Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

It's now time to get ready to vote for our next set of prompts! The thread will be open for at least 24 hours before the poll gets posted. This is a good opportunity to ask any question you may have regarding the prompts, do some research, or ask for recommendations.

Voting will open in the morning of Saturday, August 31 and results will be posted in the morning of Wednesday, September 4 (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.

Poll Prompts:
1. A book that is an Audie award winner or nominee (read in any format)
2. A book with a coastal setting
3. A book related to hotels, haughtiness, hotheads, humour, or Fawlty Towers
4. A book based on the theme of one of six Las Vegas hotels: Luxor, Excalibur, The Flamingo, MGM Grand, Circus Circus, and Treasure Island
5. A book involving a politician or an election
6. A book with a sunset vibes on the cover
7. A book related to space travel, the goddess Artemis, or one of her spheres of influence
8. A play, screenplay, or poetry book
9. A book with a cover that you judged poorly
10. A book about breaking up or breaking down
11. A book recommended by an Independent Bookseller
12. A book with a cover that has a building or cityscape
13. A book by an author who shares a last name with a famous non-writer
14. A book involving the pursuit of happiness
15. A book that plays with perceptions of reality

Feel free to discuss the prompts below, but please remember to be respectful to the other group members.

VOTE HERE: https://forms.gle/8B2Yt5yZisrQafuR8

THOUGHTS AND IDEAS FROM THE SUGGESTIONS THREAD

1. A book that is an Audie award winner or nominee (read in any format)
Awards recognizing distinction in audiobooks and spoken word entertainment sponsored by the Audio Publishers Association (APA). This prompt will be inclusive of our audiobook reading members, but still open to all to read in any book format that they prefer. Audiobook listeners know that the narrator can sometimes make or break a book. So let’s honor those award winning narrators with this prompt! Awards are given in 26 categories, includes fiction and non fiction, and there are some awesome titles that have won or been nominated going all the way back to 1996.
https://www.audiopub.org/audie-awards...
https://www.goodreads.com/award/show/...

3. A book related to hotels, haughtiness, hotheads, humour, or Fawlty Towers
Because it's the 50th anniversary of Fawlty Towers. Even if you've never watched the show, you should be able to find a book for one of the words.

4. A book based on the theme of one of six Las Vegas hotels: Luxor, Excalibur, The Flamingo, MGM Grand, Circus Circus, and Treasure Island
--Luxor (Egypt, the Titanic)
--Excalibur (Medieval, King Arthur)
--The Flamingo (Tropical, birds)
--MGM Grand (Hollywood, movies)
--Circus, Circus (Circus, carnival, fair)
--Treasure Island (Pirates, treasure)

5. A book involving a politician or an election
Election
Enter the Aardvark
The Unfolding
Red, White & Royal Blue

Lots of non-fiction options, kid's books, etc

6. A book with a sunset vibes on the cover


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

7. A book related to space travel, the goddess Artemis, or one of her spheres of influence
In honor of Artemis II, NASA’s crewed mission to the moon planned for September 2025.
Artemis' spheres of influence:
- the moon
- the hunt
- the wilderness (forests, mountains)
- wild animals
- nature
- vegetation
- childbirth
- care of children
- chastity

9. A book with a cover that you judged poorly
They say don't judge a book by it's cover but I'm sure a lot of us do. There are certain covers that really annoy me and can make we not want to read something. For example, I hate film/TV tie-in covers. This book has existed for years why does it now have some actors face on it?

10. A book about breaking up or breaking down
Breaking up:

Romantic break up:
Hissy Fit
The Divorce
Someone Else's Shoes
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

Band break up:
And in the End: The Last Days of the Beatles
Dreams: The Many Lives of Fleetwood Mac

Countries/empires:
The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War

Other:
How to Break Up with Your Phone: The 30-Day Plan to Take Back Your Life
Floodpath: The Deadliest Man-Made Disaster of 20th-Century America and the Making of Modern Los Angeles
How To Break Up With Fast Fashion

Breakdown:

Society:
The Road
The Stand
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

Mental:
Challenger Deep
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

Physical:
When Life Gives You Pears: The Healing Power of Family, Faith, and Funny People
What Doesn't Kill You: A Life with Chronic Illness - Lessons from a Body in Revolt

11. A book recommended by an Independent Bookseller
You could BIO this prompt by choosing an Indie owned by an author. I ran out of time, but I’m happy to add to this list for Indie’s from other countries if you send them to me.

U.S.
https://www.bookpeople.com/new-staff-...
https://www.parnassusbooks.net/staff-... - owned by Ann Patchett
https://store.poisonedpen.com/feature...
https://www.beastlybooks.com/ - owned by George RR Martin
https://fabledbookshop.com/staff-picks
https://www.powells.com/staff-picks
https://www.carmichaelsbookstore.com/...
https://birchbarkbooks.com/collection... - owned by Louise Erdrich
https://booksaremagic.net/staff-picks - owned by Emma Straub
https://www.anunlikelystory.com/staff... - owned by Jeff Kinney, author of Diary of a Wimpy Kid
https://www.nowherebookshop.com/ - owned by Jenny Lawson
https://booksandbookskw.com/staff-picks/ - owned by Judy Blume and her husband, George Cooper
https://www.unclebobbies.com/ - owned by political analyst and author Marc Lamont Hill

Canada:
https://www.bromelakebooks.ca/ - bookstore in Louise Penny’s home town
https://benmcnallybooks.com/new-and-n...
https://www.argobookshop.ca/staff-picks
https://www.whistlerbooks.com/lists/L...
https://www.glassbookshop.com/lists/L...
https://volumeone.ca/staff-picks
https://turning.ca/

12. A book with a cover that has a building or cityscape
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/... (romance books)

13. A book by an author who shares a last name with a famous non-writer
(An author’s last name that matches that of a celebrity in a different field—actor, musician, athlete, historical figure, etc. This could also include an author’s pen name).

Examples:
Black: Jack Black → Holly Black
Bush: George W. Bush → Nancy Bush
Clark: Caitlin Clark → Mary Higgins Clark or Mary Jane Clark
Hoover: Herbert Hoover → Colleen Hoover
Jackson: Michael Jackson → Holly Jackson or Lisa Jackson
James: LeBron James → E.L. James
Johnson: Dwayne Johnson → Maureen Johnson
Perry: Matthew Perry → Jolene Perry or Thomas Perry
Smith: Will Smith → Amber Smith or Jennifer E. Smith
Underwood: Carrie Underwood → Sarah Underwood
White: Betty White → Kate White or Loreth Anne White
Williams: Serena Williams → Katie Williams

Perception of reality is missing from the list. Is there also information on that prompt?

A big yes to Fawlty Towers, Las Vegas hotels, space travel, and cityscape/building on cover. Love those! I missed the suggestions hour and I'm sorry to see that politician/election got suggested instead of man, woman, camera, TV ...I can't remember the fifth word but I would have upvoted that wholeheartedly. Politicians and elections, no. The "five words" opened the prompt up to lots of nonpolitical options, this doesn't.

Lots of great options this week! In spite of being retired, I think I have only managed to be on line during one of the 11 polls so far! But I am impressed with the variety we have been coming up with.

First impression - great week! I’m going to have mostly upvotes

Favorites so far:

✴️2. A book with a coastal setting

✴️5. A book involving a politician or an election - I like that this could be nonfiction, fantasy, thriller, sci fi, biography, historical fiction, romantic fantasy, or a children’s book about a historical leader (many of these are on banned books lists if anyone has that in a challenge

✴️6. A book with a sunset vibes on the cover - my eyes thank you. This is my kind of cover prompt. Gorgeous display

✴️7. A book related to space travel, the goddess Artemis, or one of her spheres of influence - I love that this is tied to a pending event, and I hope all the voters will know that too. It will make this a top-of-mind prompt for 2025.

✴️11. A book recommended by an Independent Bookseller -I love this. The links are very helpful. I always look to see what Ann Patchett recommends, and I will have fun exploring the rest.

I also like the prompts about the pursuit of happiness, breaking up/down, and others.

First Impressions

1. A book that is an Audie award winner or nominee (read in any format)
I don't like award prompts.

2. A book with a coastal setting
Maybe. I feel like we have enough setting prompts.

3. A book related to hotels, haughtiness, hotheads, humour, or Fawlty Towers
Too many options. NO

4. A book based on the theme of one of six Las Vegas hotels: Luxor, Excalibur, The Flamingo, MGM Grand, Circus Circus, and Treasure Island
I like that this narrowed it down from just any Vegas hotel.

5. A book involving a politician or an election
NO!

6. A book with a sunset vibes on the cover
Maybe

7. A book related to space travel, the goddess Artemis, or one of her spheres of influence
We just voted in a Goddess prompt, otherwise I'd be more positive about this.

8. A play, screenplay, or poetry book
YES

9. A book with a cover that you judged poorly
Maybe

10. A book about breaking up or breaking down
Yes

11. A book recommended by an Independent Bookseller
Boring

12. A book with a cover that has a building or cityscape
Meh

13. A book by an author who shares a last name with a famous non-writer
Meh

14. A book involving the pursuit of happiness
Maybe

15. A book that plays with perceptions of reality
Yes. I find it extremely funny that this accidently got left off the list above.

Emily wrote: "It's now time to get ready to vote for our next set of prompts! The thread will be open for at least 24 hours before the poll gets posted. This is a good opportunity to ask any question you may hav..."

It might be me but think 15 is missing; others seem to see it as A book that plays with perceptions of reality so maybe my reality is off...

Samantha wrote: "It might be me but think 15 is missing; others seem to see it as A book that plays with perceptions of reality so maybe my reality is off......"


Maybe Emily is just being meta and playing with our perceptions of reality.

There will probably be few votes either or down for me. I did like the prompts for Audie awards and independent bookseller recommendatons and will probably vote these up. I wasn't crazy abour the hotel or Artemis prompt. I would probably use Artemis for the woods, but both of these prompts are Anniversary prompts based on how I defined the latter one.

Samantha wrote: "Emily wrote: "It's now time to get ready to vote for our next set of prompts! The thread will be open for at least 24 hours before the poll gets posted. This is a good opportunity to ask any questi..."

It's on the thread for the suggestions, which is where I copied the list from.

Gosh, I have 5 I really want to vote up and another 5 I feel pretty strongly about voting down (don't like "read any book" or judgement prompts)

First impressions:

1. A book that is an Audie award winner or nominee (read in any format)- I looked at the list of Fiction winners in the past and a couple of them are already on my TBR so this is a maybe

2. A book with a coastal setting- neutral

3. A book related to hotels, haughtiness, hotheads, humour, or Fawlty Towers- the next prompt already focuses on hotels and the 2021 anniversary prompt is the NATO Alphabet (H for Hotel). However, I like the haughtiness, hotheads, and I'm always a sucker for humorous books so this is a maybe

4. A book based on the theme of one of six Las Vegas hotels: Luxor, Excalibur, The Flamingo, MGM Grand, Circus Circus, and Treasure Island- I like the variety here, It will be fun to find a way to connect a book to one of the options

5. A book involving a politician or an election- I'll probably be in the minority here, but I like this prompt. I noticed a lot of books I've read recently feature politicians. There's Fiction (Olga Dies Dreaming, Home Fire), YA (The Unexpected Everything, Yes No Maybe So, The Wrong Side of Right) even romance (Fool Me Once, The Boyfriend Candidate, Bringing Down the Duke), not to mention countless nonfiction, and sci-fi/fantasy/dystopias.

6. A book with a sunset vibes on the cover- maybe, I'll have to do some searching

7. A book related to space travel, the goddess Artemis, or one of her spheres of influence- not a fan of anything space and I feel like her spheres of influence could apply to other prompts we already have

8. A play, screenplay, or poetry book- I like plays, but not poetry. Also I don't know if this would count but I believe Interior Chinatown is a novel written in a screenplay format and it was the first thing I thought of when I saw this prompt

9. A book with a cover that you judged poorly- neutral

10. A book about breaking up or breaking down- loved this when it was first suggested, so I'll upvote it again this time around

11. A book recommended by an Independent Bookseller- neutral

12. A book with a cover that has a building or cityscape- probably upvote

13. A book by an author who shares a last name with a famous non-writer- I feel like we already have a lot of author related prompts. Otherwise I'm pretty neutral on this

14. A book involving the pursuit of happiness- considering we already have a lot of darker-themed prompts, I might vote this one to help lighten the load, lol. We'll see

15. A book that plays with perceptions of reality- I wanna see some suggestions for this as I seem to be drawing a blank, but this premise intrigues me

1. A book that is an Audie award winner or nominee (read in any format) - This is always a downvote for me. I understand why the option to read the book in any format is included, but to me, reading it in a different format defeats the purpose of the prompt. I know not everyone is able to listen to audiobooks and that's fine, but it makes it an unappealing prompt for me.

2. A book with a coastal setting - Meh, I've had enough of geographic prompts generally and this one just doesn't grab me. I wouldn't downvote though.

3. A book related to hotels, haughtiness, hotheads, humour, or Fawlty Towers - I love Fawlty Towers so I love the concept of this, but I don't really love how overly wordy the prompt itself is. Adding all the extra H's into it makes it sound like 5 different prompts mashed together, when really all of those things are already encompassed by Fawlty Towers alone. With that said, I'd likely still vote for it anyway!

4. A book based on the theme of one of six Las Vegas hotels: Luxor, Excalibur, The Flamingo, MGM Grand, Circus Circus, and Treasure Island - This is a very strong maybe. I voted for the similar Vegas prompt last year so it's already on my rejects challenge for me to do anyway, so I'd vote for it only if I have an extra vote

5. A book involving a politician or an election - Most likely leaving it neutral. I'm not really interested in reading about politics, but election leaves it a little more open (ie. YA books about school elections)

6. A book with a sunset vibes on the cover - A strong maybe, depending what's on my TBR

7. A book related to space travel, the goddess Artemis, or one of her spheres of influence - Most likely a downvote since my gut reaction was "I don't understand this" when I first saw it. I'm not a huge fan of space travel books, and didn't know anything about Artemis to draw an immediate connection. Once I saw the list of what's associated with her, it seemed most were already covered by animal/vegetable/mineral that's already on the list

8. A play, screenplay, or poetry book - Downvote. It just doesn't align very well with what's on my TBR

9. A book with a cover that you judged poorly - Probably leaving this one neutral. I have a few books that might fit, but I already have a similar rejects prompt that would cover the same thing

10. A book about breaking up or breaking down - Still love this one! Definite upvote.

11. A book recommended by an Independent Bookseller - Most likely a downvote. I'm not super familiar with independent booksellers so it would involve a lot of time/effort to look them up individually, figure out where on their site to find recommendations (which often isn't obvious), and pick something. I know I'd end up just seeking out something I already have on my TBR anyway, and I think there's more interesting/exciting prompts to get me to those same books

12. A book with a cover that has a building or cityscape - I really like this one, although I'm not sure why. I'd kind of prefer if it was either building or cityscape, not both, but this is likely an upvote.

13. A book by an author who shares a last name with a famous non-writer - It took me a few minutes to figure out what this one meant. I'd have to check out my options and see what I have that fits, since I'm not sure if it will be way too easy or way too hard.

14. A book involving the pursuit of happiness - I loved this one and voted for it last time, so I'd very likely vote for it again

15. A book that plays with perceptions of reality - Love this concept, but would need to look and see what I have that would actually fit

Dubhease wrote: "Samantha wrote: "It might be me but think 15 is missing; others seem to see it as A book that plays with perceptions of reality so maybe my reality is off......"


Maybe Emily is just being meta an..."

I think that must be the case, she deserve to have a little fun.

Haha! I wish that were the case. I started the voting thread before that one was in, with intentions of going place it when it got seconded… and then I didn’t. I’m away from my computer but will add it to the list when I get back to it!

I found this shelf Perception and Reality Books
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

I’ve only read one book in the list, it was awful but fits. I have no idea about the rest.

I am LOVING the irony of "perceptions of reality" being a blank line - like, IS it there? what is my reality??? is it not a real prompt? LOL

Also I really love the prompt (but right now I seem to be out of votes so if it doesn't make it this time, I would love to see it again). I have a GR shelf for exactly this sort of book.

Some ideas:
The Doors of Perception an autobiography by Aldous Huxley about his use of psychotropics, AND the reason The Doors called themselves The Doors.
Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones - A LOT of his books play with reality, you don't know if these things are really happening or if it's all in the protagonist's head - in this case, you don't know if the family is truly werewolves, or is "werewolf" a stand in for "Native" and the boy experienced so much trauma that he created this entire story of a werewolf family.
The Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer - that entire series is just weird and impossible to say what is real and what is not
Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi - is the protagonist really talking to Jesus in their head or are they experiencing so much trauma from gender dysphoria that they lost touch with reality?
Earthlings by Sayaka Murata - another trauma-based break with reality
Hell of a Book by Jason Mott - it's a hell of a book!
Light Years From Home by Mike Chen - was their brother REALLY abducted by aliens and fighting to save the universe?

and more ...
The Third Hotel
State of Paradise
Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre
American Elsewhere
Hard Girls
Big Time
The Other Black Girl
The Kaiju Preservation Society
When We Cease to Understand the World
Bunny
All's Well
Bridge
Indian Burial Ground
American Mermaid
Flux
The Regional Office is Under Attack!

So I did some investigating about books that play with perception of reality and a lot of surrealist works came up. Books that blur the lines between fact and fiction, books that are kafkaesque, fever dreams, surrealist horror/sci-fi, etc. Some listopias I came across:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

Thank you for those lists, Andrea. Books that play with perception of reality will likely be an up-vote for me. I have so many Murakami books on my shelves.

I will do all 8 up votes. I really am hoping for more than 2 prompts to be included in the final list for poll 11. I think we're just halfway now from my count and it's almost September.

Thanks Andrea for the lists! I really like the prompt and think it would be fun looking for something or accidentally finding a book. I have several Philip K Dick and Franz Kafka books in mind.

Re the politics prompt, don’t forget political satire! Two good options are Best Laid Plans by Canadian author Terry Fallis and Mr. Texas by Lawrence Wright. There are also plenty of thrillers involving politics. Two movies with politicians and elections, that are based on books, are The Manchurian Candidate and Stephen King’s The Dead Zone. I think this could be another fun one and it’s an upvote for me.

Re the politics prompt, don’t forget political satire! Two good options are Best Laid Plans by Canadian author Terry Fallis and Mr. Texas by Lawrence Wright. There are also plenty of thrillers involving politics. Two movies with politicians and elections, that are based on books, are The Manchurian Candidate and Stephen King’s The Dead Zone. I think this could be another fun one and it’s an upvote for me.."

Political satires are my jam! I've read Wright's God Save Texas: A Journey into the Soul of the Lone Star State and really liked it, but then again I'm a Texan so that was probably expected. With that said, Mr. Texas sounds like something up my alley!

And you're right, there are a lot of thrillers with politicians. I think when people hear the word "politician", they often have an immediate negative reaction, which is understandable. However, a book featuring a politician doesn't have to be overtly political. As someone in this discussion mentioned, elections can occur at different levels, such as in student government (like in Election). Also, the main character could have a family member who holds public office, like protagonists with parents who are politicians.

Nadine in NY wrote: "The Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer - that entire series is just weird and impossible to say what is real and what is not"

Now I'm not usually a fantasy/sci-fi/horror reader, but the Southern Reach Trilogy was one of my favorite series! He's supposedly coming out with a fourth book this fall which I'm excited for as the original trilogy left me with a lot of unanswered questions.

Emily wrote: "It's now time to get ready to vote for our next set of prompts! The thread will be open for at least 24 hours before the poll gets posted. This is a good opportunity to ask any question you may hav..."

Emily, sorry I missed all the fun this today...

Catching up tonight. I noticed that the list of possible prompts in Message 1 is missing the prompt for #15 (the number is there, just no prompt). 🤷🏻‍♀️

Tracy, Emily forgot to add "15. A book that plays with perceptions of reality" and will add it once she gets on her computer (see message 16).

Ah! Thanks Jillian :)

Voting is open (and the first post is updated to have our perceptions of reality prompt lol):

https://forms.gle/8B2Yt5yZisrQafuR8

Andrea wrote: "Political satires are my jam! I've read Wright's God Save Texas: A Journey into the Soul of the Lone Star State and really liked it, but then again I'm a Texan so that was probably expected. With that said, Mr. Texas sounds like something up my alley!..."

Andrea - Thanks for the suggestion of God Save Texas. I've added it to my TBR. I think you would like Mr. Texas. I had to keep telling myself that it was a satire. Parts of it felt like a documentary to me! I was hoping there would be a sequel. I think Wright is more known for his non-fiction, so I will have to check some of those books out.

4 up 4 down The downs were easy, but not so sure on the ups

Totally missed the nominations yesterday. Gonna be a heavy week of downvotes for me. There are so many here that I intensely dislike. I pray to Artemis that play/screenplay/poetry gets voted down. I don't want to do that one so much, it would almost be worth not doing the entire challenge just to avoid it. Others are so vague as to be essentially meaningless, or just not what I want for 2025. Like, once the U.S. Presidential election is wrapped, I'm not going to be in a huge rush to go read a book about an election, you know? I wish people would stop making prompts based on what is going on right now & think more about what might be happening next year.

Three up and two down for me. The rest I’m neutral about.
Upvotes for the Las Vegas hotel, breaking up or breaking down, and bookseller recommendation prompts. Down voted play, screenplay or poetry and cover I judged poorly. These were my least favorites but I think I could make them work.

Andrea wrote: "Re the politics prompt, don’t forget political satire! Two good options are Best Laid Plans by Canadian author Terry Fallis and Mr. Texas by Lawrence Wright. There are also plenty of thrillers invo..."

Pianist in a Bordello by Mike C. Erickson

I read this last year and really enjoyed it.

RE: 1. A book that is an Audie award winner or nominee (read in any format)

Earlier this year I read
In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors by Doug Stanton

Audie Award for History/Biography (2017)

It was phenomenal!

Robin H-R wrote: "I read this last year and really enjoyed it."

I read the synopsis, and it sounds truly absurd, haha! Thanks for the rec; I've added it to my TBR!

Robin H-R wrote: "Andrea wrote: "Re the politics prompt, don’t forget political satire! Two good options are Best Laid Plans by Canadian author Terry Fallis and Mr. Texas by Lawrence Wright. There are also plenty of..."

Thank you for these

Hm, not such a great week imo. 3 upvotes, that I am admittedly quite enthused about!, and 5 downvotes.

Upvote:

3. A book related to hotels, haughtiness, hotheads, humour, or Fawlty Towers - Mainly upvoting this because I am very fond of Fawlty Towers, and I do have a lot of comedy books on my tbr!

4. A book based on the theme of one of six Las Vegas hotels: Luxor, Excalibur, The Flamingo, MGM Grand, Circus Circus, and Treasure Island - I think this was suggested last year too, and I loved it then! I’m glad it’s made a comeback, there are so many interesting options here.

7. A book related to space travel, the goddess Artemis, or one of her spheres of influence - I seconded this, so! I don’t generally go in for sci-fi books that much, but the Artemis II link is incredible and I love the flexibility here. Could read sci-Fi, could read a more fantasy inspired thing or even a historical.

Downvote:

1. A book that is an Audie award winner or nominee (read in any format)

5. A book involving a politician or an election - I don’t usually comment on downvotes, but for this one I want to say that I hope it gets suggested again… Next year. XD Given my current levels of terror around a certain event this November, and a certain far too possible outcome, I’d rather not think about politics in that much detail until things are a little more settled!

8. A play, screenplay, or poetry book
10. A book about breaking up or breaking down
11. A book recommended by an Independent Bookseller

1. A book that is an Audie award winner or nominee (read in any format)
I voted for this one. I like to listen to books on my way to work. I listen to mostly non-fiction but every once in awhile I'll listen to a fiction one. We need more award prompts
2. A book with a coastal setting
I voted for this. Maybe it's because I'm going to the beach in less than two weeks but I like this prompt.
3. A book related to hotels, haughtiness, hotheads, humour, or Fawlty Towers
I did not vote for this either way but it will be easy to fill.
4. A book based on the theme of one of six Las Vegas hotels: Luxor, Excalibur, The Flamingo, MGM Grand, Circus Circus, and Treasure Island
I didn't vote for this either but will be easy to fill.
5. A book involving a politician or an election
I hate the election and all thing political but I like reading about past presidents. I did not vote either way.
6. A book with a sunset vibes on the cover
I voted for. I like a cover hunt.
7. A book related to space travel, the goddess Artemis, or one of her spheres of influence
I did not vote for.
8. A play, screenplay, or poetry book
I voted for this to push me out of my comfort zone.
9. A book with a cover that you judged poorly
Too subjective for me - I voted against
10. A book about breaking up or breaking down
Also too subjective for me. I voted against.
11. A book recommended by an Independent Bookseller
I voted for this. I like to have other recommendations of books to read.
12. A book with a cover that has a building or cityscape
I didn't vote for either way but I probably should have voted against. I went through my books before for this prompt and remember it was actually hard for me to find something but I'm sure I'll figure out something if it gets voted in.
13. A book by an author who shares a last name with a famous non-writer
I didn't vote for but looks like a fun prompt
14. A book involving the pursuit of happiness
Oh wow - I missed this prompt. Too broad and subjective for me. I should have voted against but if it gets through I'll probably copy off of another member of the group for a suggestion.
15. A book that plays with perceptions of reality
This one is also kind of subjective maybe, but I liked the books on the list so it was an upvote for me.

Ciara wrote: "Totally missed the nominations yesterday. Gonna be a heavy week of downvotes for me. There are so many here that I intensely dislike. I pray to Artemis that play/screenplay/poetry gets voted down. ..."

You can always use a wildcard for a prompt that you don’t like. Or you might entertain yourself (or express your opinion) with a big stretch or interesting cheat. For poetry, you could pick a book with just one line of poetry in the beginning, or a naughty limerick. Or you could pick a book whose title came from a poem, such as Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead. If you like mysteries, Louise Penny’s books include a character who is a famous poet, and a few of her lines are sprinkled in the books. (She is a profane and cantankerous old woman who is quite entertaining.

I think there was only one prompt so far about a 2024 event. The politician/election prompt isn’t about a current event. There are elections every year, all across the world, at all levels including homecoming queen. In books you can find them in almost any genre including fantasy, history, thrillers, alternate fiction, romance, comedy, and probably even steampunk and space operas. I just read a fun John Scalzi science fiction thriller with a politician - Lock In

Ciara wrote: "Totally missed the nominations yesterday. Gonna be a heavy week of downvotes for me. There are so many here that I intensely dislike. I pray to Artemis that play/screenplay/poetry gets voted down. ..."

If you hate a prompt and it gets voted through (Im downvoting it), you can just wildcard it.

NancyJ wrote: "Ciara wrote: "Totally missed the nominations yesterday. Gonna be a heavy week of downvotes for me. There are so many here that I intensely dislike. I pray to Artemis that play/screenplay/poetry get..."

I appreciate your bringing up that elections happen all over the world, it is so easy to mono focus on what is happening around me that I hadn't even considered politics outside of my sphere. It certainly makes it more appealing with a broader framing.

NancyJ wrote: "Ciara wrote: "Totally missed the nominations yesterday. Gonna be a heavy week of downvotes for me. There are so many here that I intensely dislike. I pray to Artemis that play/screenplay/poetry get..."

Thanks for reminding me about John Scalzi's Lock In. I read his short story/prequel Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden's Syndrome, and found the premise really interesting!

The Remarkable Millard Fillmore: The Unbelievable Life of a Forgotten President is a ridiculous book about one of the US's most mediocre Presidents. He's riding a unicorn on the cover.

I just finished a Latin American classic, Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon, set in Brazil. It had politicians and elections in it but was also a love story. I’m getting ready to start The President which is set in Guatemala. There are so many options for books that have nothing to do with US elections! Just like with any other prompt, once we get out of our negative thinking about a specific topic/prompt, then we see other available options.

I personally don’t think it’s productive to the list-making process to make comments that might discourage people from suggesting prompts. Just vote. People don’t appreciate having their terrific ideas bashed or dismissed. I think many of us have been there.

I don't usually list negatives myself, for that reason (I only included a note on the politics prompt this time for positive motivations. I'm feeling ultradread about one specific political event and need to guard my mental health there, but usually I'd love it). A lot of my voting is very much based on personal preference. I don't like list prompts and will usually downvote them, for instance, but ranting angrily about that each time one is suggested helps nobody. I don't want anybody to feel bad because their personal preference doesn't match mine.

Saying that, I do think there are polite and constructive ways to express not liking a prompt. I do quite like reading Rachel's thoughts, for instance, and a lot of people have fun takes! I especially like it when a good prompt is perhaps slightly wonkily worded, and that gets workshopped in a positive manner. I do think a lot of discussion is very good to read! I just think it gets bogged down when people say they hate specific prompts, or accuse others of being too positive.

Pam wrote: "I just finished a Latin American classic, Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon, set in Brazil. It had politicians and elections in it but was also a love story. I’m getting ready to start The President whi..."

I have this one on my TBR
Evita, First Lady: A Biography of Evita Peron by John Barnes

A couple of weeks ago there was the Olympic cities suggestion. A fun idea but a lot less appealing during an Olympics off-year. & yeah, I am aware that there are other countries besides the United States, & other elections besides the U.S. Presidential election. But as an American, the U.S. Presidential election is such an unbearable slog that I personally feel I need at last a year to recuperate before I even want to hear the word election again after I've just gone through one. I live in a city that has elections of one kind of another happening every year & I like to be involved in local politics but the neverending campaign season gets exhausting. It's not a thing I want to expend a prompt on.

I also think we were will all probably live to read another day if sometimes prompts are criticized. I've criticized several prompts that were voted in. I don't think any of can claim to be batting 1000, all of our views perfect in alignment with the crowd. Doesn't mean we don't get an opinion, even a vocally negative one. If there was a prompt this week I really liked, I'd be singing its praises just as effusively, but it does look like it's going to be eight downvotes for me this week, which is a bummer. Obviously I will be a minority viewpoint on at least a couple.

Well said Siobhan. Thank you. I am also very nervous about the upcoming election so I understand people’s comments about that. In my case, it has no effect on my reading but I may have to temporarily delete my FB account for a few months.

Ciara - My point is not that we shouldn’t offer our viewpoints but rather do it in a way where we don’t scare people off from participating. I’ve seen members say things like “first time suggester. Please be nice.” That tells me that they read the threads and are nervous about putting their ideas out there and being criticized. I know I’ve backed off in past years and just waited for ideas to second and even quit following the Wild Discussion when it got to be too much negativity for me. I find the list-making process to be more interesting when we have new voices.

Robin H - Evita is a great example! Thanks for the suggestion. I saw the musical decades ago and have been interested in learning more about her.

Ciara wrote: "Totally missed the nominations yesterday. Gonna be a heavy week of downvotes for me. There are so many here that I intensely dislike ..."

Same here. I missed the suggestions again due to work, and am not enthused by the majority of these. 🫤

I think it is another interesting set of prompts. I especially like coastal and sunset prompts. They give me cozy late summer vibes. And I like books that really mess around with reality. I tried to get this in last year and wanted to give it another try this year.

The wording of space travel and Artemis somehow makes me want to read SciFi which is not something I read very often. But that is one reason why I like the challenge. Some prompts just give me the necessary motivation to be enthusiastic about reading a specific kind of book.