Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

A conclusive round of results!

Top
An author's second/sophomore book
A novella of 100-250 pages

Bottom
A book with a fraction in the title
A book with an embossed cover or raised lettering
A book from a publishing company, the logotype of which depicting a tangible thing

The next round of suggestions will open around 1 pm CST on Saturday, July 19, and this will be our multi-week poll!

I'm happy with both of these, though my heart is set now on the mods prompt.

Fine, but I also want the mods prompt.

Emily I haven’t noticed any close calls or love/hate (what was the word? ) prompts in the results so far this year.

These two are good, I always like novellas and have lots of options already. Sophomore book is new to me, so I don’t have anything yet.

I also really want the mods prompt. I imagine it was more popular with the voters who are active in discussion threads and the prompt selection process.

I was also hoping for a content related prompt, such as the ones about competition or occupations. Maybe they could be resubmitted in the future with a few more examples or a listopia.

I love the sophomore novel prompt.

I sigh when I see the novella prompt, or some version of it, because it makes it to the prompt list every other. HOWEVER, I have come to realize that reading a novella or short book is a great palette cleanser. I also enjoy them because the writing tends to be crisp and succinct.


I'm with you all. I just knew the mods prompt would make it. Maybe it can be turned into a multi-week prompt?

1) Read a book relating to the information provided a mod.
2) Read a book from a different genre relating to the information provided a different mod.

Warning - many of the lists on line of “sophomore books” include books that are NOT the author’s second novel.
To kill a mockingbird
1984
Mrs Dalloway

One Goodreads list says “sophomore year” and the books on the list seem to be popular books taught to high school students in their sophomore year.

AI’s and bloggers may have copied those books onto other lists.

If you take the time to double check an author’s publications, could you please add a note - checked or verified ? Thanks everyone!

Yea, the group has been pretty definitive on these results this year so far. The bottoms are *really* bottom, and the tops have a clear margin between them and the next best. Not a lot of polarizing, though I will say that the mod prompt had a ton of upvotes but enough downvotes to keep it out of the top. It would have been number 4 or 5 on the list of net votes, but it had too many downvotes to put it in the top.

Because I watch the voting as the week goes on, I will say that most of the upvotes came in the early voting (people who are more engaged in the process, likely), and most of the downvotes came later in the week (people who may log in just to vote).

Well, that’s sad to hear. I thought the Mod Prompt sounded like fun! If the downvotes tended to be people not engaged in discussion, then any promoting we try will not reach them. Too bad :(

@NancyJ - thanks for the heads up about incorrect “sophomore” books.

What I did before voting was to Google: “ ‘author’s name’ book in publication order”. That was an easy way to find the actual sophomore book. Too bad the author page on Goodreads doesn’t allow you to sort the books in an order other than how they are currently presented. You CAN also determine the author’s publication order in Goodreads on a computer using the right sorting and filtering though.

I'm currently reading The Vegetarian by Han Kang, which would be considered a novella. If you haven't read it, I would recommend this book for this prompt.

I'm glad I do both the official challenge and the reject challenge. I really called this one wrong and I had 8 upvotes!

I'm thinking about The Hero of This Book or The Shell Collectorfor the novella.

I was neutral on both of these but I'm not gonna complain about a short book slot. My favourite book so far this year is a debut (Greenteeth) so I had a quick search... and she has a second book out early next year, so that makes things easier.

I hope related to penguins gets suggested now that the logotype prompt has been bottomed.

Tournament of Books had some really great short books on their 2024 shortlist, which I've added to the listopia. ToB always has a couple shorties on their list so I'll probably just read one of those as my novella for next year.

Emily wrote: "Tournament of Books had some really great short books on their 2024 shortlist, which I've added to the listopia. ToB always has a couple shorties on their list so I'll probably just read one of tho..."

That’s a good idea.

Many books under 250 pages are not officially novellas but I think they could count for this prompt. I think of a novella as 70-120 pages. 200 pages is a whole book in my opinion. For the BIO, you could limit yourself to books that specifically say "a novella".

Of course, all page counts are arbitrary, especially in physical books. Some books have big print and lots of white space, while others are dense with tiny print.

I think the issue with the embossed covers and the publisher logo is that some people consume books on tablets or audio, where those things aren't as obvious.

Feel free to submit the Mod prompt later in the process!

Robin P wrote: "Many books under 250 pages are not officially novellas but I think they could count for this prompt. I think of a novella as 70-120 pages. 200 pages is a whole book in my opinion. For the BIO, you ..."

Novella was my suggestion and I found at least half a dozen page lengths for it listed in different places. 100-250 came up twice, and I thought that seemed reasonable, though I agree, personally 250 is a novel for me. And you are so right about print size! I just ordered a book thinking it would be a quick read and when it arrived the print is SO SMALL.

I picked Maggie; or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar for my BOTM pick this month specifically because it was under 200 pages. But it's definitely marketed as a full novel (not novella). I'm going to use the page count for this one and not the novella part lol

I think most literary prizes tend to define their categories by word count for the very reason that page count is more subject to copyediting choices. So for me the 100-250 feels like a nice range that gives the reader a guide while still having the leeway to make an executive decision.

Emily wrote: "Yea, the group has been pretty definitive on these results this year so far. The bottoms are *really* bottom, and the tops have a clear margin between them and the next best. Not a lot of polarizin..."

I wonder if some people vote based just on the prompts? Should we include a link to the voting thread that gives details? Like "For further information on the prompts and listopias see xx." When I started voting years ago I didn't know.

I'm going to be using this wiki page to guide my novella choice, since my brain is most satisfied when I comply with the exact wording of the prompt :) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Aw...

My other challenges usually require 150+ pages, so I have quite a few shorter classic novellas that I keep skipping over. Maybe I’ll finally get to Night and The Lover.

Binti is only 90 pages, but I added it to the listopia anyway because it’s so good and the other two in the series are longer.

Pamela wrote: "Emily wrote: "Yea, the group has been pretty definitive on these results this year so far. The bottoms are *really* bottom, and the tops have a clear margin between them and the next best. Not a lo..."

I'm sure you're right, that's why I'm often urging people who nominate to make sure their prompt can be understood without any explanation (hard to do for some of the most interesting prompts!) There are a lot more voting members than people who follow all the threads. You would think anyone voting would want to clarify what they are voting for or against, but some may not have the time to read through everything.

Love the results, though I was hoping that the mod one would get through (there is always the reject prompt for picking up good prompts that aren't for everyone.)

Sophomore Book - Really like this idea. I have seen a lot of 'first book' prompts, so those tend to have been read. But it is also the case that most lists get which of the books is first wrong. More often, they will list the first popular book and second popular book. Breakout novel could be a totally different prompt.

Novella - While it seems like a cheat, this prompt has really helped in previous years to get things back on track. I will often use it as an excuse to read a collection that also has a novella in it.

Publisher Imprint - I used to go to used book stores and specifically pick the books based on the imprint. Penguin, Ace, Tor, Bantam, etc. But I voted against this because it seemed too easy.

Embossed Cover - Again, I used to pick books because they had an embossed cover. But I don't often see the real cover anymore. I didn't vote against this one, but I'm pretty sure that most books have a print edition with an embossed cover. It would just be a matter of going to a dead tree seller and perusing.

Fraction in the Title - No idea where to begin with this. My first thought was Ranma 1/2, but I wouldn't count that as a qualifying book. So, no idea what to read.

These are both good ones, so I'm happy with the results. I have so many novellas on my TBR list. There were a couple I really liked that didn't make it. Maybe they will be suggested again.

Angela wrote: "I'm going to be using this wiki page to guide my novella choice, since my brain is most satisfied when I comply with the exact wording of the prompt :) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Aw......"
Thank you for reminding me about this. I get really stuck on the wording. It says novella so I need to read a novella. There are some great options on this list.

J wrote: "Love the results, though I was hoping that the mod one would get through (there is always the reject prompt for picking up good prompts that aren't for everyone.)

Publisher Imprint, Embossed Cover and Fraction in the Title were in the bottom so they won't be on the challenge.

I'm not sure how people would get to the voting link without opening this thread first? We can certainly add it to the poll, but... they have to open this thread to get to the poll link lol

embossed cover is tricky if you read electronically

Fraction in the title is out, of course, probably because people thought of it as a digit like J mentioned. It should include words spelled out, such as Half, Quarter, I guess Third, Ninth, etc. But I still thought it was too narrow myself.

Emily wrote: "I'm not sure how people would get to the voting link without opening this thread first? We can certainly add it to the poll, but... they have to open this thread to get to the poll link lol"

You can bring a person to a link, but you can’t make them drink.

I upvoted 7 prompts including these two. I downvoted embossed because it's too hard to tell if you do library books or ebooks.

If people want a mod prompt in the future, I would suggest that someone start a listopia so that people could get an idea of books to read.

https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/2...

Good reads list of sophomore books

I’m happy with these. I’m pretty sure I upvoted both the top ones and quite happy the bottoms are out.
Embossed cover as others have said - I read on kindle so don’t see an embossed cover.
Fraction and publisher just didn’t interest me.

It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me 😆 I downvoted the mod prompt. I read as much of this group and the discussions surrounding voting as I can, but don't talk much, partly because I *can't* keep up with all of it (and I always, always miss the nomination times, lol). So maybe that's why I didn't find the mod prompt appealing, because I feel less connected to the community as a group of individuals than those who are more active & chat more. I also do this challenge every year with my sister, who is technically in this group but never participates beyond eeevery once in a while doing the mini-readathons when I coax her into it. She votes, because I make sure to send her the links when the polls go up, but she is less connected to our mods as people, cause she simply never talks or reads the chats in here.

The first year I did this challenge, I didn't even know there was a group; I'd found a graphic list version somewhere on, like, pinterest or something, and liked the prompts & layout, and completed the list that way. I only joined the group for my second year doing it. If I'd found a version of the challenge that included this mod-related prompt, I would have had no way of knowing what counted, nor would it have been appealing to me as a person who didn't even know the group at all, and I would never have done the challenge, never thought about it again, or joined this group, etc. So, honestly, that played into my thinking for downvoting it even though I am now, obviously, part of the group.

I did like the idea of the mods prompt, but I do agree that the final list should mostly make sense for anyone who stumbles across it. I know the challenge gets added to StoryGraph and just comes up when people are looking for challenges to do.

I was the same for my first year, Roxane, and that totally makes sense to me. My book club does this challenge as well, with varying degrees of participation (one of them got to pick a prompt as the Read-a-Thom winner last year, most of them just vote weekly because I send them the link). They all voted for the mod prompt because it would be super easy for them, obviously lol. But I see where you’re coming from. Even the ATY BOTM prompt can be a stretch for people who don’t participate in the group much.

Roxana wrote: "It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me 😆 I downvoted the mod prompt. I read as much of this group and the discussions surrounding voting as I can, but don't talk much, partly because I *can't* keep ..."

You are NOT problematic! We all participate to varying degrees. I’ve been in this group since the first round so, it’s a good reminder that the list should make sense to everyone. That said, as the person who suggested the mod prompt, I wanted to give a nod to the mods who do so much work to make this challenge work! It was a last minute idea and I personally dislike “workshopping” prompts or making lists of books that fit the prompt I’m suggesting! So, I didn’t put in the effort to make it more broadly appealing!

This is all for fun, and we all participate to the extent that our lives and interests allow!

Roxana wrote: "It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me 😆 I downvoted the mod prompt. I read as much of this group and the discussions surrounding voting as I can, but don't talk much, partly because I *can't* keep ..."

Thank you for taking the time to share your perspective, Roxana. It was a great reminder that there is no “right “ way to participate in voting, or in the group as a whole. It’s easy for me, as a retiree, to find time to read and discuss multiple threads. I am amazed that Emily, Jackie and others with jobs and children can give so much to the group.

Emily wrote: "A conclusive round of results!

Top
An author's second/sophomore book
A novella of 100-250 pages

Bottom
A book with a fraction in the title
A book with an embossed cover or raised lettering
A book..."

I downvoted two of the losers, because it's hard to choose a book based on raised things that are on the cover; I usually put holds in books in my library from the comfort of my own home, plus it's not how I want to choose books. I'd have to wait to see if anything I borrowed came in a hardcover with something like that on there.

I upvoted at least one of the winners, and both are ones I like, so I'm happy with this poll's results :)

I didn’t vote for the mod one last time, but I will the next time it’s suggested.

I really liked the creativeness of the mod prompt and thought it would be fun. I hope it comes back.

Roxana wrote: "It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me 😆 I downvoted the mod prompt. I read as much of this group and the discussions surrounding voting as I can, but don't talk much, partly because I *can't* keep ..."

It's not just you. I downvoted as well. I think our mods are great. I'm just not interested in a prompt like this.

That’s perfectly fine. We have no emotional attachment to a mod prompt.

MJ wrote: "Roxana wrote: "It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me 😆 I downvoted the mod prompt. I read as much of this group and the discussions surrounding voting as I can, but don't talk much, partly because ..."

To be clear (not just to you, MJ :) ) I don't actually think I'm a problem, just quoting a little Taylor Swift there ;) I just thought it might be helpful to have that perspective in the conversation, given that most discussion consists, definitionally, of the points of view of those most active in the discussions, of course!