ŷ������

Hello everyone! It is time to start the process of creating our reading challenge list for 2022! (Can you even believe it?!)

Our Wild Discussion is the place where you can talk about possible prompts you might want to suggest, give recommendations for various topics, ask the mods questions, pose questions to the group, and generally get excited about the voting process.

As always, please be respectful of the group members here... we may not all share the same opinion, but we do require a respectful discourse.

You can see our Introduction Thread for more information on how the process will work and for a schedule of voting.

Whee! I will have to do some research on anniversaries and events in 2022 to see if there's any inspiration to be had.

Haha I was waiting to see who the first person to jump on this thread will be! I was too excited to wait until June to post it!

How is it Wild Discussion time already? I'm almost finished with this year's list so I'm excited to see the next one get started.

This is eerily perfect timing, I finished the 2021 challenge yesterday! 😂

I was attempting to do both the AtY and Pop Sugar without using the same book in both. I finished up today with 45 unique books, and 7 crossovers, so I'm ready to start planning!

I love the creation of the list.

I love the planning phase. Woot!

Wow, I'm excited to participate in this part of the process. There is a lot of creativity in this group. Even the rejected prompts were inspiring.

When you get multiple ideas on the same general topic, do you discuss alternative ways to approach it, or do you simply let each suggestion compete in the voting process?

Also, when someone suggests a prompt, do you discuss examples of books that would fit?

I love prompts that motivate me to explore new topics or get out of my comfort zone.

NancyJ, usually if two prompts are similar they both make it into the poll. It does tend to hurt either one making it in that poll but before voting we have a discussion thread. During, the discussion members give ideas on what they like or dislike so those prompts tend to get tweaked and make it into the next poll.

Also, sometimes members post their ideas here to get feedback on how to write a prompt. Some of us like the idea of the prompt but find the wording problematic such as including “your favorite.��

Examples are very appreciated.

If a suggestion is seconded, it will be on the poll, even if there is overlap with other suggestions. Jillian is right... that does tend to hurt the voting for both.

However, we encourage people to use this thread to workshop ideas, and we also *hope* that people read what has been suggested before suggesting their own lol.

Whatever you suggest, we highly encourage examples and clarification, and whatever you write in the suggestions thread will be copied over to the voting thread.

For example, this was what was "suggested" for the You Read What? prompt and the short book prompt.

3. A book that might cause someone to react “You read what?!?��
It could encompass weird unconventional non-fiction topics and other micro-histories, but also fiction books where the plot is just so out-there for you personally. (/list/show/8...)

Maybe it’s a novel about a steamy romance that your mom would see and say “you read WHAT?!�� Maybe it’s a banned book, that a teacher would be surprised you read and say “you read WHAT?!�� Maybe it’s a fantasy book where an ogre and a talking donkey rescue a princess in a tower only to find out she’s an ogre too, and when you tell the plot to someone, they’d say “uhh.. you read that?��

Nothing to See Here was a great fiction suggestion from the wild discussion... "you're reading a book where children spontaneously combust into flames when they get agitated?"

I also heard people say a good example would be books you're not the intended audience for, as in why would a die-hard liberal want to read a book by a conservative?

10. A short book (<210 pages) by a new-to-you author
/list/show/1...


/list/show/9...

I am not even close to finishing this year's list, which is maybe good because we have a lot of year left lol. The problem for me is once we start having new prompts, I get excited about those instead of the ones we already have!

Whoop whoop, let the discussing of prompts begin!
I've already noted a few ideas for 2022, so I'm just going to put them out there and see if any of you pick up on any of them^^

A book connected to the phrase "Here (There) Be Dragons":
This phrase (in Latin: "Hic sunt dracones") famously appears on the Hunt-Lenox Globe, one of the oldest maps of the world, to denote blank spots/unchartered territory. Medieval maps were often illustrated with sea serpents and other mythological beasts in places that had not yet been explored. Alternately, "Hic sunt leones" ("Here Be Lions") was used.
The phrase "Here Be Dragons" has entered the English language as an idiom warning against (potential) danger.
Possible books to fit that prompt could involve mapmaking, historical/adventure novels featuring explorers venturing into the unknown, books with literal dragons, or a more general plot involving the investigation of something unknown and potentially dangerous (scientific research etc.). There should be loads of options to make this prompt work.

A book whose title or author contains the letters T and V:
T and V are the 20th and 22nd letter of the alphabet, respectively �� a nod to the year 2022.

A book that reminds you of [or: is connected to] the film "Soylent Green":
The dystopian classic "Soylent Green" is set in the year 2022. I don't want to spoil it for people who have never seen the movie, but you could read something associated with: dystopia, ecodystopia, overpopulation, artificial/synthetic food, characters called Thorn, Roth, or Sol ... or you could read Make Room! Make Room!, on which the film was (loosely) based, or another book adapted into a movie by Richard Fleischer/starring Charlton Heston.

Conny wrote: "Whoop whoop, let the discussing of prompts begin!
I've already noted a few ideas for 2022, so I'm just going to put them out there and see if any of you pick up on any of them^^

A book connected t..."
I really like "Here there be Dragons" one :) (if it will get in, I will probably read The Edges of the Earth in Ancient Thought: Geography, Exploration, and Fiction) And I probably should finally watch Soylent Green.

I like the “Here be Dragons�� idea. I ended up not enjoying the U prompt this year so the TV one would not be one I’m personally not interested in. I’m not sure about the Soylant Green one right now, I’d likely be influenced by the group.

I am thinking of revamping our pre-poll because I feel like we include prompts that will never make it in, and we have some repeat prompts that probably could be included in the list.

(Pre-poll is a set of 4-6 prompts that always get suggested so we vote on them before the suggestion process begins.)

The prompts we usually include are:
A book published in 2022
A winner or nominee from the 2021 ŷ������ Choice Awards
A book you meant to read in 2021
Reader's choice
A book that fits a suggestion that didn't make the list this year
A book that fits a category from another challenge

The ones I'm considering removing are the reader's choice and the category from another challenge, since I haven't actually seen those make the list and this is my 4th year doing ATY.

Are there any that you would suggest adding to the prepoll? Or should we leave it as-is? I'd love your thoughts.

Emily, I think it would be good to remove them. I don’t recall them ever making it either and from previous discussions they seem too broad for most members. Plus, they could always be nominated.

I agree, they never make it, and the prepoll is more about getting the ultra-popular ones out of the way first. Are there other ultra-popular prompts we should consider adding to the pre poll?

One I considered was “A book inspired by something you read in 2021�� since a version of that prompt has made it in the last two years.

I love the “Here there be dragons�� idea - I love a prompt you can take either literally/specifically or more broadly/symbolically. And I think it would be good to add the “inspired by the year before�� prompt to the pre-poll. I like that prompt a lot, better than most of the typical pre-poll options.

@Emily, I 100% agree that those 2 prompts should probably be removed!

@Conny, I absolutely love your Dragons prompt! I will definitely vote for it.

I've realized that my favorite prompts are the ones that offer multiple options/choices, but that are still quite specific and not vague. (Am I making any sense??)

Some of the ones I'm referring to:
The NATO phonetic alphabet
"My Favorite Things" lyrics
A character from a deck of cards
A building in the title

I dislike freebie prompts (like "Reader's Choice) just because it gives my OCD too much stress to have hundreds/thousands of options!

Anyway, I would love to see more prompts like these suggested! If only I had the creativity to think of some myself!

Here's a prompt I've been bursting to suggest since it's the only year I can suggest it!
A book related to the classic Twilight Zone episode, "Twenty Two."

It's one of my favorite episodes, and a very brief summary (without spoilers) is that a woman is staying at a hospital but has recurring nightmares about Room 22 (the morgue of the hospital).

There are a lot of directions you can take it:
- A book considered not an author's best: this episode was one of just 6 filmed on a cheaper type of tape as a cost-saving experiment, and is therefore considered inferior, visually to the other episodes
- A second book in a series, as this episode was from Season 2

Or plot-wise:
- A book related to a hospital/healthcare/illness/doctors/nurses/etc
- Any scary/dark book
- A book related to entertainment because the main character is a professional dancer
- A book related to airplanes/airports
- A book related to dreaming or nightmares
- A book related to premonitions
- A book where something keeps repeating
- A book with a surprise/twist ending

I didn't find out much exciting about 2022 or 22, and some of them might be a bit repetitive from past year's brainstorming:

Winter Olympics in China
200 year anniversary of Charles Babbage's difference engine (the first mechanical computer)
Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee
Several independence anniversaries: Egypt (100), India (75), Brazil (200)
The World Games will be held in Birmingham, Alabama, and the Commonwealth Games will be held in Birmingham, England
UN International Year of Glass
100 year anniversary of Ulysses
UN International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture
Year of the Tiger (Chinese Zodiac)
The traditional gift for a 22nd anniversary is copper
Atomic number for titanium
Catch-22 referring to a paradoxical situation

I love the here be dragons idea!

I like the here be dragons & a book related to the classic Twilight Zone episode twenty two ideas. I have a suggestion for a prompt. A book where secrets are revealed in public. It could be at a party, group vacation,family gathering.

Love the dragons, twilight zone prompts and can find several great possibilities in the 22 list.

The problem I have with your prompt, Sherri, is that you almost have to have read the book to know if this kind of specific plot element fits.

With the pre-poll, I wondered if the prompt for the ATY Best Book of the Month should be included.

I was thinking that as well, Sara, but I'd probably need to limit it. Maybe "A book posted in one of the ATY Best Book of the Month threads in 2021 or 2022" so that it limits it a bit but still allows for people who are planners. What do y'all think? Pre-poll or just wait until the suggestions open for that one?

If I remember correctly, it took a few polls for the ATY monthly to make it. It is one of the few I still have left, though I think it is because of the book not the prompt. It was a book I planned reading for the 2020 challenge and did not have access once the libraries shut down. I bought it and it has been sitting next to my bed all year.

Thanks for your feedback, everyone, I will suggest the Dragons prompt for the first poll that works for me, time zone wise :D

I also really like the Twilight Zone idea, and while I love the plot device you mentioned, Sherri, I agree with Sara that it may be hard to fit a book to such a prompt before actually reading it, making it harder to plan in advance.
Irene, I absolutely get what you mean by specific but vague prompts, and I agree 100%! It's a particularly satisfying challenge to make these kinds of prompt work in your favor :D

I’m sorry I suggested it. I thought the synopsis of a book would tell the readers what the book is about. Lots of time I’m reading a book for one prompt but then something pops out & the books fits another prompt. It’s rare I plan what books fit what prompts. I don’t think like a planner. I enjoy books with secrets & it seems most books have a secret. Sorry about that.

Don’t be sorry, Sherri! That’s the purpose of this thread - to discuss and workshop possible ideas. And if you really like that prompt (I do!), go ahead and suggest it and let the voters choose.

Irene wrote: "@Emily, I 100% agree that those 2 prompts should probably be removed!

@Conny, I absolutely love your Dragons prompt! I will absolutely vote for it.

I've realized that my favorite prompts are the..."

I have an idea in the vein of Nato alphabet/periodic table:
A book associated with a sign of the zodiac
Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.

It could be literal, like Leo - a book featuring a lion, or Gemini, a book featuring twins. Or figurative, Sagittarius is the hunter, so it could be a story about a hunt or search for something. Aquarius, the water bearer, could be a story about a servant.

Sherri wrote: "I’m sorry I suggested it. I thought the synopsis of a book would tell the readers what the book is about. Lots of time I’m reading a book for one prompt but then something pops out & the books fits..."

Sherri, I agree with what Emily said. Please do NOT feel sorry for making a suggestion. That’s what this whole group is for!

First of all, this is a big group, and you’ve only heard feedback from a very few people who might or might not be in the majority. Second, that’s what this whole thread is for, is to network some ideas and see if others are interested or if they have ways to tweak them that might get them more interest. And third, if you like the prompt, if never hurts to suggest it in the poll suggestions, regardless of what others have said so far. The worst that can happen is that won’t make it into the poll, but you won’t know if you don’t try.

As far as the specificity of the prompt, I do think that could be somewhat problematic, just because sometimes in the synopsis, they don’t give details about the secret, such as “revealed in public,�� so that would definitely make it harder for the planners (of which I am one, but I hardly ever end up sticking with my plan). If it was my suggestion, I might make it a little more broad, like just “a book with a secret,�� or “a book in which a secret is central to the plot.�� Thor can still be more difficult to find that a book with an author who has A, T, & Y in their name or a book with a flower on the cover, since those are easier to spot without a ton of research, but it’s not too challenging to find. Here are some lists I found about books with secrets that could be added if/when you make the suggestion.
/shelf/show/...

/list/show/9...

Conny wrote: "Whoop whoop, let the discussing of prompts begin!
I've already noted a few ideas for 2022, so I'm just going to put them out there and see if any of you pick up on any of them^^

A book connected t..."

I love the 'Here be Dragons' prompt and the T+V prompt, but I hate the Soylent Green. (Mostly cuz I hate dystopian fiction, and that's the first thing that comes to mind for that style of prompt)

Ellie wrote: "I didn't find out much exciting about 2022 or 22, and some of them might be a bit repetitive from past year's brainstorming:

Winter Olympics in China
200 year anniversary of Charles Babbage's diff..."

What about a book related to the phrase Catch 22?

@Robin P- I like your idea of a book associated with a sign of the zodiac. Perhaps the prompt could include both Western and Chinese zodiac signs.

Emily wrote: "I am thinking of revamping our pre-poll because I feel like we include prompts that will never make it in, and we have some repeat prompts that probably could be included in the list.

(Pre-poll is..."

I'd definitely dump the readers choice prompt (to me that just reads as 'Read a book" which is far too generic and meaningless.

But I was thinking, would "Read a classic (modern or traditional)" work for a common prompt?

Also, I love the ATY best book of the month threads and would love if that prompt became a reoccurring thing.

I don't know how easy it would be for those of us outside of the US to watch The Twilight Zone episode to see if a prompt fits (or even for you guys in the US). I've never seen the show and it doesn't appear to be on any of the streaming platforms I have. I might be able to find it with some digging but if the show isn't readily available, it would probably put me off voting for the prompt.

Rachel wrote: "@Robin P- I like your idea of a book associated with a sign of the zodiac. Perhaps the prompt could include both Western and Chinese zodiac signs."

Yes, I thought of that also, that would be fine with me.

Sarah wrote: "I don't know how easy it would be for those of us outside of the US to watch The Twilight Zone episode to see if a prompt fits (or even for you guys in the US). I've never seen the show and it does..."

Good point, that we want the prompts to be accessible. In this case, Irene gave a lot of examples so that you don't have to watch the show. BUT - many people never follow the discussion or read the details, they only vote on the names of the prompts. They may not even bother to click to see more details. My guess is that when they see something as specific as Soylent Green or Twilight Zone, they won't choose it. You could instead say "a dystopia" , "a scary book", "a book including doctors, hospitals, etc."

Last year, I think a lot of people didn't want either dystopias or medical books since we were living it but that could be totally different now!

Thank you all for the feedback!! I did consider that many people don't have access to the episode, but just thought I'd shoot my shot anyway since this is the only year "Twenty Two" would work, haha. (I guess I was hoping The Twilight Zone was a well-known/influential enough show that most people would at least know about its tendencies to have surprise/twist endings, unusual premises, etc.) I'll try to figure out how to re-word it so it sounds less restrictive!

@Robin, the zodiac prompt sounds awesome, especially since it doesn't specify western/asian. Since the year of the (insert animal) prompt seems to be difficult to vote through due to its specificity, it could be a great excuse for me to finally read a book related to tigers for 2022!

@Conny, please do!! And you know, I forgot about the different time zones thing until you mentioned it! So I'll also have to aim for the first poll that works for me, time-wise hahaha xD

There's no rush because we will be at it many weeks. Last year was my first year doing it and I waited a few weeks to submit my suggestions.

For 22, I thought of "a book whose title is 2 words of 2 syllables each". For example, Magic Lessons or maybe the author name is 2 words of 2 syllables such as Alice Hoffman. Maybe either the book or the author. Not sure if it works in all languages. For the Keep it Simple version, you could have "The" or "A" before the 2 main words. For the Bring it On (harder) version, the title & author would both have the 2 words of 2 syllables.

I have a couple of suggestions:
A book connected to one of your favorite 2021 reads: I know we had by the same author this year but this would be an expansion on that
A book you could have read in school but didn't. I say could because "should implies a book you skipped which is not really applicable if you were in an education system like mine which involves a detailed study of a few books. However could includes other options such as a book in the school library you never checked out or a book which was on the exam list but your teacher picked another.

Emily wrote: "I am thinking of revamping our pre-poll because I feel like we include prompts that will never make it in, and we have some repeat prompts that probably could be included in the list.

(Pre-poll is..."
I think tis a shame readers choice never made it.I constantly end up with a book I struggle to fit, although I suppose you can use the WC for that.

I have liked how the past two years we have had a song related prompt so I’m hoping someone has a good idea again.

Jillian wrote: "I have liked how the past two years we have had a song related prompt so I’m hoping someone has a good idea again."

Another challenge group recently used American Pie. It has tons of lyrics!

Thomas wrote: "Emily wrote: "I am thinking of revamping our pre-poll because I feel like we include prompts that will never make it in, and we have some repeat prompts that probably could be included in the list...."

I think the "prompt that didn't make it into the current year" is pretty much a reader's choice/wild card because there are so many that weren't chosen that you should be able to find something. I also like to "get creative" to make a book fit that isn't at first obvious for the prompt.

Robin P wrote: "Another challenge group recently used American Pie. It has tons of lyrics! ..."

Just a reminder we rejected that one last year due to Don McLean's domestic abuse charges and people weren't happy having him represented on our list.

I like the "here be dragons" and zodiac signs ones, I'd definitely vote for both of them.

Out of Ellie's list of anniversaries, the independence anniversaries for Egypt (100), India (75), Brazil (200) seems like a good one to base a prompt on - maybe a book set in one of those three countries?

Robin, I tend to agree with you about the prompt that didn't make it in, but that is a suggestion that keeps making it on the list every year so I'll leave it in the pre-poll for now.