Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
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[2024] Poll 11 Voting
Thomas wrote: "Bea wrote: "Thoughts:1. A book that’s a collection of short stories or essays.
Not my favorite genre. Neutral for me since I do have some collections on my home shelves I could read.
2. A book w..."
That's correct. There weren't any prompts that I just could not live with or were too tired of or could not figure out a way to fulfill it. So all upvotes or neutral.
For a non-murder crime, my first thoughts are kidnapping, burglary, fraud/cons, and white collar crime. Two terrific true crime books (probably the only 2 I've ever read) are American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road and American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes and Trial of Patty Hearst. The book I would probably read for this prompt is either News of a Kidnapping or The Orchid Thief.
I just realized that I read the graphic novel prompt wrong. It says a female main writer and female main ARTIST. Does artist mean the illustrator? I thought it said the main character. That would be a no for me if it is both the writer and the illustrator. I would vote, in the future, for just a graphic novel/comic/manga with no qualifiers.
If anyone wants to read non-fiction, there are plenty of books about crimes that are not murder:Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures
Catch Me If You Can: The True Story of a Real Fake
Ballad of the Whiskey Robber: A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives, and Broken Hearts
The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century
Conspiracy of Fools
Charlatan: America's Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man Who Pursued Him, and the Age of Flimflam
Fiction:
Where You Once Belonged
The Whiskey Sea
I know there are a bunch - these are just off the top of my head.
Great set of options. All upvotes for me and I could have used another couple votes as well. Short stories/essays is always an upvote for me... how can you not read some essays every year. And then there were votes that will push me out of my comfort zone a bit... graphic novel with author and artist a woman, author from a country that touches the Indian Ocean, 5 books (which I hadn't heard of) Yep, a great list. One of these days I will actually be online when a list is put together.
Mod
Thomas wrote: "Also does singer count as musician?"As a singer myself, I say ABSOLUTELY!
Graphic novel is a downvote for me, I have tried to read them and just haven't found a way that makes sense to me. For non-murder crime I would probably do a non-fiction book on a white collar crime, fiction would be too hard I think.
Nadine in NY wrote: "Conny wrote: "11. A book involving a crime other than a murderProbably not as easy as it may seem ... what about detective novels where the central crime is not a murder but people still get murde..."
I agree. The idea here is that the main crime is not a murder. For example, a book about the Lindbergh kidnapping. While the child was killed, the kidnapping is the main crime.
Remember, this is your challenge. There are no "rules" when it comes to the prompts. Don't overthink...just have fun with it.
Robin wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Conny wrote: "11. A book involving a crime other than a murderProbably not as easy as it may seem ... what about detective novels where the central crime is not a murder but p..."
Although for legal reasons no kidnapping was deemed to have taken place, bit of trivia
I really appreciate the chat, I was kind of put off by Five books tagline "The best books on everything" (I tend to feel instantly contrary to anything claims to be the best) and I was busy so just stopped looking at the site. I figured it would be a neutral but because of the enthusiasm here, I took another look and they really do have a great selection and it is now a up vote. Just when I think I know how I am going to vote and I read the chat and start reconsidering. Glad that I have several days left to make my choices.
Joy D wrote: "If anyone wants to read non-fiction, there are plenty of books about crimes that are not murder:Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures
Catch M..."</i>
Last year I read [book:A Gathering of Saints: A True Story of Money, Murder and Deceit, which was fascinating and would fit this prompt. Yes there is a murder, but the crime that occurred wasn't about killing.
Pam wrote: "I just realized that I read the graphic novel prompt wrong. It says a female main writer and female main ARTIST. Does artist mean the illustrator? I thought it said the main character. That would b..."Yes, it's a female writer AND female illustrator. That's challenging but not impossible.
Not to worry though, graphic novels never win in this group! The closest we ever got was "a book with illustrations" in 2017. It won't make it in.
Nadine in NY wrote: "Pam wrote: "I just realized that I read the graphic novel prompt wrong. It says a female main writer and female main ARTIST. Does artist mean the illustrator? I thought it said the main character. ..."I’m sensing you’ve just uttered the new “ Dewey Defeats Truman”
Mod
Thomas wrote: "I’m sensing you’ve just uttered the new “ Dewey Defeats Truman”..."hahaha that would be great!! (but I doubt it.)
there are quite a few manga-ka that are women. Hiromu Arakawa -- fullmetal alchemist
Clamp -- Cardcaptor Sakura, Tsubasa, XXXholic
Rumiko Takahashi -- Inuyasha, Mao, Ranma 1/2
Naoko Takeuchi -- Sailor Moon
Kazue Kato -- Blue Exorcist
Natsuki Takaya -- Fruits Basket
Bisco Hatori -- Ouran High School Host Club
Arina Tanemura -- Idol Dreams, Phantom Thief Jeanne
Yoshitoki Oima -- A Silent Voice, To Your Eternity
Katsura Hoshino -- D.Gray Man
Yana Toboso -- Black Butler
I voted for a few of the character prompts and am hoping at least one makes it. I've been out of step with the voting for the last few weeks so hoping that changes. I especially like the senior citizen character. I seem to have a lot of books about older women solving crime. I also have a few series with real people in that I haven't got around to starting yet. I also voted for the Five Books list. I generally don't like list prompts so this seems like the best option to get one on the list that should be easy to complete.
Mandy wrote: "there are quite a few manga-ka that are women. Hiromu Arakawa -- fullmetal alchemist
Clamp -- Cardcaptor Sakura, Tsubasa, XXXholic
Rumiko Takahashi -- Inuyasha, Mao, Ranma 1/2
Naoko Takeuchi -- S..."
Seconding Mandy's list - Japanese manga in general has a ton of female artists or teams and it's actually a much easier prompt once you include them in your pile. Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 1 is actually one of the best stories I've ever read and it's always on my list when I recommend giving that genre a try.
But if Japanese manga isn't your jam (and that's fair!) there's also some great graphic novels - Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood for example is heavy-hitting and beautiful. Pretty much anything by Alison Bechdel or Kate Beaton is great. Books like The Prince and the Dressmaker, Adulthood Is a Myth, Bitch Planet, Vol. 1: Extraordinary Machine, and Anya's Ghost are all good. I've never read Lumberjanes, but I really enjoyed Nimona.
Also Moomin: The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip, Vol. 01 would count for this, which I love and always recommend to people who love cozy stories.
G. Willow Wilson does the new Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal and Tee Franklin has done a fun Harley Quinn: The Animated Series - The Real Sidekicks of New Gotham Special for anyone interested in trying more traditional American comics.
I agree that it's a harder category but there actually is a wide range of books within it that apply!
Ok, I can now see myself voting for Graphic Novel Written and Illustrated by Women. I just remembered Heartstopper (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...) which was written AND illustrated by Alice Oseman.I looked into El Deafo (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...), which was written by a woman (Cece Bell), but unfortunately illustrated by a man.
4 up and 4 down for me. I down voted the Five Books as it is an associate of Amazon and may well be recommending books Amazon is pushing.
Jill wrote: "4 up and 4 down for me. I down voted the Five Books as it is an associate of Amazon and may well be recommending books Amazon is pushing."Ugg, that is disappointing to hear about the Five Books.
Thomas wrote: "Robin wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Conny wrote: "11. A book involving a crime other than a murderProbably not as easy as it may seem ... what about detective novels where the central crime is not ..."
I didn't know that! Thanks for the info.
Another non-murder crime is Bootlegging, although there were plenty of murders related to it.
Bank and train robberies (The Great Train Robbery), jewel theft, forgery, the "big con" (The Sting)
I've recommended this one before, but it is so good I'm doing it again:
Empire of Deception: The Incredible Story of a Master Swindler Who Seduced a City and Captivated the Nation by Dean Jobb
Kristina wrote: "Mandy wrote: "there are quite a few manga-ka that are women. Hiromu Arakawa -- fullmetal alchemist
Clamp -- Cardcaptor Sakura, Tsubasa, XXXholic
Rumiko Takahashi -- Inuyasha, Mao, Ranma 1/2
Naoko..."
Thank you, Kristina.
I need to leave this discussion it’s increasingly clear the one I’m dreading is going to make it
Jill - I don’t think the Five Books site is pushing books that Amazon sells. Per their website, “the format is: an expert, a topic and the five best books on that topic, explained in an interview.” All of the interviews I’ve read have an author in that field as the expert. For example, one topic is Science Fiction Classics recommended by Adam Roberts, a British SF author. It’s just his opinion, nothing to do w Amazon. The experts are not Amazon employees.
Reaaalllly hoping the character who is a musician or works in an eating establishment gets through. They seem fun! I feel like they can span genres but would especially be great whenever I'm in the mood for a romcom.
I usually read 1 or 2 GN a year, but most of them have been by men. A couple I can think of that would fit the prompt:This One Summer
Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened
Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me
Unterzakhn
The Whiskey Rebels was a great work of fiction that didn't involve murder (it also has some cameos by some real people including a guy that's gotten some press in the last few years- Alexander Hamilton ;). I think the author's other books tend to be about fraud and paper crimes, but this is the only one I've gotten around to reading. Also, a lot of books about slavery and civil rights involved breaking laws- unjust laws, but laws of the land at the time. Runaway Slave Act, Segregation, etc.
Along those lines, a book about Prohibition would also be about criminals.
Thomas - Rest assured there is nothing you can conclude from this thread! 😂 it’s a such a small fraction of the voting group that is on here commenting.
Thomas wrote: "I need to leave this discussion it’s increasingly clear the one I’m dreading is going to make it"Remember that we've seen time and again that the prompts most discussed are not the ones that necessarily get voted in...
Pam wrote: "Jill - I don’t think the Five Books site is pushing books that Amazon sells. Per their website, “the format is: an expert, a topic and the five best books on that topic, explained in an interview.”..."Agreed. I've read through dozens of lists since Five Books was brought to my attention and I'm not seeing any kind of bias toward Amazon.
I voted and had both up and down votes.
This is at the bottom of the page;-Five Books participates in the Amazon Associate program and earns money from qualifying purchases.
Jill wrote: "This is at the bottom of the page;-Five Books participates in the Amazon Associate program and earns money from qualifying purchases."
In other words, if you buy a book from Amazon by going through Five Books, Five Books gets a commission. Correct?
I mean we’re also giving Amazon money just by being on Goodreads as much as we are. I think as long as people find books they’d like to read on the list, then it’s find. Five books has go try to make money someway.
For the graphic novel prompt I highly recommend Isabel Greenberg. I think her books are perfect for people who don’t read graphic novels and/or think they don’t like graphic novels. I loved both The Encyclopedia of Early Earth and The One Hundred Nights of Hero. And I have Glasstown on my TBR shelf; it’s about “the Brontë siblings, and the strange and marvelous imaginary worlds they invented during their childhood.”
there are also manga classics.Manga Classics: Great Expectations
Manga Classics: The Count of Monte Cristo
Manga Classics: Romeo and Juliet
Manga Classics: Macbeth
Emma
Manga Classics: Sense and Sensibility
Manga Classics: The Stories of Edgar Allan Poe
Manga Classics: Jane Eyre
Manga Classics: Les Miserables
Manga Classics: The Scarlet Letter
Manga Classics: The Jungle Book
Manga Classics: A Midsummer Night's Dream
Manga Classics: Frankenstein
Manga Classics: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Pride & Prejudice
Manga Classics: Dracula
Graphic novel recommendation I got from a teenager a few weeks ago - author: Raina Telgemeier
books:
Smile
Drama
Sisters
Ghosts
Looks like she has Babysitter's Club ones also.
I'll be voting for it so it can go in my rejects challenge (I only include one's I've voted on) when it likely doesn't make it in!
Alicia wrote: "I mean we’re also giving Amazon money just by being on Goodreads as much as we are. I think as long as people find books they’d like to read on the list, then it’s find. Five books has go try to ..."
Do you pay to be on Goodreads? I don't.
Robin wrote: "dalex wrote: "I assume "A book with a real person as a character" means biographical fiction? Is there some other way to interpret it?..."
Doesn't have to be "biographical fiction". I have read m..."
There is also a vampire book by Charlaine Harris with Elvis as a minor (but amusing) character.
@Jill Amazon own Goodreads. So just being on the site makes them money from the advertising on the homepages. You also don’t pay to go on five books and look at their recommendations.
Alicia wrote: "@Jill Amazon own Goodreads. So just being on the site makes them money from the advertising on the homepages. You also don’t pay to go on five books and look at their recommendations."No. I know you don't have to buy the book through Five Books I just said that they are quite liable to be pushing books that Amazon would like them to sell. I prefer to go on recommendations made from people I know rather than people I don't.
Thomas wrote: "I need to leave this discussion it’s increasingly clear the one I’m dreading is going to make it"Well we know often the result don't reflect the discussion. Don't worry yet (and I'm with you!)
They definitely may be, but I just assume Goodreads algorithms are recommending us more Amazon published books to add to our TBR and buy, even outside of Amazon
I don't take any notice of the recommendations that Goodreads make for me.
Pam wrote: "I just realized that I read the graphic novel prompt wrong. It says a female main writer and female main ARTIST. Does artist mean the illustrator? I thought it said the main character. That would b..."Agree with Pam. Graphic/ comic/manga already seems narrow to me without further qualifiers.
I’m an Amazon plebe then lol. I find most books I want to read next from Goodreads, whether it’s the articles/lists or my friends feeds. I don’t think I have enough reader friends to find books outside of this site.
Thomas wrote: "I need to leave this discussion it’s increasingly clear the one I’m dreading is going to make it"I think, we will be okay. 🤞
Around the Year in 52 Books
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1. A book that’s a collection of short stories or essays
This comes up every year ... a bit of a case of prompt fatigue, tbh, but I would be able to make it work and won't downvote.
2. ..."
Ex-terestial! I looooove it!!