ŷ������

I decided to up-vote a little differently this time. Some were just fun/interesting, and some were purposely to stretch my reading to be different than normal. I didn't really pay attention to my TBR to make my decisions. Hope it works!

Lynn wrote: "dalex wrote: "Tracy wrote: "Curious what book would both be a Bunny book AND a Dark Academia book"

The Secret History is dark academia and has a character named Bunny. I don't know if that is the ..."

Hmmm, something to consider since I also loved The Goldfinch, and was turned off by the description for her The Secret History.

Tracy wrote: "@Pamela and @Michelle - Wow, TWO books with bunnies and dark academia. Never would have guessed!"

Nooo- there's THREE!! Bunny, Hell Bent and The Secret History (which I'm with Lynn in, I didn't like even though I enjoyed most of The Goldfinch. I do enjoy noir)

Pamela wrote: "Tracy wrote: Curious what book would both be a Bunny book AND a Dark Academia book.."

LOL- Hell Bent, the sequel to Ninth House. I'm assuming since Ninth House is dark academia, so..."


LOL and here i thought the book was going to be Bunny (which is definitely dark academia, and obviously qualifies as a "bunny book")

Nadine in NY wrote: "Pamela wrote: "Tracy wrote: Curious what book would both be a Bunny book AND a Dark Academia book.."

LOL- Hell Bent, the sequel to Ninth House. I'm assuming since Ninth House is da..."
If that prompt gets in I'll probably REALLY S-T-R-E-T-C-H it! LOL But sometimes that's the fun of doing challenges. At least for me.

As in...for the Sherlock Holmes prompt, I would be tempted to read a book somehow including "home"lessness! Just because... LOL

It's interesting all of you saying you liked The Goldfinch but not Secret History. I loved Secret History and am currently trying to get into The Goldfinch. I'm currently about ~120 pages in and really struggling to maintain any interest. Maybe it's just a thing with these books where you only like one?

Pamela wrote: "Tracy wrote: "@Pamela and @Michelle - Wow, TWO books with bunnies and dark academia. Never would have guessed!"

Nooo- there's THREE!! Bunny, Hell Bent and The..."</i>

Four , we can add [book:The Rabbit Back Literature Society to this sublist lol

Jackie - I can’t really say I don’t like Secret History yet (I can here all moms through history saying “you don’t know if you like it until you’ve tasted it!��), but based on the description I’m not attracted. I guess I just don’t like characters that are entitle people. Didn’t like The Great Gatsby for that reason.

Jackie wrote: "It's interesting all of you saying you liked The Goldfinch but not Secret History. I loved Secret History and am currently trying to get into The Goldfinch. I'm currently about ~120 pages in and re..."

I read The Goldfinch but found it was overly long , and some of the scenes were getting tedious. I have The Secret History but I am in no hurry to read it, and may not bother

Jackie wrote: "It's interesting all of you saying you liked The Goldfinch but not Secret History. I loved Secret History and am currently trying to get into The Goldfinch. I'm currently about ~120 pages in and re..."

I didn't care for The Secret History but loved The Goldfinch. The beginning especially grabbed me, I couldn't stop reading. If anything, it's the ending that's weak, in my opinion.

Upvotes for me:

- Ghost/spirit - I always tend to like these, if I can find one that doesn't freak me out too much
- Genetics/DNA - I like the more concise wording and I have a few books in mind that would work well for this
- Dark academia - one of my favourite genres
- Author name that is a trade or profession - Seems interesting and it's not a prompt I've ever seen before
- Game, set, match - Last minute addition because it seems fun, even though I have no idea how I'll tackle this

Downvotes:
- Tropical setting - as I've said, I am completely over geography-based prompts. It's never been a goal of mine to read by country, and geography prompts feel a bit overdone to me after so many years of challenges
- Sherlock Holmes - options seem limited, although I like the idea in theory. I think I'd get hung up on the "inspired by" wording
- Author who has published less than 7 books - I don't hate this and I'd technically be okay if it got in, but this easily fits the vast majority of the authors on my list so I'd like something a little more challenging

I'm excited about the geometric shape, DNA, and game, set, match. And there are several others I'm neutral on. A handful I'm not enthused about, at least on first glance. Will be interesting to see how the vote goes.

All upvotes for me this round!! This was a great mix of creative and broad standard prompts, and I'm really excited for the results this time.

A book related to a geometric shape (I LOVE it! It's specific and yet leaves so many options, literally and figuratively. For me, this is the perfect kind of prompt.)
A book involving genetics or DNA (because the genetics/genealogy prompt never made it in, and I'm still dying to finally read The Ancestor)
A book with a character based on the literary archetypes (LOVE it!)
A book featuring a character with a name starting with "W" (I like the nod to 2023)
A dark academia book (one of my favorite genres and loads of options sitting unread on my Kindle already)
A young adult novel (more of a freebie, but I enjoy YA and could use an easy prompt among the others)
A book by an author whose name is a trade or profession (like the scavenger hunt aspect of that one)
A book whose author has published less than 7 (2+0+2+3) books (I like the nod to 2023)

So I stuck with only downvoting Sherlock ( sorry but every time anyone gives examples its some writer reinventing Holmes as something else which is not what I want)
upvote;
genetics, novella, less than seven, game set match, archetypes, ghost

Specter meaning -
1)a visible incorporeal spirit, especially one of a terrifying nature; ghost; phantom; apparition.
2)some object or source of terror or dread

Phantom meanings -
1)an apparition or specter.
2)an appearance or illusion without material substance, as a dream image, mirage, or optical illusion.
3)a person or thing of merely illusory power, status, efficacy, etc.
4)an illustration, part of which is given a transparent effect so as to permit representation of details otherwise hidden from view, as the inner workings of a mechanical device.

adjective
5) of, relating to, or of the nature of a phantom; illusory:
6)Electricity. noting or pertaining to a phantom circuit.
named, included, or recorded but nonexistent; fictitious:

Meanings of spirit -

1)the principle of conscious life; the vital principle in humans, animating the body or mediating between body and soul.
2)the incorporeal part of humans:
3)the soul regarded as separating from the body at death.
4)conscious, incorporeal being, as opposed to matter
5)a supernatural, incorporeal being, especially one inhabiting a place, object, etc., or having a particular character
6)a fairy, sprite, or elf.
7)an angel or demon.
8)an attitude or principle that inspires, animates, or pervades thought, feeling, or action
9)(initial capital letter) the divine influence as an agency working in the human heart.
10)a divine, inspiring, or animating being or influence. Numbers 11:25; Isaiah 32:15.
11)(initial capital letter) the third person of the Trinity; Holy Spirit.
12)the soul or heart as the seat of feelings or sentiments, or as prompting to action
13)spirits, feelings or mood with regard to exaltation or depression
14)excellent disposition or attitude in terms of vigor, courage, firmness of intent, etc.; mettle
15)temper or disposition
16)an individual as characterized by a given attitude, disposition, character, action, etc.
17)the dominant tendency or character of anything
18)vigorous sense of membership in a group
19)the general meaning or intent of a statement, document, etc. (opposed to letter)
20)Chemistry. the essence or active principle of a substance as extracted in liquid form, especially by distillation.
21)Often spirits . a strong distilled alcoholic liquor.
22)Chiefly British. alcohol.
23)Pharmacology. a solution in alcohol of an essential or volatile principle; essence (def. 3).
24)any of certain subtle fluids formerly supposed to permeate the body.
25)the Spirit, God

adjective
26)pertaining to something that works by burning alcoholic spirits
of or relating to spiritualist bodies or activities.

verb (used with object)
27)to animate with fresh ardor or courage; inspirit.
28)to encourage; urge on or stir up, as to action.
29)to carry off mysteriously or secretly (often followed by away or off)

It's weird that I never heard (or noticed) the term "dark academia" before, given that I spent big chunks of my life in universities. Is it strictly a fantasy or secret societies topic? I have Secret History on my tbr, but I can't tell if I would like it based on the mixed reviews.

Are there other topics that would fit? I've seen books about school politics, and I think it's just as ridiculous and nasty in real life. I suppose it could get very dark when a lot of money is at stake. Is there fiction about admissions scandals, the adjunct ghetto, or homeless students living in their cars? Or the intentional failure of schools to record reports of violence, rape, harassment, overdoses, or hazing because it might hurt admissions?

NancyJ wrote: "It's weird that I never heard (or noticed) the term "dark academia" before, given that I spent big chunks of my life in universities. Is it strictly a fantasy or secret societies topic? I have Secr..."



No it doesn't need to be fantasy at all, and a lot of "dark academia" books are not fantasy. It's dark and brooding gothic novel, set in a school setting (usually a university campus but it could also be a boarding school, etc)

Books like Catherine House & All's Well have a touch of SFF/horror to the plotline, but they are set in our world.

Books like The Secret History are set entirely in the realistic world. Some people include books like Jane Eyre, which is certainly gothic, and sure she's a governess, but I don't think it really fits dark academia since most of it is not in a school.

I think it's a fairly new term for the subgenre, it popped up in the last ten years, popularized on tumblr etc.

The Maidens would be another contemporary dark academia book that's non-fantasy. Also The Broken Girls.

Oh, yes. The Maidens was very good.

Mandy wrote: "Specter meaning -
1)a visible incorporeal spirit, especially one of a terrifying nature; ghost; phantom; apparition.
2)some object or source of terror or dread

Phantom meanings -
1)an apparition..."

You go girl! (Geez, I'm showing my age with that one. Sorry.)

I'm upvoting Ghosts (surprise!). I don't gravitate to horror, supernatural or scary stories, but I read some fabulous books that had a ghost or two. Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn West, and The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo are gorgeous books, and the ghost parts were more meaningful than scary. I also liked The Broken Girls by Simone St. James, but each book seems to get scarier. The Book of Cold Cases is very good, but went too far for me.

I might read The Ghost Bride for Ghosts or Tropics. Or one of Tookie's ghost handling books.

NancyJ wrote: "Mandy wrote: "Specter meaning -
1)a visible incorporeal spirit, especially one of a terrifying nature; ghost; phantom; apparition.
2)some object or source of terror or dread

Phantom meanings -
1..."

thanks. i wanted to show that each word had different means other than ghost. and that books could be found using the other definitions instead.

keeping one's mind open to other possibilities for some of these prompts are a must, imo. being too literal about some of the prompts could make them too narrow for some readers.

with all the definitions, i'm hoping that it opens up new interpretations other than the spectral version.

i didn't even do ghost, but ghosting someone is a thing now and it has nothing to do with the paranormal.

Nadine in NY wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "It's weird that I never heard (or noticed) the term "dark academia" before, given that I spent big chunks of my life in universities. Is it strictly a fantasy or secret societies top..."

I would argue the part of Jane Eyre that takes place in school and that thing happens to her friend, it's v dark!

Mandy wrote: "Specter meaning -
1)a visible incorporeal spirit, especially one of a terrifying nature; ghost; phantom; apparition.
2)some object or source of terror or dread

Phantom meanings -
1)an apparition..."

This is great! I suggested this prompt and I thought it could be interpreted in many different ways. I have read some fabulous books that include a ghost or spirit that were not at all horror movies. The Harry Potter books have ghosts - I just thought of that one while I was typing! ;) And I had not even considered ghosting someone - that's a fabulous creative interpretation!

NancyJ wrote: "It's weird that I never heard (or noticed) the term "dark academia" before, given that I spent big chunks of my life in universities. Is it strictly a fantasy or secret societies topic? I have Secr..."

I have read a few. I am not a huge fan of "dark" content in general, but these would fit the prompt "dark academia."

3 stars=I liked it:
Madam by Phoebe Wynne
The Ancient Nine by Ian K. Smith

4 stars=I liked it a lot:
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Possession by A.S. Byatt
Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine

The Secret History was just ok for me - 2 stars.

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?"

The OP might have wanted to say "read a funny book" but it's too subjective. You could read a humorous novel or memoir, a book by or about a comedian, or a book about a comedy show.

David Sedaris is my Go-To humorist when I need a laugh and an interesting story - Audio is a must. I also liked Carrie Fisher and Nora Ephron audios in the car.

These lists might help:
/genres/comedy
/genres/humor

Recommendations and ideas
(view spoiler)[

I found these books funny:
Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood
Project Hail Mary
Nothing to See Here
The Rosie Project
Heidi's Guide to Four Letter Words
The Penelopiad
The Unhoneymooners
A Man Called Ove (based on the humor list I'm not alone)
Better Nate Than Ever
Bridget Jones's Diary
Stephanie Plum Series (long ago)
Sookie Stackhouse series (long ago)

For this prompt I might read:
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
Cyrano de Bergerac
The Guncle
Three Men in a Boat
Or something by: Roddy Doyle, Richard Russo, Jenny Lawson, Ellie Brosh, Jasper Fforde, or John Scalzi

I second Steve's suggestion for Wild and Crazy Guys: How the Comedy Mavericks of the '80s Changed Hollywood Forever (I'm in the right demographic, which probably helps.)


(hide spoiler)]

Joy D wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "It's weird that I never heard (or noticed) the term "dark academia" before, given that I spent big chunks of my life in universities. Is it strictly a fantasy or secret societies top..."

Thanks Joy. I forgot that Never Let Me Go started in a school. I only saw the film. It definitely fit "dark." I was in a packed film festival theater and the room was completely silent for a while after the end. It was eerie. (They must have clapped, but I only remember the stunned silence first.)

I was going to read Possession for this year's academic prompt, and I think I would rather read that than Secret History if this prompt gets in.

NancyJ wrote: "It's weird that I never heard (or noticed) the term "dark academia" before, given that I spent big chunks of my life in universities. Is it strictly a fantasy or secret societies topic? I have Secr..."

I'd say the more fantasy based books are a recent addition to dark academia. In addition to the examples others have already listed, there's If We Were Villains by M.I. Rio, and The Lessons by Naomi Alderman. The Maidens would also fit, but it's not that good a book.

A lot of classics also fit into the dark academia aesthetic, like Frankenstein, Wuthering Heights or the Picture of Dorian Grey.

And there's a true crime book from a few years ago that would also fit - We Keep the Dead Close by Becky Cooper. About the unsolved murder of a girl at Harvard

I'm influenced by non-fiction authors this poll. One is journalist David Grann - The Devil & Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness & Obsession, and The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon.
The genetics books posted by Pam, and We Keep the Dead Close: A Murder at Harvard and a Half Century of Silence all interest me. Novella and Game Set Match work for fiction authors I like. This is a good round.

Victoria wrote: "A lot of classics also fit into the dark academia aesthetic, like Frankenstein, Wuthering Heights or the Picture of Dorian Grey...."


I've seen Wuthering Heights listed before and I don't get it. How is that story about "academia"? Actually, same goes for Frankenstein - was there a school?? I've never read Dorian Gray so ... no comment there!

Nadine in NY wrote: "Victoria wrote: "A lot of classics also fit into the dark academia aesthetic, like Frankenstein, Wuthering Heights or the Picture of Dorian Grey...."


I've seen Wuthering Heights listed before and..."

In Frankenstein, as I recall, the first 5-10% or so happens while Victor is at university. And then he creates The Creature and very quickly leaves.

I can understand why they'd class as Dark Academia, though. Not quite set in schools, but fit the whole Gothic vibe. My argument there, though, would be that it's a very similar prompt to "read a Gothic Novel" which I think we had this year!

Siobhan wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "Victoria wrote: "A lot of classics also fit into the dark academia aesthetic, like Frankenstein, Wuthering Heights or the Picture of Dorian Grey...."


I've seen Wuthering Heig..."


Exactly! those are just GOTHIC novels. We've already got a genre name for that kind of novel and there's no need to create a new one!

In my opinion, there's a "something" about dark academia that makes it only applicable to recently published novels. I can't explain what that "something" is but books like Jane Eyre and Frankenstein just don't feel like dark academia.

Also, I absolutely loved The Secret History. I thought it was brilliant and unputdownable. So twisty and complex and multi-layered. One of my all time favorites for sure.

Does Harry Potter count as Dark Academia?

No, Harry Potter is way too hopeful lol. I'd say maybeeee the 5th and 6th books, but probably not the earlier ones (and not the 7th since they never really go to school).

If dark gets in, then we get two dark books? What about two light books? Very confused.

Ann, that's one reason I downvoted Dark Academia. Though if it gets in we don't really need another light book, IMO, though I wouldn't mind a lighthouse prompt!

Emily wrote: "No, Harry Potter is way too hopeful lol. I'd say maybeeee the 5th and 6th books, but probably not the earlier ones (and not the 7th since they never really go to school)."

Aha, ok - thank you. I voted for Dark Academia to hastily perhaps, now I'm not sure what kind of books to chose from. If it's not gothic and it doesn't include known books like Harry Potter I can't come to think of any.

I just read through a list here at ŷ������ of Dark Academia-books and I'm surprised to find books like Dorian Gray and Gatsby on that list. How can they be considered Dark Academia? This subject surely bewilderes me! Lol

Nadine in NY wrote: "I've seen Wuthering Heights listed before and I don't get it. How is that story about "academia"? Actually, same goes for Frankenstein - was there a school?? I've never read Dorian Gray so ... no comment there!..."

From what I can tell, there is a dark academia aesthetic, in which carrying round classic gothic novels is part of the whole vibe. So if you wanted to interpret the prompt that way, it would be OK, but it's not what I would say the dark academia subgenre is to book people who aren't into the whole aesthetic thing.

Dorian Gray I believe fits because he's an academic or something, isn't he? I do think it's a stretch. Gatsby does not belong on that list though!

The thing with dark academia is that it's more of an aesthetic inspired by The Secret History than a well defined genre, kind of like cottagecore. Outside of the original, there's no clarity.

ETA: Ellie types faster than I do!

Wikipedia:

I would describe dark academia as having two criteria: (1) set primarily in an academic setting and (2) gothic.

Harry Potter meets the first as it’s mainly an academic setting but wouldn’t fit gothic. Rebecca is gothic but not academic.

I have no idea how Great Gatsby could possibly fit as it’s neither.

For anyone who doesn't want to vote for the Sherlock Holmes prompt because they don't want to read another rehash of Sherlock, Watson, Moriarty, Charlotte or Mary Russell, consider these ideas:

Non-fiction:
Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes by Maria Konnikova

The Science of Sherlock Holmes: From Baskerville Hall to the Valley of Fear, the Real Forensics Behind the Great Detective's Greatest Cases by E.J. Wagner

Blood, Bullets, and Bones: The Story of Forensic Science from Sherlock Holmes to DNA by Bridget Heos

and one anthology of fiction:
The Penguin Book of Victorian Women in Crime: Forgotten Cops and Private Eyes from the Time of Sherlock Holmes edited by Michael Sims

I'm really curious about forensics and deductive reasoning, so if it gets through I'll probably read on of the non-fiction titles, although the Victorian Women in Crime sounds like fun too!

On the dark academia question- I think a lot of books that aren’t really in the subgenre, such as Dorian Gray or The Great Gatsby (mainly classics), get added to these lists because they fit the DA aesthetic as props, rather than because the stories are dark academia. Like I’d toss Dorian Gray into a dark academia themed photo shoot, but I wouldn’t say the story is DA. But if being a common DA-themed prop counts for you as being “a dark academia book��, then I could understand that argument I guess 😂 (Dorian isn’t an academic, nor is anyone in the book; he’s just rich and sometimes plays the piano, lol)

It’s a mushy term with nebulous boundaries, of course, but I personally wouldn’t label a book “dark academia�� unless it was to some degree about the dark side *of* academia. Not just dark things happening in an academic setting. So Harry Potter, for instance, while very much in the tradition of boarding school fiction, wouldn’t fall for me into dark academia, because it doesn’t explore *academia* itself, if that makes sense? Whereas Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé [sorry I’m on mobile and can’t link it] is about the rotten core of racism and homophobia at the heart of this elite high school. The darkness and academia are one thing, not it’s dark and also, separately, it’s an academic setting.

Roxana wrote: "I personally wouldn’t label a book “dark academia�� unless it was to some degree about the dark side *of* academia. Not just dark things happening in an academic setting."

I agree with that. If it is a genre, it needs to be more than gothic in an academic setting. I can actually think of quite a few movies that fit (Dead Poets Society, Scent of a Woman, maybe With Honors, a thriller about the Illuminati I can't recall the name of), but very few books.

Ace of Spades for the link.

Somebody has to say it Amy - what’s cottagecore?

Joyce wrote: "Somebody has to say it Amy - what’s cottagecore?"

That "Little House on the Prairie" aesthetic that's all over the place right now. Fields and flowers and mushrooms and frogs, etc.

Joyce wrote: "Somebody has to say it Amy - what’s cottagecore?"

Fair! LOL. It's an aesthetic that romanticizes the idea of escaping modern life to a little cottage in the woods/on the farm. It idealizes rural living and homecraft as an antidote to the rat race. The easiest way to experience it would be to search #cottagecore on Tumblr or Instagram, but there is kind of an interesting Wikipedia article on it too:

Joyce wrote: "Somebody has to say it Amy - what’s cottagecore?"

Thanks for taking one for the team Joyce, I was wondering that myself!

RIP Queen Elizabeth. And long live King Charles