MobileRead May 2010 Book Club Nominations

[kennyc]

I'll nominate Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

Description (from the art of manliness):
Robinson Crusoe deals with mastery and morality. It addresses the ability of mankind to master his surroundings through hard work, and patience and faith, which eventually enable him to survive on an
unknown island and able to cope with the difficult terrain, less-than-friendly natives and basically every wicked trial that comes his way. The morality addressed in this book is the eponymous protagonist’s rejection of his father’s advice to accept the happiness of the middle class life from which he was born. Against the wishes of his family, he runs off to sea to find adventure. It is not until Crusoe literally recreates a primitive approximation of that middle class life for himself on his island that he is freed.


(that's 2 of my three)

[kennyc]

For my Third I'll nominate "The Stranger by Albert Camus" because it sounds interesting. Here is the opening:


"MOTHER died today. Or, maybe, yesterday; I can’t be sure. The telegram from the Home says: YOUR MOTHER PASSED AWAY. FUNERAL TOMORROW. DEEP SYMPATHY. Which leaves the matter doubtful; it could have been yesterday.
The Home for Aged Persons is at Marengo, some fifty miles from Algiers....."

Description from Amazon:
The Stranger is not merely one of the most widely read novels of the 20th century, but one of the books likely to outlive it. Written in 1946, Camus's compelling and troubling tale of a disaffected, apparently amoral young man has earned a durable popularity (and remains a staple of U.S. high school literature courses) in part because it reveals so vividly the anxieties of its time. Alienation, the fear of anonymity, spiritual doubt--all could have been given a purely modern inflection in the hands of a lesser talent than Camus, who won the Nobel Prize in 1957 and was noted for his existentialist aesthetic. The remarkable trick of The Stranger, however, is that it's not mired in period philosophy.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by kennyc

For my Third I'll nominate "The Stranger by Albert Camus" because it sounds interesting. Here is the opening:

I'm afraid it doesn't qualify, Kenny. We agreed that a "classic" had to be a book that was in the US public domain - published before 1923.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I'm afraid it doesn't qualify, Kenny. We agreed that a "classic" had to be a book that was in the US public domain - published before 1923.

Not exactly, the intro says "Classic (a book in the public domain that is still published and sold today. For example, it can be found as a pbook at Amazon.)"

I'll abide by PilotBob's guidance though.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by seagull

Kim by Rudyard Kipling

I'll second Kim. A splendid book - I produced a version that's up here at Mobileread.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

I'll second Kim. A splendid book - I produced a version that's up here at Mobileread.

Good for You! Thank you!

[pdurrant]

I'll nominate "The Wind in the Willows" by Kenneth Grahame. I don't think I've ever actually read the book, despite having seen and heard numerous adaptions.

Also James Hilton's "Good-bye, Mr. Chips". Well worth reading. [Whoops - still in copyright in the UK (James Hilton died in 1954) and probably in the US (published in 1934). Out of copyright in Canada, of course. Nomination withdrawn.]

[kennyc]

Are you NOMINATING "Good-bye, Mr. Chips" ?

(bob's easily confused. )

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by kennyc

Are you NOMINATING "Good-bye, Mr. Chips" ?

Yes, I'm nominating "Good-bye, Mr. Chips"

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Yes, I'm nominating "Good-bye, Mr. Chips"

[Kevin2960]

Originally Posted by kennyc

Kenny not sure if thats a second for "Goodbye Mr Chips", But I'll second or third it, whichever ......

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Kevin2960

Kenny not sure if thats a second for "Goodbye Mr Chips", But I'll second or third it, whichever ......

oops, no, I may have already used my three....awaiting PBs decision on The Stanger....

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I'm afraid it doesn't qualify, Kenny. We agreed that a "classic" had to be a book that was in the US public domain - published before 1923.

Agreed, not in the PD... published in 42 it looks like... not on Project Gutenberg.

BOb

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by kennyc

(bob's easily confused. )

I don't find this book anywhere? Who was the author and when was it published?

BOb

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by Kevin2960

By the way is there a list of books already used ?

I was maintaining a list in the book club social group... but no one really went to that group. Just filter by the book club prefix and any thread that starts with "Discussion: " is a book that has been selected to read.

BOb