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[2024] Poll 16 Voting
Literary Fiction was a close call a couple months ago, and I hope it makes it this time. I was on a roll with great books in September. These all have plenty of literary fiction tags. They are warm and wonderful, and have stronger plot lines than you might expect in literary fiction. I highly recommend them for anyone. Tom Lake is also perfect for that last summer book. They would be good for book clubs too.
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
NancyJ wrote: "How to avoid KNEE JERK REACTIONS?Does anyone have a trick for avoiding automatic reactions when you see a prompt that you've seen before? I'm realizing that if I liked (or didn't like) a prompt the first time I saw it (last year or this summer), I automatically want to vote the same way now."
If I dislike the way a prompt is worded I’ll go with that reaction and downvote it. For example, I’m still mad about a prompt on the 2023 list - A title that contains a word often found in a recipe. I know the spirit of the prompt is a cooking or food related word but that is NOT what it says so words like “all,” “again,” and “after” all count. That prompt absolutely should have been edited.
If it’s a reaction to a prompt previously suggested this year, I don’t avoid it. My opinion of the prompt and the choices I have on my TBR List have not changed.
If the reaction is based on a prompt suggested in a previous year, I’ll revisit my TBR List and see if maybe this time I can find a book that fits.
In general, my votes are not influenced by discussion, suggestions, or listopias. I’m not adding a book to my TBR List just to fill a prompt.
I’m just hoping for a good number of winners. Not sure how many more of these I can take
I normally vote entirely on gut reaction and vibes and like to do it as soon as possible. This means it can change throughout the process. A prompt that I didn't like in week 3 can become an upvote later in the process when it's been talked about more or there is a clearer idea of what the list is lacking. I also try to remind myself that I will feel completely differently in several months when I actually need to read a book for the prompt. Some of my favourite prompts end up being something I wasn't looking forward to. My suggestion that made the list this year (school subject in the title) ended up being really hard for me to fill and I hated the book I read.
Thomas wrote: "I’m just hoping for a good number of winners. Not sure how many more of these I can take"This is supposed to be a fun process, not punishment/torture LOL!
I would be so happy if someone will describe to me what the expression "knee jerk reaction" means. Thank you 🙂
Shannon SA wrote: "Thomas wrote: "I’m just hoping for a good number of winners. Not sure how many more of these I can take"This is supposed to be a fun process, not punishment/torture LOL!"
Yeah but every week the anticipation kills me
Nike wrote: "I would be so happy if someone will describe to me what the expression "knee jerk reaction" means. Thank you 🙂"LOL!!
have you ever gone to the doctor and they tap your lower knee to make your foot jerk out? It's to test your nervous system. It's an automatic reaction, involuntary, happens without you thinking about it (out of your control really)
So a "knee jerk reaction" is your immediate reaction to something, made without thinking about it. Another synonymous idiom is "gut feel" or "go with your gut."
Nike wrote: "I would be so happy if someone will describe to me what the expression "knee jerk reaction" means. Thank you 🙂"A knee jerk reaction is a decision that you make rapidly and by instinct rather than with thoughtful consideration.
Like when the doctor checks your reactions by tapping your knee with a little hammer - your leg kicks immediately and you can't help it!
Nike wrote: "I would be so happy if someone will describe to me what the expression "knee jerk reaction" means. Thank you 🙂"Hello Nike, it means coming to a decision automatically and without giving it much (or any thought). So reacting to e.g. the suggestion 'a book relating to rodents' with an immediate 'I hate rodents. Downvote'. It refers to the medical reflex test where if your knee is tapped, your leg should move upwards.
Mods, I'm so sorry to have to ask this, but I usually put the day I vote or plan to vote in my planner and I didn't. Could you tell me if I have voted yet or not?
Nadine in NY wrote: "Nike wrote: "I would be so happy if someone will describe to me what the expression "knee jerk reaction" means. Thank you 🙂"LOL!!
have you ever gone to the doctor and they tap your lower knee..."
Yes, of course I 've had that test done to me but I'm not familiar with all idioms in English since it's not my language. Thank you for informing me.
Verity wrote: "Nike wrote: "I would be so happy if someone will describe to me what the expression "knee jerk reaction" means. Thank you 🙂"A knee jerk reaction is a decision that you make rapidly and by instinc..."
Thank you 🙏
Mod
You did not vote!
Emily wrote: "You did not vote!"Thank you so much, Emily.
Thank for your thoughts @NancyJ, Dalex, Alicia, and Thomas! Yeah, I think my point was that "marginalized" isn't a generic term like "attacked" or "insulted" where it can be a temporary action or characteristic; it's more akin to "minority" in that members of marginalized groups in society are always marginalized regardless of how happy their life is or if someone is actively making them feel marginalized. I would argue that people of color are never NOT thinking about or being influenced by their marginalized position in society.
I would support the marginalized prompt if it were reworded and also revised so that it needs to be a major character. There are tons of racist/sexist/homophobic/etc books that mention a marginalized person in passing and I don't think that type of book is that the OP likely intended.
Irene - if the marginalized prompt gets in the way it is worded I would be filling it using the/a main character. To me that’s what just makes sense.
I agree with Tracy. If the marginalized prompt gets in, I will be using it for a main character. I was thinking of focusing on mental health or disability. I know that disability is not the correct term, I am just unable to think of the other one at this time. :(
Irene wrote: "Thank for your thoughts @NancyJ and Dalex and Thomas! Yeah, I think my point was that "marginalized" isn't a generic term like "attacked" or "insulted" where it can be a temporary action or chara..."
What rewording would you favour? Just we have maximum four polls after this one and could have as few as 1
Nike wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Nike wrote: "I would be so happy if someone will describe to me what the expression "knee jerk reaction" means. Thank you 🙂"LOL!!
have you ever gone to the doctor and the..."
oh I wasn't laughing at you, I was laughing because it's a funny phrase especially if you've never heard it before.
Irene wrote: "Thank for your thoughts @NancyJ and Dalex and Thomas! Yeah, I think my point was that "marginalized" isn't a generic term like "attacked" or "insulted" where it can be a temporary action or chara..."
I guess my thinking is that the reader only knows the character is marginalized because that is the emphasis of the story. Recognizing marginalization is based on the reader’s knowledge and experience. For example, some people are not well educated on queer history and may not realize that queer people are considered marginalized. Unless a book emphasizes this fact they could very well not recognize it.
You have good points, Irene, and I appreciate that you’re being non-confrontational about the topic.
dalex wrote: "Irene wrote: "Thank for your thoughts @NancyJ and Dalex and Thomas! Yeah, I think my point was that "marginalized" isn't a generic term like "attacked" or "insulted" where it can be a temporary a..."
It’s reminds me of the odd a few years about book by an Asian and it was pointed out not all Asian authors are minorities if the book was by a Japanese living in Japan for example. Which is why this year we had Asian diaspora
dalex wrote: "I guess my thinking is that the reader only knows the character is marginalized because that is the emphasis of the story. Recognizing marginalization is based on the reader’s knowledge and experience...."You bring up a great point. To me, the current wording is just "read a book" because I can't think of any books that don't have a character that is a minority, poor, a woman, etc but you're definitely right that some people won't be familiar with the term "marginalized". Like Thomas, I'm also reminded of the Asian diaspora discussion since some people didn't realize that Asian authors in Asia aren't minorities that experience discrimination.
After this discussion and hearing people saying that they would use a main/major character for this prompt, I feel a lot better about it. But if it doesn't make it in, I would love to see it resuggested, perhaps with this wording to make it more obvious that "marginalized" refers to someone's identity rather than a singular experience: a book with a protagonist with a marginalized identity.
Thanks for the thoughtful discussion everyone!
If it doesn’t get in, I’d actually prefer a narrower version of the marginalized prompt. Perhaps something like a book that highlights a character’s marginalization or where marginalization is central to the story. All that wording is clunky, but I’d definitely vote for that.
Alicia wrote: "If it doesn’t get in, I’d actually prefer a narrower version of the marginalized prompt. Perhaps something like a book that highlights a character’s marginalization or where marginalization is cent..."Maybe "a book about a marginalized identity"? If it doesn't make it too narrow?
Nadine in NY wrote: "Nike wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Nike wrote: "I would be so happy if someone will describe to me what the expression "knee jerk reaction" means. Thank you 🙂"LOL!!
have you ever gone to the d..."
❤️
Gosh final day of voting I wonder if it’s as close as last week
Irene wrote: "Alicia wrote: "If it doesn’t get in, I’d actually prefer a narrower version of the marginalized prompt. Perhaps something like a book that highlights a character’s marginalization or where marginal..."I really like that! I feel like in 90-95% of the books I read during the year has a woman, minority and/or LGBTQ and that doesn't include other marginalizations like disabilities, immigration status, etc. So even main character would be read a book.
I know I can adapt the prompt to fit something more narrow, but for some reason my mind just doesn't process it as fitting as it's written.
This is disheartening I was banking on this one getting in.
Why disheartening? It still has a good chance of getting in.
Alicia wrote: "Why disheartening? It still has a good chance of getting in."They always say the one that gets discussed doesn’t get in although the Australia one proved exceptions can exist
Just about remembered to get my votes in!An interesting list that I ended up having a lot of strong opinions about. A few prompts that I’m really excited for, a few prompts that made me go “oh no.” 3 upvotes, 5 downvotes.
Upvotes:
3. A book with an X connection - I know it hasn’t got in yet, but I would like an X prompt in there! And this is quite broad and fun.
7. A book with a character who is marginalized - I read a lot of books with marginalized characters, and so this’d be a very fun one for me.
12. A book featuring a person who works in one the jobs that Barbie has had - I found this one so fun the first time it was suggested, and I’m really glad to see it again. There are a lot of really great options here!
Downvotes:
1. A book by a female or non-binary author which won an award that's also open to male authors
4. A book featuring a character in education
10. A book shelved as literary fiction
11. A book set in a group living situation
13. A book involving politics, public service, or publicity at any level
Not the most inspiring list for me. Two upvotes (wings and clock on cover) and six downvotes.
Thomas wrote: "This is disheartening I was banking on this one getting in."How do you think other people feel when they don’t get any of the ones they were banking on?
Katie wrote: "Thomas wrote: "This is disheartening I was banking on this one getting in."How do you think other people feel when they don’t get any of the ones they were banking on?"
Probably also disheartened except when they’re name calling
Mod
Pamela wrote: "How the heck is it not Wednesday??? (I worked Sunday so my week is totally messed up!)"I get this feeling every week how is it still just Tuesday?
Thomas, what I've learned is the discussion has zero bearing on what gets in and what doesn't. A lot of discussion doesn't mean a prompt will or won't get in. And no discussion doesn't mean a prompt will or won't get in. And I don't recall ever seeing name calling but maybe I missed it.
I think this is the latest I've ever voted. I guess I'll see if this makes the wait for results easier.In the end I upvoted 8, and 2 of those were originally on my 'downvote' or 'maybe downvote' list!
I actually like/would be fine with anything on this list. For the toss ups I just chose the ones that were either most interesting, or more likely to get me to read something new that I'm sure I'd like.
Tracy wrote: "I think this is the latest I've ever voted. I guess I'll see if this makes the wait for results easier.In the end I upvoted 8, and 2 of those were originally on my 'downvote' or 'maybe downvote' ..."
Nothing I don’t want either although I would like to see more get in
Mod
Also kind of funny how we always get rather tired of it by the end. Reminds me of the strawberry picking scene in Emma - A very modern style of "indirect discourse" summarizing what people in the group are saying:
"The best fruit in England--every body's favourite--always wholesome.--These the finest beds and finest sorts.--Delightful to gather for one's self--the only way of really enjoying them.--Morning decidedly the best time--never tired--every sort good--hautboy infinitely superior--no comparison--the others hardly eatable--hautboys very scarce--Chili preferred--white wood finest flavour of all--price of strawberries in London--abundance about Bristol--Maple Grove--cultivation--beds when to be renewed--gardeners thinking exactly different--no general rule--gardeners never to be put out of their way--delicious fruit--only too rich to be eaten much of--inferior to cherries--currants more refreshing--only objection to gathering strawberries the stooping--glaring sun--tired to death--could bear it no longer--must go and sit in the shade."
For anyone who will be missing all the chat, please join in on the Weekly Question thread (or of course any of our other ongoing threads.)
Robin P wrote: "It's amusing how excited we get for starting this process every year and for the voting and results each week. We would never be able to explain it to most people in our lives. I have several other..."Very true Robin but we still have at least one more to go unless we have an unprecedented number of winners this week
Mod
Yes, we aren't done yet.
I've always thought it would be interesting if we started the process earlier in the year and once we hit halfway (26 prompts) we take a break for a few months and then do the final half.
I think that’s an interesting idea Dalex. Then we would have two rounds to look forward to!But I wonder if we do it this way because of Emily’s teaching schedule? Or maybe the start in June is just a coincidence.
Tracy wrote: "I think that’s an interesting idea Dalex. Then we would have two rounds to look forward to!But I wonder if we do it this way because of Emily’s teaching schedule? Or maybe the start in June is ju..."
Voting has always started in the summer even when previous mods ran the group.
Jillian wrote: "Tracy wrote: "I think that’s an interesting idea Dalex. Then we would have two rounds to look forward to!But I wonder if we do it this way because of Emily’s teaching schedule? Or maybe the start..."
Sorry it hasn’t always been Emily?
Mod
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
The Velveteen Rabbit (other topics)Gone Girl (other topics)
Pride and Prejudice (other topics)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (other topics)
Emma (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Eowyn Ivey (other topics)Elliot Page (other topics)
Elliot Page (other topics)
I’m like that most of the time, but once in a while my curiosity goes into overdrive for a little while and I need to read something that excites me in a new way.
I’m in a challenge this year where I had to make a list, and read whichever book is randomly selected. I put some nonfiction books on the list, thinking maybe one will get picked, but three in a row were picked in January. I don’t regret it though. One turned out to be game changer for my health. I usually pick out a narrative nonfiction book for car trips with my husband, since they seem to work for both of us.