[2024] Poll 16 Voting

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

I came on as a mod in... 2018? 2019? I joined the group in it's second year.

[Thomas]

Emily wrote: "I came on as a mod in... 2018? 2019? I joined the group in it's second year."

And there was me assuming you created this

[Jillian]

dalex wrote: "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, it would be interesting too. I’m always in a bit of a negative prompt mindset during the summer. I seem to always be working on the prompts I don’t like which influences my voting.

[Jette]

Emily wrote: "Yea voting actually used to start on June 1, but the voting period was longer and it would still end October. When we moved it to July 1st start, we shortened the voting period. It used to be a who..."

I like the shorter period between voting and results!

The one thing that drags me down towards the end of the suggestion process is the increasing frequency of negative responses to prompt suggestions. I often read comments that say, 'I would down vote a,,,' as ' I would down vote...' which places the emphasis on one person's preference. Its hard to interpret inflection on a message board, but some of our members, myself included, become discouraged concerning making suggestions when there are 2-3 negative comments in a row.

By this point, I usually want to be involved in the process, but I feel bruised by the Wild Discussion or voting threads. I can understand why so many people that vote do not participate in the conversations. We all read for different reasons and there is no way to get 52 prompts that everyone finds creative, unique, and completely suited to their reading preferences. I wish that we, myself included, could remember that if we can't say something positive, sometimes it can be left unsaid.

[Dixie]

Jette wrote: "Emily wrote: "Yea voting actually used to start on June 1, but the voting period was longer and it would still end October. When we moved it to July 1st start, we shortened the voting period. It us..."

Well said.

[Jillian]

Some of the history of this group from my recollections.

I joined the group in Nov. 2016 (I just looked this up). I think, that was the second list created. There was a Pop Sugar GR group from 2014 or 2015 that decided to create there own challenge which is how this group got started (I was not part of that group). It has been interesting to see how the group has changed over the years. We use to have 20 prompts (I believe initially they didn't have to be seconded but that was before my time). We also could only up vote 4 prompts and down vote 4 prompts (I have gone back to this voting method, but I like that anyone can use their 8 votes any way they want). Then we switched to 15 prompts. There was one year that if you suggested or seconded in one poll you were not eligible to suggest or second in the next poll to allow more people to participate in the suggestions thread (but that was really confusing so I'm glad we don't do that any more). It was not uncommon for it to take over 24 hours to get the 20/15 suggested or seconded prompts in past (now it goes so fast).

I really like how Emily has streamlined the process so we have an idea of when the suggestion, voting, and results thread will take place.

[Thomas]

Jillian wrote: "Some of the history of this group from my recollections.

I joined the group in Nov. 2016 (I just looked this up). I think, that was the second list created. There was a Pop Sugar GR group from 201..."

Here here.

[LeahS]

Interesting history of the group. And yes, the voting process is very well managed.

I found the challenge online - I think 2018 was my first year, and it took me a while to find out that the group existed. So I happily did the prompts without any notion of what had been suggested and voted for!

[Thomas]

LeahS wrote: "Interesting history of the group. And yes, the voting process is very well managed.

I found the challenge online - I think 2018 was my first year, and it took me a while to find out that the group..."

I largely did my first year as I missed the voting

[dalex]

My first year doing the challenge was 2018 and the voting process has undergone a lot of changes!

I read my "completed challenge" post from that year and was surprised how much my preference for types of prompts and reading tastes have changed, too.

Interestingly, that year we had "a book with a warm atmosphere," which is a prompt that has been discussed quite a bit this year as a possible prompt. Also, the seven deadly sins (which I loved that year but now I hate - haha).

And for everyone who talks about prompt fatigue in relation to certain prompts (like the NPR List) the Goodreads Choice Award has been a prompt every single year I have done the challenge, I'm pretty sure.

[Anastasia]

The original group started in 2015 with the Pop Sugar Challenge. Many of us enjoyed the discussion of what books to choose for which prompt we decided to start our own group.
Most of the changes made to the voting process were agreed upon by voting. :)

Yes, I am one of those who have been her since the first. It has been interesting seeing the changes in the group. We have less discussion on what books we chose for each prompt and why. It has become more of a tell than a discussion. I do miss the discussion of why each person made the choice they did. It was always interesting how different people interpret things. It opened up my mind to different ways to view the world.

[LeahS]

I always think it's interesting to see on the spreadsheet what different choices people have made. So yes, that would be a good discussion to have.

[Thomas]

Anastasia wrote: "The original group started in 2015 with the Pop Sugar Challenge. Many of us enjoyed the discussion of what books to choose for which prompt we decided to start our own group.
Most of the changes m..."

I find it very difficult I often go into discussion threads hoping for ideas it’s really difficult that all people say is “ I’m reading this”

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Jillian wrote: "Some of the history of this group from my recollections.

I joined the group in Nov. 2016 (I just looked this up). I think, that was the second list created. There was a Pop Sugar GR group from 201..."

That is a great recap, Jillian. I became a mod after I started the Community Spreadsheet, which I love but I do think has maybe contributed to some of the lessening of discussion. I also think it's just a general movement within the group -- we had seen a fizzling out of people creating and discussing books on the individual book threads, which is why we did away with those in favor of a monthly reading thread... which typically starts strong but then gets canabalized by the Wild Discussion every year. But I do remember when we would have 20 prompts on the list, and then halfway through the voting process, we would go down to 15. I also remember when the mods (before I was one) decided to let votes happen with 8 total instead of 4 up 4 down.

It's been fun to see the evolution, although I've definitely taken a step back in the discussions since I've become mod (mostly because I was very opinionated and I'd rather keep my opinions to myself as a mod lol).

I'm glad the suggestions threads go faster now, even if I get whiplash a bit lol. I'd love to see the discussion from the Wild Discussion move over to our monthly threads when voting ends, but I know that without a centering topic (like deciding on prompts), it's a bit harder to get discussion moving. That's why I like the weekly questions Robin has been posting!

[Thomas]

Emily wrote: "Jillian wrote: "Some of the history of this group from my recollections.

I joined the group in Nov. 2016 (I just looked this up). I think, that was the second list created. There was a Pop Sugar G..."
Thanks for your work Emily. Looking forward to tomorrow

[Nancy]

I found this group in 2019, I've been doing PopSugar since its inception and kept seeing references to ATY in those threads so decided to check it out. I remember it being toward the end of the year and surprised to find that I had already read books that fit the majority of the prompts, I think I had to find books for like 10 more.

In 2020 I think I found the voting process had already started when it was about halfway through. Starting in 2021 I've participated in the entire voting process, and last year and this year I've tracked my votes, which I always find interesting to look back on.

[Ellie]

Nancy wrote: "I found this group in 2019, I've been doing PopSugar since its inception and kept seeing references to ATY in those threads so decided to check it out...."

I remember seeing ATY all the time and I remember thinking you had to do it in order for ages, since people kept talking about their weekly prompts! 2019 was the year I finally cracked and did the challenge too.

[dalex]

For me personally, the way the group is set up doesn't lend itself to discussion outside of the voting process.

To see what people are reading you either go to their individual thread (which is complicated to navigate) or you go to the thread for a particular prompt (which is just a wall of text about what people read).

I much prefer challenge groups that use Facebook. When people post what they read for a prompt, you see it without having to hunt for it. You can react to their post without having to say anything. And people can comment and it's all contained to that one post so it makes sense. Plus, visuals. The lack of visual interest on Goodreads is so archaic and makes me bonkers.

Outside of the voting process, I'm really not involved in this group at all.

[Thomas]

dalex wrote: "For me personally, the way the group is set up doesn't lend itself to discussion outside of the voting process.

To see what people are reading you either go to their individual thread (which is co..."
There is a Facebook group for this challenge

[dalex]

Thomas wrote: "There is a Facebook group for this challenge"

The only one I find has 39 members so it's basically nonexistent. The 52 Book Club has 40K members and Popsugar has 34K.

[Jillian]

dalex wrote: "For me personally, the way the group is set up doesn't lend itself to discussion outside of the voting process.

To see what people are reading you either go to their individual thread (which is co..."

I agree that the structure of GR makes it difficult. FB lack of ability to block spoilers is also problematic.

I like how the wild discussion and voting threads are more than what we are reading. I think, we get to know each other as individuals. As much as I love reading, I have trouble actually having discussions about books I’m reading. I either feel like a deer in headlights, or I’m extra critical because I’m paying so close attention to what I’m reading to discuss the book (which makes me feel like a jerk which is why I don’t join book clubs).

[Thomas]

dalex wrote: "Thomas wrote: "There is a Facebook group for this challenge"

The only one I find has 39 members so it's basically nonexistent. The 52 Book Club has 40K members and Popsugar has 34K."
I admit I never got it off the ground like I hoped

[NancyJ]

Anastasia wrote: "The original group started in 2015 with the Pop Sugar Challenge. Many of us enjoyed the discussion of what books to choose for which prompt we decided to start our own group.
Most of the changes m..."

I really like reading the discussion threads for each prompt. It helps a lot during planning to see all the different ideas. The reasons are discussed with some types of prompts more than others.

I wish we shared book examples/suggestions more often during the voting process too. I think it could help us to make better decisions for ourselves.

[Nadine in NY]

Emily wrote: "Yea voting actually used to start on June 1, but the voting period was longer and it would still end October. When we moved it to July 1st start, we shortened the voting period. It used to be a who..."



that full week was horrible - it's much better now. I'd be happy if you shortened it even more!

[LeahS]

I don't use Facebook except for some family photographs and certainly wouldn't be using it for expressing my views on books (or anything). I did join the PopSugar group a while back out of curiosity but never used it and recently got round to leaving it. I'm not a visual person and much prefer text.

I like the discussion threads for each prompt, though of course there is a variation in how much people say about each prompt.

[Thomas]

Nadine in NY wrote: "Emily wrote: "Yea voting actually used to start on June 1, but the voting period was longer and it would still end October. When we moved it to July 1st start, we shortened the voting period. It us..."
So would I but I do appreciate not everyone has as much time to vote as I do

[MJ]

The phrase “prompt fatigue” really bugs me. I could say that about a lot of prompts, because after more than the first year or two of doing the challenge, most prompts suggested are just a variation of what’s been on a previous list. I won’t read any comments by the chronic users of that phrase, because I don’t want to hear about the fact that my reading happy place makes them bored! There’s only so many genres and themes and tropes to suggest, unless we start going in the direction of street lit, etc…which I don’t. So I’m going to ignore that “fatigue” and suggest similar ideas every year because I WANT to read at least one memoir or non-fiction or whatever a year, and the challenge is a handy reminder for those things. If i can pick out a “sunny beach read” because that prompt got it, I’m not going to apologize for voting YES to pirates/shipwrecks and insects or whatever.

There was a similar discussion about the negativity around the same time last year. It means we’re all slightly worn out by the marathon of prompt selections.

There have also been comments about the silent majority not participating enough, and imo there are lots of legitimate reasons for why people don’t. I love this group and the challenge, but “workshopping” a prompt over hundreds of comments and then being upset that it doesn’t get in isn’t the kind of energy I want to wade into.

I joined the group in 2016 after the list suggestion phase had been completed. I was all worried that I couldn’t participate because I hadn’t been around for the voting process!

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

I had to look it up to see that I joined in February 2020. I think it was because I knew someone in the group but I don’t remember. Of course, right after that I (and everyone) suddenly had lots of free time. I wrote down ideas for prompts as I thought of them and was thrilled to get 2 of them voted in for 2021. Ithink it was in 2021 that an additional Mod was needed, and they asked me because I was spending so much time on the site already!

[MJ]

Jillian wrote: "dalex wrote: "

. As much as I love reading, I have trouble actually having discussions about books I’m reading. I either feel like a deer in headlights, or I’m extra critical because I’m paying so close attention to what I’m reading to discuss the book (which makes me feel like a jerk which is why I don’t join book clubs).


..."

I am the same way. I love reading, but discussing and critiquing what I’ve read is more stressful than fun. “Deer in the headlights” is exactly right.

[NancyJ]

MJ wrote: "Jillian wrote: "dalex wrote: "

. As much as I love reading, I have trouble actually having discussions about books I’m reading. I either feel like a deer in headlights, or I’m extra critical becau..."

I’m in another group that provides incentives for writing short reviews on what we read. I found it hard at first, but it got easier. I often appreciate the books a lot more when I take a little extra time to think about them, rather than immediately jump into the next book, Sometimes my rating of the book even changes while I’m writing. (And it’s also important for preventing or delaying Alzheimer’s.)

[Bec]

Anastasia wrote: "Yes, I am one of those who have been her since the first. It has been interesting seeing the changes in the group. We have less discussion on what books we chose for each prompt and why. It has become more of a tell than a discussion. I do miss the discussion of why each person made the choice they did. It was always interesting how different people interpret things. It opened up my mind to different ways to view the world..."

I've been here since 2015 (well in the group called 2015 Reading challenge in 2015, which then moved to here) and have enjoyed being involved too. I like to be involved in dicussions but not as vocal as some others.
And I think the history is why some of us do things differently - e.g. given we used to have to vote 4 up 4 down, some of us still find it useful to think/vote this way (eg downvote ones we are less interested in), whereas others feel like we should only use downvotes if you really can't fill a prompt.

[Thomas]

Bec wrote: "Anastasia wrote: "Yes, I am one of those who have been her since the first. It has been interesting seeing the changes in the group. We have less discussion on what books we chose for each prompt a..."

I’m interested to know that I did wonder why so
Many people regularly go 4 and 4. Unfortunately I can’t wait up tonight in case there are any last minute hints so will see results tommorow ( it’s midnight where I am)

[Bec]

NancyJ wrote: "MJ wrote: "I’m in another group that provides incentives for writing short reviews on what we read. I found it hard at first, but it got easier. I often appreciate the books a lot more when I take a little extra time to think about them, rather than immediately jump into the next book, Sometimes my rating of the book even changes while I’m writing. (And it’s also important for preventing or delaying Alzheimer’s.)"

I read a lot of Advance reader copy (ARC) books so have to do reviews for them. I generally was only reviewing the books I needed to, but have found it's nice to review all the books I read as it reminds me later what I thought of it (rather than just a star rating, as I give lots of books 4 stars!). So I've started reviewing most books I read. I really enjoy reading reviews so figure there are others that it helps too.

[MJ]

NancyJ wrote: "MJ wrote: "Jillian wrote: "dalex wrote: "

. As much as I love reading, I have trouble actually having discussions about books I’m reading. I either feel like a deer in headlights, or I’m extra cri..."

Oh boy, way to scare me into doing more reviews!
(That’s a joke)
The Alzheimers is a really good reason to do them more, and like Bec in comment 233 says, it is a good reminder when looking back at my reading.

I give a lot of four or five star reviews, which don’t offer any reminder at all. The books I reallly don’t like I dnf, and I don’t like counting those as “read” so they don’t get a rating at all.

[Jillian]

Nancy, I’m glad that you now enjoy writing reviews and have a group that makes it fun.

[Nadine in NY]

NancyJ wrote: "Sometimes my rating of the book even changes while I’m writing. (And it’s also important for preventing or delaying Alzheimer’s.)..."



Is that true? I'm hopeful they will have found a cure for Alzheimers before it is my time. But, if writing book reviews helps, then I'm in good shape for now!! Sometimes if I don't know what to say, I just write a list of "things I liked" and " things I didn't like" - always, my focus in writing the review is selfish. I know I will forget what the book was about and why I liked or disliked it, so I'm writing it down so I can read it again in a few years and remember! If it's a series and I'm struggling from book to book to remember what happened, I'll start writing detailed lists of what happened (within spoiler tags), but I don't normally do that.

So, it's funny that a thing I do for myself because my memory needs a boost, is possibly helping me avoid dementia a little bit longer ... (to be clear, I'm only 55, and in my family dementia doesn't hit until late 70s/early 80s so I probably have time ...)

[NancyJ]

Nadine in NY wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Sometimes my rating of the book even changes while I’m writing. (And it’s also important for preventing or delaying Alzheimer’s.)..."

Is that true? I'm hopeful they will have foun..."

Physical exercise is probably more effective overall, but writing does help me focus (or alert me to changes). “Use it or lose it” applies to a lot of skills. My mom stopped reading in her 70’s and it made her sad, so I feel like I need to make the most of my reading time by being more selective while I can. I started to notice lapses in my mid 50s too. (I’m 65 now.) Let’s hope we hold it off as long as possible!

My reviews aren’t very detailed either. They sometimes stimulate my thinking in a new direction, which feels really good.

[Irene]

MJ wrote: "I won’t read any comments by the chronic users of that phrase..."

Not sure who this is directed to (I'm assuming not me because I've used this phrase maybe once), but I'm not sure I understand why some people feeling prompt fatigue over certain prompts they are tired of has anything to do with your "happy place". I can dislike the celebrity book club prompt being on Popsugar's list two years in a row without it affecting the prompts you like and vote for, like the sunny beach read you brought up. People talk about this while sharing why they personally voted for or against certain prompts, and I'm not sure why you would refuse to read comments by anyone who feels prompt fatigue. Are other reasons for downvoting prompts more palatable to you, or would you generally prefer that people don't share their reasons for downvoting certain prompts?

[Irene]

I write reviews for every book I read just because my memory is horrible and I won't remember anything about it unless I write something. So they're definitely written for myself and not necessarily for other people to see. I've found that sometimes even a very bare bones description of how I felt while reading the book will trigger a flood of memories that allows me to remember a lot more of the book than if I hadn't written anything. I also started noting in the personal comments section of my reviews how I discovered a book because I've realized that I often don't remember how a book ended up on TBR.

[Alicia]

I wrote reviews for every book I read in 2021. But then I started falling behind in 2022 and then it just snowballed and there was no way I could go back. I need to just start again from scratch

[Alicia]

Also Irene, I actually read a lot of your reviews since we pick a lot of similar books. I very much enjoy and appreciate them

[Irene]

Alicia wrote: "Also Irene, I actually read a lot of your reviews since we pick a lot of similar books. I very much enjoy and appreciate them"

I always see your ratings too, we definitely have a ton of overlap in the books and genres we read :D

[Jillian]

I’m curious about how/when everyone reads reviews. I normally read reviews when I’m not liking a book. DNF just doesn’t work for my brain. I’m looking to see if there is something I’m missing, if the book get better, or if others feel similar to me. The other time I read reviews is after I finish a book, and I’m not really sure how to rate it. I look for how people whose thoughts are similar to mine rated it. If I like/love a book, I rarely read reviews.

[Irene]

@Jillian personally I read them after I finish a book just to compare thoughts about it. I avoid them before reading a book so my expectations don't get influenced, although I'll glance over reviews/ratings when on the fence about adding it to my TBR.

Edit: I agree with Alicia and Bec that friend's reviews definitely hold more weight and often times those are the only reviews I'll read!

[Alicia]

I’m the opposite, I actually read reviews if I’m hesitant about adding a book to my TBR or if I’m not sure I really want to start it. But I don’t read all reviews, I only focus on friends reviews and ratings. From this group, I know I’m generally aligned with Irene, Nancy and Sam so I look to see what they say/thought.

Then if I have a part of a book where I’m like what?!?!? Either because I’m confused or I’m excited, I like searching all reviews and seeing if people are talking about the same things. I also like reading the Q&A after I read a book.

[Bec]

Jillian wrote: "I’m curious about how/when everyone reads reviews. I normally read reviews when I’m not liking a book. DNF just doesn’t work for my brain. I’m looking to see if there is something I’m missing, if t..."

Any time for me, before starting, mid way through, when I've finished :P I like reading reviews! Before had as I want to know if the negative are things that will annoy me - so I often read more negative reviews than positive.

Edited to say I do take more stock of reviews from friends - often more likely to read a book if a goodreads friend has rated it positively.

[Thomas]

Jillian wrote: "I’m curious about how/when everyone reads reviews. I normally read reviews when I’m not liking a book. DNF just doesn’t work for my brain. I’m looking to see if there is something I’m missing, if t..."

I mostly read reviews for information I tend to ignore opinions because every is different

[Dixie]

Jillian wrote: "I’m curious about how/when everyone reads reviews. I normally read reviews when I’m not liking a book. DNF just doesn’t work for my brain. I’m looking to see if there is something I’m missing, if t..."

I rarely read reviews before reading a book because I've frequently run across spoilers in them. Even mild ones might ruin a book for me. Recently I read a highly rated novel that I really disliked and thought was poorly written, so I read some reviews to see if others felt the same or maybe I missed something? (Some others did feel the same, which made me feel better.) I generally only write Goodreads reviews if I really liked a book, or if it was so awful that I want to warn people away! I hate to write bad reviews of books by Goodreads authors because I worry that the authors will see them. When my novel came out the first two reviews were awful, and even though every single review after those was positive, I still feel the sting of those first two, forty years later!

[Nadine in NY]

Jillian wrote: "I’m curious about how/when everyone reads reviews. I normally read reviews when I’m not liking a book. DNF just doesn’t work for my brain. I’m looking to see if there is something I’m missing, if t..."




It really depends on the book.

I read reviews before adding a book to my TBR if I've never heard of the author before or if I'm unsure of the book for some reason. In this case, I generally prioritize the one star reviews: if they hate things I'll hate, then I'm not interested; if they hate things that won't bother me (or things I'll love!) then I add the book to my list.

I read reviews while I'm reading a book if it's feeling like a slog and I want to see if it picks up or I should DNF.

I read reviews when I finish a book if I want to have a gut check with others before reviewing it, to make sure I don't miss anything I want to mention in the review.

I read reviews after reviewing a book if I hated it or if I loved it, because I enjoy reading reviews from people who felt the same way about it.

For many books, I never read reviews at all - if I'm familiar with the author, and it's a pleasant but unexceptional reading experience, I pretty much don't care what anyone else thought and I don't read the review. (Exception: if it was a book my daughters reviewed, I'll read their reviews no matter what. BUT they never seem to post reviews here!)

[Jackie, Solstitial Mod]

I am also a long time member of the group - since 2015. I also was a person who had finished the Popsugar challenge and was looking for another. In some ways the group has changed a lot, but in others not so much. There's always a lot of chat in the prompt threads when they're new, but as the year goes on they become just places for people to report in what they've read. I also miss the book discussions, but in such a big group most of the time people are reading wildly different things and it's hard to have much to say about books you haven't heard about.