Play Book Tag discussion

Please vote for the tag you would most like to read for December at the following link:

https://forms.gle/9Do85K2E7np44NRs5

marriage: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
recommended: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
shapeshifters: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

Remember, you may cast up to a total of 10 participation points for your choice. Every PBT member gets one vote for free so please vote even if you don't have any participation points!

You can see how many participation points you currently have in the spreadsheet below.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

Happy voting! Please cast your votes by 12:00 pm EST on 11/22.

The spinner has gone off the rails-HAHA!

There is only one that I will consider voting for, at this point. It is the only list I have anything for. I have not checked my TBR yet; there may be some books there that fit.

Agree, JoAnne - randomizer must have drunk its breakfast!

Voted. There is only one likely to fit the challenge reads I need to read to finish up my year.

I was surprised by some of the books under marriage.

Well, I've found a tag in which I have zilch on my tbr.

Booknblues wrote: "Well, I've found a tag in which I have zilch on my tbr."

My guess knowing what you read - shapeshifter?😂

Shapeshifter is definitely out for me. Similar to vampires, werewolves, etc. - just doesn't interest me at all. I have occasionally read a book where that turns out to be part of the plot but I feel like it's a copout.

I'm not sure what to make of the recommended tag, so I will hold off on voting until I get a grip.
Recommended by whom? By Goodreads readers - I don't care!
By my friends - then I have a long list to pick from

Algernon (Darth Anyan) wrote: "I'm not sure what to make of the recommended tag, so I will hold off on voting until I get a grip.
Recommended by whom? By Goodreads readers - I don't care!
By my friends - then I have a long list ..."

Just a reminder: for the monthly tag reads, just has to be whatever you decide it means - reading from Recommended by Friends is an excellent way to go, or even pick from 5 star recommendations by fellow PBT members. My thought is to count books I read in December that I would recommend to others.

I would not personally just pick from those tagged such on GR generally - because too often I don't agree, LOL.

Theresa wrote: "Algernon (Darth Anyan) wrote: "I'm not sure what to make of the recommended tag, so I will hold off on voting until I get a grip.
Recommended by whom? By Goodreads readers - I don't care!
By my fri..."

thanks, I'm sure I will find some PBT friends to recommend the books I already plan to read in December, like a Terry Pratchett or the next Alan Bradley

I would certainly endorse reading any 'next Alan Bradley'!

We have several Pratchett fans ... who I am sure can accommodate a recommendation...

Assuming Recommended wins.

Algernon (Darth Anyan) wrote: "I'm not sure what to make of the recommended tag, so I will hold off on voting until I get a grip.
Recommended by whom? By Goodreads readers - I don't care!
By my friends - then I have a long list ..."

Those would qualify imo. Chances are, if a book has several pages of tags, one of them is “recommended.” I suspect most tastes are represented by the tag.

Btw, there are books by both of these authors on the list. Even #33 of discworld has 25. The newest Alan Bradley has a few related tags - like recommendations, rec, etc,

Recommended is like Favorites (or DNF) in that almost any book can qualify.

Theresa wrote: "Booknblues wrote: "Well, I've found a tag in which I have zilch on my tbr."

My guess knowing what you read - shapeshifter?😂"

That's correct although I did enjoy a series by Anne Rice's sister, Alice Borchardt ages ago. The first in the series was The Silver Wolf.

The tag selector has been at the sherry, I think …

One nice way to find books for recommended would be our PBT top ten lists

Just wanted to say that one of the best 5 star reads I ever read is the Fox Wife. And while I didm't see it on the list, it does over and above qualify as shapeshifter.

Amy wrote: "Just wanted to say that one of the best 5 star reads I ever read is the Fox Wife. And while I didm't see it on the list, it does over and above qualify as shapeshifter."
So you would recommend it?

Was that meant to be funny? And yes, in my mind, I was sort of writing this specifically to you. I was thinking if its shapeshifters next month, this is a great book to recommend, and specifically, I think Fran/BnB would just love it, if she hasn't read it already.... I gave it as a Christmas gift last year to my friend Gwen. Or was it the year before. Totally thought she would dig it too.

I rather liked the recommended list. It was interesting to see what "the public" thinks is a good read and a few of them are extremely high on my TBR. I own two of them and could read them tonight. But I also own (I think) one of the books that came out on my marriage research list. Both of these two tags though, you could find a lot off the list as well. Neither would be hard to match books to.

Amy wrote: "Was that meant to be funny? And yes, in my mind, I was sort of writing this specifically to you. I was thinking if its shapeshifters next month, this is a great book to recommend, and specifically,..."

it was meant to be funny, in that as a shape shifter book, it would also fit as a recommended book.

I think this was the fastest I’ve ever voted.

I had only a couple of options for the others.

Amy wrote: "Just wanted to say that one of the best 5 star reads I ever read is the Fox Wife. And while I didm't see it on the list, it does over and above qualify as shapeshifter."

You're right, I actually thought of that one, which was very good. When I first saw shapeshifter I thought about romances or horror where someone turns into a monster.

Oh!!!! I totally didn’t get the joke!!! I thought you were like speaking about my obvious five star rave…. I didn’t put it together. That recommended was the other option. Yes I recommend it, so it fits for both. That’s funny that I didn’t pick that up.

A few more shapeshifter options to consider:
The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

I read both and enjoyed both this year.

Amy wrote: "Oh!!!! I totally didn’t get the joke!!! I thought you were like speaking about my obvious five star rave…. I didn’t put it together. That recommended was the other option. Yes I recommend it, so it..."
Who knows it might also fit marriage with the title. So whatever the tag of the month, Im reading it as I also realised itis on my tbr.

Robin P wrote: "Recommended is like Favorites (or DNF) in that almost any book can qualify."

Agreed. I don't like these tags. Way too broad. I'm hoping for either of the others.

December flurries has a few very specific topics that could be challenging

National and international observances
World AIDS Day: December 1.
International Day for the Abolition of Slavery: December 2.
International Day of Persons with Disabilities: December 3.
International Volunteer Day: December 5.
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day: December 7
Bill of Rights Day: December 15.
Wright Brothers Day: December 17.

Seasonal observances
Winter Solstice: Occurs around December 21, marking the shortest day of the year.
Christmas Eve: December 24.
New Year's Eve: December 31.

Religious and cultural holidays
St. Nicholas Day: December 6, commemorating the patron saint of children.
Bodhi Day: December 8, a Buddhist holiday celebrating the day the Buddha attained enlightenment.
Feast of the Immaculate Conception: December 8, a Catholic holiday honoring the Virgin Mary's conception without original sin.
Our Lady of Guadalupe: December 12, a feast day in Mexico and for Mexican Americans celebrating the Virgin Mary's appearance to St. Juan Diego.
Hanukkah: An 8-day Jewish festival of lights, typically beginning in December.
Christmas: December 25, a Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus.
Boxing Day: December 26, a holiday celebrated in many Commonwealth countries.
Kwanzaa: Begins on December 26, a week-long African-American cultural holiday.

Are there any Canadian holidays or remembrances?

Booknblues wrote: "Amy wrote: "Oh!!!! I totally didn’t get the joke!!! I thought you were like speaking about my obvious five star rave…. I didn’t put it together. That recommended was the other option. Yes I recomme..."

There are quite a few fiction books on the marriage list farther down the list. I really liked Wedding People, though I don’t think it’s about marriage. I haven’t quite decided on my book for this week.

Wellness is on the marriage list. I meant to read it this year. Maybe it could be my last Compass book.

LibraryCin wrote: "Robin P wrote: "Recommended is like Favorites (or DNF) in that almost any book can qualify."

Agreed. I don't like these tags. Way too broad. I'm hoping for either of the others."

I thought the opposite, with holidays and people trying to finish challenges, it’s a good month for an easy tag.

Funny about shapeshifter, all the tags actually .... the book I am trying to finish before my Sunday book club meeting fits shapeshifters (secondary characters), marriage (MC marriage key to plot), and recommended ( it will get a 5 star review from me and think it would appeal to just about anyone). What is it? A fantasy swashbuckler of a pirate adventure and quest set during the time of the crusades in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean - The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by S.A. Chakraborty.

It also works for The Compass - actual countries and cities are setting.

Booknblues wrote: "Amy wrote: "Oh!!!! I totally didn’t get the joke!!! I thought you were like speaking about my obvious five star rave…. I didn’t put it together. That recommended was the other option. Yes I recomme..."

BnB - You are therefore in for a treat in December....

NancyJ wrote: "Are there any Canadian holidays or remembrances?..."

Nothing specific that I can think of off the top of my head.

I’m torn between Marriage or Recommended. I’m leaning towards Marriage since it’s more specific. Recommended might have a lot of popular mediocrity and fad books. But I have some books on my tbr and even my priority-tbr lists that I have tagged as recommended. So that would work too.

I’m relieved that it isn’t some form of Holidays. From previous months and years, I’ve exhausted the list of Holiday books that I might possibly be interested in. In my experience, most of them tend to be lightweight, unrealistic, and exhaustingly cheery. I’d probably only enjoy one that was either about a blue-Christmas or a little-known (to me) holiday from a different culture.

No doubt I’m a book snob! Fine with me. Life is too short and there are too many great books out there to waste my time on books that are mediocre or formulaic. Which is not to say that I don’t occasionally accidentally pick up such books and once started, feel compelled to finish them. But this group helps a lot in choosing better ones!

Shapeshifters doesn’t particularly appeal to me, but I doubt that it would win. In any case, I’ve found that I can almost always find books I like no matter how little interest I have in the tag. That’s why I’m here, to keep me out of ruts and expand my reading experience.
That said, after two recent months of sci-fi and fantasy-type tags, I’m wanting something different.

But I will never forget reading Moon of Three Rings as a teen. That book has haunted me in the best possible way all my life.

And Lyn suggested The Red Garden and The Snow Child for Shapeshifters, both of which I also liked very much.

Lyn wrote: "A few more shapeshifter options to consider:
The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

I read both and enjoyed both this year."

I also read and enjoyed The Snow Child and I’m pretty sure The Red Garden as well.

Unfortunately both of them failed to transfer properly when we moved from Shelfari. I lost my reviews, ratings, dates, and most of my tags for both, as well as for a great many other books. The Red Garden didn’t show up at all. I’ve since added both books with what little information I could remember. I might want to reread The Red Garden. I read The Snow Child later and remember a little more about it.

So, I might be the only one working off the app … But when you open the ‘marriage’ link, the entire page is what I would deem “self-help books” …

With the single exception of Gone Girl 😂 Which I find satisfyingly hilarious inclusion.

There are some fiction books later, like An American Marriage but you are right that they are overwhelmingly self-help. But many literary fiction and romance books are about marriage!

Robin P wrote: "There are some fiction books later, like An American Marriage but you are right that they are overwhelmingly self-help. But many literary fiction and romance books are about marriage!"

I agree Robin. I’m sure I would find plenty to read from the books I tagged when we had family or family drama. At least half of them seemed to involve marriage. We don’t need 5 tags for any reason.

I think many of us were so turned off by the first page of the tag list, we disregarded it right away. It’s not like me to vote so fast. I would actually be happy with the tag. The other one was just so easy, I didn’t give it a second thought. Plus it’s December.

This is when I prefer to use LibraryThing and do a tag mash search. If I combine marriage and fiction in their search engine, I get a list that looks more inviting.

This is the closest I found on GR. Is your list similar?
Fiction-marriage

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

Jgrace wrote: "This is when I prefer to use LibraryThing and do a tag mash search. If I combine marriage and fiction in their search engine, I get a list that looks more inviting."

Yes, exactly!!

NancyJ wrote: "This is the closest I found on GR. Is your list similar?
Fiction-marriage

https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/..."

The nice thing with LT is it doesn't have to be a pre-defined list. Anyone can combine multiple tags (it's called a tagmash). It will also include books that might only have been tagged 1x, though.

Here is the tagmash (for fiction and marriage) from LT:
https://www.librarything.com/tag/fict...

NancyJ wrote: "This is the closest I found on GR. Is your list similar?
Fiction-marriage

https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/..."

It looks like there's some overlap between the two lists, but I could go cross-eyed comparing them. Between them there are plenty of good choices.

Wow. Know how some months you get super excited about all three tags and are happy no matter which one wins? Yeah, this just isn’t that month for me. 😂 That said, I’ve read a book for every tag this year, so I’m reading whatever at this point. Since challenges tend to be more of a push to broaden my reading, I don’t spend December—as many readers do—trying to complete them. However, I do end the year with lingering books that I didn’t get to that I’d like to finish. Start the next year off with a metaphorical clean nightstand, so to speak. Let’s just say “Shapeshifters” won’t do much for my residual piles (although I found Borne by Jeff Vandermeer, coincidentally a recommendation from my sister-in-law, unexpectedly fascinating). “Marriage,” seems heavy on the surface for the holidays, but it actually ties into so many plot lines, both nonfiction and fiction, in books from light to serious. For “Recommended”? Well, LibraryCin has never failed to shoot a great Canadian work my way, and Jason and BooknB and my tastes are very similar.

Saorsa wrote: "For “Recommended”? Well, LibraryCin has never failed to shoot a great Canadian work my way, .."

I will keep this in mind if "recommended" wins. I'll make some Canadian suggestions for those who want to give those a try.

So funny how you can pick up a book and see how much it fits a possible tag for next month. I am reading we are made of stars…. And it feels to me like this is a marriage book.

Amy wrote: "So funny how you can pick up a book and see how much it fits a possible tag for next month. I am reading we are made of stars…. And it feels to me like this is a marriage book."

The exact same feeling I get from Iris Murdoch - The Nice and the Good, which I am reading for the British Lit tag. Definitely a book about marriage