Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

It's time for our first round of suggestions!

Just a reminder that you can find a full list of prompts already on the 2023 list in the third post on this thread.

A little reminder of how things are done around here:

How it works:
- The topics for the 2023 reading challenge list will be determined by a series of mini-polls, the number of which depends on the number of prompts winning in each mini-polls
- Suggestions for each poll will be opened until 15 suggestions are received and “seconded”.
- The voting thread will open the day after suggestions go live. You can find the schedule here.
- The poll will be posted after the voting thread is opened for 24 hours, and will remain open for three full days.
- Each user has 8 votes to spread between their favorite (top) and least favorite (bottom) prompts
- The prompts with the more favorable votes (comparing top votes to bottom votes, and looking at the overall number of votes it received) will be added to the final list (between 2 and 5 depending on how the votes are spread)

Rules:
- Each member can only suggest OR second one prompt
- Suggestions close after 15 total seconded prompts

When suggesting and seconding, feel free to provide examples and descriptions that may help other members understand the prompt better. These descriptions and examples will be copied over to the voting thread for further discussion.

As always, please express any and all feedback (respectfully, of course), either here or in The Wild Discussion.


Moving on to Voting:
1. A book where books are important
2. A book with a faceless person on the cover
3. A book by an author who is NOT cis, white, and male
4. A book with yellow, red and white on the cover
5. A work of biographical fiction
6. A book that can be found on Project Gutenberg
7. A book connected to Ireland
8. A book involving genetics, genealogy, traits, heredity, or heritage
9. A book by an author no more than two degrees of separation away from you
10. A book with a shoe on the cover
11. A book related to the characters in The Wizard of Oz
12. A book that involves art, music, dancing or acting
13. A book with an animal on the cover
14. A book with a body of water in the title
15. A book of poetry or free verse

CLOSED

A book by an author who is NOT cist, white and male: you could go BIO and pick a book by an author who is none of these three or pick an author is for example cist, male but NOT white or a trans or nonbinary author regarldess of thier ethnicity

A book with a faceless person on the cover

Could be an illustration without facial features, a silhouette, view from behind, face obscured or cropped out.



Titles for those using mobile:
Pumpkin Nothing But The Truth: Stories of Crime, Guilt and the Loss of Innocence Beach Read Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband? Lies Like Wildfire Lessons in Chemistry Digging Up Love Sorrowland Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 The Toll The Testaments Anxious People One of Us Is Lying I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings The Vanishing Half A Rogue of One's Own Notorious Sorcerer The Movement Even Though I Knew the End Cult Classic Rock Paper Scissors The Dead Romantics Take My Hand Comeuppance Served Cold A Marvellous Light

Mods, I've put the book codes on this google doc for easy copying: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1z...

The lucky colors of 2023 are yellow, red and white so I suggest A book with yellow, red and white on the cover.

A book that has yellow, red or white could be a KIS option.

Ellie, I need permission to open your Google doc, and I appreciate you putting that together!!

Emily wrote: "Ellie, I need permission to open your Google doc, and I appreciate you putting that together!!"

Sorry, clicked the wrong share option, should be public now.

Got it, THANK YOU

A book where books are important.

It could be a book about an author, with a character who is a bookworm, set in a bookstore or library. Basically books are important to the story or one or more characters.

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections
Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore
Book Lovers
The Book Thief
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
The Jane Austen Society
The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend

Non-fiction:
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
Dear Fahrenheit 451: Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks

Listopias:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/5...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/5...

Nancy wrote: "A book where books are important.

It could be a book about an author, with a character who is a bookworm, set in a bookstore or library. Basically books are important to the story or one or more c..."

I'll second that

Second a book with a faceless person on the cover

Also, book blessings on you for putting all those links in any easy to copy place.

Thomas wrote: "A book by an author who is NOT cist, white and male: you could go BIO and pick a book by an author who is none of these three or pick an author is for example cist, male but NOT white or a trans or..."

Seconded!

RachelG. wrote: "The lucky colors of 2023 are yellow, red and white so I suggest A book with yellow, red and white on the cover.

A book that has yellow, red or white could be a KIS option."

I second this one.

Nancy wrote: "A book where books are important.

It could be a book about an author, with a character who is a bookworm, set in a bookstore or library. Basically books are important to the story or one or more c..."

Nancy, here's the updated page with related listopias and tag lists: https://www.goodreads.com/genres/book...

RachelG. wrote: "The lucky colors of 2023 are yellow, red and white so I suggest A book with yellow, red and white on the cover.

A book that has yellow, red or white could be a KIS option."

I think this is from Chinese Astrology, and the Year of the Water Tiger

In regards to the book with a yellow, red and white on the cover karmaweather.com is the website that popped up when I was looking for stuff related to 2023 and it looks like it its related to Chinese horoscope. It may not be correct but I figured there would be many options of books that have some yellow, red and white. Will start looking for examples.

I really liked Louise's suggestion she posted in the Wild Discussion, so I'm going to throw it out here (hope she doesn't mind!)

A book that can be found on Project Gutenberg

You can find the link here: https://www.gutenberg.org/
You do not have to read them from Project Gutenburg, but it is a place to get free ebook downloads from the site.

From Louise:
One suggestion for reading something different/older - could be to read a book from Gutenberg.org (older books that are now free from copyright - free and always available!). It's an admirable project - for inspiration I have compiled a list of titles I found interesting:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

and there is this one as well:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4...

I found some really cool books there over the years, like

The Room with the Little Door
The Weird Orient; Nine Mystic Tales from Morocco
A Simple Soul
The Country of the Pointed Firs and Other Stories
The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary
The Post Office

But from my own experience, this is also a great way to find (or be encouraged to read) older books that are out of publication restrictions, including books like The Great Gatsby, Dracula, and Treasure Island.

You can find the most downloaded books here: https://www.gutenberg.org/browse/scor...

Suggesting: "a work of biographical fiction (a novel about or inspired by a real person)"

dalex wrote: "Suggesting: "a work of biographical fiction (a novel about or inspired by a real person)""

Second "biographical fiction"

I second A Book that can be found on Project Gutenberg.

I’ll second a book to be found on Project Gutenberg.

If you google lucky colours for 2023 it does come up with red, white and yellow so that's probably good enough for most of us. 😁

Joyce, it looks like Shannon got the second in first, so feel free to suggest or second something else.

Emily wrote: "Joyce, it looks like Shannon got the second in first, so feel free to suggest or second something else."

Then I’ll suggest a book connected to Ireland.

There are multiple lists on Goodreads collected here:

https://www.goodreads.com/list/tag/ir...

I second a book connected to Ireland.

Goodreads lists with book covers that may have Red, Yellow and White on them:

Seeing Red has quite a few that would apply: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

Rainbow book covers list: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7...

Books that have Red, Orange, Yellow and Pink covers: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...

Adult Books with yellow covers: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

RachelG. wrote: "Goodreads lists with book covers that may have Red, Yellow and White on them:

Seeing Red has quite a few that would apply: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

Rainbow book covers ..."
I really think this is more an issue for the voting, as afr as suggestions this prompt is in.

8 spots remaining! Halfway there!

Thomas, I encouraged people to add suggestions and links to this thread so that I could copy them over to the voting thread when the time comes to set it up. RachelG, keep doing what you're doing!

In honor of this prompt list being for 2023, and because we have 23 chromosomes, I'm suggesting "A book involving genetics, genealogy, traits, heredity, or heritage". So basically, anything to do with either the science of family, or the lived experience of family — nature or nurture.

Some books that might fit here are:

I'll second genetics etc.

I second "A book involving genetics, genealogy, traits, heredity, or heritage".

Harini, it looks like NancyJ got her second in before you did, so feel free to suggest or second something else.

Emily wrote: "Thomas, I encouraged people to add suggestions and links to this thread so that I could copy them over to the voting thread when the time comes to set it up. RachelG, keep doing what you're doing!"

i apologise Emily.

Here is a good link for Tracy's genetics prompt.

https://www.goodreads.com/genres/gene...

There is also a shelf for genealogy

https://www.goodreads.com/genres/gene...

RachelG. wrote: "There is also a shelf for genealogy

https://www.goodreads.com/genres/gene..."

Sorry about earlier Rachel

I found this list one for genetic engineering fiction books.

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

@NancyJ and @RachelG.

Thanks for the links! I didn't think genetics would be considered a genre, so didn't consider looking there. MUCH easier :)

Can we please correct this prompt - A book by an author who is NOT cist, white, and male - to cis (no T) or cisgender?

Actually I think the prompt should be “an author who is both transgender and BIPOC” but that’s a major rewording of the prompt.

Another one for Tracy if she likes it -
Genetics in Science Fiction
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

@Mandy — thanks for your list too, our messages must have crossed in time.

Yes, dalex, I'll take the t off of cis.

I'm stepping away from my computer for lunch, but Jackie is around to keep an eye on this thread. I'll be back in a couple of hours!

Dalex I’m sorry but your wording would make it a different prompt the whole point was that you could read an author who is one or even two of those three things as long they are not all three.

I am giving this one another try, because I still think the idea might work, plus, it relates directly to us as a group:

A book by an author no more than two degrees of separation away from you

That means that you read a book by an author whom you or someone you know has met in person or had a meaningful interaction with on social media (i.e. an actual dialogue/reply to a question or comment or tweet, not just liking a post).
This prompt does NOT require you to actively reach out to anyone. As we in this group all know each other and can therefore be considered one degree of separation, it is enough for you to read a book by an author whom anyone in this group has met or interacted with. And guess what: we have a thread for that :D

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Thomas wrote: "RachelG. wrote: "There is also a shelf for genealogy

https://www.goodreads.com/genres/gene..."

Sorry about earlier Rachel"

Absolutely no problem Thomas. I really value your thoughts and ideas.

A book related to the characters in The Wizard of Oz

Thomas wrote: "Dalex I’m sorry but your wording would make it a different prompt the whole point was that you could read an author who is one or even two of those three things as long they are not all three."

I agree. To me the prompt means I can read a much larger group of books than trying to find a book written by someone who identifies as transgender and BIPOC. Although book suggestion of a BIPOC transgender author would be interesting.

As I said when I proposed it there’s nothing to stop anyone picking an author who is none of those three. That would be a great BIO option

Thomas wrote: "Dalex I’m sorry but your wording would make it a different prompt the whole point was that you could read an author who is one or even two of those three things as long they are not all three."

How I read it is - a book by an author who is NOT cist [and not] white and [not] male - so, transgender and bipoc.

Maybe - a book by an author who does not fit at least one of these distinctions - cisgender, white, or male.

Not trying to be argumentative ... I just think the confusing wording is going to effect votes.

I will second the 2 degrees of separation.