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July 2017 Book Club Vote
June 2017 MobileRead Book Club Vote
Help us choose a book as the June 2017 eBook for the MobileRead Book Club. The poll will be open for 5 days. There will be no runoff vote unless the voting results a tie, in which case there will be a 3 day run-off poll. This is a visible poll: others can see how you voted. It is http://wtsharpe.com/Pictures/Multiple-Choice_C3.gif You may cast a vote for each book that appeals to you. We will start the discussion thread for this book on July 20th. Select from the following Official Choices with three nominations each: • The Wind Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami, Jay Rubin (Translator) Goodreads | Amazon US / Overdrive / WorldCat Print Length: 607 pages Spoiler:
• Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach Goodreads | Overdrive Print Length: 321 pages Spoiler:
• Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly Goodreads | Amazon UK / Amazon US / Audible UK / Audible US / Kobo US Print Length: 373 pages Spoiler:
• Animal: The Autobiography of a Female Body by Sara Pascoe Goodreads Print Length: 336 pages Spoiler:
• Socrates Cafe: A Fresh Taste of Philosophy by Christopher Phillips Goodreads Print Length: 246 pages Spoiler:
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The current votes are quite interesting. If this keeps up we'll have as many books in the runoff as the original vote!
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Please vote for Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach. It is the most enjoyable book in the list. Last time I said the book I wanted to win was the better book, I was very much correct. The book we had was not all that good. It was more about politics than science and the topic was supposed to be science. When we had mystery month, we got a rather tame/dull book on Africa.
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I think you were wrong last month, Jon. Heck, I could say my choice was the best each month, also, but I'd only be right for my interests and not necessarily even in terms of a good discussion and certainly not for others. The club's already read books by Roach and Murakami and I don't see the point in revisiting either when there are different authors to choose from. Frankly, I think Murakami in particular would be disastrous. Although the most literary of the choices, which speaks to me, at 600 pages no one will end up reading it. The last time Murakami was chosen it resulted in the worst discussion ever; there were only two posts about the book. I figure the prurient will at least give Bonk a try, but I hope it's not the selection, also. |
I voted for all books except Murakami's. I don't want his book to win. I don't like absurd and obscure books that are cached in a literary genre.
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For me, the Murakami book is both too expensive and too long, especially when it doesn't grab me. I haven't decided which of the other books will get my vote, but almost certainly not the Mary Roach. One was enough.
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If The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle wins, I expect everyone who voted for it to read it and participate in the discussion thread.
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Hidden Figures sounds best to me. Well, Socrates Cafe sounds good too, but I can get Hidden Figures audiobook through Overdrive. I just placed a hold.
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However, as I tried to indicate, those who are willing to read DTBs (the horror! the horror!) might have a few more options. |
True, DTBs can give you additional options. Also, for those keeping track, the UK price of Hidden Figures is significantly less than the US price. While the UK WhisperSync price is way better.
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There is no way I have time to read a 600 page book. So is everyone who votes for this going to be reading all 600 pages?
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Because of the size, this did affect my voting. I may or may not have voted for just the first book. So I want all our votes back so we can do this correctly. This was misrepresented and thus, even the nomination portion was botched. We should redo this from the start if we want to do it correctly. We didn't have all the correct information to nominate and vote. So I'll give in and just redo the vote as long as this book is pushed as JUST the first book and the description reflects that. |
Hope springs eternal, eh, Jon? We have never yet scrapped a nomination process or vote because of defects that have been determined by you.
The reality is that Wind-Up Bird is published as a single volume and it is a book. Those who have nominated and voted for it are fully entitled. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing them all engage in a rousing discussion, because isn't that the point of a book club? Surely it's not just a popularity contest? |
It was nominated as a single book and is presented as a single book by the publisher in the English language versions, even if it was published as 3 volumes elsewhere. When the nominator provided the extra detail that someone requested they copied that section from GR as well, so this certainly isn't a misrepresentation or a major issue.
This book is 1/2 the size of the November 2013 selection so it is certainly not without precedent for length too. And October 2009 and March 2010 would like to have a word with you about reading only one book in a month. March 2010 happens to be the first time Mary Roach was selected .... Just because you are sore that your preference isn't winning right now doesn't mean the Earth is ending. |
It means I wasn't given the correct information to make an informed choice. I won't be reading a 600 page book, but I might have chosen it if it interested me and it was just the first book.
I'm annoyed that I wasn't given the correct information to me an informed vote. We have never read an omnibus and we have never done more than one book in a month. If that's going to be allowed, then it needs to be allowed before it's in the nomination/vote so we know what's what. |
Jon -- I was able to figure out that it was three books. As such, I didn't feel cheated or mis-represented. And if it were to win, I could certainly see those who wanted to participate only doing so on the first book if that was all they had time for. Personally, I'm not particularly interested even at 1/3rd of its length.
I do object to anyone motivating or voting for a book and then not participating in the discussion. We see that too often and it distorts the book selection. (And yes, I get it that sometimes life intrudes. But at least an acknowledgement of the same in the discussion would seem to be called for, IMNSHO.) As for the voting this time: I've decided to vote for Hidden Figures. I've seen the movie and I really want to read the book to get even more details. (And I strongly motivate folks to at least see the movie if you haven't!) I grew up during the "space race" and followed it avidly, along with all that was going on NASA, and this was totally new to me. Hidden figures indeed. (And I love the double meaning there!) |
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In the case of Wind-Up Bird, I admit to thirding it without checking the price. That was a mistake, since I can't get it from my local library in a format I will read. (Sorry, DTB is not a choice for me any more. ) |
I agree that it is a problem where some vote for the winning book and then don't participate. Sometimes if those that do not participate did not vote then a different book would have won.
So please do not vote if you do not plan on participating. Even if you put it on hold at Overdrive and may or may not get it in time, don't vote unless you 100% ae going to participate. I voted for what I will definitely will read. That doesn't mean I won't read any of the others, but I don't have to because I didn't vote. |
Well, it looks like I'd better hurry up and finish this Peter Grant novella I'm in the middle of and get started on Hidden Figures. Thank goodness the UK price is a bit more reasonable, since the backlog at the library is ridiculous. Not as bad as the backlog was for Chris Hadfield's book (that was >120 in front of me, and only 4 copies!:eek:)
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Well, it worked out OK from my perspective this month; either of the leading contenders would have been 1 rock tumbling off Mt TBR, and I suspect Hidden Figures will be a much quicker read (although Animal has its charms) :)
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I have a hold on both the audiobook and the ebook at my local library. I'll take whichever comes in first.
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No hope for me in Overdrive. 164 people ahead of me for 12 copies of the eBook, no audio book available. I've just taken a quick trip to the UK and bought the eBook and it's WhisperSync Audible version. Started now.
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The audiobook is also available on Scribd for anyone with a subscription.
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Because posting one immediately following the vote seemed to be the will of the people (see the Book Club discussion), I have started a discussion thread for Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly.
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Thanks, Tom. I'm already well into the book and will be glad of a place to start to put my thoughts down.
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Jon ~ you may find this morning's email link from Delancey Place to be interesting. Just this one segment put this book on my must read list.
https://delanceyplace.com/view-archi...kN490.facebook |
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If we keep the same categories, next June would be the next time Bonk fits a category and can be nominated. If we change categories, then February would be the earliest, assuming it fits whatever category is selected. Gulp will be in the runner's up vote for January too.
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It's a classic in science books about sex so that's September. Mary Roach writes with a humorous slant, so that's October. It also deals with some history, so that's November. So I can nominate Bonk up to three times this year. |
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I guess, if you lobby to get rid of the 6 month rule, maybe it could be nominated this year but I am fairly certain that won't get much support. This is exactly the type of thing that the rule was made for... Spoiler:
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I can still nominate other Mary Roach books.
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I will still read it. Roach is a good writer who knows how to make cutting edge research accessible and interesting for the average reader.
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