Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

It's now time to get ready to vote for our first set of prompts! The thread will be open for at least 24 hours before the poll gets posted. This is a good opportunity to ask any question you may have regarding the prompts, do some research or ask for recommendations.

Voting will open in the morning of Wednesday, August 19 and results will be posted in the morning of Sunday, August 23 (CST time).

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 this poll to spread across your favourite and least favourite prompts (you can also use less than 8 votes) - You can find examples of acceptable voting practices on the Introduction thread.
- The prompts with the more favorable votes (comparing top votes to bottom votes, and looking at the overall number of votes it received) will be added to the final list (between 2 and 5 depending on how the votes are spread)

We are asking people to include their Goodreads profile address when they vote. To find this, just go to your own profile and then copy the URL/web address. If for some reason you can't link to your Goodreads profile, please post your full Goodreads name with enough identifiable information that we'll be able to access your profile. We’ve introduced this for two reasons:

1. On a few occasions in each poll, people have used more than the allotted number of votes, either because they aren’t familiar with the rules or just by mistake. When this happens our only option is to disregard the vote as we can’t identify the voter to ask them to resubmit. By asking for your profile address we’ll be able to message you and ask you to vote again if you’ve accidentally used more than the allotted number of votes.

2. Unfortunately a very small number of people have voted more than once per poll and so we are asking for this information to prevent duplicate votes.

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.

Possible Prompts:
1. A humorous book
2. A book with a number in the title
3. A book recorded on the 2020 ATY Community Spreadsheet
4. A book related to a historical event of 1921
5. A book from the Are You Well Read in World Literature list
6. A book published in the 20th century
7. A non-fiction book other than biography, autobiography or memoir
8. A young adult book
9. A book nominated for the First Novel Prize
10. A book with an ensemble cast
11. A book featuring the natural world
12. A book from one of The Greatest Books Lists
13. A book with a story trope you love or hate
14. A book that deals with a postponement, redo, or second chance
15. A domestic fiction novel

Feel free to discuss the prompts below, but please remember to be respectful to the other group members.

VOTING HERE: https://www.surveymoz.com/s/3CVIBP/

IDEAS AND NOTES FROM THE SUGGESTIONS THREAD

1. A humorous book
Definition: Usually a fiction full of fun, fancy, and excitement, meant to entertain and sometimes cause intended laughter; but can be contained in all genres (including fiction and nonfiction)
You can search for books that are tagged "humor" or "funny" or even "satire". It doesn't necessarily have to make you laugh, but it's a more lighthearted book.

3. A book recorded on the 2020 ATY Community Spreadsheet
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

4. A book related to a historical event of 1921
1. I left out the word "major" because everyone might have a different idea of what that means
2. For those who think this is "too broad" you could BIO it by limiting to a particular month or week of the year
3. Here are a couple of websites with lists of events:
https://www.onthisday.com/events/date...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1921
4. My personal favorite highlights of 1921 are the Tulsa race massacre in Oklahoma, the start of the Communist party in China and a few European countries, the Irish war of independence and establishment of Northern Ireland, and the rise of Mussolini's fascist party in Italy and Hitler in Germany - there are tons of historical fiction and nonfiction books that would fit any of these.
5. For those not really into history or historical fiction, there are a bunch of great authors who were born or published books in 1921. (Agatha Christie's first book, Edith Wharton won a Pulitzer, Alex Haley was born, etc.)
6. And some more happy/fun events that might be interesting to read something about or related to - the first fast food chain opened (White Castle), the first "Sweetest Day" (kind of like Valentine's day but it was in October), and Gucci brand was founded. There are also several sports-related events listed in the first website.

5. A book from the Are You Well Read in World Literature list
https://www.listchallenges.com/are-yo...
1000 choices from outside of the US and the UK. There are some lesser known titles but also some very well known books too, such as 1Q84, Akata Witch, Beartown, Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, etc.

7. A non-fiction book other than biography, autobiography or memoir
I intended this prompt to exclude memoir, autobiography, and biography but of course it is up to the reader. Any other kinds of non-fiction work, including how-to, history, science, technology, reference, self-help, cookbook, travel, etc.

I'd like to note that there's a category of non-fiction that fiction lovers usually enjoy - narrative non-fiction. That's an account of a true event that's told like a story, as though it were a novel. Books like Devil in the White City, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Behind the Beautiful Forevers, and Unbroken fall into that category. Here's a list to give you more ideas: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

9. A book nominated for the First Novel Prize
Here are the links for the past few years' long lists:
2020 - https://centerforfiction.org/book-rec...
2019 - https://centerforfiction.org/book-rec...
2018 - https://centerforfiction.org/book-rec...
2017 - https://centerforfiction.org/book-rec...
2016 - https://centerforfiction.org/book-rec...
Others can be found here: https://centerforfiction.org/grants-a...

10. A book with an ensemble cast
The plot and its narrative don't revolve around a single, most important main character. Instead, it shares a cast of characters with (almost) equal pagetime and importance to the plot.
https://www.epicreads.com/blog/books-...
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

11. A book featuring the natural world
Some lists of examples:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/8...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7...
Not to mention there are lots of books about wild animals, people camping, etc.

12. A book from one of The Greatest Books Lists
https://thegreatestbooks.org/
Note: I'm thinking of the books listed where you can filter by year range or fiction/non fiction versus the lists listed on the right. If it needs rewording to make that clearer I'm good with that.

13. A book with a story trope you love or hate
https://bookriot.com/story-tropes-bin...
Make sure you scroll down to see mystery tropes, sci fi tropes, literary fiction tropes, romance tropes.

15. A domestic fiction novel
From ebscohost.com: "...novels that are usually home-centric and focused on the relationships within a (functional or dysfunctional) family during a single generation."

WRT the 2020 ATY spreadsheet, doesn’t that get deleted when we start the new year? Or would we keep it available if the prompt goes through?

Using the ATY spreadsheet as a list prompt is a great idea. We have such a wide variety of readers in the group there is bound to be something for everyone, and the list will only grow as we all complete our challenges.

I like the idea of the 1921 history one, I will have to have a closer look at the events and come up with some ideas.

I'm not sure I will vote for any of the other list prompts this time. I have a few off the world fiction list on my TBR, so I'm fine with that one. The first novel one seems to have overlap with The Millions lists, and I'd rather have the larger selection. Most of what I'm interested in on the greatest books list, I've already read, as tends to happen with those kind of lists.

For the ATY spreadsheet, I typically hide the sheets (so they are still accessible but they are not viewable on the main page). If this prompt goes through, I'd probably copy over the pages on December 31st and put it on a separate, static spreadsheet that no one would be able to edit, but they would be able to reference. We would also have a listopia that people could reference if they don't want to sort through the spreadsheet.

I really like the First Novel list, it's basically a debut novel list but the ones that are worthy of attention. I agree that I've read a lot from the Greatest Books list but there are several I haven't so I'm sure I could find something. But of the two I'd vote for First Novel.

We have three title prompts already, but I like the number in the title as it's one I've pondered suggesting too.

Sorry to be the one to point out an error but in the post with background info number 7 is listed twice. The second one with links to some lists is actual for the First novel prize. Just in case anyone like me is momentarily confused.

I really like the First Novel list. It's my favorite of all the lists that have been submitted so far (and that's saying something, since I submitted the Millions list last round lol)

I think this is the first batch in a while where I had some pretty clear frontrunners, as well as some pretty clear bottom votes. I definitely need to do a bit of research on a few of the lists to see how many options there are. I'm also just starting to realize that I have no idea whether I'll have library access next year, depending on covid restrictions, so that might need to be taken into consideration too.

I'm glad the second chance prompt got in, which I guess worked out with two of us suggesting it at virtually the same time. I'm not sure why, but the current wording bugs me a bit. Not enough that I wouldn't still vote for it, but I guess I liked the concise wording of the original "a book dealing with second chances" better. To me, postponement or redo are both kinds of second chances, so it just feels unnecessary to specify them. That's probably just me though.

Emily -- just a note on the list of ideas/notes above: you have the non-fiction prompt listed twice, but I believe the second one is meant to be the First Novel Prize.

I must have caught it just as you were typing this, Rachel. It's fixed!

I liked the second chance as I had originally suggest it as well, Rachel, and I'm actually not sure I will vote for it in its current form. You could certainly use a postponement or a redo, but that wasn't the heart of what I was going for and now it seems it is.

I suppose I can always find something to read off a list, but they seem to be either so long a list that the prompt might as well be "read a book" or just leaving me cold. I've probably just read from so many lists now that I am bored with the idea.

The 1921 prompt is the only one I am sure I will upvote.

The First Novel Prize is a book award I love so I was thrilled to see that nominated. And I think the 1921 is super interesting and would be fun to research.

I rarely read non-fiction but when I do it's "people oriented" so for that to be specifically excluded makes it a downvote for me.

I hope the 1921 one makes it.
I was already planning to read something about Sophie Scholl, since it would be her 100. Birthday in 2021 and she also was executed with 21 years.

I already have quite a few books on my physical tbr that are from the Well Read list so that is a definite up vote for me.

Non-fiction is a definite up vote as well but I am afraid it won't get through. People seem to love it or hate it even though there are so many different types of nonfiction out there to choose from.

Not yet sure what I will do with the rest of my votes.

dalex wrote: "The First Novel Prize is a book award I love so I was thrilled to see that nominated. And I think the 1921 is super interesting and would be fun to research.

I rarely read non-fiction but when I d..."

Nonfiction can be people oriented without being a biography or memoir. So called "long form journalism" often focuses on a person's or group's story - for instance, an immigrant, a homeless family or a sports team. But it isn't biography. Many books in history, psychology, education, racial issues, etc. use examples of real people.

I feel like excluding books about people really limits the prompt, and also makes it more difficult to tell what counts, e.g. would a book like The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks count? It's tagged as Biography, but it's more the story of what happened to her cells, since she died pretty early in the book, IIRC.

I just think, as others have said, it's so hard to get non-fiction through at all, and limiting it even more is going to make it less likely to get through, I think.

I'm glad the First Novel list is getting some love :) though I won't get my hopes up since we all know the discussion doesn't always reflect the outcome!

Others I like the sound of are domestic fiction, ATY spreadsheet and the 1921 event. I also have plenty of options for the other list prompts so I'd be happy if any of them make it.

There aren't any prompts I really dislike this round.

I am wondering whether, if no prompts based on lists make it in toward the end of voting, we should have a week of just list prompts. I'm not crazy about them in general just because I don't like to have to look them up. But I definitely prefer some over others.

I feel like a book published in the 20th century and a YA book are just too broad, although I suppose a humorous book is too and I like that one. I would have no problem with the "trope" one since I read a lot of genre fiction, but not everyone does and it requires a bit of research looking through the options. Also you probably won't know which tropes are in the book before you read it.

I really like the 1921 idea.

I'm very indifferent about this list of prompts. Not a lot I love and immediately think upvote, but none that I want to downvote either.

I'll definitely vote for 1921, I wanted a version of this prompt to show up.

I'll also vote for non-fiction. I like non-fiction (biographies and narratives). I found ways to fit mine in this year, but understand that it can be tough and feel bad that there are a lot of non-fiction lovers that aren't able to do that.

I feel like a lot of the time you can identify some tropes just from the book description, like a love triangle is pretty likely to make it into the summary. Also, literary fiction definitely has its own tropes. Like if I see one more fiction book about a group of seemingly disparate women who are forced together by circumstances and learn to overcome their prejudices, I. will. scream. Or two sisters who make vastly different choices that result far reaching consequences.

Nothing I hate in this set of prompts. Really like the event from 1921 prompt plus the well-read world lit list. Although it is going to take me ages to work through it to find books from countries I haven’t read yet. I mean I could just pick any book that appeals but since I’m slowly reading my way around the world I might as well get maximum benefit of the prompt goes through.

I have never heard of the First Novel Prize, and I love it. I really enjoy debut novels and finding new authors that I love, so it will be fun just digging into all of the books on those lists.

The link to the tropes is really interesting. I like the one under literary fiction that's titled: The Something's Something. I think that would make a good title prompt on its own.

Katie, I think that trope is what inspired the prompt that made it in: A book whose title refers to person(s) without giving their name. So many "The Something's Daughter" or "The Something's Wife"

I really like the natural world suggestion. So many of my books would fit into that

The Something's Something trope is very much like "A book whose title refers to person(s) without giving their name" we had a earlier on

I really like the World Lit and the First Novel Prize lists and the 1921 events (so many to choose from including the Sacco and Vanzetti trial, which would be my first choice). Also, I have to vote to for a humorous book after the depressive 2020 year.

Here are some non-fiction ideas that aren't person-oriented!
Listopias
You read a book about WHAT?
Non-fiction no biographies
Motivational/Self-help
Non-fiction about Books/Reading

Essays
#MeToo: Essays About How and Why This Happened, What It Means and How to Make Sure it Never Happens
The Opposite of Loneliness: Essays and Stories

Personal Development
The Secret Lives of Introverts: Inside Our Hidden World
Fair Play: A Game-Changing Solution for When You Have Too Much to Do
The Personality Brokers: The Strange History of Myers-Briggs and the Birth of Personality Testing
Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

Places
Boom Town: The Fantastical Saga of Oklahoma City, Its Chaotic Founding, Its Apocalyptic Weather, Its Purloined Basketball Team, and the Dream of Becoming a World-class Metropolis
The National Mall: No Ordinary Public Space
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed

Events
The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11
The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic—and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World
Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong

Science
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? Big Questions from Tiny Mortals About Death

Society
The Great Indoors: The Surprising Science of How Buildings Shape Our Behavior, Health, and Happiness
Planet Funny: How Comedy Took Over Our Culture
Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America's Favorite Guilty Pleasure
Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream

I really like the "Are You Well Read in World Literature" list. It's exactly the kind of stuff I like to read, but also feel like i should read more of (I've read 96! only 904 to go!) I also like the humor and ensemble cast.

I'm not quite so excited for the debut list. They are all new(ish) literary releases, and while the covers are gorgeous it's a genre that's not really my jam. I'm sure I could find something if it's voted in, though. I wouldn't vote against it.

Here's some other non-fiction (but not biography/memoir) books that I've really enjoyed, even though I'm a mainly fiction reader

Most of Roxane Gay's books, because she's just a fantastic writer, but specifically: Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture (unfortunately I feel like every woman on this site can relate to an essay in this book) and Bad Feminist

You Were Born for This: Astrology for Radical Self-Acceptance and Living Your Purpose which was a fun astrology book and she has a free site where you can get your exact astrology stars to prep you for the book.

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland a very narrative and gripping intro into the IRA. If you want to get more in depth understanding of the IRA, I recommend A Secret History of the IRA: Gerry Adams and the Thirty Year War

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup about Theranos, but really brought me back to a horrible startup that I actually worked at that was eerily similar.

This is a dark topic, but as our world continues to see a rise in suicides, I thought this was a really excellent book on the psychology behind it Suicidal: Why We Kill Ourselves

Some other randoms: The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, Modern Romance

I'm so torn this time! There are some I love (historical event of 1921 and natural world) and some that I know I'll have a really hard time with. I've never enjoyed a humorous book before, although I've found funny moments in serious books enjoyable. Would it count if it's an overall serious book (like a wartime drama) that has a few jokes here and there between characters?

Does anyone have any domestic fiction suggestions for someone who doesn't read domestic fiction? I skim right over books that sound like they're about families doing everyday things.

I liked We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, and The Tidal Zone which I would think would count but I don't really have anything on my TBR that I think fits.

Alicia wrote: "Here's some other non-fiction (but not biography/memoir) books that I've really enjoyed, even though I'm a mainly fiction reader."

Thank you for mentioning The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit You changed my vote for the non-fiction prompt. Someone strongly recommended this book and I bought it cheaply on kindle recently. I assumed by the title and synopsis that it wouldn’t work for a “nonfiction not about a person.” But if you say it would fit then I do have an option for this prompt.

You can vote here: https://www.surveymoz.com/s/3CVIBP/

Irene wrote: "I've never enjoyed a humorous book before"
Same goes for me. I usually find my own things to laugh about in serious books, but strictly humorous books don't seem to work for me.

I don't read YA and domestic fiction at all, so it might be difficult for me to find something enjoyable if those prompts get in.

Missed the last round of voting so got in quick today. Some really great suggestions, I especially love the ATY spreadsheet one. I personally am a big fan of the list based prompts so happy for any (or all to get through).

Only one I wasn't a fan of was the trope one, just because I'm indifferent to the majority of tropes

I love the domestic fiction and ensemble cast prompts. Ensemble cast would be a great unique addition to character prompts. Domestic fiction I read all the time, in the form of cheating husbands, neighborhood mysteries, suburban housewife dramedies, so I'm excited for that one.

The story trope prompt feels like a real freebie... I don't know if I really love any specific trope, so I'm sure anything could fit here, and I wouldn't ever knowingly pick a book with a trope I hate.

Book with a number in the title.. I feel like that was a recent prompt, right? So I won't be voting for it just because it's too repetitive.

I think the only list I feel strongly about is downvoting the Are You Well Read list, as it's way too long and it feels a bit older/obscure for my reading tastes. I like the other two okay, but I'm not sure I'll upvote either one.

I don't see why the second chance prompt is really that different than the first time it was suggested. Before it was a book that deals with a second chance (in whatever form you wanted), and now it's the same thing, but just added 2 extra synonyms that can be expanded upon however the reader wants. I hope that one gets through!

For the second chance prompt, do we think with this wording, it could still refer to a book or an author that you were giving a second chance, even if the book itself isn't about second chances at all? I might be being too picky, but I thought the previously suggested prompt was "related to second chances" as opposed to "a book that deals with second chances" and the latter suggests to me that the book itself must be about some kind of second chance.

Hannah, I think you are right now. I’m not sure how to vote anymore on this prompt. I had planned on using the second chance for either an author, series or ATY prompt that I was giving a second chance. I don’t want to read a book about a second chance.

Hmm I feel like “related to” in this group seems to be the best catch-all wording for most prompts. I think “about a second chance” would definitely mean it has to do with plot/content of the book. But I know in the past when a prompt said “related to” I’ve picked books based on all sorts of criteria: literal meaning, metaphorical meaning, topic, plot, cover, title, recommendations, how I acquired it, etc. I know I can be picky about literal meanings of prompts, but I think this one I’d personally definitely consider reading an author I’d like to give a second chance to.

Edited to say I thought this one was “related to” but I see it is “deals with” now. I think “deals with” is in the middle of “about” and “related to.” I think I’d prefer “related to” as well, but I personally will still treat this one as related and not “about.” The struggle haha!

I haven't got my email for this one. It was only because I looked here that I found the voting was open.

Avery wrote: "Hmm I feel like “related to” in this group seems to be the best catch-all wording for most prompts. I think “about a second chance” would definitely mean it has to do with plot/content of the book...."

I agree about "related to" but the prompt now has been reworded to be "dealing with." Do you think that "dealing with" is similar enough to "related to" to mean the same thing? (Thank you all for indulging my semantic fastidiousness, haha!)

Hannah wrote: "Avery wrote: "Hmm I feel like “related to” in this group seems to be the best catch-all wording for most prompts. I think “about a second chance” would definitely mean it has to do with plot/conten..."

Haha I’m not sure. Maybe others will weigh in! Technically if you’re reading a book you’re giving a second chance to, you’re dealing with giving it a second chance and maybe said-book is also dealing with the reader! Oh semantics!

I would say so, but I'm the "non-literalist" - I make it mean what I want it to!

Ha, I love the idea that a book may be dealing with me giving it a second chance. I can only imagine: "You again! What are you doing back here after so long..."

I take "dealing with" to be a plot based prompt which I do not like. The 2nd chance prompt has gone from my favorite prompt that has not made it to a likely down vote with the rewording.

dalex wrote: "Alicia wrote: "Here's some other non-fiction (but not biography/memoir) books that I've really enjoyed, even though I'm a mainly fiction reader."

Thank you for mentioning [book:The Stranger in the..."

Some may disagree, and he does talk about this one specific person, Knight. But it's not what I would consider a biography. He adds in conversations/letters with Knight and his family and things that he did to survive, but I felt like a lot of it is speculation based on conversations. Not a detailed accounting of Knight's actual life. I read the book as more of a homage to a less complicated, device-free life and a story of how one can truly disconnect from the world if they so choose.

The prompt regarding the spreadsheet does not make sense to me. It would make more sense to me if it was a book on the AtYB book shelves. It is easy to access through goodreads itself.

Ensemble cast is interesting. I can use it for an epic fantasy book, or scifi.

The list prompts are a no go for me.

I am going tomdo more research on the 1921 prompt. Most of the lists I have found so far are American centric. Insulin was discovered by Best, and the first woman was elected to Canadian parliament that year though.

The original incarnation of the second chance prompt was my favourite. I will vote for this one though and treat it like the last one if it gets through.

The suggestions thread for the 1921 prompt actually lists several events that were non-US: "the start of the Communist party in China and a few European countries, the Irish war of independence and establishment of Northern Ireland, and the rise of Mussolini's fascist party in Italy and Hitler in Germany..."

If you go to the Wikipedia page it also organizes by country so you can find a wealth of events that didn't happen in the US.

Anastasia wrote: "The prompt regarding the spreadsheet does not make sense to me. It would make more sense to me if it was a book on the AtYB book shelves. It is easy to access through goodreads itself. ."

I have never even seen the group bookshelves let alone added any books to them! I have been using the spreadsheet since I started the challenge...if it's just a format issue, we can easily transfer books onto a list if it gets in.

Ellie the books are added by the mods. They add the books that have been read by each group member. The bookshelf is listed on the groups home page on the right-hand side at the top of the page.

Nancy while both lists have a few examples from other places most are for the USA. It is just unfortunately how these lists usually work.

I upvoted 5 prompts. I liked some of the lists that are on the suggestion round this time. I hadn't read many at all of the world literature books.