Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

Good morning everybody! Hope you're all enjoying the read-a-thon! Here are your poll 13 results:

Winners
A book related to the lyrics for the song "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music

A book with a Muslim character or author

A book with a building in the title

Bottoms
A book with a non-human narrator
A book that deserves a second chance
Reread a favorite book, but with a different perspective

No polarizing or close call this week. Apparently y'all were on the same page.

Listopias will be posted shortly and poll 14 suggestions will go live tomorrow 9/17, mid-day CST.

Listopias:
A book related to the lyrics for the song "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music
A book with a Muslim character or author
A book with a building in the title

Aw, I don't think a non-human narrator is ever going to win. I really like the idea but apparently the consensus doesn't! I am glad the re-read ones didn't make it.

I'm going to need a lot of help with these lol. I liked the idea of "My Favorite Things", but when I went to add books to the listopia, I completely drew a blank! As for Muslim character/author, I'm excited to see what other people add.

I had plenty with the word "house" in the title though lol.

I voted for 2/3 winners and fine with the 3rd one. I'm looking forward to seeing ideas for the My Favorite Things prompt.

Not too surprised at the bottom results. I liked the second chance idea but think most people interpreted it in a narrow way.

I voted for all three of these but really didn't have any ideas for building/my favourite things. I just had search on my TBR for some of the words, but I'm sure I'll come up with something better next year.

I found this Muslim blogger who has lots of suggestions for Muslim authors:
https://headscarvesandhardbacks.com/2...

By the way, I can't think of My Favorite Things without thinking of this comic:

I had a bunch of books on my read and tbr that work for My Favorite Things, I just added several.

I have a couple of choices for the other two as well, so I'm pleased with this round's winners.

I think limiting it to narrator really turned people off the non-human. If it was main character it may have a better chance.

Ok Steve, now I want to read a book about cats for this prompt!

I'm excited I voted for all the top 3. I am sad about Second Chance. I didn't think of it as re-reading a book, but I understand how others did.

I love these top 3. First poll where all the tops were also ones I voted for. I have tons of books by Muslim authors I have read in the past few years & adored, so I'm off to share them on the listopia.

As for My Favorite Things, a KIS option would be to read something about one of your favorite things, so like the idea of a story element or trope you love, you could interpret this prompt as a way to do that. I love that kitten comic too.

I voted for 2/3 of the top three, and I considered voting for the third. All in all, I'm pretty happy.

I voted for 2 of the winners. The 3rd (Muslim) I’m ok with but is more of a challenge for me. (And, this is a challenge after all!) I plan to read Orhan Pamuk, who is a cultural Muslim. I’m hoping that at least one of his books features a person of the Muslim faith.

I am happy with the results! I didn't vote for "My Favorite Things" I think mostly because I was struggling with finding something for "We Didn't Start The Fire" at the time I voted. I mean if I want to make it easy I can just read a thriller as it is one of my favorite things.

I did vote for A book with a Muslim character or author and I am glad it made it I think it will be fun to look for books that fit.

And a book with a building in the title should be pretty easy as well.

I am good with the bottom 3, non human narrator just seems to far outside of my comfort zone, I don't really do favorites so that one just left me scratching my head and second chance was hard because I don't want to read a DNF book and hard for me to think about other books as a second chance when I never gave them a first.

I'm not happy about any of the winners, but at least they are limiting and this time I won't be adding 100 books. Muslim author/character is especially bound to give me troubles, I could only think about two books on my tbr that would fit. But now I'm considering if for example The Silk Roads: A New History of the World would fit, I'm pretty sure given the theme Islam makes the appearence there, but dunno if any specific historical characters are prominently featured. Another book I'm wondering if I could add is Cyclonopedia: Complicity with Anonymous Materials, author is Iranian, but not a muslim afaik, then again book borrows a lot from Islamic theology, but because it's written like a non-fiction, I'm basically having similar issue as with Silk Roads.

I read Daring to Drive: A Saudi Woman's Awakening this year and loved it. It not only told about the driving movement in SaudiArabia, but also growing up as a Muslim woman there. Fascinating and eye opening. I think I gave it 5 stars, when I really was not expecting so much.

I upvoted Muslim character, downvoted building (although I’m sure I will have something on my TBR; if not I put my trust in the listopia. I was neutral about my favourite things lyrics since I was struggling to translate the lyrics into book ideas that appealed. But I’ve just had an aha moment. If I focus on the refrain “these are some of my favourite things” I can read about birds (my other big interest outside of reading) or my favourite trope/genre/series/author etc. Can’t believe my mind didn’t go there sooner.

I wasn't thrilled with "Favorite Things" because I was struggling to find a book I really wanted to read that fit the lyrics, but if I look at is as "read YOUR favorite things, ie: a book from your favorite genre/author" then it changes things entirely. It's a bit of a freebie, but I like it.

I actually voted for all 3 of the winners this time. An unexpected book with a Muslim character off-planet is Artemis by Andy Weir, the author of The Martian. The main character is a Muslim woman and it's just who she is, not a big deal in the story - which in itself is kind of a big deal. It's a nice change from all the books set in contemporary times and countries.

I’m almost definitely going to read a Rodgers or Hammerstein biography or other musical theatre history that includes The Sound of Music for that prompt, lol.

Aside from that- I like the ones that got in, they fit my taste in books/TBR easily but without applying to everything, and I’m honestly happy about what didn’t make it in, since I feel like I never got a clear answer about what was intended by the reread prompt. I reread a lot, so with clarification I might have been in favor of it, but I didn’t really get it as it was.

I also voted for all three winners. While I am so surprised that my building prompt (first time submitting one) made it, I am actually most excited to research books for "My favourite things".

Lots of options for the Muslim prompt as well. Looking at what I bookmarked on my TBR, there are Rooftops of Tehran and In the Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor's Journey in the Saudi Kingdom for instance.

I don't remember whether I voted for it, but I would have actually enjoyed a non-human narrator, because it's right down my alley of eclectic interests (someone mentioned "Death" in Discworld) and wouldn't have allowed too many options.

I'm happy with the winners. Muslim author/character was the only one of those that I voted for, but I'd considered voting for the other two. Building in the title was probably my next choice, and I only narrowly decided against it because there was another prompt that I wanted a tiny bit more.

I'm okay with the My Favourite Things prompt and definitely like it better than most other song lyric prompts we've had so far. I don't really have much specific in mind for what to pick, but I definitely want to stick to some of the items mentioned in the song and not take the easy route and pick something that is one of my favourites.

Robin P wrote: "I actually voted for all 3 of the winners this time. An unexpected book with a Muslim character off-planet is Artemis by Andy Weir, the author of The Martian. The main character is ..."

Ooh, thanks for the head's up! That book is on my list.

I like these prompts! I can already tell that the "my favorite things" prompt is going to trigger my literalist brain - it's funny that for some kinds of prompts I'm perfectly happy stretching it a bit or choosing a more KIS style option, but for others I'm like "I must find the PERFECT BOOK for this or else I'm cheating!" I definitely want to try to pick a book that has something of the same feeling that I get from the song, not just one that has a phrase in the title or relevant to the plot. Though I'm also excited to read about how everyone else is associating their books with the song!

I have all of these beautiful images from "My Favorite Things" swirling around in my mind, and I found a lovely stack of books that evoke winter imagery and light-heartedness. So appropriate!

And then I thought of Cujo ("when the dog bites"), lol.

I’m thrilled that we got three results this time!

For the Favorite Things I’m pretty sure I will finally read The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin. Not only does it fit the song (crisp apple strudels) but the title also invokes some of my favorite things - autumn, visiting the orchard, coming home with baskets of apples, baking apple desserts.

For the building prompt I have about a hundred house titles on my TBR List but I’m having fun thinking of other buildings.

The Muslim prompt has quite a bit of crossover with the BIPOC prompt but I own 20+ books that would work for BIPOC so I don’t mind having another prompt to easily use those books for.

Angie wrote: "I have all of these beautiful images from "My Favorite Things" swirling around in my mind, and I found a lovely stack of books that evoke winter imagery and light-heartedness. So appropriate!

And..."

lololol Angie. That is a GREAT suggestion for those literalists out there!

These prompts will certainly help make sure I get the Daevabad trilogy in next year: The City of Brass (Muslim character/author), The Kingdom of Copper (favorite things), and The Empire of Gold (not sure yet...maybe "the end" since it's the last book of a trilogy, or "place I've never visited" or "character in a deck of cards")!

I read Spinning Silver this year and it would work great for the Favorite Things prompt (silver white winters that melt into springs), for those looking for another literal interpretation option :)

Ooooooh definitely second that, Kelly. Spinning Silver was so good.

here's my lists of muslim authors: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

and lists of muslim characters: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

i'm probably going to read We Free the Stars or The Henna Wars for that prompt

and i'm so happy he favourite things prompt got through! can't wait to research for it

Steve wrote: "By the way, I can't think of My Favorite Things without thinking of this comic:

"

Love! :)

Kelly wrote: "These prompts will certainly help make sure I get the Daevabad trilogy in next year: The City of Brass (Muslim character/author), The Kingdom of Copper (favorite thi..."

Great plan! Some of the final book is set in Egypt so you could use it for the museum prompt.

Question: For the building prompt, would proper names of buildings/houses also count? I may want to re-read some Agatha Christie favorites next year, and while she has a bunch of titles that will fit, anyway (Crooked House, At Bertram's Hotel, Peril at End House, Dead Man's Folly), there are also titles referencing a house by its proper name: The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Peril at End House (this one works for both), The Secret of Chimneys ...
Or would that only be OK if the proper name contained an actual "building word", i.e., "End House" would work but "Chimneys" or "Styles" would not?
Could be KIS/BIO option, I guess.

Conny wrote: "Question: For the building prompt, would proper names of buildings/houses also count? I may want to re-read some Agatha Christie favorites next year, and while she has a bunch of titles that will f..."

That's a good question. I was considering using Gormenghast (the name of a fictional, fantastical manor/castle). I'm guessing that's one of those "open to personal interpretation" things. Technically the title *does* include a building!

Conny wrote: "Question: For the building prompt, would proper names of buildings/houses also count? I may want to re-read some Agatha Christie favorites next year, and while she has a bunch of titles that will f..."

I would say absolutely - it's a great BIO option!

Conny wrote: "Question: For the building prompt, would proper names of buildings/houses also count? I may want to re-read some Agatha Christie favorites next year, and while she has a bunch of titles that will f..."

I seem to remember that being mentioned as part of the original suggestion or perhaps on the Wild Discussion thread. Regardless, I'm 100% sure that the original suggestor of the prompt approved of that option!

I missed this post. I found books for all three prompts. I don't think I voted for any of these though. I picked out The Woman in White for the favorite things prompt. I feel like I could eventually pick something better for this prompt.