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 Wednesday, August 13 and results will be posted in the morning of Sunday, August 17 (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 with both black and red on the cover
2. A medical memoir
3. A book that is the last in a series
4. A hot book
5. A book with a setting that provokes the question, "Why did you go there?"
6. A book connected to one of The Complete Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales
7. A book that starts and ends in two different settings
8. A book shortlisted for a Dublin Literary Award
9. A multi-genre or genre-blended book.
10. A character who appears in more than one book
11. A book with a musician character or author
12. A book with a character who does a necessary, but menial job in your country.
13. A book with a sitcom character's name in the title.
14. A book set in Africa, Asia, or Australia.
15. A second book for your favorite prompt

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

Click here to vote: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FA...

THOUGHTS AND IDEAS FROM THE SUGGESTIONS THREAD

1. A book with both black and red on the cover
(since there are 26 black cards and 26 red cards in a standard deck of playing cards)

2. A medical memoir
-Could be a book by someone in the field of medicine, e.g., a doctor, nurse, physical therapist, etc. ex. This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor
-Could be a book by the patient, ex. Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness
-Could be by someone finding out about a medical diagnosis later in life, ex. A Little Less Broken: How an Autism Diagnosis Finally Made Me Whole
-Could be a book by a caretaker, ex. Where the Light Gets In: Losing My Mother Only to Find Her Again

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

4. A hot book
A book with a hot setting
One of those books it seems like everyone is reading
A spicy romance
A book about fire/volcano
A book from a hottest books of summer list
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-li...
https://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-......
https://www.penguin.co.uk/discover/ar...
https://www.esquire.com/uk/culture/bo...
6. A book connected to one of The Complete Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales
https://www.grimmstories.com/en/grimm...

7. A book that starts and ends in two different settings
Suggestions:
- Bad Nature
- Make Sure You Die Screaming
- Tilly in Technicolor
- The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year
- Last Call at the Local
- The Women
- The Flicker
- Uprooted: A Memoir About What Happens When Your Family Moves Back
- The Henna Artist
- Quicksilver
- Can't Spell Treason Without Tea
- Just Another Story: A Graphic Migration Account

8. A book shortlisted for a Dublin Literary Award
The Dublin Literary Award honours excellence in world literature since 1996.
More info: https://dublinliteraryaward.ie/about/...
*The nominated books need to in English OR have been translated into English.

All books shortlisted since the award’s 1996 inception, ~250 books (can be sorted by year, or alphabetically by title):
https://dublinliteraryaward.ie/the-li...

9. A multi-genre or genre-blended book.
Genre-Blended books are books that use elements, tropes, and conventions from multiple genres at once. Some popular genre-blends are Fantasy-Romance, Historical-Fantasy, or Science Fiction-Horror
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

10. A character who appears in more than one book
So this could be an excuse to read a series, books set in the same universe, etc. Or it could be some famous or historical figure who appears in multiple books. Could work for fiction or nonfiction.

11. A book with a musician character or author
This could be fiction or non-fiction (autobiography, biography, memoir, etc.).

https://www.goodreads.com/genres/musi...
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/musi...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/music

13. A book with a sitcom character's name in the title.
Ex., "Where'd You Go, Bernadette" by Maria Semple - The Big Bang Theory
"Carrie" by Stephen King - Sex and the City
"Rebecca" by Daphne duMaurier – Cheers

14. A book set in Africa, Asia, or Australia.
This is basically the southwest portion of the globe, and includes all countries and islands in these continents.

For instance, it includes the Middle East, New Zealand, Malaysia, and the pacific islands

https://www.goodreads.com/genres/africa
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/asia
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/aust...
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/midd...

I'm going to need some extra votes for this round! Lots of good ones

Agreed!

I can’t see anything about this prompt:

5. A book with a setting that provokes the question, "Why did you go there?"

Does anyone know the thought behind it?
I’m not sure I quite get it…

I was the one who suggested last in a series. This could be a duology / trilogy / longer series.

Mie wrote: "I can’t see anything about this prompt:

5. A book with a setting that provokes the question, "Why did you go there?"

Does anyone know the thought behind it?
I’m not sure I quite get it…"

I think the idea was an unusual setting - kind of like the prompt we had a couple years back about a book that would cause people to say "you read what?!"

Mie wrote: "I can’t see anything about this prompt:

5. A book with a setting that provokes the question, "Why did you go there?"…"

My automatic response is "why did you go there, you idiot?" when a character obviously walks into danger, but not sure that's the intent. 🤣

That was my thought too, Ellie. My brain jumped to A Deadly Education, which is set in a school that tries to kill the students lol.

Me too, Ellie and Emily 😂
But I probably read too many mysteries and I’m thinking that there must be more to it than that 😉

Mie wrote: "I can’t see anything about this prompt:

5. A book with a setting that provokes the question, "Why did you go there?"

Does anyone know the thought behind it?
I’m not sure I quite get it…"

I suggested it as something that could be as specific or as broad as you want as long as it is a setting. I was thinking of Anarctica for myself, but I have been asked the question for multiple trips I've taken, including Cuba, South Dakota, and Alaska, even once for Canada.

Mie wrote: "I can’t see anything about this prompt:

5. A book with a setting that provokes the question, "Why did you go there?"

Does anyone know the thought behind it?
I’m not sure I quite get it…"

I love this prompt. Here are some of the suggestions from the Wild Discussion when it was first proposed:

a meeting, a doctor's visit, a family reunion, a big sale, a blind date, an ex-husband, a party, a resort, the birth town, a cave, the jungle, another planet ... are all ideas popping up.

I was just thinking of a country or city. Actually I was thinking of using something like Antarctica or Galapagos.

it's a setting that provokes the question.

It could also be something like....the house where you know your husband/wife spends time with their mistress/lover.

my thoughts went to places I have been that I disliked or regret, ranging from junior high school to a party to an ill-fated move to a particular city... Seems as if there are a lot of ways to interpret this!

my understanding is that I'll be looking for a book that answers "to meet Jane" (set in a coffee shop) / "to see the penguins" (set in Antarctica) etc.

Ahhh, thanks, Deborah and Dixie!
Got a much better idea of the possibilities now 🤩
And I like the question/answer approach…

Deborah wrote: "Mie wrote: "I can’t see anything about this prompt:

5. A book with a setting that provokes the question, "Why did you go there?"

Does anyone know the thought behind it?
I’m not sure I quite get ..."

I thought of Antarctica too, and the Amazon River. The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey is a great book, but a disaster of a trip. I also don’t get the appeal of climbing Mount Everest these days, but that’s me.

But now I see other possibilities. Going to see their spouse’s lover is a great one too. I’ve read books where I had the thought “Why would you do that? This can’t end well. “ That’s more of a plot point though than a setting.

I really like these:
1. Black and red on the cover - I've got several on my shelves. I like some prompts that are specific and don't need interpretation.
2. Medical memoir - Opportunity to read an Oliver Sachs or James Herriot book
5. Setting that provokes the question, "Why did you go there?" - Good for an adventure or travelogue and, also, some SF. I think the prompt could be interpreted as why did the reader "go there" or why did the character "go there". Old Man's War series comes to mind for the character question.
8. Shortlisted for a Dublin Literary Award - This is an award I've never looked at before but I like the choices.
11. Musician character or author - I really want to read a Leonard Cohen book. Other options I like, too.

Ones I'm not interested in:
6. A book connected to one of The Complete Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales - Too many choices. But, I could work with it so it's probably a neutral.
7. A book that starts and ends in two different settings - You have to know something about the ending so that's a no for me.
12. A book with a character who does a necessary, but menial job in your country. - Just doesn't appeal to me.

Warning - I looked at the site about Grimm’s fairytales and I lost track of time just reading them. I read a few I never knew before. The original Cinderella is quite different. It made me laugh. When I think about it in modern terms, I’m not sure she wanted to be found. I’m going to have to read a few more later on.

I have too many favorites!

I have many options for Musician characters and Africa/Asia/Australia settings.

There are some fantastic medical memoirs that read like novels, and I think the list is worth looking at, even if you’re not sure it’s for you.

I really liked the books I found on the Dublin Awards list before. It’s an international award, and it might have edgier topics. I think they’re more challenging because they don’t always follow the predictable tropes and patterns we’re used to. I’m planning an awards challenge for next year, and this will definitely be on the list.

Multiple-genre (cross-genre) and two settings are like buy-one-get-one-free for me. I think most of the books I’m reading this month have two different settings. Is there a listopia?

A Hot Book and Grimms both sound fun. I like prompts that allow us to each find different interpretations.

Several others are appealing too. The hardest one would the last book in a series. I might have only one possibility, and she already has another book scheduled.

My favourites:

5. Why did you go there? So many exciting ways to interpret this, really inspiring
6. Brothers Grimm (my own suggestion)
14. African and Asian - I love reading Asian and African literature (sorry, Australia)

No to:

4. Hot book. A prompt which appears in too many reading challenges.
13. Character's name from a sitcom character. I normally don't like sit coms. At all.

Interesting:

All the rest! So it will be difficult to decide how to vote.

So many good prompt ideas! And lots about characters and settings, which we're short on.

My favorites start with "A character who appears in more than one book" - check out this great blog post about that! https://daveastoronliterature.com/201... check out the first comments, too, before they devolve into a chat about Bob Dylan.

My other favorite it the very creative "A book with a setting that provokes the question, "Why did you go there?" There are countless ways to play this one, and as soon as I settle on one approach, another occurs to me. That is my kind of prompt!

Others I especially like include a medical memoir, the Brothers Grimm, a musician character or author (often both, since there are tons of musician memoirs), and Africa/Asia/Australia. Of course "a second book that fits your favorite prompt" is always good.

9. A multi-genre or genre-blended book.

Yes! St. Mary's for me!

https://www.goodreads.com/series/1091...

Nike wrote: "My favourites:

5. Why did you go there? So many exciting ways to interpret this, really inspiring
6. Brothers Grimm (my own suggestion)
14. African and Asian - I love reading Asian and African li..."

Nike, where have you seen the hot book prompt? I missed it. It was suggested here last year, along with related ideas, but we only voted in fire. I like that this one can be interpreted several different ways. You could use it for a hot climate setting, or very popular books, steamy romance, or even as a title or cover prompt. Last year Fourth Wing fit both the steamy and megahit interpretations. I like that it could fit a climate change drama like Wild Dark Shore, a nerdy nonfiction, or a guilty pleasure.

Robin H-R wrote: "9. A multi-genre or genre-blended book.

Yes! St. Mary's for me!

https://www.goodreads.com/series/1091..."

Thanks, Robin. I hadn't looked for anything for this prompt yet and didn't have any ideas. I've heard this is a great series, so I'm putting the first book in as a placeholder.

I missed nominations as I had to get less work done at an office today. (I am so much more productive at home.)

First impressions:

1. A book with both black and red on the cover - We already have red, green or blue on the cover, so this feels redundant

2. A medical memoir - I really love the creativity on this one, even though I don't have a clue what to read.

3. A book that is the last in a series - Pedantic part of me says that until an author is dead, you never know it's the last book. But I am a series reader, so I love it.

4. A hot book - I love all the interpretations - upvote

5. A book with a setting that provokes the question, "Why did you go there?" - this one is an upvote too

6. A book connected to one of The Complete Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales - so many upvotes

7. A book that starts and ends in two different settings - I like the idea, but I feel that this might be one of those prompts that you can't know in advance.

8. A book shortlisted for a Dublin Literary Award - I haven't even heard of any of the winners.

9. A multi-genre or genre-blended book. - I don't know what this means and I think I would drive myself crazy trying to figure out if a book fit or not.

10. A character who appears in more than one book - Another great prompt for series readers.

11. A book with a musician character or author - This one I love. It could inspire me to get an autobiography off my TBR.

12. A book with a character who does a necessary, but menial job in your country. - I like the creativity, but am not sure what I'd read.

13. A book with a sitcom character's name in the title. - This one seems fun. (I might go with Salem's Lot from Salem the talking cat in Sabrina).

14. A book set in Africa, Asia, or Australia. - I could find a book, but I'm a little tired of geography prompts

15. A second book for your favorite prompt - This is such a good prompt. I love it every year we have this.

Dubhease wrote: "3. A book that is the last in a series - Pedantic part of me says that until an author is dead, you never know it's the last book. But I am a series reader, so I love it..."

Death is no guarantee, Robert B. Parker died 15 years ago and his series are still going on without him!

The two medical memoir links are both the same.

Here is the missing one. Many are written by patients. There might be a few graphic novels.

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...

First impressions:

1. A book with both black and red on the cover - A solid maybe. The more I think about it, the more options I can think of that I already have on my physical TBR

2. A medical memoir - Downvote. I'm not a fan of non-fiction and would rather have a prompt that also allows for fiction options without stretching it too much

3. A book that is the last in a series - I have goals around finishing series, so this would help

4. A hot book - I'm pretty sure this one has come up some time in a previous year. I liked it then, and I still like it now because of the dual meaning (hot as in temperature and hot as in popular). Very likely upvote

5. A book with a setting that provokes the question, "Why did you go there?" - Love it! Great for all the books I read with characters going to creepy houses, isolated settings, etc.

6. A book connected to one of The Complete Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales - Love this one too! I'm glad it allows the full range of stories and not limited to just lesser knowns

7. A book that starts and ends in two different settings - Meh, this seems like it would be difficult to research.

8. A book shortlisted for a Dublin Literary Award - Downvote. I don't care for award prompts or list prompts in general, and even after looking through all the options, I didn't see much I'm interested in reading

9. A multi-genre or genre-blended book. - Neutral. I could make it work if I have to, but I'm not particularly interested

10. A character who appears in more than one book - It would be an easy way to slot in series or romance companion novels, but I don't think I want it strongly enough to vote for it

11. A book with a musician character or author - I'm a little burnt out on music-related prompts. I feel like there's a huge push for them every year and I'd rather have something different

12. A book with a character who does a necessary, but menial job in your country. - I don't really know how I'd approach this one, but I probably wouldn't downvote it

13. A book with a sitcom character's name in the title. - I like this one in theory, but I'd have to look at my options. I don't watch a ton of TV so I'm not sure I have very many sitcom character names in mind

14. A book set in Africa, Asia, or Australia. - I probably wouldn't downvote it because I have enough options that I could make it work, but I'm not interested in geography-based prompts

15. A second book for your favorite prompt - Meh, I'd rather have something more unique

NancyJ wrote: "The two medical memoir links are both the same.

Here is the missing one. Many are written by patients. There might be a few graphic novels.

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3......"

sorry- it's really hard to keep track of long lists of listopias because they get cut off and we have to paste them back in , so when there's a bunch, you can mess up

So someone just recommended Savvy Sheldon Feels Good as Hell to me and I was like "sitcom prompt!! I'm halfway through Moby Dick and need something light and fun!

I love the character in more than one book- it might be the way I finally get my "books with a famous historical person"!

I will say I'm downvoting medical memoir, I would have voted for a book with a medical story or something like that, but memoir is far too limiting. They're my least favorite thing to read. Im having faith in the anti-NF crowd to save me from it.

I'm trying to think of some Sitcom books:

-Happy Birthday, Wanda June (Vonnegut) - Corner Gas
-David Copperfield and David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants (Malcolm Gladwell) - Schitt's Creek
Shirley (Charlotte Bronte) - Are you Being Served
- Sybil Exposed: The Extraordinary Story Behind the Famous Multiple Personality Case and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler - Sybil and Basil from Fawlty Towers
- any Archie comic - All in the Family
- Patriot Games (Jack Ryan, #1) - Jack from Three's Company
- Lucy Undying or Lucy by the Sea - I love Lucy
- Project Hail Mary or Mary Poppins - Mary Tyler Moore Show
- A Court of Thorns and Roses - Rose from the Golden Girls
- Dorothy Must Die - Dorothy from the Golden Girls
- The Cliff House - Cliff from Cheers
- Dash and Lily's book of Dares - Lily from HIMYM
- The Adventures of Robin Hood - Robin from HIMYM
- The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers - The Flintstones
- Lisa Bright and Dark - The Simpsons
- Jane Austen Society, Looking for Jane, or Jane Eyre - Jane from the Jetsons

Dubhease wrote: "I'm trying to think of some Sitcom books:

-Happy Birthday, Wanda June (Vonnegut) - Corner Gas
-David Copperfield and David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants (Malcolm ..."


Oh no! Please don’t let Rose from the Golden Girls get anywhere close to A Court of Thorns and Roses. She would hate it there. LOL

NancyJ wrote: "Nike wrote: "My favourites:

5. Why did you go there? So many exciting ways to interpret this, really inspiring
6. Brothers Grimm (my own suggestion)
14. African and Asian - I love reading Asian a..."

I'm a member of so many groups on Goodreads so I don't know exactly which ones. It's always related to steamy romance which I loath or set in hot climate or a hot topic. Since it comes up somewhere every year I 'm tired of it.

For example it's now one of the prompts in The Perks of Being a Book Addict Summer Challenge.

Pearl wrote: "Oh no! Please don’t let Rose from the Golden Girls get anywhere close to A Court of Thorns and Roses. She would hate it there. LOL..."

I'm sure she'd tell a long a rambling story about the time there was a faerie orgy in St Olaf, and in the end Dororthy would realize that it was just 5 naked Barbies some kid left at a park.

I also found this gem of a book while looking up their names:
The Golden Girls Cookbook: Cheesecakes and Cocktails!: Desserts and Drinks to Enjoy on the Lanai with Blanche, Rose, Dorothy, and Sophia by Christopher Styler

I was just reading a book review in the New York Times and he "criticized" the book thus- "You end this novel swimming in the same water you entered." So not marking that book down for #7.

Dubhease wrote: "Pearl wrote: "Oh no! Please don’t let Rose from the Golden Girls get anywhere close to A Court of Thorns and Roses. She would hate it there. LOL..."

I'm sure she'd tell a long a rambling story abo..."

All this mention of Rose makes me want to vote this with her in mind.... I like this prompt because it's a hunt!

Anyone who hasn't read From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, I totally recommend it! Sure it's YA but it has changed many lives, mine included, (of course it changed those lives so we all ended up in the same profession so it makes sense we all know each other!)

Voting is now open.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FA...

My 5 upvotes were all about characters and settings: (why did you go there, Grimms which could be used for character, a character in more than one book, musician character/author, and Africa/Asia/Australia. Three that don't appeal to me are colors on the cover (the one we have feels like enough), a hot book, and starts and ends in different settings (I'd need to know more than I want to about a book to know that it fits).

Marie wrote: "Dubhease wrote: "3. A book that is the last in a series - Pedantic part of me says that until an author is dead, you never know it's the last book. But I am a series reader, so I love it."

You could finally have an excuse to read The Grapes of Wrath. :)

I voted

Up
5 - Why would you go there
6 - Grimm's Fairy Tales
15 - Second book for favourite prompt

Down
3 - Last in series
4- Hot book
7 - Starts and ends in different settings
12 - Menial job
13 - Sitcom name

Dubhease wrote: "I'm sure she'd tell a long a rambling story about the time there was a faerie orgy in St Olaf, and in the end Dororthy would realize that it was just 5 naked Barbies some kid left at a park."

Thank you for making me laugh at work today 🤣

I can work with all but don't prefer to work with all. Therefore, I have three down only:

I generally don't read memoirs so I voted this one down. If this one should win, I would probably read one from a patient perspective on mental illness.

I would have preferred that the Dublin Literary Award would have included the longlist.

Finally, I downvoted the book including a musician character or written by a musician.

I've started tracking my votes vs results to try to get a feel for the silent members. I'm trying to choose how to use my votes based on both preference and what I *think* they will do. It worked pretty well for me last week.

This week in voting:
1. A book with both black and red on the cover - neutral - I get the 26 reference from the explanation, but I'm not excited about it.
2. A medical memoir - Down - I seem to be at odds with those who love the 'memoir that reads like a novel'. I would rather just read a novel.
3. A book that is the last in a series - neutral - If I like a series enough to stick with it, I ration it so that the end is slow in coming. I still haven't listened to Jimmy Buffett's final album.
4. A hot book - Upvote - I'm looking at it as a book that everyone is buzzing about. I may even look for a book that a streaming service is having a moment with the adaptation.
5. A book with a setting that provokes the question, "Why did you go there?" - Neutral - I would be surprised if it makes it. If so, I'm using it as a plot prompt instead of a setting.
6. A book connected to one of The Complete Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales - Down - The original fairytales are, well, grim. Its not the prompt, its me.
7. A book that starts and ends in two different settings - Down - would need some sort of spoiler to plan a book. I'm also learning that there are certain flavors of setting prompts that aren't for me.
8. A book shortlisted for a Dublin Literary Award - Neutral - There are some possibilities on the shortlists.
9. A multi-genre or genre-blended book. - Neutral - would have been an upvote if I had one more vote. I do like genre mashups.
10. A character who appears in more than one book - Up vote - I like 'book universes'. When a character from another book shows up unexpectedly, its like an unexpected visit with an old friend.
11. A book with a musician character or author - Neutral - This prompt shows up every year in suggestions related to the 'arts'. I'm burned out on it.
12. A book with a character who does a necessary, but menial job in your country. - Down - If it is necessary, is it really menial? I took a group of students to a strawberry field to work alongside the migrant pickers. It required more skill, dexterity and stamina than we had ever imagined.
13. A book with a sitcom character's name in the title. - Neutral - I could live with it.
14. A book set in Africa, Asia, or Australia. - Downvote - Another frequent suggestion. I would rather select a book based on plot than geographical setting.
15. A second book for your favorite prompt - Upvote - always a favorite for me.

@ John - the Dublin Literary Award was my suggestion, and I TOO would prefer it included the long list. Unfortunately, they don’t seem to archive the long list. I could find it for 2025, and I think 2024, but not the rest. If it doesn’t get in this round, and someone can find the archive of the long list, I’d happily resubmit to include that.

I voted for Dublin Literary Award, medical memoir, and last book of the series (mainly because I need a push to read The Mirror & the Light and knock out the Wolf Hall series once and for all). In fact, I selected categories that would give me a kick to pick up some good-looking books I've been meaning to read. I downvoted 5 other categories that I found too broad or didn't interest me. At the end of the day, no matter what makes the list, I'm sure I can find something. Pam, I thought your assessments of the categories were on a similar wavelength as mine!

This looks like a good list. Here i go with my thoughts. I did 7 up and 1 down.
Poll Prompts:
1. A book with both black and red on the cover-neutral. This is ok but lots more that sound better.
2. A medical memoir-I like Robin Cook books. But also "this might hurt" book. So this is probably an upvote.
3. A book that is the last in a series-I start a lot of series but never finish so that sounds good!
4. A hot book-hmm sure this sounds good to me. I don't like romance but i sometimes like popular stuff
5. A book with a setting that provokes the question, "Why did you go there?"-this is a maybe. I sometimes read stuff that i can't even answer that.
6. A book connected to one of The Complete Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales-this is a neutral. Probably a lot of stuff that meets this but not sure.
7. A book that starts and ends in two different settings-neutral this doesn't excite me
8. A book shortlisted for a Dublin Literary Award-neutral or down.. So many sound better
9. A multi-genre or genre-blended book.-neutral. So many books i read are multi genre so i am not excited about this.
10. A character who appears in more than one book-this is a maybe. I am doing a challenge with "shares" a universe-not loving it.
11. A book with a musician character or author-yes! I like this one as a music major mom
12. A book with a character who does a necessary, but menial job in your country.-definite yes. I can finally read the maid books i want or maybe something else.
13. A book with a sitcom character's name in the title. this is a neutral or up. laughing at the thread with the ideas.
14. A book set in Africa, Asia, or Australia.-sure! so many books i do take place in US I thought this was good
15. A second book for your favorite prompt-nah. I never like this

Tracy wrote: "@ John - the Dublin Literary Award was my suggestion, and I TOO would prefer it included the long list. Unfortunately, they don’t seem to archive the long list. I could find it for 2025, and I thin..."

Thanks for submitting this Tracy! Will you do the awards reject challenge with me? The Peace prize prompt included a couple different awards. I want to explore some new awards so I might look for other small groupings. I was thinking about putting Booker and National together to eliminate the US v UK issue. There are some nature and science writing awards, nonfiction, history/hisfic, women’s prize, Warwick. Maybe repeat the W awards from a few years ago since there were so many great choices and a great listopia. What do you think?

Gail, Pam, Wendy, anyone else?

For anyone hesitating to UP vote "medical memoir", this book might fit the prompt, but not your wary expectations of a memoir (medical or not). This book, The Lost City of the Monkey God is more of an adventure, but definitely has a medical component. Here is the last of the summary:

"Venturing into this raw, treacherous, but breathtakingly beautiful wilderness to confirm the discovery, Preston and the team battled torrential rains, quickmud, disease-carrying insects, jaguars, and deadly snakes. But it wasn't until they returned that tragedy struck: Preston and others found they had contracted in the ruins a horrifying, sometimes lethal-and incurable-disease."

Also, I looked up this book to consider for "Why did you go there?", which it also definitely fits!

So many good choices: 7 UP, 1 DOWN.

My DOWN was "last in a series" just because I don't read many series, and those that I do I am nowhere near ready to read the last one.

My voting thoughts.

1. A book with both black and red on the cover: Neutral - I can live with it but I don't choose books based on color of covers.

2. A medical memoir: I have so many of these in my TBR. I prefer the memoirs written by medical professionals.

3. A book that is the last in a series: Neutral but almost up. I just haven't gotten close to the last in the series I've started.

4. A hot book: Up. I like summer reading lists.

5. A book with a setting that provokes the question, "Why did you go there?" Neutral

6. A book connected to one of The Complete Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales. Neutral

7. A book that starts and ends in two different settings: Down though not impossible to find. I'd rely on the ATY generated list if this prompt makes it.

8. A book shortlisted for a Dublin Literary Award: Up. I do like literary prize lists and have always admired the Dublin. The long list is often really long since libraries in different countries submit lists and that's probably why prior years' longlists aren't easy to find.

9. A multi-genre or genre-blended book: I read a lot of these because my book group chooses them. I keep seeing Romantasy and I just don't want to read that!

10. A character who appears in more than one book: Neutral but almost up vote.

11. A book with a musician character or author: Yes. I have several in my TBR.

12. A book with a character who does a necessary, but menial job in your country. Neutral

13. A book with a sitcom character's name in the title: Down voted. I don't like title prompts and don't watch sitcoms.

14. A book set in Africa, Asia, or Australia: Up voted. I do love geographical settings.

15. A second book for your favorite prompt: Up voted. I know we've done this prompt a lot, but I always use it when given the chance.

A good example of a book that meets the "Why did you go there?" prompt would be State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. After reading about the protagonist's trip down the Amazon River with mosquitos, snakes and other fun experiences, I had no interest in taking an open boat down this river.

1. A book with both black and red on the cover: we already have a colors on cover prompt. Downvote

2. A medical memoir: neutral

3. A book that is the last in a series: We already have a read a book in a series prompt. Downvote

4. A hot book: Upvote, love the different interpretations!

5. A book with a setting that provokes the question, "Why did you go there?": I like it, but don't think I'll have enough votes so probably neutral

6. A book connected to one of The Complete Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales: Neutral

7. A book that starts and ends in two different settings: Neutral. When I first saw this prompt I thought this can possibly apply to road trip novels and we already have that prompt

8. A book shortlisted for a Dublin Literary Award: I liked the book options, might upvote if I have enough votes

9. A multi-genre or genre-blended book: I like genre hybrids, might upvote if I have enough votes

10. A character who appears in more than one book: we already have a series prompt so there may be some overlap there. Downvote or neutral

11. A book with a musician character or author: I don't really enjoy reading about celebrities but I'll probably upvote since I want to see more character prompts and want a challenge

12. A book with a character who does a necessary, but menial job in your country: I wish this would have been simplified to just "works a menial job". I might upvote it if I have enough votes or just hope the Clue prompt discussed in the Wild Discussion gets suggested and makes it through

13. A book with a sitcom character's name in the title: neutral or may downvote

14. A book set in Africa, Asia, or Australia: upvote, I like reading outside the West

15. A second book for your favorite prompt: Neutral