Play Book Tag discussion

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

https://forms.gle/qynoPvNaW4zNr9Jf7

Here are the lists of books for each tag:

Canadian: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
high fantasy: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
memoir: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

Remember, you may cast up to a total of 10 participation points for your choice. Every PBT member 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 noon EST on 6/22.

Oh wow, what a strange trio!
Very curious where people land.
I never read memoir for some reason.
I can't see "high fantasy" winning but if it does I think I will continue with the Sarah J. Maas A Court of.... series with book 3.

Wow - I just got home and its here already! Time to do research!

Judging by my progress for lgbtq, it's likely I'll still be reading one of my books for it in July - luckily it will fit into memoir!

Very interesting selection!

Voted! I had plenty of books that I really want to read for all three. it wasn't easy to decide. I will be happy with any of them.

Great choices.

I always think I don't read memoir, but I loved Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood, Becoming, The Glass Castle and Educated.

I am working through Louise Penny's mysteries, so Canadian would be fine for me. I also have some books that would be considered high fantasy, but that is a bit specialized, we probably have some members who don't generally read that.

I love all of these as evidenced by large number of "read" on the first pages of all 3 lists. Will also be very happy for any of the choices.

Voted. One of them go with my IRL book club choice for July. How serendipitous. I threw all my points at it, lol.

Jenny wrote: "Judging by my progress for lgbtq, it's likely I'll still be reading one of my books for it in July - luckily it will fit into memoir!"

@Jenny - You're not alone there Jenny. Based on the tag posts, many people are behind, or just reading other books. The LGBT folder for this month shows that our group has posted only 39 tag books so far. This seems low especially for a tag that won in a landslide.

Robin P wrote: "I am working through Louise Penny's mysteries, so Canadian would be fine for me...."

@Robin. Lucky you Robin! I'm all caught up with those and the next one doesn't come out until November! I started reading her a few summers ago, and it was such a joy to read the winter books on really hot days.

Jenni Elyse wrote: "Voted. One of them go with my IRL book club choice for July. How serendipitous. I threw all my points at it, lol."

@Jenni Elyse - My IRL book club will decide tomorrow on our July read. I haven't decided on my suggestions yet for that group. I wonder if they're ready for a fantasy?

Voted!

Voted

Voted. Great choices for July!

I voted and while I do have a favorite, I would be happy with any of the tags.

I like all these choices. I could probably find enough variety in each tag to find several satisfying books.

I had to look up definitions for High fantasy. It is set completely (or mostly) in a fantasy world as opposed to a recognizable world. Time travel, witches, or vampires aren't enough to call a book high fantasy. Alternate history doesn't necessarily fit, though Temeraire books work because the alternate world is so different.

High Fantasy
I don't read a lot of high fantasy, but I'm willing to explore. If it wins, I will start with Ursula K leGuin, the second Temeraire book, and something from the NPR Sci-fi/Fantasy list that fits. I will also rely heavily on this group for recommendations.
The Tombs of Atuan
Throne of Jade


Canada - If Canada wins I will read:
All My Puny Sorrows (or Fight Night) by Miriam Toews - based on some stellar reviews.
Butter Honey Pig Bread
Alias Grace or other novels by Margaret Atwood.
Burning Questions: Essays and Occasional Pieces, 2004 to 2021
Anne of Green Gables (every year I say I'm going to read it.)
I'd love recommendations for books from far flung regions of the country, perhaps with indigenous peoples or interesting history.
Also - Alice Munro short stories (Nobel Prize list), Washington Black, A Fine Balance, A House in the Sky, Glass hotel.


Memoirs. These are growing on me! Born a Crime was even better than I expected. If Memoirs wins, my possibilities include:
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China - High on my list of historical books
This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett. Also These Precious Days: Essays
Memorial Drive: A Daughter's Memoir
The Boys: A Memoir of Hollywood and Family by Ron Howard
A House in the Sky also has Canada tags.

Well, we all know which one I want.

And which one I really really don't want. (This one should match Anita's!)

You probably all know which one I want, but it's not likely to win!

It just happens that much of my reading in July is going to be high-fantasy - A Master of Djinn set in a steampunk, djinn filled Cairo and The Black Tides of Heaven for Feminerdy Book Club, A Clash of Kings for the A Song of Ice and Fire read-along, books needed to finish Popsugar Reading Challenge (only 12 prompts left!). Plus much of Lois McMaster Bujold's huge backlist is heavily tagged high fantasy. Heck I think even some other WPF authors might have a heavily tagged high fantasy or two in their backlist.

I even have a collection of high fantasy Christmas short stories to fit Christmas in July!

You all do realize I do not rank fantasy, and especially high fantasy, as one of the genres I read. Yet here I am with a month of high fantasy reads staring at me, that I can't wait to get to.

Just goes to show you never know what lurks in your TBR. And yes, I went for it and voted high fantasy!

Those of us in Aus are in a crazy busy marking and winter holiday prep mode....not much reading time. It's been really cold at 25C some mornings so the jumpers are out.

Lol, Cindy and Anna . . .I know exactly what each of you want and Cindy, what you don't want. Amusingly, my favorite is the one neither of you want most.

annapi wrote: "You probably all know which one I want, but it's not likely to win!"

👍right there with ya Anna

I say this with love, but LOL @Theresa out here advertising for A Master of Djinn 😁 I swear she gets kick backs for these book sales, she will recommend it any chance she gets!

I will read it sometime!

I think we had a year recently, where dark fantasy won. I know the fantasy folks always think they’re not gonna get their due, But I think you guys would be surprised. I think it has a fair shot. Look how Harry Potter disappeared in favor of this Lois McMaster Bujold that some of us had never heard of. I wouldn’t count it out. I think it when it comes to the others, some people really love memoirs, others are very drawn to Canadian authors. But I think for myself and for many of us, it’s really about what you wanna read next and what’s on your TBR. Truth is, even I have like six or seven choices for fantasy, and wouldn’t be upset if it won. I may have even voted for it myself. I really couldn’t decide between the three and which two and in what order. Ultimately, since I have many books for each of the three of them, I picked the one first that had the highest number of books I wanted to read more immediately. And that’s how I decided. But I wanted to say, fantasy folks, there is a strong number of you out there. Don’t give up hope.

I have to say that this month's LGBT has been excellent for catching up on some of my fantasy series! I love when the world building includes third gender and general societal acceptance of all kinds of love and people especially in contrast to the non-fantasy novels addressing the challenges of non-acceptance.

Meli wrote: "I say this with love, but LOL @Theresa out here advertising for A Master of Djinn 😁 I swear she gets kick backs for these book sales, she will recommend it any chance she gets!

I will read it som..."

It is the Feminerdy discussion book for July...

Jen K wrote: "I have to say that this month's LGBT has been excellent for catching up on some of my fantasy series! I love when the world building includes third gender and general societal acceptance of all kin..."

I was just noticing last night just how many of my upcoming fantasy reads are LGBT, and vice versa. In fact gender diversity is something Feminerdy Book Club looks for in many potential reads.

I'm with Cindy- there's one I REALLY LOVE, and one I'm really NOT interested in at all.

Two, I love and one I think I have something far down the tbr that I can read.

So it is all good.

Theresa wrote: "It is the Feminerdy discussion book for July..."

Yes! I am going to try to read it for that.

I am really hoping for high fantasy. That genre sounds most interesting for me right now.

Also, good selling point @Theresa re: upcoming fantasy being LGBT.

Jen wrote: "Those of us in Aus are in a crazy busy marking and winter holiday prep mode....not much reading time. It's been really cold at 25C some mornings so the jumpers are out."

25C and you're wearing jumpers? At 25C (77F) here in Wisconsin, I'm wearing flip-flops and t-shirts or sundress. LOL

...I don't know where myt mind goes sometimes...I thought Jen was talking about "jumper" cables for the car😂

Amy wrote: "I think we had a year recently, where dark fantasy won. I know the fantasy folks always think they’re not gonna get their due, But I think you guys would be surprised. I think it has a fair shot. L..."

I am NOT interested in high fantasy, but if it wins I might find something I can read. I don't remember reading anything for dark fantasy when it won.

Per my notes we have never had "dark fantasy" ....

We have had "FANTASY" as the tag twice ...April 2008 (still on Shelfari) and June 2016.

Book Concierge wrote: "Per my notes we have never had "dark fantasy" ....

We have had "FANTASY" as the tag twice ...April 2008 (still on Shelfari) and June 2016."

'World Fantasy' was a choice for tag one month last year, which references an award for fantasy writing. Up against archeology and gothic. It did not win., gothic did.

There have been plenty of fantasy subgenres like dragons and paranormal and witches, but not all-encompassing 'fantasy' or 'high fantasy.'

Many of us have read fantasy books for other tags, such as first in series, retellings, gothic, spooky, classics (I read Hobbit for the first time in March), even literary fiction and feminism related tags. Plus fall flurries, and many of the poll-ballot tags.

To be clear though, High Fantasy is a specific subgenre of fantasy. It doesn't cover all fantasy or sci-fi.

Voted

Jen wrote: "Those of us in Aus are in a crazy busy marking and winter holiday prep mode....not much reading time. It's been really cold at 25C some mornings so the jumpers are out."

LOL! Yeah, 25C is too hot for me. If if HAS to be sunny, give me 15C or lower. :-) I can deal with 20C if it's cloudy.

(This is - at least in part - because I don't drive. I walk. A lot. Sun beating down on my head while I'm walking, even at 15C is too much!)

Book Concierge wrote: "Jen wrote: "Those of us in Aus are in a crazy busy marking and winter holiday prep mode....not much reading time. It's been really cold at 25C some mornings so the jumpers are out."

25C and you're..."
Yeah it's rarely below 30C but usually under 39C in the day year round so the body is pretty set to being between those temps. The Doona is out after the cold lately as well as the hoody.

LibraryCin wrote: "Jen wrote: "Those of us in Aus are in a crazy busy marking and winter holiday prep mode....not much reading time. It's been really cold at 25C some mornings so the jumpers are out."

LOL! Yeah, 25C..."
Try getting in a car that has been sitting at 39C all day.....That's a little warm even for me.

If the High Fantasy tag wins I strongly recommend the Terry Pratchett Discworld for those who want something light and funny (Especially if you liked Good Omens at that was Pratchett humor).

The Dark tower series by Stephen King is also great for those who like Adventure and a bunch of very different characters of various ages and abilities. The TV version has the most gorgeous Idris Elba so for once the TV show was on par with the book but for different reasons.

Jen wrote: "Try getting in a car that has been sitting at 39C all day.....That's a little warm even for me..."

Yeah, that's horrible! I've done it, it's just very rare here. Not even sure here in Calgary, it's ever reached that, but as a teenager in Southern Saskatchewan, it did. I guess I've been in that kind of heat in Las Vegas, too.

The voting is extremely close so if you haven't gotten your vote in yet, you should . . .

Anita wrote: "The voting is extremely close so if you haven't gotten your vote in yet, you should . . ."
I had a sneaking suspicion it was going to be close this month.

Anita wrote: "The voting is extremely close so if you haven't gotten your vote in yet, you should . . ."

Oh no - this worries me!

Anita wrote: "The voting is extremely close so if you haven't gotten your vote in yet, you should . . ."

I'm not at all surprised and was anticipating that this would happen this time.

I can't even guess which two were the final two!