Vote for your favorite picks for June

See the blog post for details.

We've chosen a slate of four books for our June group read.

Vote here!

If possible, only vote on a book if there's a chance you'll actually participate if that book is picked.

As in February and March picks, all the choices are widely available—in libraries, used bookstores, and in paperback. All are reasonably popular and well-regarded.

I'm a bit confused about how to "vote" (I didn't vote in the earlier OLTOB selection periods) . . . and don't use lists for anything like rating or voting . . . so I'm not sure where to start . . . and would appreciate a bit more instruction.

I've already read The Penelopiad (and am a HUGE Margaret Atwood fan). . . Penel is fine/interesting for what it attempts to do . . . though I did feel like I should have read the original, which I haven't, though I know the basic story. . . . Seems to me we just spent a month on myths (with American Gods), so I'm ready for something else.

I don't know anything about the other three choices (though I've just read the descriptions at their work pages) . . . So I'm eager to hear that other readers know about them.

>2 LucindaLibri: Next to each work, in the right column, you should see a link that says "Add to your list". Clicking that link counts as a vote. Be sure to organize your list in the order of your preference—1 being your first choice, and 4 being your last.

I'm adding this info to the list. Sorry for the confusion!

For me, it's
1. The Flamethrowers or
2. The Age of Miracles

I'm not up for another mythology one just yet, and I can't read about dog fighting and animal abuse. Salvage the Bones is supposed to be excellent, but if it wins, I'll wait this one out.

Thanks, I'll wait to learn more about the books . . . Am I right in thinking that I have until April 30th to vote? and that if the "rating" numbers show a clear winner before then that I don't need to bother?
(I'm not clear about how ranking turns into rating numbers and which determines the winner . . . Sorry to have so many questions . . . I'm a social scientist so I probably have too much knowledge about different ways to measure things that interferes with seeing what other people view as "obvious" :)

Update: I went ahead and "voted", though I'm still unclear about what the "scores" mean . . . and now that I've read this thread: http://www.librarything.com/topic/163683 I'm even more confused . . . How do "votes" end up leading to scores which are not integers!!???!! rankings are integers, votes are single items . . . what kind of "formula" is being used here?????

On another note . . . can I change my order later? and will that change the scores?

>5 LucindaLibri: You can change your order later (up until May 1st, 11am), and that will change the scores, yes. The rankings (1, 2, 3, 4) all have different amounts attached to them. Each book wins more "points" in their score for a 1 ranking in someone's list than they do for a 2 ranking, and so on.

>6 lorannen:
But it's weighted according to some unknown/non-public formula?? If I only put one book on my list, does it get more points than if I include all four? . . .
I thought Ranked Choice Voting (which has been adopted in Minneapolis) was confusing, but this has that beat! Oh well, at least this isn't how we pick our Presidents . . . for that we count votes and then add $$$ to the mix :)

It might be worth noting on the voting page that you should only vote for the books you'd participate in reading. Until I saw the scores up on my 3 & 4 votes, I thought we were supposed to rank all four regardless, based on the instructions there. Only once I came to this thread did I realize I should take those off of my list since they're not just last choices, but would result in my foregoing this round... Based on a few of the listed explanations, I'm guessing others might be under the same impression. In any case, I'm definitely in if it turns out to be Flamethrowers, and maybe in for Salvage the Bones.

7: No. Everybody's number one gets 4 points, Everybody's number 2 gets 3.something points and on down, with each drop getting some lesser number by tenths of points. I don't know the exact numbers.

I notice that all three votes so far have ended up in the exact same order as number of members.

I think it's still important to have the vote for the sake of appearances, but I'm not sure it actually accomplishes anything ;)

I think it's still important to have the vote for the sake of appearances, but I'm not sure it actually accomplishes anything ;)

Yeah. I dislike that about this.

I'd like to correct the whole thing by popularity and by who actually participated. But that would cause a storm!:)

Well, I think the adjustment would be interesting! I wouldn't want to cancel out the effect of popularity entirely, but it would be nice if it could be reduced a bit. And adding an extra incentive/reward for participating sounds good to me. Of course there would be debate about how exactly to do that, but debate is fun too :)

Also, helper badges for building community by participating in book discussions. Just saying :P

1. I would like to not deal with mythology again. The Penelopiad only beats out Salvage the Bones due to the intimation of animal cruelty. 2. I may not finish Salvage the Bones if I am too put off by animal cruelty. I will still try it if it prevails though. I won't count myself as participating though if I choose not to finish it.
3.I am "intrigued" by my one and two choices plotwise with The Flame Throwers just being a totally different book than what has gone before in this group. The Age of Miracles ends up number two because I find it less intriguing. 4. All the books are available at my library and two as ebooks. So that did not affect my rating this time around. Good job on that!

All in all, I await May 1st with baited breath.

>8 whitewavedarling:
Looking at the explanations, it appears that people are voting even if they probably won't read the book (or read it again in the case of books already read) . . . perhaps they will participate in discussions without (re)reading? Even so, there seems to be wide variation in the "don't vote unless you would actually participate in the read" rule . . . which is obviously not enforceable in any way . . . so why even have it?

>14 jeshakespeare: #1 Agreed about myths. Re STB: Given the Katrina setting, I'm guessing the pitbull and her puppies become a metaphor for the entire situation . . . but I haven't read the book (yet) . . . To me the larger horror of Katrina was Human Cruelty, though agree that many animals also suffered . . . If that book is chosen, my reading or not will in great part depend on whether I feel I can deal with more devastation and cruelty flooding my brain in the month of June.

Salvage the Bones is on my shelf waiting to be read - (can't remember why I borrowed it) so I will participate if it wins.

I am not willing to read Atwood in German, and will only participate if I see a cheap used copy.

The other two my library has in English, but LT is quite sure I will not like, and from what I see, I think I agree with that.

>16 MarthaJeanne: Hey at least your library actually has them. Mine only has Flamethrowers. X|

>17 .Monkey.: Yes, three out of four in English, and the fourth in translation is pretty impressive. Now, mind you, some of them are only in some obscure branch on the other side of the city... but as I'm not interested it doesn't really matter.

Still, it's nice to know the option is available, should you want to partake. Ah well.

>11 timspalding:. If you can't change the voting process you need to only select candidate books which are similarly popular.