Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

It's now time to get ready to vote for our next set of prompts! But as we discussed before the process began, we are going to open the poll one day after we've gathered 20 suggestions. This is a good opportunity to ask any question you may have regarding the prompts, make some research or ask for recommendations. I'll try to add the relevant info to the prompt descriptions below as the discussion goes.

Voting will open on 7/17 and results will be posted on 7/22.

How it works:
- When the voting opens, follow the link to the mini-poll that will be added at the end of this post
- You have a total of 8 votes per poll to spread across your favourite and least favourite prompts (you can also use less than 8 votes)
- The poll will be open for a week (until the 20th of June), so you don't have to rush and vote straightaway
- The prompts with the more "positive" votes (top minus bottom) will be announced shortly after the end of the poll and added to the final list (expect between 2 and 5 depending on how the votes are spread)

As a reminder: You have a total of 8 votes to use among your top and bottom votes. The mods have access to each individual vote, so we can see if you use more than 8 votes. If you use more than 8 votes in the poll, your vote will have to be deleted, so please make sure to follow the directions so your voice can be heard.

Poll Entries:

A book related to one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse (death, war/conquest, famine, plague/pestilence)

A travel memoir

A book recommended by a celebrity or public figure

A roman à clef (a novel in which real people are depicted under fictitious names)

One of the "most anticipated" books of 2020 (e.g. The Millions, Book Riot, LitHub, etc.)

A book whose title is a reference to, or pun on, another work of literature/book

A book on the longlist for the Women's Prize in Fiction for any year

A book from the Washington Post's '100 Books for the Ages' list

A book that involves a vacation/holiday

A book with a neurodiverse character

Looking at your reading patterns for 2019, identify a hole in your reading and read a book to fill it

A book cover that is the same colour scheme as your country’s olympic team

A book relating to pirates or a nautical theme

A xenofiction

A book by an author whose last name is one syllable

A book that has been a BBC Radio Four Book at Bedtime

A book originally written in a language that is NOT one of the 10 most spoken worldwide

A book originally published in a year that is a prime number

A book with a betrayal

A book from the Goodreads news section

Vote Here:
https://www.surveymoz.com/s/KRBGQ/

Detail and links to be added when I'm not on my phone.

Sara seconded a prime number year before Clare seconded the betrayal messages 60 and 61.

I love the 4 horsemen prompt - creative with plenty of options for it.
I'm also a fan of "filling in a hole" from your 2019 reading.
There are plenty of options in this round that I really enjoy! :)

Jill, I've been in and out so I might have missed something. Both of those prompts are on the above list. Is there another issue?

Laura wrote: "Jill, I've been in and out so I might have missed something. Both of those prompts are on the above list. Is there another issue?"

no sorry Forget it

I like a lot of these prompts. I might do all upvotes this round. I especially like the four horsemen, Woman's Prize in Fiction list, Olympic team color, and the translated book. Oh, and as an accountant I feel obligated to vote for a year that is a prime. Woohoo numbers.

What a great list of suggestions this week! I have the four horseman multi-week prompt in my rejects challenge and there are so many options for it.

For some reason I though The Millions had stopped doing their "most anticipated". I would 100% upvote a book from any of their lists but the current wording is much closer to a buzzy 2020 release, which I felt people had issues with last time a new release type prompt was brought up. On the other hand, if you include bloggers, pretty much any new release announced before the end of the year can be found on someone's list.

I'm not even sure I'll vote for my own suggestion, haha. I thought the GR blog has a good mix of buzzy books, staff/author recs, different genres and older but well-rated titles.

I like that the literary reference would be an opportunity for me to get back into reading the October Daye series because all the titles are from Shakespeare. I am getting really behind on it now.

Other tops prompts are neurodiverse, filling a hole, travel memoir...and the translation one but I'm confused by the two lists and I think I'd like a definitive answer about which we're using. I need to look at some of the lists a bit more.

The only one I'm really not sure about is the Olympic flag. I didn't even know there were special Olympic flags, people just wave Union Jacks around, unless it's the Team GB logo, but that's just the same colours on a lion.

I really like this week's list of suggestions! Definite upvotes for me are the Women's Prize, the Washington Post list, and the BBC Radio Four list.

(But I'll be surprised if the Women's Prize gets many votes. It was a prompt last year and a lot of people really didn't seem to like it.)

I don't much like the "fill a hole" suggestion just because I don't know what I'd do with it. I already think my reading is pretty balanced - genres, publication years, author nationality, book setting, book length, etc.

The only real "hole" is that I read about 80% female authors 20% male authors but I don't see how counting one of the few male authors I read for this prompt would really be "filling a hole." I mean, it's not really doing anything to increase the number of male authors I read.

And I will be downvoting travel memoir, not because it's a bad suggestion but just because I don't read non-fiction.

I'd personally prefer to use the list of total number of speakers, so the list would be a language that is not English, Mandarin Chinese, Hindi, Spanish, French, Arabic, Bengali, Russian, Portuguese, Indonesian.

If we go for the list of native speakers it would be a language that is not Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, English, Hindi, Arabic, Bengali, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese.

(the ones in italics are the ones that aren't on both lists).

Copying from the suggestions thread...

A roman à clef (a novel in which real people are depicted under fictitious names)

Listopia list
11 Not-So-Innocent Portrayals of Real-Life Celebs in Fiction
Loving Roman à Clef Novels

Miss Boston and Miss Hargreaves is based on the life of the author's grandmother
Euphoria is based on the life of Margaret Mead
American Wife is a fictionalized story of Laura Bush
One of the characters in Asymmetry is based on Phillip Roth
The Girls is a fictionalized account of the Manson murders
The protagonist in The Signature of All Things is an amalgamation of famous female pioneers in science-related fields of study

Copying from the suggestions thread...

If anyone wants to see the complete list for the Women's Prize, I have a google doc of all the nominees - LINK

I like the Women's Prize, there are usually a few each year I'm interested in reading. Plus it's quite high profile in the UK, so people will be talking about it, which makes me more interested in reading the book now rather than some vague point in the future.

Here were the prime number years from the last 2+ centuries: 1801, 1811, 1823, 1831, 1847, 1861, 1867, 1871, 1873, 1877, 1879, 1889, 1901, 1907, 1913, 1931, 1933, 1949, 1951, 1973, 1979, 1987, 1993, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2011, 2017

I like it because it covers such a wide span of contemporary and classic. Two years in the last decade; plus 6 years in the last 30.

1873, for example, includes Around the World in Eighty Days and Anna Karenina.

1601 is a prime year and gives us at least Twelfth Night; many believe Hamlet debuted in 1601 as well. 1597 gives us Merry Wives of Windsor, and possibly Henry IV and Merchant of Venice.

Ellie wrote: "The only one I'm really not sure about is the Olympic flag. I didn't even know there were special Olympic flags, people just wave Union Jacks around..."


It's not a flag, it's the team uniform for the Olympics. I googled and can't find info on what USA team uniforms will look like in 2020, all I can find is that they will be Adidas. I'm just guessing they will be red, white, and blue? which is a surprisingly difficult color combination to find on book covers on my TBR list ... I found just a few.

I love the Four Horsemen idea, because I love zombie books, and what's more pestilential than a zombie?! But this could be used in other ways, too, of course.

I love the Most Anticipated idea, because I eagerly await the Millions Most Anticipated lists each half/year! I hope this one gets a lot of love, if you don't like the "literary" books on the Millions lists, there are so many other lists of highly anticipated books for all genres.

I looked at the BBC Bedtime book list, and I was kind of shocked at how few of those books are on my TBR. Either I've read them, or I don't want to read them. If it wins, there are one or two books I could find, I'm sure, but I'm not excited about it because of that.

I like the idea of filling a hole in my reading, but it's just too wishy-washy - like, which hole? I obsessively track what I read, so I know where the holes are, but it's just too open. I don't like broad prompts.

I like "neurodiverse" because that's specific, I can think of a few books I want to read for it, AND it fills a hole in my reading.

I love the pun/literary reference idea, because it's FUN!

I feel pretty good about a lot of the other ideas, too. I'm not sure which I'll vote for yet.

I could use some help on finding books involving betrayals, though. That's a bit open-ended.

Nadine wrote: "It's not a flag, it's the team uniform for the Olympics..."

I don't know where I got that flag idea from! Team GB are changing their designer for next year so I wouldn't like to assume too much. Might end up having to find neon books...

Copying over my links from the suggestions thread for A book recommended by a celebrity or public figure

Florence Welsh (from Florence + the Machine)
Ashley Spivey (from The Bachelor)
Felicia Day (author and actor) - Romance Novels
Andrew Luck (American football player) - YA and Adult picks each month
Oprah
Reese Witherspoon
Emma Roberts (actor)
Emma Watson
Obama
TED Speakers
Bill Gates
Shonda Rhimes

An NFL player has a book club???? That is AWESOME!!! I wasn’t planning to vote for that category because I’ve really had enough with the “recommended by a celebrity” type prompts, but ... you may have just changed my mind. There are some good books on his list!!!

Nadine wrote: "I could use some help on finding books involving betrayals, though. That's a bit open-ended."

Goodreads has this list of books that have been shelved as "betrayal". As with any of their Popular lists, I question it's validity so take that into account.

https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

Nadine, I thought the same thing. And I love that he has YA/Children's picks as well as adult picks.... and they aren't all new releases like some of the other celebrity ones, so they are easier to access at the library.

I'm not so excited this week. It could be because of all the lists (I'm not a list person I guess) or it could be because I have had the flu all week. Maybe both.

I think I am going 4/4 this week, upvoting most anticipated, pun, neurodiverse and xenofiction.

I couldn't find any roman a clef books that I am interested in and haven't already read so that is a downvote for me. The women's prize doesn't generally vote in books that I like, even on the long lists so that is a no for me as well. The translation prompt I would like if we had chosen one list to work from. Japanese being on one list and not the other seems pivotal to me. If it gets through, that will be a KIS option, to include Japanese works.

My fourth downvote is between two others. Neither one really bothers me so I may add an upvote and go 5/3.

This is an easy week for me... 4 up, 4 down.

I'm going up with the celebrity/public figure prompt, neurodiverse character (always looking to add diversity to my reading), 2020 most anticipated (I read a lot of new releases through BOTM club, and we don't have any 2020 prompts on the list yet), and Woman's Prize (I wanted to suggest it as a possible prize, so I'm glad to see it here).

My downvotes are the translation one (I have never enjoyed a book I've read for a translation prompt), betrayal (it feels a bit too open-ended for me), xenofiction (same as with translation - not my cup of tea), and pirates/nautical theme.

This is the third poll in a row that has a marine/nautical themed prompt, and I'm still scarred from trying to read Life of Pi for the water prompt last year, so that's a big nope for me lol

Hahaha I read Life of Pi this year for Popsugar’s “more than a million reviews” and it was awful and that became my least liked prompt because of it.

Some lists for xenofiction (for those who need ideas).

https://www.goodreads.com/genres/xeno...

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7...

If this gets through, I might continue the Murderbot series.

I will probably vote 7 up and 1 down - the Olympic flag colors. I’m not too interested in finding a cover with Red, White, and Blue. I like the Hole in Your Reading prompt for reading non-fiction, which I enjoy but don’t read that much. I like the celebrity recommendations now that it is expanded. Interesting to see that Andrew Luck has a book club (selections for younger readers “Rookies” and more advanced “Veterans”) and a related podcast! Translation prompt is a definite yes since I read a lot of translated lit. Travel memoir is a yes since I have several on my TBR and it’s a genre I rarely read. Four Horseman has lots of options so it’s a yes, also. Two undecided prompts left.

I think this has been the easier choice for me. I have 6 up votes and 2 down.

I think we will have some "celebrity/ public figure" type prompt. I think this one has the best options I'm going to get so it is a top for me.

I did not like the Women's fiction last year. It did not help that the book I read was awful but I just kept going because it was one of my last if not last prompts. If we have to have an award type prompt, I'd rather see something different. But, since I do have a reread I'm not down voting it.

I don't really understand the Olympic color scheme one. Are we talking about the countries flag, opening ceremony uniforms...?

I'm with you, Emily, on the nautical prompt. I think I could probably find something I'd like for this prompt, but the fact that we had sea creature, marine animal & then nautical prompts all in a row has made me automatically say no, just because it seems like too much. It's funny how perception like that totally affects my interest in a prompt.

I don’t read travel memoirs much. I’m intrigued by this prompt, because I like to be pushed out of my reading comfort zone, but I don’t know what I’d read. “Eat pray love” is a NO for me. I read “Wild” with a book club, it was ok. I’ve already read Bill Bryson, no more of that for me. I enjoyed Horwitz’s Confederates in the Attic, I’d like more like that.

Travel memoir fans, what are your favorites? Sell me on this prompt! :-)

I asked this in the suggestions thread too, but it seems more relevant here. I noticed that the Washington Post list said "any mystery or thriller" for age 83. Do they literally mean any, or is there a specific kind they are referring to that I didn't see? I probably wouldn't vote for the list either way, but opening it to any mystery or thriller might change it from a downvote to a neutral prompt for me.

Nadine, Confederates in the Attic sounds a bit like something Louis Theroux (who I just found out is the son of Paul Theroux, how did I never know that?) would do but honestly, he's better on TV than in print.

I don't really like travel memoirs that are all about "finding yourself" but I do love reading about travel. The only ones I can think of off the top of my head to recommend are:
East of Croydon: Blunderings through India and South East Asia (audiobook read by Sue is excellent)
The Tent, the Bucket and Me
America Unchained: A Freewheeling Roadtrip In Search Of Non-Corporate USA
Catfish and Mandala: A Two-Wheeled Voyage Through the Landscape and Memory of Vietnam

Rachel wrote: "I asked this in the suggestions thread too, but it seems more relevant here. I noticed that the Washington Post list said "any mystery or thriller" for age 83. Do they literally mean any, or is the..."

That is kinda weird that they do not list a specific book for 83. I think it might be a KIS option to read "any mystery or thriller" and BIO to read a book featuring one of these characters listed in the synopsis of the age: Easy Rawlins, Mrs. Pollifax, Maisie Dobbs, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and Commissario Guido Brunetti.

I loved Dave Gorman's Are You Dave Gorman? and Dave Gorman's Googlewhack! Adventure. I watched the TV show of Unchained and found the search for gas stations so stressful I couldn't face the book! It still makes me feel a bit anxious remembering it now :)

I also loved:
Kiss the Sunset Pig
The Great American Bus Ride
Sean & David's Long Drive
Drive Thru America
You Can Get Arrested for That: 2 Guys, 25 Dumb Laws, 1 Absurd American Crime Spree
and I'm still a Bryson fan, even though he's gotten very grumpy.

Oh yes Bryson is so grumpy these days, but much of The Road to Little Dribbling: More Notes From a Small Island was local to me and I found myself agreeing with a lot of his grumblings! I can't believe he used to work for the local paper, I wish there was an archive of his stuff.

Some lists of travel memoirs...

https://bookriot.com/2017/08/29/trave...

https://bookriot.com/2017/01/23/30-tr...

https://www.bustle.com/articles/17447...

https://www.hostelworld.com/blog/trav...

https://www.neverendingvoyage.com/bes...

I don't read a lot of travel memoirs (have I read any?), but if it goes through, I found a travel memoir by Stephen Fry that intrigues me.

Stephen Fry in America

Emily wrote: "This is the third poll in a row that has a marine/nautical themed prompt, and I'm still scarred from trying to read Life of Pi for the water prompt last year, so that's a big nope for me lol."

LOL. I could list at least a dozen nautical books that are a million times better than Life of Pi. Plus, you don’t necessarily have to read a book set on a boat. A cover with water or a fish or some sea creature would work. Or a book with lighthouse or beach in the title would (sort of) fit.

Also, there’s nothing that says you can’t do space pirates! :)

I am so excited for the 4 Horseman and Roman a clef prompts. Even the celebrity recommendation and Women's Prize look good after I explored the Andrew Luck link and the list that Dalex shared. This is going to be such a hard vote because there is so much potential in these prompts.

I'm also really hopeful for the 'hole in your reading' list as I love data analysis and have never thought to apply it to my reading.

Probably the only ones I will down-vote will be the Olympic book cover (I'm in the don't judge a book by its cover club...LOL) and the travel memoir (just don't like memoirs in general). Even if these do make the list, I think they will be okay and I won't complain too much. ;)

All in all, it's going to be a long wait for the results.

Andrew Luck’s book club might be the tipping point for me to upvote this prompt. I had pretty low expectations for him (talk about a stereotype reaction!), but his list is awesome!! Such a big variety of choices & lots on my TBR.

Nadine - Paul Theroux is a popular travel memoir writer. I haven’t read anything by him yet but have a GR friend who raves about his books. So, that’s who I would probably read. I still have a Bill Bryson book on my shelves also.

I am weirdly excited about the book by an author with a one syllable name, probably because it's something I've never thought of before. And now it's making me curious about how many books there are where all the words in the title are one syllable. I thought of 2 off the top of my head:

They Both Die at the End
On the Banks of Plum Creek

Now I'm going to go scour by TBR because I'm off down that rabbit hole.

For a travel memoir, I’ve really enjoyed Michael Palin’s travel books. The first one is Around the World in Eighty Days. As you might guess, the book is based on his attempt to retrace the fictional journey of the same name.

He’s published maybe five or six in total, I think Pole to Pole was next after Around the World in Eighty Days. It might just be that I’m nostalgic about the BBC tv programmes he made about each journey, but I really enjoyed reading both of these.

°~Amy~° wrote: "Nadine wrote: "I could use some help on finding books involving betrayals, though. That's a bit open-ended."

Goodreads has this list of books that have been shelved as "betrayal". As with any of t..."

Thanks for finding this list.

I read The Backpacker and The Gringo Trail: A Darkly Comic Road-Trip Through South America when I was younger, if anyone is into backpacking style travel

After seeing the GR Roman a Clef list, I will vote for it!

Just a note. The survey will likely be a bit late in being posted, as we have to work out an issue with our survey accounts. Stay tuned!

I really liked the funny travel memoirs of J. Maarten Troost (Getting Stoned with Savages: A Trip Through the Islands of Fiji and Vanuatu) and Tony James Slater (That Bear Ate My Pants!, Kamikaze Kangaroos!: A trip around Oz in a van called Rusty).

If the travel memoir makes it, I'll most likely read something like A Cook's Tour: Global Adventures in Extreme Cuisines by Anthony Bourdain. I always loved his shows, so I'm sure I will like this as well.

I really enjoyed Anthony Bourdain's writing/storytelling style in Kitchen Confidential, so I would probably enjoy that as well, Brooke.