Play Book Tag discussion

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

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BPZ2X6R

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 10/22.

OMG! These are THE BEST options!

I don't get to vote so I always add books for all 3 tags to my "possibilities for the month" shelf, then, when the winner is announced, I remove all but the winning tags.

I just added like a dozen books to my "possibilities" shelf and could have easily added another dozen! lol.

Oooo, kids, November is going to be fun!

Wow, I love them all.

Great American Read is one that I suggested to the list last year. It refers to the 100 (actually about 170 when you include series books) books that were selected by PBS a few years ago. To develop the list they used professional polling methods to reach a diverse range of people and asked them about their favorite book or most beloved book. There was no requirement that the author or setting of the book be American. Millions of people in North American voted to determine the rank order.

RANKED LIST:

Great American Read – PBS – most beloved books

To Kill a Mockingbird #1
Outlander (Series) #2
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Series) #3
Pride and Prejudice #4
The Lord of the Rings #5
Gone with the Wind #6
Charlotte's Web #7
Little Women #8
The Chronicles of Narnia #9
Jane Eyre #10
Anne of Green Gables #11
The Grapes of Wrath #12
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn #13
The Book Thief #14
The Great Gatsby #15
The Help #16
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer #17
1984 #18
And Then There Were None #19
Atlas Shrugged #20

Wuthering Heights #21
Lonesome Dove #22
The Pillars of the Earth #23
The Stand #24
Rebecca #25
A Prayer for Owen Meany #26
The Color Purple #27
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland #28
Great Expectations #29
The Catcher in the Rye #30
Where the Red Fern Grows #31
The Outsiders #32
The Da Vinci Code #33
The Handmaid's Tale #34
Dune #35
The Little Prince #36
The Call of the Wild #37
The Clan of the Cave Bear #38
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy #49
The Hunger Games #40
The Count of Monte Cristo #41
The Joy Luck Club #42
Frankenstein #43
The Giver #44
Memoirs of a Geisha #45
Moby-Dick or, The Whale #46
Catch-22 #47 *bonus read may 2018
A Game of Thrones (Series) #48
Foundation (Series) #49
War and Peace #50

Their Eyes Were Watching God #51
Jurassic Park #52
The Godfather #53
One Hundred Years of Solitude #54
The Picture of Dorian Gray #55
The Notebook #56
The Shack #57
A Confederacy of Dunces #58
The Hunt for Red October #59
Beloved #60
The Martian #61
The Wheel of Time Series The Eye of the World #62
Siddhartha #63
Crime and Punishment #64
The Sun Also Rises #65
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time #66
A Separate Peace #67
Don Quixote #68
The Lovely Bones #69
The Alchemist #70
Hatchet #71
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison #72
Twilight sagaTwilight #73
Tales of the City #74
Gulliver's Travels #75
Ready Player One #76
Left Behind #77
Gone Girl #78
Watchers #79
The Pilgrim's Progress #80
Alex Cross Series Kiss the Girls #81
Things Fall Apart #82
Heart of Darkness #83
Gilead #84
Flowers in the Attic #85
Fifty Shades of Grey #86
The Sirens of Titan #87
This Present Darkness #88
Americanah #89
Another Country #90
Bless Me, Ultima #91
Looking for Alaska #92
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao #93
Swan Song #94
Mind Invaders #95
White Teeth #96
Ghost Track #1 by Jason Reynolds #97
The Coldest Winter Ever #98
The Intuitionist #99
Doña Bárbara #100

I like them too, I am sure I will have a lot of options!

Nicole R wrote: "OMG! These are THE BEST options!

I don't get to vote so I always add books for all 3 tags to my "possibilities for the month" shelf, then, when the winner is announced, I remove all but the winni..."

Ah, Nicole-you have not called us "the kids" in a long time-ya made me smile!

Great American Read - the spirit of PBT allows you flexibility to define the tags the way that makes sense to you, so you aren't limited to the PBS list above.

The list includes classics, modern classics, literary, popular novels that some you may consider crap, and some very old classics. There is a lot more Sci-fi and Space than I would have guessed. Also many groupings of book focusing on POC, LGBTQ, religion, Children.

Meh. These do not excite me at all. Not a glimmer.

Books to Screen in some variation shows up a prompt in Popsugar and Other challenges every single year. I am so over it. Already dealt with it for 2020.

Great American Read - I have read 95% of those books and the tiny number I haven't are not ones I will read ever for any reason. Not interested in a reread. And I have had enough this year from reading from restricted lists.

Memoir - not big on those but again Popsugar and other challenges have it or a variation as a prompt every year. Besides, thanks to Poll Tally and other challenges, I have already read way over my usual compliment of those this year.

I probably won't even vote. Disappointing to see one of the final months of the year so uninteresting.

Obviously many will not agree, 😁

Good choices and any work for me, but I went with the one, which I have something in the wings which I want to read.

No extra points.

I can find something on any of those lists. Not too excited, but I know I'll probably have less time for reading with family holidays and birthdays ( provided we get together at all) I'd rather pick some easy reads for Fall Flurries.

Memoirs - I would recommend
Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption
(which is also a movie)

I would want to read Lab Girl and Born a Crime.

I see some novels on the memoir list. I can understand how that happens. I read at least two novels this month that felt very much like memoirs.

The movie list has many overlaps with both the GAR list, and the Memoir list.

Hmmm... this is tough.
I love to read something before seeing the film adaptation.
Great American Read is mostly meh, but there are titles on there I wanna read.

Well, after checking the lists and comparing to my TBR shelf-my excitement has died.

Once again the list contains frauds-LoL. Definition of Memoir

A memoir (/ˈmɛmwɑːr/; from French: mémoire: memoria, meaning memory or reminiscence) is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual.

So many of the books on that list do not qualify under that definition!

For the other 2, I thought I would have a lot on my TBR-and I don't. Like Theresa, the ones I would read, I have already read.
No re-reads for me. Also I made a pact with myself that the monthly tag must come from TBR shelf *sigh* Not voting right now, may for the first time ever not vote at all.

Voted. Went with the one that has the most books that I'm excited about and has been on my tbr forever. I don't really want Great American Read & I think a lot of you won't want it either due to it being election month!

Joanne wrote: "Ah, Nicole-you have not called us "the kids" in a long time-ya made me smile!"

Hahaha! I like to bust it out when I am really excited ;)

Jgrace wrote: "I can find something on any of those lists. Not too excited, but I know I'll probably have less time for reading with family holidays and birthdays ( provided we get together at all) I'd rather pic..."

I need to head back over to the Fall Flurries discussion thread. I am in need of some November suggestions....

NancyJ wrote: "The movie list has many overlaps with both the GAR list, and the Memoir list."

I noticed a ton of overlap too, especial with GAR and books to screen list. Many of those classics have been adapted for TV or movie (thanks, BBC! lol)

Meli wrote: "Great American Read is mostly meh, but there are titles on there I wanna read."

GAR is hard for me because there are so many I WANT to read and know that I SHOULD read, but when it comes down to it, will I really read War and Peace in November?!? lol.

Joanne wrote: "No re-reads for me.."

It takes a lot for me to re-read books as well. There is just too many other books just waiting for me out there!

But, I am considering a reread of The Count of Monte Cristo if GAR wins. I should see if there is a good audiobook of that....

Nicole R wrote: "Meli wrote: "Great American Read is mostly meh, but there are titles on there I wanna read."

GAR is hard for me because there are so many I WANT to read and know that I SHOULD read, but when it co..."

Exactly! They are mostly books on my long list, like if I was feeling ambitious.

I'm with Nicole on loving these tags . . .memoir is probably one of my very favorite genres, and I always have stacks of them on my TBR . . .so definitely biased (and shocked that the randomizer picked it).

I have plenty on the GAR list that interest me. And I'm sure I can find a book to screen option though that's the one I don't have at my fingertips.

Kinda need to get on my animal read so one thing at a time!

Nicole R wrote:

GAR is hard for me because there are so many I WANT to read and know that I SHOULD read, but when it co..."

No War and Peace for me either. For Nov flurries I might go for Lonesome Dove. It's long but it's a fast read.

If you look closely at the list, you'll find that ambition isn't necessarily required. There are many easy (even trashy) reads on the list. (Patterson's Alex Cross series, 50 Shades of Grey, Ready Player One, Hitchhiker's Guide). They asked for "favorites" not best.

All the Outlander, Game of Thrones, LOTR, and Harry Potter series books count. Tales of the City is entertaining and has many sequels. I might finally start the Anne of Green Gables series.

I have read a lot of the Great American Read books and I will never read Fifty Shades, Atlas Shrugged, Flowers in the Attic and some of the others that are only there because they sold a lot of copies.

I am and will be happy with any of these three. How fun. 3 great tags.

Voted. Two of choices I love and the one, not so much BUT I do have a couple books on my TBR so I will make do.

Is anyone else scratching their head as to why The Book Thief and Harry Potter are on list for Great American Reads?

They're not American! There's nothing American about them! First, the authors aren't American. And, second, they're not even set in America!

I'm just so perplexed how anyone, and not just one "anyone" but many "anyones" to be on the first page, tagged these books as Great American Reads.

Am I missing something?

UPDATE: I just read NancyJ's post about it having to do with PBS's thing a couple of years ago. Never mind. My rant is invalid, lol.

Jenni Elyse wrote: "Is anyone else scratching their head as to why The Book Thief and Harry Potter are on list for Great American Reads?

They're not American! There's nothing American about them! First, the authors a..."

I think the Great American Reads list was the favorite books of Americans that participated in the survey, no matter where the books are set or where the author is from.

I voted - I like all three tabs.

And I got to pick one of the three choices this month. Not telling which...and I'll honestly be happy with any of the choices.

Cora wrote: "Jenni Elyse wrote: "Is anyone else scratching their head as to why The Book Thief and Harry Potter are on list for Great American Reads?

They're not American! There's nothing American about them! ..."

Yes, I realized it afterward, lol. I actually read NancyJ's post above. It makes much more sense now.

I voted and I threw some weight behind my choice.

I do have a favourite, but I'd be happy with any of these.

The Great American Read might be toughest, because I suspect I've read most of the ones I want to read. Though one of them has been niggling as a potential reread someday...

NancyJ wrote: "I might finally start the Anne of Green Gables series. ..."

That is my potential reread!

Jenni Elyse wrote: "Is anyone else scratching their head as to why The Book Thief and Harry Potter are on list for Great American Reads?..."

Or "Anne of Green Gables"! LOL! It's very PEI-ian!

November is going to be great! I LOVE all these tags.

I'm a big memoir and book-to-movie reader, and have quite a few on my TBR for each tag already.

Anita wrote: "Kinda need to get on my animal read so one thing at a time!."

You and me both on getting to our animal reads...

Three good options, but I have read so many memoirs for Poll Book Tally that I couldn't bring myself to vote for that one. I figure that once this game is done I will want a break from those, although I do have a couple of biographies I want to read. Just not another memoir.

I love the tags and have options for all three. Scanning through the lists of options and noting the ones I'm interested is one of my favorite things about the monthly PBT voting day. I voted for the one for which I have the most books on hand.

I think book-to-screen will win, and it's an easy tag for me.

Still, I really encourage people to look closely at the GAR list for every day reading if not for the tag. It's a very diverse list and there is truly something there for everyone. It has a lot of poll tag books for anyone looking for one more book by Nov 3 - esp for space, antebellum, great depression, etc. There are a few that could also be used for November flurries. Plus you're not limited to the PBS list. You can interpret the tag any way that makes sense to you. If it wins, I might read books that I believe should have been on the list, other books by GAR authors, or newer books that might be nominated if they surveyed people today.

For instance - which mystery series would have been a better choice than Patterson's Alex Cross series? I would pick Underground Railroad or Nickel Boys instead of The Intuitionist. Huck Finn instead of Tom Sawyer. (Each author was limited to one book or series on the list.

I have poll tag leftovers on hand that I probably won't get to this month, so I have plenty of options for each category.

NancyJ wrote: "Wow, I love them all.

Great American Read is one that I suggested to the list last year. It refers to the 100 (actually about 170 when you include series books) books that were selected by PBS a f..."

Thanks for that list, Nancy ... but the tag itself has been used for hundreds of books. Goodreads doesn't restrict how people use tags.

Trailer for Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis just came out and MAN it looks good! Great for memoir, or book-to-screen!

I loved the book and would like to see the movie.

I didn’t realize it was going to be a movie!! Off to find the trailer!

Joi wrote: "Trailer for Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis just came out and MAN it looks good! Great for memoir, or book-to-screen!"

I just read that book last night, started at 10 pm and read straight through to 2 am. His story is compelling. I knew his politics were different from mine but I agreed with much of what he said about the challenges of changing culture, and all of them apply just as well to other marginalized communities. As far as a movie, it makes me think of another memoir, Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, which is also supposed to be a movie eventually.

I had no idea Hillbilly Elegy was going to be a movie either! I'll be interested to see what they make out of it.

I voted.

It is a hard choice.

Book Concierge wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Wow, I love them all.

Great American Read is one that I suggested to the list last year. It refers to the 100 (actually about 170 when you inclue series books) books that were sele..."

I was just providing some background about the PBS GAR project since I suggested the tag last year. Also to clarify the odd mix of books that doesn't fit the common def for the Great American Novel. The list above shows the ranked order of the books in case anyone is interested. I spent the better part of a year on that project.

Wow, three great choices! No matter which tag gets chosen, I can find something good to read in all three.

I'm with Nicole, these are great choices. I have a lot available from all three. I voted for my favorite two but didn't bother to put in any additional votes because I'd be happy with any of them.