Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

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

Voting will open in the morning of Saturday, August 1 and results will be posted in the morning of Wednesday, August 5 (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 related to mad or weird science
2. A book with a main character who isn’t human
3. A book suggested by a cartoon or animated film
4. A book by an author with a patronymic/ matronymic surname
5. A book found on one of the Indie Next lists
6. A book related to a word first used in print in the year of your birth
7. A book cover with text that interacts with the art
8. A book with a character who is illiterate
9. A book with a sea creature on the cover
10. A book with a character who is an in-law or a character who is an outlaw
11. A book that contains an element of humor
12. A book with trees on the cover
13. A book that transports you somewhere you've never been
14. A book related to a 'guilty pleasure'
15. A book with a character who is an immigrant

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

Vote here: https://forms.gle/Y5WhPU6uakUkLC799
NOTE: We will not have the ability to contact anyone who misvotes. Please be sure to check your voting before submitting.

THOUGHTS AND IDEAS FROM THE SUGGESTIONS THREAD

1. A book related to mad or weird science
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

2. A book with a main character who isn’t human
Could be fantasy, sci-fi, non-fiction… think animals, fairies, vampires, robots, automatons...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...

3. A book suggested by a cartoon or animated film
Title, cover, content. May include a book about a cartoonist or with a cartoonist character.

Examples: Disney films (Jungle Book, Bambi, Snow White), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Flintstones, Toy Story, Jetsons, Yogi Bear, Minions

4. A book by an author with a patronymic/ matronymic surname
Patronymic names are components or surnames derived from a father’s or ancestor’s given name. Common examples include English surnames ending in -son (like Johnson), Scottish names starting with Mac-, and Russian middle names (like Ivanovich).
Common Cultural Forms
• English and Scandinavian: Uses suffixes like -son or -sen (e.g., Davidson meaning ""son of David"") or prefixes like Fitz- (e.g., Fitzgerald).
• Celtic and Gaelic: Uses Mac or Mc in Scotland and Ireland (""son of""), ap in Welsh (e.g., Powell from ap Howel).
• Slavic/ Russian: Such as -ovich or -evich (""son of"") and -ovna or -evna (""daughter of""). Serbo-Croatian names ending in -ic (“son of”)
• Arabic: Uses Ibn or Bin (""son of"") and Bint (""daughter of"").
• Icelandic: Children take their father's (or mother's) first name followed by -sson (son) or -dóttir (daughter) instead of a fixed family surname

Examples from my TBR list:
Sarah MacLean
Robert MacFarland
Jenn McKinlay
Ian McEwan
David McCullough
James McBride
Colleen Mccullough
Casey McQuiston
Beth O’Leary
Maggie O’Farrell
Sian O’Gorman
F.Scott Fitzgerald
Penelope Fitzgerald
Sarah Allen Addisson
DE Stevenson
Riss Neilson
Kevin Wilson
Sigrún Pálsdóttir
Emily Ruskovich
Leonid Yuzefovich
Svetlana Alexievich
Yrsa Sigurðardóttir
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Arnaldur Indriðason

5. A book found on one of the Indie Next lists
https://www.indiebound.org/indie-next...

6. A book related to a word first used in print in the year of your birth
Found by selecting the year in question here:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/time-...
This will give you a list of words that first appeared in print in your chosen year

7. A book cover with text that interacts with the art
Usually the cover text is either is on top of the art, or in an area with only background color. For this prompt, the art either partially covers the text, or possibly weaves in and out of the text, e.g., a vine weaves through the spaces of the letter B.

Subtle Examples:
Lucky Girl by Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu
Beep by Bill Roorbach
Never Split the Difference Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It by Chris Voss
The Speed of Light by Elissa Grossell Dickey
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

More Obvious Examples:
Wall of Silence by Tracy Buchanan
Yes Please by Amy Poehler
A Mind Spread Out on the Ground by Alicia Elliott
The Sum of Us What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee
Fire Exit by Morgan Talty

8. A book with a character who is illiterate
This could include reading and writing but also financial, digital, etc illiteracy.
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4...

9. A book with a sea creature on the cover

10. A book with a character who is an in-law or a character who is an outlaw

11. A book that contains an element of humor
This would not necessarily be the main thrust of the book but could be supplied by banter between the main characters in fiction or by wry observations by the author of a nonfiction book.

12. A book with trees on the cover

13. A book that transports you somewhere you've never been
Read a "frequent flyer" book. This is a book that transports you somewhere you've never been. It could be another country, another century, another planet, or an entirely imagined world.

Examples:

Shōgun
The Covenant of Water
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
Project Hail Mary
Piranesi
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol. 1
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Lady Tremaine

14. A book related to a 'guilty pleasure'
My guilty pleasure is Trop Rock - drinking & carousing down in the Islands - love the music, but not my value system

15. A book with a character who is an immigrant

Some possibilities for

15. A book with a character who is an immigrant
https://www.globalrefuge.org/books-ab...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/5...
https://chipublib.bibliocommons.com/v...

"Voting will open in the morning of Sunday, July 26 and results will be posted in the morning of Thursday, July 30 (CST time)."

This seems wrong. :D

This post also opens by saying that we will be voting for our first set of prompts...

Dixie wrote: "This seems wrong. :D"

I read that, and it took me WAY too long to figure out it was a copy/paste error. I think I might be just a LITTLE bit tired.

I’m blown away by this one. Thank you for sharing this dictionary

6. A book related to a word first used in print in the year of your birth

Some of the 1958 words really surprised me. There is a lot I can work with here.

Rom-com
Software
Scam
Genetic code
Scuba diver
Glitch
Hive mind
Inbox
Beatnik
Bigfoot
Comfort food
Empty nester
Nuke
Panic attack
Physician assistant
Psychoactive
Tesla
Cross train
Data set
Percentage point
Frozen yogurt
Game show

Some of favorites so far
13. A book that transports you somewhere you've never been - ❤️
6. A book related to a word first used in print in the year of your birth
8. A book with a character who is illiterate - this is bigger problem than I knew. Millions of adult citizens are functionally illiterate, but hide it well. It might be easier to find stories about immigrants, past or current.
15. A book with a character who is an immigrant
1. A book related to mad or weird science - in my mind I’ll add ‘bad’ science. I have a couple that would fit well.

These are also possibilities.
2. A book with a main character who isn’t human
4. A book by an author with a patronymic/ matronymic surname
5. A book found on one of the Indie Next lists
7. A book cover with text that interacts with the art
11. A book that contains an element of humor
12. A book with trees on the cover
14. A book related to a 'guilty pleasure'

A few that caught my eye for 1970:

Agent Orange
anxiety disorder
bad hair day
borderline personality disorder
cognitive therapy
control freak
gaslighter
guilt trip
open dating
pumpkin-space
punk rock
wish list
yucky
zone out

I did notice that there is a caveat. For some, their inclusion is linked to a specific usages. Like Manchurian candidate was certainly used in print before. It was a 1959 novel. But a more specific usage came into being in 1970. Anyway, 1970 was a very psychological year, apparently. LOL

There's no way "Jedi" was first used in print in 1983. Star Wars: A New Hope was published in 1976.

I like a fair few of these prompts. I'm not sure how I'm going to vote you. I would like some clarification and maybe examples of:

A book suggested by a cartoon or animated film

It is always a copy and paste error with me lol. Fixing now.

A few of my favorite word / phrases from 1972:

beer pong
best-case
blended family
brain-dead
cash cow
EMT
floppy disk
gentrify
gut-wrenching
hazmat
Latina
page turner
playlist
retro
slimeball

I would probably go with Latina because that's a good number of the authors on my TBR.

The Indie Next lists are good, and I haven't seen that proposed here before. An upvote for me.

I date back to 1959 and some promising choices of words/expressions are:
down and dirty
flip out
global village
hard rock
Scouser (I'm a Liverpool FC fan)
strung out
tipping point

I have a lot of good words both in terms of interesting that they came out then and would make good prompts for books. My personal favorite is "face-plant" because if you know me.... I both physically and metaphorically face-plant more than I would care to admit!!

As for finding a book, Autism Spectrum Disorder apparently became a phrase in 1981, so that would be a great prompt.

I also have A LOT of tech terms- app, photo op, camcorder (ha! do the young'uns need a dictionary to know what that is? lol), uninstall, unsubscribe, screen saver, and (literally hehe) technobabble.

For 1952, I was confused by the inclusion of capitalized Golf, Juliett, Lima, and more - that must have been when the NATO alphabet came into use!

Other new words & phrases from that year

answering service
capri pants
countdown
fish stick
junk food
mass-market
scuba
sonic boom
swing state
underachiever
white pages (now obsolete, referred to the printed phone book that had people's names and numbers in it, as opposed the yellow pages that had businesses)

Robin P wrote: "For 1952, I was confused by the inclusion of capitalized Golf, Juliett, Lima, and more - that must have been when the NATO alphabet came into use!

Other new words & phrases from that year

answeri..."

Please find a book related to fish stick!!!

Jennifer W wrote: "I also have A LOT of tech terms- app, photo op, camcorder (ha! do the young'uns need a dictionary to know what that is? lol), uninstall, unsubscribe, screen saver, and (literally hehe) technobabble...."

My birth year has floppy disk--anyone from Gen Z know what those are?

Marie M. wrote: "Robin P wrote: "For 1952, I was confused by the inclusion of capitalized Golf, Juliett, Lima, and more - that must have been when the NATO alphabet came into use!

Other new words & phrases from th..."

LOL i couldn’t help it:
Books with fish stick in the title:

Fish Stick Fridays
Fish! Sticks: A Remarkable Way to Adapt to Changing Times and Keep Your Work Fresh

I’m not sure I’d want to read either of those or a book *about* fish sticks.
That said, it could be interesting to turn that prompt into a side challenge if it doesn’t get in. Such as: read a book for every year in the decade of your birth where each book is related to a word “birthed” in each year.

The Indie Next lists look like they're chiefly recently published goods, so that one got a downvote for me. I get enough of "read more new books!" from the Goodreads bookmark challenges.

Also, I will probably always downvote prompts regarding "guilty pleasure" because I hate the term and wouldn't feel comfortable reading anything for it.

Melanie wrote: "The Indie Next lists look like they're chiefly recently published goods, so that one got a downvote for me. I get enough of "read more new books!" from the Goodreads bookmark challenges.

Also, I ..."

If you go to the full archive, it goes back to 2008.

I like this list of prompts - definitely voting for Indie Next and Trees (I was already wondering if I could find four tree related books with titles to spell TREE - turns out R is tricky). I also like the word one - some good options from 1985:

Anime
AZT
Banh mi
Biodiversity
Boy Band
IP address
Latte
Mifepristone
Mixtape
Sexual predator
Step aerobics
Transfeminine

Indie Next is a favorite for me.

I'm not too excited about the birth year prompt because I did this in a forgotten challenge and it didn't go well, but I did go through my birth year and came up with a few words and how I would use them if this prompt got in. I also might cheat if this one gets in and use a word from the birth year of a family member.

Words I could use with examples of how I'd use them:

Blast from the past: A classic or favorite book I could reread
Crosslinguistic: A book that has been translated from one of the Roman languages
Garam masala: A book written by an Indian author
Salk vaccine: A book about polio or polio vaccine history
Top 40: Any list that has at least 100 choices in case no list prompts are voted in this year.
Security blanket: A comfort reread.

Marie M. wrote: "Abbie wrote: "I like this list of prompts - definitely voting for Indie Next and Trees (I was already wondering if I could find four tree related books with titles to spell TREE - turns out R is tr..."

But how are those books tree related?

Marie M. wrote: "Please find a book related to fish stick!!."

Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World- most common kind of fish for them

Many books with kids would have them

Angie wrote: "I like a fair few of these prompts. I'm not sure how I'm going to vote you. I would like some clarification and maybe examples of:

A book suggested by a cartoon or animated film"

Here are some examples:
Jungle Book - a book set in a jungle
Frozen - a book set in a "cold" location; a book with snow on the cover
Bambi - a book set in a forest or with a deer on the cover
Yogi Bear - a book set in a national park or about a bear
Jetsons - a sci-fi book
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? - a book with a PI or a gang
Space Jam - Basketball or aliens
Roadrunner/Coyote - a book set in the southwest (USA)

There are lots of "retellings" that correlate to Disney films, as many are based on fairy tales (Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty, Little Mermaid, Snow White)

It's really a pretty easy prompt when you think about it.

If you need a good laugh, check out the Oscar-winning animated short film "Birds on a Wire - For The Birds". It's available on YouTube.

Robin H-R wrote: "Angie wrote: "I like a fair few of these prompts. I'm not sure how I'm going to vote you. I would like some clarification and maybe examples of:

A book suggested by a cartoon or animated film"

He..."

And beyond Disney, there is Aardman (Wallace and Gromit, Shaun the Sheep) and the wonderful films by Hayao Miyazaki, some of which are based on books that would work for this (Arietty's World: The Borrowers, Howl's Moving Castle). Others are based on universal themes including war, the environment, the spirit world, and bravery: https://ultimatepopculture.fandom.com...

As Deborah mention the Indie Next list goes back to 2008 so there are 19 years to choose from and another one should start next year. If anyone is interested in the full archive - https://www.indiebound.org/indie-next....

With the dictionary words, you might be surprised if you click on the word for its definition. My dad's birth year included "bananas". At first, we were both like 'were bananas known as something else before the late 50s??' No, it's the slang term- as in, 'you're driving me bananas!' Which I thought was rather appropriate for my father! :D

For some reason, some prompts just trigger a specific book or way of looking at the prompt and once it's in my brain, it's firmly lodged there and not giving up its squatter's rights. For the cartoon prompt, my mind went immediately to Who Framed Roger Rabbit and the book that it was based on, Who Censored Roger Rabbit?. Which I've never read and always wanted to, so it's fine, although my library doesn't have it.
Anyone else? My brain just weird??

Jennifer W wrote: "With the dictionary words, you might be surprised if you click on the word for its definition. My dad's birth year included "bananas". At first, we were both like 'were bananas known as something e..."

That's the book I chose as well! It is available on Amazon.

First impressions:

1. A book related to mad or weird science - Love this! I would need to look into it a bit to see what options I have from my massive physical TBR already, but I'm sure I have several!

2. A book with a main character who isn’t human - Maybe a downvote. I've had variations of this prompt before and I've always found it a struggle to find books that fit, but the wording of this is open enough to include a variety of options (ie. animal, robot, alien, etc.) that I might just leave it neutral

3. A book suggested by a cartoon or animated film - I am so confused why we've collectively seemed to have shifted from "related to" wording to "suggested by." I love the idea of a book connected to cartoons/animated characters, but I think the wording loses that a little. Maybe it's just my literal brain talking, but I feel like someone seeing the current wording without the context of the rest of the thread could interpret it as the book eneds to be directly "suggested by" (as in mentioned on-screen or recommended by) an animated character

4. A book by an author with a patronymic/ matronymic surname - I'm pretty indifferent to this. I'll probably leave it neutral

5. A book found on one of the Indie Next lists - I'd need to look into this one a bit more. I assumed it was books that were indie published, but it looks like a recommendations list and that's much more appealing to me since it means the books will be easier to find

6. A book related to a word first used in print in the year of your birth - I'm on the fence. I looked up my year and saw some words that I'd be interested in using, but I'd need to see how many options I really have

7. A book cover with text that interacts with the art - This seems fun! This is a strong maybe

8. A book with a character who is illiterate - I really love the concept of this one, but I'm worried about the extremely limited range of options it seems to have. I would 100% vote for it if I thought there were enough options to choose from

9. A book with a sea creature on the cover - My brain immediately jumped to seahorses, but I'm not sure I have very many options on my TBR. But on the other hand, I love that it's a cover prompt I've never seen before!

10. A book with a character who is an in-law or a character who is an outlaw - I preferred this as a multi-week because I wanted to do both, and I would very likely convert it into a multi-week for myself anyway!

11. A book that contains an element of humor - Probably a downvote. I like to plan my books in advance, and I find this tends to be hard to know beforehand.

12. A book with trees on the cover - A strong maybe, but also not my favourite. It might just be neutral

13. A book that transports you somewhere you've never been - I'm generally not a fan of this kind of prompt, but I like it it's a setting prompt that is not specifically geography-based, so maybe. Most likely neutral

14. A book related to a 'guilty pleasure' - I like that this is "related to" rather than a book that "is" a guilty pleasure because that opens things up quite a bit. Not sure I'd vote for it, but wouldn't downvote either

15. A book with a character who is an immigrant - Possibly a downvote just because it is a prompt that I've had many times before, but I might leave it neutral because I'm also not opposed to it

Robin H-R wrote: "Here are some examples:
Jungle Book - a book set in a jungle
Frozen - a book set in a "cold" location; a book with snow on the cover
Bambi - a book set in a forest or with a deer on the cover
Yogi Bear - a book set in a national park or about a bear
Jetsons - a sci-fi book
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? - a book with a PI or a gang
Space Jam - Basketball or aliens
Roadrunner/Coyote - a book set in the southwest (USA)"

So it's basically just a "related to" prompt?

Angie wrote: "Robin H-R wrote: "Here are some examples:
Jungle Book - a book set in a jungle
Frozen - a book set in a "cold" location; a book with snow on the cover
Bambi - a book set in a forest or with a deer ..."

I'd say so, yes. Some have complained about using "related to".

Robin P wrote: "For 1952, I was confused by the inclusion of capitalized Golf, Juliett, Lima, and more - that must have been when the NATO alphabet came into use!

Other new words & phrases from that year

answeri..."
Robin P, I too thought that was strange, I Googled it, and the NATO alphabet was first used and tested in April 1952! The final version was created in March 1956!
If anyone had asked me, I would have said it was used in both World Wars already!

Samantha wrote: "As Deborah mention the Indie Next list goes back to 2008 so there are 19 years to choose from and another one should start next year. If anyone is interested in the full archive - https://www.indie..."

Thanks for that link,Samantha. Definitely upvoting this suggestion :)

Not sure yet how my final vote will look like.

1. A book related to mad or weird science - Not sure yet about a vote, but it seems I have some options on my home tbr
2. A book with a main character who isn’t human - Possible upvote
3. A book suggested by a cartoon or animated film - So like I watched something animated and it made me think of a specific book? Or made me seek out the source material?
4. A book by an author with a patronymic/ matronymic surname - I have a thing for scandinavian crime fiction anyway, so very possible upvote
5. A book found on one of the Indie Next lists - I'm not very excited about this tbh
6. A book related to a word first used in print in the year of your birth - I was confused, but this seems quite interesting. I've got some pretty nice words (favs are: ADHD, FAQ, food coma, Gen X, incognito mode, physician-assisted suicide, thirtysomething)
7. A book cover with text that interacts with the art - Leaning towards no
8. A book with a character who is illiterate - Currently neutral
9. A book with a sea creature on the cover - Probably leaving it neutral
10. A book with a character who is an in-law or a character who is an outlaw - I'm honest, I didn't vibe with it in the multiweek poll, and I still don't
11. A book that contains an element of humor - Probably leaving it neutral
12. A book with trees on the cover - Currently neutral
13. A book that transports you somewhere you've never been - Honestly, my reads always take me somewhere where I've never been before. Probably leaving it neutral
14. A book related to a 'guilty pleasure'- My guilty pleasure is probably psychopaths and weirdos (in fiction, always in fiction)
15. A book with a character who is an immigrant - Currently neutral

Chrissie wrote: "3. A book suggested by a cartoon or animated film - So like I watched something animated and it made me think of a specific book? Or made me seek out the source material?"

That's how I initially took it. Like maybe the book was mentioned in the cartoon or something. Or based on it. But it's apparently a "related to" type prompt.

I also agree that suggested by means it was mentioned in the cartoon and we need to go back to related to if that is not what is intended when nominating and seconding prompts.

Chelsey wrote: "I also agree that suggested by means if was mentioned in the cartoon and we need to go back to related to if that is not what is intended when nominating and seconding prompts."

I would say the opposite: "related to" sounds more like a direct connection to me than "suggested by". Scrooge McDuck was inspired by Ebenezer Scrooge; does that mean if I'm watching the cartoon and decide to read A Christmas Carol, that choice was suggested by, or related to what I'm watching? Or if watching "Spirited Away" makes me interested in reading about the Japanese spirit world? I think you could make a case for either term.

It's been said often that, in this group, "if you think it fits, it fits." So my understanding is that, no matter how the prompt is worded, if something in a cartoon or animated film makes you think of a book you choose to read for this prompt it doesn't matter how you made the connection between them. I would use "based on" or "included in" if I wanted to imply a stronger connection (which people could still choose to alter with a KIS option).

If you're taking it to mean that the cartoon suggested something to read, The Simpsons mention loads of books and authors. The Bible, Pablo Naruda, Jonathan Frazen, parodies of The Raven, The Tell-Tale Heart, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Harry Potter and Twilight books, etc.

Jennifer W wrote: "If you're taking it to mean that the cartoon suggested something to read, The Simpsons mention loads of books and authors. The Bible, Pablo Naruda, Jonathan Frazen, parodies of [book:The Raven|2641..."

Lisa Simpson's reading list: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

Prompt option #12 does not call for a book to be "tree-related," only to have trees on the cover, which is not unusual for historical fiction, travel books, or nonfiction about less built-up places or nature topics:

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

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

Vicki wrote: "Prompt option #12 does not call for a book to be "tree-related," only to have trees on the cover, which is not unusual for historical fiction, travel books, or nonfiction about less built-up places..."

I left this one neutral but do like it and it would have been an up vote if I had more votes. Lots of options.

3. A book suggested by a cartoon or animated film - I am so confused why we've collectively seemed to have shifted from "related to" wording to "suggested by." I love the idea of a book connected to cartoons/animated characters, but I think the wording loses that a little. Maybe it's just my literal brain talking, but I feel like someone seeing the current wording without the context of the rest of the thread could interpret it as the book needs to be directly "suggested by" (as in mentioned on-screen or recommended by) an animated character

Yes this. I'd have to watch all the cartoons or films to know what books they were suggesting, or research that somehow, and I am not going to do that!

What is the problem with "related to"? Or "connected to", if "related to" is unacceptable?

Dixie wrote: "Chelsey wrote: "I also agree that suggested by means if was mentioned in the cartoon and we need to go back to related to if that is not what is intended when nominating and seconding prompts."

It's been said often that, in this group, "if you think it fits, it fits." So my understanding is that, no matter how the prompt is worded, if something in a cartoon or animated film makes you think of a book you choose to read for this prompt it doesn't matter how you made the connection between them. "

You've got the right idea, Dixie.

Maybe it should be "suggested to you by..."

I still don't understand, what is the issue with "related to"? Is it political? Sorry I am not from the USA so maybe I missed something. But even if "related to" is unacceptable, I don't see how "connected to" could be a political issue.

Rosemary wrote: "I still don't understand, what is the issue with "related to"? Is it political? Sorry I am not from the USA so maybe I missed something. But even if "related to" is unacceptable, I don't see how "c..."

It isn’t political. I thought “related to” was the preferred wording because people don’t like suggestions that say “read a book about” because it’s too limiting. Making it as broad as possible makes it more appealing to people. I was not aware that “related to” isn’t the preferable wording now.

I was totally unaware of any issue about "related to" vs "suggested by". As someone who tends to interpret prompts loosely anyway, I didn't even notice the difference.

Robin P wrote: "I was totally unaware of any issue about "related to" vs "suggested by". As someone who tends to interpret prompts loosely anyway, I didn't even notice the difference."

There was a discussion about it some time ago. I think people were sick of seeing "related to" in almost every prompt. To me, they are pretty much the same. I hate it when people get caught up in semantics.

Samantha wrote: "As Deborah mention the Indie Next list goes back to 2008 so there are 19 years to choose from and another one should start next year. If anyone is interested in the full archive - https://www.indie..."

The August Indie list didn’t have anything familiar to me (yet?) , but the older lists each had books i loved or added to my tbr recently. bought. So I’m sure I’ll have no problem finding books I’ll enjoy. I’m reading Country People by Daniel which was first on the July list. It’s unexpectedly light and fun. I just finished The Correspondent.

I loved this one!!
The Mountains We Call Home by Kim Michele Richardson. If you loved The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, this is for you.