Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

It's now time to get ready to vote for our next set of prompts! This thread will be open for around 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 Tuesday, July 20 and results will be posted in the morning of Saturday, July 24.

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 (usually between 2 and 5 depending on how the votes are spread)

As a reminder: You have a total of 8 votes to use among your top and bottom votes. The mods have access to each individual vote, so we can see if you use more than 8 votes. If you use more than 8 votes in the poll, your vote will have to be deleted, so please make sure to follow the directions so your voice can be heard.

Possible Prompts:
1. A classic novel or story and a retelling of that classic
2. 2 books related to the quote, “One, if by land and two, if by sea” from the poem Paul Revere’s Ride
3. 3 books set on three different continents
4. 3 books related to Rock, Paper, Scissors
5. 2 books related to "Real" and "Fake"
6. 3 books related to the phrase "Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil, See No Evil"
7. A book set within a short time (a day, night, weekend...) and
A book set within a long time (decades, multiple generations...)
8. 3 books related to eat, drink, and be merry
9. 2 books by authors who share a family relationship
10. 2 books with the same word in the title (excluding articles and conjunctions)
11. 2 books related to a famous pair
12. 3 books connected to The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
13. 2 books related to flora and fauna
14. 3 books related to the three primary colors
15. 2 related books written in different centuries

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

VOTE HERE: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/AZPTAK/

IDEAS FROM THE SUGGESTIONS THREAD

1. A classic novel or story and a retelling of that classic
I always love retellings and the options are endless! You could use novels, fairytales, mythologies, picture books, plays, or anything you would consider a "classic"

2. 2 books related to the quote, “One, if by land and two, if by sea” from the poem Paul Revere’s Ride
The books could be related to the numbers 1 and 2 (1st and 2nd in a series, numbers in the title or on the cover), Paul Revere or, more generally. the American Revolutionary War, land or sea (setting, cover, title).

4. 3 books related to Rock, Paper, Scissors
Rock:
A rock on the cover or in the title (also, the moon and many mountains are rock!)
A diamond on the cover or in the title
A book connected to music (rock n roll, punk rock)
A character named Rock

Paper:
A book about books
A book about an author or a journalist
A book written by a newspaper or magazine journalist
A book with PAPER in the title
A book with paper on the cover
A book with a character who creates art with paper (or works with paper
A nonfiction about Paper making or paper crafting

Scissors:
A book with scissors in the title or on the cover
A book with a character that commonly uses scissors in their job or hobby (nurse, manicurists, gardeners, tailor/seamstress, hairdresser, etc)
A book that involves swords ("cutting")
A book with something cut on the cover
A book about "cutting ties" or with a "cutting edge" concept
Or Emily's suggestion: "My brain went to scissors = cut = stab = murder, so you could go with a thriller type book for scissors" 😮

Another idea: transform rock / paper / scissors to: earth science / biology (trees=paper!) / physics & chemistry (metallurgy is sort of about chemistry)

5. 2 books related to "Real" and "Fake"
This can be 1 nonfiction book, 1 fiction book, or 1 book set in the 'real' world and one set in a made up place, or a book with a photographic cover and one with a cover that is a drawing/cartoon, or a book with all fictional characters and one featuring people who actually existed, or just 2 books with plots revolving around fraud, forgeries or imposters

7. A book set within a short time (a day, night, weekend...) and
A book set within a long time (decades, multiple generations...)
Books that take place in a day;
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...
https://www.flavorwire.com/213838/10-...

Books over multiple generations, decades:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

I can imagine there being lots of interesting Non-Fiction options there as well. Like books about events or tragedies that took place in a single day or historic books covering many decades.

10. 2 books with the same word in the title (excluding articles and conjunctions)
Examples:
The Silent Patient and The English Patient
The Alice Network and Still Alice
A Game of Thrones and The Hating Game
The Light Between Oceans and The Ocean at the End of the Lane
P.S. I Love You and Love in the Time of Cholera

KIS options:
- Include the series names in the title, so for example, any book in the Chronicles of Narnia series, then The Travelling Cat Chronicles
- To use a series where a word repeats deliberately like the "In Death" series or a romance series where each one has the word "Love" in it.

BIO options:
- Read two books of the exact same title
- Same words have to be the first word in one title and the last word in another, like The Sculthorpe Murder and Murder on Black Swan Lane
- More than one word the same in each title

12. 3 books connected to The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Good should be fairly easy, it could be a character who is good or wholesome, or one who fights bad guys, such as a cop or detective. Bad could be about a villain or criminal, romance with a bad boy/girl, or just someone who does bad things.

Ugly is the hard one, IMO, but there are many ways to look at it. Behavior can be ugly, both individually and as a group. e.g. a book about the holocaust could be used for ugly. Someone could be a jerk or obnoxious but not necessarily a bad person, as in A Confederacy of Dunces. There are also lots of books with "ugly" in the title.

Another take would be to read something related to the movie itself, such as a Western.

13. 2 books related to flora and fauna
Lots of ways to connects plants and animals to books, on covers, in titles, in author or character names or contents of the book, eg. about a botanist or someone with a pet.

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

15. 2 related books written in different centuries
Examples:
Jane Eyre (1847) and Wide Sargasso Sea (1966)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (1997) and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2003)

I know, I’m up voting Rock, Paper, Scissors. There are two others I might also up vote. I will mainly be downvoting since I don’t really care for the multi week prompts to begin with. There are some that I would up vote if they don’t make it and are rewritten as single prompt.

Jillian wrote: "I know, I’m up voting Rock, Paper, Scissors. There are two others I might also up vote. I will mainly be downvoting since I don’t really care for the multi week prompts to begin with. There are som..."

My thoughts exactly Jillian! I'm not a huge fan of the multiweeks either. But now that we have said it out loud we are bound to get three sets of them lol

I really love prompt # 1: read a classic and a retelling of the same classic. There is so much possibility with this! It doesn't even have to be the common fairy tale or myth. There are a lot of Shakespeare plays that have been retold in more modern ways. Many of Jane Austin's novels have also been retold.

Some ideas I have are:

The Illiad by Homer and The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare and Beatrice and Benedick by Marina Fiorato

The Tempest by William Shakespeare and Ariel by Grace Tiffany

A Midsummer's Night Dream by William Shakespeare and Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston

I could keep going but the list might get too Long. Definitely upvoting this one.

I also love the idea of reading two books with the same word in the title and the Paul Revere quote.

Not really a fan of the books related to time (one short period, one long period.) But that might be because I don't really read books that have plots that can be wrapped up in one day.

I am still on the fence about the rest of the prompts.

Happy Voting everyone!

I actually love multi-week prompts (assuming I like the prompts, ha) and wish it were possible to suggest them in later polls as well! But I agree that having too many wouldn't be ideal. It's so hard to choose but I'll probably definitely upvote the Paul Revere poem, Rock/Paper/Scissors, and Flora & Fauna (and my suggestion, same word in title). I love any excuse to turn something into a cover prompt.

The classic and a retelling is my least favorite, I would be ok with just a retelling but I don't want to have to read the classic too! If this gets in I'd do Jane Eyre (which would be a re-read) and The Wife Upstairs, probably.

I'll need to narrow down my upvotes; I like Rock Paper Scissors, Hear/See/Speak No Evil, Paul Revere, same word in the title, and a few others.

Hear No Evil, See No Evil and Speak No Evil are interesting. Rock, paper and scissors is too. The primary colours has some potential.

We already have a prompt about time, "Good, Bad and the Ugly" is problematic and I do not like prying into the private lives of famous people.

The rest are okay.

Anastasia wrote: "I do not like prying into the private lives of famous people."

Which prompt are you referring to that pries into the private lives of famous people?

I would appreciate some discussion and examples (lists) about the famous pair duo. That one is the hardest for me to fill in this group of selections.

I found a list of authors who share a family connection: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4...

For multiweek prompts I appreciate the ones I can easily fill, so primary colors, set in 3 different continents, real/fake, and short time/long time are definite up votes for me. I like a lot of the prompts and several can be interchanged (classic/retelling, two related books in different centuries).

My top 3 favorites are: rock paper scissors, 3 books related to eat, drink, and be merry and 2 books with the same word in the title.

Where can I find authors who share a family connection? I am not sure I have ever read anything like that before.

Re #15, "2 related books written in different centuries," how the books are related is quite open. They could have the same author or subject, a common word in the title, or really anything more than "I wanted to read them." The restriction is that they were written (first published, actually) in different centuries.

I have a couple of favorites among the prompts that have been discussed and already have good explanations, but I submitted mine very last-minute, so I hope my explanation helps clarify the prompt.

I've been doing a little Googling, here are some ideas so far:

Stephen King and Joe Hill or Owen King (father and sons)
Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman (married couple)
Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer (married couple)
Zadie Smith and Nick Laird (married couple)
Barack and Michelle Obama
The Bronte sisters

Here's an article I found too.

There's also Liv Constantine, which is the pen name for two sisters, you could read two books by them.

Thanks Nancy!

There are also
Anne Mccaffery and Todd Macaffrey (mother and son)
Tony Hillerman and Anne Hillerman (father and Daughter)
George Du Maurier and Daphne Du Maurier (grandfather and grand-daughter)
Mary Shelly and Percy Bryce Shelly (married couple)
Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning (married couple)

Juliet Brown wrote: "There are also
Anne Mccaffery and Todd Macaffrey (mother and son)
Tony Hillerman and Anne Hillerman (father and Daughter)
George Du Maurier and Daphne Du Maurier (grandfather and grand-daughter)
M..."

Also Mary Shelley (Frankenstein), her mother (early feminist icon) Mary Wollstonecraft, and her husband (poet) Percy Shelley.

For the prompt eat, drink and be merry, I don’t know what would work for be merry. I will have to add for the summer challenge, I didn’t get what would be a happy book either.

Jillian wrote: "For the prompt eat, drink and be merry, I don’t know what would work for be merry. I will have to add for the summer challenge, I didn’t get what would be a happy book either."

I tend to read a few Christmas books every year and would probably use one of those for 'merry'.

Here are some more father-son writers:

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/books/fath...
John and Thomas Steinbeck
Andre Dubus and Andre Dubus III

I really liked the famous pair as a single prompt, but I think it's a bit tough as a two-book prompt. For example, Romeo and Juliet. Would I need to read a book about Romeo and then a book about Juliet? Or two retellings of Romeo and Juliet, if not the original?

I actually love multi-week prompts! I think it's more the joy of seeing how our prompts connect with each other, especially our beginning and end prompts for this year, even though they were both single prompts.

So far my immediate upvotes are:
connected by words: I really really hope this makes it in.
different continents: I love a good location prompt to get me out of the standard US/Euro trap that it's easy to fall into.
Rock, Paper, Scissors : only because I plan on going "stabby" like Emily

The rest I feel I need to let percolate and see how the discussions and examples unfold. So excited!

I love #1 A classic and a retelling. I love classics and I love retellings, and I have many of both on my tbr.

Questions -
1. Do the two books have to be related? For example -
Would it be OK to read a classic, and a retelling of a different classic (or fairytale/myth)?

2. Or could you read two retellings if one might be called a modern classic? (I'm thinking of books like Circe and Song of Achilles. They tell different parts of a longer story. Also Arthurian stories.)

3. Do short stories or short children's book count in ATY? Many fairy tales and myths don't have a clear original "classic," but you can find lots of short variations.

In the case of ancient myths or Homer, there are many retellings that might be considered modern classics - even books as new as Circe or Song of Achilles. (I love those books but I couldn't make myself read The Illiad.)

Juliet Brown wrote: "I tend to read a few Christmas books every year and would probably use one of those for 'merry'."

Yes, a Christmas book is what I was thinking as well for that one.

Nancy, I can’t speak to your other questions, but you can count whatever you want to count for ATY. I’m pretty sure one of our first reading challenges had the prompt “A poem” so pretty much anything goes. It’s more if you want to use a short story when it’s unlikely to have its own GR page to add to the challenge.

Jillian wrote: "For the prompt eat, drink and be merry, I don’t know what would work for be merry. I will have to add for the summer challenge, I didn’t get what would be a happy book either."

Be Merry - This book was discussed on 60 MInutes last night. The segment was amazing (about kids who survived on a stranded island for 15 months). Humankind: A Hopeful History. Or if I read that now, I'll find something else related to happiness, brain science or positive psychology.

For eat - I will read Kitchen and Eat a Peach

For drink - a book with an alcoholic character. There are so many, this might be a good place for a book I couldn't find another slot for.

Hemingway's A Moveable Feast might work for all of them.

Nancy wrote: "The classic and a retelling is my least favorite, I would be ok with just a retelling but I don't want to have to read the classic too! If this gets in I'd do Jane Eyre (which would be a re-read) a..."

I am the opposite, I like classics but it seems silly to read something where I already know the story. Though I do sometimes like different POV, such as Longbourn, the servants' view of Pride & Prejudice.

I don't care for 2 authors from a family, there just aren't that many of them. The examples given are still under a dozen. If it does get in, I would read a couple books by Charles Todd, which is the pen name for a mother and son duo.

I think the two authors from the same family is too narrow of a prompt but I though of another one Cleo Coyle is the pen name for a wife/husband team.

NancyJ wrote: "Jillian wrote: "For the prompt eat, drink and be merry, I don’t know what would work for be merry. I will have to add for the summer challenge, I didn’t get what would be a happy book either."

My..."

I don’t think, I’m up Hemingway book but thank you for the idea.

Oh I do like classics, and I've read a lot of them.

Thought of two more authors - John and Hank Green are brothers.

But yes I do agree it's limiting and I probably won't vote for it.

Shirley MacLaine and Carrie Fisher both wrote books as well

Jillian wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Jillian wrote: "For the prompt eat, drink and be merry, I don’t know what would work for be merry. I will have to add for the summer challenge, I didn’t get what would be a happy boo..."

I hear you. I honestly dislike Hemingway. Sun also Rises left me cold.
A friend claims I will like this book anyway, but I have better choices. (I edited my post above in case you only saw the first version.)

Emily wrote: "Nancy, I can’t speak to your other questions, but you can count whatever you want to count for ATY. I’m pretty sure one of our first reading challenges had the prompt “A poem” so pretty much anythi..."

Thanks Emily. I assume this was meant for me, not Nancy (without the J).

Is it too late to rephrase it (if the originator agrees) from:
1. A classic novel or story and a retelling of that classic

To:
1. A classic novel or story and a retelling of a classic

Nancy, I like the eat and drink part of the prompt and have lots of options. I’m just a bit stuck outside of a Christmas book for the merry part.

I will have to look up the survival book you mentioned.

If people want to go down the family duo route Nicci French and Ambrose Parry are also husband-wife pseudonyms.

I agree it might be too narrow a prompt this time but I would consider voting for it as a single week prompt.

Deborah wrote: "I really love prompt # 1: read a classic and a retelling of the same classic. There is so much possibility with this! It doesn't even have to be the common fairy tale or myth. There are a lot of Sh..."

Deborah, I love your ideas. I didn't even think about Shakespeare even though my son was just talking about it. His favorite was Merchant of Venice, which I don't remember at all. Are you aware of any books related to that story? (It doesn't happen often, but I love it when he wants to talk about books!) I read Hamnet this year, but I haven't read Hamlet since High school.

I was also thinking of Mrs Dalloway and the Hours.

Many of these also work with #15. related books in different centuries.

Jillian wrote: "Nancy, I like the eat and drink part of the prompt and have lots of options. I’m just a bit stuck outside of a Christmas book for the merry part.

I will have to look up the survival book you ment..."

When I read merry, I actually didn't even think of Christmas (it's my least favorite holiday). Instead, I thought about a happy book. Something that I know would be light and fun.

Alicia, a book being happy does not make sense to me. I had to skip that as a choice for the summer prompt. It probably has to do with the types of books I read but outside of children’s book I cannot think of any book I’d refer to as happy or merry.

Jillian wrote: "Alicia, a book being happy does not make sense to me. I had to skip that as a choice for the summer prompt. It probably has to do with the types of books I read but outside of children’s book I can..."

Not to force BOOKS WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY or that you have to vote for the prompt, but for anyone wondering about the "merry" piece, I think it's a very personal thing.

So for example, I love books about books. So books set in a library, bookstore, etc always bring a smile to face. To me that would make me happy. Or a super cheesy cozy mystery, a book about cats, randomly every Charlaine Harris book. I know when I read them, even if they are about murders or vampires, it will make me happy.

Or you can choose books that are intentionally funny. I'm a bit dry and anti-social when I'm not on Goodreads, so I recently loved Where'd You Go, Bernadette and was laughing the whole time. But you could do a book by a comedian, a book with a funny title (The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society), books with happy, merry, joy, fun, etc in the title (Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things) or just this one because I saw it on one of our Listopias and thought it was the best title of a book ever, and is supposedly a series: Dumb White Husbands vs. Zombies: The Zomnibus


All that said, I also probably won't upvote that prompt but that's more because I don't like the eat and drink portions of it. I feel like I've seen the food/restaurant prompt a lot and I'm a bit burned out on it for now.

Juliet Brown wrote: "Shirley MacLaine and Carrie Fisher both wrote books as well"

Are they related? Or do you mean Carrie's mother Debbie Reynolds?

I wouldn't want the classic and its retelling changed, the point of the prompt I believe is that it's the retelling of the classic. But I didn't suggest it so maybe the person who did would be ok with it.

Nancy wrote: "Juliet Brown wrote: "Shirley MacLaine and Carrie Fisher both wrote books as well"

Are they related? Or do you mean Carrie's mother Debbie Reynolds?

I did indeed mean Debbie Reynolds, I just somehow confused them in my head

Juliet Brown wrote: "Nancy wrote: "Juliet Brown wrote: "Shirley MacLaine and Carrie Fisher both wrote books as well"

Are they related? Or do you mean Carrie's mother Debbie Reynolds?

I did indeed mean Debbie Reynolds..."

It's easy to confuse them. Shirley MacLaine played Carrie's mother in a movie based on a semi-biographical book written by Carrie Fisher.

Nancy wrote: "I've been doing a little Googling, here are some ideas so far:"

Also
Bill and Hillary Clinton both have mystery thrillers. Bill wrote two books with James Patterson (in his novel factory). Hillary is writing a book with Louise Penny who is really good.

NancyJ wrote: Deborah, I love your ideas. I didn't even think about Shakespeare even though my son was just talking about it. His favorite was Merchant of Venice, which I don't remember at all. Are you aware of any books related to that story? (It doesn't happen often, but I love it when he wants to talk about books!) I read Hamnet this year, but I haven't read Hamlet since High school.

Nancy, while I am familiar with The Merchant of Venice, I have not personally read any retellings of that particular play. I googled it and there are a few. However, since I haven't read them, I hesitate to recommend anything.

Here are a couple Goodreads Lists that have ideas for Shakespeare retold if your interested in other plays:

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

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9...

Jillian wrote: "Alicia, a book being happy does not make sense to me. I had to skip that as a choice for the summer prompt. It probably has to do with the types of books I read but outside of children’s book I can..."

Jillian,

I would look for a list of "feel-good" books for the happy prompt. Or the word happy in the title. Or a book with a happy ending - most romantic comedies have them as part of the formula.

If you can tolerate psychology related non-fiction (many people cannot), I can recommend many books about happiness, joy, neuro-science, the science of happiness, or positive psychology. (I used them in my work.) I listened to a book about Joy by the Dalai Llama this year. It's basic stuff, but it did improve my mood.

Or there are characters named Merry in Lord of the Rings and Laurell K Hamilton's Merry Gentry series, Likely others I am unaware of

Juliet Brown wrote: "Or there are characters named Merry in Lord of the Rings and Laurell K Hamilton's Merry Gentry series, Likely others I am unaware of"

I did not think of the name "Merry" as an option. Good Idea!

Juliet Brown wrote: "Or there are characters named Merry in Lord of the Rings and Laurell K Hamilton's Merry Gentry series, Likely others I am unaware of"

Merry from LotR was my immediate thought with this prompt suggestion! In fact, this trilogy works well for all three, as hobbits are quite fond of eating, drinking and making merry!

Tahereh Mafi and Ransom Riggs are husband and wife YA authors.

Carol Higgins Clark and Mary Higgins Clark are mother and daughter suspense/mystery romance.

Alicia wrote: "Jillian wrote: "Alicia, a book being happy does not make sense to me. I had to skip that as a choice for the summer prompt. It probably has to do with the types of books I read but outside of child..."

Alicia, all those books make me happy too (but dogs more than cats), and I used to start ever summer with a Sookie Stackhouse book (often just minutes after submitting my final grades). I love books about libraries, and I immediately get a warm fuzzy feeling when a girl in a book visits the library. I swear it must be one of tricks authors have for making a character more sympathetic to readers like us. (I read once that the most popular trick is to make a young character an orphan - or make them lose one parent. Think Jane Eyre.)

Juliet Brown wrote: "Or there are characters named Merry in Lord of the Rings and Laurell K Hamilton's Merry Gentry series, Likely others I am unaware of"

T. wrote: "Juliet Brown wrote: "Or there are characters named Merry in Lord of the Rings and Laurell K Hamilton's Merry Gentry series, Likely others I am unaware of"

Merry from LotR was my immediate thought ..."


Good ones!

Another one for family relationship. Ilona Andrews is actually a pseudonym for a husband-wife writing team. They have several series including the Kate Daniels books. If someone is into that kind of thing (like I am), reading a couple of books by them would be a way to fill the prompt.