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for the sister city prompts, would it be okay to cheat on this one a little? like, my city is los angeles, so i can find a book set in la easily, and the sister city would be like a book set in busan, south korea or berlin or even vancouver. can i be able to fulfill a prompt that way or does it have to be specific?

Christine wrote: "Ace is an entire spectrum unto itself? I feel like they're getting a little too specific on some of these!"

Yes, it is. I'm demisexual, which is on the ace spectrum. Graysexual is another. I'm very excited about this prompt.

This is the first year I probably won't be finishing the challenge and I told myself I wasn't going to do it for 2022, but I always get sucked in when I see the new prompts! I'm actually intrigued by a lot of these. And who knows, maybe I can push through and finish 12 books this month. I already have 4 of them started.

Alisia wrote: "Christine wrote: "Ace is an entire spectrum unto itself? I feel like they're getting a little too specific on some of these!"

Yes, it is. I'm demisexual, which is on the ace spectrum. Graysexual i..."

How is demisexual on the ACE spectrum? Isn't demisexual, hopefully, what most people are?

Katy wrote: "Alisia wrote: "Christine wrote: "Ace is an entire spectrum unto itself? I feel like they're getting a little too specific on some of these!"

Yes, it is. I'm demisexual, which is on the ace spectru..."

Demisexual is someone who only feel sexual or romantic attraction to someone when they have an emotional bond with the person. Not everyone feels that emotional bond with someone. It's pretty much like how in movies, someone doesn't like a specific gender and another person says maybe you're not gay/straight/whatever, maybe you're *insert character name here*-sexual. That's why demisexual is part of the ace spectrum

Don't think I'm going to like social horror....

I feel like these prompts are leaning heavily towards fiction.

Here's my initial reaction to the prompts. The last few years I've done books by BIPOC authors only, which I've loved and plan to do again this year, but also this year I'm adding the challenge of aiming for half of my list to be books I already own. A few of these will be very tough to fit into those categories.

Excited about these:
-nonpatriarchal society
-tiger
-sapphic
-Latinx author
-found family
-Anisfield-Wolf winner (how did I not know about this award??)
-Pacific Islander author
-favorite season (fall for me!)
-ace spectrum character
-about gender identity
-featuring a party
-two languages
-sister cities

Dreading these:
-romance (I try to avoid romance, but funny enough I have a copy of the book featured for this prompt on the website and I think I'll be able to get through that one)
-victorian times (ughhh not for me)
-duology

These will be tough - looking forward to suggestions/listopias:
-onomatopoeia
-protag uses mobility aid
-Hugo award winner (I'm super picky when it comes to SFF)
-misleading title (?)
-board game title (?)
-palindromic title (?)

Christine wrote: "A book with a palindromic title

*weeps softly*"


LOL

Sara wrote: "for the sister city prompts, would it be okay to cheat on this one a little? like, my city is los angeles, so i can find a book set in la easily, and the sister city would be like a book set in bus..."


yeah I wouldn't even consider that "cheating"!!! I just plan to get close, and that will be good enough. In fact, I might just read the two books they recommended on their site: Five Little Indians (Vancoulver) & The House of Broken Angels (San Diego)

Katy wrote: "How is demisexual on the ACE spectrum? Isn't demisexual, hopefully, what most people are..."


That's always been my reaction, too. "Demisexual" feels so quotidian to me that I don't even understand why it needs a label, and I never considered it a subset of asexuality. But I guess it's a case of me assuming that everyone is like me. And, of course, that's never a good assumption!!

Lauren, depending on how you want to define "mobility aid", Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law, she uses a cane and eventually a seeing eye dog to get around.

Katy wrote: "I'm not loving some of these categories."

Makes two of us. I was looking forward to release day, only to feel disappointed by some of the challenges. There are a few I already know I will not be doing. One of the criticisms I saw many people make this year was that some topics were too specific or difficult to define, which in turn makes it challenging for people to find books (especially, I think, those in other countries).

Christine wrote: "A book with a palindromic title

*weeps softly*"

I hope there is a good book called "Hannah"

Jennifer W wrote: "Lauren, depending on how you want to define "mobility aid", Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law, she uses a cane and eventually a seeing eye dog to get around."

Great recommendation - thank you!

Admins - when you have time (no rush) would you be so kind as to set up a topic/thread for those of us reading books by BIPOC authors for the challenge again? Some of these prompts will be extra tricky and that thread was helpful for this year. :)

Big shout out to Nadine and Lynn for working so hard to get this set up for us!!!

Just had a quick glance at the prompts and am keen!

/list/show/3...

/list/show/1...

poshpenny wrote: "Christine wrote: "Ace is an entire spectrum unto itself? I feel like they're getting a little too specific on some of these!"

I think things like Aromantic and demi considered Ace spectrum?"

The aromantic isn't on the ace spectrum but you have the right idea :D There are aroace people, aros and aces. For example, a person can be ace and biromantic - or aro and bisexual. Asexual is experience little to know sexual attraction while Aro is experience little to know romantic attraction. Or somewhere else on the aro/ace spectrums - they're very diverse. Demi, grey and much more.

Is there a place to post books to get help seeing where they might fit in the challenge? I decided I'm going to either read or donate the unread books I have this coming year. Thanks.:)

Jamie wrote: "Is there a place to post books to get help seeing where they might fit in the challenge? I decided I'm going to either read or donate the unread books I have this coming year. Thanks.:)"

Here you go:
/topic/show/...

Lauren wrote: "... Admins - when you have time (no rush) would you be so kind as to set up a topic/thread for those of us reading books by BIPOC authors for the challenge again? Some of these prompts will be extra tricky and that thread was helpful for this year. :) ..."


Yeah, no kidding! you're going to have a struggle with some of these.



done!
/topic/show/...

thank you!

Doni wrote: "How are you supposed to figure out this one: "A book with a quote from your favorite author on the cover or Amazon page"?"

A lot of authors will use their social media accounts to promote other authors' books, so keeping an eye on someone's FB/Twitter/Instagram is a good way to get ideas for this one. One of my faves, Kate Quinn, seems to post regularly about "I read this book for a blurb/cover quote/etc" and it's opened me up to a bunch of new releases :)

I lucked out. I was going through the bazillion (50 or so) books I own and there happened to be one with a blurb from John Jakes. I love John Jakes, so that category is set. In stone.

I feel like I'm going to be reading a lot of V.E. Schwab to fulfill these prompts!

P.S. Why is she sometimes V.E. Schwab and sometimes Victoria Schwab? It's the same person, isn't it?

"V.E. ... and Victoria Schwab are the same writer; she publishes adult books under V.E. and YA and middle grade books under Victoria"

That's just confusing!

Doni wrote: "P.S. Why is she sometimes V.E. Schwab and sometimes Victoria Schwab? It's the same person, isn't it?"

She uses V.E. Schwab for her adult books and Victoria Schwab for her middle grade/YA books :)

Doni wrote: "P.S. Why is she sometimes V.E. Schwab and sometimes Victoria Schwab? It's the same person, isn't it?"

As others mentioned, her adults books have been published under V.E. Schwab and Victoria Schwab for MG/YA. She recently announced that all of her books going forward will be published under V.E. Schwab.

I like to plug books I want to read into the prompts but as I was trying to do so- I'm feeling like a lot of these will be hard to identify in advance. (book with a protagonist who uses a mobility aid, book that takes place in your favorite season, etc.). Which makes it tough and kind of not as fun?

How many blurbs really name the specific season a book is set in? And the one where a favorite author blurbed your book- omg. I spent today looking for something I could fit and discovered most books are blurbed by publications, not authors.

And then there's the book you know nothing about- I just don't do this. I always read the blurb.

Feels like this year's list is designed to help you choose your next read, rather than whittling down my TBR, which is not why I do this. So I'm unlikely to participate. Which stinks because I actually do like a lot of the prompts, but it's just not how I choose what I want to read.

Sarah wrote: "I like to plug books I want to read into the prompts but as I was trying to do so- I'm feeling like a lot of these will be hard to identify in advance. (book with a protagonist who uses a mobility ..."

I'm in agreement here. I feel like there are a lot of categories here that will require a bit of gambling on a book to see if it will fit, rather than being able to glean from the cover or the blurb if the book will fit.

The recommendations and Listopias help, but I try to make my list up with as many sapphic books as I can, and this group isn't the best at identifying those--still really like and appreciate you all, though ;)-- so those don't help me as much as they will for other readers.

Also, there are way too many SFF categories for me this year. By my count it's 5-7 categories* that apply, and I'm so tired of those genres being featured.

* I'm looking at these categories with a giant sigh:
12. Afterlife
16. Witches
27. Hugo Award winner
39. #OwnVoices SFF
47. Parallel Reality

And arguably:
3. Non-patriarchal society
33. Social horror

The list is growing on me. I am starting to think that many of the prompts will be easier than first thought. Others will challenge me, but not in a torturous way. I'm also thinking I can fit more nonfiction in that I thought at first blush.

Angie wrote: "Sarah wrote: "I like to plug books I want to read into the prompts but as I was trying to do so- I'm feeling like a lot of these will be hard to identify in advance. (book with a protagonist who us..."

We're all different. It's the SFF categories that are interesting me this year. I read a lot of SFF and I wanted to fit as many as I can into this years reading.

Angie wrote: "Sarah wrote: "I like to plug books I want to read into the prompts but as I was trying to do so- I'm feeling like a lot of these will be hard to identify in advance. (book with a protagonist who us..."

I appreciate your empathy! I was feeling kinda left out. I'm making peace with it though. I only fit in about 50 books total this year and I just don't feel like I'm willing to put off books I actually really want to read next year just because they don't fit on an arbitrary list somewhere (especially if it means I ultimately have to add MORE to my already huge TBR).

Angie wrote: "Sarah wrote: "I like to plug books I want to read into the prompts but as I was trying to do so- I'm feeling like a lot of these will be hard to identify in advance. (book with a protagonist who us..."

Julia Ember's The Seafarer's Kiss would work for the #OwnVoices prompt (bisexual MC, the book features a sapphic pairing) and also the duology prompts!

Victorians, whyyyyy? *sighs* and the amazon blurb one is just? How do I even find out *rolls eyes*

But overall I not too bad, I will again be trying to find ways to shove my out of control tbr into as many categories as possible lol

Any kind of list like this does help me with my TBR. I go through the prompts & use the listopia to find books I already own &/or want to read & put those down. Of course, I can (and probably will) change some of them, but it's a good reminder to me of some books I bought & want to read (especially those out of sight ebooks).

What I've done this year is I have a wheel of all the prompts on it, and every time I want to read a book for the challenge, I spin that wheel to see what comes up and pick from there. I love doing this because I never know what'll be next and I won't just avoid prompts that don't interest me.

M wrote: "What I've done this year is I have a wheel of all the prompts on it, and every time I want to read a book for the challenge, I spin that wheel to see what comes up and pick from there. I love doing..."

That is such a good idea! Last year was my first time attempting the challenge and while I didn't read all the books I wanted to, I did get to read books I probably wouldn't have encountered otherwise (had been a bit too caught up in Nordic Noir for a few years...) I already have my books planned out (mostly) and a copy of the list saved in my library account so I know what books I need to reserve / place holds on when the time comes.

M wrote: "What I've done this year is I have a wheel of all the prompts on it, and every time I want to read a book for the challenge, I spin that wheel to see what comes up and pick from there. I love doing..."



that sounds fun!! (and fun to make, too, I bet!)

I went low tech and cut up a bunch of strips of paper and drew from a jar. Although I have to admit that there were a couple of times I threw back and picked another. Towards the beginning of the year it was because I kept picking categories for books that I had and I didn't want all my library reads coming up in the summer. And I think I picked the published in the current year in January and I figured that one needed a bit more time to stew.

M wrote: "What I've done this year is I have a wheel of all the prompts on it, and every time I want to read a book for the challenge, I spin that wheel to see what comes up and pick from there. I love doing..."

Sounds neat. With my books on and off I would put the topics in a jar and just draw from them.

I should do that and have the topics for the challenges too.

I've found 11 from my shelf that will fit, but personally, I'm finding this a much harder list than last year's list. This is a list that is definitely going to require planning rather than finding a book and seeing which category it will fit. I'm looking forward to another year but it will definitely be a challenge!

Even though I just read Station Eleven this past week I'll definitely be doing a re-read of it so it can fit in as a re-read for another challenge I'm doing along with the "Found Family" and "Constellation On the Cover or Title" prompts here.

That book was too amazing to read just once.