Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

And on our Anniversary List for 2022 is...

37. A book that uses all five vowels in the title and/or author's name

The next round of voting will open on Sunday!

Boy, I really hope I saved my list of potential books for that prompt. I spent WAY too much time on that one in 2022. Even if I didn’t, we have the listopia.


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Found it…
I guess the research was worthwhile, because I really liked all of these books.
🌹🌹37. A book that uses all five vowels in the title and/or author's name
✔️Agatha of Little Neon by Claire Louchette
✔️The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce
✔When we cease to understand the world
✔ My Year of Meats by Louise Ozeki
✔The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
✔The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race
How the Penguins Saved Veronica
The Madness of Crowds

What a bland prompt. I was hoping for tarot card.

In 2022, I read Martin Luther King Junior (you only got all the vowels by spelling out Jr.)

NancyJ wrote: "Boy, I really hope I saved my list of potential books for that prompt. I spent WAY too much time on that one in 2022. Even if I didn’t, we have the listopia.


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Found it…
I guess the research w..."

My Year of Meats is by Ruth Ozeki, rather than Louise Erdrich. It still works.

Oh, I like that one! I considered voting for it but I had others that I wanted more.

Robin P wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Boy, I really hope I saved my list of potential books for that prompt. I spent WAY too much time on that one in 2022. Even if I didn’t, we have the listopia.
I guess..."

I probably do that a lot with those two authors. I have a lot of Elizabeth’s too for this prompt.

I’m reading a lot of Elizabeth Strout right now since she has a new book coming out.

It seems to me that we have had a lot of votes this year for prompts that are 'quick tick' prompts, i.e. there are definitely five vowels in that title, there is a picture of waves on the cover, it is set in a manor and so forth. I'm not hating those prompts, but we seem to have so few of the Tarot cards, books related to chess pieces, book related to lyrics of 'Wonderful World', sort of prompts where a bit more probing is needed to fit the prompt.

Oh, okay! I guess it pairs well with the "a book without an e in the title" prompt, but otherwise I must admit I'm not that excited about this one. Perfectly doable, though!

LeahS wrote: "It seems to me that we have had a lot of votes this year for prompts that are 'quick tick' prompts, i.e. there are definitely five vowels in that title, there is a picture of waves on the cover, it..."

I think it maybe because we are doing two lots of voting, so less time to investigate and going for a “that will do” attitude

That might well be the case, Jill.

I didn't vote for it but I really don't mind at all. I do believe five vowels are nothing much though, we've got nine in Swedish.

Dubhease wrote: "What a bland prompt. I was hoping for tarot card.

In 2022, I read Martin Luther King Junior (you only got all the vowels by spelling out Jr.)"

Me too!

LeahS wrote: "It seems to me that we have had a lot of votes this year for prompts that are 'quick tick' prompts, i.e. there are definitely five vowels in that title, there is a picture of waves on the cover, it..."

We have two "related to" prompts out of the seven so far for the anniversary challenge - periodic table of elements and NATO phonetic alphabet. There are no specific cover prompts.

Personally I'd prefer it the other way, I find the "related to" prompts too broad since they include title, cover and author, as well as the more interesting connections you can think of. I'd rather just be limited to one thing.

I'm afraid I voted against this one. Mostly because I am considering an additional challenge for the anniversary prompts where the books have to be 500 pages or more and I didn't see any on my list that fit. Looking again, Annie Proulx is an author with all five vowels, so I could try Barkskins. Does anyone have any other ideas?

Abbie - That’s pretty ambitious! Good for you. I have a few ideas for you - Don Quixote, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, and The Count of Monte Cristo.

Abbie - Barkskins is a great choice! I loved that book and have thought I might reread it one day, even though I’m not a re-reader.

Pam wrote: "Abbie - That’s pretty ambitious! Good for you. I have a few ideas for you - Don Quixote, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, and The Count of Monte Cristo."

Oh, I have been saying I want to rad Kavalier and Clay for years.... there's several books like this on the listopia so while I think it seems a boring prompt, it has some interesting options. So good choice!

I still want a wacky one on the anniversary list. They've all been so tame.

They can only be as "wacky" as what made the list in those years lol. I'm actually surprised by what has gotten in for each year in the anniversary list - they've been some of the more unique prompts. This is a prompt I've never seen anywhere else, and it's never been proposed any year but 2022. That seems pretty special to me, even if it is a title/author name prompt.

Emily wrote: "They can only be as "wacky" as what made the list in those years lol. I'm actually surprised by what has gotten in for each year in the anniversary list - they've been some of the more unique promp..."

Tarot cards are wacky! (I say that but in a meeting the other day I said "the 3-card spread reading goes v quickly" and don't know what scared me more- that I said it without thinking or that it was part of a meeting)

Dragons! Maximillian Hell!

I'm pinning hopes on the Spice Girls... or spies or old names. Last year was interesting!

I should probably add that my over 500 pages anniversary challenge will probably be instead of the regular challenge for next year, not in addition. I feel like I've spent years reading for quantity and always choosing shorter books so I can read more of them. A challenge of ten long books will finally let me get to some of the ones I've been putting off for so long. Of course, the more I research and plan, the more long books I add to the TBR - far more than ten already...

Dubhease wrote: "What a bland prompt. I was hoping for tarot card."

I feel the same. This will not be an easy find. 🫤

An easier way to search for this is downloading the CSV export file for your book list and filtering. Since there are two columns for author, you can search for A in the first column, E in the second, I in first, O in second, and U in first. It only works for author, not titles but I came up with plenty of options.

Abbie wrote: "I should probably add that my over 500 pages anniversary challenge will probably be instead of the regular challenge for next year, not in addition. I feel like I've spent years reading for quantit..."

I wish I was that smart.. Those 800 pg books kill my progress!

Although worse is because I'm an e-book reader, I read a book cause I want to. And I get to a point and think "I've been reading forever and the percentage hasn't changed." So I look and find out it's really long!

Abbie wrote: "I am considering an additional challenge for the anniversary prompts where the books have to be 500 pages or more. Does anyone have any other ideas?"

These both count using only the author name. I'm sure I could come up with dozens more if I checked for both title and author.

The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

Emily wrote: "They can only be as "wacky" as what made the list in those years lol. I'm actually surprised by what has gotten in for each year in the anniversary list - they've been some of the more unique promp..."

It seems to me that the type of prompt people are calling bland is what I think of as crossword puzzle style: there is only one answer that fits. Either a title/author name includes every vowel or it doesn't. Either a cover has an umbrella on it or it doesn't. The kind people seem to want more of is open to interpretation and depends a lot on how your mind works. A flavor name of Ben & Jerry's ice cream creates a connection in your mind that might not occur to anyone else. Same with a deck of Tarot cards. For animal collective names, you not only choose from the list but make a connection to "conspiracy" or "coalition" or "charm" that is fun and unique for you. So this is more of a two-stage search: you narrow the options down to what appeals to you, then find something that fits. Just a thought: there's nothing keeping all those who are complaining about "boring" prompts from organizing in the Wild Discussion before a suggestion round, pulling together fifteen unusual prompt ideas past and present and blitzing a round with those suggestions. And it would net you one or two or three of those onto the final list. Obviously this would be for 2025 prompts, not anniversary lists.

Dixie, that is an excellent description of the two kinds of prompts!

I usually vote for the more open-ended ones but they are often the last ones I fill. I just checked and I have read 181 books so far (being retired is wonderful!) but I haven't taken the time to look at the list of Ben & Jerry's flavors and decide which book I read or will read would fit. I am not much of a planner, even when I was working and read less than half as many books, I usually would read first and stick them in a prompt later. I know for some people planning and organizing is half the fun! And 52 books is a lot for those of you working, raising kids and juggling other responsibilities so planning ahead, or reading in order, totally makes sense.

Abbie wrote: "I'm afraid I voted against this one. Mostly because I am considering an additional challenge for the anniversary prompts where the books have to be 500 pages or more and I didn't see any on my list..."

Here's one more for you. I've started it but haven't finished it. It's a tricky (challenging) book and not for everyone. I think I will finish it once I finish this year's challenge. The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa.

LeahS wrote: "It seems to me that we have had a lot of votes this year for prompts that are 'quick tick' prompts, i.e. there are definitely five vowels in that title, there is a picture of waves on the cover, it..."

I completely agree with you Leah. I prefer prompts where I have to "struggle" to make the connection. I find it more exciting and satisfying, kinda like a little treasure hunt experience. And it offers more imagination and creativity. I wish the tarot card suggestion had won. That seemed like a cool, fun one.

Dixie wrote: "It seems to me that the type of prompt people are calling bland is what I think of as crossword puzzle style: there is only one answer that fits. Either a title/author name includes every vowel or it doesn't. Either a cover has an umbrella on it or it doesn't. The kind people seem to want more of is open to interpretation and depends a lot on how your mind works. A flavor name of Ben & Jerry's ice cream creates a connection in your mind that might not occur to anyone else. Same with a deck of Tarot cards. For animal collective names, you not only choose from the list but make a connection to "conspiracy" or "coalition" or "charm" that is fun and unique for you. So this is more of a two-stage search: you narrow the options down to what appeals to you, then find something that fits. Just a thought: there's nothing keeping all those who are complaining about "boring" prompts from organizing in the Wild Discussion before a suggestion round, pulling together fifteen unusual prompt ideas past and present and blitzing a round with those suggestions. And it would net you one or two or three of those onto the final list. Obviously this would be for 2025 prompts, not anniversary lists. "

I like the way you explained this. I prefer "relate" to type prompts because I always have my own self imposed restrictions so those prompts never feel like "read a book" to me. Sometimes I want to easily connect a prompt to a title/cover and other times I want it to have more of the theme of the book, but I like to pick.

I believe it is why I'm always disappointed with title prompts except for the weird/ intriguing title prompt.

I agree Dixie, and when you lay it out like that, I guess that's what frustrates me when people talk about the list being bland. For one, I much prefer the crossword puzzle type prompts... the prompts that are wide open (like the tarot card prompt) frustrate me because I end up just reading any book and then figuring out how to slot it in after, which is not why I do challenges. (I know the same cannot be said for everyone, of course, but I like to use my challenges to direct my reading, with less decision making on my part lol). This is probably why my favorite prompts are lists and awards haha!

Second is that, yes, we do have a wild discussion, but all in all, these are the prompts people are voting in. These are the prompts they want. There's really no gaming the system with any one singular vote - people should only vote what they want to see on the prompts list, and in this case, those "bland" prompts appeal more widely and are more accepted by our group than some of the more "wacky" ones (using quote marks as I know that these descriptions are subjective). And, again, I don't think our list is bland! We have some really unique suggestions that have made it to the list, even if they are title or author prompts (like this one). These are prompts you won't find on Popsugar or Read Harder because they are created and voted in by the group as a whole.

For reference, we have roughly 50-75 people that may comment on the wild discussion, 200ish people who vote, and over 400 on the community spreadsheet - which means that the silent majority is definitely running the voting.

I'll get off my soapbox lol. I should know better by now... this conversation comes up every year around this time in the polling, and then January rolls around and everyone is excited about the new list and forgets all the voting woes.

Robin P wrote: "Dixie, that is an excellent description of the two kinds of prompts!

I haven't taken the time to look at the list of Ben & Jerry's flavors and decide which book I read or will read would fit..."

I have studied British history since school days forty+ years ago. Looking through the list of flavors, Cool Britannia made me immediately think of the famous years that the Thames froze solid and "frost fairs" were held on the ice. I found a book about that and thoroughly enjoyed reading it. So for those of us that prefer those prompts, I think they can allow us to tailor what we read more closely to our interests. If a prompt asks me to read a book with an umbrella on the cover, that sharply limits my options.

dalex wrote: "These both count using only the author name. I'm sure I could come up with dozens more if I checked for both title and author.

The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell"

I like the idea of an excuse to read another Rosamunde Pilcher. The one I read was long but good!

Dixie wrote: "Emily wrote: "They can only be as "wacky" as what made the list in those years lol. I'm actually surprised by what has gotten in for each year in the anniversary list - they've been some of the mor..."

I like that way of thinking about it!
For me, it's really the other side of the prompt which interests me. Will it lead to a fun search? Will I feel rewarded when I find one? Will I want to bore someone tell them about the connection? I like there to be a route in the prompt for me to follow the clues to.

Dixie wrote: "So this is more of a two-stage search: you narrow the options down to what appeals to you, then find something that fits..."

I've been thinking along the same lines Dixie and I think you nailed it! You might wind up reading the same book for the "boring" prompt as you did for the "wacky" one but the reason you chose it was the fun and creative part, that some members are looking for. I like your crossword puzzle analogy.

I just looked at my 2024 plan and another one I put off was "a book that fits one of the suggestions that didn't make the final list". I have to pull up the big list and think what book would work, I keep putting that off.

For the planners, I think the prompts that require creative thinking are a lot more fun. With something like the periodic table or NATO alphabet, you can spend hours on a scavenger hunt deep diving into the options and exploring some very out-of-the-box ways to apply the prompt.

For example, for the NATO prompt I have penciled in Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All for L=Lima, because Lima is the Roman goddess of doorways. I certainly could not have just glanced at the prompt and known that book would fit like I could have if the prompt was "a book with a door on the cover."

Using the book title and the author's name, I have found two within the last minute
A God in Ruins Kate Atkinson

Voices Arnaldur Indriðason

Nike wrote: "I didn't vote for it but I really don't mind at all. I do believe five vowels are nothing much though, we've got nine in Swedish."

Would there be many books with all nine Swedish vowels? It'd be fun to see other language versions of this prompt.

Emily wrote: "I'll get off my soapbox lol. I should know better by now... this conversation comes up every year around this time in the polling, and then January rolls around and everyone is excited about the new list and forgets all the voting woes.."

You can never please everyone. LOL. I don't like to see the "boring prompt/list" comments because they seem so dismissive . I'm guilty of this as well, even recently, but overall try to avoid criticizing. I erase much more than I post.

I like a mixture of the two types. The beauty of a "related to" prompt is that I can select either an easy, obvious fit or a more creative interpretation. I've slowly eliminated other challenges in favor of ATY and appreciate all the time volunteered by the mods to make it possible.

Jette wrote: "You can never please everyone. LOL. I don't like to see the "boring prompt/list" comments because they seem so dismissive..."

Agreed! Every time a round of suggestions open, the mods remind us to "Feel free to discuss the prompts below, but please remember to be respectful to the other group members." If we were all sitting around a big table bringing up prompt ideas or talking about them after they were voted in, would we be saying we "hate" a prompt that someone else at the table came up with? Or that it's bland, or just "ugh"? Well, these threads are our "big table." The people who come up with these prompts read our comments.

Rosalind wrote: "Nike wrote: "I didn't vote for it but I really don't mind at all. I do believe five vowels are nothing much though, we've got nine in Swedish."

Would there be many books with all nine Swedish vowe..."

I doubt it, unless one could count both title and writer. Good question though, I'll search and see what I can find! 🙂

Dixie wrote: "Jette wrote: "You can never please everyone. LOL. I don't like to see the "boring prompt/list" comments because they seem so dismissive..."

Agreed! Every time a round of suggestions open, the mods..."

Also agreed with all this! Everybody has their own opinion, which is a good thing, but I also don't like the boring list complaints. It does sometimes seem quite a hostile environment when you're trying to suggest prompts, and when you do think you've come up with something interesting and it immediately gets called dull. It seems like there's no way to win, when people have already made up their minds about the composition of the list.

As Emily said, though, it is that time of year. About halfway through the prompts list people do seem to start getting a little more crabby.

Such a good discussion - because I read the top post, saw the winner and thought "ooh, that's fun!" And then immediately saw other posts saying they thought it was a more boring option.

But I think the discussion may have cracked it, as been about fits/not vs looser prompts. I can see how with the latter, there could be more fun in finding that connection, but for my challenge style, I like a definitive fit, with more limited options. So this prompt is perfect for my tastes - I will have to look through my TBR to find something, and will feel accomplished when I do, but there are enough options out there that I will find something I want to read, and won't be forced to read something just for the point of a challenge fill.

In terms of approach, I'm a half-planner. I like to plan (although I usually don't stick to it), but I tend to only plan some prompts - usually those that I can quickly think of qualifying options for. Which makes sense with this whole theory. Since I'm not going to stick to the plan, I don't want to spend a (comparatively) long time mapping out a connection route if that's likely not even the book I'll end up reading.

I'm also big on the aha moments, so I like reading a book and being able to say yes, it fits. Versus some of the connected to or broader options, where I'm never quite as solid. Like with this year's Ben and Jerry's prompt, I read Fortune Cookie Chronicles, so I looked for a flavour with fortune cookie pieces in it (there was one - Linsanity). But I'm still not fully satisfied with it. Is that enough of a connection? According to what I read, there were actually problems with the fortune cookie pieces at first (they got soggy), so should I discount that?

Yeah, I just usually end up being "happier" with my choices where it's clear if it qualifies. And because I don't stick to my plan, I still have some fun hunting - like I'll walk by a book in the library that has an umbrella on the cover, pick it up because it qualifies, and hopefully discover something great!

Siobhan wrote: "Dixie wrote: "Jette wrote: "You can never please everyone. LOL. I don't like to see the "boring prompt/list" comments because they seem so dismissive..."

Agreed! Every time a round of suggestions ..."

I agree. I think the challenge prompts are there for you to make what you want from them. If you make a subject boring to you, that is down to you.

Rosalind wrote: "Nike wrote: "I didn't vote for it but I really don't mind at all. I do believe five vowels are nothing much though, we've got nine in Swedish."

Would there be many books with all nine Swedish vowe..."

I don't think there is anyone at all actually! Lol! There's one title with eight vowels - including the subtitle that you can only see on the cover: Kapten Kalsong och invasionen av de osannolikt ondskefulla mattanterna från yttre rymden

(I think I ought to explain that the letter Y is a vowel in Swedish. The other extra three is Å, Ä and Ö. And no, they are not just A and O with diacritics, they are real letters and come after Z in our alphabet and are subsequently pronounced totally different).

Hahaha of course it's Captain Underpants.

Nike wrote: "I didn't vote for it but I really don't mind at all. I do believe five vowels are nothing much though, we've got nine in Swedish."

Wow - 9? I had no idea!

I joined in 2022, after all the prompts were chosen and I'm pretty sure I didn't even know about that process yet. I was so pleased to find this book, which has all 5 vowels in both the title (including subtitle) AND the author's name. I didn't find out until later (end of the book maybe?) that the author is married to Jon Baptiste, the musician and former band leader for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Inspiring read, and could count as a BIO.

Between Two Kingdoms：a Memoir of a Life Interrupted by Suleika Jaouad

Joanna wrote: "In terms of approach, I'm a half-planner. I like to plan (although I usually don't stick to it), but I tend to only plan some prompts - usually those that I can quickly think of qualifying options for. Which makes sense with this whole theory. Since I'm not going to stick to the plan, I don't want to spend a (comparatively) long time mapping out a connection route if that's likely not even the book I'll end up readin..."

I only let myself plan so I have 20 upcoming since I'm a library user so need to plan for the hold line. I start with the tough prompts where I don't think I'll have lots of things for it. I also will sometimes list multiple options for a book and decide when I actually start.

Nike wrote: "There's one title with eight vowels - including the subtitle"

Thank you so much for looking :D

I love the sound of Swedish and enjoy a lot of Swedish films/ TV. But I can only count to 10 and say "I'm sorry, I don't understand - I'm English"