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 July 14 and results will be posted in the morning of July 18 (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 related to one of the group’s moderators
2. A book written in or set in the eighteenth century
3. A book on one of Goodreads New Releases by Genre page
4. A mystery without a murder
5. An author's second/sophomore book
6. A book with a symbol of death on the cover
7. A novella of 100-250 pages
8. A book with a fraction in the title
9. A book with an embossed cover or raised lettering
10. A book with an alliteration in author name or title
11. A book with a challenge or competition, such as a marathon, contest, or campaign
12. A book with a character who has an unusual, uncommon, or "extinct" occupation
13. A book connected to iron
14. A book from a publishing company, the logotype of which depicting a tangible thing
15. A book featured as a Book of the Month Club pick

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

VOTE HERE:https://forms.gle/CPihGvhNNQksJzicA

THOUGHTS AND IDEAS FROM THE SUGGESTIONS THREAD

1. A book that is related to one of the group’s moderators
The author or a character in the book could have the same first name.
The book could be related somehow to one of the mod’s profile photos or the type of mod they are: Celestial, Contemporaneous etc.

Ideas from the Mods:

Emily - As for me, I'm a "retired" teacher who now works with her husband at our CPA firm in Louisiana. I have a toddler and another baby on the way. I started a book club 12 years ago and we vacation together every summer (here's a link to all of the books we've read in our book club: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1c...). I also enjoy running and eating sweets haha!

Jackie - I'm currently in Wisconsin. I'm a scientist, a mom, and a dog lover. My favorite genres are mystery, history, and nature books. Other hobbies include baking, DIY projects, and video games.

Robin - I can speak and read French. I grew up on a sheep farm but always lived in cities as an adult. I am retired but I have a paying gig where I speak about lesser-known women from history. I like cats, chocolate, and tea.

Pamela - I live in Salem, MA. I've worked my whole career in museums-- I started as a military/aviation curator but currently work at the House of the Seven Gables-- so here's your excuse to read Hawthorne. I wish I was a fashion curator though. I also knit and travel extensively. I read a lot of paranormal romance and try to balance it out with non-fiction, classics, and literary fiction. I've just started Moby Dick again- if anyone wants to use this prompt to shame me into actually finishing it, feel free.

And yep, I'm the beach. I do love the beach! A coworker did my Hinge profile and actually listed under desirable things for a man "good beach sticker."

Trish - I live in London. I work as a financial editor and proofreader. I have cats. I'm the wrong side of 60. I enjoy reading, photography and like to cook.

2. A book written in or set in the eighteenth century
1700s

3. A book on one of Goodreads New Releases by Genre page
https://www.goodreads.com/new_releases/

This link will take you to the most recent month, but you can scroll back to see previous months listed. There are around 50 options per month in a variety of genres, so it's a great prompt for people who want a list and for people who don't want a list!

4. A mystery without a murder
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
The Shadow of the Wind
The Moonstone
The Woman In White
The Art Forger
Parker Pyne Investigates by Agatha Christie
Stealing Mona Lisa
The Case Of The Missing Books
Dog on It Chet and Bernie Mystery Series, Book 1
The Secret Book of Flora Lea
The Perils Of Lady Catherine De Bourgh
The Franchise Affair
Get Real
The Tale of Hill Top Farm
The Greenglass House
The Motion Picture Teller
The Violin Conspiracy
Gaudy Night
Aunt Dimity's Death
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency
A Highland Christmas

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4...
https://bookriot.com/non-murder-myste...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7...
https://cozy-mystery.com/blog/cozy-my...

5. An author's second/sophomore book
This is pretty much self-explanatory since you would be picking an author and go through their catalog to find the second book that they've published.

In case anyone needs help with this prompt, here are some examples down below:
https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/2...
https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/2...
https://bookriot.com/best-sophomore-n...

6. A book with a symbol of death on the cover
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbols...
Symbols of death are the motifs, images and concepts associated with death throughout different cultures, religions and societies.

Skull, coffin, hourglass, tombstone, grim reaper, scythe, crow, bat, owl, cross, angel, black dog, candle, lily, red poppy, noose, pale horse, etc.

7. A novella of 100-250 pages
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
https://modernmrsdarcy.com/short-nove...

Sometimes it's nice to read something short, and there are lots of novellas out now, from All Systems Red to Before the Coffee Gets Cold, Small Things Like These and Every Heart a Doorway.

8. A book with a fraction in the title
Such as half, third, quarter, eighth
Listopia: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

9. A book with an embossed cover or raised lettering
I’m not only thinking of library edition hardbacks but many modern paperbacks also seem to have their titles in a raised font

10. A book with an alliteration in author name or title
Definition: Alliteration is the repetition of syllable-initial consonant sounds between nearby words, or of syllable-initial vowels, if the syllables in question do not start with a consonant.

Examples of author names:
Bill Bryson
Daniel Defoe
Margaret Mitchell
Graham Greene
Ford Maddox Ford
Hermann Hesse
James Joyce,
Ken Kesey
Lois Lowry
Shel Silverstein
Walt Whitman
Madeline Miller
Rick Riordan
Fanny Flagg
Brit Bennett, etc.
Listopia of Author Names with Alliteration: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

Examples of titles:
The Monk of Mocha
Legends & Lattes
At the Coffeeshop of Curiosities
The Canopy Keepers (works since C and K in this example have the same sound)
Table for Two
West With Giraffes
Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade (2 alliterations!)
The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher
Listopias of Titles with Alliteration: https://www.goodreads.com/list/tag?id...

12. A book with a character who has an unusual, uncommon, or "extinct" occupation
Listopia: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...
Examples:
The Ravenmaster: My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London
Lady of Ashes (lady undertaker)
Weeper(professional mourner)
The Last Ride of the Pony Express: My 2,000-mile Horseback Journey into the Old West

13. A book connected to iron
e.g. Iron in the title
FE author or title initials
Grey cover
Rust
Iron age
Industrial revolution
Meteors

14. A book from a publishing company, the logotype of which depicting a tangible thing
Like the penguin for Penguin Press

https://99designs.com/blog/creative-i...
This list shows a multitude of logos, even abstract ones but there are several logos of actual things, animals and so on.

15. A book featured as a Book of the Month Club pick
You can either pick a previous title or pick a title that gets selected in 2026
-Here's the website that shows their selections from the time of their revamp to the present: https://www.bookofthemonth.com/all-mo...
-Here's the website that shows you their older selections. You'll have to click the decade "1920s", scroll down to 1926, and on the bottom RIGHT for each year after should be the "Book-of-the-Month Club Selections": http://www.booksofthecentury.com/
-Here's my own spreadsheet I made of the selections from the time I joined (August 2017) to the present: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

Emily...

12. A book with a character who has an unusual, uncommon, or "extinct" occupation

I updated my post to include a listopia, if you want to revise your "thoughts" list

I like this round much more than last week. The mods prompt is a fun idea. I’m pretty sure I read a few BOTM picks every year, so that's a list I can get behind.

I suggested symbol of death because I think they are pretty common across genres. Lots of historical fiction, mysteries, and fantasy will use them to indicate death themes, but there's also plenty of lighter books that might have an owl or black dog on the cover.

I really like “mystery without murder” but the added qualifier of no death whatsoever makes it a bit too hard. The vast majority of books I read have some death in, be it accidental, disease or otherwise. Would love to see it resubmitted without the extra qualifier if it doesn't get in.

For SFF imprint logos: Orbit is a small planet orbiting a big planet, HarperVoyager is a crescent moon, Tor is a mountain, Hodderscape is a dodo.

I don't think the embossed cover is very fair to digital only readers. I read a lot of print books and I can't even be bothered to go check every cover for embossing. It's not something I pay attention to.

so for the mods, we've got: at least one mom of littles, at least one expecting mom, at least one retired woman?

And from the photos: a waterlily, a beach, a bird, a cap & gown, an Alcott quote, and a school library? That right there is an interesting assortment of possible books, we've got settings, subjects, locations ...

I missed the nominations, so here my initial thoughts

On the whole, it's an interesting list of prompts some of which I haven't seen before.

1. A book that is related to one of the group’s moderators
I'm going to need to see a list of books to know if I should vote for this, or if it will be one of those prompts where only 30 books in existence will work.

2. A book written in or set in the eighteenth century
I read classics, so I would have tons to read for this prompt. I assume this is a broaded American revolution prompt?

3. A book on one of Goodreads New Releases by Genre page
This is so easy to do and everyone can read their favourite genre.

4. A mystery without a murder or death
At least one of the books listed as examples does have a murder in it, but it came at the end ... so not really about a murder. I do love mysteries

5. An author's second/sophomore book
I think this one is fun

6. A book with a symbol of death on the cover
I think this could be my favourite prompt this round

7. A novella of 100-250 pages
Easy to do.

8. A book with a fraction in the title
I like the creativity, but would have no idea what to read

9. A book with an embossed cover or raised lettering
This one might be too hard. You can't always tell from GR how to pick a book that fits this. Plus people who get ebooks or audio books would have no way to know what the hardcover would be like.

10. A book with an alliteration in author name or title
I've done this one several times, but it's easy

11. A book with a challenge or competition, such as a marathon, contest, or campaign
I know this is because marathons are about 26 miles and it's a 26 prompt. I'll probably upvote because I think we need 2026 related prompts, even though I have zero idea what to read.

12. A book with a character who has an unusual, uncommon, or "extinct" occupation
This is really creative

13. A book connected to iron
Iron is the 26th element. Definite upvote. And there are lots of ways to interpret it.
(Iron is poisonous to fairies, so a book with fairies is another interpretation.)

14. A book from a publishing company, the logotype of which depicting a tangible thing
I have zero personal interest in publishing logos. If it gets in, it will be easy to do.

15. A book featured as a Book of the Month Club pick
I will never be a subscriber, but the books on the list really have something for everyone. I think this is a great list prompt.

I might go 8 upvotes. Or 7 and 1.

I don't care for the embossed text prompt. We have a text prompt already, and that's good enough for me.

I love mysteries, but many do include death in some way. Even some children's mysteries like The Boxcar Children mention death, so I'm not sure I would vote for this.

I am not a fan of the publishing logo prompt. It seems limiting.

I do like the prompts for a symbol of death on the cover & a book with alliteration in author's name or title. I have a lot of those types of books on my TBR shelf.

The person who suggested prompt "15. A book featured as a Book of the Month Club" and shared their google sheet, the link is coming up as access denied for me. Not sure if they can unlock it or provide a different link.

Nadine in NY wrote: "so for the mods, we've got: at least one mom of littles, at least one expecting mom, at least one retired woman?

And from the photos: a waterlily, a beach, a bird, a cap & gown, an Alcott quote, a..."

My first thought was to use the compare books feature and find one of their 5 star reads on my tbr. But you are right the pictures provide a whole variety of options.

I love this idea of celebrating our mods!

Dubhease wrote: "I missed the nominations, so here my initial thoughts

On the whole, it's an interesting list of prompts some of which I haven't seen before.

1. A book that is related to one of the group’s modera..."


The reason why I suggested the logo prompt was because we shall have one or two prompts connected to publishing every year and I believe it's kind of difficult to come up with ideas for that one - I usually find that prompt boring as well.

When I read a Penguin Classics the other day the idea came to me. And no, I don't believe it's to limiting at all - there are plenty of well-known publishing companies in the list I provided and each publisher has loads of titles to choose from. But I understand you.

Jillian wrote: "The person who suggested prompt "15. A book featured as a Book of the Month Club" and shared their google sheet, the link is coming up as access denied for me. Not sure if they can unlock it or provide a different link"

Sorry, I fixed it! It should work now

Here's the list for Unusual, Uncommon, or "Extinct" Occupations:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...

I like this idea and have added several books to the list. If it's not obvious from the title, it might be helpful to add the type of occupation in the comment field.

Thank you, it works now.

First time commenting on one of these things, but here are my thoughts on each of the options for Poll 3:

Poll Prompts:

1. A book that is related to one of the group’s moderators
I don't know how this would end up working out, but it's unique concept and I'd be down to having it on the list if the mods are fine with it.

2. A book written in or set in the eighteenth century
Probably would be a downvote just because I'm not that big of a historical fiction reader.

3. A book on one of Goodreads New Releases by Genre page
In theory, this doesn't sound too bad. However, if we already have a "read a book published in 2026" prompt, I don't know if this would be too similar.

4. A mystery without a murder or death
Don't really have strong opinions on this one.

5. An author's second/sophomore book
Obviously, since I'm the one who suggested this prompt, I would upvote this one.

6. A book with a symbol of death on the cover
Kind of interested in this prompt, though it wouldn't be my first choice when it comes to voting.

7. A novella of 100-250 pages
Another prompt where I don't really have strong opinions on. Would be fine either way with whatever happens to this one.

8. A book with a fraction in the title
This would most likely be a downvote for me since I wouldn't really know what to read for this prompt.

9. A book with an embossed cover or raised lettering
I don't know if I would downvote it, but it's not likely something I would upvote either.

10. A book with an alliteration in author name or title
No real strong opinions on this one.

11. A book with a challenge or competition, such as a marathon, contest, or campaign
Most likely to upvote this one.

12. A book with a character who has an unusual, uncommon, or "extinct" occupation
This could be a fun prompt to try out depending on what qualifies as a "unusual, uncommon, or 'extinct'" occupation.

13. A book connected to iron
Honestly, I'm not really sure how I feel about this one. Could likely be a downvote.

14. A book from a publishing company, the logotype of which depicting a tangible thing
Would be okay with this going through.

15. A book featured as a Book of the Month Club pick
Fun fact: this was the other prompt I was considering suggesting for this poll. I do think that there's a good amount of variety in types of books being featured so that everyone can a book that they actually want to read for this prompt. Plus, there's definitely some BIO elements that you can add to this prompt if you want to spice things up.

Nadine in NY wrote: "so for the mods, we've got: at least one mom of littles, at least one expecting mom, at least one retired woman?

And from the photos: a waterlily, a beach, a bird, a cap & gown, an Alcott quote, a..."

Emily said she thought the mods would be glad to give us some basic info about themselves, favorite books etc. so we would have a wider range of choices for that prompt. Personally I love the idea!

Just a little about me for those thinking about the mods prompt:

I'm currently in Wisconsin. I'm a scientist, a mom, and a dog lover. My favorite genres are mystery, history, and nature books. Other hobbies include baking, DIY projects, and video games.

A few things about me:

I can speak and read French.

I grew up on a sheep farm but always lived in cities as an adult.

I am retired but I have a paying gig where I speak about lesser-known women from history.

I like cats, chocolate, and tea.

Jackie wrote: "Just a little about me for those thinking about the mods prompt:

I'm currently in Wisconsin. I'm a scientist, a mom, and a dog lover. My favorite genres are mystery, history, and nature books. Oth..."

What kind of scientist? Physics? Biology? (⁠•⁠‿⁠•⁠)

Robin P wrote: "A few things about me:

I can speak and read French.

I grew up on a sheep farm but always lived in cities as an adult.

I am retired but I have a paying gig where I speak about lesser-known women ..."

Oh, I love that you speak about long forgotten women in history!

A few Thoughts or Questions
✴️ favorites so far

✴️1. A book that is related to one of the group’s moderators
I had a related to mods challenge in another group which required us to read one of the mod’s 5 star books. It was fun, and it doesn’t seem too stalkerish. If that’s not permissible, same author name would be easy. (Emily Austin has a new book out.) A character with the same occupation would be more interesting to me, if the mods don’t mind sharing their former or current occupation.
What do conterminous, solstitial, etc. mean in relation to the mods? I know I have several books set during the summer or winter solstice, so that would be easy to align with seasonal challenges.

2. A book written in or set in the eighteenth century. The Frozen River will likely be near the top of the listopia for this one. If this gets in I might get back to the Outlander series.

3. A book on one of Goodreads New Releases by Genre page - I would prefer the “most read this week” page (which often includes older but still buzzy books). But I’ll look at the older links mentioned above to see how far back they go.
🔅I really appreciate learning about this link.

🔅5. An author's second/sophomore book - I have a huge debut shelf. I could click on my favorites to see what they did next. This could be be a good way to find some lesser know gems.
✴️7. A novella of 100-250 pages - I love novellas. They are often more meaningful than their length would suggest, and can knock me out of a reading slump.
8. A book with a fraction in the title - if it’s written as a fraction, it’s already on the punctuation list. I’d have to search my tbr for books with the word half or quarter in the title. I read one this year.
9. A book with an embossed cover or raised lettering - I used to love the feel of these. I’m mostly digital now by necessity.
✴️11. A book with a challenge or competition, such as a marathon, contest, or campaign. - I love this one. It has the 26 connection for 2026, and can go in many directions. Personal challenges, work, athletics, anything requiring endurance, races. Campaign can refer to advertising, pr, politics, school elections, battles (fantasy or history), and many other big efforts.

🔅12. A book with a character who has an unusual, uncommon, or "extinct" occupation - this could be very fun. Someone mentioned typewriters last year, secretary and typist jobs are nearly extinct. Modern admins have very diff tasks + skills.

I’ll look at the links for the others.

Nike wrote: "What kind of scientist? Physics? Biology?."

Chemistry!

Jackie wrote: "Nike wrote: "What kind of scientist? Physics? Biology?."

Chemistry!"

Wow, that's fascinating! I'm planning on reading Lessons in Chemistry this year so I'll have to find something else next year if this gets voted in. And of course I could read a non-fiction book as well. Are there any popular chemistry books you would like to suggest? For readers who only know (if we remember) the basics from school?

Nike wrote: "Jackie wrote: "Nike wrote: "What kind of scientist? Physics? Biology?."

Chemistry!"

Wow, that's fascinating! I'm planning on reading Lessons in Chemistry this year so I'll have to find something ..."

Her Hidden Genius by Marie Benedict was excellent. Think she was a chemist and physicist.

Just coming back to this thread after posting it! I will update the first post to include the unusual occupation listopia, as well as the facts the mods have shared about themselves. I know that, if this prompt gets voted in, we can certainly give even more info (favorite books of the year, etc) and we can contribute to the listopia on our own behalf with books we think would connect well with us.

Robin P wrote: "A few things about me:

I am retired but I have a paying gig where I speak about lesser-known women ..."

I just found a Listopia on Overlooked Women of History. Do you have any other sources you want to share for the women you speak about?

As for me, I'm a "retired" teacher who now works with her husband at our CPA firm. I have a toddler and another baby on the way. I started a book club 12 years ago and we vacation together every summer (here's a link to all of the books we've read in our book club: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1c...). I also enjoy running and eating sweets haha!

Emily wrote: "As for me, I'm a "retired" teacher who now works with her husband at our CPA firm. I have a toddler and another baby on the way. I started a book club 12 years ago and we vacation together every su..."

For further connections, what did you teach?

English, economics, personal finance, and journalism! Was also a college counselor and academic advisor, and the cheerleading sponsor and yearbook sponsor. Basically any book set in a high school would fit haha!

Jackie wrote: "Just a little about me for those thinking about the mods prompt:

I'm currently in Wisconsin. I'm a scientist, a mom, and a dog lover. My favorite genres are mystery, history, and nature books. Oth..."

Thank you for that info, Jackie. The more I read about this suggestion the more I love it. Definite upvote for me!

Robin P wrote: "A few things about me:

I can speak and read French.

I grew up on a sheep farm but always lived in cities as an adult.

I am retired but I have a paying gig where I speak about lesser-known women ..."

Thank you Robin P, there's going to be so many topics to choose from :)

Dubhease wrote: "I missed the nominations, so here my initial thoughts

On the whole, it's an interesting list of prompts some of which I haven't seen before.

1. A book that is related to one of the group’s modera..."

Nadine in NY wrote: "so for the mods, we've got: at least one mom of littles, at least one expecting mom, at least one retired woman?

And from the photos: a waterlily, a beach, a bird, a cap & gown, an Alcott quote, a..."

For the eighteenth century prompt I was thinking of adding the French Revolution and maybe the Enlightenment as the ideas were used in both revolutions. It still makes it a little too English, French, American, but there maybe something else that happened during this time I don't know about.

The 18th century, in addition to the American and French revolutions had:
-the industrial revolution
- Battle of the Plains of Abraham (1759) where the England defeated the French for possession of Canada
-founding of the city of New Orleans
- Australia first starts getting used as a penal colony
- Both Celsius and Fahrenheit scales get invented and mercury thermometers
- Other inventions: piano, steam engine, steam boat, lightning rod, and clocks.

"Are there any popular chemistry books you would like to suggest? For readers who only know (if we remember) the basics from school?"

That is tough for me, because I have a PhD in Chem so I tend not to read a lot of books directly about chemistry. I promise that if this gets in, I will post a list of chemistry and science books I've liked that would be good for the average person.

Robin H-R wrote: "Nike wrote: "Jackie wrote: "Nike wrote: "What kind of scientist? Physics? Biology?."

Chemistry!"

Wow, that's fascinating! I'm planning on reading Lessons in Chemistry this year so I'll have to fi..."


Thank you, it's now on my to-read-list!

And furthermore it's a book about a woman who has been "forgotten" by history so it's a great choice for this prompt.

Jackie wrote: ""Are there any popular chemistry books you would like to suggest? For readers who only know (if we remember) the basics from school?"

That is tough for me, because I have a PhD in Chem so I tend n..."

Ökat, thank you (⁠•⁠‿⁠•⁠)

Honestly, I could probably work with all of these. There is one I'm a little concerned about, but I could probably figure it out. I'll probably either go 8 up or 7 up, 1 down.

Dixie wrote: "Robin P wrote: "A few things about me:

I am retired but I have a paying gig where I speak about lesser-known women ..."

I just found a Listopia on Overlooked Women of History. Do you have any oth..."

Some are rather dry but these are readable. They may not be widely available, though.

Leaving Coy's Hill - fictional but highly accurate about Lucy Stone, American suffragist

Born Criminal: Matilda Joslyn Gage, Radical Suffragist - popular nonfiction about someone who should be better known

Diva Julia: The Public Romance and Private Agony of Julia Ward Howe - the woman who wrote The Battle Hymn of the Republic did much more

Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelley - dual biography of 2 amazing women

Margaret Fuller: A New American Life - America's first feminist

Maria Mitchell and the Sexing of Science: An Astronomer Among the American Romantics - biography but also talks about how men took over the field of science

Madame Restell: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Old New York's Most Fabulous, Fearless, and Infamous Abortionist - the author ties it to recent events on abortion

Notorious Victoria: The Life of Victoria Woodhull, Uncensored - a 19th-century woman who was a fortune teller, stockbroker, journalist, and candidate for president

Free Thinker: Sex, Suffrage, and the Extraordinary Life of Helen Hamilton Gardener - a woman from the later era of suffrage who refused to accept society's double standards

Robin P wrote: "Dixie wrote: "Robin P wrote: "A few things about me:
I just found a Listopia on Overlooked Women of History. Do yo..."

Thanks so much! I read Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelley quite a few years ago and it was a 5-star read for me -- just fascinating! I will definitely look up some of the others on your list.

Robin P wrote: "Dixie wrote: "Robin P wrote: "A few things about me:

I am retired but I have a paying gig where I speak about lesser-known women ..."

I just found a Listopia on Overlooked Women of History. Do yo..."

Just piggy backing off of this since I do have some fiction that might work for lesser-known women in history:

- One Step Forward (YA historical fiction novel in verse about Matilda Young)
- The Frozen River (historical mystery inspired by the life of Martha Ballard, an 18th century midwife)
- Harlem Rhapsody (historical fiction about Jessie Redmon Fauset, literary editor during the Harlem Renaissance)
- The American Queen: A Novel Based on the True Story of Appalachia’s Kingdom of the Happy Land (historical fiction about the life of Louella Montgomery, the only queen to rule in the U.S.)
- Becoming Madam Secretary (historical fiction about Frances Perkins, the first woman to serve in a Cabinet-level position)

Thinking about voting... the prompts that jump out as upvotes for me are:
1. Related to one of the group moderators. My favorite prompt idea ever. And the more they describe themselves (see above), the more fun this prompt seems. I'm already planning my own multi-week so I can cover everybody!
3. A book on one of Goodreads New Releases by Genre page. I just spent some time looking at several pages using the link in the description, and saw at least half a dozen books I would be happy to read. A good collection and I really like the separation into genres. I prefer this over the BOTM though could certainly do both. I need to read more recently published books.
5. An author's second/sophomore book. The great thing is that any author you like (with very few exceptions) has written a second book! I look forward to looking up some of my favorite, more obscure authors and checking those out. And this is equally good for non-fiction.
7. A novella of 100-250 pages. This was my suggestion. I've been reading quite a few novellas recently and there are some excellent ones out there. It's nice to have something short and sweet amongst all the bigger books.
12. A book with a character who has an unusual, uncommon, or "extinct" occupation. This would be a bit challenging to find but fun and interesting to read about.

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..."

Hi Emily:

Can you please take (or death) off of 4? It is causing confusion. My thought was that some mysteries not only don't have a murder, they don't have a death. I meant it as an either/or scenario, but I think it is best to remove the or death. Thanks! Also, the links didn't work for the individual titles again. Any ideas why they aren't working? I don't remember having this issue last year, so I must be doing something wrong.

Ellie wrote: "I like this round much more than last week. The mods prompt is a fun idea. I’m pretty sure I read a few BOTM picks every year, so that's a list I can get behind.

I suggested symbol of death becaus..."

My thought was that some mysteries not only don't have a murder, they don't have a death. I meant it as an either/or scenario, but I think it is best to remove the or death. I asked that it be removed, but I wouldn't get too wrapped the death part. The intent is to read a mystery that doesn't have a murder.

First Impressions:

1. A book that is related to one of the group’s moderators - No offense to the mods, but I'm not really interested in this as a prompt. Maybe a few years back when I was a little more actively involved in the group and knew more about the mods I would have had a bit stronger of a connection to it

2. A book written in or set in the eighteenth century - I would go setting rather than written in if this got in. I wouldn't downvote, but probably wouldn't vote for it either

3. A book on one of Goodreads New Releases by Genre page - A pretty solid maybe, since it could encompass some of the newer releases I'd want to get to

4. A mystery without a murder or death - Love this! I always find it harder to find one when it comes time to search, but I think it's an interesting one

5. An author's second/sophomore book - A good push for me to continue reading past an author's debut when I've already enjoyed them. Might upvote.

6. A book with a symbol of death on the cover - Love this! Highly likely to upvote, but I may want to skim my TBR a bit and check out how many options I actually have

7. A novella of 100-250 pages - I wouldn't downvote, but probably wouldn't upvote either. I feel like this comes up every year so I'd rather have something else

8. A book with a fraction in the title - Maybe, I'd have to see my options. I can think of a few titles that have Half in them.

9. A book with an embossed cover or raised lettering - Not a huge fan since it's contingent on seeing the actual book, although I'm sure I have some that would fit

10. A book with an alliteration in author name or title - I'd prefer the suggestion if it was limited to either author or title, not both options. Still, I might upvote it.

11. A book with a challenge or competition, such as a marathon, contest, or campaign - Love this! I have a bunch of books that seem to involve some kind of game/competition aspect

12. A book with a character who has an unusual, uncommon, or "extinct" occupation - Not likely to vote for this one, even though I like the idea. I always find that I struggle with occupation-specific prompts for some reason

13. A book connected to iron - I don't really have any strong associations with the word iron so I'm not really sure what direction I'd go with this, unless it directly had iron in the title.

14. A book from a publishing company, the logotype of which depicting a tangible thing - I literally never pay attention to publishing company. Likely a downvote, but I could maybe be persuaded.

15. A book featured as a Book of the Month Club pick - I wish the wording also allowed the add-ons in addition to the picks (unless the intent is any book from BOTM?) Either way, I'm voting for this one for sure! I have a ton of my BOTM books that I still need to get to, with more likely to come each month

Rachael wrote: "Robin P wrote: "Dixie wrote: "Robin P wrote: "A few things about me:

I am retired but I have a paying gig where I speak about lesser-known women ..."

I just found a Listopia on Overlooked Women o..."

Thanks for the reminder, I have at least of 2 of those on my TBR!

On mystery without a murder, I assumed it could be a book about a theft, a scam, a missing person or animal who is found, etc. There might be a death along the way from any cause but that isn't the point of the mystery.

I do wonder about the raised lettering because you can't always tell from the online image. Some of our members get all their books from the library and they would have to see the actual copy.

Hey Charlsa, I’ll make that change before voting goes live.

As for the links, we typically don’t link books in that portion of the thread. It gets to be really time consuming for us as mods to tag the books individually since we can’t just right click + Copy Link like we do for the true hyperlinks. If you want the books linked, I’d recommend copying the code into a Google doc and sharing that doc so that we can easily copy and paste the code over to this thread. That’s what others have done in the past anyway! Otherwise, we leave it up to the members to search the book names (so adding authors might be helpful) on their own.

Nike wrote: "Jackie wrote: ""Are there any popular chemistry books you would like to suggest? For readers who only know (if we remember) the basics from school?"

That is tough for me, because I have a PhD in C..."

One I read was The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements by Sam Kean.

Another would be The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Stories by Robert Louis Stevenson. No much regarding the ingredients of the elixir that Dr. Jekyll made and drank to become Mr. Hyde, but it involved chemistry!

There's a really good translation of The Odyssey by Emily Wilson. It's the first ever English translation of the Odyssey by a woman.

John wrote: "Nike wrote: "Jackie wrote: ""Are there any popular chemistry books you would like to suggest? For readers who only know (if we remember) the basics from school?"

That is tough for me, because I ha..."

Thank you, Dr Jekyll I've read since I live reading classics. I'll look into the other one though.