Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

Our Poll 5 results are in!

Winners
A book that involves alternate reality, alternate worlds, or alternate history
A book that won an award from Powell's list of book awards
A book with gothic elements

Bottom
A book related to one of the individuals shown on the cover of the Beatles album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
A book whose cover shows your favorite kind of weather

Close Call
A book with a character who loves books

Polarizing
A book about doing something forbidden
A book with furniture on the cover

Listopias
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

Poll 6 Suggestions will open tomorrow morning, time depending on how much I choose to sleep in ;)

The only one I voted for was gothic elements, and I'm super excited for that!

I didn't vote for alternate reality/worlds/history, but do really enjoy alternate history books. For the Charlaine Harris fans, she has a new series An Easy Death that is fun!

Two of my up votes made it in. I didn't vote one way or the other on Powells. Between the Hugo's and the Nebulas, I can find something to read pretty easily.

😁

Excited for Gothic elements not so much for Powell list

Love all 3 of those! I'm glad the Powell's list got in over Obama's, I voted for both but then went and looked at Obama's again and there wasn't really anything that interested me that I hadn't already read.

I don't love alternate worlds so will do an alt reality or alt history for that one, I think.

Sad the character who loves books didn't make it but I will suggest it again later.

Interesting the weather one is a bottom, people really don't like having to choose a favorite, do they!

Jackie, do we have two links to alternate worlds? I can't seem to access the gothic elements listopia

Thomas have you looked through all of the options on Powell's? There are tons of different types of awards for all kinds of genres. I bet you'll find something that interests you. Don't write off a list just because it's a list.

And yes I was coming here to say there are two alternates and no gothic Listopia.

I'm glad that we got some genre-related prompts, because that was a type we'd be lacking so far. I was negative about Powell's because it felt too broad for a list prompt, but I'm fine having some pretty open prompts. (Watch this be weirdly hard for me to fill next year!) I'm a little sad that Sgt Pepper got downvoted, because it was quirky and interesting, but I understand.

For Powells you can pick any winner from any of the awards listed. Most of the awards have been around for many years, even decades so there are lots of books to choose from.

The Powell's site doesn't necessarily have all the winners. Also I think it's only fair that you can pick any of the CWA Dagger winners because they don't limit the Edgar to one category.

I will use the alternate prompt for any new books in the Lady Astronaut or Dead Djinn series if they happen next year. Fingers crossed.

Also Thomas, try looking at the listopia. I always find those to be more helpful than navigating the sites.

I will say all the books I've read on the Listopia, I've given 3 stars or less 🤦🏽‍♀️. BUT I've been meaning to read The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin and I didn't see it on the website. So I'll save that for next year.

Two of my up votes made it and one of my down votes, so I'm pretty happy.

Alicia wrote: "Also Thomas, try looking at the listopia. I always find those to be more helpful than navigating the sites.

I will say all the books I've read on the Listopia, I've given 3 stars or less . BUT I'..."

If you click on the Hugo award for the complete list of winners all three books of the trilogy are there! I highly recommend - and be sure you have access to all three books before you start reading because you will not want to wait for the next one!

Here’s the correct link for the gothic elements listopia

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

I'm glad to see the Powell's list made it. I didn't vote for the other two but I can work with them. The alternates one is probably the most difficult for me but I have been meaning to read Life After Life for the longest time so hopefully I will finally get to it next year with the help of this prompt!

I voted for gothic elements and alternate world, so I'm pleasantly surprised that both of those got in!

I'm not particularly interested in the Powell's list. So far, I have only 4 of the books on the listopia that are already on my TBR. Two of those are books I already plan to read this year, and the other two are very low priority and not particularly motivating. I'll have to do some digging to find more, I guess.

There will be some more winners announced before the end of the year. For SFF readers, a KIS option might be to read a book from a series that has won Hugo Best Series category.

I’m wondering if I’ll be able to find something gothic by an author of color, other than Mexican Gothic. Any ideas?

I have This Poison Heart by Kalyan Bayron on my TBR and I believe she is an author of color

I mistyped her name. It’s Kalynn Bayron

I upvoted all three of the winners!

Chrissy wrote: "I’m wondering if I’ll be able to find something gothic by an author of color, other than Mexican Gothic. Any ideas?"

White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi has a tag of "gothic."

Chrissy wrote: "I’m wondering if I’ll be able to find something gothic by an author of color, other than Mexican Gothic. Any ideas?"

Would A Distant Heart by Sonali Devbe considered Gothic?

Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron has a few gothic elements, and she has a new book, This Poison Heart, that some people have tagged as gothic

Chrissy wrote: "I’m wondering if I’ll be able to find something gothic by an author of color, other than Mexican Gothic. Any ideas?"

Beloved by Toni Morrison and Fledgling by Octavia Butler would work.

And an interesting looking nonfiction book on my TBR: Darkly: Blackness and America’s Gothic Soul by Leila Taylor

I accidentally added Wuthering Heights to the Powell Listopia. I removed my vote but the book didn't go away. Would a Mod be able to remove it from the list? Thanks!

Chrissy wrote: "I’m wondering if I’ll be able to find something gothic by an author of color, other than Mexican Gothic. Any ideas?"

Kindred by Octavia Butler is time travel but it has a gothic feel

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires - this has a black protagonist, but I would put it in the horror category.

I've had Fatherland on my tbr to read forever and I think that works for alternate history. Maybe I'll finally read it.

The other categories I'm sure I can find something. I've read a lot of the classics that are gothic. The Powell list I'm sure I'll find something. I voted for it because I felt like we needed a list prompt and it wasn't restrictive.

Rachel wrote: "I voted for gothic elements and alternate world, so I'm pleasantly surprised that both of those got in!

I'm not particularly interested in the Powell's list. So far, I have only 4 of the books on..."

To be fair, the listopia has only been up for 2 hours so I am sure a lot more options will be added to it over the next few days and months :)

I am not a big fan of list but seems like our should have at least one and the Powell's list seems like it has a lot of options.

I like the gothic prompt and think the alternate history one is doable, just don't have anything leaping out at me right now.

A book about or involving ritual or ceremony was the one I was most excited about glad it can be suggested again.

FYI, the list links above list alternate history/worlds, etc. twice and doesn't list gothic elements.

Nancy wrote: "Love all 3 of those! I'm glad the Powell's list got in over Obama's, I voted for both but then went and looked at Obama's again and there wasn't really anything that interested me that I hadn't alr..."

I like the The Invisible Library series by Genevieve Cogman. It is an alternative world and a character who loves books.

Really happy about the results! I voted for both the gothic elements and alternate realities prompt. I'm also a huge idiot and didn't realize the Powell's prompt included every book that's ever won any of the numerous awards in the link, I thought it was just the books featured on that page (which would have made it extremely limiting!) so I'm definitely okay with that one too.

The Invisible Library is on my list of possibilities. I am trying to avoid starting any new series until I finish some of the others I have started, I made good headway with that this year.

Same for Ink and Bone and The Shadow of the Wind - both look great, both are series.

Here's the correct listopia for gothic elements.
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

Jackie posted it in message 14.

Alicia wrote: "Jackie, do we have two links to alternate worlds? I can't seem to access the gothic elements listopia"

Whoops! Fixed it!

Kathy wrote: "I accidentally added Wuthering Heights to the Powell Listopia. I removed my vote but the book didn't go away. Would a Mod be able to remove it from the list? Thanks!"

Highlighting this so one of our Goodreads Librarians can take care of it; I know we have a few floating around this group :)

Yay for the alternate prompt and the Powell’s lists. Sad for Sgt Pepper but perhaps I shouldn’t be since now I won’t have to read Ulysses.

Nancy wrote: "The Invisible Library is on my list of possibilities. I am trying to avoid starting any new series until I finish some of the others I have started, I made good headway with that this year.

Same ..."

The Shadow of the wind books can all stand alone, or so I've been told. I only read the first one and it felt complete.

Chrissy wrote: "I’m wondering if I’ll be able to find something gothic by an author of color, other than Mexican Gothic. Any ideas?"

Here are the newest gothic books, which might help:
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/gothic

Poison Heart, and Sorrowland are good bets. The author of Sorrowland is a person of color.

@Chrissy not a POC but a Black Cree author Stephem Graham Jones "Mapping the Interior" is Gothic imo.

NancyJ wrote: "The Shadow of the wind books can all stand alone, or so I've been told. I only read the first one and it felt complete."

I have a need to read all the books in a series even if they're stand alone, at least if I like them. But I'll keep that in mind.

Anastasia wrote: "@Chrissy not a POC but a Black Cree author Stephem Graham Jones "Mapping the Interior" is Gothic imo."

Stephen Graham Jones is definitely a POC. On the FAQs on his website, it says:
Q: You're Indian, right?
A: Blackfeet, yes.

Thanks for the suggestions! Some were even on my TBR already.

I'm having a problem with the Powell's List- or maybe it's a temporary problem with the website. I thought it had all the years for the awards, but so far I'm not finding them. For one award when I click on a year, nothing happens. I have shelves for some of the awards already so I'll add books from those.

I'll start with any missing Pultizers.

Do only winners count, or are nominees (for the current year) listed when applicable?

I'm glad the gothic prompt made it in. I really wanted that one. I downvoted the Powells one just on principle, but it'll be easy enough to check off, and the alt world one will be super easy - There's a new Wayward Children book out in January.

While I didn't vote for any of these, they all would have been upvotes if I had more of them. Checking out the listopias, these prompts clearly hit my normal reading choices. There are so many "read" titles and almost as many TBR titles for these prompts. I am sorry the rabbit prompt didn't make it.

I'm pretty happy with these results. I'm excited for the alternate realities prompt and gothic elements seems interesting. I'm not a big fan of list prompts, so I'm glad the Powell's list is the one that made it. It's so broad that it'll be no problem for me to find something.

NancyJ wrote: "I'm having a problem with the Powell's List- or maybe it's a temporary problem with the website. I thought it had all the years for the awards, but so far I'm not finding them. For one award when I..."

The prompt says 'won' so I would say any book that won one of those awards (in any year) is a-ok. A nice KIS option would be to include nominees of those awards too.

Very happy with alternate history and gothic winning! And while not my favorite, the Powell's list isn't a bad one, looks like there should be plenty of options.

Surprised how many people apparently had strong feelings about furniture on the cover!

Yes, I would have thought furniture was innocuous. Plenty of covers have chairs or tables.