[2024] Poll 4 Voting - MULTIWEEK

[Ellie]

I like the cover that reminds you of a season prompt as a single week better. I think certain shades of green remind me of spring, baby animals and spring flowers. Cover designers like autumn leaves as decoration! Muted shades of orange, red, green and browns.

[Lindsay]

There were a few prompts in the Wild Discussion which I thought were very interesting but they didn't get nominated for the voting. The Beatles prompt (which was wider than the music one), and the left/right/up/down prompt.

I know everything can't make it through to the voting.

I think I've got 5 upvotes and 2 downvotes. I don't have anything else that I've got a string enough opinion on to vote it down (if I hate it) or up (if I love it).

[Aimee]

These are great, I'm going to have some trouble limiting myself to only eight votes!

[Bea]

Possible Prompts:
1. 3 Weeks: Three books related to the lines in a Roses Are Red poem
2. 3 Weeks: Three books whose titles create a sentence or short poem
3. 2 Weeks: A work of fiction and nonfiction that are related
4. 2 Weeks: Two books with similar covers
5. 3 Weeks: One book for each of the three forms of water - solid, liquid, gas
6. 2 Weeks: A book with "life" in the title, and a book with "death" in the title
7. 2 Weeks: Two books that are part of a series
8. 3 Weeks: Three books from a series
9. 2 Weeks: A book involving Lost family and a book involving Found family
10. 2 Weeks: Two books related to "truth or dare"
11. 3 Weeks: Three books related to music (Specifically: A book with a musical instrument on the cover, A book with a music genre in the title, and A book with a music theme)
12. 4 Weeks: Four books where each cover is related to a different season (fall, winter, spring, summer)
13. 2 Weeks: Two books by authors with names the rhyme
14. 3 Weeks: Three books where each one is related to land, sea, or air
15. 2 Weeks: A classic and its retelling

I am a series reader...but I do not feel the need to vote for either of the series prompts. I read them anyway.

The ones I have bolded are the most interesting to me.

I am not sure if I will vote for 8 or just the above 6, but I am not going with any down votes this time.

[Conny]

Definitive upvotes:
I ADORE the "spine poems" prompt, it's like my very own Cards Against Humanity game, haha! I'm pretty sure that one would work out even for non-planners. I will definitely upvote that one.
I also love the three states of water prompt.

Definitive downvotes:
The retelling prompt; been there, done that. It was on Popsugar this year, too.

On the fence:
Related fiction and nonfiction – I almost never read nonfiction, so any prompt calling for that it not easy for me. Off the top of my head, I find exactly ONE possible combination on my TBR, and that one is a stretch, too. I like the idea of related books, however, and it is a good prompt.
Land, Sea, Air: Wasn't there a similar prompt on Popsugar last year? Anyway, I think that one should be doable for anyone and leaves room for lots of options and creativity, so I'm leaning towards an upvote here.
Roses Are Red prompt: I guess I could make it work, I just have no nostalgic connection to that nursery rhyme whatsoever (being from a non-English-speaking country), so it's just an ordinary scavenger hunt prompt for me.

Not sure yet what to do about the others. The series prompts are easy enough, I read loads of series, so it's more of a wild card for me, easy to fill if it gets in. I may not vote on these at all.

[Bea]

Can someone comment on the Truth or Dare prompt? I am not sure what it would be.

[Kelly Sj]

Bea wrote: "Can someone comment on the Truth or Dare prompt? I am not sure what it would be."

I think there are several ways to interpret, here are a few ideas:

Truth - a character is lying or hiding a secret, journalism/media, true crime, novel based on a true story, 'truth' in the title

Dare - a book that intimidates you in some way, a character does something daring or courageous, about a person who challenges social norms, 'dare' in the title

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Voting is open!

https://forms.gle/TJrSdrmdGL2GYhoU6

[Velvet]

Bea wrote: "Can someone comment on the Truth or Dare prompt? I am not sure what it would be."

I'm not a huge fan of that prompt, but I'll try to throw out some ideas for its interpretation.

Truth:
A book with Truth in the title
A book in which a revealed truth/secret moves the plot forward
A book in which a character is wrestling with an uncomfortable truth or a truth they want to keep hidden
A book where a character can ONLY tell the truth
A book about the search for truth
A book where the characters have to play a game that requires honesty (Truth or Dare, Never Have I Ever, 3 truths and a lie, etc)
A book related to Sojourner Truth, an American abolitionist and activist for African-American civil rights, women's rights, and alcohol temperance.

Dare:
A book with Dare in the title
A book where a dare or daring/unapproved action is a major part of the plot
A book about a character daring to do things they've never done before
A book whose story was inspired by or includes an internet or Tiktok dare
A book related to Virginia Dare, the first English child born in a New World English colony (the Roanoke colony that disappeared)

Does that help?

[Bea]

Thanks y'all.

[Nadine in NY]

I am so excited for the Roses are Red prompt, I think it's one of the most FUN ideas we have had so far!!! And it can be modified for each reader, easy and broad or challenging and specific.

[Jette]

My only 2 upvotes were the two series prompts...either of those would be fine with me. I used the rest of my votes for those that I would not like to get in:

DOWNVOTES
3. A work of fiction and nonfiction that are related (If it gets in I will probably read books related to Oppenheimer - American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer and Hiroshima
9. A book involving Lost family and a book involving Found family - seems we've done this one before and it comes up frequently as a singular prompt.
11. Three books related to music (Specifically: A book with a musical instrument on the cover, A book with a music genre in the title, and A book with a music theme) - still smarting from the 'related to the arts' prompt this year - I chose poorly and this is completely on me.
12. Four books where each cover is related to a different season (fall, winter, spring, summer) - too many weeks for my taste
13. Two books by authors with names the rhyme -
15. A classic and its retelling- same reason as #9 - prompt fatigue


NEUTRALS-I really hope numbers 1 or 2 make it in.
1. Three books related to the lines in a Roses Are Red poem
2. Three books whose titles create a sentence or short poem
4. Two books with similar covers
5. One book for each of the three forms of water - solid, liquid, gas
6. A book with "life" in the title, and a book with "death" in the title
10. Two books related to "truth or dare"
14. Three books where each one is related to land, sea, or air

[°~Amy~°]

I honestly can't see anything on this list that I would be upset to have on the final challenge. Even 5 weeks of series reads* wouldn't be horrible, just because I am a big series reader. Maybe MUSIC could be a little more open but I can still make it work. Looks like 8 up votes for me.

*Also pretty sure the mods won't let us vote in 5 weeks of series so that takes some pressure off 😊

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Now that we have 50ish votes in, I can say that it doesn't look like we will have 5 weeks of series reads lol the votes are all over the place, but it doesn't seem to be swinging that way.

[Alicia]

How many votes do we usually get each round?

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

The past two rounds, we have gotten over 200. Things can definitely change! But it's not looking like *both* prompts will make it in.

[Alicia]

Totally get it, I wasn't really worried. Just curious about how many voting members we have. Shows how small the number of people that post compared to how many vote

[NancyJ]

Jette wrote: "My only 2 upvotes were the two series prompts...either of those would be fine with me. I used the rest of my votes for those that I would not like to get in:

DOWNVOTES
3. A work of fiction and no..."

Great suggestion for fiction+ nonfiction pair. EVERY time the ad for the movie about him comes on TV, my husband says we should go go see it. This is the first new movie in years to catch his attention.

[KP]

Velvet wrote: "Bea wrote: "Can someone comment on the Truth or Dare prompt? I am not sure what it would be."

I'm not a huge fan of that prompt, but I'll try to throw out some ideas for its interpretation.

Truth..."

I wasn't a huge fan of the game but I like the prompt. I like daring plots, and true is a popular title word.
I also like Land, Sea and Air, Life and Death, Lost and Found, Fiction Nonfiction Pair, and Classic pairing.

If I downvote anything it might be the 3 series books and title poems. I don't like to be locked in.

[Sherri]

This year I wanted to read The Invention of Wings for a different challenge. I wanted the nonfiction version before reading the fiction story of the Grimke sisters. I read The Grimkes: The Legacy of Slavery in an American Family. It was very good. These books will work for 3. 2 Weeks: A work of fiction and nonfiction that are related if it gets in.

[Siobhan]

Another great week! Really loving the creativity of the prompts this year. :D

Upvotes:

1. 3 Weeks: Three books related to the lines in a Roses Are Red poem - Browsing through the wild ideas thread I found myself really loving this one. A lot of space to either go really simple or really complex.

2. 3 Weeks: Three books whose titles create a sentence or short poem - This is just fun! It might be a little complicated to figure out, but I think I'd really enjoy the thought process.

3. 2 Weeks: A work of fiction and nonfiction that are related - I think this was also suggested last year, and as I recall I was disappointed it didn't get in then! A nice excuse to read some non-fiction, and you could go in a few different ways for this one.

5. 3 Weeks: One book for each of the three forms of water - solid, liquid, gas - It's another one that's just fun! And I think I'd have an interesting time figuring out what books to match to each prompt.

6. 2 Weeks: A book with "life" in the title, and a book with "death" in the title - This would be quite fun to fill, I think! I definitely have a few easy ideas on my tbr for this one.

9. 2 Weeks: A book involving Lost family and a book involving Found family - I just like the idea of this! And can already think of a few ways I could fill it.

Downvotes:

13. 2 Weeks: Two books by authors with names the rhyme
15. 2 Weeks: A classic and its retelling

[Karin]

I upvoted for two of these and cast at least 2 downvotes.

[Rachel]

I just voted but I'm away currently and only have access to my phone and tablet neither of which seem to allow me to find my Goodreads url. I've put it in as Goodreads.com/abyssallibrarian since I'm pretty sure that's what it is. hope that works

[Martha]

I'm feeling "meh" about reading right now so I'm afraid this attitude was reflected in my voting, which is unfortunate because usually the multi-week prompts are favorites of mine. Ultimately I'll accept anything that makes it in but I went 4/4 with up votes reflecting books I know I'd be reading, down votes reflecting my mind block with more creative prompts.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

all good, Rachel.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Quick Mod Note: We will *not* be presenting bottom prompts in the results this week. Because no prompts can be resubmitted (since there are no more multiweek polls), we are opting to only include top, polarizing, and close calls in this week's results.

[Rachel]

Thanks for confirming my vote submitted successfully Emily! It's a pain not having computer access, lol

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

We were without internet access after a lightning storm on Monday.. I ended up having to use a hotspot from my phone to my laptop to run the suggestions for this poll! So I feel your pain!

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

Possibly a close call could be resubmitted as a one-week prompt, such as a book related to music or a nonfiction book.

[Conny]

I did end up with six upvotes. Very curious to see the results!

Upvotes:
Roses are Red
Spine poem
Related fiction and nonfiction
Three forms of water
Two from a series
Land, sea, and air

Downvotes (both due to prompt fatigue):
Lost and found family
Classic and retelling

[NancyJ]

Emily wrote: "We were without internet access after a lightning storm on Monday.. I ended up having to use a hotspot from my phone to my laptop to run the suggestions for this poll! So I feel your pain!"

Wow, Emily that was smart. My internet cuts out a lot for short periods of time, but I never tried to set up a hotspot. Does it require a router or any other equipment? (My router might be the problem).

Oh wait, you have a job, a baby, and this group. That’s like three jobs and here I am asking you a tech support question that has no urgency. Sorry! Never mind, ignore the question. You’re super woman and you might have more pressing issues today.

And thanks for not presenting bottom votes, I hope two of these will become 1 week suggestions.

[Aimee]

NancyJ wrote: "Emily wrote: "We were without internet access after a lightning storm on Monday.. I ended up having to use a hotspot from my phone to my laptop to run the suggestions for this poll! So I feel your ..."

Nancy, most smartphones can be used as a hotspot - essentially, you use the phone's data connection to connect another device to the internet, so you should only do it if you have a good data plan on your phone otherwise you will end up being charged a lot.
On my phone, I just pull down the top of the screen and scroll across until it says "hotspot" but different operating systems will vary. Maybe do a google search for your phone's model plus the word hotpot and see if you can find instructions?

[NancyJ]

Siobhan wrote: "Another great week! Really loving the creativity of the prompts this year. :D

Upvotes:
.."

Unless I’m forgetting something we might have twin ballots! Though I also like the land sea air, for a mountain book.

I was really disappointed last year too that the fiction-nonfiction pair didn’t get it. I found some really excellent ( non-celebrity) memoirs this year that read like fiction. They’d pair beautifully with a novel involving the same topic.

[Conny]

NancyJ wrote: "I was really disappointed last year too that the fiction-nonfiction pair didn’t get it. I found some really excellent ( non-celebrity) memoirs this year that read like fiction. They’d pair beautifully with a novel involving the same topic. "

I'm not a nonfiction reader at all, but I do have Andrew Lloyd Webber's autobiography Unmasked: A Memoir lying around unread, and it would be a match made in heaven to pair it with musical star Michael Ball's debut novel The Empire :)

[Pearl]

NancyJ wrote: "Jette wrote: "My only 2 upvotes were the two series prompts...either of those would be fine with me. I used the rest of my votes for those that I would not like to get in:

DOWNVOTES
3. A work of ..."

My book club is talking about going to the Oppenheimer movie together.

[Edie]

While I loved this year's multi-prompt, I generally dislike being forced to spend multiple weeks on a prompt. This list of prompts falls into dislike category, so I ended up with 2 upvotes (2 weeks from a series, and "life" and "death" in the title) and 6 downvotes.

Sorry, multi-week prompt lovers.

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Aimee wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Emily wrote: "We were without internet access after a lightning storm on Monday.. I ended up having to use a hotspot from my phone to my laptop to run the suggestions for this poll! ..."

Yep this is what I did! I used my phone as a hotspot. On iPhones, it's in your settings where you can turn it on, then you go on your laptop and select the hotspot as the wifi option.

[Pamela, Arciform Mod]

Sherri wrote: "This year I wanted to read The Invention of Wings for a different challenge. I wanted the nonfiction version before reading the fiction story of the Grimke sisters. I read [book:The..."

That's funny- I have them both on my plan for interracial relationship week this year depending on which one I feel like, but maybe I should save them for next year.

[Pamela, Arciform Mod]

Edie wrote: "While I loved this year's multi-prompt, I generally dislike being forced to spend multiple weeks on a prompt. This list of prompts falls into dislike category, so I ended up with 2 upvotes (2 weeks..."

I'm with you- I hate multiple multiweeks! I'm also feeling grumpy so did 2 up and 6 down.

I do hope some of these come back as single weeks like the music, retelling, and non-fiction related to something you read (although I voted for that one as I would prefer to have the connected books be close). Could similar cover come back as "a book with a similar cover to something you are reading this year"?

[Rachel]

Ironically enough, I'm usually not so interested in the multiweeks that get suggested, but there is inevitably one or two prompts that got in as single weeks (ie. Spice Girls this year) that I end up wanting to treat as multiweek.

One of the things I always struggle with when it comes to multiweeks is I find I always put off reading them. I'm a mood reader but I also like to read the books for multiweeks back to back, so it's hard to guarantee I'll be in the mood for all of the books needed to cover the prompt.

[Jette]

Pearl wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Jette wrote: "My only 2 upvotes were the two series prompts...either of those would be fine with me. I used the rest of my votes for those that I would not like to get in:

DOWNVOTE..."

I purchased my ticket this morning. I've been looking so forward to it. I love Cillian Murphey (even though I can never remember how to pronounce his name - which is why I downvoted author names that rhyme) I'm going by myself to be able to soak the movie in. If it is as good as I hope, I may see if I can work American Prometheus into either this year's or next year's challenge.

[Pamela, Arciform Mod]

Rachel wrote: "Ironically enough, I'm usually not so interested in the multiweeks that get suggested, but there is inevitably one or two prompts that got in as single weeks (ie. Spice Girls this year) that I end ..."

That's why I really like the "read a second book for another prompt" prompt.

[Tracy]

I upvoted 5, downvoted 3.

There's nothing wrong with the three I downvoted, they just weren't things I thought I could complete with how I do, or want to, read.

Likewise, there is nothing inherently better about the five that I upvoted, they are just more likely to be able to be filled by my current TBR, which I am trying hard not to increase just to fill a prompt this year.

My one set of strategic votes was regarding the two "series" prompts. I downvoted #8 - 3 in a series because I'm not a big series reader and I don't want to read that many in a series in a single year. I upvoted #7 - 2 books that are part of a series, 1) because there would be fewer books to commit to, and 2) the wording to me seems to allow you to read books from different series more than the wording on the other series prompt.

[Edie]

Rachel wrote: "Ironically enough, I'm usually not so interested in the multiweeks that get suggested, but there is inevitably one or two prompts that got in as single weeks (ie. Spice Girls this year) that I end ..."

I love how different we all are. I have struggled with the Spice Girls prompt and am so thankful I only have to find one book to read for it.

[Edie]

Pamela wrote: "Rachel wrote: "Ironically enough, I'm usually not so interested in the multiweeks that get suggested, but there is inevitably one or two prompts that got in as single weeks (ie. Spice Girls this ye..."

I love the "read a second book" prompt too!

[Alicia]

I may be in the minority but a second book of a favorite prompt is one of mine that I would prefer to never see again. I feel like there are so many good prompts that we could put in that spot instead of doubling up on one prompt.

[Marie]

Alicia wrote: "I may be in the minority but a second book of a favorite prompt is one of mine that I would prefer to never see again. I feel like there are so many good prompts that we could put in that spot inst..."

I used A book that fits a suggestion that didn’t make the list this year for it, so I got to do a totally different prompt instead of a repeat :)

[Deborah]

Marie wrote: "Alicia wrote: "I may be in the minority but a second book of a favorite prompt is one of mine that I would prefer to never see again. I feel like there are so many good prompts that we could put in...
I used A book that fits a suggestion that didn’t make the list this year for it, so I got to do a totally different prompt instead of a repeat :)"

That's a really good idea. I didn't think of that. But I did have 2 such great unusual titles that I had a hard time deciding between them, then I got to use both.

[Bec]

We haven’t got a book from the list of suggestions that didn’t make it yet this year do we? We should include that in the voting again sometime. Do we usually go later when there are more prompts that haven’t made the list?

[Kat]

Suggestions that didn't make it was voted in poll 9 past year. I think by that point most people have a prompt they really wanted to make it in that didn't.