Play Book Tag discussion

Jen wrote: "I think the Giver is fabulous but that probably means don't bother because all but 1 I voted out is safe. However it is a quick read so at least you can easily decide for yourself"

😂 Well I’m usually one of the weirdos with these type of things, too, so maybe that means I should read it. I actually own a physical copy, and I’m not even sure where it came from.

Theresa wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Anita wrote: "NancyJ wrote: ".Anita, when will be voting on the list? This summer or at the end of the year? Just in case we want to read a few more before we vote..."

As soon as I ..."

Yikes Theresa. The last thing I want to do is set up a new challenge with another thread to check! LOL I'm already overloaded with the record keeping for all the challenges I'm in this year. I'm way ahead of schedule in the reading, but behind on the paperwork.

I just wanted a little more time before I vote on the new top 100 list. Not that it matters. I can't read them all anyway.

I just don't understand how All the Light We Cannot See is in danger of coming off. It's one of the best novels of this century, IMO! Of course, I did listen to the audiobook which might have helped.

There are other surprises as well.

Jen wrote: "Pam wrote: "I have 10 books on my TBR from the up for removal list and I'm hoping to get to a few of them before voting. I know what my top two priorities are, but any recommendations from these ei..."

I really liked The Giver as well, and it's not the type of book I normally choose to read. It was also a very quick read from what I can remember.

I agree Karin. Also don't know why Constellation of Vital Phenomena is in danger either. There was a third one that surprised and shocked me as well.

I could not agree more Karin!

It’s a great reflection of this lovely group where it’s so safe to disagree as well as to agree - even about our most precious books.

I was surprised to see ‘All the Light’ and the Marra books on on the list as well, knowing how beloved they are.

I adore both Marra books. Personally I didn’t like ‘All The Light’ though - it just didn’t click for me despite the fact the concept is great and some of the writing is downright exquisite. But I didn’t vote for its removal so I’m clearly not the only one who doesn’t like it!

I didn’t like All the Light either, but I don’t think I voted for its removal. I actually have no memory of which ones I voted to remove!

Karin wrote: "I just don't understand how All the Light We Cannot See is in danger of coming off. It's one of the best novels of this century, IMO! Of course, I did listen to the audiobook which might have helpe..."

And I also listened to the audio and was bored out of my mind! :-) I was probably one who voted to remove it, but I don't recall for sure.

The poll is ready to go!! Have fun perusing and making your selections!

You may select up to 30 choices (from a total of 109) that you want to see included in our PBT Top 100 Fiction List (for probably the next five years lol).

So cast your votes wisely!!

You will have until September 30 to cast your votes at the link below:.

https://forms.gle/jWRJKP6ACmmcm597A

Anita, was it intentional to combine 2 books on one line (Three Daughters of Eve by Elif Shafak or The Pearl That Broke Its Shell by Nadia Hashimi)?

Also, would it be helpful to post a list without having to open the survey? - see post 65 below

BTW, Room is by Emma Donoghue (not McDonoghue)

Anita wrote: "You will have until September 30 to cast your votes"

Woohoooo!! Thanks, Anita

Before I do something stupid ... the poll format we are using allows looking at it, even repeatedly, before actually voting?

Theresa wrote: "Before I do something stupid ... the poll format we are using allows looking at it, even repeatedly, before actually voting?"

Yes

Here's the List in case you want to ponder and evaluate before voting: (ordered by author's last name - order in the survey will vary)

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the UniverseGalaxy by Douglas Adams
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Beartown by Fredrick Backman
A Man Called Ove by Frederik Backman
Missing Mollie by Natalie Barelli
The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Horse by Geraldine Brooks
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
Birds Without Wings by Louis DeBernieres
Corelli's Mandolin by Louis DeBernieres
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Room by Emma McDonoghue
The Count of Monte ChristoCristo by Alexandre Dumas
Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings
The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
A Time to Kill by John Grisham
Crow Mary by Kathleen Grissom
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Midnight Library by Matt Haig
The Nightingale Kristin Hannah
Far from the Maddening Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
Tess of the D'urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
Abomination of Lost Memories by RM Harrington
The Chevalier by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
Plainsong by Kent Haruf
Dune by Frank HebertHerbert
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
Dispatches by Michael Herr
Frederica by Georgette Heyer
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Valor's Choice by Tanya Huff
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Cider House Rules by John Irving
The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish
Tigana - Guy Gavriel Kay
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
The Stand by Stephen King
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver
The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
This Tender Land - William Kent Krueger
Everything Here Is Beautiful by Mira T Lee
The Dispossessed by Ursula le Guin
Hot Milk by Deborah Levy
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
The Giver by Lois Lowry
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra
The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra
Song Yet Sung by James McBride
Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy
The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
Hawaii by James Michener
The Dinosaur Lords by Victor Milan
A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
True Biz by Sara Novic
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
1984 by George Orwell
Animal Farm by George Orwell
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
The Overstory by Richard Powers
The Shipping News by Annie Proulx
The Huntress by Kate Quinn
Jitterbug Perfume - Tom Robbins
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell
Blindness by Jose Saragamo
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
* Three Daughters of Eve by Elif Shafak or The Pearl that Broke its Shell by Nadia Hashimi *
The Priory of the Orange Tree - Samantha Shannon
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Anathem by Neal Stephenson
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Honor by Thrity Umrigar
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
Cutting For Stone by Abraham VerghesseVerghese
Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
The Martian by Andy Weir
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
Stoner by John Williams
Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak


* Note: I presume this should be 2 separate books but is listed on the same line in the survey

Joy D wrote: "Anita, was it intentional to combine 2 books on one line (Three Daughters of Eve by Elif Shafak or The Pearl That Broke Its Shell by Nadia Hashimi)?..."

Good question! I want to vote for one, but have not read the other, so....

This list shows just how diverse we are in our reading tastes! There are books in that list that I've rated 5 stars and also books I rated 1 star, plus other amounts.

I am, I think, the odd man out here, I guess. I am having a hard time choosing 10. No way will I get anywhere near voting my full allotment of 30

Joanne wrote: "I am, I think, the odd man out here, I guess. I am having a hard time choosing 10. No way will I get anywhere near voting my full allotment of 30"

Joanne, I hope you find sone new ones you’ll like. I was under 30 my first run through the list, but I spotted more when I looked again, and there are many more I want to read.

I was surprised by the number of books I never even heard of, but I think that’s better than a predictable list of the same old books.

There are a lot of authors I like on the list, even if the book listed is different then the one I would have selected.

LibraryCin wrote: "Joy D wrote: "Anita, was it intentional to combine 2 books on one line (Three Daughters of Eve by Elif Shafak or The Pearl That Broke Its Shell by Nadia Hashimi)?..."

Good question! I want to vote..."

FYI Nadia Hashimi has a new book on sale at Audible this weekend.

Joanne wrote: "I am, I think, the odd man out here, I guess. I am having a hard time choosing 10. No way will I get anywhere near voting my full allotment of 30"

Oh me neither. Right now I would vote for seven. There are more on there that I liked, I just don't consider them Top 100 level.

Interestingly, I have exactly 23 that I would potentially read in the next two months... but that's highly unlikely to happen! And even if it did, I wouldn't expect them to all reach Top 100 level for me.

Speaking of, so glad to see All Systems Red on there! I love Murderbot with all my heart. Thank you, whoever nominated it.

I was hoping someone would nominate Project Hail Mary as well, but I will settle for The Martian :)

Pam wrote: "Speaking of, so glad to see All Systems Red on there! I love Murderbot with all my heart. Thank you, whoever nominated it.

I was hoping someone would nominate Project Hail Mary as..."

I might have preferred Project Hail Mary too. I only saw the movie adaptation of The Martian. i think a lot of women are surprised by how much they enjoy the Murderbot books, especially those of us who are over 60.

Joy D wrote: "Here's the List in case you want to ponder and evaluate before voting: (ordered by author's last name - order in the survey will vary)

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the UniverseGalaxy by Douglas Adams..."

Thanks for adding this Joy.

Another typo is

Count of Monte Cristo

NancyJ wrote: "Joy D wrote: "Here's the List in case you want to ponder and evaluate before voting: (ordered by author's last name - order in the survey will vary)

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the UniverseGalaxy by..."

Good catch, Nancy. I've updated the list above, so Anita has one place to see them if she wants to change anything.

Pam wrote: "Speaking of, so glad to see All Systems Red on there! I love Murderbot with all my heart. Thank you, whoever nominated it.

I was hoping someone would nominate Project Hail Mary as..."

Happy about that too!

Pam wrote: "Anita wrote: "You will have until September 30 to cast your votes"

Woohoooo!! Thanks, Anita"

seconded

Joanne wrote: "I am, I think, the odd man out here, I guess. I am having a hard time choosing 10. No way will I get anywhere near voting my full allotment of 30"

I only have 11 I actually care about so you are not alone! Perhaps 12 if I can concentrate enough to finish The Overstory.

Joanne wrote: "I am, I think, the odd man out here, I guess. I am having a hard time choosing 10. No way will I get anywhere near voting my full allotment of 30"

I won't be voting for my entire allowed number. I think I have between 15 and 20 or so that I'll vote for.

NancyJ wrote: "FYI Nadia Hashimi has a new book on sale at Audible this weekend...."

Oooh, nice! Actually, "The Pearl..." is the only one I've read by her so far. I will take a look, though!

LibraryCin wrote: "Joanne wrote: "I am, I think, the odd man out here, I guess. I am having a hard time choosing 10. No way will I get anywhere near voting my full allotment of 30"

I won't be voting for my entire al..."

Yeah no point voting for books we haven't read or don't much care about....If everyone only votes for those they love there should be more chance of having something for everyone.

Joy D wrote: "Anita, was it intentional to combine 2 books on one line (Three Daughters of Eve by Elif Shafak or The Pearl That Broke Its Shell by Nadia Hashimi)?

Also, would it be helpful to post a list withou..."

So, I see one person nominated both which is against the rules. Her first nomination was Three daughters of Eve, so that's the one that will be included. I need to do some editing I see!!

Is Dispatches by Herr fiction or non fiction? All indications point to non fiction, so it may not belong on the list?

I just went through the list and made my list.... Many of the books that I hoped might be added and I hoped to see were there. But what I didn't see and strikes me that I would have liked to was

The Lincoln Highway and Anxious People. Both popular books I loved more than some of the others.

Going through the list of books to add/save, I found 28 to support. 21 for sure, and seven maybes that didn't quite make the grade of the other 21. Plus, I am reading Demon Copperhead in August, and I won't know whether to vote for it, unless I have read it first. But I did feel, that as long as I had room for 30, if there were six or seven more that I could support, even if they didn't hold the same weight, I might be saving someone else's choice, other than my own. That is how I conceptualized this. Because for me, if you only vote for your own absolute favorites, we are going to end up knocking off beloved books, and some that are beloved to each of you. That's just how I was conceptualizing it. Anyway, I am not voting yet. I can change my mind. But I do hope we get a good representation. Nice job everybody with the added selections. I was pretty impressed.

Looking back to my original shortlist for a book to add. I also didn't see Mad Honey or Writers and Lovers. Or Map of Salt and Stars. But I saw so many others that were already on the list, or recently added.

And I nominated the Weight of Ink - no surprise there. It was really hard to pick, so I was thrilled that so many of my top choices were picked by others.

Amy wrote: "And I nominated the Weight of Ink - no surprise there. It was really hard to pick, so I was thrilled that so many of my top choices were picked by others."
I loved The Weight of Ink and will definitely be voting for it!

Regarding Demon Copperhead, personally I feel it is much superior to Unsheltered, also by Kingsolver and up for vote.

Anita wrote: "Her first nomination was Three daughters of Eve, so that's the one that will be included. I need to do some editing I see!!..."

Glad to see Three Daughters of Eve on the list. Also, I tried to make any edits that I saw (or others pointed out) in post 65 above. I know it's difficult when inputting a long list to get everything exact.

Amy wrote: "Looking back to my original shortlist for a book to add. I also didn't see Mad Honey or Writers and Lovers. Or Map of Salt and Stars. But I saw so many others that were already on the list, or rece..."

It is possible that some books you love which do not make the top 100, will make the top 15 of 15.

True!

Anita wrote: "So, I see one person nominated both which is against the rules. Her first nomination was Three daughters of Eve, so that's the one that will be included. ..."

Oh, that's disappointing!

NancyJ wrote: "Pam wrote: "Speaking of, so glad to see All Systems Red on there! I love Murderbot with all my heart. Thank you, whoever nominated it.

I was hoping someone would nominate Project ..."

The Martian is Weir's best book, IMO, and the book is better than the film. That said, there were enough years in between reading the book and seeing the movie that I was able to enjoy it despite all of the omissions.

Not sure if I am the only pedant here, but the name is Far From the Madding Crowd, not Maddening. It comes from a line in Gray's Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard

Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife,

I'm not planning to vote for that book, I just wanted to mention this.

Robin P wrote: "Not sure if I am the only pedant here, but the name is Far From the Madding Crowd, not Maddening. It comes from a line in Gray's Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard

Far from the madding crowd's ..."

I tried to fix all the typos that Joy pointed out including this one.

I'll probably vote a handful that I haven't yet read, but which I feel should be on the list over some that I have read and enjoyed.

Still playing with it.

I will feel annoyed if Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow makes PBT top 100. I bet most of us won't even remember that book in two years ...

Nicole D. wrote: "I will feel annoyed if Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow makes PBT top 100. I bet most of us won't even remember that book in two years ..."

You just voiced one of my key criteria for approving a book for any list like this - top 100, top 15, top 10 -- can I instantly remember what the book was about and what exactly I like about it? It's sometimes shocking when I don't remember -- like Middlemarch which I read years ago and loved - and loved the BBC adaptation - was totally immersed in it - - and today I don't remember more than Dorothea herself and something vague about her marriage.... Contrast with Lolita which I read as a teenager --- and that was many decades ago - and I remember so very much about it -- not just the plot but actual sentences.

I tend to be cautious about putting really recently published books on these lists.

That is a good point by both of you.

I am going to go over my choices (still only written down for me at this point) for the top 15. (I need to go over them again, anyway, because I was leaving off the nonfiction.)

Anyway, I need to keep this in mind when it comes to the newer books, for sure. Will they be memorable enough? I've already cut out a few because of that (ones from the last 2-3 years that I rated 5 stars.

Theresa wrote: "Nicole D. wrote: "I will feel annoyed if Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow makes PBT top 100. I bet most of us won't even remember that book in two years ..."

You just voiced one of my key criter..."

I use the same criteria to upgrade or downgrade the books I originally gave 4 1/2 stars. The memory rule might not be completely fair in my case, but the best books cut through even the worst brain fog. I also value compelling themes and depth above temporary enjoyment.

The most important factor for me (on top of being a good book) is - did the book add value to my life in some way? Did it inform my world view? Did it increase my appreciation of something important in the world? Did the book influence how I viewed other books, history or events? Did it dominate my thoughts for some time? I was just looking at my 15-15 list (currently at 62), and I realize that Educated, Just Mercy. and Migrations should be on my list for all those reasons. Also Death and Life of the Great Lakes.

Theresa wrote: "Nicole D. wrote: "I will feel annoyed if Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow makes PBT top 100. I bet most of us won't even remember that book in two years ..."

You just voiced one of my key criter..."

Agreed! However if I just went with books I remember it would be a very long list so it has to be much more than that. I still remember chunks of my high school English texts (35 years ago) and sure as hell wouldn't be putting any of them on. More likely than forgetting is mixing up parts of similar books for me.