Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

Hey everyone! It's time to get started on our 2025 list making! Can you believe it?! Some rules for this thread:

- This thread is meant for brainstorming prompts for upcoming polls. Please keep all discussion about prompts that are currently being voted on in the proper (suggestions, voting, results) thread.

- If you have questions about the voting process, please see THIS THREAD. We cannot guarantee an answer to your question if you post it in the Wild Discussion.

- As always, please respect the members of this group. We are a large group made up of unique perspectives, and we want to treat each other with dignity and respect. Any violation of these rules will result in 1) a warning or 2) removal from the group.

Happy planning!

Yay! Let the wild rumpus start!

Not quite ready, but here we gooooo

Sorry, yes, not quite ready to start. But close enough to get excited :)

Haha I meant that *I* am not quite ready! It's a big undertaking but I'm excited to see where the list goes this year.

I cannot believe it's that time again!!!!

Nadine in NY wrote: "I cannot believe it's that time again!!!!"

Neither can I. I feel like I'm barely into the 2024 prompts.

I can believe it! Have been looking out for this :) so excited!

There is still a month till we begin polling. We didn't always give this much advance notice, so it might seem sooner. But yes, it's exciting, and as far as I know, unique to our group. Other groups might get input from members but nothing like we do.

So as Republicanism (British English meaning) is in the air how about a book set in a country without a monarch?

Thomas wrote: "So as Republicanism (British English meaning) is in the air how about a book set in a country without a monarch?"

I love an easy prompt. Any books set in the US would work.

I was wondering if the mods have decided which week will be the multi week poll.

I looked in FAQ but I’m on the app so, I definitely might have missed where it was posted.

Isn't it usually week 4?

And hi everyone!

Wow, I have not been around for any of this before & am staggered at how much work must go into putting together these polls & calculating the votes! My other big thing I do apart from reading is sewing (garment-making), & I'm pretty active in another online community devoted to that. I just wrapped up managing a month-long contest over there & I'm pretty zonked. & I don't have to judge or calculate anything! I look forward to seeing what people come up with!

This is my favourite time of the year :)

Will 2025 be the 10th AtY? We should try and figure out a prompt or two to celebrate that, it's an amazing achievement.

Dubhease wrote: "Thomas wrote: "So as Republicanism (British English meaning) is in the air how about a book set in a country without a monarch?"

I love an easy prompt. Any books set in the US would work."

And yet, in manages to eliminate 98% of the Fantasy genre.

Side note: does Queen Latifa not count?

Marie wrote: "This is my favourite time of the year :)

Will 2025 be the 10th AtY? We should try and figure out a prompt or two to celebrate that, it's an amazing achievement."

A book that spans 10 years
A book by an author who published 10 books

A book with a 3-digit number in the title
A book where the title is in 3+ colours
A book that has a word in the title where one of the letters is replaced by a character that isn't a letter
A book who's author is a criminal / in prison
A book that has a dystopian future setting on the cover
A book that has a real person & a cartoon animal on the cover
A book where the title is an oxymoron

Richard wrote: "A book with a 3-digit number in the title
A book where the title is in 3+ colours
A book that has a word in the title where one of the letters is replaced by a character that isn't a letter
A book ..."

I like most of these but real person and cartoon character seems too specific but I’d be happy with one or the other

Thomas wrote: "I like most of these but real person and cartoon character seems too specific but I’d be happy with one or the other"

Fair call haha

Yes, the multiweek poll will continue to be in week 4!

and YES, it's our 10th year! Isn't that crazy! I think this is my 8th time doing the polling process (and 4th or 5th as mod).

If anyone has any ideas on how to celebrate (outside of prompts related to the number 10), let me know!

Emily wrote: "Yes, the multiweek poll will continue to be in week 4!

and YES, it's our 10th year! Isn't that crazy! I think this is my 8th time doing the polling process (and 4th or 5th as mod).

If anyone ha..."

Emily- will the pre poll be the same as last year?

Thomas, the pre-poll is going to be different this year.

Emily’s post from the May read-a-thon https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

“CLOSED - FINAL PROMPTS:
A science fiction or fantasy novel written by a woman
A book with an animal on the cover
A book set in a different hemisphere than where you live
A book that involves art, music, dancing or acting
A book told from multiple character POVs

You will have 3 votes to use on the pre-poll, however you choose to use them (3 up, 1 up 2 down, 3 down, etc.). That poll will go live on June 26th!”

Jillian wrote: "Thomas, the pre-poll is going to be different this year.

Emily’s post from the May read-a-thon https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

“CLOSE..."
Thanks.

We also need a ATY prompt.

We've done:
ATY in title
ATY not in title
Last letter of title is A, T, or Y
ATY in author's name
ATY not in author's name
name of character starts with ATY
place where book is set starts with ATY

For the 10th Year of ATY - how about a look at where this platform was at the time of ATY’s inception? We could choose to read “Any book that won, or was nominated for, the 2014 Goodreads Choice Awards”.

https://www.goodreads.com/choiceaward...

Sorry, wrong year (no math after dinner…).

Same as above, but the year is 2016.

https://www.goodreads.com/choiceaward...

ATY Prompt: How about “A book with a cover that has an image of something that starts with A, T, or Y”?

Tracy wrote: "Sorry, wrong year (no math after dinner…).

Same as above, but the year is 2016.

https://www.goodreads.com/choiceaward..."

I like this idea!

Tracy wrote: "ATY Prompt: How about “A book with a cover that has an image of something that starts with A, T, or Y”?"

I love that one.

A book with something/someone on the cover in the shape of an A, T, or Y?

Richard wrote:
A book that has a word in the title where one of the letters is replaced by a character that isn't a letter"

I have a great one for that
And Don't F&%k It Up: An Oral History of RuPaul's Drag Race

I've been storing up ideas since last fall!

Here are a couple of my ideas. I'll detail them when we get closer to voting.

A book with a "creepy" cover
A book with a "twisted" title
A book that tickles your funny bone
A book set in more than one century
A book centered around a house
A book involving a trial

Robin wrote: "Here are a couple of my ideas. I'll detail them when we get closer to voting.

A book with a "creepy" cover
A book with a "twisted" title
A book that tickles your funny bone
A book set in more than..."

Robin - I like “centered around a house”, and “involving a trial”!

Dubhease wrote: "Tracy wrote: "ATY Prompt: How about “A book with a cover that has an image of something that starts with A, T, or Y”?"

I love that one."

I like that one too.
Also: title starts with A, T, or Y (A, An, The doesn't count)

I must have known this was coming as I started looking up 2025 things last week. Popsugar might have dampened the enthusiasm for year related prompts somewhat, but I will share in case anyone has any inspiration:

100th anniversary of the first TV broadcast
100th anniversary of the first motel
25th anniversary is silver
UN International Year of Peace and Trust
Chinese Year of the Wood Snake
£25 in British slang is a pony
25% is a quarter

The one and only prompt idea I came up with was a serpentine element on the cover (snakes, winding rivers/paths, ribbons, abstract wavy shapes).

Ellie wrote: "I must have known this was coming as I started looking up 2025 things last week. Popsugar might have dampened the enthusiasm for year related prompts somewhat, but I will share in case anyone has a..."
Maybe going for silver as we had going for gold this year. Could include anything second

I'm doing several different book challenges this year & people are going ham over the Year of Dragon. There have been so many "read a book that features dragons" prompts, which is hard for me because I am really not into fantasy, like, at all. If I have to read a book about a wood snake next year, so help me God...

Ciara wrote: "I'm doing several different book challenges this year & people are going ham over the Year of Dragon. There have been so many "read a book that features dragons" prompts, which is hard for me becau..."

Well, no I wasn't suggesting that as a prompt! If I was going to suggest a prompt related to that it'd be the serpentine element one.

Snake seems a good idea. Could be expanded to treachery ( snake in the grass) con and fraud ( snake oil merchant)

Ellie wrote: "Ciara wrote: "I'm doing several different book challenges this year & people are going ham over the Year of Dragon. There have been so many "read a book that features dragons" prompts, which is har..."

I know, I was just kidding.

I've been noticing a lot of books with snakes on the cover recently though. It seems to be a weird cover art trend. Oddly specific but perhaps prompt-worthy.

Tracy wrote: "ATY Prompt: How about “A book with a cover that has an image of something that starts with A, T, or Y”?"

I like this a lot.

Ha, time to give my Degrees of Separation prompt another try :D Particularly with the ATY group anniversary, it could count as a way to celebrate us. I still believe in this prompt and have been trying to come up with a wording that won't scare off people who don't follow the Wild Discussion and won't give the completely wrong impression.
I've been thinking of rewording it like this, for example:

A book by an author with a connection to this group
A book whose author can be connected to this group
(these two would allow room for some creative interpretation – ATY initials, hosts their own challenge or book club, etc.)
A book by an author you've met or who is reported in the Authors You've Met thread
(this is the Degrees of Separation prompt without mentioning it's about Degrees of Separation)

Thoughts?

Conny wrote: "Ha, time to give my Degrees of Separation prompt another try :D Particularly with the ATY group anniversary, it could count as a way to celebrate us. I still believe in this prompt and have been tr..."
tell me more about the authors you have met thread is it a thing or would we need to create it?

Thomas wrote: "tell me more about the authors you have met thread is it a thing or would we need to create it?"

No, that thread exists. I created it when I first suggested the Degrees of Separation prompt, with the intent that everyone could use the pool of authors anyone in this group has met in person as a "two degrees of separation away from myself" option.

It's here and it's awesome, because naturally there are tons of local authors in it that one never would have found otherwise ;)

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Ellie wrote: "Well, no I wasn't suggesting that as a prompt! If I was going to suggest a prompt related to that it'd be the serpentine element one...."



There are a lot of book covers with a serpentine design, maybe that?

The Essex Serpent

Once Upon a River

And there's one more I just saw recently but I can't even think of it right now so maybe this is a really bad category idea.

A book where the author's first name is the same as your own
A book where the author's last name is the same as your own
A book where the author's first & last names are the same as your own

A book where your first name is in the title


Edit: I didn't realise there were so many issues related to these ideas. Sorry about that. Just some 'wild' suggestions.

Richard wrote: "A book where the author's first name is the same as your own
A book where the author's last name is the same as your own
A book where the author's first & last names are the same as your own

A boo..."
The problem with that kind is it’s harder for some people than others. The only author I know who has my surname is my father. Maybe first or last name is your own with going for both being a BIO option

Nadine in NY wrote: "And there's one more I just saw recently but I can't even think of it right now so maybe this is a really bad category idea...."

I found a bunch without trying too hard but my shelves aren't always typical of the rest of the group: