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View Poll Results: January 2012 Mobile Read Book Club Run-Off Vote
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré 20 45.45%
Black Rain by Masuji Ibuse 24 54.55%
Voters: 44. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 12-24-2011, 09:53 AM   #16
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Originally Posted by sun surfer View Post
I've not read a James Bond book, but I've seen some Bond films and I'd say some of those films are Cold War spy thrillers that are light, fun and a good time!
I'm afraid you are making the mistake of assuming the Bond films bear any resemblance to the books . Apart from the first couple, the only similarity is the title and name of the protagonist, and maybe a few ancilliary characters. Try reading The Spy Who Loved Me, for example. The film and the book are so dissimilar (the book is told from a woman's point of view, for a start!) that they might as well be from different planets.

I voted for Black Rain again, as I just don't like le Carré. Not sure why, but I think the tedious Alex Guiness portrayals of George Smiley have put me off for life.
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Old 12-24-2011, 11:04 AM   #17
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I've read the le Carré novel in the past year and while it's good, it's also pretty grim and the ending is pretty down.

I've voted for Black Rain, but will read/reread which ever wins.
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Old 12-26-2011, 12:00 AM   #18
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Looks like this is going to be a poor month. Black Rain is uninteresting and the other is a book in the middle of a series. Oh well. Maybe February will be better. But given that February is romance, I doubt it.
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Old 12-26-2011, 01:01 AM   #19
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Have you read Black Rain, Jon? It sounds to me as if it would be very interesting, and hopefully serve as a cautionary tale about the very real consequences of using weapons of mass destruction.
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Old 12-26-2011, 03:12 PM   #20
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....a cautionary tale about the very real consequences of using weapons of mass destruction.
That's exactly the type of story that I have a very low interest in reading personally. I feel like I already know about the consequences and have no need to wallow in it or be taught a cautionary lesson.
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Old 12-26-2011, 03:40 PM   #21
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That's exactly the type of story that I have a very low interest in reading personally. I feel like I already know about the consequences and have no need to wallow in it or be taught a cautionary lesson.
Yep, it's a nice cheery book to read after the holidays.
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Old 12-26-2011, 03:42 PM   #22
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Yes I thought about that while posting, though I never said funny or funnier, I said funner as in fun. In context it fits though - the spy thriller is bound to be lighter and funner than the novel about the effects of radiation.
Yeah, sorry about that. I can only offer the excuse that I saw what I expected to see in that expression. I am not use to seeing the word funner used. If and when you read The Spy Who Came in from the Cold I think you will find it very dark and pessimistic about human nature and governments of all types. My only reason for picking Black Rain over The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is that for such a novel that depends on surprising plot twists, and there is a huge one here, is it can only be a surprise the first time.

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That's exactly the type of story that I have a very low interest in reading personally. I feel like I already know about the consequences and have no need to wallow in it or be taught a cautionary lesson.
I obviously would be lying if I told you that Black Rain wasn't about the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, and the after effects. Though it is more a story about the ability to cope and survive a tragedy, as well as an anti-war novel.

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Looks like this is going to be a poor month. Black Rain is uninteresting and the other is a book in the middle of a series. Oh well. Maybe February will be better. But given that February is romance, I doubt it.
So out of the original ten choices, what would have met your approval? Limited to SciFi/Fantasy and first published within the last 20 years? Anyway it's good to have you back and offering your point of view. Look at the bright side, Lolita was never in contention. For what it is worth this would have been my order of preference among the ten, taking into account those already read and my lack of interest in SciFi/Fantasy.
  1. Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton
  2. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
  3. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
  4. Black Rain by Masuji Ibuse
  5. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carré
  6. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
  7. Hyperion by Dan Simmons
  8. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
  9. Storm Front by Jim Butcher
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Old 12-26-2011, 03:52 PM   #23
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With 9 hours left to vote, is it safe to assume that Black Rain has won, or is there a chance for a full court press and slam dunk by The Spy Who Came in from the Cold ?

In case anyone is wondering, I'm really anxious and excited about starting my 2012 reading challenge!
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Old 12-26-2011, 04:34 PM   #24
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I hope for a last minute surge for the le Carré book, but chances are it will be Black Rain.

Hamlet53, I didn't really realise the le Carré was as grim as some of you are saying, but I still would prefer it over the other as the action and twists in it would make it a bit....more fun. I also really don't mind grim (I read and liked The Road not too long ago) but the specific subject matter of Black Rain does not appeal to me.

Though neither run-off option would be near my first choice, so I was just choosing the better of the two. Here's how I rank this month's nominees:

1 - A Game of Thrones
2 - Lolita
3 - A Confederacy of Dunces
4 - Orthodoxy
5 - The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
6 - Hyperion
7 - Pride and Prejudice (so low only because I've already read it)
8 - Black Rain
9 - Storm Front
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Old 12-26-2011, 07:07 PM   #25
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So out of the original ten choices, what would have met your approval? Limited to SciFi/Fantasy and first published within the last 20 years?
I would have voted for Hyperion by Dan Simmons. I read it in November and found it to be very good. I think it's the best choice of all those in the list.

I've decided that Black Rain should win. A Spy That Came in from the Cold is even worse then I thought. It's part of an incomplete series (eBook) due to georestrictions. So this should never have been allowed to be nominated (IMHO).

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Old 12-26-2011, 08:16 PM   #26
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I really don't think A Spy That Came in from the Cold's being part of a series will be an issue. 4.5 hours remaining until the vote closes.
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Old 12-26-2011, 10:18 PM   #27
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I really don't think A Spy That Came in from the Cold's being part of a series will be an issue. 4.5 hours remaining until the vote closes.
It's *not* a series. It *does* have recurring characters (i.e. Smiley). There is nothing in the book that requires reading any previous.
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Old 12-26-2011, 10:24 PM   #28
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It's *not* a series. It *does* have recurring characters (i.e. Smiley). There is nothing in the book that requires reading any previous.
Sorry, but it is part of a series.
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Old 12-26-2011, 10:32 PM   #29
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Sorry, but it is part of a series.
No matter how many times you say it Jon, it is not a series. It is a standalone novel that just happens to have characters that occur in multiple le Carre novels. Recurring characters do not make a series.

But then, you have this series obsession and so I doubt if anyone will convince you otherwise.
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Old 12-26-2011, 10:41 PM   #30
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No matter how many times you say it Jon, it is not a series. It is a standalone novel that just happens to have characters that occur in multiple le Carre novels. Recurring characters do not make a series.

But then, you have this series obsession and so I doubt if anyone will convince you otherwise.
Books in a series do not have to have a cliffhanger that leads to the next book. Every book in a series can end without needing to read the next one. But can you say that none of the books in the Smiley series do not reference any of the other books or anything mentioned in the earlier books we are expected to know?

So yes, the Smiley series is a series. Fantastic Fiction and Overdrive agree with this. I've read some of the Jack Reacher series and so far each book has been mostly stand alone. Yet it is still a series.
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