ŷ������

It's now time to get ready to vote for our first set of prompts! The thread will be open for at least 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 afternoon of Tuesday, September 6 and results will be posted in the morning of Saturday, September 10 (CST time).

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

We are asking people to include their ŷ������ profile address when they vote. To find this, just go to your own profile and then copy the URL/web address. If for some reason you can't link to your ŷ������ profile, please post your full ŷ������ name with enough identifiable information that we'll be able to access your profile. We’ve introduced this for two reasons:

1. On a few occasions in each poll, people have used more than the allotted number of votes, either because they aren’t familiar with the rules or just by mistake. When this happens our only option is to disregard the vote as we can’t identify the voter to ask them to resubmit. By asking for your profile address we’ll be able to message you and ask you to vote again if you’ve accidentally used more than the allotted number of votes.

2. Unfortunately a very small number of people have voted more than once per poll and so we are asking for this information to prevent duplicate votes.

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 book related to a geometric shape
2. A book related to a ghost, spirit, phantom, or specter
3. A book involving genetics or DNA
4. A book inspired by Sherlock Holmes
5. A book related to game, set, match
6. A book with a character based on the literary archetypes
7. A book featuring a character with a name starting with "W"
8. A dark academia book
9. A novella
10. A young adult novel
11. A book with an unnamed narrator or protagonist
12. A book related to comedy
13. A book with a tropical setting
14. A book by an author whose name is a trade or profession
15. A book whose author has published less than 7 (2+0+2+3) books

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

VOTE HERE:

IDEAS AND THOUGHTS FROM THE SUGGESTIONS THREAD

1. A book related to a geometric shape
Examples: Circle, Oval, Triangle, Square, Rectangle, Kite, Semicircle, Rhombus, Trapezoid, Parallelogram, Pentagon, Hexagon, Octagon, Sphere, Pyramid, Cylinder, Cube, Cone, Obelisk, Torus, Cuboid, Ovoid, etc.

- Could be a word in a title
- A shape depicted on the cover
- A setting like The Pentagon, Egyptian pyramids, The Louvre, Trafalgar Square, Union Square, Tiananmen Square, Red Square, Times Square, Main Market Square, obelisk as a link to a monument such as Washington D.C.
- A topic such as a Love Triangle or Closed Circle Mystery
- A representation of the shape: a sphere could represent the earth or sun or planet or ball, or an octagon could represent a stop sign, an ovoid could be an egg, a cylinder could be a grain silo, torus could be a doughnut or toroidal spaceship, cuboid could be a raft or building or book or house
- Shape-related places: a football field, soccer pitch, baseball diamond, hockey rink, drum circle
- Shapes comprised of other shapes: heart, wheel, cross, star, arrow, pentagram, ring, diamond, etc.

I have created a listopia (feel free to add to it):
Books Related to Geometric Shapes:
/list/show/1...
Please put the shape in the notes

2. A book related to a ghost, spirit, phantom, or specter
This could be in the title or on the cover. It could be a character in the book. It could be about the ghosts of our pasts or the spirits that guide us. It could be a spine-tingling horror story. It could be a family drama. It could be a rich gothic mystery. It could be a non-fiction examination of ghost legends.

Some of the books that immediately came to mind for me are:

Hungry Ghosts
Lincoln in the Bardo
Mexican Gothic
The Haunting of Hill House
The Shining
The Turn of the Screw
The Sentence
The Little Stranger
The Sun Down Motel

3. A book involving genetics or DNA
This can go many ways, including, science, family, health, crime investigation, and I'm sure things I haven't thought of

4. A book inspired by Sherlock Holmes
The two that seem to come up most often are:
The Beekeeper's Apprentice
The Seven-Percent Solution

I saw the Netflix series but haven’t yet read the Enola Holmes series. I’ve heard good things about the books. This is the first book in the series. The Case of the Missing Marquess

ŷ������ and independent lists and articles:

/list/show/1...








Graphic novels/comics/Manga inspired by Sherlock Holmes:


5. A book related to game, set, match
This could be a book about:

(1) tennis
/list/show/5...

(2) games
/list/show/1...

(3) sets - twins, series (set of books), pairs or sets on covers (shoes, socks),
/list/show/5...
/list/show/1...
/list/show/3...

(4) match - romance

(5) winning/victory/triumphant - books that have won an award

6. A book with a character based on the literary archetypes
The Innocent
Everyman,
Hero
Outlaw
Explorer
Creator
Ruler
Magician
Lover
Caregiver
Jester
Sage

example from the masterclass page:

1. The Lover

The romantic lead who’s guided by the heart.

1. Strengths: humanism, passion, conviction
2. Weaknesses: naivete, irrationality
3. Lover Archetype Examples: Romeo and Juliet (Romeo and Juliet), Noah Calhoun (The Notebook), Scarlett O’Hara (Gone With the Wind), Belle (Beauty and the Beast)



Joseph Campbell archetypes:

1. Hero
2. Mentor
3. Ally
4. Herald
5. Trickster
6. Shapeshifter
7. Guardian (Threshold)
8. Shadow

Example:

MENTOR

A teacher or trainer who aids the hero by teaching and protecting them. The mentor motivates the hero to overcome their fears and also prepares them for the journey.



Usage:
Shapeshifter - character who changes during the book (Han solo) or and actual shapeshifter

7. A book featuring a character with a name starting with "W"
Wendy (Darling)
Willie Wonka
Wilbur the pig
Wormtail (Harry Potter)
Wizard of Oz
Wicked Witch of the West
Dr. Watson
Winston Smith
White Witch
Wickham
White Rabbit
Water Rat (Wind in the Willows)
Ashley Wilkes (Gone with the Wind)
Carrie White
Ender Wiggins
Emma Woodhouse
Lucy Westerna (Dracula)
Witches or Weird Sisters
Agnes Wickfiled (David Copperfrield)

11. A book with an unnamed narrator or protagonist
/list/show/1...

13. A book with a tropical setting
This could be an actual tropical location near the equator (between 23 degree North and 23 degrees South latitudes), between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. Or a comparably hot location elsewhere or in the future.

The tropics cover about 40% of the earth, including all of Southeast Asia, most of Central and South America, Equatorial Africa (at least half the continent), The Caribbean, and half of India and Australia.

I might actually make this an all upvotes. While there are some I like more than others there’s not a single one I’m thinking �� please no��

Emily wrote: "It's now time to get ready to vote for our first set of prompts! The thread will be open for at least 24 hours before the poll gets posted. This is a good opportunity to ask any question you may ha..."

Should there be only 14 prompts?

Another great round. Probably all upvotes with a few that are super broad that I wouldn't vote for but wouldn't mind if they got in.

Since we already have the science prompt voted in I'll probably downvote the genetics prompt. I don't have anything against it, but it does seem like it would end up being 2 similar prompts.

Game and dark academia are both fine. Game I think is being used by 2 challenges this year so there are lists already.. Obviously there are dozens of dark academia lists.

Sherlock Holmes could be fun, I'd be fine with that getting in.

Not into YA so will downvote.

The ones I'm sure I will downvote right now are the author profession one, YA, and literary archetypes. Probably the geometric one too, because I'm not sure I understand it.

Since I normally do all downvotes, this is a very positive round!

Mahi wrote: "Emily wrote: "It's now time to get ready to vote for our first set of prompts! The thread will be open for at least 24 hours before the poll gets posted. This is a good opportunity to ask any quest..."

I started the voting thread before we got the 15th prompt in so that I could get ahead on the posting. There are 15 up now.

Can this link be added to prompt 11?

/list/show/7...

13. Read a book with a tropical setting

Choose a book set in the Tropics (see the definition below), OR set in another hotspot (such as Qatar or Venus), OR set in the future (climate, cataclysmic event). The Tropics are defined as the region between the Tropic of Cancer (about 23° N), and the Tropic of Capricorn (about 23°S). Think of 2023 to remember 0 ° to 23°North or South. See the pink area on the first map:

Maps:


Tropical setting Listopia - all regions
/list/show/1...

Related lists:
Southeast Asia �� fiction, non-fiction, speculative fiction
/list/show/1...
/list/show/3...
/list/show/1...
/genres/indo...
/list/show/1...
Hawaii
/genres/hawaii
Caribbean
/list/show/6...
South America, Central America
/list/show/3...
/list/show/2...
Adventure travel lists - South America, Africa.
/list/show/2...
Africa
/list/show/8...
Romance lists
/list/show/7... /list/show/7...

Regions/topics
The tropics cover about 40% of the earth, including Southeast Asia, Hawaii, the Caribbean, most of Central and South America, much of Africa, and half of India, Australia and Mexico. You could read about the culture of SE Asia, an island romance, an extreme adventure set in a Dense Amazon rainforest, or dramatic struggles in Africa. Or read about volcanos, geological hot spots, sci-fi on a Venus, or futuristic sci-fi involving climate or a cataclysmic event.

I think I need a little more information on what 'related to comedy' is meant to mean. Is it simply 'read a humor book' or is something other intended?

I suggested a novella because I have read some really terrific ones, across different genres, in the last few years doing this challenge. I love an author who can tell a great story and write concisely! Also, whenever I get behind on the challenge or don’t feel like reading anything on my shelves, I browse the library shelves and look for a thin book that looks interesting (a serendipitous find).

Lots of good options this time! Thanks everyone.

A Book Riot article I found titled 10 Fantastic Books with Anonymous Narrators:

Pam wrote: "I suggested a novella because I have read some really terrific ones, across different genres, in the last few years doing this challenge. I love an author who can tell a great story and write conci..."

I like this prompt. I've also read some great novellas this year!

For #11, it wasn't at all clear to me what was meant. I thought it meant the title was a person whose name isn't given there, like "Gone Girl" or "The Magician's Nephew", not that the protagonist is never named in the whole book. If I didn't read these threads, I would have voted for it not realizing what it really is. It's a clever idea, and there are a few in the listopia, but in my opinion nowhere near enough for a prompt.

Below are some lists for the ghost, spirit, phantom, or specter prompt. I suggested this one because I love a good ghost story, but I felt this could be interpreted in different ways for people with different interests. It could be a book about spiritualism for those so inclined. Or about a medium who convenes with the dead. It could also be a title or cover prompt. Lots of books have spectral images on the cover, even if the book is not specifically about ghosts.

Ghost Stories: /shelf/show/...

Top 10 Books About Spirit Mediums:

Haunted Houses: /list/show/2...

Historical Ghost Fiction: /list/show/7...

Spectral Titles: /list/show/1...

Non-Fiction on Victorian spiritualism: /list/show/7...

Some more options for prompt #7. A book featuring a character with a name starting with "W"

Dr. Watson (Sherlock Holmes series)
Weird Sisters (Macbeth)
Sam Weller (The Pickwick Papers)
Frederick Wentworth (Persuasion)
Werther (The Sorrows of Young Werther)
Sophia Western (Tom Jones)
Simon Wheeler (“The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County��; “Jim Wolfe and the Tom-cats��)
White Rabbit (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland)
Agnes Wickfield (David Copperfield)
Tom Wilcher (To Be a Pilgrim)
Damon Wildeve (The Return of the Native)
Pudd’nhead Wilson (Pudd’nhead Wilson)
Lord Peter Wimsey (Whose Body? and others)
Wingfield family (The Glass Menagerie)
Wise Men of Gotham (English legend)
Wolfdietrich (Ortnit; Wolfdietrich)
Nero Wolfe (Fer-de-Lance and others)
Emma Woodhouse (Emma)
Bertie Wooster (“Extricating Young Gussie�� and others)

For # 14, I assume it means the author's last name is something like Baker, Miller, Carpenter, Smith, etc. which are trades. There are equivalents in some other languages which could work too.

RachelG. wrote: "A Book Riot article I found titled 10 Fantastic Books with Anonymous Narrators: "

Here is a listopia for unnamed narrators too: /list/show/7...

Juliet Brown wrote: "I think I need a little more information on what 'related to comedy' is meant to mean. Is it simply 'read a humor book' or is something other intended?"

It could be a funny book. It could be a book written by a comedian. It could be a book about a comedian. It could be a history of comedy or a comedy show (like Live from New York: An Oral History of Saturday Night Live or Wild and Crazy Guys: How the Comedy Mavericks of the '80s Changed Hollywood Forever). It could be a book about a character who is a comedian. Etc.

Listopias for #13. A book with a tropical setting

/list/show/1...


Related lists:

Indonesia
/genres/indo...
/list/show/1...
Southeast Asia
/list/show/1...
/list/show/3...
Hawaii
/genres/hawaii
Amazon Rainforest
/list/show/3..

Here’s a list of occupational surnames

Michelle wrote: "Since we already have the science prompt voted in I'll probably downvote the genetics prompt. I don't have anything against it, but it does seem like it would end up being 2 similar prompts.

Game ..."
Oh, Don't down vote the genetic one! There is so much more to science than DNA/Genetics and I feel that they are different types of prompts. Science can even be science fiction!

I'm open to it, is there a good list for genetics?

There’s a lot of prompts I like so not sure where my upvotes will go. I will be downvoting:

- character with a W: I’m a bit over the W prompts at this point as we have W award and the W questions

- genetics/DNA: I’m someone that has downvoted it each time. I understand how people can read a book with a family, but to me that feels like a very broad interpretation. I’m probably being strict and annoying about it, but doesn’t most of the population have over 99% of the same DNA or genetics (don’t quote me on this) and that we’re almost that percentage with chimpanzees? With those numbers all characters in a book share basically the same DNA whether they are family or not.

Also, I couldn’t necessarily use any crime book, it would need to talk specifically about some sort of DNA evidence and that’s not usually something I would know ahead of time. Which I feel leads me to a nonfiction about dna or genetics which I’m not really into.

Here are some fiction and non-fiction ideas for DNA and genetics:

Alicia wrote: "There’s a lot of prompts I like so not sure where my upvotes will go. I will be downvoting:

- character with a W: I’m a bit over the W prompts at this point as we have W award and the W questions..."

I’m with you on the W prompts and genetics. I rarely like prompts tied to the year number.

There are quite a few I don’t want. I’m probably going to mainly down vote this poll and be happy if any of the others make it.

I feel like dark academic can already be done with the dark prompt and we had an academic setting this year.

Michelle wrote: "Since we already have the science prompt voted in I'll probably downvote the genetics prompt. I don't have anything against it, but it does seem like it would end up being 2 similar prompts.

Game ..."

Hi Michelle. I am the one who has suggested the Genetics and DNA prompt. I was going to let it go after Science got in, but then this week a few people brought it up in Wild Discussion saying that they still wanted it, so I figured I'd give it a try, paring down my original prompt and adding in DNA in case that gave anyone new ideas about how to use it. I understand if it still doesn't interest you.

Sonia wrote: "Michelle wrote: "Since we already have the science prompt voted in I'll probably downvote the genetics prompt. I don't have anything against it, but it does seem like it would end up being 2 simila..."

Sonia �� glad you see the opportunities in both the Science prompt AND the Genetics/DNA prompt!

Alicia wrote: "There’s a lot of prompts I like so not sure where my upvotes will go. I will be downvoting:

- character with a W: I’m a bit over the W prompts at this point as we have W award and the W questions..."

Alicia �� sorry I muddled the genetics prompt up for you with my initial wording that just had too much in it. I wasn't intending this to be "about" family. But there are aspects of family that can be determined by genetics. It could be a story about a family with a genetic condition (Huntington's Disease, blindness, dwarfism). Or it could be about someone who uses one of the consumer genetic tests and finds family they didn't know about, or a parent who gave them up for adoption, or a birth father who was a sperm donor. I think I mentioned originally there are sagas that follow several generations of families who you can trace because each family has a trait passed down (good with numbers, long skinny nose, etc.). By adding DNA to the prompt that brought up the idea of a crime or forensic drama that uses DNA evidence, or a story about someone wrongly imprisoned whose case can be reexamined because we now have DNA interpreting technology. As far as knowing ahead of time, that's what Listopias and book searches are good for. Other people have already read the books and can let you know that they fit the prompt. I keep forgetting that myself, but I'm trying to be better about using that resource. Hope this helps :)

Michelle wrote: "I'm open to it, is there a good list for genetics?"

Sorry I didn't have a chance to put that together for the Suggestion round. I see that Pam started with a good link to the NYPL (message25) and I will build on that from there.

Thanks Pam!

Pam wrote: "Here are some fiction and non-fiction ideas for DNA and genetics: "

Thanks for this great starting point Pam! Hadn't even remembered Jurassic Park...

Here are some more:

Genetics: /genres/gene...
DNA: /genres/dna
DNA Testing: /genres/dna-...
Genetics in SciFi: /list/show/1...
Popular Genetics Books: /list/show/1...
Genetics for Non-Scientists: /list/show/2...
Fiction - Huntington's Disease (a genetically inherited condition): /list/show/9...

and a couple of books involving DNA and Crime:
/book/show/5...
/book/show/2...

I don't read Police Procedurals (fiction) or True Crime myself, but maybe if some of us do they can recommend any of those books that involve DNA evidence.

Hope this helps!

Michelle wrote: "SProbably the geometric one too, because I'm not sure I understand it. ..."

Michelle, the geometric shape is pretty straight-forward. It would be fairly easy (I think) to find a book with Circle, Triangle, Square, Pentagon, Heart, Sun, Earth, Cross, Ball, Planet, etc. in the title. The other options list ways to use the prompt beyond a title prompt.

Here are a couple more existing lists for geometric shape in case they are helpful:

Book with Shape in the Title:
/list/show/1...

Shape Up!
/list/show/3...

It's nice to see some new and interesting prompts this time. Going to have to think carefully.

I discovered last year that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar co-authored a series of books about Mycroft Holmes (Sherlock's brother) which I enjoyed.

For comedy I listen to a podcast on the All Things Comedy network that ends with recommendations and a lot of the time it's books. There are so many that I want to read so that could be a great way of getting to one.

Seems like I'm out of sync with the group on this one. I'm a bit stuck on what I would upvote (nothing jumps out at me) but I do have a lot of possible downvotes.

I will have to look more into dark academia, unnamed narrator and archetypes as they could be interesting but not sure if I have any good options.

Completely missed this round, I was in dreamland LOL! At just a quick glance I see a lot of upvotes for me this time :)

I wasn't sure what #8 Dark Academia book meant, so I googled it and found a description: Categorized as “dark academia,�� these books are moody and mysterious narratives that usually take place within the confines of an esteemed university or boarding school. Think: darkened libraries, cloak-and-dagger campus societies, looming Gothic towers, and college quads buzzing with intrigue.

And also a list: /list/show/1...

I'm glad I looked this up as I've got lots of books I want to read on this list. Hopefully this helps anyone else who wasn't sure what this prompt meant.

Isn't the idea behind literary archetypes is that all protagonists fit one? So it can be a very easy prompt if you let it be. I would probably approach it like I did with tarot cards this year and pick one in advance.

I have loads of Tor novellas to read so I'll probably upvote novellas.
/list/show/1...

I like that geometric shape isn't just a cover prompt (but could be if you wanted to keep it simple).

For examples of occupational surnames including from other languages, there's a Wikipedia category:


For example, Buttigieg is a Maltese surname meaning chicken owner.

That’s true Ellie which I worry may lose it votes, it’s broadness may mean it’s dubbed a �� freebie��

On reconsideration I am downvoting Sherlock because it seems a very limited range ( unless people are open to a looser interpretation)
Will upvote:
DNA or genetics ( please please please)
Dark Academia
Novella
Less than 7 books
Oh looks like I still have some picks

There are already 250+ books on the listopia for geometric shape so surely everyone can find something!

Some ideas that go beyond title or cover - National Book Critics Circle Award, Publishing Triangle Award, Publishing Triangle 100 Best Lesbian and Gay Novels, Clarke Award (logo is triangle inside a circle), Golden Kite Award, Newbury Award (the winner receives a circular bronze medal), books published by Washington Square Press or Hanover Square Press or Sphere.

Genetic engineering/modification is a theme in sci-fi. You could go that route for the genetics/DNA prompt.






/list/show/1...

The geometric shape prompt is interesting. I am reading the Wheel of Time series which will fit. It could also be a setting like th Bramuda Triangle. What about tying it to the Pythagorian Therom? Hmm and airplane crashes have a black box.

We have enough W's and names, YA is not a genre I read anymore, and number of books is out too.

A setting prompt would be nice. Tropical can mean jungles. I have a couple of books that take place in a jungle. It can be an off world jungle too.

Possible upvotes:
~ Geometric shape. There are a million ways to intepret this so it's a super broad prompt but still I like it.
~ Author name is a profession. I found 10 or 12 possibilities with a quick glance at my Owned & Unread list and it seems like a different prompt than we usually see.
~ Genetics/DNA. I'm finding some interesting sounding books about eugenics and biotechnology so there's a good chance I'll vote for this.
~ A book related to a ghost. I already have some ghosty books chosen for my Rejects Challenge for the soul prompt so I could use those here instead.

Possible downvotes:
~ Sherlock Holmes and comedic book because I have zero interest.
~ Dark academia. This seems to come up in some challenge I do every single year and I'm over it. If someone wants to read dark academia, they can use the dark/light prompt.
~ Unnamed protag. Another one that comes up in challenges frequently and it is so hard.
~ Character name starting with W. So many W prompts this year! And I don't feel like going through my entire list to look up character names.
~ Author has published less than 7 books. We already have debut novel and this feels like it overlaps with that. Also, I have probably 100+ authors that qualify.


Tropical setting seems very hard to research and I feel like every book would fit literary archetype but I probably won't downvote them. Game set match is too much like the game prompt in the '22 challenge but I understand it could be intepreted very differently than that prompt so again I most likely won't downvote it.

I was surprised to see the Sherlock prompt. I love pseudo-Sherlock stories myself, but for those that don't, basically any mystery would work, since so much of the science of deduction comes from those stories. Still I doubt it will get voted in.

Last year I didn't vote for Sherlock because I was tired of that idea but this year I am all for it. I have been saving Holmes on the Range, which is a western, for a Sherlock prompt.

Robin P wrote: "I was surprised to see the Sherlock prompt. I love pseudo-Sherlock stories myself, but for those that don't, basically any mystery would work, since so much of the science of deduction comes from t..."

If it doesn't Robin I would me more than happy to hear alternative ways of phrasing it. It's a down vote for me because the original pitch suggested it had to be variation on the original books. If that's not what was intended I'm all ears

dalex wrote: "Possible upvotes:
~ Geometric shape. There are a million ways to intepret this so it's a super broad prompt but still I like it.
~ Author name is a profession. I found 10 or 12 possibilities with a..."

The tropical prompt turned out to be a lot of work for me, but a lot of people have added to the listopia so I think it's looking pretty good. I just edited my message above (around message 9 I think) with the Tropical listopia link, a map link, and a lot of other lists on specific locations. Take a look at the first one to see if anything jumps out at you. If there is one region that already interests you the most, then you might find a list on that post that gives you a lot of choices. I hope you give it a look before you decide. Thanks.

NancyJ wrote: "The tropical prompt turned out to be a lot of work for me, but a lot of people have added to the listopia so I think it's looking pretty good."

On a list of over 150 books, there are only about five books that I'm interested in and none of them are high on my To Read List. I won't downvote it but I don't like the prompt well enough to vote for it.

You've definitely done a lot to gather information to persuade voters so I hope it ends up being worth all the effort.

I’m definitely finding more upvotes than down in this lot. At first I wasn’t sure about the tropical one but Nancy’s hard work has opened it up for me.

I'm all for the tropical prompt. I do an Around the World side challenge, so I will use it for a country on that list.