Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

Lucky #13!

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. People might also provide further information on suggested prompts, so read on.

Voting will open in the morning of Saturday September 12 and results will be posted Wednesday September 16.

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. Narrative non-fiction
2. A book with a winged creature or thing on the cover
3. A book based around an event, party or get-together
4. A book involving investigation
5. A book with a character who works in domestic service
6. A work by a writer nominated for one of the women’s literary awards
7. A book with a nameless narrator
8. A second book for your favorite prompt
9. A book about food
10. A book listed as a bookseller or librarian recommendation
11. A book where things get "heated"
12. A book by a writer who has published novels in multiple genres
13. A book that includes a 22nd century point of view
14. A book that features disco
15. A book your 12-year-old self would have hated.

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

Voting link: https://forms.gle/H45G8HCHTK9ERRmb9

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
These are the notes that were include in the nominations. Read other posts in the thread for further information people might supply.

1. A narrative nonfiction book
Narrative nonfiction is a true story written using the same creative elements—like plot, setting, and character development—found in fiction
Examples:
The Devil in the White City
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
The Boys in the Boat
Killers of the Flower Moon

2. A book with a winged creature or thing on the cover
Examples:
Angel
Fairy
Butterfly
Moth
Dragonfly
Fly
Bee
Wasp
Bird (even those that don't even fly, eg Ostrich, Penguin etc)
Bat
Phoenix
Dragon
Pegasus
Stage costume with wings
A "winged" chair
Aeroplane
Gliders
Sci Fi modes of transport

3. A book based around an event, party or get-together.
https://www.goodreads.com/list/tag?id...

4. A book involving investigation
This could be investigations involving journalism, medicine, science, looking into someone’s secret life, law, criminal activity, etc.

Fiction or Non-Fiction.

Investigative Journalism: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Pathologist, Medical Examiner, Coroner: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9...
FBI Nonfiction: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Paranormal investigations: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
True Crime: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Investigation in the Title: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

5. A book with a character who works in domestic service
Ex: housekeeper, maid, butler, nanny/governess, home health aide, companion, cook, groundskeeper

Some Listopias:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/8...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

6. A work by a writer nominated for one of the women’s literary awards
A work by a writer nominated for one of the women’s literary awards

Some awards are given for a body of work rather than a single book. I’m not intending that the book you read needs to have been nominated itself, rather that the author has been nominated.

As well as the well known awards:

The Women’s Prize for Fiction
https://womensprize.com/prizes/womens...
The Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction
https://womensprize.com/prizes/womens...
The Warwick Prize for Women in Translation
https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/w...

many countries have their own awards such as the Stella Prize in Australia
https://stella.org.au/

There are also awards for subcategories such as playwriting with The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize:
https://www.blackburnprize.org/
and graphic work with the now closed Lulu Awards:
https://friendsoflulu.wordpress.com/l...

There are incomplete lists here:
https://wordmothers.com/resources/wom...
https://wordmothers.com/resources/wom...

7. A book with a nameless narrator
Examples are Rebecca or The Handmaid's Tale

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

10. A book listed as a bookseller or librarian recommendation
There's ways to tackle this prompt besides the obvious of visiting the local library or bookstore and asking them for a recommendation.

• IndieBound's Indie Next List
• ALA's The Reading List from RUSA
• The New York Public Library lists librarian suggestions online
• Reading a book featuring a bookseller or librarian character that recommends books to patrons (if you want to really stretch it)

11. A book where things get "heated"
This could include romance, a fight or conflict, set during a hot summer, climate change, etc

12. A book by a writer who has published novels in multiple genres
Ex: Stephen King, Nora Roberts, etc.

13. A book that includes a 22nd century point of view
It could be time travel, multiple timelines, or a completely futuristic book, as long as part of the story takes place after 2099

14. A book that features disco
2027 is the 50th anniversary of ABBA’s first tour of Australia, the opening of Studio 54, the release of Saturday Night Fever, and the peak of disco fever.

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

15. A book your 12-year-old self would have hated.
Something present-you appreciates, but 12-year-old you would have found boring, confusing, embarrassing, or deeply uncool.

For example Nominator Clare wouldn’t have picked up a classic, a non fiction, romance or a chunky book (I would have killed to read a classic or biography but a science-y book? Nope)

I missed nominations. I think I've seen most of these prompts before, except for the nameless narrator and the narrative non-fiction, which I don't think I completely understand. I also don't think there are any books I'd want to read under it.

Shout out to anyone who actually gave a listopia with their prompt. That makes it a lot easier to figure out what to vote for or vote down.

Narrative non-fiction just means it's told like a story. As opposed to non-fiction that's more factual.

I missed nominations as well. I agree that many of these are repeats. The narrative nonfiction is basically a repeat of the one I suggested in Poll #12...A nonfiction book that reads like a novel.

Unfortunately, I will have more downvotes than upvotes this round.

So not to be nitpicky, but your prompt was "A nonfiction book that feels like it could be a novel," and there was feedback that people didn't like the word "feels." I thought by using the term for that type of book, it might be more appealing to people.

Pamela I added some Listopias in the suggestions thread but you probably already had this page started and didn't look back at it. Can you add these please, for narrative non-fiction?

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/8...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7...

I have many thoughts this round. The winged creature prompt is my least favorite..because A book with wings on the cover would have worked..it's wordy and would annoy me all year 🤦‍♀️ sorry to the suggestor the ideas not bad just the wording.

My favorite is disco because I don't think I have ever read a book that included disco and it sounds fun! Maybe I can find a good 70s historical fiction or even a memoir.

Will also upvote Womens Award because I think there should be one award prompt at least and possibly nameless narrator because I have some I want to read. The rest will be downvotes.

Favorite prompt.
Mix of fiction and nonfiction.

4. A book involving investigation
This could be investigations involving journalism, medicine, science, looking into someone’s secret life, law, criminal activity, etc.

I’ll opt for Investgative Journalism. This link has a lot more options:
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/inve...
I gave most of them 5 stars.

I would like #12 better if the word novels was not in it. As written, if the author only writes non-fiction and one genre in fiction, that author wouldn’t work since NF wouldn’t count as a second genre. I’ll have to think about it but might be a non-vote.

Pam wrote: "I would like #12 better if the word novels was not in it. As written, if the author only writes non-fiction and one genre in fiction, that author wouldn’t work since NF wouldn’t count as a second g..."

I agree and won't vote for it, but if it gets in, I will just ignore the word novels and read what I want.

We did "wings on the cover" a couple of years ago, but it's not quite the same as "winged creature/thing". I read The House of Shattered Wings, which has wings that aren't attached to a creature/thing, so wouldn't count for this one:



The wording this time would cover parts of the creature/thing being shown but not the wings (the face of a bird, tail of a dragon, nose of a plane, etc).

I feel like we've had narrative non-fiction before, but I don't have access to my spreadsheet to check. I could've sworn I read In Cold Blood, but it turns out that was for a Penguin Modern Classic, so maybe my memory's playing tricks!

Twelve year old me was much more adventurous and open minded with reading than current me, there was nothing she wouldn't happily try, so I'd struggle with that prompt. If it was reversed, I'd have a much easier time - classics, romance, non-fiction about wars, I read them all then, and avoid them all now!!!

Pam wrote: "I would like #12 better if the word novels was not in it. As written, if the author only writes non-fiction and one genre in fiction, that author wouldn’t work since NF wouldn’t count as a second g..."

I would ignore "novels" cause I do like NF

If the nominator and seconder want to change it to books, they can until the poll is opened.

Some first impressions (like always, I won't vote until after I read comments since I often change my mind)

Likely upvotes:
- A book with a winged creature or thing on the cover (I like that it's more flexible than bird on cover but more narrow than just wings on cover)
- A second book for your favorite prompt (I like this one as a recurring prompt. It's as narrow or broad as you want it to be)
- A book by a writer who has published novels in multiple genres (probably my favorite prompt this round. To me, this is a better take on the cross-genre book prompts we get since it's any book by an author who has written in various genres. Obvious picks for me would be Stephen King (whose non-horror books are some of my all-time favorites), T. Kingfisher, and a ton of authors who've written both YA or middle grade and adult books

Likely downvotes:
- A book with a character who works in domestic service (purely because this was basically how I interpreted this year's cluedo prompt so for me it's very redundant)
- A book about food (I struggle with this any time a variation pops up and this version is harder because it has to actually be about food rather than food playing an important role)

On the fence
- A book listed as a bookseller or librarian recommendation (I've struggled with this one when it's come up in the past. And this wording specifically restricts it to being "listed" somewhere which precludes recommendations verbally given by a bookseller).
- A book with a nameless narrator (leaning no because this is hard to research ahead of time and also just very uncommon for the genres I read, but I'm going to do some scanning of my books to see if I have good options)

Disco would be really difficult for me but I'm going to leave it neutral because at least it's fun and unique.

Pamela thanks for adding a list to the event, party, get to together prompt. I was doing medical stuff most of the day. I was using the app which confounds me and constant interruptions lead me to give up.

More lists for A book based around an event, party or get-together.

https://www.bookbub.com/blog/books-ab...
https://crimereads.com/10-of-the-best...
https://bookriot.com/dinner-parties-i...
https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booke...
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...
https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...
https://people.com/from-the-met-gala-...
https://www.theguardian.com/books/202...

The 22nd century seems oddly specific.

The year that we did 3 centuries, Emily had created a listopia of beyond the 21st century, I doubt Brave New World is 22nd century because they based their time after Henry Ford.. Is Divergent? maybe. A lot of dystopia books don't have a given year or century, just sometime vaguely in the future.

Nancy L. wrote: "So not to be nitpicky, but your prompt was "A nonfiction book that feels like it could be a novel," and there was feedback that people didn't like the word "feels." I thought by using the term for ..."

I thought they didn’t like nonfiction

First Impressions:

1. Narrative non-fiction - I feel like this is the same as the "non-fiction that reads like a novel" prompt that was previously suggested. Still a no for me. I've rarely enjoyed these.

2. A book with a winged creature or thing on the cover - Love this! Definitely an upvote

3. A book based around an event, party or get-together - Love this too! I have tons of books on my physical TBR that fit

4. A book involving investigation - Very likely an upvote. I love mysteries and thrillers, so this fits quite nicely

5. A book with a character who works in domestic service - I really like this in theory, but have no idea what I'd read for it. If I saw that I had enough options, I might upvote.

6. A work by a writer nominated for one of the women’s literary awards - Probably a downvote for me. I don't care about or follow any kind of awards (except Goodreads Choice Awards since I find those fun)

7. A book with a nameless narrator - Probably neutral. I like this, but as far as I remember, they are quite rare

8. A second book for your favorite prompt - Neutral, or potentially a downvote. I don't love prompts that cause a repeat of a prompt we already have

9. A book about food - I have such prompt fatigue on this! It's come up so many times on my reading challenges in the past couple of years, and even though I have books that fit, I'm tired of it. Probably wouldn't downvote, but I'm really not that interested

10. A book listed as a bookseller or librarian recommendation - Probably an upvote, since I love the LibraryReads.org lists

11. A book where things get "heated" - Love it! Definite upvote

12. A book by a writer who has published novels in multiple genres - Maybe! I have quite a few authors on my physical TBR who have been branching out into different genres. Just not sure I want it strongly enough to actively vote for it

13. A book that includes a 22nd century point of view - Neutral if I can find enough options to make it seem doable, otherwise it's likely a downvote because off the top of my head, it seems very limited

14. A book that features disco - Very random, and I'm not sure I have anything that fits. I'll have to see some options

15. A book your 12-year-old self would have hated - Probably neutral. At 12 I was just branching into adult books (Mary Higgins Clark, Nicholas Sparks, etc) so I'm not really sure what I would have hated

Dubhease wrote: "The 22nd century seems oddly specific.

The year that we did 3 centuries, Emily had created a listopia of beyond the 21st century, I doubt Brave New World is 22nd century because they based their ..."

What year was that? I need ideas for future books for our tomorrow
Prompt and bc for next year.

Irene wrote: "- A second book for your favorite prompt (I like this one as a recurring prompt. It's as narrow or broad as you want it to be)..."

This is always an upvote for me, because my favorite prompt is always "a prompt that didn't make the list" and there are always a dozen or more rejected ideas that I would gladly read a book for. This allows me to choose another one of those.

Marie wrote: "Twelve year old me was much more adventurous and open minded with reading than current me, there was nothing she wouldn't happily try, so I'd struggle with that prompt..."

Same. I was reading absolutely everything at 12. If this gets in I will have to tweak it in some way because I simply cannot fill it as it is written.

I love number 2 - Winged creatures!
I like number 4 - Investigation
I really like nr 6 - Women's Literary Award
I like nr 10 - libraries recommendation

I might like nr 5 - Domestic service, nr 8 - Favourite prompt and nr 9 Food

I don't like the last because I can't think of any book I wouldn't been interested in reading at 12! Unthinkable, I ate and breathed books of all genres and both for children, teenagers and adults.

I'm not into 11, 13 and 14 either. I might like 12 - different genres.

Pearl wrote: "What year was that? I need ideas for future books for our tomorrow Prompt and bc for next year.."

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

I like this set of prompts and will be voting more up than down.

To be honest, almost all prompts are recycled. I'm glad we're on the downside of prompt selections.

Dixie wrote: "Irene wrote: "- A second book for your favorite prompt (I like this one as a recurring prompt. It's as narrow or broad as you want it to be)..."

This is always an upvote for me, because my favorit..."

I'm the same, another rejected prompt is the only way to use this.

Preliminary thoughts

My Favorite is 6. A work by a writer nominated for one of the women’s literary awards - I love that we can read any of the author’s books. I will read several of the awards if I have time.

Poll Prompts:
1. Narrative non-fiction - Upvote. These are so good!
Good STARTER book The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics so good.
2. A book with a winged creature or thing on the cover- prob upvote
3. A book based around an event, party or get-together- maybe
4. A book involving investigation. Edit - upvote
Added. For an Investigative journalism book,
5. A book with a character who works in domestic service
Neutral
6. A work by a writer nominated for one of the women’s literary awards - I love that we can any of the author’s books. This will be a multiple book challenge for me.
7. A book with a nameless narrator - I don’t always notice (w audio)
Down or neutral
8. A second book for your favorite prompt
Idk. I need to review the whole list.
9. A book about food, down or neutral, I haven’t read this year’s
10. A book listed as a bookseller or librarian recommendation
Prob Upvote. I’ve been using the NYPL this year and I like it
11. A book where things get "heated"- Upvote. Lots of options, mostly fiction
12. A book by a writer who has published novels in multiple genres
So I could read a nonfiction, but not count it as a genre.
Ursula K. Le Guin or John Scalzi
Prob Upvote
13. A book that includes a 22nd century point of view -
I like this a lot in theory. I read a lot of books like this on the past. Some were very haunting. (time travel during the pandemic?
*How High We Go in the Dark - I loved it, I’d like to read it again:
I’m going to upvote this on faith

14. A book that features disco - neutral vote, but I’d like it
I had a great time disco dancing. I hope I can find a book to help relive those memories.
15. A book your 12-year-old self would have hated. Neutral but I’d like it.
The only book I remember hating was my father’s book by John Updike. If this wins I will probably read nonfiction nature. Though I probably would have also thought Jane Austen was boring, and the pursuit of marriage offensive.

I'll add to the disco-- when I lived in Ireland in the 90s, instead of going to the club, as we did in NYC, you went to the disco. So it's not a phrase that died in 1980. It was music and dancing to current music normally in a hotel ballroom, but that's what they called it.

We used to love this 1993 song "dancing at the disco, bumper to bumper, wait a minute, where's me jumper" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxmZZ...

Judy wrote: "Favorite prompt.
Mix of fiction and nonfiction.

4. A book involving investigation
This could be investigations involving journalism, medicine, science, looking into someone’s secret life, law, cr..."

Judy, I love this list! I have a lot of 5 star books on that list too, plus and I own a few. I’m going to upvote it now.

I didn’t want another crime procedural, but the journalists tend to tackle different issues than the police. I’m upvoting narrative nonfiction too.

Re: disco, a few years ago, I read Burn Baby Burn, a YA coming of age novel set in the Son of Sam summer in NYC. Lots of references to disco songs. I was more into it for the historical references to Son of Sam, The Bronx is Burning, the NYC Blackout, than I was the MC's journey. That said, I remember a lot of the book, which isn't often true years later.

But listing those events, it might take more digging, but possibly books on those subjects might also feature disco.... hmmm...

Mostly ok or at least neutral on these suggestions. The only one I would definitely downvote is the 22nd century prompt - I don't particularly like sci-fi and this is far too specific. Not at all wild about disco; if it was a 'related' prompt I could find something but I don't want to read about discos. Long in my past, and of no interest to me now.

That would be ok, I knew there had be something about son of Sam. I would could stand reading it now. We didn’t go to the city at night for the duration. There was club near me, and we felt safe together

I found both fiction and nonfiction about the disco,Turn the Beat Around: The Secret History of Disco sounds ok.and sing me ours - Aretha Franklin had a memoir RESPECT.

Pamela wrote: "I'll add to the disco-- when I lived in Ireland in the 90s, instead of going to the club, as we did in NYC, you went to the disco. So it's not a phrase that died in 1980. It was music and dancing t..."

I wonder if that's because in the UK or at least parts of the UK, for a long time "disco" was interchangeable with "dance party." When I was a student in Wales, every dance party was a "disco" although none included any disco dancing - some were reggae and some were Welsh rock!

The women's literary awards is the only suggestion I really like from this list (other than second book for favorite prompt, which as I already mentioned I always use for another reject, since my favorite prompt is always "A prompt that didn't make it onto the list"). Several here I would really rather not do; this will be more downvote than up for me.

Most of the recommended prompts I am neutral about. I will probably vote up investigation, woman's award, bookseller recommendation, and favorite prompt. I will probably vote down nameless narrator (I don't generally know until I get into the book) and disco. Regarding the latter, when I looked at the listopia assigned to this "disco" many of books listed contain the letters of the world but are far removed from the the 1980s, such as a book on Lewis and Clark's discoveries

Irene wrote: "Some first impressions (like always, I won't vote until after I read comments since I often change my mind)

Likely upvotes:
- A book with a winged creature or thing on the cover (I like that it's ..."

Hi Irene, to clarify about the librarian/bookseller recommendation prompt, verbal recommendations from a librarian/bookseller do count.

LeahS wrote: "Mostly ok or at least neutral on these suggestions. The only one I would definitely downvote is the 22nd century prompt - I don't particularly like sci-fi and this is far too specific. Not at all w..."

It's not "about" a disco, it's featuring. So any book past a certain year where people happen to go dancing.

Go vote

https://forms.gle/H45G8HCHTK9ERRmb9

Pamela wrote: "It's not "about" a disco, it's featuring. So any book past a certain year where people happen to go dancing...."

Exactly. A book with music and dancing, or set in the 1970's,..or contemporary dance music, clubbing, or even LGBTQIA+ culture...

"Disco" to me is too specific, if it were just dancing I'd be more likely to vote for it. I know the term across the pond has a broader meaning than to those of us in the States who relate it to the 70s and a specific type of music.

Marie M. wrote: "Pamela wrote: "It's not "about" a disco, it's featuring. So any book past a certain year where people happen to go dancing...."

Exactly. A book with music and dancing, or set in the 1970's,..or co..."


But to me, that prompt means a disco or disco dancing has to feature fairly prominently, and therefore as I interpret the prompt for myself it has to be pretty much about a disco. It's like this year's PopSugar prompt with a character who runs a marathon. I don't like ticking off a prompt just because someone runs a marathon or goes to a disco on p94. I understand that's not a bother for some people, and no criticism intended, but having tried that approach for the marathon prompt, it irritated and I went out and found a book about running. I don't want to have to find a book about discos. Sorry, but not interested (and not in contemporary dance, clubbing etc.)

But if people do want a book set in the 70s which briefly features a disco, then I've just finished Black Swan Green very well-written if somewhat miserable.

8 upvotes for me. (The second time this season). Number 14, the disco one, suggests 1960's Portugal to me, where it was a synonym for discoteca or boîte. I lived there then, I voted for it, and expect to enjoy researching it. Of course if it gets too challenging, there's also "I study", the English translation of the Latin disco, ...

2 up and 6 down, but of course I wanted more votes as always.

Four up, four down.

Nancy R. wrote: "8 upvotes for me. (The second time this season). Number 14, the disco one, suggests 1960's Portugal to me, where it was a synonym for discoteca or boîte. I lived there then, I voted for it, and exp..."

I love how disco evokes something different in everyone, but I know it's not everyone's cup of tea😊.

Nancy L. wrote: ""Disco" to me is too specific, if it were just dancing I'd be more likely to vote for it. I know the term across the pond has a broader meaning than to those of us in the States who relate it to the 70s and a specific type of music..."

As well as, possibly, a weird, almost surreal, time of life that is not necessarily something I want to revisit...

2 up, 6 down.

I'm totally not sure how to vote in the end yet, but my first impressions are as follows:

1. Narrative non-fiction - I didn't feel it before, so still not into it
2. A book with a winged creature or thing on the cover - It seems doable enough but not sure I want to vote for it
3. A book based around an event, party or get-together - I can't even say why, but I'm really not into it
4. A book involving investigation - Probably down, but I'll think about this more
5. A book with a character who works in domestic service - I'm not really into this either
6. A work by a writer nominated for one of the women’s literary awards - I need to think about this a bit more
7. A book with a nameless narrator - Not yet sure about this one either
8. A second book for your favorite prompt - Easily doable but probably won't vote on it
9. A book about food - Honestly, no. I always struggle with this one
10. A book listed as a bookseller or librarian recommendation - I work in a bookstore so for me, personally, very easy to fill
11. A book where things get "heated" - I liked this since poll 3 so still up
12. A book by a writer who has published novels in multiple genres - I pretty much like this, but I think I would prefer 'books' more than 'novels'
13. A book that includes a 22nd century point of view - I wouldn't mind a future book in general, but this is too specific for me
14. A book that features disco - Nothing really on the lists for me, I'll need to think about this one more
15. A book your 12-year-old self would have hated - At this point I'm not even sure anymore, aside from thrillers because, obviously, I was simply too young for them, the idea itself seems fun though

I am pretty sure I am upvoting event, party or get-together, involving investigation and a character who works in domestic service.

12 years old was a chaotic year, I went to a few different schools and think there was a period I didn’t go school so I don’t think I was reading much. But in one English class we read a short story that has stuck with me over the years and I could never figure out what it was. The idea of this prompt made me try to hunt it down again and I found it! So while the prompt might be difficult for many it satisfied a curiosity that I had for years so thanks to who ever suggested it.

Examination Day

2 up, 5 down

3 up and 5 down

8 up. And I have already have reads for all of them!