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[2023] Poll 9 Voting
Mod
1. A book that fits a suggestion that didn’t make the list this year
This is a resubmit of a pre- poll suggestion that didn’t make it the first time.
2. A book that has an object that is repeated on the cover
3. A book set in the Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. It includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
4. A book related to something lucky
Could be a lucky object is part of the story, on the cover or in the title. Cats are often considered lucky for example. Could be a story about a lucky character, eg they win the lottery, have a lot of lucky escapes or soul survivor.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...
https://www.invaluable.com/blog/good-...
And for Animal Crossing fans:
https://animalcrossing.fandom.com/wik...
5. A book with 4 or more colors on the cover
6. A family saga
Some more resources for this one from when we did multigenerational family saga in 2019: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
7. A book with an interracial relationship (love, friendship, family)
In honor of the 60th anniversary of MLK's I Have Dream speech and his hope "little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers."
9. A book related to loneliness or isolation
In the time of Covid and with so many people working from home now, I feel like loneliness is a pandemic all its own. My wife is a therapist and she has talked to so many people since Covid happened that are really just struggling with profound loneliness. I don’t know if this is a theme we have ever explored before, but thought it might be a good one that would lend itself to fiction or non-fiction equally since it is such a universally human condition.
Listopias:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
This one may have books that work too:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
I should add that the prompt about loneliness does not have to be a downer of a book. It could be about someone who overcomes loneliness. Might work well for romance. Could be about someone on a quest like Lord of the Rings. Or the book that immediately came to mind for me was Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine. Also the many curmudgeon books like A Man Called Ove or How the Penguins Saved Veronica
10. A book set in an apartment building/complex
Listopia: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
11. A book that answers the question "What if"
Ann's ideas ""I am reading one right now. ""What if"" Marie Curie had NOT invented radiation etc.. It could go many ways. I read one years ago about Jack in the Beanstock. Also in Seattle where I live there is a book club reading ""what if"" the big one hits...earthquake of 8.0 or more. Or ""what if"" a war came out with a different result.""
The prompt is not limited to Alternate History but since that would be the route I'd go here is a list.
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...
You Could Be a Black Mirror Episode (""Black Mirror ... examines modern society, particularly with regard to the unanticipated consequences of new technologies."") https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Unbeatable Premise https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/6...
What if? reading list (Books mentioned in Randall Munroe's book What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions) https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7...
12. A book set during the Roaring Twenties (1920's)
The 1920's was an exciting decade full of change. The Great war was over, the economy was booming. Music and culture: The jazz age, Harlem Renaissance in NY, Paris salons with artists and writers, The Lost Generation, a Moveable Feast.
Women more freedoms, the right to vote, flappers, pants! Prohibition and organized crime.
15. A book that involves a moral dilemma or question
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
I'm not sure what I would read for "a book about something lucky." Usually, when luck is involved in a story, that's something I don't know about until I'm in the middle of reading it- it's not spelled out in the book description. How do I find a book for this one?
Nadine in NY wrote: "I'm not sure what I would read for "a book about something lucky." Usually, when luck is involved in a story, that's something I don't know about until I'm in the middle of reading it- it's not spe..."It wasn't intended to be just a plot prompt. You could use it as a cover prompt? Or are lucky symbols not really a thing in the US? Like horseshoes, lucky cats, shamrocks, etc?
Cats came up multiple times when I was searching lucky items, and I thought a few people had wanted a cat prompt.
I love this set of prompts so much that I'm worried! Definitely 8 upvotes for me. This is a great mix of different types too, IMO.
Nadine in NY wrote: "I'm not sure what I would read for "a book about something lucky." Usually, when luck is involved in a story, that's something I don't know about until I'm in the middle of reading it- it's not spe..."If it gets in, I intend to use it as a title or cover prompt.
These might not all be good luck but apparently another challenge did it:https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Nancy wrote: "I love this set of prompts so much that I'm worried! Definitely 8 upvotes for me. This is a great mix of different types too, IMO."Same! Let's hope we get 3 tops this week too!
I'll be using all upvotes this week. So far I'll be upvoting:
- object repeated on cover (I love a good scavenger hunt)
- Indian subcontinent
- 4+ colors (my prompt but I also just love very colorful things)
- interracial relationship (and like that it's not just love)
- "What If" (I love alt history so would probably read that)
- Roaring 20s (love books in this era)
Then maybe royal family/nobility because I seem to read a lot of these. I never knew cats were considered lucky and I love cats. Not sure about supernatural ability because I do want the ghost/undead prompt to make it in and I think this prompt would hurt its chances.
I'm same as you Alicia, though I don't think I'll upvote Roaring 20s because there are others I like better. I wouldn't be mad if it got in though. My other ups right now:* didn't make the list this year (so many good options!)
* royal family (love me a good royals story)
* apartment building
I'm having trouble narrowing down the choices to 8 I want to upvote. Loving these suggestions.
A lot of great prompts this time. Although there are several prompts I hope won't win, I don't plan to waste any votes down voting this time. I need all 8 to upvote.
Whoa, this might be my favorite set of suggestions yet! My only dilemma now is which 8 to upvote (which will be a first in 3 years of voting). These are my current top 8 but I also like the roaring 20s and supernatural ability. - A book that has an object that is repeated on the cover
- A book set in the Indian subcontinent
- A book with 4 or more colors on the cover
- A book with an interracial relationship
- A book in which a main character or main subject is a member of a royal family or the nobility
- A book set in an apartment building/complex
- A book that answers the question "What if"
- A book that involves a moral dilemma or question
Will those last two cancel each other out? I hope not, but do see similarities. I also hope the two cover prompts don't cancel each other out - they aren't similar at all, but I know some people dislike cover prompts in general.
This is a reflective, philosophical group of questions and I love all of them. Maybe all 15 should just go on the list (I know, not in the spirit of the polls). No down votes for me this time around.
I don't think the last two will cancel each other out, I see the "What if" as more of alternate history or speculative fiction.I do worry about the covers and I'm glad the third one that was suggested wasn't seconded, not that I don't like that prompt because I do, but I like the two that are in the poll more (and one of them was mine).
Not surprisingly, I’m the opposite of the group; I liked most prompts in the last poll but will be mainly be down voting prompts on this poll.
I'll be all upvotes for the first time ever, there are seven definite ups, and no downs, so I just need to do a bit of research to decide which of the others to upvote.
I agree this is a great mix of prompts! Looking forward to the discussion to help me narrow down my what to vote for.
Jillian wrote: "Not surprisingly, I’m the opposite of the group; I liked most prompts in the last poll but will be mainly be down voting prompts on this poll."Out of curiosity, what is it about these prompts you don't like? My only complaint, if I had to come up with one, is there aren't many prompts that are open to interpretation. But I feel like those are so hard to get in the list and TBH they're not always my favorite because I'm very much an inside the box thinker.
When I first looked at the list I thought this week was the easiest week for me to decide on with 2 up and 6 down at first glance but now I have to think strategy and may go 3 up 5 down.
Ellie wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "I'm not sure what I would read for "a book about something lucky." Usually, when luck is involved in a story, that's something I don't know about until I'm in the middle of rea..."Okay, I can look for things on the cover. We do have those objects in the US too, I just didn't think of it! Thanks.
Ace of Spades is a lucky symbol, I'm all set.
other symbols (I googled):
clover
horseshoes
7s
ladybugs
crickets
turtles
elephants
dolphins
owls
rabbits & rabbits' feet
the beckoning cat
acorns
bamboo
goldfish
wheels
coins
dice
rainbows
I will also be using all my votes for upvotes this time around.I really like that these prompts are flexible enough to allow a lot of (probably unexpected) options, but also specific enough that they're not complete freebies. That's exactly what I look for in prompts/challenges.
I like being able to read a book and know I'll likely find a place (or multiple places) to put it, not feeling like I have to pick from a discrete set of very narrow options before reading (tbf, this is mostly in response to certain Popsugar prompts this year that I have liked much less than the ATY list).
I do plan ahead (because it's incredibly fun - even if my plan changes every other week), but finding out that a random book club pick can fit somewhere too is SO nice and doesn't tend to work with overly specific prompts.
Looking forward to seeing what gets in!
Nancy, they mainly just are not prompts I’m interested in. Some I feel are so broad most books would fit while others are pretty narrow. They just are not fun for me or fit the books I want to read.
Mod
Same! Let's hope we get 3 tops this week too!
I'l..."
I also like very colorful things, Alicia. I find that I am often attracted to the notebooks/sheets/backpacks that are intended for kids because they are more colorful. I distinguish my icons on phone or desktop by color (the green blob for texting). This is certainly an era for colorful covers as a lot of them are very busy compared to those from the past.
I'm one of those who do the challenge & vote each year but rarely post - don't be mad! Came here to say how great a round of prompts these are. I love historical fiction in the roaring 20's (hello The Wicked City series, Wild Women and the Blues, and cover prompts (colours, repeating objects) are so fun.LOVE the interracial relationship prompt (just finished The Sun Is Also a Star which is perfect for this) as well as the Indian subcontinent.
It will only be tough to decide which prompts NOT to upvote this time!
I think all the books on my Owned & Unread List have 4 or more colors on the cover. I am so confused how I would even choose one for the prompt. Haha.
Kim wrote: "I'm one of those who do the challenge & vote each year but rarely post - don't be mad! Came here to say how great a round of prompts these are. I love historical fiction in the roaring 20's (hello ..."I really enjoyed Beautiful Little Fools. I've lived my whole life despising The Great Gatsby because I hated all the characters. This book actually made me see the characters in a different light.
So, dalex, I'm going to stalk your owned/unread lists. I feel like I have a lot of monochromatic covers. When that was the prompt I had a ton of options.
dalex wrote: "I think all the books on my Owned & Unread List have 4 or more colors on the cover. I am so confused how I would even choose one for the prompt. Haha."I'm the opposite. I have zero clue what to read for this prompt. I sometimes struggle with cover prompts because some books have so many different covers that there may be a book on your TBR list that fits - just not the cover on the version you shelved.
Not a fan of the lucky prompt or prompts like this (moral dillemma AGAIN). will downvote both - these both require me to already know the plot of the book beforehand..
Michelle wrote: "Not a fan of the lucky prompt or prompts like this (moral dillemma AGAIN). will downvote both - these both require me to already know the plot of the book beforehand.."I said this to Nadine, the lucky prompt isn't about plot it's looking for lucky things and finding a connection to a book. But I know some people hate those kind of prompts.
For cover prompts, I always go with the cover that defaults in my Goodreads shelf or the main one they show when I search. Unless it’s a movie cover, because I hate those. But I totally get how some people dislike them because the version they actually read may be different.
I like that loneliness/isolation is openly worded because if I'm not up for that as a character prompt I can read about an isolated place, like a small Scottish island or the Antarctic.
I like this group of prompts! Another idea for the lucky prompt is stars as in the expression “Thank your lucky stars”. There’s also Luck o’ the Irish and lucky duck. ⭐️ ☘️ 🦆
This is a good poll. I only have a couple I'm planning to downvote.Apart from those I would be happy with any of the others so I'm not really sure what to vote for. I guess that's a good problem to have!
Ideas for a book related to something lucky for anyone who is thinking about voting for it but doesn't know what to use:1. A lucky charm on the cover or title or author's name. (As people have already listed, an ace, a clover, a cat, etc.)
2. Something related to a family or personal association with luck. (For instance, if I don't make it to This is How You Lose the Time War this year, I could use it for this prompt because I always thought cardinals bring good days when I was growing up.)
3. Something relating to a rhyme for luck or blessing, such as the bride's "something borrowed, something blue" to bless a wedding.
4. Something in the lyrics of a song about luck - "Bad Moon Rising" is the only one currently popping into my mind but there are many to choose from.
5. A title mentioning a lucky number. (You pick the lucky number.) Or a lucky number of things on the cover.
6. The lucky number of a series (for instance the seventh book in a series).
7. Items in the title, cover, or text relating to common superstitions (salt, mirrors, cracked sidewalk, magpies/crows, etc.)
Ellie wrote: "I like that loneliness/isolation is openly worded because if I'm not up for that as a character prompt I can read about an isolated place, like a small Scottish island or the Antarctic."That's an excellent point! :)
Mod
It's perfectly fine for participants to not post, if everyone in the challenge posted as much as some of us do, the threads would be impossibly long! So when you have something to say, we value hearing from you.
Mod
I'm the opposite. I have zero ..."
Some challenges require you to use the cover, page numbers, etc. of the exact edition you read, but we don't. It depends how strict you choose to be in taking on the challenge.
I was looking at the isolation genre shelf and one of the associated lists was closed circle mysteries. Is this something that might fit for the prompt or is that too much of a stretch?
RachelG. wrote: "I was looking at the isolation genre shelf and one of the associated lists was closed circle mysteries. Is this something that might fit for the prompt or is that too much of a stretch?"I think any story where people have been cut off from the outside world or communication would be great for the isolation prompt. Lots of mystery and horror would work that way. Lots of science fiction too.
Such a tough round because I love them alllll
Most of these I am pretty neutral about, although I am happy to see the interracial relationship get a second chance. Just skimmed my TBR and found a few good ones for 4 or more colors on the cover and one that even says luck on the cover. I think repeated object will be harder. Could someone give me some examples/ideas for what a “What if?” book would be?
Mod
That's true, lots of space stories are of a person or small group, such as Project Hail Mary and The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet.
Mod
For "what if", there could be the alternate life idea, like The Midnight Library or Oona Out of Order as well as alternate history.
RachelG. wrote: "I was looking at the isolation genre shelf and one of the associated lists was closed circle mysteries. Is this something that might fit for the prompt or is that too much of a stretch?"I think this make the prompt more interesting, I was a little worried that most options might be a on the sad side.
I had been wondering if something like One Night on the Island would work because it is a remote and she is intending to be alone but mystery's open up a lot more ideas.
Thanks Robin. I’ve read both of those, so apparently I am ok with that type of book! 😀
1920's books: The Roaring Twenties, Jazz Age, Harlem Renaissance, Lost Generation, Flappers, Suffrage, Prohibition, etc. Fiction: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...
Fiction and non-fiction:
https://booklistqueen.com/books-about...
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/jazz...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://bookriot.com/books-set-in-the...
I definitely will be using more ups than downs, although that’s been true pretty often this year. Even the ones that don’t excite me much would be easy to find books I’m interested to fit, with maybe one or two exceptions.
Nadine in NY wrote: "Ellie wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "I'm not sure what I would read for "a book about something lucky." Usually, when luck is involved in a story, that's something I don't know about until I'm in the..."Are you sure Ace of Spades is "good" luck?
Does anyone have suggestions for books that have Luck as part of the plot, or a theme?
Michelle wrote: "Most of these I am pretty neutral about, although I am happy to see the interracial relationship get a second chance. Just skimmed my TBR and found a few good ones for 4 or more colors on the cover..."Babel by r.f Kuang
NancyJ wrote: "Does anyone have suggestions for books that have Luck as part of the plot, or a theme?..."I just finished one that involved luck and is excellent:
Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry (also works for family saga and set in the Indian subcontinent and also a moral dilemma)
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Small Things Like These (other topics)Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted (other topics)
A Gentleman in Moscow (other topics)
Stories from the Tenants Downstairs (other topics)
Just My Luck (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Suleika Jaouad (other topics)Rohinton Mistry (other topics)
Voting will open in the morning of Friday, August 19 and results will be posted in the morning of Tuesday, August 23 (CST time).
How it works:
- When the voting opens, follow the link to the mini-poll that will be added at the end of this post
- You have a total of 8 votes this poll to spread across your favorite and least favorite prompts (you can also use less than 8 votes)
- You can find examples of acceptable voting practices on the Introduction thread.
- 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
We are asking people to include their Goodreads profile address when they vote. To find this, just go to your own profile and then copy the URL/web address. If for some reason you can't link to your Goodreads profile, please post your full Goodreads name with enough identifiable information that we'll be able to access your profile. We’ve introduced this for two reasons:
1. On a few occasions in each poll, people have used more than the allotted number of votes, either because they aren’t familiar with the rules or just by mistake. When this happens our only option is to disregard the vote as we can’t identify the voter to ask them to resubmit. By asking for your profile address we’ll be able to message you and ask you to vote again if you’ve accidentally used more than the allotted number of votes.
2. Unfortunately a very small number of people have voted more than once per poll and so we are asking for this information to prevent duplicate votes.
As a reminder: You have a total of 8 votes to use among your top and bottom votes. The mods have access to each individual vote, so we can see if you use more than 8 votes. If you use more than 8 votes in the poll, your vote will have to be deleted, so please make sure to follow the directions so your voice can be heard.
Possible Prompts:
1. A book that fits a suggestion that didn’t make the list this year
2. A book that has an object that is repeated on the cover
3. A book set in the Indian subcontinent
4. A book related to something lucky
5. A book with 4 or more colors on the cover
6. A family saga
7. A book with an interracial relationship (love, friendship, family)
8. A book in which a main character or main subject is a member of a royal family or the nobility
9. A book related to loneliness or isolation
10. A book set in an apartment building/complex
11. A book that answers the question "What if"
12. A book set during the Roaring Twenties (1920's)
13. A book about a character with a supernatural ability
14. A memoir
15. A book that involves a moral dilemma or question
Feel free to discuss the prompts below, but please remember to be respectful to the other group members.
VOTE HERE: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/IAVJL0/