Play Book Tag discussion

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

https://forms.gle/RfzY72SiZuqsdkSZ8

Here are the lists of books for each tag:

leadership: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
writing: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
zombies: 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 11/25.

So sorry for the delay in posting the vote!! Not sure what was going on in my mind yesterday . . .

Didn't we just have books about books? I could swear it was recent.

Amy wrote: "Didn't we just have books about books? I could swear it was recent."

OMG, Amy, I think you are right. I didn't catch that. Will remove the voting link and select a new one. Thank you for noticing so quickly.

Amy wrote: "Didn't we just have books about books? I could swear it was recent."

All fixed.

Zombies is back!!! That's crazy!

We also just had favorites...wasn't that September or October?

And didn’t we just do favorites?

Jgrace wrote: "And didn’t we just do favorites?"

OMG, Seriously? Okay. I am losing it.

Yikes, so sorry everybody! I'm obviously panicking over here, lol.

It’s OK Anita, it happens to all of us. No need to panic.

What a weird group of choices! A very specific fiction genre and 2 nonfiction choices (though I guess fiction about writers might fit.) Some of the best examples of leadership are in adventure, sci-fi, or fantasy books like The Way of Kings but I doubt they are tagged that way.

I think that Zombies is the one the mystery contributor keeps picking. They want us all to read this one.

If its leadership, I think the obvious choice for many is going to be the new Michelle Obama book, the Light We Carry. It will be for me, that is for sure.

Agree that the randomizer wasn't very cooperative this month. I know which one I would like best, but it might be a low month for participation points lol.

We will have lots going on with our top 10 of the year compilation and finalizing the challenges for next year.

This link shows newer books with the writing tag. https://www.goodreads.com/genres/writing

For leadership, I would go the fiction route too, with The Winners by Fredrik Backman. His other Beartown books were full of concepts that I recognized from leadership books and courses. Someone once recommended Watership Down for leadership too, even though it’s about Rabbits.

ETA - Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin would be perfect for leadership.

Anita, I will be quite busy in my snow season books! Chanukah Romance and what not - lol. I will be happy no matter what. Even with Zombies although it will be the first month ever that I didn't read for the tag....

And so so many books that have authors and writers in them... People who are writers. Who is Maud Dixon, Verity, Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.... Journalism fits in there too. Writers and lovers, I could keep going off the top of my head.... The thirteenth tale.....

This is a really interesting lineup. If I was still working, I would be good with leadership or writing, but now that I am retired, not so much. So, I guess Zombies it is! Are there any Christmas/Winter/Holiday Zombie books out there?

Amy wrote: "And so so many books that have authors and writers in them... People who are writers. Who is Maud Dixon, Verity, Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.... Journalism fits in there too. Writers and lovers, ..."

I read a LOT of books about books, writers, and writing in the last 12 Months. Nearly all my memoir choices involved the writing life, so I’m not excited. However, I found two books that seem like fresh possibilities for me:
Year of the Tiger: An Activist's Life- fits writing and leadership.
Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language. I liked her book Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism, which fits leadership.

Lyn wrote: "This is a really interesting lineup. If I was still working, I would be good with leadership or writing, but now that I am retired, not so much. So, I guess Zombies it is! Are there any Christmas/W..."

I used to teach leadership, so I avoided nonfiction leadership books like a zombie plague for awhile after I retired. Many of the books with this tag are applicable to all aspects of life, not just work. I love leadership and org. psychology topics in Fiction, but I might have to dig a little more to find them.

We just had a buddy read on Zombies books, so I read more zombies books this year than I usually do. Which was 1, haha. So if it wins, I’m sure I could find another one.

NancyJ wrote: We just had a buddy read on Zombies books, so I read more zombies books this year than I usually do. Which was 1, haha. So if it wins, I’m sure I could find another one. ."

I know what you mean about zombie books, I read one this year, which doubled my lifetime reading of zombie books! If zombie wins I'll have to see what everyone enjoyed in the buddy read.
:)

OMG what a weird weird selection!

I am totally over reading any tagged writing. I read way too many of those this summer because just about every author in WPF had one or more books about writing and I read just about all of them. And I recently read, purely coincidentally a couple of books where a book was being written as part of the plot. I am so done.

I actually shudder at the thought. If it wins, might be first month I don't read a book for tag.

I am definitely up for Zombies - still have 3 or 4 mysteries with zombies in the TBR. Might even be a Christmas one in there.

I agree with Robin on Leadership and since I use whatever book I think fits with no checking for matching tag, just about every book I have lined up to read for Feminerdy and to finish challenges in December fits IMHO.

I voted. Go Zombies!

Oh, and Anita - it seems appropriate with zombies popping up again that the randomizer and you were under some odd influence! I think this was Zombie-Revenge for zombies losing earlier.

Robin P wrote: Some of the best examples of leadership are in adventure, sci..."

I agree Robin! I feel like I should be able to rattle off 20 fiction examples or find 5 lists, but in the meantime, I agree with this article wholeheartedly.
https://hbr.org/2022/06/want-to-be-a-...

Fiction Examples - I’ll keep adding to this list.
Robin, I know you’ll agree with this first one.
A Town Like Alice
Beartown
The Winners* have
Watership Down
She Who Became the Sun
The Orphan Master's Son
Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
Under the Dome by Stephen King
The Night Watchman
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Middlemarch by George Elliot
Station Eleven
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
Starship Troopers
Louise Penny mysteries would fit too.
Shackleton
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin - * perfect fit
Small Things Like These - less obvious fit.
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

For newer nonfiction, I really liked this book
Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism

——————-
In December I want to start with two that I own:
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
The Winners
And
Year of the Tiger: An Activist's Life memoir

Lyn wrote: "This is a really interesting lineup. If I was still working, I would be good with leadership or writing, but now that I am retired, not so much. So, I guess Zombies it is! Are there any Christmas/W..."

Here you go Lyn: A Very Zombie Christmas: An ATZ Christmas Special

Nancy, that newer writing list was a great list. I saw a few things on there and one that I bought and have in my house!

It will be interesting to see whose not reading for the tag for the first time ever in December! Will it be Amy or Theresa?

Cora wrote: "Lyn wrote: "This is a really interesting lineup. If I was still working, I would be good with leadership or writing, but now that I am retired, not so much. So, I guess Zombies it is! Are there any..."

How about these? A Zombie Christmas
I am Scrooge: A Zombie Story for Christmas
A Zombie Christmas Carol
A Zombie Christmas 2

Mostly short stories .. bet most are in the collection Cora linked.

Wow! A choice within these three were difficult. I'm not crazy about any of them. I did vote for one but couldn't even come up with a second choice.

Cora wrote: "Lyn wrote: "This is a really interesting lineup. If I was still working, I would be good with leadership or writing, but now that I am retired, not so much. So, I guess Zombies it is! Are there any..."

That looks like fun! Thanks @Cora!

I Found: The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror and I Saw Zombies Eating Santa Claus: A Breathers Christmas Carol tagged zombies.

Seriously weird choices! I think there’s only one that I would read for (and no it’s not zombies lol!)

NancyJ wrote: "Robin P wrote: Some of the best examples of leadership are in adventure, sci..."

I agree Robin! I feel like I should be able to rattle off 20 fiction examples or find 5 lists, but in the meantime,..."

Yes, Nevil Shute is all about "ordinary" people who step up in extraordinary circumstances. And Louise Penny always shows leadership as something that involves kindness, humanity, patience, not just toughness. You could say it's in Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, etc. Sports books like The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics or military stories.

Definitely NOT reading zombies... threw all my points to writing.

As the Cranberries would say (or sing):

"In your head, in your head
Zombie, zombie, zombie-ie-ie
What's in your head, in your head?
Zombie, zombie, zombie-ie-ie-ie
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, eh-eh oh, ya-ya"

Surely I can find some zombies in Hark! the Herald Angels Scream or The Valancourt Book of Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories! In some film adaptations Jacob Marley is more a zombie than a ghost, so maybe A Christmas Carol would fit 🤷‍♀️🧟‍♀️

Meli wrote: "As the Cranberries would say (or sing):

"In your head, in your head
Zombie, zombie, zombie-ie-ie
What's in your head, in your head?
Zombie, zombie, zombie-ie-ie-ie
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, eh-eh oh,..."

Love that song! Last time you motivated me to read a zombie book. This time you’re motivating me to put on that CD and maybe get on my exercise bike. (But that room has no heat.)

NancyJ wrote: "Love that song! Last time you motivated me to read a zombie book. This time you’re motivating me to put on that CD and maybe get on my exercise bike. (But that room has no heat.)"

I am glad to be a motivating force!
It is a great song :)

No heat in the exercise room!? Oh no (;_;)

I can't believe this weather.
I am in Indiana and it looks like mid-January out there.

Meli wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Love that song! Last time you motivated me to read a zombie book. This time you’re motivating me to put on that CD and maybe get on my exercise bike. (But that room has no heat.)"

I..."

That you are!

It’s a three season room, with windows on three sides. I might be exaggerating. There must be heating vents in there, but it’s cold already. Maybe they just need to be opened.

Are you getting a lot of snow? I wonder if it’s the same front heading my way. We’re expecting a big snowstorm today or tonight in Western New York. Some areas will get 2 to 4 feet of snow. It would be really awesome if my son can ski next week when he comes home from North Carolina.

@Meli - You are a stitch (I mean it in a good way!) I must be living a sheltered life, because I've never heard of The Cranberries and their zombie song. So of course, I went to Youtube to see/hear the video. I played it loud and my rocker husband shook his head in bemusement, saying "What are you listening to?" ;0)

I've already sent on the video to a friend of mine who likes zombies.

Amy wrote: "It will be interesting to see whose not reading for the tag for the first time ever in December! Will it be Amy or Theresa?"

could be me

Holly R W wrote: "Meli, you are a stitch (I mean it in a good way!) I must be living a sheltered life, because I've never heard of The Cranberries and their zombie song. So, I asked my friend Youtube to show the vid..."

I suspect some people will recognize the song when they hear it. It took me years to realize they were saying the word zombies. And that it’s about the IRA in Ireland.

Voted for the one that's least objectionable to me though I'm not thrilled with any of them. I agree with Anita that December might be a low month for tag reading.

If Zombies wins, I may try to read through the entire Walking Dead graphic novel series to commemorate the finale of the original series (although there is one spin off already and three more coming LOL).

Doughgirl5562 wrote: "If Zombies wins, I may try to read through the entire Walking Dead graphic novel series to commemorate the finale of the original series (although there is one spin off already and three more comin..."

Hmm I liked that show. There were a lot of leadership issues too.

I also agree that there are many fictional books with leadership as a theme - Watership Down is one of my favorites.

And I think you could even argue that Santa Claus is a leader - as is Rudolph the Reindeer :-).

Doughgirl5562 wrote: "I also agree that there are many fictional books with leadership as a theme - Watership Down is one of my favorites.

And I think you could even argue that Santa Claus is a leader - as is Rudolph t..."

Watership Down is a great example (and I LOVED that book).

NancyJ wrote: "Doughgirl5562 wrote: "If Zombies wins, I may try to read through the entire Walking Dead graphic novel series to commemorate the finale of the original series (although there is one spin off alread..."

I don't recall ever doing leadership and it certainly is an issue which resonates in today's world, from Akhundzada to Zelenskyy.
It also fits my current reading as I am reading both The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams and A Promised Land and have a few others waiting in the wings.

As for the other two, I would have to do some digging to find something for writing and "eeek" to zombies, but I would play along, as it is clear that they are dearly loved by some.

NancyJ wrote: "Are you getting a lot of snow? I wonder if it’s the same front heading my way. We’re expecting a big snowstorm today or tonight in Western New York. Some areas will get 2 to 4 feet of snow. "

Not a lot of snow, but it has been a few years since we have a light coat that sticks and have it be this cold, low 30s :( The last few years it's been more wet until January.

I saw a big storm will hit Buffalo!
I hope you stay safe and warm!

Holly R W wrote: "I must be living a sheltered life, because I've never heard of The Cranberries and their zombie song. "

😂 Wow, I didn't know anyone could not know that song!

Santa Clause could be a zombie! He never dies!
I guess he could be a vampire in that case too... and he does travel at night. But vampires are the living dead, so ... 🧟‍♀️

Meli wrote: "As the Cranberries would say (or sing):

"In your head, in your head
Zombie, zombie, zombie-ie-ie
What's in your head, in your head?
Zombie, zombie, zombie-ie-ie-ie
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, eh-eh oh,..."

I love that song but never realized she was saying "zombie"! I mostly heard the "in your head" lyric.