[2024] Poll 3 Voting

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

It's now time to get ready to vote for our next set of prompts! The thread will be open for at least 24 hours before the poll gets posted. This is a good opportunity to ask any question you may have regarding the prompts, do some research, or ask for recommendations.

Voting will open in the morning of Friday, July 14 and results will be posted in the morning of Tuesday, July 18 (CST time).

How it works:
- When the voting opens, follow the link to the mini-poll that will be added at the end of this post
- You have a total of 8 votes this poll to spread across your favorite and least favorite prompts (you can also use less than 8 votes)
- You can find examples of acceptable voting practices on the Introduction thread.
- The prompts with the more favorable votes (comparing top votes to bottom votes, and looking at the overall number of votes it received) will be added to the final list

We are asking people to include their Goodreads profile address when they vote. To find this, just go to your own profile and then copy the URL/web address. If for some reason you can't link to your Goodreads profile, please post your full Goodreads name with enough identifiable information that we'll be able to access your profile.

Possible Prompts:
1. A book on a banned books list
2. A book with a title containing 6+ words
3. A book with a divided, or split, cover
4. A book that is not a novel
5. A book set mostly in or around a building
6. A book with disembodied hand(s) on the cover
7. A science fiction fantasy novel
8. A book related to Friends
9. A book with a ranch or farm setting
10. A book related to an invention or a discovery
11. A book related to a sensory disability
12. A book set in a new-to-you location
13. A book involving a STEM topic
14. A book set in a different hemisphere than where you live
15. A book related to a mountain

Feel free to discuss the prompts below, but please remember to be respectful to the other group members.

VOTE HERE: https://forms.gle/hNtjjCo7yXnJeTLq7

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

THOUGHTS AND IDEAS FROM THE SUGGESTIONS THREAD

2. A book with a title containing 6+ words
An offset to our single word title

3. A book with a divided, or split, cover
"Split covers have become common to indicate that two characters are from different backgrounds, or to show the book is about parallel worlds/alternate timelines.""
Examples - Part of Your World, The Betrayal of Anne Frank, Open Water, The Secrets We Kept
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1..."

4. A book that is not a novel
This could be: Non fiction, Play, Poetry, Short story collection

5. A book set mostly in or around a building
Apartment buildings: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Hotels: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...
Haunted Houses: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

6. A book with disembodied hand(s) on the cover



Listopia: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

7. A science fiction fantasy novel
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/scie...

8. A book related to Friends
2024 is the 30th anniversary of the TV show Friends.

This could be:
About friendship
Main characters are a group of friends
Set in a coffee shop or an apartment
Book by one of the Friends actors
Friends to lovers romance
Main character called Rachel, Phoebe, Monica, Joey, Ross or Chandler.
A story that shares a plotline with a Friends episode

11. A book related to a sensory disability
Vision: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
Hearing: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
Sensory Processing Disorder: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

13. A book involving a STEM topic
Science Technology Engineering or Math
2024 contains the number 24 - a special number to mathematicians

STEM: https://www.goodreads.com/genres/stem
MATH: https://www.goodreads.com/genres/math...
Science: https://www.goodreads.com/genres/science
Technology: https://www.goodreads.com/genres/tech...
Engineering: https://www.goodreads.com/genres/engi...
Popular science: https://www.goodreads.com/genres/popu...
Artificial intelligence: https://www.goodreads.com/genres/arti...

15. A book related to a mountain
Could also be mountain on cover, name of mountain in title.

For example: Here in Central Oregon, we have the Three Sisters (Faith, Hope, and Charity) and Mt Bachelor. You could read a book about sisters, faith, hope, charity, or bachelors.

https://www.goodreads.com/genres/moun...

[Pamela, Arciform Mod]

What a list! I must admit, I'm going to be doing more downvotes (the banned book list is my personal reading pet peeve).

But I will def be voting for the hemisphere-- I'm always looking for excuses to read Australian, South American, or African writers! And I'm there for the building nominator! I'm looking at the House of Seven Gables as I type this- so rah rah!

My book group is reading Go Tell It on the Mountain next year so will vote that prompt- it's a good gimme for me!

[KP]

Mountain Listopias

The Mountains are calling
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Mountains on the cover
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Women Climb
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Juv
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Appalachia
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

[KP]

At first glance by top choices are

STEM books - The first STEM link has a lot of female friendly books, similar to the Women in STEM.
Mountains - I posted the lists I found before the GR Search Function went down.
Not a Novel - Perfect for Nonfiction
SFF - I have new ones on my tbr.

GR Search went down a few minutes ago.
We don't have lists yet for Banned Books, Farms, and Inventions, if anyone has them, could you post? Thanks

[Elizabeth]

Pretty split for me this time probably 4 upvotes: disembodied hands, scifi fantasy, Friend's and ranch/farm. I usually down vote anything that gives me actual science vibes? like the invention prompt/STEM as those are usually harder for me to fill. Most things I upvote I know I have options on my tbr. I'd be okay with 15, 14, 12, 5.. they just all feel super wide open so not really worth a vote (for me).

[Nancy]

I'm so over banned book prompts so that will be a downvote.

Definite ups are 6+ words, not a novel, and disembodied hand.

The rest of my votes are TBD. Sensory disability is a maybe, would face blindness count?

[Amy (Other Amy)]

Wow there are a lot I'm excited about and also some I really NEED to downvote LOL. Decisions, decisions!

I just found the coolest thing for the hemisphere prompt. This thing will find your antipode if you put in your city:

https://www.geodatos.net/en/antipodes

Mine is in the ocean, but it gives closest populated area, and at least gives me a ballpark if I decide to do true opposite hemisphere (which would be a BIO option for this).

[Tracy]

Cool idea Other Amy - thanks for the link!

[Pam]

I like all of the setting prompts and will def save The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann for next year if mountain gets through. I’m a hard NO for banned books. I’d rather have a different prompt to fit one of those books. STEM is a def yes. I have a book about Ada Lovelace I’ve been meaning to read. Also, I think we will be seeing more books with AI topics, non-fiction and fiction, coming out.

[Ellie]

STEM doesn't have to be about science, that T stands for technology so you can read about social media or gaming for instance.

Annoyingly the listopia search is currently unavailable.

[Brittany]

Wow this list looks great. My upvotes will probably be 3. a book with a divided cover, 4. a book that is not a novel, 6. disembodied hands, 8. related to friends, 12. set in new to you location, and 14. different hemisphere. And I may downvote with my other 2 remaining votes. Excited to see the commentary on this thread, because who knows- I might be persuaded for other prompts!

[Amy (Other Amy)]

Nancy wrote: "Sensory disability is a maybe, would face blindness count?"

Sensory disability is any condition that impairs the senses or the brain's ability to process sensory information. I personally would count face blindness, yes.

Also, there has been a lot of SFF centered around sensory impairment concepts lately. I was thinking of finally reading The Flame Alphabet or The Chimes for this. (I was thinking Bird Box was one like this too, but I perhaps was mistaken there.)

[Tracy]

@Other Amy - I just looked up my antipode, and it sounds pretty interesting. It’s Saint-Phillipe, Reunión which is a commune (not sure if this is the same meaning of commune - darn, just looked it up and commune in this sense just means township) on the island of Reunion, located east of Madagascar and belonging to France.

Not sure about books set here, but if there is it could be interesting. I could probably find one set in Madagascar.

[Amy (Other Amy)]

Tracy wrote: "@Other Amy - I just looked up my antipode, and it sounds pretty interesting. It’s Saint-Phillipe, Reunión which is a commune (not sure if this is the same meaning of commune - darn, just looked it ..."

Mine is giving me a research base, but it looks like Mauritius is the closest area with actual residents. Looking now to see what kind of literature might be available.

ETA: Madagascar is my next closest option I think.

[Milena]

My antipode is in Australia. Not upset about this at all. Lots of options. I could make it harder by narrowing down to the specific part of Australia.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

I struggled a lot with the southern hemisphere prompt last year(?) so that will likely be a downvote for me. Looking like 4 up 4 down.

EDIT: I hadn't considered the eastern/western hemisphere thing so that may actually work for me if it does get in.

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

I have read most of the classic banned books, though I'm sure there are recent YA books with LGBTQ themes that would qualify. Still I'm not excited about that one.

I assumed different hemisphere was just one away - unless you deliberately choose other side of globe.

Everyone may not realize that the intention was Friends the TV show, but if they just interpret it as a book about friendship, that's fine too.

I like mountain as something quite open-ended.

[Ellie]

The Prime Meridian runs through Greenwich in London, so for Americans and most Brits a big chunk of Europe is included in a different hemisphere. I wish google maps showed it as a line to make it easier.

[Amy (Other Amy)]

Robin P wrote: "I assumed different hemisphere was just one away - unless you deliberately choose other side of globe."

I agree. Ashley Marie deliberately made it more open. I just found a toy to play with. People shouldn't feel like they have to interpret the prompt more narrowly, for sure.

[Ellie]

Robin P wrote: "Everyone may not realize that the intention was Friends the TV show, but if they just interpret it as a book about friendship, that's fine too...."

The point of it is that it's both Friends and friends. If people choose to ignore the capitalisation that's fine by me. It is meant to work both ways.

[Mandy]

here is a listopia for long book titles

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

And because Light Novels are notorious for the long book title here is a list of listopias with light novels.

https://www.goodreads.com/list/tag/li...

[KP]

Ellie wrote: "STEM doesn't have to be about science, that T stands for technology so you can read about social media or gaming for instance.

Annoyingly the listopia search is currently unavailable."
Ellie - I posted the technology and other STEM lists with the suggestion. I was gathering the listopias when it went down.

Pam wrote: "I like all of the setting prompts and will def save The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann for next year if mountain gets through. I’m a hard NO for banned books. I’d rather have a different prompt to f..."

Thanks for seconding STEM Pam. I added an Artificial Intelligence link because of all the new developments. Did you see the 60 Minutes show about the newest AI? 💥🤯

[NancyJ]

Mandy wrote: "here is a listopia for long book titles
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...
And because Light Novels are notorious for the long book title here is a list of lis..."

Great lists. I never knew that there actually books labeled "Light Novels" - perfect for our 2023 prompt.

[Dubhease]

Books with Rachels:

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins (Rachel Verinder)
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant (biblical Rachel)
Bleak House by Charles Dickens (Mrs. Rachael Chadband)
Hard Times by Charles Dickens (Rachael)
Heartburn by Nora Ephron (Rachel Samstat)
Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin (Rachel White)
The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins (Rachel Watson)
Pet Sematary by Stephen King (Rachel Creed)
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (Rachel Price)
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee (Miss Rachel Haverford)
My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier
Anne of Green Gables (Rachel Lynde)

Books with Monicas:

Killing Monica by Candace Bushnel
Monica's Story by Andrew Morton

Books with Phoebes:

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9...

Books with Joeys/Josephs:

The Trial by Franz Kafka
You by Caroline Kepnes
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray

Books with Rosses:
Ross Poldark by Winston Graham

Sorry Chandler, your parents were very creative. But you can read Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing

[Tracy]

Great lists Dubhease! Love your Chandler comment. Maybe Chandler fans could read a book about either someone who sells boating supplies or a candle maker (both called ‘chandlers’)?

[Jette]

Looking at the list there is only one topic that I would probably try to use a wild card on, but I would be fine with any of the other 14. That's very unusual for me.

Definite upvotes: Friends, related to Mountains (I live in the Southern Appalachians), SFF (reading the DiscWorld Series now), building (thinking about haunted houses), divided/split cover

Probable down votes: sensory disability, STEM (we had science and general disability this year) and the opposite hemisphere {I think it is a read a book type prompt - I looked up hemisphere and it can go either north/south (geographical) or east/west (political or cultural)}.

[NancyJ]

Amy (Other Amy) wrote: "Wow there are a lot I'm excited about and also some I really NEED to downvote LOL. Decisions, decisions!

I just found the coolest thing for the hemisphere prompt. This thing will find your antipod..."

I love Antipodes. Mine is in the ocean too, closest to Perth Australia, I was in a challenge a couple years ago to maximize the miles I traveled, and I zigzagged around the world to use a lot of them. I found books for more than 30 pairs. Chile to Beijing, Spain to New Zealand. Hawaii to Zambia or Botswana maybe. Caribbean islands to the Malaysia/Indonesia islands.

[NancyJ]

Ellie wrote: "STEM doesn't have to be about science, that T stands for technology so you can read about social media or gaming for instance.

Annoyingly the listopia search is currently unavailable."

I couldn't even get back into GR after the suggestion round was over. I got that message saying there were too many people, so go read a book.

[Nancy]

My antipode (northern Colorado) is in the middle of the ocean. Closest city is Port-aux-Français, Kerguelen, French Southern Territories. Or Mauritius. Seems a bit difficult!

Which of course just means I wouldn't use my antipode but that would be a fun BIO for sure.

[NancyJ]

1. A book on a banned books list - Upvote if it has a chance
2. A book with a title containing 6+ words - Maybe up
3. A book with a divided, or split, cover - Probably UP
*4. A book that is not a novel - UP
5. A book set mostly in or around a building - Maybe
6. A book with disembodied hand(s) on the cover - nothing for me there
*7. A science fiction fantasy novel - UP
*8. A book related to Friends - UP - more for friends than Friends
9. A book with a ranch or farm setting ?
10. A book related to an invention or a discovery ?
11. A book related to a sensory disability - Probably UP
*12. A book set in a new-to-you location - UP
13. A book involving a STEM topic - Probably UP
14. A book set in a different hemisphere than where you live - maybe up
15. A book related to a mountain - Probably UP - I'm reading one this month.

It looks like I will have 8 upvotes again.
I like both the Geography prompts, but I'm running out of upvotes, and I didn't even look at the examples yet. I hope a lot of the ones that don't make it get suggested again in August or September. I hope people are gentle with the downvotes so we don't get too many at the bottom (and therefore can't be resuggested).

[Jackie, Solstitial Mod]

well the long title will be a definite upvote for me - I love having prompts that mirror each other

[Robin H-R]

Nancy wrote: "My antipode (northern Colorado) is in the middle of the ocean. Closest city is Port-aux-Français, Kerguelen, French Southern Territories. Or Mauritius. Seems a bit difficult!

Which of course just..."

My antipode is the same. It just so happens I read a book last year where the characters travel through that area!
In Search of the Castaways or, The Children of Captain Grant by Jules Verne

[Pam]

Can the disembodied hand include the fore arm? I have 2 of those but nothing with just a hand. I’m inclined to downvote it
unless I see some really good non-YA options.

[Jennifer W]

=O People are not fans of reading banned books? More books have been banned in the last year in the US than at any other point in history.

This list from PEN America has over 1500 banned or challenged books and it's just from the 2021-22 school year.

https://pen.org/banned-book-list-2021...

(I'm kinda a dork when it comes to this stuff. :)

[Nancy]

I don't mind reading banned books. But I have been doing challenges for many years now and it's a prompt I'm tired of.

[Ellie]

Jennifer W wrote: "=O People are not fans of reading banned books? More books have been banned in the last year in the US than at any other point in history...."

It just comes up again and again...and it's kind of an American thing. Like if you can start banning UK books on mass, it would help out 🤣

[Edie]

Jennifer W wrote: "=O People are not fans of reading banned books? More books have been banned in the last year in the US than at any other point in history.

This list from PEN America has over 1500 banned or challe..."

I guess we are in the minority here, Jennifer. Reading a banned book will be a definite up vote for me. It isn't just the classics that are banned. Jodi Picoult's Mad Honey which is one of my favorite books so far this year was banned (in Florida?). So many books that are being banned in the current climate are important reads. I participate in reading challenges to diversify my reading and this is a prompt that facilitates that goal.

[Jennifer W]

Nancy wrote: "I don't mind reading banned books. But I have been doing challenges for many years now and it's a prompt I'm tired of."

Ellie wrote: "Jennifer W wrote: "=O People are not fans of reading banned books? More books have been banned in the last year in the US than at any other point in history...."

It just comes up again and again...and it's kind of an American thing. Like if you can start banning UK books on mass, it would help out 🤣.."

I get it, it is a common prompt (I just never get tired of it cause there's, unfortunately, too many to choose from).

Good grief, Ellie, don't give them ideas!!! 😱

[LeahS]

1. A book on a banned books list
PopSugar did a books banned in 2022/3 prompt this year, and a banned book was also in ATY Summer Challenge, so this would be a down vote for me.

2. A book with a title containing 6+ words
This is ok.

3. A book with a divided, or split, cover
Neutral on this one.

4. A book that is not a novel
I would vote this up.

5. A book set mostly in or around a building
This is fine.
6. A book with disembodied hand(s) on the cover
Also ok.

7. A science fiction fantasy novel
Definite down vote from me.

8. A book related to Friends
I quite like that one.

9. A book with a ranch or farm setting ?
I would go for farm setting; we had a western prompt this year, and it was my least favourite prompt.

10. A book related to an invention or a discovery ?
Fine.

11. A book related to a sensory disability
Ok.

*12. A book set in a new-to-you location
Ok.

13. A book involving a STEM topic
Fine, as it's such a wide area.

14. A book set in a different hemisphere than where you live
Would vote this up.

15. A book related to a mountain
A possible.

[°~Amy~°]

I read banned books as a matter of principle but as a prompt.... I would be surprised if it were not a prompt on one challenge or another that I have done every single year since I began doing challenges (2015).

Maybe if it were freshened up somehow, like 'a book banned since 2020' or 'a book banned by a university'....or something to that effect.

[Karin]

°~Amy~° wrote: "I read banned books as a matter of principle but as a prompt.... I would be surprised if it were not a prompt on one challenge or another that I have done every single year since I began doing chal..."

Banned books has become a "same old, same old" now due to banned books week which already encourages readers to venture there. But it's hard to narrow it down to just the past couple of years. Plus the range is VERY broad and includes the religious texts of ALL ilks, plus many sorts of novels and nonfiction. This is due to different countries banning different things.

One of the reasons I've stopped certain annual lists is due to the predictability of certain things being on the list in one form or another every year. This group has some fresher ideas.

[Martha]

I read a lot of sustainable farming practice books because it's an interest I have. I did find this farm list on Goodreads that's pretty extensive: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

I might also consider urban farming if this prompt gets through.

[Alicia]

Hmm I'm stumped on this list. There isn't anything I love, but there also isn't anything I dislike. I'm more like meh because I feel like all of these are things I could do without thinking about it.

I think with banned books it used to be a set number of classics which did get tedious. But now, thanks to America, basically any book with a BIPOC or LGBTQIA character has been banned somewhere. So depending on how people want to interpret it it can be very narrow or very broad

[Dubhease]

Tracy wrote: "Great lists Dubhease! Love your Chandler comment. Maybe Chandler fans could read a book about either someone who sells boating supplies or a candle maker (both called ‘chandlers’)?"

I also forgot that people can read The Shining (Stephen King) or Little Women (Louisa May Alcott) because of the episode where Rachel and Joey read each other's favourite book.

Alas the book about Zelda, the chimney sweep, and the vicar doesn't seem to be real.

[Verity]

I think I interpret “banned books” too narrowly, because I only consider a book to be banned if it’s actually illegal to sell it in one or more countries.

I personally wouldn’t count (say) a book that a Florida school board thought was inappropriate for children and removed from their school libraries. It’s absolutely within the definition of the prompt, and I wouldn’t criticise anyone who did choose a book like that, but would feel like cheating to me.

And I’m not really into obscenity or blasphemy, so that leaves me with few options, most of which I’ve already read because it’s a perennial challenge prompt.

I like cover prompts, so disembodied hands and split covers are interesting to me.

[Karin]

Alicia wrote: "Hmm I'm stumped on this list. There isn't anything I love, but there also isn't anything I dislike. I'm more like meh because I feel like all of these are things I could do without thinking about i..."

It's not just America that bans this sort of thing! LGBTQIA is illegal and banned in some Muslim countries as well and there are other countries that have banned authors by sexuality and/or about race, and not just BIPOC people. I'm concerned about how many some others seem to focus all of this on only one country.

How about Canada, for just one eg, where people have tried to ban books ranging from the Bible to A Handmaid's Tale to Snow Falling on Cedars and many others. But look at the middle east and Asia, etc where many things have been banned. Think about the Cultural Revolution in China--that was extreme.

[Kat]

You could use the Friends professions to read about acting, cooking, fashion or dinosaurs. There are so many options and I love it.

[Pam]

KP - No, I didn’t see that episode. I sometimes listen to the Ezra Klein podcast and he’s had a few episodes, including the most recent one, with AI topics. My favorite book that I read last year, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, would be good for this prompt. I really think we will start seeing a lot more AI topics in books. It’s such a huge topic. One of my favorites from a few years ago was Plum Rains by Andromeda Romano-Lax, which had an AI companion character.

[Lizzy]

I’m a little amazed that I don’t have any books on my TBR list that overlap the sensory disabilities lists. While I don’t generally choose a book because I think I should read it, I might vote for that to nudge me to include books with characters that are blind, deaf or have some other sensory disability.