Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

When I resubmitted the second chance prompt, I copy and pasted it from the previous time it was suggested to make sure I had it the same, so that wording was definitely "deals with."

I really loved that prompt the way it was first brought up, but I'm less convinced about the new wording for some reason. I think it's like Avery said -- the new wording just adds additional synonyms I'm still going to vote for it anyway since I like the idea. It's too bad that people are saying they aren't as interested anymore. I guess the wording really does make a difference sometimes.

My interpretation of it was that the content of the book "dealt with" a second chance, but I think it's open to interpretation. I think the "deals with" wording is close enough to "related to," if we want to be that picky about it. I like to stick closely to the wording of the prompt, so I would definitely be picky, lol!

Anastasia wrote: "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.

That seems like a huge amount of work for the mods to do. I can't see any shelves for this year unless I'm being stupid.

If I recall we stopped doing the group bookshelves because it was a ton of work and people said they weren't using them much. If the book from the group spreadsheet makes it onto the list, we'll make a listopia to transfer things over so it's easier to see the options.

I'm still researching options. I have 2 definite upvotes, but I like most of the categories this time around.

I've been kind of stuck on the second chances prompt, because all I've been coming up with is second chance romance books, which is something I'm not keen on. But then it occurred to me that I could read a celebrity memoir - Johnny Cash certainly got a few second chances.

Almost every famous entertainer, business person, politician, etc. had setbacks so great idea!

Angie wrote: "I'm still researching options. I have 2 definite upvotes, but I like most of the categories this time around.

I've been kind of stuck on the second chances prompt, because all I've been coming up ..."

How about a copy-cat serial killer? That seems like it would fit the “re-do” part of the prompt? It could be a domestic fiction about a family moving to a new neighborhood to start anew after a tragedy. Maybe fairy tale retellings and classic retellings would count as “re-dos” as well!

Avery wrote: "Angie wrote: "I'm still researching options. I have 2 definite upvotes, but I like most of the categories this time around.

I've been kind of stuck on the second chances prompt, because all I've b..."

I like the retelling as a "re-do", but I already voted, oh well.

I ended up going 4-4.

I voted for the Community Spreadsheet, because of all the "list" prompts available, this it the one that I think has the broadest appeal. I'll admit I completely forget that the spreadsheet exists, but I will go back at some point and enter in my books, but I immediately saw several books that interested me on there, and I think it would easily have something for everyone.

I also voted for the ensemble cast, the second chance (although I still prefer the original wording), and domestic fiction.

I downvoted historical event of 1921, non-fiction, First Novel and the natural world. I don't hate any of them and I'm sure I could find something, but they were the ones I was least excited about and could see myself dreading when it came time to pick something.

Jackie is correct -- we made the decision to move exclusively to the listopias where people can add and access the books on their own, rather than relying on us to go and add to the bookshelves.

I'm a bit confused about the second chances debate and the prompt listed.

Looking back at the Suggestion thread, wasn't the prompt that was seconded, Rachel's prompt which was just "A book that deals with second chances".

It looks like Becky, in comment 41, seconded this version and not the postponement and redo one. So why is that one in the voting?

Ended up upvoting 5 prompts: second chance (whichever version it may be), YA, non-fiction, 1921, and ensemble.

Then downvoted First Novel Prize (I looked through a few years and there wasn't anything I wanted to read or have read), natural world, and number in the title. PopSugar has a prompt where a book has to have 20 or twenty (or twenty-__) in it and I absolutely hate that prompt. I'm forced to read something next week that I don't want to just so I can satisfy it. This prompt is just too close to home in a bad way right now.

Irene wrote: "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 don't read many humorous books but a few humorous authors that I really like include Jonathan Coe (British political humor), Carl Hiaasen, Terry Pratchett, Bill Bryson, and Terry Fallis (Canadian).

Can I ask a general question that is not directed at any person or comment in particular, but on a general trend that has been bothering me?

I don’t understand the purpose of nitpicking wording of a prompt once it is in the poll (and can’t be changed) or after its been voted in, nor the purpose of telling everyone which prompts you voted down. To me, these discussions are useful for giving new perspectives on how a prompt might be interpreted, cheerleading for a favorite, getting people excited, etc. The negativity really gets me down, even when I don’t have any feelings about the prompt being discussed.

I’m not suggesting any new rules or moderation work, just for people to think about what a comment accomplishes before they post it.

This is my first year, so I can't speak what the trend is, but I actually like to know what people like and don't like about a prompt.

I've never felt like someone was saying anything to be mean or hurtful or demeaning. But since there are so few prompts that make it through each round, I think the explanation of what people like and don't like about prompts, how they are interpreting certain words, and what they would prefer helps when people want to suggest new or previous prompts.

For example, if second chances doesn't make it this round, now people will have more insight into how the broader group feels. Or I was glad that last round, someone pointed out that my wording of "non-binary/trans" actually ended up excluding a group I wanted included. So now when I submit it again in a couple rounds, I'll have it more perfected.

I think it's a good way to get feedback, because if people only said really positive things then when prompts end up in the bottom, people may not know why.

Alicia wrote: "I'm a bit confused about the second chances debate and the prompt listed.

Looking back at the Suggestion thread, wasn't the prompt that was seconded, Rachel's prompt which was just "A book that d..."

That was my suggestion, but Chrissy's version (which is what appears on the list) was suggested and seconded just before. It must have happened while I was typing my pots because I didn't even notice until I went back and looked at the list, and wondered why it was different there.

Chrissy, I can definitely see where the comments about what was downvoted might seem very negative, but I find it helpful to see people's reasons for why they chose to upvote *and* to downvote prompts. I like that the group is open to this kind of feedback, and I think it can help people workshop their prompts based on what they think might be more appealing to the group. I fully agree with what Alicia said above about how only saying positive things might mean people have no idea why others didn't like their suggestion.

I think it is fair to raise comments/concerns about wording before the prompts move to the poll, and I think that did happen this time around as well. It's not a huge window between the time prompts are seconded and the time that the poll goes up, so I know not everyone can be online to see the discussion nor is interested in checking back on the discussion. I do think it's fair within that window for small changes to be made, with the approval of the person who suggested the prompt, although that may be a challenge if that person isn't around much. When I'm working, I'm only really online in the evenings so it's easy to miss things, especially when the suggestions go so fast.

I can only speak for myself, but as someone who commented on the wording of the second chance prompt after it was "confirmed" for the poll, my intent was not to nitpick or come across disrespectfully. I was just trying to process through the change to the wording and whether that changed the way the prompt would be interpreted. I'm sorry if it came across the wrong way and seemed disrespectful or rude. That was not my intention at all.

Chrissy wrote: "Can I ask a general question that is not directed at any person or comment in particular, but on a general trend that has been bothering me?

I don’t understand the purpose of nitpicking wording o..."

Although I didn't suggest anything this time around, I found people's reasons for up/down voting prompts super helpful in past voting threads. I like hearing, for example, "downvoted prompt XYZ because I can't find any books I'd want to read for it" since it helps when workshopping the prompts again - I know that it means it was too narrow/specific! It makes it a lot harder to re-submit and re-phrase a prompt if no one gave you feedback on why they didn't vote for it the first time around.

And thanks Pam for the suggestions!!

For me chatting about which prompts I voted up or down and why is just part of being in the community. Much like I talk with irl friends about books or movies or - with one of my kids especially - what I like and don’t like about a political party, policy or candidate. It’s always fun seeing how the results tally (or more often don’t) with the opinions that were expressed. If I’m not sure Which way to vote I might say I’m leaning towards downvoting because.... One year someone took the time to look at my want to read list and pointed out how some of the titles there could fit a prompt which changed my opinion. Sometimes it can be helpful for figuring out how to tweak a prompt or increase the chances of getting it through. But often not since often half the opinions expressed cancel the other half. And the majority of voters are silent. So far, this year, I think the discussion has been very civil.

Also, we used to only have upvotes so I guess when downvotes were added discussing them just naturally flowed.

When a poll doesn't have lots of options I feel strongly about, the discussion can help me decide what to do with my remaining votes. Sometimes there's a prompt I kinda like but if there's a lot of good reasons for not including it, I won't vote for it. If I love it I will vote for it regardless though!

Also I agree with what Serendipity said, it's a social thing, especially in a time when I sit by myself at a desk all day. I will have a peek at someone's shelves if they say they don't read something, to see if I can find something they like that fits.

I downvoted all but one of my votes this time. The prompts keep getting worse and worse for me. I originally submitted the second chance idea and I voted it down this time. It has been reworded out of its original meaning and would no longer encompass reading a book you wanted to give a second chance. I was waiting a few polls to resubmit it in its original form and lost all control of it.

Chrissy wrote: "I don’t understand...the purpose of telling everyone which prompts you voted down."

I agree there isn't a lot of point of saying what a person voted after their votes have been submitted.

But if a person says "I'll probably be downvoting X prompt" that gives people a chance to try to get them to reconsider. Sometimes someone has a different way of viewing the prompt or a book suggestion or something that can change how a person is viewing a prompt.

As an example, I fully intended to downvote the nonfiction prompt and expressed that in this discussion. Someone then mentioned a book that would fit the prompt that I own and plan to read and I ended up not downvoting it after all.

Alicia wrote: "I'm a bit confused about the second chances debate and the prompt listed.

Looking back at the Suggestion thread, wasn't the prompt that was seconded, Rachel's prompt which was just "A book that d..."
I was a little confused about this, too--I saw that they had both been posted and seconded the one that I did intentionally. It seems like because they were so similar, the second nomination was potentially considered as a seconding rather than a separate topic? I definitely prefer the original 'second chances' wording.

Both positive and negative feedback are helpful. I know sometimes I have two prompts that I like equally but only have enough votes to up vote one of them. If I see that there is enthusiasm in the discussion that helps me pick. Also if I see that one of them is difficult for several members, I more likely not to pick that prompt. This also happens with down votes. Sometimes I see that I have more options and while I won't up vote for something I move it out of my down votes. Also, seeing enthusiasm for a prompt I don't like might help me pick it for my bottom over another prompt that I equally dislike but don't have enough votes to down vote both of them.

Chrissy wrote: "Can I ask a general question that is not directed at any person or comment in particular, but on a general trend that has been bothering me?

I don’t understand the purpose of nitpicking wording o..."

One reason might be that prompts get resubmitted and knowing why people vote against them can help in the refinement for the next submission.

It is all part of brainstorming and collaborating to make the final list the best it can be. :-)

Had to check the schedule to make sure I wasn't late on posting results because this week has lasted 7 lifetimes. Nope. We still have a full day of voting left!

Emily wrote: "Had to check the schedule to make sure I wasn't late on posting results because this week has lasted 7 lifetimes. Nope. We still have a full day of voting left!"

I came in earlier to check the dates because I was *sure* that today was results day. It feels like I voted at least a week ago! Time is just so screwy at this point. Days, weeks, hours, nothing makes sense any more!

This feels like the longest poll. I even voted later than usual because I was having a hard time figuring out how I wanted to vote on some of the prompts. Maybe, we have adjusted to the shorter voting time period so the voting time now fills longer.

I thought about this today too. Maybe because it’s been so quiet on the thread for the last 24hrs. I feel like we usually have lots of comments up until the day before the poll closes and Emily gives her 1day warning.

I actually just logged in to see if I had missed the suggestions thread again, and was surprised to see that we’re still in voting! 😂

Omg I expected today to be results day too!

I thought something was wrong because there were no new comments in this group in more than 12 hours!

And we still have one more day of voting...

I'm going to try to be more active in this group because I really like following the challenge!

I mostly downvoted this go-around. I downvoted young adult, because I really dislike reading YA and if that got through, I'd probably have to wildcard. I also downvoted the redo option, because I personally find that sort of challenge difficult to judge before reading a book, which makes it hard to find a good choice. Likewise with the tropes pick.

I like the nonfiction option, though, because I frequently read that genre anyway and so it'd be pretty easy to slot in another book.

I only upvoted this time - historical event from 1921, Are you well read in World Lit, First Novel Prize list and natural world. Many of the others would be easy fills for for so I wouldn’t be at all upset if they got through. I nearly downvoted humour and then thought after 2020 we could all do with a laugh. So I left it alone.

Melanie wrote: "I'm going to try to be more active in this group because I really like following the challenge!

I mostly downvoted this go-around. I downvoted young adult, because I really dislike reading YA and ..."

You might be surprised. YA is a really big and amorphous category. In general, it's not something I go for, but there are some books I have enjoyed and only found out later that they were marketed as YA. It wasn't a category when I was a teenager, and it's not always clear why a book is labeled that way, I suppose it's marketing.

I like the idea of a humorous book, but I don't particularly like books by comedians that are just a bunch of jokes/stories. However, there are humorous mysteries, humorous fantasies, etc. There is a plot and there may be serious elements but some parts make me laugh and I think that would count. Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood has some very serious subjects, including apartheid and domestic abuse, and at the same time a lot of it is very funny.

Melanie wrote: "I'm going to try to be more active in this group because I really like following the challenge!

I mostly downvoted this go-around. I downvoted young adult, because I really dislike reading YA and ..."

(Sorry if this count as snooping) but I noticed you have a decent number of YA books you've rated 3+ stars and at least a few on your favorites shelf, so hopefully if the YA prompt gets through, you'll be able to find one that you don't dislike too much! I personally didn't vote for it either because it's a very big genre, but I think most people could find some that they'd enjoy (compared to horror, nonfiction, or other genres that are more common for people to avoid entirely).

Robin P wrote: "I thought something was wrong because there were no new comments in this group in more than 12 hours!"

Haha....me too! And I agree that this poll has seemed extra long.

This week has seemed extra long lol. I actually went check the schedule to make sure I had counted out the days properly when I made it.

That being said, Today is your last day to vote in the poll!

How is it not Sunday yet? :(

Kat wrote: "How is it not Sunday yet? :("
I know, right? Longest poll ever.