Play Book Tag discussion

I'm posting the vote one day early due to the holidays (and the fact that I'm the middle of moving and who knows when the next opportunity will present itself!) In addition, this month's voting has an optional question that will help us award extra participation points to our Listopia challenge participants.

Please vote for the tag you would most like to read for January at the following link:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GSGMBFT

You may click on the answer choices in the survey to see a listing of books that fit each tag.

Remember, you may cast up to a total of 10 participation points for your choice. Everyone 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 pm EST on 12/23.

Note: If no one choice receives more than 50% of the vote, people who chose the least popular choice will be asked to recast their votes for one of the remaining two options.

That was easy - I've got a personal challenge of reading more books about social justice next year so you can guess what I've put my votes towards! :-)

Easy one for me.

Hmmmm....interesting choices....

Ugh-one of my personal goals for 2019 is read at least one book for the months tag( I really was a slacker this year)-No matter what wins, January will be a challenge for me!

Voted. But ugh - I have to admit I just about closed my eyes and stabbed for the last category, because I don't remember enough about the members to decide which list is the most unexpected choice!

Easy for me too!

Voted, but I skipped the Listopia questions. I have barely paid attention to that section at all the last year, though I hope to do so in the next.

Nooo! I voted for the listopia choices and forgot to vote for the tag before I submitted. I didn't even look at the tag choices!

And the moral is:
Never press submit before the first cup of coffee.

Easy choice for this month, not quite sure what I was doing with the Listopia vote. If an interesting theme emerges for next year, I might try it.

Two of the choices would be fine with me. The third I have nothing on my TBR list, at least on the first two pages of the tag, but I'm sure PBT members would have good suggestions for it.

Jgrace wrote: "Nooo! I voted for the listopia choices and forgot to vote for the tag before I submitted. I didn't even look at the tag choices!

And the moral is:
Never press submit before the first cup of coffee."

Ha! I can relate. Last week, I was so tired one morning, that I realized that my journal entry that day was basically gibberish. I had started a sentence, let my mind wander and ended my sentence, without remembering the middle, or my sentence would be complete, but have little to do with the previous sentence, or the one immediately following... multiple times. Talk about needing that first cup of coffee!

Voted

I'm going to skip tag vote. None jump out at me, but my goal this coming year is not get too carried with challenges that I can't get to them, yet I want to step out of comfort zone and do a challenge even I don't think I like it. I didn't get in on Listopia challenge so I can't say that I could answer it.

Voted

I voted as well but these are some rough choices for the beginning of the year.

Same, JW!

Voted. I think I could find things pretty easily for two but I'm completely at a loss for the third option.

I also voted on the Listopia questions although I really didn't know which list was the most unusual for a member to choose.

Two of the choices were easy, I'm all for a Racism book or the Action Adventure one and threw all of my points that I can vote towards one of those... I don't have kids, not planning on having kids/can't have kids, so parenting is really tough for me. I saw Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead on there so if Parenting wins, that'll be what I read next month.

Listopia was surprisingly tough to vote for, there are a bunch of good lists that people read against.

Voted.

Jgrace wrote: "Nooo! I voted for the listopia choices and forgot to vote for the tag before I submitted. I didn't even look at the tag choices!

And the moral is:
Never press submit before the first cup of coffee."

I think I might have done that too. I opened the survey twice as I was clicking back and forth, and I might have sent one with only the last questions answered. Oh well, I know I can find something for all of them, as long as the parenting category can include a fiction book with parenting as a theme.

I threw five points toward parenting, even though I knew that it would be an unpopular choice and likely wouldn’t win. Granted there’s enough novels with dysfunction in them, that even if it were to win I am sure that there’s plenty of fiction to go around. But I picked it because I have all of these owned books to get rid of. I could certainly knock a few of the towering pile off of my list, and there are some I have been wanting to read from there. For me it felt easy. Although again, with full knowledge that it wouldn’t be popular and it wouldn’t win. I’d be happy with the other choices too.

Easy choice this month!

For anyone who is worried that they forgot to vote for the tag - - first of all, I can check and secondly, you can send me your vote if you did forget. Just pm me with your concerns.

I don’t really mind which list wins - I’ll find something for either but regarding the parenting list -
There’s heaps of books that deal with parenting that are amazing. The first that comes to mind is ‘We need to talk about Kevin’ but I’m sure if I sit down and think - there are many more that parenting is the main theme in them

I echo Charlotte. In truth though if parenting wins out by some strange twist, I'll manage to read at least one given I'm managing to read a geek read this month!

Parenting is not a favorite for me, because it seems alot like work. having said that, I love a good coming of age and I imagine I could find one that reflects parenting.

Or I could read one of my work books, that I haven't tackled yet.

Booknblues wrote: "Parenting is not a favorite for me, because it seems alot like work. having said that, I love a good coming of age and I imagine I could find one that reflects parenting.

Or I could read one of my..."

You are about to retire. One of the perks is that you don't have to read those books anymore.

If parenting wins, I'll be asking for suggestions not related to raising kids as those days are behind me.

Joy D wrote: "If parenting wins, I'll be asking for suggestions not related to raising kids as those days are behind me."

Me too, and it doesn't look like I'll be a grandmother anytime soon.

Hi, I can't find myself in the participation points spreadsheet, is that because I'm new? I think I have a point because I reviewed Ender's Game for this month's tag.

Editing to add: I see that you're in the middle of a move, no rush at all on looking into this as I actually can't decide which of the choices to vote for so am quite happy not to have the points yet!

Charlotte wrote: "I don't have kids, not planning on having kids/can't have kids, so parenting is really tough for me. ..."

Agreed on all counts! I'm hoping, if it's chosen, there might be some fun fiction book...?

Hey Theresa and others.... Its kind of fun when one of us is deeply forced out of a comfort zone. It was hilarious when we had the tag "Space Opera." I had a lot hilarity watching PBT trying to pick something for me that I could stomach and tolerate. I have had more than a few months where I have needed this group to pick something for me. There was some month last year, where I just threw it up and said "Let Jason pick for me!" Or maybe that tag never won, the one I feared wouldn't fly for me. And another one right after where I picked for Rachel. Truth is, I've never had a bad month - except maybe for Ireland. Which was no ones fault. Everyone gave me fair warning that I was;t choosing well. But I remember we had the animals tag, and i despise the idea of animals as main characters. But for that one, I read three amazing books. One was the zookeepers wife, which I gave five stars to. I also read Soul of an Octopus that month, which I did;t expect to love and also would;t have picked up, as well as To the Bright Edge of the World. This is why i consider myself the ultimate PBT devotee. Because i have learned that even months I never would have thought i would have appreciated have brought some interesting things - that have been huge surprises. or that I never would have picked up. Space Opera? let me tell you... I hated Ender's Game and Red Rising. But at least now, I can understand why they were beloved by others. Oh yeah and it was recent. Dark Fantasy. What the hell did I read for that? Finally I picked up the Tearling maybe? Well, I have out the sequel. I kind of want to know about the two magical necklaces, truth be told. In any case guys, in my almost three years of PBT I can honestly say, almost never a bad month. Don't let parenting scare you. It won't win. Off the top of my head, I am thinking Fun Home, and Little Fires Everywhere. And the one I won't read - the Light Across the Ocean. There are plenty of fiction beloved by others that ask important questions that would fit this topic. So it likely won't happen, but lets not fear it either. If I can do dragons and space opera, and Theresa can read geek (that was kind of tough for me too), there is no topic too outlandish to manage. Oh yeah - got through illustrated early in the year. Read the Flying Couch!

Nikki wrote: "Hi, I can't find myself in the participation points spreadsheet, is that because I'm new? I think I have a point because I reviewed Ender's Game for this month's tag.

Editing to add: I see that yo..."

Everybody has one free vote, regardless of any points you have accumulated. I.e. you can vote.

I believe the points in the list reflect the reviews up to the previous month.

Jgrace wrote: "Nooo! I voted for the listopia choices and forgot to vote for the tag before I submitted. I didn't even look at the tag choices!

And the moral is:
Never press submit before the first cup of coffee."

Nearly did that as well! Luckily I’ve had my first cup of coffee...

Voting for the tag was easy. For the Listopia question I had to be creative. I don’t know most people’s preferences well enough to judge whether their choice is outside their comfort zone and thus inherently tougher to read.

Amy wrote: "Hey Theresa and others.... Its kind of fun when one of us is deeply forced out of a comfort zone. It was hilarious when we had the tag "Space Opera." I had a lot hilarity watching PBT trying to pic..."

I was getting anxious about this possibility after looking through the first 10 pages of parenting (kids were never in the stars for me) with barely two non fiction books I’d marked for TBR or wishlist (Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking and Mindset: The New Psychology of Success which I think are rather poor fits for the topic). In the last few pages I finally found a couple of interesting choices. We Need to Talk About Kevin is among them. Thus I’m ok with any of the choices.

If parenting wins this would be a great excuse to read We Need to Talk About Kevin because that has been on my radar for a long time.

Baby Teeth or The Turn of the Screw (maybe) and other "Bad Seed" variations would all work and those are more in line with my personal reading tastes.

Jgrace wrote: "Nooo! I voted for the listopia choices and forgot to vote for the tag before I submitted. I didn't even look at the tag choices!

And the moral is:
Never press submit before the first cup of coffee."

So true, Jgrace!

Amy wrote: "I threw five points toward parenting, even though I knew that it would be an unpopular choice and likely wouldn’t win. Granted there’s enough novels with dysfunction in them, ."

I instantly thought of this too, Amy. I just read This is How It Always Is and I think it would fit parenting 100%! I doubt I will go the parenting self-help route, if it wins, but I will instead read something fiction with a really strong parenting theme.

The parenting theme would def be the most challenging for me, I looked through the list and found nothing on my tbr.

Here's hoping its not parenting - been there, done that! I'm through unless there's something about parenting 40 year olds that are on their own and successful! :-)

I voted for the tag and did my best on the listopia except for the one at the end that is giving others trouble too.

So I guess the question is, if Anita makes me re-vote, what my next choice will be.... Fir the first time ever, I didn’t even look at the lists. Just clicked!

Sushicat wrote: "Nikki wrote: "Hi, I can't find myself in the participation points spreadsheet, is that because I'm new? I think I have a point because I reviewed Ender's Game for this month's tag.

Editing to add:..."

Thanks Sushicat, that makes sense!

Amy wrote: "Hey Theresa and others.... Its kind of fun when one of us is deeply forced out of a comfort zone. It was hilarious when we had the tag "Space Opera." I had a lot hilarity watching PBT trying to pic..."

Well! Thank your for that pep talk Amy-I needed that. I started PBT early in the year, and my goal was to go back and finish the prior tags, and decathlon-neither happened.
So for 2019 I want to read the Tag, in the month it's tagged! But, still stay true to my commitment of not wasting time on a book I do not like! I only veered once from that(Cloud Atlas-god I hated that book!), and it looks like once more because I am in middle of The Winter Palace: A Novel of Catherine the Great -(don't hate it like the first, just having a hard time with why it is "A Novel of Catherine" when all I am reading about is Elizabeth and a maid??) Both group reads-once I commit I am in.

Anyhow-here's to what fate brings for monthly tags-I will find something-I must add, Amy, if you can find reading joy in a fantasy/dragon-then there is hope for me when the tag goes out of my comfort zone!

I am wondering if a book about "parenting aging parents or siblings" might fit the parenting tag? Not that I have anything like that on my shelf, but it is something I deal with, as I am my oldest sisters legal guardian-and trust me, it is at times more strain than I ever went through with my daughter!

Joanne wrote: "I am wondering if a book about "parenting aging parents or siblings" might fit the parenting tag? Not that I have anything like that on my shelf, but it is something I deal with, as I am my oldest ..."

I hadn't thought of that! I am parenting my 92 year old mother whose memory is getting worse and worse. Not alzheimer's, "just" dementia. Her sister and brother also suffered that in their later years - he lived to be 96 and my grandmother (no dementia that I know of) was 94. Mom's very healthy and I'm seeing 100 as a possibility.

Well ... I never posted my second Listopia because I haven't finished it yet (the year's not over!). Oh, well ...


Voted for the tag and the listopia.

So, I say this pretty much at the end of every year... but I mean it this time. I'm going to make it high priority to actually participate in this group in 2019. (No more lurking!) I was horrified to see my name on the dreaded "Haven't Participated in >1 Year" list. =(

I've voted, I've committed, and anyone willing to hold me accountable feel free! ;)

So, apparently I have more on my tbr with the tag "parenting" (via LibraryThing) than I thought. For others who don't have or want kids, here's a suggestion (in case it's needed):

"No Kidding: Women Writers on Bypassing Parenthood" by Henriette Mantel
OR:
"Nobody's Mother: Life Without Kids" by Lynne Van Luven