Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
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[2023] Poll 17 Voting
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dalex wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Irene wrote: "Hi @NancyJ, would you mind explaining "A cultural book that depicts a place or time and its culture" a little bit more? I'm a bit confused by the "depicts a place or ti..."Come on, you're too smart to be confused by this. It says and its culture.
Mod
Welcome and thanks for your input. Some of us are more vocal than others, so it’s great to hear from a new voice.
Mahi wrote: "I do like many of these. The revolution prompt is a new one that allows for creativity, and I liked the villain's perspective and fish out of water prompts from earlier. I like the nonhorizontal co..."Revolution and culture are my two favorites because I like international and immigration books. I like Villain and Fish out of water as well. We have enough cover prompts. I don't think diversity and cultural are too broad. Diversity awards might be hard because the new GR pages don't show the awards. I have books for both that should work.
Jette wrote: "1 upvote, 7 down…I think it’s because I’m in need of comfort reading right now. I don’t want to be educated on a topic or consider diverse points of view…I just need to disappear in the pages of ..."
I'm sorry to hear that. What do you read for comfort? I'm in need of a book I can disappear in. Long weekends without my family are depressing.
Anastasia wrote: "I recommend both "The Life of Trees" and "Finding the Mother Tree" . May I suggest reading "Finding the Mother Tree" first as the research is referenced in "Life of Trees""I'm reading The Overstory now and loving it. Thanks for this recommendation!
KP wrote: "What do you read for comfort? I'm in need of a book I can disappear in. ."Something light and fluffy and without animals as we just lost a pet unexpectedly last week. My best work friend also lost her father suddenly three days later. I’m just overwhelmed with sadness and struggling to focus.
Thank you for all who have expressed sympathy in this thread and the wild discussion.
Mod
Many people liked The House in the Cerulean Sea. I found it almost too sweet but that might be a good thing.
I have shared that I am dealing with my daughter’s cancer and I can’t read anything about illness or grief right now. My GR groups, including this one, have been a great source of distraction and support .
Jette wrote: "KP wrote: "What do you read for comfort? I'm in need of a book I can disappear in. ."Something light and fluffy and without animals as we just lost a pet unexpectedly last week. My best work frie..."
I'm so sorry Jette. I lost my kitty of 14 years earlier this summer. It's a difficult time that most people don't get unless they have pets. Not sure, if this is your style, but I really enjoyed American Royals series. It's definitely light and fluffy, some romance, alternate US history and easy to read.
Jette wrote: "KP wrote: "What do you read for comfort? I'm in need of a book I can disappear in. ."Something light and fluffy and without animals as we just lost a pet unexpectedly last week. My best work frie..."
I'm so sorry. I had a feeling a pet was involved. I lost the best dog in the world during covid. I still miss her. I visit neighbors when I need a dose of dog.
Jette, I’m sorry for the loss of your pet.
Sheena wrote: "This is my first year here, so I've been slowly getting a feel for everything (aka lurking/lol). Kudos to the mods and engaged participants, the voting process seems such a smooth and well-run oper..."Welcome Sheena! This is my second year. It's fun and it's a good way to stretch yourself. My bf thinks it's funny that I read a sci-fi book for a challenge but not for him. I even read a post-apocalyptic book this summer and liked it!
I have 11 upvotes (shh, maybe Emily won't notice). I feel loyal to the prompts I voted for in the past because I already devoted time to them, and I like some of the new ones. Asian diaspora is still my favorite for Asian American authors, and Cultural is my favorite for books set in Asia. I have a list of first contact books from last summer. Euphoria is #1. I'll read other comments before I vote. Someone said this vote feels heavier than others. It does.
Before I cast my vote, some questions on A book where the cover design includes text that is not completely horizontalI think I'm getting hung up on "completely horizontal" and what would count.
Do these count because they are slightly lopsided?
Or what about this book, where one word is vertical, but the other is horizontal? Does that mean it's not "completely horizontal"?
@Alicia - the non-horizontal text prompt was my suggestion. I WOULD count this as meeting the intent, using the last name of the author on the bottom. Enjoy!
I have 4 votes left. I want to put them where they'll do the most good. Which do you think we need the most (because they're different from the rest)? Alternatively, which do you think have the best chance of getting in? Which of these two?
A book from a genre that starts with any letter in your name
A book from your favorite sub-genre
Which of this group?
A book with the theme of returning home
A book related to first contact
A book told from the villain’s perspective
A book set during a revolution or uprising
A book about "a fish out of water"
My condolences, Jette.This might be a dumb question, but for those of you who feel "diversity-ed out," why is it more difficult to read a book with a diverse author/character than, (I'm presuming) a book with a white character or author? I understand that certain genres and topics are stressful or harder to get into (like social justice, literary fiction, etc) but if you can choose the genre, why is additional effort required to read a book with a nonwhite cast? Is it because it harder to find books that fit? Or does it take more effort to read books with characters of another ethnic/cultural background? (I haven't personally experienced this, so I'm just curious)
Edit: And thanks for everyone's responses about the villain prompt. I didn't think about Circe being a villain outside of the book - I do agree that it should count! The other retellings from the villain's side I've read typically have them become the villain by the end, so I completely forgot that Circe is normally considered a villain outside of Madeline Miller's book.
@Judy - my favorites are:1st group: sub-genre
2nd group: villain’s perspective, or revolution
Irene wrote: "why is additional effort required to read a book with a nonwhite cast?..."I read quite a lot of diverse books. However, I really dislike having to research an author or book based on that criteria in order to fit a prompt. Somehow it feels so unpleasant and invasive to go to google and type, “heritage ethnicity [insert author name].” And I cringe a bit if I look at an author’s photo and feel like I can guess their ethnicity.
Irene wrote: "My condolences, Jette.This might be a dumb question, but for those of you who feel "diversity-ed out," why is it more difficult to read a book with a diverse author/character than, (I'm presuming..."
Because the topics in the book, no matter the genre, tend to be a lot "heavier". Kindred, for example, or Parable of the Sower. I just read Homegoing... and I don't know how most people feel, but I haven't felt great after reading. I honestly hated Beloved, which I read for a very restrictive diversity prompt in another challenge. These books take work to read for a lot of us - they are always not relaxing or enjoyable even if they're in our preferred genres
I did want to add there are plenty of books by non-white authors that I've enjoyed but they also don't tend to heavily feature race or culture, And those are not the types of books that get diversity awards
There are some diverse awards that aren't as heavy especially the children's ones. The Lambda Awards also has sci-fi/fantasy, mystery, YA and comic book categories with some great options on there. I really didn't enjoy Homegoing when I read it last year and thought it was just me.
But there are SO MANY Asian diaspora authors who are writing light, fun books. Kevin Kwan's books are like soap operas. Maurene Goo & Jenny Han write squishy romances that melt your heart. Courtney Milan writes grown up romance. Sherry Thomas writes a variety of fantasy, romance, and mystery, including the Sherlock's sister series. Gene Luen Yang writes about the Asian American experience in comic book form. Marie Lu & Julie Kagawa write YA fantasy escapism. Mike Chen writes speculative fiction. Ted Chiang & Zen Cho are SFF writers. Steph Cha writes contemporary mysteries with a noir feel. Alma Katsu writes light horror. Ali Wong IS a comedian so you know her book is funny. All the genres you could want are there! Plenty of these authors do not write Asian characters, and their characters are not fighting racism or dealing with immigration problems or anything like that.If you want something deeper and more emotional or literary, Celest Ng, Mohsin Hamid, Maxine Hong Kingston, Amy Tan, Chang-rae Lee, Kazuo Ishiguro, and Jhumpa Lahiri have got you covered.
And all of these authors are proud of who they are. They don't mind that you can look at them and see that they are Asian.
It's upsetting that people see "not white" and equate that with "heavy and depressing" or "shameful to notice them."
pretty sure no one said shameful or depressing. but you can't deny that books that tend to win diversity awards do so by highlighting the strife that group experienced
Pretty sure a lot of people have just been denying that, with receipts...I absolutely agree with Nadine, there are a lot of Asian diaspora - and, indeed, other minority - authors who just write books. Of all genres, of all styles, not going into the misery porn territory at all. I can understand Dalex's point, it can feel uncomfortable if you feel like you have to judge "how much" an author counts as a minority, and I think its a good one even if I don't entirely agree with it. But I don't like the implication that all diverse authors just write heavy books. Maybe that was true twenty years ago, although I really don't believe that was the case, but I certainly wouldn't say that it's the case now in the 2020s.
Re: looking up an author’s ethnicity - I don’t think I’ve ever had to “guess by looking at the author’s photo”. If an author has any info about themselves online it often says “Irish American”, “Asian American”, etc., or says, e.g., “born in Connecticut, mother from Nigeria, father from England”
Monday sure is taking it's time getting here!I'm really looking forward to seeing what come out on top this time around.
I tried to post what I voted for but it was one of those days were I got to the end and hit post and it said it couldn't be posted so I gave up.I can't remember exactly what I voted for but I know I voted for the Asian prompt and first contact.
I know I voted no for the villain but wouldn't mind if it gets in. I like the idea but I don't like researching a book and you're not supposed to know that they are a villain. I often tell myself I won't look at the lists and then I always do. I also voted no for the one about a book that could fit five other prompts. I still wouldn't mind if it got in but it stressed me out!!
I thought there were a lot of good ones. It seems like no matter what gets through I can make it work and usually the prompts I think I'm going to dislike end up being my favorite.
Mod
I'm really looking forward to seeing what come out on top this time around."
I keep checking the first post of this thread to make sure the results are posted on Monday and not tomorrow lol. It does feel like a long voting round!
Mod
I just voted. Ended up doing 5 upvotes. I tried to support the suggesters of some of the repeat prompts, so I upvoted:- Asian diaspora
- culture (I don't love the wording either, but I like the intent. If we go another round possibly change up the wording to be a book about a different culture?)
- at least 5 prompts
- diversity award
And I already forgot the 5th.
Sunny wrote: "Monday sure is taking it's time getting here!I'm really looking forward to seeing what come out on top this time around."
The discussions overall seem quieter this week than in the past, which I think is contributing to the feeling that this has been a very long voting period.
dalex wrote: "Sunny wrote: "Monday sure is taking it's time getting here!I'm really looking forward to seeing what come out on top this time around."
The discussions overall seem quieter this week than in the ..."
I’m sick and haven’t been around. See you all tomorrow.
I’ll vote later
Irene wrote: "My condolences, Jette.This might be a dumb question, but for those of you who feel "diversity-ed out," why is it more difficult to read a book with a diverse author/character than, (I'm presuming..."
Thank you, Irene.
I read books because the subject sounds interesting to me as I read for escapism. I like to select books based on summaries, recommendations, etc. My favorite prompts are title, cover, genre based or a whimsical theme.
The prompts that specify some ‘diverse classification’ seem to have an agenda to me. I’m pretty much a live and let live person, but there are just some topics/viewpoints that I prefer to avoid. If a book I choose has one of those topics as part of the plot, that’s fine because I chose it for another reason. I just don’t like to feel compelled to select a book based on race, lifestyle, or other factors that are usually an ‘awareness’ issue. If I don’t judge people on those criteria, why would I choose books based on them?
This probably is a poor expression of my thoughts.I think these is enough room in most general prompts for readers to narrow to their own interests and reading purposes without mandating those specific diversity areas. Just my ha’penny.
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
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The Handler (other topics)
Vengeance Road (other topics)
American Royals (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Gregory Maguire (other topics)Richard Powers (other topics)
Suzanne Simard (other topics)
Peter Wohlleben (other topics)
Lily King (other topics)
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One of the things I like about challenges is that it forces me to read outside my comfort zone. I often, not always, but often end up really liking the books I read for prompts that I don't think I like. I've decided my voting strategy is to just vote for a couple/few of my most favourite prompts. If the collective thinks a prompt is a good idea, then I'm going to do my best to fill it. (And KIS, if I have to... )