Play Book Tag discussion

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

https://forms.gle/sewny1UPrMywSmX58

Here are the lists of books for each tag:

noir: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
relationships: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
summer: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

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

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

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

Happy voting! Please cast your votes by 12:00 pm EST on 5/22.

Not even checking the lists yet, they seem like interesting and fun choices. I'd go with any of them.

Agree with BnB - I could easily read for all of them but I do have a preference which fits with several reading challenge and personal reading goals this year.

Voted.

Yikes, the first page of the relationships tag list doesn’t appeal to me at all, even though I thought I would like this tag.

===
Edit - the genre pages with the “most read this week” lists are much more appealing to me.

Noir genre page
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/noir

Relationships genre page
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/rela...

Summer genre page
https://www.goodreads.com/genres/summer

Many of the books at the beginning of the Relationships list are self-help but in my opinion almost every novel is about relationships!

Robin P wrote: "Many of the books at the beginning of the Relationships list are self-help but in my opinion almost every novel is about relationships!"

I didn't bother even looking at the lists because I knew I would/could read any of them, have a slew on my TBR that would work. Like Robin, I think a majority of the books I read fit relationships because they are about relationships of all kinds. So when I saw Nancy's comment, I checked it === UGH, those first pages are rally off-putting to me! I really don't read self-help and the few fiction those first pages I read and at least half I did not like!

Not that it affected my vote. I'm sure that if you have paid even the slightest attention to the bulk of what I'm reading this year, you know what is my #1.

Voted

As a reminder, we do not need to pick books from these lists. If we think it fits, it fits. The only time we need multiple tags is when we are playing annual challenges.

Robin P wrote: "Many of the books at the beginning of the Relationships list are self-help but in my opinion almost every novel is about relationships!"

Haha. Some do it a lot better than others though.

Fredrik Backman and Kevin Wilson both have new books that I’m excited about. Plus I haven’t read Wellness yet.

Joy D wrote: "As a reminder, we do not need to pick books from these lists. If we think it fits, it fits. The only time we need multiple tags is when we are playing annual challenges."

I still find the lists very helpful in spotting books or narrowing down my lists. I can’t always judge for myself if a tag fits.

Joy - or anyone who has read these books- do you think these 3 books truly fit the Strong women tag? I have too many choices and only 2 weeks left.

Long Island, There Are Rivers in the Sky, and Wellness.

Long Island and There Are Rivers in the Sky fit "strong women" for sure. I would say Wellness would better fit "Relationships," if that tag were to win for June.

I think the best fit for Strong Women would be Long Island, if you're looking to prioritize for May.

Joy D wrote: "Long Island and There Are Rivers in the Sky fit "strong women" for sure. I would say Wellness would better fit "Relationships," if that tag were to win for June.

I think the best fit for Strong Wo..."

Thanks Joy! I loved Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín. The MC wasn’t exactly strong then, but she’s a lot older in Long Island.

NancyJ wrote: "Joy D wrote: "As a reminder, we do not need to pick books from these lists. If we think it fits, it fits. The only time we need multiple tags is when we are playing annual challenges."

I still fin..."

Nancy, after having read your reviews for so long now, I think that you're a better judge of what fits the tags than the lists are. The lists are just a general guide.

Wellness does not fit for Strong Women. Tough book. Interesting, a lot to think and talk about. But quite dysfunctional.

NancyJ wrote: "Thanks Joy! I loved Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín. The MC wasn’t exactly strong then, but she’s a lot older in Long Island...."

She makes a life-changing decision in this book, and yes, it's partially due to age and wisdom, but also in response to a major betrayal. (I'm trying not to spoil it here, but trust me, it fits.)

Voted!

Thanks everyone! Sorry to distract from the June choices. Joy, it sounds like Long Island fits summer and relationships too, and Ireland.

If summer or relationships wins for June, I’m going to suggest a buddy read for the new Backman book, My Friends.

NancyJ wrote: "Thanks everyone! Sorry to distract from the June choices. Joy, it sounds like Long Island fits summer and relationships too, and Ireland.

If summer or relationships wins for June, I’m going to sug..."

I might join you. I loved Backman's first book, but I have been struggling a little to recapture that enthusiasm with later offers. I hope these Friends might rekindle the flame.

A buddy read for Bachman's new book sounds great if I can get my hands on it. I had the same reaction as some others with the relationship tag - thought I'd find a lot but ... not so much. I did like the other list that Nancy posted for sure but, as stated, the lists are just suggestions. With summer looming over us, especially in FL, I think I'd like that because it could also include Beach Reads, and I'm ready for something kind of light. It's been a tough start to 2025 for me.

I voted.

I found so many books that could overlap so I am happy with whatever the tag is for June.

I can read something for all three.

Theresa, is that your pick with noir?

Jason wrote: "I can read something for all three.

Theresa, is that your pick with noir?"

Yup! You have been paying attention!

I love all three of these! We should recycle the ones that don't win into the next monthly votes, haha! they would all be great tags for the whole summer.

but I'm new-ish here and I know that's how we do things lol.

I too would be in for a Buddy Read for My Friends!

Just finished My Friends and LOVED it.

I will be listening to the audiobook of My Friends in the next month so I hope to join you.

I am also interested in the book and am on a waiting list for it through my library system.

Holly R W wrote: "I am also interested in the book and am on a waiting list for it through my library system."

I hope you get it soon. For some reason I thought this book was going to be released this coming week. We can’t get on the digital waitlists until a book is out. Now the list is several months long. It sounds like it’s worth the audible credit though.

I just realized that June is a summer month. So if this tag is the winner, any book read in June would be ok to use correct?

Or does the book have to take place in summer?

Books and gardens wrote: "I just realized that June is a summer month. So if this tag is the winner, any book read in June would be ok to use correct?

Or does the book have to take place in summer?"

We like to focus on tags whenever possible. If the book has a lot of summer tags (see the tag list) it clearly counts. Sometimes a book doesn’t have enough tags (yet), but we have reason to think it should. If YOU think a book should have the tag, you can count the book for the monthly tag. (The rules for challenges are stricter.)

Personally, I would look for books that are primarily set in the summer months (which might include January in New Zealand). If summer is in the title, or a beach is on the cover, or if a summer event is critical to the plot (e.g. “I know what you did last summer”), that would also work for me.

People tag books for all different reasons, so you might find quite a few books tagged summer because they associate certain topics with summer. Some might tag a book summer if they found the book on a list of “beach reads” or new summer releases.

This was so helpful. Thanks Nancy!

After reading your great response, I am rethinking some of my ideas for different tags.

Noir is one I am struggling with but if won, I am sure to find something on Audible or my library. Will keep looking at the links for each tag for ideas.

Books and gardens wrote: "This was so helpful. Thanks Nancy!

After reading your great response, I am rethinking some of my ideas for different tags.

Noir is one I am struggling with but if won, I am sure to find somethi..."

Noir would be tough for me too. I had it on a play harder list, and I hated the book I read. (Even though I liked it as a movie.) There are some interesting Scandinavian noir books, and some modern crime books with a noir feel. There are probably listopias or blog lists of modern noir novels. When I have trouble with a tag, I often look at lists for similar tags. So I might look at the “dark” tag list. Covers and titles help too. Last Night in Montreal had a very strong noir feel to it.

I don't have a flair in voting for winners yet, but if anybody needs some tips for good books in the noir genre, I am a bit of a specialist in my Pulp Fiction group, where I used to pick the titles for the monthly read.

I will be asking you for suggestions Algernon if the tag wins for Noir. I wondered about Storm Front but wasn’t sure if that was more fantasy.

Books and gardens wrote: "I will be asking you for suggestions Algernon if the tag wins for Noir. I wondered about Storm Front but wasn’t sure if that was more fantasy."

It has 136 noir tags, so it def works!

Books and gardens wrote: "I will be asking you for suggestions Algernon if the tag wins for Noir. I wondered about Storm Front but wasn’t sure if that was more fantasy."

Storm Front is good in using the subgenre of the private investigator or gumshoe in a fantasy setting. Jim Butcher also has a sense of humour to help you along, but I have given up on the series after four or five episodes, feeling it got too repetitive and slightly silly

I’m like that with most series.

Good to know Algernon! I think instead I might go with The Big Fix: A Jack Bergin Mystery by John Mankiewicz

There is a free audible with John Hamm and cast. I do love audible originals.

A fabulous Noir I read recently is My Favorite Scar by Nicolás Ferraro. Set in Argentina, written by Argentina's leading Neo Noir writer, it is beautifully written and has a heroine who burrows into your heart and stays there.

I would also count any books by Razorblade Tears and All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby. Brilliantly written books.

All these books were 5 star reads for me. I can't comment on the audio as I rarely listen.

Summer - i read contemporary romance and have an ebook library tbr filled with books with 'summer' in the title, set in summer, or have beach and other summery scenes on the cover. It will be so easy.

Theresa wrote: "A fabulous Noir I read recently is My Favorite Scar by Nicolás Ferraro. Set in Argentina, written by Argentina's leading Neo Noir writer, it is beautifully writte..."

My favorite right now is The Secret in Their Eyes by Eduardo Sacherri, but I'm willing to try another Argentinian crime writer.

I have a feeling this group is going to help with finding new authors and genres to read. So many great recommendations!

B and G - so nice to meet you and welcome. We are a really fun group and yes your TBR will explode, as much as your friends and community.

Did someone here recommend You Are Here by David Nichols? I don’t recall why I checked it out (weeks ago), but I just saw it on the relationship tag list. From the description, it looks like it might fit summer too. I’m finding a lot of overlap between relationships and summer. I plan to read My Friends and Long Island no matter which tag wins. I want to find some new authors too.

For noir, I like book and gardens idea for Storm Front. Blacktop Wasteland is near the top of the list too.

NancyJ wrote: "Did someone here recommend You Are Here by David Nichols? I don’t recall why I checked it out (weeks ago), but I just saw it on the relationship tag list. From the description, it ..."

I read You Are Here and it is definitely a relationship book. I don't remember what time of the year, but they do go swimming so I would assume summer.

I enjoyed perusing this list featuring the theme of summer:

https://lithub.com/50-of-the-greatest...

There's also a couple of relevant Goodreads listopia lists.

It's a bit hard on the summer tag list to separate books about summer from books that people simply liked reading in the summertime. I've spent a little more time researching the summer tag because of that . . .I personally want to read a book set in the summer, not just a book that's good to read on a beach.

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

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

I finished a Herman Raucher horror novel this week, so I was reminded he is the author of one of my all time summer favorites: Summer of '42.
The Go-Between and A Summer Place would probably complete my top three

edit to add The Beautiful Summer by Cesare Pavese. The more I think about the tag, the more titles I remember. It's probably best to wait for the voting to finish, then I will know what to focus on.

Anita wrote: "I enjoyed perusing this list featuring the theme of summer:

https://lithub.com/50-of-the-greatest...

There's also a couple of relevant Goodreads listopia lists.

It's a b..."

I don't think of all those lithub books as Summer novels, but this is an interesting topic.

There are definitely some books that I associate with Summer because that is when I read them. There are others which I associate with Summer, because they are set in the season.

I'd love to see others ideas of Summer reads even if this doesn't win.

Summer often has me reaching for a fat classic. And guess what I start June 1? Bleak House by Charles Dickens.

I downloaded The Fellowship of the Ring on Audible. 51 people tagged it summer reading so if it wins, I’ll be listening to it.

Andy Serkis narrates so it should be amazing! ❤️