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WT Sharpe 11-18-2014 12:11 AM
December 2014 Book Club Nominations
 
MobileRead Book Club
December 2014 Nominations

Help us select the book that the MobileRead Book Club will read for December, 2014.

The nominations will run through midnight EST November 30 or until 10 books have made the list. The poll will then be posted and will remain open for five days.

Book selection category for December is:

Short Stories

In order for a book to be included in the poll it needs THREE NOMINATIONS (original nomination, a second and a third).

How Does This Work?
The Mobile Read Book Club (MRBC) is an informal club that requires nothing of you. Each month a book is selected by polling. On the last week of that month a discussion thread is started for the book. If you want to participate feel free. There is no need to "join" or sign up. All are welcome.

How Does a Book Get Selected?
Each book that is nominated will be listed in a poll at the end of the nomination period. The book that polls the most votes will be the official selection.

How Many Nominations Can I Make?
Each participant has 3 nominations. You can nominate a new book for consideration or nominate (second, third) one that has already been nominated by another person.

How Do I Nominate a Book?
Please just post a message with your nomination. If you are the FIRST to nominate a book, please try to provide an abstract to the book so others may consider their level of interest.

How Do I Know What Has Been Nominated?
Just follow the thread. This message will be updated with the status of the nominations as often as I can. If one is missed, please just post a message with a multi-quote of the 3 nominations and it will be added to the list ASAP.

When is the Poll?
The poll thread will open at the end of the nomination period, or once there have been 10 books with 3 nominations each. At that time a link to the initial poll thread will be posted here and this thread will be closed.

The floor is open to nominations. Please comment if you discover a nomination is not available as an ebook in your area.


Official choices with three nominations each:

(1) The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde
Patricia Clark Memorial Library: ePub (Complete Works) / LibriVox (Audiobook) / Project Gutenberg (Various Formats)
Spoiler:
From LibriVox:

The American Minister and his family have bought the English stately home Canterville Chase, complete with the ghost of Sir Simon de Canterville - blood-stains, clanking chains and all. But these modern Americans will have no truck with ghostly goings-on, and set out to beat the spectre at his own game. (Summary by David Barnes)


(2) The Altar of the Dead by Henry James
Patricia Clark Memorial Library: ePub (Complete Works) | Kindle / LibriVox (Audiobook) / Project Gutenberg (Various Formats)
Spoiler:
From Wikipedia

"The Altar of the Dead" is a short story by Henry James, first published in his collection Terminations in 1895. A fable of literally life and death significance, the story explores how the protagonist tries to keep the remembrance of his dead friends, to save them from being forgotten entirely in the rush of everyday events. He meets a woman who shares his ideals, only to find that the past places what seems to be an impassable barrier between them. Although James was not religious in any conventional sense, the story shows a deep spirituality in its treatment of mortality and the transcendent power of unselfish love.


(3) Mistletoe in Manhattan: A Christmas Story by Talli Roland
Amazon Ca / Amazon UK / Amazon US
Spoiler:
Holly may never be able to forget this Christmas . . . even if she wants to.

As Little Missington's first Christmas baby in fifty years and the daughter of Christmas When You Like It party-planners, Holly West has been surrounded by the holiday spirit since birth. Trouble is, she's not exactly filled with festive cheer. In fact, Holly can't wait to ditch the tinsel and Santa suits for champagne and celebs, and become a party-planner to the stars.

When British TV star Dean Layton hires her parents' company to throw his holiday bash in Manhattan, Holly jumps at the chance to help, confident she can handle a little Christmas in exchange for access to Dean's exclusive world.

But New York and Dean's over-the-top demands are more than Holly bargained for. Can Holly deck the halls and make it a party to be proud of, or will this Christmas be one she'll never forget . . . even if she wants to?


(4) The Cricket on the Hearth by Charles Dickens
Patricia Clark Memorial Library: ePub | Kindle
Spoiler:
"I have read that this (and not A Christmas Carol) was Dickens' most popular Christmas story during his lifetime."

— GA Russell


The nominations are now closed.

WT Sharpe 11-18-2014 12:12 AM
Wondering if a particular book is available in your country? The following spoiler contains a list of bookstores outside the United States you can search. If you don't see a bookstore on this list for your country, find one that is, send me the link via PM, and I'll add it to the list.

Spoiler:
Australian
Angus Robertson
Booktopia
Borders
Dymocks
Fishpond
Google

Canada
Amazon. Make sure you are logged out. Then go to the Kindle Store. Search for a book. After the search results come up, in the upper right corner of the screen, change the country to Canada and search away.
Google
Sony eBookstore (Upper right corner switch to/from US/CA)

UK
BooksOnBoard (In the upper right corner is a way to switch to the UK store)
Amazon
Foyle's
Google
Penguin
Random House
Waterstones
WH Smith


* Zen by Jerome Bixby [crich70]
Amazon US / Kobo
Spoiler:
Looking for a treatise on finding nirvana? You're in the wrong place. Jerome Bixby's "Zen" is a thought-provoking tale about a lone outer-space creature that believes it is the last one of its kind and, as a result, no longer wishes to survive. Will the scientist who discovered the creature comply with its wish to extinguish itself -- or does he have some shocking news to deliver?


** Manna: Two Visions of Humanity's Future by Marshall Brain [WillAdams, Dazrin]
Amazon US / Marshall Brain
Spoiler:
Near-future science fiction short about the development of A.I. and the resultant changes in the job market.


* Tomorrow is Waiting by Holli Mintzer [Dazrin]
Strange Horizons
Spoiler:
Blurb from The Verge (as well as a couple more AI themed stories):

Jim Henson's Muppets have been an integral part of pop culture since 1955, when they first debuted on television, making appearances in everything from the Emmy Awards to Late Night. The Muppets, as lifelike as they seem on screen, are puppets — given voice and motion by human puppeteers.

But, what if they weren't?

Holli Mintzer's Tomorrow is Waiting is a taut, hopeful exploration of what it means to be alive. It begins with a programmer named Anjali who is tasked with creating an A.I. for her finals. She decides to model her project on Kermit the Frog, concluding the abundance of available footage would make her labor a breeze. From there, events take a turn for the unusual. Anjali's Kermit acquires a body courtesy of Anjali's friend Brian, and then a sense of genial autonomy that both bewilders and enchants his creator. When Anjali claims to be tone-deaf, he warmly replies:

Quote:
"Aw, I wouldn't say tone-deaf, Anji," Kermit said. "I've heard you humming along a few times. Tone-confused, maybe, but I bet with a little practice you could get better."
Though Mintzer doesn't waste words on long descriptions, the story is nonetheless festooned with charm and a surprising amount of heart. Its greatest triumph, perhaps, is that it is a refreshingly uplifting read about artificial intelligence, a rarity in this time of dystopian universes and post-apocalyptic mayhem.


* Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam [ccowie]
No links provided.
Spoiler:
From Goodreads:

Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures welcomes readers into a world where the most mundane events can quickly become life or death. By following four young medical students and physicians – Ming, Fitz, Sri and Chen – this debut collection from 2006 Scotiabank Giller Prize winner Vincent Lam is a riveting, eye-opening account of what it means to be a doctor. Deftly navigating his way through 12 interwoven short stories, the author explores the characters’ relationships with each other, their patients, and their careers. Lam draws on his own experience as an emergency room physician and shares an insider’s perspective on the fears, frustrations, and responsibilities linked with one of society’s most highly regarded occupations.

“I wanted to write about the way in which a person changes as they become a physician — how their world view shifts, and how they become a slightly different version of themselves in the process of becoming a doctor,” Lam explains. “I wanted to write about the reality that doing good and trying to help others is not simple. It is ethically complicated and sometimes involves a reality that can only be expressed by telling a story.”

In the book’s first story, “How to Get into Medical School, Part 1,” students Ming and Fitz wrestle with their opposing personalities and study techniques, while coming to terms with a growing emotional connection that elicits disapproval from Ming’s traditional Chinese-Canadian parents. Lam’s exceptional talent for describing scenarios with great precision is showcased in “Take All of Murphy,” when Ming, Chen, and Sri find themselves at a moral crossroads while dissecting a cadaver. Throughout the book, readers are treated to the physicians’ internal thoughts and the mental drama involved with treating patients, including Fitz’s struggle with self-doubt in “Code Clock” and Chen’s boredom and exhaustion in “Before Light.”

From delivering babies to evacuating patients and dealing with deadly viruses, the four primary characters in Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures are made thoroughly human by Lam’s insightful detail, realistic dialogue, and expert storytelling. The medical world is naturally filled with drama, but it’s the author’s ability to give equal weight to the smaller moments that really brings this book to life.


*** Mistletoe in Manhattan: A Christmas Story by Talli Roland [WT Sharpe, Dazrin, GA Russell]
Amazon Ca / Amazon UK / Amazon US
Spoiler:
Holly may never be able to forget this Christmas . . . even if she wants to.

As Little Missington's first Christmas baby in fifty years and the daughter of Christmas When You Like It party-planners, Holly West has been surrounded by the holiday spirit since birth. Trouble is, she's not exactly filled with festive cheer. In fact, Holly can't wait to ditch the tinsel and Santa suits for champagne and celebs, and become a party-planner to the stars.

When British TV star Dean Layton hires her parents' company to throw his holiday bash in Manhattan, Holly jumps at the chance to help, confident she can handle a little Christmas in exchange for access to Dean's exclusive world.

But New York and Dean's over-the-top demands are more than Holly bargained for. Can Holly deck the halls and make it a party to be proud of, or will this Christmas be one she'll never forget . . . even if she wants to?


*** The Altar of the Dead by Henry James [WT Sharpe, sun surfer, bfisher]
Patricia Clark Memorial Library: ePub (Complete Works) | Kindle / LibriVox (Audiobook) / Project Gutenberg (Various Formats)
Spoiler:
From Wikipedia

"The Altar of the Dead" is a short story by Henry James, first published in his collection Terminations in 1895. A fable of literally life and death significance, the story explores how the protagonist tries to keep the remembrance of his dead friends, to save them from being forgotten entirely in the rush of everyday events. He meets a woman who shares his ideals, only to find that the past places what seems to be an impassable barrier between them. Although James was not religious in any conventional sense, the story shows a deep spirituality in its treatment of mortality and the transcendent power of unselfish love.


* Side Jobs by Jim Butcher [JSWolf]
No links provided.
Spoiler:
It's a collection of most of his Dresden Files short stories.


*** The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde [WT Sharpe, sun surfer, bfisher]
Patricia Clark Memorial Library: ePub (Complete Works) / LibriVox (Audiobook) / Project Gutenberg (Various Formats)
Spoiler:
From LibriVox:

The American Minister and his family have bought the English stately home Canterville Chase, complete with the ghost of Sir Simon de Canterville - blood-stains, clanking chains and all. But these modern Americans will have no truck with ghostly goings-on, and set out to beat the spectre at his own game. (Summary by David Barnes)


*** The Cricket on the Hearth by Charles Dickens [GA Russell, bfisher, issybird]
Patricia Clark Memorial Library: ePub | Kindle
Spoiler:
"I have read that this (and not A Christmas Carol) was Dickens' most popular Christmas story during his lifetime."

— GA Russell


* This is not Your City by Caitlin Horrocks [HomeInMyShoes]
Goodreads
Spoiler:
From GoodReads:

Eleven women confront dramas both everyday and outlandish in Caitlin Horrocks' This Is Not Your City. In stories as darkly comic as they are unflinching, people isolated by geography, emotion, or circumstance cut imperfect paths to peace—they have no other choice. A Russian mail-order bride in Finland is rendered silent by her dislocation and loss of language, the mother of a severely disabled boy writes him postcards he'll never read on a cruise ship held hostage by pirates, and an Iowa actuary wanders among the reincarnations of those she's known in her 127 lives. Horrocks' women find no simple escapes, and their acts of faith and acts of imagination in making do are as shrewd as they are surprising.


* Mayfly by Heather Lindsley [fantasyfan]
Strange Horizons
Spoiler:
It is a remarkable story, very imaginative with a distinctly lateral quality.

crich70 11-20-2014 01:01 PM
I'd like to nominate Zen by Jerome Bixby. It's a free short story available at Amazon. Amazon US
Spoiler:
Looking for a treatise on finding nirvana? You're in the wrong place. Jerome Bixby's "Zen" is a thought-provoking tale about a lone outer-space creature that believes it is the last one of its kind and, as a result, no longer wishes to survive. Will the scientist who discovered the creature comply with its wish to extinguish itself -- or does he have some shocking news to deliver?.
It's also available (thought not free) at Kobo. Kobo US

WillAdams 11-21-2014 11:07 AM
I'd like to nominate Marshall Brain's _Manna_ which is freely available on-line here: http://marshallbrain.com/manna1.htm

Near-future science fiction short about the development of A.I. and the resultant changes in the job market.

Also available for Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Manna-Visions-.../dp/B007HQH67U

Dazrin 11-21-2014 01:37 PM
I started compiling some short stories for this about a week ago, but wasn't able to decide on anything.

First I though maybe some classics (Sound of Thunder or Last Night of the World - Ray Bradbury, Feeling of Power - Isaac Asimov, Meat - Terry Bisson, The Star - Arthur C. Clarke) or maybe a new favorite (Wool - Hugh Howey). These are all available free online too, including the first portion of Wool which is all I was going to nominate.

Until I have time to think of a better "themed" selection of 3-4 shorts, how about something that goes with the AI theme from WillAdams. I nominate Tomorrow is Waiting by Holli Mintzer (coincidentally published 3 years ago today.) Available at Strange Horizons.

Tomorrow is Waiting by Holli Mintzer
Strange Horizons
Blurb from The Verge (as well as a couple more AI themed stories):
Spoiler:
Jim Henson's Muppets have been an integral part of pop culture since 1955, when they first debuted on television, making appearances in everything from the Emmy Awards to Late Night. The Muppets, as lifelike as they seem on screen, are puppets — given voice and motion by human puppeteers.

But, what if they weren't?

Holli Mintzer's Tomorrow is Waiting is a taut, hopeful exploration of what it means to be alive. It begins with a programmer named Anjali who is tasked with creating an A.I. for her finals. She decides to model her project on Kermit the Frog, concluding the abundance of available footage would make her labor a breeze. From there, events take a turn for the unusual. Anjali's Kermit acquires a body courtesy of Anjali's friend Brian, and then a sense of genial autonomy that both bewilders and enchants his creator. When Anjali claims to be tone-deaf, he warmly replies:
Quote:
"Aw, I wouldn't say tone-deaf, Anji," Kermit said. "I've heard you humming along a few times. Tone-confused, maybe, but I bet with a little practice you could get better."
Though Mintzer doesn't waste words on long descriptions, the story is nonetheless festooned with charm and a surprising amount of heart. Its greatest triumph, perhaps, is that it is a refreshingly uplifting read about artificial intelligence, a rarity in this time of dystopian universes and post-apocalyptic mayhem.

ccowie 11-21-2014 02:27 PM
I'd like to nominate Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam. I loved this book when I first read it about 8 years ago and have been interested in reading it again. The book consists of distinct, stand alone stories that are connected by the characters.

From Goodreads:
Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures welcomes readers into a world where the most mundane events can quickly become life or death. By following four young medical students and physicians – Ming, Fitz, Sri and Chen – this debut collection from 2006 Scotiabank Giller Prize winner Vincent Lam is a riveting, eye-opening account of what it means to be a doctor. Deftly navigating his way through 12 interwoven short stories, the author explores the characters’ relationships with each other, their patients, and their careers. Lam draws on his own experience as an emergency room physician and shares an insider’s perspective on the fears, frustrations, and responsibilities linked with one of society’s most highly regarded occupations.

“I wanted to write about the way in which a person changes as they become a physician — how their world view shifts, and how they become a slightly different version of themselves in the process of becoming a doctor,” Lam explains. “I wanted to write about the reality that doing good and trying to help others is not simple. It is ethically complicated and sometimes involves a reality that can only be expressed by telling a story.”

In the book’s first story, “How to Get into Medical School, Part 1,” students Ming and Fitz wrestle with their opposing personalities and study techniques, while coming to terms with a growing emotional connection that elicits disapproval from Ming’s traditional Chinese-Canadian parents. Lam’s exceptional talent for describing scenarios with great precision is showcased in “Take All of Murphy,” when Ming, Chen, and Sri find themselves at a moral crossroads while dissecting a cadaver. Throughout the book, readers are treated to the physicians’ internal thoughts and the mental drama involved with treating patients, including Fitz’s struggle with self-doubt in “Code Clock” and Chen’s boredom and exhaustion in “Before Light.”

From delivering babies to evacuating patients and dealing with deadly viruses, the four primary characters in Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures are made thoroughly human by Lam’s insightful detail, realistic dialogue, and expert storytelling. The medical world is naturally filled with drama, but it’s the author’s ability to give equal weight to the smaller moments that really brings this book to life.

WT Sharpe 11-23-2014 11:27 AM
Oh, a Christmas story. Why the hell not?

* Mistletoe in Manhattan: A Christmas Story by Talli Roland [WT Sharpe]
Amazon Ca / Amazon UK / Amazon US
Spoiler:
Holly may never be able to forget this Christmas . . . even if she wants to.

As Little Missington's first Christmas baby in fifty years and the daughter of Christmas When You Like It party-planners, Holly West has been surrounded by the holiday spirit since birth. Trouble is, she's not exactly filled with festive cheer. In fact, Holly can't wait to ditch the tinsel and Santa suits for champagne and celebs, and become a party-planner to the stars.

When British TV star Dean Layton hires her parents' company to throw his holiday bash in Manhattan, Holly jumps at the chance to help, confident she can handle a little Christmas in exchange for access to Dean's exclusive world.

But New York and Dean's over-the-top demands are more than Holly bargained for. Can Holly deck the halls and make it a party to be proud of, or will this Christmas be one she'll never forget . . . even if she wants to?

WT Sharpe 11-23-2014 11:01 PM
Nothing says holidays like a story whose main characters dwell on death. I nominate "The Altar of the Dead" by Henry James (1843 - 1916). Back in a few with some links.

The Altar of the Dead by Henry James
Patricia Clark Memorial Library: Kindle / Project Gutenberg (Various Formats)
Quote:
From Wikipedia

"The Altar of the Dead" is a short story by Henry James, first published in his collection Terminations in 1895. A fable of literally life and death significance, the story explores how the protagonist tries to keep the remembrance of his dead friends, to save them from being forgotten entirely in the rush of everyday events. He meets a woman who shares his ideals, only to find that the past places what seems to be an impassable barrier between them. Although James was not religious in any conventional sense, the story shows a deep spirituality in its treatment of mortality and the transcendent power of unselfish love.

JSWolf 11-23-2014 11:07 PM
I'd like to nominate Side Jobs by Jim Butcher. It's a collection of most of his Dresden Files short stories.

P.S Links forthcoming

WT Sharpe 11-23-2014 11:32 PM
With my third and last nomination, I nominate The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde
LibriVox (audiobook) / Project Gutenberg (various formats)
Quote:
From LibriVox:

The American Minister and his family have bought the English stately home Canterville Chase, complete with the ghost of Sir Simon de Canterville—blood-stains, clanking chains and all. But these modern Americans will have no truck with ghostly goings-on, and set out to beat the spectre at his own game. (Summary by David Barnes)

pynch 11-24-2014 04:23 AM
Some epub links from the Patricia Clark Memorial Library:

Henry James

Oscar Wilde

WT Sharpe 11-24-2014 09:57 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by pynch (Post 2984400)
Some epub links from the Patricia Clark Memorial Library:

Henry James

Oscar Wilde
Thanks, pynch. As those are "Complete Works", I missed them when I was looking for ePub versions of the stories. I'll add them now.

sun surfer 11-24-2014 10:11 AM
I'll second Henry James and Oscar Wilde.

bfisher 11-24-2014 11:18 AM
I third Oscar Wilde - The Canterville Ghost

bfisher 11-24-2014 11:20 AM
I third The Altar of the Dead by Henry James

Dazrin 11-24-2014 04:34 PM
I haven't had time to stop and put together another list and it doesn't look like I will have a chance to, but I do want to plug Tomorrow is Waiting again. I read it today at lunch (only a few minute read) and it is one of the very few* positive stories about artificial intelligence. I think it is a great read for the month of December and works well between Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Since it looks like I won't have time to look for other stories, I will second Manna and Mistletoe as well.

*At least I assume there are others. :)

GA Russell 11-25-2014 08:07 PM
I third Mistletoe in Manhattan.

GA Russell 11-25-2014 08:15 PM
I nominate The Cricket on the Hearth by Charles Dickens.

I have read that this (and not A Christmas Carol) was Dickens' most popular Christmas story during his lifetime.

From our dear Patricia Clark's Memorial Library...

Kindle
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17198

ePub
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54206

bfisher 11-25-2014 11:11 PM
I second The Cricket on the Hearth*by*Charles Dickens.

issybird 11-25-2014 11:20 PM
Third The Cricket on the Hearth.

HomeInMyShoes 11-26-2014 12:12 PM
I'm going to nominate:

This is not Your City by Caitlin Horrocks. A completely random find in the realm of short stories.

I'd love to nominate S is for Space by Ray Bradbury, but it is not available as an e-book.

pynch 11-28-2014 05:52 AM
I have proofed the book collections of Oscar Wilde and Henry James that contain the nominated texts against print copies, and corrected hundreds of mistakes and variants, so you might want to download them again if you did so before.

In the case of the Henry James story, it had the heavily revised version of the 1912 New York edition, and has now been restored to the text of the 1895 Heinemann edition. Choose wisely!

fantasyfan 11-28-2014 06:35 PM
I'll nominate "Mayfly" by Heather Lindsley. It is available in Strange Horizons at:

http://www.strangehorizons.com/2006/...mayfly-f.shtml

It is a remarkable story, very imaginative with a distinctly lateral quality.

obs20 12-01-2014 01:03 AM
I would like to nominate "Hardly Knew Her" by Laura Lippman.

WT Sharpe 12-01-2014 08:46 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by obs20 (Post 2990409)
I would like to nominate "Hardly Knew Her" by Laura Lippman.
I knew there was something I forgot to do this morning when I posted the poll.

The nominations are now closed.

Sorry, obs20. Lippman would have been a good choice, too. :(

WT Sharpe 12-01-2014 08:48 AM
The good news is that so far the voting seems more active than the nominations this month.

crich70 12-01-2014 09:01 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by WT Sharpe (Post 2990667)
The good news is that so far the voting seems more active than the nominations this month.
Mr. Dickens and Mr. Wilde seem to be at a dead heat relative to each other. :)

WT Sharpe 12-01-2014 09:06 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by crich70 (Post 2990678)
Mr. Dickens and Mr. Wilde seem to be at a dead heat relative to each other. :)
People seem evenly split between the two. Everyone who has voted so far has voted for both.

crich70 12-01-2014 09:10 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by WT Sharpe (Post 2990680)
People seem evenly split between the two. Everyone who has voted so far has voted for both.
Not quite. I voted for just one of the two. Not that there is anything wrong with either one. I just like one of the stories better.

WT Sharpe 12-01-2014 09:17 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by crich70 (Post 2990683)
Not quite. I voted for just one of the two. Not that there is anything wrong with either one. I just like one of the stories better.
Ah, I see. Luffy voted just opposite. For what it's worth, I think I should have vote like you, but I'll be happy with either choice. I'll probably read both, anyway.

crich70 12-01-2014 09:23 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by WT Sharpe (Post 2990692)
Ah, I see. Luffy voted just opposite. For what it's worth, I think I should have vote like you, but I'll be happy with either choice. I'll probably read both, anyway.
:thumbsup: Both are very good writers. Another of Dickens works (A Christmas Carol) is a classic of the season. I wager even many of those who have never read the book or seen any of the movies know who Scrooge is.

WT Sharpe 12-01-2014 09:48 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by crich70 (Post 2990699)
:thumbsup: Both are very good writers. Another of Dickens works (A Christmas Carol) is a classic of the season. I wager even many of those who have never read the book or seen any of the movies know who Scrooge is.
It was the book club selection for December 2011. I'll bite. Who was Scrooge?

issybird 12-01-2014 10:06 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by WT Sharpe (Post 2990692)
Ah, I see. Luffy voted just opposite. For what it's worth, I think I should have vote like you, but I'll be happy with either choice. I'll probably read both, anyway.
Yes. I'd prefer Wilde, especially since I think the discussion would be more fun, but will also read both. Two very nice selections, especially for a holiday month. As with Auntie Mame, I need a little Christmas, right this very minute, as Thanksgiving disappeared into the maw of a three-day power outage. Cheese and crackers instead of turkey and trimmings.

crich70 12-01-2014 10:11 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by issybird (Post 2990732)
Yes. I'd prefer Wilde, especially since I think the discussion would be more fun, but will also read both. Two very nice selections, especially for a holiday month. As with Auntie Mame, I need a little Christmas, right this very minute, as Thanksgiving disappeared into the maw of a three-day power outage. Cheese and crackers instead of turkey and trimmings.
I voted for "The Canterville Ghost." :) Sorry to hear you had some problems with power outage Issybird. A young lady I know on another board also had her Thanksgiving with her family delayed due to power outage.

issybird 12-01-2014 10:18 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by crich70 (Post 2990738)
I voted for "The Canterville Ghost." :) Sorry to hear you had some problems with power outage Issybird. A young lady I know on another board also had her Thanksgiving with her family delayed due to power outage.
Thank you. It was grim, but no lasting damage. The silver lining is that the house was so cold that I didn't have to throw out anything from the refrigerator. And right in the spirit of the holiday, was I ever thankful when the power came back!

crich70 12-01-2014 10:32 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by issybird (Post 2990741)
Thank you. It was grim, but no lasting damage. The silver lining is that the house was so cold that I didn't have to throw out anything from the refrigerator. And right in the spirit of the holiday, was I ever thankful when the power came back!
A good point. Of course most of us are prone to taking our modern conveniences for granted. Last time we had a power outage here I kept on forgetting and trying to turn the lights on. :rofl: Someone should start a thread about fiction/non-fiction books about people having to do without the modern conveniences. I imagine it would make interesting reading. I wish Zen had gotten enough nominations but those that are up look interesting.

WT Sharpe 12-01-2014 01:02 PM
I would hate living in the olden days when there were no refrigerators to keep meat fresh on hot summer days! Glad you got your power back on, issybird.

issybird 12-01-2014 01:27 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by WT Sharpe (Post 2990895)
I would hate living in the olden days when there were no refrigerators to keep meat fresh on hot summer days! Glad you got your power back on, issybird.
Me, too, thanks! Geography really alters your perspective. I'm not a native New Englander and I don't know how the early settlers stood them, the endless dark and bitter winters. I would much prefer a summer outage, with more daylight and being able to sit around in reasonable comfort, as opposed to wrapped up in outdoor clothing and blankets. Spoiled food seems like a reasonable trade-off.

HomeInMyShoes 12-01-2014 01:45 PM
^I don't know. I lived in Missouri when power was out for two weeks to hundreds of thousands of people during a heatwave. People died. They are both terrible situations and I'm glad you've got power back.

sun surfer 12-02-2014 04:37 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by issybird (Post 2990732)
...As with Auntie Mame, I need a little Christmas, right this very minute, as Thanksgiving disappeared into the maw of a three-day power outage. Cheese and crackers instead of turkey and trimmings.
That's too bad, issy. Glad to hear you now have electricity again. At least life is a banquet, even if your Thanksgiving dinner unfortunately wasn't.


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