MobileRead February 2013 Book Club Nominations

[Hamlet53]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I'll nominate Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold.




This is not your typical romance. In fact, it has a lot going for those that aren't too fond of romance.

Romance and Sci-FI Bad to worse. I know I will be voting for Lolita and maybe some other nominee not yet present that may make it to the vote.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Nyssa

So because you have a problem with what you think I said (seeing as your "quote" is neither what I said nor thought), you should now chastise me and have the last word. Were you not capable of taking your own advice and ignoring what you think I said?

I have never said that I should have the last word (show me where I did, if I'm mistaken). You, however, asked that people stop discussing the issue.

For the record I don't skim, I read. Why should I alter what works for me to depend on others to do what I'm supposed to be doing? [/Rhetorical question]

So don't alter it. But don't expect people to alter their posts or refrain from commenting to suit your preferences, because you're tired of an issue.

You are free to your opinions, as I am free to mine. I will not discuss this with you any further. This is my last word on the subject.

You asked me two questions, so I answered them.

[medard]

Well, thanks to this discussion, I'll try to get a copy of Reading Lolita in Tehran by Iranian author and professor Azar Nafisi now.

Events are interlaced with the stories of book club members consisting of seven of her female students, who met weekly at Nafisi's house to discuss works of Western literature including the controversial 'Lolita' and the texts are interpreted through the books they read.

That sounds good and I got a new inspiration for my personal library. And that's the reason why I like internet forums und book clubs.

[orlok]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Because of orlock's comment, I went and found something that has more going for it then just romance that I hope will appeal to those of us who are not all that keen on romance.

And it looks more interesting to me, at least. I was disappointed in last year's choice, Tender is the Night, which I gave up half way through as I just didn't care about anyone in it (I think it was this club's choice?).

So well done on looking for something different, though I suspect it is a back-door way of getting something Sci-Fi selected .

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Is this a family friendly book club? If it is, Lolita should not be allowed. It's a book about pedophilia. That should make it ineligible. It's not really a romance as it is a book about perversions.

Please let's not go there again. You've had your say on the subject, and we all know how you feel about it. If it gets nominated, and you don't like it, don't vote for it.

[medard]

I'd like to second Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick and Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold. I don't know this books yet, and I'd like to change that.

[Billi]

Originally Posted by medard

Well, thanks to this discussion, I'll try to get a copy of Reading Lolita in Tehran by Iranian author and professor Azar Nafisi now.

I liked this book a lot, not so much because of the Lolita-passage - the title is a little bit misleading, this is only a small part of the book - but because of her description of the life in Teheran in the 90ies that is highly informative.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Hamlet53

Romance and Sci-FI Bad to worse. I know I will be voting for Lolita and maybe some other nominee not yet present that may make it to the vote.

Do you like James Bond movies? You get Thriller, action, high-tech toys, and romance/lust. It's no different really then science fiction and romance if done right.

Shards of Honor is not a romance disguised as science fiction. It's a science fiction story with some romance. It's the first book that starts a line of very popular books. They series is not science fiction with romance. Lois McMasters Bujold does not write romance and then hides it in a science fiction or fantasy setting.

[Nyssa]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I'll nominate Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold.




This is not your typical romance. In fact, it has a lot going for those that aren't too fond of romance.

Originally Posted by orlok

And it looks more interesting to me, at least. I was disappointed in last year's choice, Tender is the Night, which I gave up half way through as I just didn't care about anyone in it (I think it was this club's choice?).

So well done on looking for something different, though I suspect it is a back-door way of getting something Sci-Fi selected .

Originally Posted by medard

I'd like to second Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick and Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold. I don't know this books yet, and I'd like to change that.

I too had trouble geting into Tender is the Night.

The Vorkosigan Saga (Shards of Honor is the 1st book in the series) comes highly recommended by many. It has been on my TBR for quite a while, and this would be as good an escuse as any to get started on it.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Nyssa

I too had trouble geting into Tender is the Night.

The Vorkosigan Saga (Shards of Honor is the 1st book in the series) comes highly recommended by many. It has been on my TBR for quite a while, and this would be as good an escuse as any to get started on it.

So please, give it a third so it can be voted upon, win and we can get away from the book that shall not be mentioned in the post.

Oh and Shards of Honor and the 2nd book in the series are available in a single eBook volume at BAEN for only $5.

[medard]

Well, Mr Jon.. "And she wasn't really expecting to fall in love with a 40-plus barbarian known to cosmopolitan galactics as the Butcher of Komarr" - I'm really curious about this now.. Let's hope this young, beautiful und innocent Cordelia Naismith is older than 21.

[Nyssa]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

So please, give it a third so it can be voted upon, win and we can get away from the book that shall not be mentioned in the post.

Oh and [i]Shards of Honor and the 2nd book in the series are available in a single eBook volume at BAEN for only $5.

The 2nd Why in the world nominate the 2nd book in a series

I am out of nominations. Sorry.

[fantasyfan]

This will probably sound odd coming from someone who is quite conservative and nominated Portrait of Jennie, but since there seems to be considerable controversy about Lolita and its suitability for a forum selection, some points are worth considering.

First of all, Lolita is emphatically not a novel which glorifies paedophilia. Nabokov stated that Humbert is "a vicious and cruel wretch and a hateful person". He called the novel "a study in tyranny" and the central character is insane. The references to Edgar Allen Poe tie into this. We are dealing with a twisted and deeply flawed character.

Secondly, as a literary creation, Lolita is brilliantly written and considered one of the 100 best novels of the twentieth century. It implies that only a profoundly sick cultural ethos would produce a monster like Humbert.

Thirdly, this brings us to the question as to whether or not in is a suitable novel for a "family friendly" literary forum. And I am totally opposed to works written for purely prurient tastes. Well, Lolita is taught in universities. Should it be discussed in a forum of this type? There is no doubt but that this is a very disturbing novel and I can personally understand why some people would rather not read it--but the same would apply to King Lear which is even more disturbing--cosmically, ethically, spiritually So-- does "family friendly" exclude that--one of the most titanic works in Western Literature? Or any work that is disturbing?

Personally, while everyone has a right to opt out of anything they find not worth their reading time, a genuinely literary work examining significant themes should always be allowed for those who feel its significance deserves examination.

[fantasyfan]

I'll thierd Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy.

[Tattncat]

I'll third "The Greatest Knight" by Chadwick.

[caleb72]

I'll throw Water for Elephants out there for nomination.

B&N
Amazon (US)
Amazon (UK)
Google
Sony

From Barnes & Noble:

Though he may not speak of them, the memories still dwell inside Jacob Jankowski's ninety-something-year-old mind. Memories of himself as a young man, tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. Memories of a world filled with freaks and clowns, with wonder and pain and anger and passion; a world with its own narrow, irrational rules, its own way of life, and its own way of death. The world of the circus: to Jacob it was both salvation and a living hell.

Jacob was there because his luck had run out—orphaned and penniless, he had no direction until he landed on this locomotive "ship of fools." It was the early part of the Great Depression, and everyone in this third-rate circus was lucky to have any job at all. Marlena, the star of the equestrian act, was there because she fell in love with the wrong man, a handsome circus boss with a wide mean streak. And Rosie the elephant was there because she was the great gray hope, the new act that was going to be the salvation of the circus; the only problem was, Rosie didn't have an act—in fact, she couldn't even follow instructions. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.

Surprising, poignant, and funny, Water for Elephants is that rare novel with a story so engrossing, one is reluctant to put it down; with characters so engaging, they continue to live long after the last page has been turned; with a world built of wonder, a world so real, one starts to breathe its air.