Baseline: No explanation given

KIS

BIO

51. A Book Published in 2023
Baseline: "books whose first publication is in the year 2023"

KIS
- New editions count as published in 2023 for previously published works
- Count the paperback release as a new release

BIO
- read a book published the same MONTH that you plan to complete this prompt
-Read a book published in 2023 that also has a significance from 2023 (Year of the Rabbit, by a Croatian author for Croatia adopting the euro, an anniversary celebrated in 2023, a solar eclipse, etc.).
- Read a book the day it is published (in 2023)
52. A book with an unusual or surprising title
Baseline: “this prompt is about the words and meaning of the title, not the visuals of the cover”

KIS
Have someone else pick out a book that they feel has a unusual or surprising title

BIO



Whole list options (carried over from previous years):

KIS options:
1. read only children's books to fulfill all the prompts
2. read only middle grade books
3. read only graphic novels
4. read only short stories or novellas
5. choose 26 (or 13) of your favorite prompts to complete during the year

BIO options:
1. Read one "type" of author or book for the entire challenge:
For example: Only indigenous authors, only own-voices authors, only LGBTQIA+ characters, Only POC characters, only debut works, only new-to-you authors (no repeats) etc.
2. Read only books on your tbr or from the library or used book store
3. Read only books in translation or books from other countries
4. Read the alphabet; the first prompt has an A in the title or author name, second prompt has B, third a C and so on
5. Pick a monthly theme (ie. Gay pride month, women's history month, etc), each prompt must fit that month's theme and the weekly prompt
6. Read only non-fiction or classic books for the entire challenge
7. Link all the books in a chain (ie book 2 is related to book one in some way, book 3 is related to book 2, etc)
8. Tour the world, each country in each book shares a land or water border with the country/setting in the previous book
9. Restrict the entire challenge to only close call/polarizing prompts
10. Restrict the entire challenge to only prompts that were in the bottom
11. Choose one prompt before the year starts and fill only that one prompt (52 times)
12. Do a 2023 diversity challenge : read books from at least 23 different countries, read at least 23 ownvoices books, read at least 23 nonfiction books AND read at least 23 books from the 1001 books to read before you die list
13. read a different sub-genre for each of the prompts
14. Read 26 female and 26 male authors, or 17 each f/m/nb
15. Only read books from the Newbery Honors List (or other honors/award list)

[°~Amy~°]

For a whole list option I think we should add a KIS Option to only complete half the challenge, for people who do not have desire or capability to read all 52 books.

A Bio option for published in 2023 would be a book published in the same week/month that the prompt is posted on the final list, or when you intend to complete that prompt

[MJ]

Ooohhh. Number 12 has my attention! Although, I’d switch out the 21 own voices to 21 sub-genres. I actually really enjoy own voices books… and now that I’m actually thinking about the sub-genre part, it feels even more challenging than the original BIO.

I am terrible at sticking to rigid plans. A few years ago, I tried make sure 25% of my books were Canadian indigenous - subject or author. That was down from am original 50%. Even at 25% i failed.

I am considering a modified 12 for next year.

[ladymurmur]

Another KIS option - read only novellas. This might actuality work best as an addition to #4 "read only short stories or novellas ".

[Thomas]

Overall: BIO read an equal of books by both male and female authors. BIO body of water must be specific like Nile or Mississippi

[°~Amy~°]

MJ wrote: "Ooohhh. Number 12 has my attention! Although, I’d switch out the 21 own voices to 21 sub-genres. I actually really enjoy own voices books… and now that I’m actually thinking about the sub-genre par..."

Sub genres is a good option. I'll add that to the list!

I'm also horrible about sticking with reading plans. I have great intentions but very rarely follow through. Can you share what books you read for the Canadian Indigenous focus? I am very fond of indigenous lit but also am trying to read an author from each of the Canadian provinces. Maybe some of your ideas will fit that challenge?

[MJ]

°~Amy~° wrote: "MJ wrote: "Ooohhh. Number 12 has my attention! Although, I’d switch out the 21 own voices to 21 sub-genres. I actually really enjoy own voices books… and now that I’m actually thinking about the su..."

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

The link is to my indigenous (canada) shelf. It’s a mix of really dry, depressing books, some out of print, some fiction (adult and ya) and Inuit. It isn’t large. I put depressing at the front of the sentence, but not all of them are that.

Those Who Run in the Sky is YA (edit: oops! Middle grade, but so good!) from Nunavut. Magical realism. This one sticks out, because I really enjoyed it and it isn’t a heavy read.

Harold Johnson was an indigenous lawyer from Saskatchewan, and I enjoyed some of his non-fiction… but he has fiction that I’ve been meaning to explore.

Maybe it would be easier to know which provinces you haven’t read for yet?

Joseph Boyden writes about Ontario. I think he’s from the province, but he’s controversial because he claims indigenous ethnicity but doesn’t have ties to any First Nation. I’ve loved every book I’ve read of his.

Some of my reads are probably obscure, because i’m a librarian/researcher at an indigenous non-profit, and have access to… what’s on my work shelves.

[Amy (Other Amy)]

I love figuring out BIO and KIS options!

1. A Book Published in 2023
KIS: New editions count as published in 2023 for previously published works.
BIO: Read a book published in 2023 that also has a significance from 2023 (Year of the Rabbit, by a Croatian author for Croatia adopting the euro, an anniversary celebrated in 2023, a solar eclipse, etc.).
BIO: Read a book the day it is published (in 2023).

2. A Book Where Books Are Important
KIS: This is a wild card. All books are important to themselves.
BIO: The book must be one where a actual books (that is, multiple specific books) play a significant role in resolving the plot. These books must have named titles in the text.

3. A Book With A Faceless Person on the Cover
KIS: The person can have a face, it just can't be showing. (Silhouette, hand or mask covering face, person has their back to the viewer, etc.) E.g.:

BIO: The person's face must be missing from the cover art. E.g.:


4. A Book With a Body of Water in the Title
KIS: Any water is a body of water. (I.e. "the sea" counts, e.g., The Ocean at the End of the Lane.)
BIO: Must be a specific body of water. (E.g. Life on the Mississippi)

[Lindsay]

I was planning to do the 2023 books from books already on my TBR list and I've come up with options for everything other than 'a western'. I didn't even realise I was making this extra difficult for myself. I just wanted to get my TBR under control (and actually read books that I've said I want to read)!

I love the ideas people have come up with so far. I've realised I normally use the BIO options without even realising I'm restricting myself!

[MJ]

Lindsay wrote: "I was planning to do the 2023 books from books already on my TBR list and I've come up with options for everything other than 'a western'. I didn't even realise I was making this extra difficult fo..."

Me too (in that I’ve done my own BIO too). I gave up on reading only from my tbr, because I never stick to it. My reading preferences have shifted since I joined GR, and I fought that for a while. I’m much more interested in lately-added books on my tbr. New books too, will always grab my attention.

[RachelG.]

3. A Book With A Faceless Person on the Cover

This is one I have been having some trouble figuring out what the goal is. One I have been thinking of is because you can't see detailed facial features. Same with . Would these be considered KIS?

I also have a couple books that just show someone's back which seems KIS to me.

[T.]

My self-imposed BIO goal for 2023 is to read books off the Newbery Honors list for ATY. I have a personal goal to read all of these books at some point, and I thought this might be a fun way to get more of them read. So far, I've managed to find something off the list (which includes nearly 500 books) for almost every prompt. I may have to stretch things a bit to make a couple of the prompts work. For example, I had to redefine what "novella" means since these are already shorter novels written for a younger audience.

This BIO option could work for any number of book lists, especially for those who love the list prompts.

[Amy (Other Amy)]

RachelG. wrote: "3. A Book With A Faceless Person on the Cover

This is one I have been having some trouble figuring out what the goal is. One I have been thinking of is..."

They're KIS per my suggestion, Rachel, but both are well within the spirit of the prompt. I was just separating out the prompt into KIS and BIO by taking it very literally.

[RachelG.]

Thanks!

[Irene]

Yay, thanks Amy for making this thread :D
I really like Thomas' BIO suggestion about the body of water needing to be named.

Another suggestion:
A Book With A Faceless Person on the Cover
- KIS: A book that has any part of the body on the cover

Edit: This makes me wonder - how are most of you interpreting "a book with a faceless person on the cover" before the KIS/BIO options? That there is a face on the cover without facial features? Or that showing someone from the back or cutting them off below the neck counts?

[MJ]

Irene wrote: "Yay, thanks Amy for making this thread :D
I really like Thomas' BIO suggestion about the body of water needing to be named.

Another suggestion:
A Book With A Faceless Person on the Cover
- KIS: A..."

I interpreted as a face without any features on it, or hooded, or in shadow.

[Irene]

MJ wrote: "I interpreted as a face without any features on it, or hooded, or in shadow."

Ah, got it! So a face on the cover, but without visible features. Thanks!

[°~Amy~°]

Lindsay wrote: "I was planning to do the 2023 books from books already on my TBR list and I've come up with options for everything other than 'a western'. I didn't even realise I was making this extra difficult fo..."

I think a lot of people do that, myself included. This list is a great way to look at each prompt a little differently, and hopefully help you take it a bit easier on yourself (if you want to!)

[°~Amy~°]

RachelG. wrote: "3. A Book With A Faceless Person on the Cover

This is one I have been having some trouble figuring out what the goal is. One I have been thinking of is bec..."

I'd say yes, they certainly count as a KIS option. They are also both very similar to what I am thinking of reading for that prompt!

[°~Amy~°]

T. wrote: "My self-imposed BIO goal for 2023 is to read books off the Newbery Honors list for ATY. I have a personal goal to read all of these books at some point, and I thought this might be a fun way to get..."

Oh that is a very interesting goal. I don't know if I could stick to it but it's worth adding to the list for the people with more self control than I happen to have :)

[°~Amy~°]

MJ wrote: "°~Amy~° wrote: "MJ wrote: "Ooohhh. Number 12 has my attention! Although, I’d switch out the 21 own voices to 21 sub-genres. I actually really enjoy own voices books… and now that I’m actually think..."

I sent you a friend request so we can discuss this more, if you don't mind!

[°~Amy~°]

I am all caught up on adding all your ideas so far. Please let me know if I interpreted anything wrong and I will change it accordingly!

[ladymurmur]

A few thoughts:
2. A Book Where Books Are Important
*KIS: Has the word "book" in the title
*KIS: There is a book on the cover
*KIS: A character reads a book during the course of the story
*BIO: A named book plays a major role in the plot
3. A Book With A Faceless Person on the Cover
*KIS: There can be multiple people on the cover, but there is at least one where you cannot see their face.
*KIS: Face is covered by something (hands, apple, sign, shadow, etc...)
*KIS: Person/their head appears in silhouette (you can see the shape but no facial features)
4. A Book With a Body of Water in the Title
*KIS: The title contains the word "water" or any water-related word (wet, splash, drip/drop, tear, stream, river, ocean, etc.)

[°~Amy~°]

ladymurmur wrote: "A few thoughts:
2. A Book Where Books Are Important
*KIS: Has the word "book" in the title
*KIS: There is a book on the cover
*KIS: A character reads a book during the course of the story
*BIO: A n..."


Great ideas! I added them to the list!

Watch for the second group of prompts to be posted tomorrow!

[°~Amy~°]

The second group of prompts has been posted. We are now discussing:

A book set in a location that begins with A, T, or Y
A book connected to birds, bees, or bunnies
A Book Related to Pride
A Book With A Full Name in the Title
A Book with Sun, Moon or Stars on the cover

Ideas for previously posted prompts are also welcome :)

[Thomas]

BIO: birds, bees and bunnies a book with all three

[T.]

A KIS option for the ATY setting would be to use whole continents (Africa, Asia, etc). BIO could be to restrict it to town/city, or even a street name.

[dalex]

Pride

KIS is definitely lgbtq+

Not sure if these are KIS or BIO

Pride is a UK magazine for black women - read a book by a British black female author
Pride is a song by U2 that is a tribute to MLK - read a book about race relations or that is in some other way related to MLK
Pride is a group of supervillains in the Marvel comic series Runaways - read a book about villains, superheroes, or runaways; read a comic book, graphic novel, manga
Young Lions Award (pride of lions) - read a nominee or winner of the award
Pride of lions - read a book set in Africa; read a book related to lions
Pride & Prejudice - read the novel by Austen or a book inspired by it
Seven deadly sins - read a book about a character who indulges in the “sin of pride”
Lion of Judah (a Jewish national and cultural symbol - pride of lions) - read a book by a Jewish author or with a Jewish character
Aslan (pride of lions) - read Narnia or a book about CS Lewis like The Wolf in the Attic, Once Upon a Wardrobe, or Becoming Mrs. Lewis

[RachelG.]

I was thinking for A Book with Sun, Moon or Stars on the cover that KIS would be a cartoonish sun/moon/stars and BIO would be a realistic sun/moon/stars or perhaps BIO would be a cover with all 3.

[NancyJ]

For Birds/Bees/Bunnies
BIO - a book about all three - in the content of the book
BIO- a science book about their role in eco-systems
BIO - A book with one of animals 1)on the Cover, and 2) in the title, and 3) in the content of the book (as a character or subject)
KIS - a short children's book
KIS - a nature book with only brief mention of bbb

Birds/Bees/Bunnie - When I wrote it I mentioned the theme created by the combination of all three - sex ed, reproduction, sex/romance. Birds and bees are crucial in ecosystems.
BIO - a NF book about sex education, reproductive biology, or reproductive rights (Roe v Wade) (It's BIO for me because the topics are more challenging. Maybe it doesn't belong as BIO, but it shouldn't be KIS either.)
KIS - a book about sex and romance

[Irene]

BIO: Location must contain A, T, AND Y
KIS: Location can be a generic rather than proper name, such as an apartment or trailer
BIO: Birds, bees, or bunnies must be the protagonists/narrators of the book
BIO: Full name must include a middle name
BIO: Middle name cannot be an initial
KIS: "Stars" on the cover can refer to celebrities

[NancyJ]

For Pride
BIO - read a book specifically involving the Gay Pride movement.
Harvey Milk, Stonewall, leaders in the movement. How the parades, mottos, rainbow, got started, and all the parade challenges. Political and PR strategies. The Entertainment industry strategy - how they got better representation in TV, movies, books. (I think we have some people in the group who study or work in communications related fields.)

Dalex, I think LGBT is the intentional choice for many people. It's not an easy way out of a difficult prompt. For some it's a challenging choice.

LGBT+ should not be considered a KIS option. This prompt IS the LGBT diversity prompt for many people. We would have had other LBGT suggestions, but people said we already have this one.

[NancyJ]

Full name in title
BIO - all three full names (I agree with Irene)
KIS - the name is Jane Doe or John Doe

ATY settings
KIS - "America" as the setting. The proper name is United States of America. Plus it's just too too easy

[ladymurmur]

I might be doubling up on some suggestions that have already been made, but typing on my phone makes it hard to check while I'm typing this.

A book connected to birds, bees, or bunnies
KIS: Has birds, bees, and/or bunnies on the cover
KIS: Has a character with a name related to birds, bees, and/or bunnies
KIS: Has a word related to birds, bees, and/or bunnies in the title
KIS: Takes place in springtime

A Book Related to Pride
KIS: Has the word "pride" in the title (I hope at least one person reads and enjoys Pride & Prejudice for the first time for this prompt!)
KIS: Takes place at a Pride festival, or a Pride festival occurs during the story
KIS: A group of lions is called a pride, so a book that is related to or includes lions.

A Book With A Full Name in the Title
KIS: Title includes a first and last name, like Bob Olson, or Mary Iker.
KIS: Title includes any proper name, even a single word name.

[Michelle]

I think pride could also be 'with a proud (arrogant) character'. I added a few of those to the list

[Irene]

@ladymurmur Interestingly enough I find a lot of your KIS options to be BIO instead - for example, reading a book that takes place at a pride festival is a lot more specific than just "a book relate to pride" so to me that's the tougher option. So cool how differently we all view these prompts!
(Also, I plan to read Pride and Prejudice for the first time for the pride prompt :D)

[ladymurmur]

@Irene - It is really interesting how differently we all can view these prompts. (I do hope you enjoy P&P!)

[Irene]

ladymurmur wrote: "@Irene - It is really interesting how differently we all can view these prompts. (I do hope you enjoy P&P!)"

Thanks, I hope I do too!! :)

[dalex]

NancyJ wrote: "Dalex, I think LGBT is the intentional choice for many people. It's not an easy way out of a difficult prompt. For some it's a challenging choice."

It’s just so obvious. It requires zero creative thinking. It’s the first thing most people think of when they hear the word “pride.” If you google “pride” about 99% of the results are related to lgbtq. There are billions of books to choose from because lgbtq books are a hot trend in publishing right now.

I don’t see how it can possibly be challenging for anyone.

[dalex]

ATY location
KIS Use a continent instead of a country, state, city, etc.

BBB
Use a book with a character or author named Bird, Bee, or Bunny, or related names like Honey, Robin, Raven, etc. (KIS or BIO?)

[°~Amy~°]

NancyJ wrote: "LGBT+ should not be considered a KIS option. This prompt IS the LGBT diversity prompt for many people. We would have had other LBGT suggestions, but people said we already have this one..."

We often times have KIS/BIO options that overlap or just plain ARE the intended focus of the original prompt. I put everything on the list regardless. I didn't post yesterday so I could spend some time thinking about how to handle that. I have an idea but it is a little labor intensive. I'm posting everything as-is this morning. Hopefully this afternoon I can work on the changes I have in mind. :)

[Ellie]

Since I suggested the pride prompt, I picked it as a word that has multiple meanings, and it wasn't intended as The Diversity Prompt. I do think reading a LGBT+ book is kinda the KIS option, but I read lots of those books to start with.

[°~Amy~°]

All the new ideas have been added to here. As I mentioned above, I will be making some changes later today. Stay tuned!

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

dalex wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Dalex, I think LGBT is the intentional choice for many people. It's not an easy way out of a difficult prompt. For some it's a challenging choice."

It’s just so obvious. It requires..."

It could be challenging for someone who does not typically read books that feature LGBTQIA+ characters or storylines, and they have to search it out. I do think it's the obvious choice, but that obvious choice doesn't necessarily mean it will be an easy choice to fill for everyone. Not saying that should be a BIO option lol but just recognizing that some people may choose to push themselves and read an LGBTQIA+ book for this prompt, and that it would be a push for them.

[Edie]

dalex wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Dalex, I think LGBT is the intentional choice for many people. It's not an easy way out of a difficult prompt. For some it's a challenging choice."

It’s just so obvious. It requires..."

Restating, Nancy and Emily's points, there are readers for whom reading an LGBTQIA+ book is well outside their reading comfort zone. The fact that there are a number of books to choose from doesn't make it any less of a challenge and likely far from "easy".

[°~Amy~°]

I had a bit more time this morning than I thought I would have. Each prompt now has a BASELINE. Theoretically, our suggestions for KIS will be ideas that stretch the baseline to include more options that people might not have considered, and BIO will be ideas that limit the baseline.

The baseline was taken directly from the original suggesters in the suggestions thread. Going forward, I will add that info to the list above and to my posts announcing what is being discussed. Hopefully all this info compiled together will help give users a full picture of all the possibilities there are for interpreting each prompt.

We have some tough prompts coming up. I can't wait to see what you all have for ideas for those! The next list will be posted tomorrow!

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Thanks Amy, I like having that baseline there!