MobileRead 2015 Categories Discussion

[treadlightly]

Originally Posted by Mims

I'd vote for this list with one exception. MR Library should be dropped to add Thriller/Suspense. MR Library nominations could be made in any month and category.

I second that and would just clarify the fiction categories, making the list:

Jan - Anything Goes
Feb - Romance
Mar - Science Fiction
Apr - Humor
May - Nonfiction
Jun - Modern Fiction
Jul - Classic
Aug - Historical Fiction
Sep - Fantasy
Oct - Mystery
Nov - Thriller/Suspense
Dec - Second Chance (the year's second place titles)

[treadlightly]

Originally Posted by Dazrin

This has drug on a while and I think we would all like it to wrap up so I can put up a poll with our options. Since there are only a few suggestions here, why don't we vote on them all at once and get it over with. Unless I hear otherwise I will try to put the following poll up tomorrow (it might be delayed until the weekend):

Will it be multiple choice? I'd hate to dilute the "no" vote.

[WT Sharpe]

The only thing I'd like to add is that the second chance has traditionally been in January, but that isn't written in stone.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by treadlightly

I second that and would just clarify the fiction categories, making the list:

Jan - Anything Goes
Feb - Romance
Mar - Science Fiction
Apr - Humor
May - Nonfiction
Jun - Modern Fiction
Jul - Classic
Aug - Historical Fiction
Sep - Fantasy
Oct - Mystery
Nov - Thriller/Suspense
Dec - Second Chance (the year's second place titles)

That list works well also.

[HomeInMyShoes]

I would only move around a couple of categories to avoid the Mystery then Thriller dual and the Classic and Historical Fiction dual.

[Mims]

Originally Posted by treadlightly

I second that and would just clarify the fiction categories, making the list:

Jan - Anything Goes
Feb - Romance
Mar - Science Fiction
Apr - Humor
May - Nonfiction
Jun - Modern Fiction
Jul - Classic
Aug - Historical Fiction
Sep - Fantasy
Oct - Mystery
Nov - Thriller/Suspense
Dec - Second Chance (the year's second place titles)

Looks good to me. This list also offers multiple nomination opportunities for all categories in anything goes, classic and second chance.

[Dazrin]

Originally Posted by John F

Can we add "Use previous categories." to the poll?

Can you clarify what "previous categories" you want? We already have the yes answer which re-uses the current ones.

Originally Posted by treadlightly

Will it be multiple choice? I'd hate to dilute the "no" vote.

Fine by me.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

That list works well also.

This list seems to have more support, so I would include it instead of the original in the poll thread. My comments on this list are that I agree with WT Sharpe that 2nd chance should be in January, so that we don't have to go through nominations during the holidays. I am also concerned with the romance and humor categories, they don't generally seem very popular. I would like to replace them with more open categories, but that may be just me.

[John F]

Originally Posted by Dazrin

Can you clarify what "previous categories" you want? We already have the yes answer which re-uses the current ones.


...

I meant the categories we had before the current categories we've been using for the past 1.5 years.

[sun surfer]

Thanks for doing this Dazrin!

I'd like to propose a poll option being this list:

January - Second Chance
February - Romance
March - Adventure/Travel
April - Classics
May - Mystery/Thriller
June - Award Winners
July - Non-Fiction
August - Science-Fiction/Fantasy
September - Banned/Challenged
October - Free-For-All
November - Foreign
December - Short Stories

It's almost exactly the same as our current categories, except I've added Fantasy to Science-Fiction since there was no Fantasy, and I've replaced the MR Library with Free-For-All.

[Dazrin]

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

I would only move around a couple of categories to avoid the Mystery then Thriller dual and the Classic and Historical Fiction dual.

I missed this one when I was going through the thread earlier, I can change things however people want. Mims, treadlightly, JSWolf - you are the ones who have collaborated on this particular list, what do you think?

Originally Posted by John F

I meant the categories we had before the current categories we've been using for the past 1.5 years.

Ok, but looking at the previous categories, every year from 2008 through 2012 was at least slightly different. Unless you want a specific year or want to provide a list like Jon's, I want to leave that off the poll as stated. Or do you want to have a follow-up poll to decide which of the previous years to use? Either way works for me.

Originally Posted by sun surfer

I'd like to propose a poll option being this list:
...
It's almost exactly the same as our current categories, except I've added Fantasy to Science-Fiction since there was no Fantasy, and I've replaced the MR Library with Free-For-All.

I will add it to the poll, but I suspect we will hear some gnashing of teeth about combining SF/F.

[John F]

Originally Posted by Dazrin

previous categories, every year from 2008 through 2012 was at least slightly different. Unless you want a specific year or want to provide a list like Jon's, I want to leave that off the poll as stated. Or do you want to have a follow-up poll to decide which of the previous years to use? Either way works for me.


...

Sorry for the confusion, I didn't realize that the previous categories varied year to year. Since the various lists being proposed look good, I withdraw my request.

[sun surfer]

I’d also like to propose another option being added:

A single category poll run by Dazrin. Multiple choice, visible votes, all votes are final so consider everything carefully beforehand, you can vote for as many or as few as you like. Voting open say two weeks to give everyone a chance to pass by here and vote. The top twelve become our categories. Any relevant ties and we have a run-off, single choice. Everyone can vote but if there’s a tie again then whatever Dazrin (or Tom) voted for breaks the tie.

Polls only allow thirty options, so here is the list I propose using as they seem to be the thirty most popular options (most often used, repeated, talked about, nominated or supported) when looking back at previous years and previous category nominations and polls:

Adventure/Travel
Award Winners
Banned/Challenged Books
Classics
Contemporary
Fantasy*
First in a Series
Foreign (Originally Non-English)
Free-For-All
Historical Fiction
History (Non-Fiction)
Horror
Humour
Indie
Mystery*
Mystery/Thriller*
Non-Fiction
Not Classic or Contemporary
Patricia Clark Memorial Library
Planes, Trains and Automobiles (and Boats)
Philosophy
Pulp Adventure
Romance
Science (Non-Fiction)
Science-Fiction*
Science-Fiction/Fantasy*
Second Chance
Short Stories
Thriller*
Young Adult

The apostrophe indicates similar categories that can’t all be voted into the top twelve. If a combined category (Science-Fiction/Fantasy, Mystery/Thriller) has more votes than either of its two single categories, then its two single categories are disqualified. If either single category has more votes than its combined category, then its combined category is disqualified.

Once we have our twelve categories then Dazrin (or Tom) will sort them into appropriate months and that’s that.

[sun surfer]

Originally Posted by Dazrin

I will add it to the poll, but I suspect we will hear some gnashing of teeth about combining SF/F.

Why do you think I did it?

Just kidding. I just thought that if the previous categories were to win again then it'd be better to have them include Fantasy and Free For All.

[John F]

Originally Posted by treadlightly

I second that and would just clarify the fiction categories, making the list:

Jan - Anything Goes
Feb - Romance
Mar - Science Fiction
Apr - Humor
May - Nonfiction
Jun - Modern Fiction
Jul - Classic
Aug - Historical Fiction
Sep - Fantasy
Oct - Mystery
Nov - Thriller/Suspense
Dec - Second Chance (the year's second place titles)

I like these categories, but could I get clarification on what Historical Fiction is? Thanks.

[Dazrin]

Originally Posted by John F

Sorry for the confusion, I didn't realize that the previous categories varied year to year. Since the various lists being proposed look good, I withdraw my request.

No problem at all. I think in years past the changes were more moderator driven and therefore less apparent, although I wasn't around for most of those years (except 2012 which no-one wants to repeat). As pilotbob said...

Originally Posted by pilotbob

I see things have changed quite a bit since I passed the Grand PooBah hat!

Originally Posted by sun surfer

I’d also like to propose another option being added:

A single category poll run by Dazrin. Multiple choice, visible votes, all votes are final so consider everything carefully beforehand, you can vote for as many or as few as you like. Voting open say two weeks to give everyone a chance to pass by here and vote. The top twelve become our categories. Any relevant ties and we have a run-off, single choice. Everyone can vote but if there’s a tie again then whatever Dazrin (or Tom) voted for breaks the tie.
...
Once we have our twelve categories then Dazrin (or Tom) will sort them into appropriate months and that’s that.

I see what you're doing there, it won't work... Well, it might. It isn't really much more work than the other option I proposed. I can add this to the list.

Regarding length of polls, I will be gone for some time coming up, so I was planning on having the first poll run till at least the 26th. The second set of polls (if required) would probably start later that week and run for at least 2 weeks. It is right at the start of the school year chaos, so more time seems to be warranted.

Originally Posted by John F

I like these categories, but could I get clarification on what Historical Fiction is? Thanks.

I think in the past we have always said that "whatever you think fits in the category" is ok and let everyone else decide by how they vote.

My definition of historical fiction is "stories that take place in the past and in our world." Generally I think of it as more than 100 years ago, but that is somewhat flexible. A novel in the 1980's doesn't seem "historical" to me since I lived it, but a WW2 novel might count. So that would include stories set in the American Civil War, Robin Hood, or King Arthur legends, etc. It would not include fantasy or science fiction things that weren't contemporary to the times, that is, "Abe Lincoln, Vampyre Hunter" wouldn't count, but the Greek epics w/ their gods would. I am sure others have their own definitions, and that is a good thing.