Play Book Tag discussion
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Time to Vote for the August Tag
I have only a little time to research as I am heading to the Beach today, (with Only the Beautiful). But, I can say off the bat, Art History will be easiest for many across the board. Lots of BA Shapiro thrillers, but plenty of WWII stolen art. Woman on Fire was excellent. Also mystical paintings that feature in historical fiction, with and without magical properties and clues to murders past etc. I look forward to researching the other two.
Actually, moral dillemmas is a fantastic category. I have read so so much of it, and I found that 3 books I desperately want to read are on the list. Although I don't love knowing that going in. Might throw ten points in this direction. A new similarly favorite category to thought-provoking. They do go hand in hand.
Politics is also great - for fiction and non fiction. I would be happy with any of them and have no idea how I would vote. Casual Vacancy which Theresa just highly recommended, is on the list for both moral dillemmas and politics. Magnolia Palace for Art. Deacon King Kong. Girl Who Wrote in Silk. State of Terror and the President's Daughter. So much of my short list is here. I don't care what wins. August will be a fun month no matter what.
I knew it was to good to be true-back to the tags that don't excite-Thinking Ursula is running this too
Joanne wrote: "I knew it was to good to be true-back to the tags that don't excite-Thinking Ursula is running this too"Ursula has clearly been the true randomizer behind the curtain of the tag randomizer for some time now....
My initial gut reaction was quite negative ... then seconds later, my brain kicked in and reminded me that I have a whole shelf with an art as theme so some mystery or historical fiction is bound to fit art history - JoAnne didn't you just read a NF about stolen chinese art? There are definitely lots of options set in WWII that are bound to fit.
I bet a lot of crime fiction have moral dilemma tags.
Politics is easier than you would think - lots of fantasy has that tag like Chakraborty's Daevabad trilogy I finished this year. Crime fiction, thrillers, espionage. And I highly recommend The Casual Vacancy.
Amy really summarized all 3 well.
I know where I am going to land just based on ease of finding something from my TBR, so I voted.
I'm not crazy about these but I like moral dilemmas best. Good point that politics is found in lots of fantasy/sci-fi, it doesn't have to be nonfiction about current events. (Though I have Obama's looong book on audio.Even Michelle said she speeded up the audio when listening to him!) Also a lot of historical fiction has political/ war topics - see Theresa's comment yesterday on French Revolution.
There are two art history books being published this month or next that I've already requested from the library. I know what I'll be reading if they come in even if we don't vote for that tag.Thunderclap: A Memoir of Art and Life and Sudden Death
Letters to Gwen John
This truly excellent book would work for Art History and Moral Dilemmas. Probably for Politics, too.
The Flight Portfolio
Robin P wrote: "I am very interested in The Story of Art Without Men."Yes. That's another one on my list.
I don't know what I am voting for yet, but for the first time in a LONG time I have finished my book for the current month before voting for next month! lolNow....just to write a review...
Theresa wrote: "Joanne wrote: "I knew it was to good to be true-back to the tags that don't excite-Thinking Ursula is running this too"Ursula has clearly been the true randomizer behind the curtain of the tag ra..."
yes, after checking the lists I do have options. The bugger is, do I want to read any of them?
I do think Ursula has been meddling with things again. I do have books on mount tbr for each tag but one tag fits the next book I plan on reading for the birthday challenge so I'm voting for it.
Interesting choices. I have one clear lead as I found several books on the list that match what I currently have on hold at the library. The others would work as well.
Moral Dilemmas looks really interesting to me - and covers a lot of genres - biography/memoir, thrillers, sci-fi, dystopia, gothic, literature from classics to modern.It actually feels like the broadest tag to me.
Also - ANYTHING but politics. I read as an escape from that ever-present topic. 😆
As per usual, I have something on my tbr for all the choices.Now on to discover which book I most want to read that fits the tag.
I like all three of these topics, but two are very narrow for us. I apparently love moral dilemmas because I’ve read a LOT of the books on the list. But I think it’s the shortest tag list we’ve ever had. There are only 2 books with 5 or more tags! I have a feeling I would end up reading a lot of books based on recommendations from people in this group.
I like art, but art history is a narrow tag, with mostly non-fiction. I don’t know if many of the art books on my tbr will have Art history tags. I could read Vincent and Theo, The Last Painting of Sara DeVos, something about Frida Kahlo, and a forgery book (for an ATY prompt).
Politics is a surprisingly large list. Along with all the great biographies and history, there are nf books related to feminism, social justice, climate change, and other topics that usually interest me. I should read the long Lincoln book, but right now fiction is more appealing to me - historical fiction, spy thrillers, Sci-fi, fantasy books with political stories. (Kate Quinn, Ursula K. LeGuin, Temeraire, maybe Dune). I’d like another Hisfic with Abigail Adams as a character. I also have books with corporate/organizational politics.
Added- also colonialism books and the French Revolution,
I’m confused by many of the tag options this year. The pool used to be the top 300 (?)Tags on GR. We’d get two of those plus one selected by a member. Any of the top tags should exceed 100,000 books. But I think we’ve had more than our usual share of narrow tags (with short lists) this year.
Oh man, now this is a lineup I can get behind! 🤣
Robin P wrote: "I'm not crazy about these but I like moral dilemmas best. Good point that politics is found in lots of fantasy/sci-fi, it doesn't have to be nonfiction about current events. (Though I have Obama's ..."Robin, I think I proposed or voted for all three of these topics for Aty last summer. (Not art history but other art and arts prompts.) I must have made or contributed to a listopia for moral dilemma because I have a big shelf for it.
ETA- yep, I contributed to one, but it doesn’t have as many books as the tag list. No matter which tag wins, I’ll end up with another book for my rejects challenge or round 2.
Request - if you are leaning toward moral dilemmas, please tag any books you’ve read that you believe fit the tag. This could help other members. Thanks!GENRE pages - with some new releases +/or most read this week
(Moral dilemmas doesn’t have any extra info)
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/poli...
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/art-...
I honestly don't think any of these three choices are particularly narrow. There are books across all genres that would fit for monthly tag purposes where you don't need to see that someone else has already tagged it whatever. Probably art history is the narrowist but it isn't that narrow. An historical mystery about an art forgery would work just fine for monthly tag purposes. I just read an historical romance/mystery set during the regency where the forgery of a collection of ancient sculpture - think Elgin Marbles - was at the center. The first or second Wrexford & Sloane mystery by Andrea Penrose had an art forgery plot.
A few months ago I got assigned politics as a tag I needed to match in another group's challenge. I whined. I groaned. I carried on. I hate politics. Then I glanced over at one of the TBR Towers under the TV and there winking at may was the fictional The Casual Vacancy which I loved, still think and talk about, recommend to everyone and gave 5 stars. I also discovered that the book my Feminerdy was reading that month - a fantasy - also would fit. Politics can be on a national government level, a local village level, within academia or a religion, in a work place, among a coop or condo board, or even just here on PBT. Where there's a group there are politics. So any book involving group dynamics is political.
Moral dilemma like thought-provoking are the type of tags I loathe - they are so touchy feely wishy washy to me -- but on the flip side - anything goes so easy to fill. I'm sure a lot of books I read are considered to have moral dilemmas. I just don't categorize them that way or look for that sort theme.
Of course, if you are a stickler for any reason to read only books that someone else has randomly tagged as 'politics' or 'art history' or 'moral dilemma', then yes, there are narrower choices here for two of them. I personally do not have any of those 3 tags as shelves.
Sometimes with the shelves if you just change one bit you get slightly different results as switching from moral dilemmas to dilemma or ethical dilemmashttps://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
or Art History to art
or politics to political
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
Additionally, a google search is always helpful. I found these articles:
https://www.bustle.com/articles/12615...
https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/...
https://thenerddaily.com/heather-frim...
Getting back to reading (Kathleen) wrote: "Booknblues brings up a question I have. Does the book have to a be tagged exactly as the three mentioned above if they are already tagged those? Or if they have not already been tagged, we can t..."
Kathleen to use a book for the tag it just have to fit and not be tagged.
However if you are using it to earn points for Subdue or any other challenge, it must have 5 people who tag it exactly as the tag says.
If you are looking for fiction in art history, there are plenty of choices. Here are a few recommendations:Tin Man
Girl in Hyacinth Blue
The Strays
Remember Ben Clayton
The Lacuna
Saint Sebastian's Abyss
Loot
The Lady and the Unicorn
The Goldfinch
People of the Book
Horse
War and Turpentine
Non-Fiction:
The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century
Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher: The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis
Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures
A Rift in the Earth: Art, Memory and the Fight for a Vietnam War Memorial
Savage Harvest: A Tale of Cannibals, Colonialism, and Michael Rockefeller's Tragic Quest for Primitive Art
The Lady in Gold: The Extraordinary Tale of Gustav Klimt's Masterpiece, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer
My art shelf has loads of art history - both fiction and non-fiction if anyone wants more ideas:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
I just posted art as I think there are plenty of books for politics or moral dilemmas.
I'm hoping for moral dilemmas! Politics next. Pretty sure art history will be the hardest (and potentially least interesting) for me.
Turns out I have 2 on my tbr for art history... one a biography of Charles Schultz and one a Tracy Chevalier book.
NancyJ wrote: "Request - if you are leaning toward moral dilemmas, please tag any books you’ve read that you believe fit the tag. This could help other members. Thanks!GENRE pages - with some new releases +/or ..."
That's a good idea Nancy - I'll look through my own Read and TBR lists to see what I can tag. I guess I was thinking more along the lines of posting here on PBT, where if it feels like an appropriate tag, then it's OK to use it.
But...for Sudbue The Shelf, Politics is probably a better choice if you're seeking 5+ tags.
I am so sick and tired of politics and not big on art history so like Moral Dilemmas the best. It might be shorter but as I went through it there is such a broad spectrum of books on it but it's different than so much of what we usually read.
Booknblues wrote: "Getting back to reading (Kathleen) wrote: "Booknblues brings up a question I have. Does the book have to a be tagged exactly as the three mentioned above if they are already tagged those? Or if ..."
To just review it, not only does it not have to be tagged exactly the same, but it could be there are no tags at all related to "dilemma", "ethics" or anything like it, but it seems to you that it fits.
As far as Subdue, I haven't generally paid attention to tags because all it does is get participation points and most of us have way more than we will ever use. Points allow you to have more votes monthly and you can use up to 3 to move in STS, I'm not aware of any other benefits. If they allowed me to get other advantages in the game, I would try harder to match them.
Robin P wrote: "Booknblues wrote: "Getting back to reading (Kathleen) wrote: "Booknblues brings up a question I have. Does the book have to a be tagged exactly as the three mentioned above if they are already tagg..."@Robin - in Subdue once you are on a board in Porter or higher, if you land on a book that matches that month's tag, you earn space moves you can use any time - how many spaces set by a schedule - check rules - you can put a link to the rules in your personal tracking thread for easy reference. You have to note it on your tracking board when you land but you can use at a future time, adding on to where a roll puts you. For example my roll on July 5 put me on Lolita on my board. When I updated then double checked my tracking, just for amusement I checked tags for adventure as they do have a roadtrip in story I seem to recall. Dang if it wasn't tagged adventure 11x! That earned me a +1 space move in future. I banked it - my first award after Clerk!
Lesson learned: check for monthly tag in every book you land on, no matter how unlikely a match is.
@Robin - here are the Porter and above tag matching awards:If you land on a book that has the same tag as the monthly tag, you will get an extra move in conjunction with any future roll:
5-25 taggers - move forward 1 space
25-50 taggers - move forward 2 spaces
50-100 taggers move forward 5 spaces
More than 100 taggers - roll two dice
This award must be noted on your tracking thread at the time you land on the book that earns it. The book does not need to be completed/reviewed in the month with the tag . . .this bonus is triggered when you land on the book.
Sue wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Request - if you are leaning toward moral dilemmas, please tag any books you’ve read that you believe fit the tag. This could help other members. Thanks!GENRE pages - with some new..."
Yes, politics is the best tag if you want to rack up rewards in Subdue to move faster, IF that matters to you, and you actually want to read the books. You might already have books with the tag on your subdue board without realizing it.
You might hate politics in real life, but you might love reading about struggles for power and influence in fictional worlds. It’s a staple in many thrillers and sci-fi fantasies. Books that touch on big social issues (race, women’s rights, gay rights, immigration, etc,) might be tagged as political by some.
There might be social dilemmas in most of the same books, but they might not be tagged as such. Ultimately the best tag is based on what you’d most like to read.
I like all three topics (and I already racked up a lot of points in the game), so I will likely decide based on the specific books I really want to read in August.
Joy D wrote: "If you are looking for fiction in art history, there are plenty of choices. Here are a few recommendations:Tin Man
Girl in Hyacinth Blue
The Strays
[b..."
Greats lists Joy! The Lacuna fits all three tags, and the Lady of Gold sounds like it might too. I’m adding her to my list of potentials,
Theresa wrote: "@Robin - here are the Porter and above tag matching awards:If you land on a book that has the same tag as the monthly tag, you will get an extra move in conjunction with any future roll:
5-25 t..."
Thanks, I know I looked at some but I didn't land on the books in the right month even if I finished them then. I wonder if I had some for adventure, if so can I still claim them?
Robin P wrote: "Theresa wrote: "@Robin - here are the Porter and above tag matching awards:If you land on a book that has the same tag as the monthly tag, you will get an extra move in conjunction with any fut..."
PM Anita and ask.
I'm having trouble deciding between the art history tag and the morale dilemmas tag. I believe art history to be an interesting topic, but a bit on the narrow side. Morale dilemmas, on the other hand, is terribly interesting with lots of historical fiction, and wider in breath.I think I've actually resolved the issue and will go with morale dilemmas for the August tag.
Voted.
NancyJ wrote: "Sue wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Request - if you are leaning toward moral dilemmas, please tag any books you’ve read that you believe fit the tag. This could help other members. Thanks!GENRE pages - w..."
I am so very tired of politics and this is one of those times that I'm sorry that a game is going to influence the voting. (even when playing games it's made it hard...) I love the idea of getting more points, but I really think it hurts the original intention of PBT which was to try to read new shelves/tags.
Voted. Karin, I wouldn’t worry. I don’t think it’s likely that politics is going to win. Because it’s a very divisive and emotionally charged topic these days. It’s true that even if it did win that we could all find some great fiction to review. Stop that takes place in white houses and international spy, rings, and stuff. We could all find our way through the topic, and I’m sure we would find a way to not make it harder and more hurtful then it could potentially be. I just don’t buy it that it has any chance of winning. I think people are either sick of it, emotionally charged, I know that this could potentially be a divisive topic. Too many people feel that way for it to win. Plus, it’s not like we don’t have two other very interesting choices. I think moral dilemmas is such a wonderful category. We’re all drawn to it because so much of what we read puts us into this place where we get to really think about things. And evaluate the choices we need to make or have made. Honestly, I think that’s going to be a landslide. But as always, we shall see. Lately in the last couple of years or times we haven’t been that surprised.
Amy wrote: "Voted. Karin, I wouldn’t worry. I don’t think it’s likely that politics is going to win. Because it’s a very divisive and emotionally charged topic these days. It’s true that even if it did win tha..."I don’t know. At my university, “Power and influence” was the most popular undergrad elective in the Management department. Those topics are at the core of politics. I haven’t voted yet because I like all three tags, but I would t write it off.
Full disclosure —- I need to warn people a large portion of the books on the moral dilemma list were put on there by a relatively small number of people. I was one of those people. You can tell this is true by seeing that most of the books have only 1-3 tags. You might completely disagree with the tag when you read the book. I used the tag heavily last year when I was helping others to add books to a listopia. When I look at some of them now, I can’t remember exactly what ethical or moral dilemma I observed when reading the book. Some moral dilemmas might interest you, some might seem trivial, and some might be overdone cliches. I’m not saying it’s not a great topic - obviously it’s one of my favorites - but I think you need to use multiple sources when looking for books with the topic. BnB made this point too. Or pick books that sound interesting to you regardless of the tag.
Some of the books tagged appear to be about cheating on a spouse. I would hate that particular plot (it’s not a dilemma imo, as it’s not something I’d consider).
Nancy, you are saying that you and a few others are the largest populated us of a very small tag that most of us are voting for? Lol. I actually think it’s kind of funny. You’re giving us a disclaimer that we should actually be calling at Nancy’s moral dilemmas. I still think it’s a great topic and I love it too. I think you have well cleaned your conscience and people would have still likely voted for it anyway. Although I just added the Paris deception to my watch to read list and it looks like it’s the perfect art history situation. I voted for that second.
Moral dilemmas is a lot like adventure or family, many books can fit into the category. I also think that one will win. Art history is rather narrow and I think it's difficult for writers to convey the sense of physical art in a book. The same is probably true for music, Karin can tell us about that. I think politics will turn a lot of people off, although it can include lots of sci-fi, fantasy, history, historical fiction, etc.
How to write moral dilemmas. This is really helpful I thinkhttps://www.masterclass.com/articles/...#
Amy wrote: "I have only a little time to research as I am heading to the Beach today, (with Only the Beautiful). But, I can say off the bat, Art History will be easiest for many across the board. Lots of BA Sh..."Definitely not for me. I have nothing for that on the TBR at all. Not enthusiastic about the other 2 but at least I have something I could read if I can get motivated. Might just do another month of adventure and miss yet another month. Not good tags for me this year at all.
Joanne wrote: "I knew it was to good to be true-back to the tags that don't excite-Thinking Ursula is running this too"Me too. Looks like only 1 out of the last 4 months I've joined in.
Nicole R wrote: "I don't know what I am voting for yet, but for the first time in a LONG time I have finished my book for the current month before voting for next month! lolNow....just to write a review..."
I'm on my third for this month but it is the only tag I've joined in with for a fair while....plus I suspect I won't join in for August. Ursula is being mean. Usually there is at least 1 tag worth voting for but not so much this year.
Might be able to shoe-horn an adventure book into moral-dilemma..... Dark Summit would fit...David Sharp had almost 40 climbers walk past him to the summit as he lay dying (should Everest tourism be allowed if they behave like that?). Should anyone with a family be climbing K2 or Everest or is it too selfish to put your family through that?
Getting back to reading (Kathleen) wrote: "If moral dilemma does win, I think I’ll be reading Interview with the Vampire. Louis’s struggle with being a vampire and turning others, if I remember correctly, seems perfect for this..."I just read this for the first time, and loved it.
I think vampires always work for moral dilemma :)
Amy wrote: "Nancy, you are saying that you and a few others are the largest populated us of a very small tag that most of us are voting for? Lol. I actually think it’s kind of funny. You’re giving us a disclai..."Thanks Amy lol. I do think it’s possible to find a moral dilemma in every book, but some types are far more interesting than others, and they might be hard to see in advance. I wish more people used the tag!
Note - there is also a tag “moral dilemma” which has some additional books.
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/mora...
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/mora...
Jen wrote: "Nicole R wrote: "I don't know what I am voting for yet, but for the first time in a LONG time I have finished my book for the current month before voting for next month! lolNow....just to write a..."
Project Hail Mary would work for moral dilemma. (Not saying any more .... )
Lots of controversy this month. I can't wait to see what wins.
I have to laugh....everyone, including me is pretty clearly so convinced that 'politics' would be too stresful, we are sick of it blah blah.I just started the first Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews- paranormal, magic, shapeshifters, demons, vampires, necromancers - it is a hoot, pure escapusm with a kick-ass heroine .... and if it isn't tagged politics a whole bunch, I would be shocked. I suspect that a moral dilemma is coming soon in it too. And for sure it is an adventure.
Haven't spotted anything that woukd fit art history, but I am not quite half way.
Just cracks me up how this bit of escapist paranormal fun fits all these more superficially serious tags we have been discussing.
Oh it is Magic Bites if someone decides to give it a whirl in August.
Play Book Tag
Books mentioned in this topic
Humankind: A Hopeful History (other topics)When We Cease to Understand the World (other topics)
The Golem and the Jinni (other topics)
Small Things Like These (other topics)
The Light Between Oceans (other topics)
More...
https://forms.gle/vihQEV87LhKgT54q6
Here are the lists of books for each tag:
art history: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
moral dilemmas: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
politics: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
Remember, you may cast up to a total of 10 participation points for your choice. Every PBT member gets one vote for free so please vote even if you don't have any participation points!
You can see how many participation points you currently have in the spreadsheet below.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
Happy voting! Please cast your votes by 12 noon EST on 7/21.