Literary The MobileRead Literary Book Club December 2011 Nominations

[paola]

This is already looking good, but let me add Albert Camus' "The Stranger", available legitimately here:
http://www.archive.org/details/TheStranger-AlbertCamus

Blurb form wikipedia:

"The Stranger or The Outsider (L’Étranger) is a novel by Albert Camus published in 1942. Its theme and outlook are often cited as examples of existentialism, though Camus did not consider himself an existentialist; in fact, its content explores various philosophical schools of thought, including (most prominently and specifically) absurdism, as well as determinism, nihilism, naturalism, and stoicism.

The title character is Meursault, an Algerian ("a citizen of France domiciled in North Africa, a man of the Mediterranean, an homme du midi yet one who hardly partakes of the traditional Mediterranean culture")[2] who seemingly irrationally kills an Arab man whom he recognises in French Algiers. The story is divided into two parts: Meursault's first-person narrative view before and after the murder, respectively."

[caleb72]

Originally Posted by paola

This is already looking good, but let me add Albert Camus' "The Stranger", available legitimately here:
http://www.archive.org/details/TheStranger-AlbertCamus

Blurb form wikipedia:

"The Stranger or The Outsider (L’Étranger) is a novel by Albert Camus published in 1942. Its theme and outlook are often cited as examples of existentialism, though Camus did not consider himself an existentialist; in fact, its content explores various philosophical schools of thought, including (most prominently and specifically) absurdism, as well as determinism, nihilism, naturalism, and stoicism.

The title character is Meursault, an Algerian ("a citizen of France domiciled in North Africa, a man of the Mediterranean, an homme du midi yet one who hardly partakes of the traditional Mediterranean culture")[2] who seemingly irrationally kills an Arab man whom he recognises in French Algiers. The story is divided into two parts: Meursault's first-person narrative view before and after the murder, respectively."

That was my favourite book for years back in my youth. It was even better in French.

I'll give it a second.

[sun surfer]

I nominate The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark.

Spoiler:

"A perfect book." -- Chicago Tribune

A short classic novel about an eccentric Edinburgh teacher who inspires cultlike reverence in her young students.

At the staid Marcia Blaine School for Girls, in Edinburgh, Scotland, teacher extraordinaire Miss Jean Brodie is unmistakably, and outspokenly, in her prime. She is passionate in the application of her unorthodox teaching methods, in her attraction to the married art master, Teddy Lloyd, in her affair with the bachelor music master, Gordon Lowther, and—most important—in her dedication to "her girls," the students she selects to be her crème de la crème. Fanatically devoted, each member of the Brodie set—Eunice, Jenny, Mary, Monica, Rose, and Sandy—is "famous for something," and Miss Brodie strives to bring out the best in each one. Determined to instill in them independence, passion, and ambition, Miss Brodie advises her girls, "Safety does not come first. Goodness, Truth, and Beauty come first. Follow me."

And they do. But one of them will betray her.

And the nominations so far:

The short stories of Saki [4]
The Remains Of The Day by Kazuo Ishiguro [2]
Twenty-Six And One And Other Stories by Maxim Gorky [3]
The Last Temptation Of Christ by Nicos Kazantzakis [1]
The Daughter Of Time by Josephine Tey [1]
The Stranger by Albert Camus [2]
The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark [1]

[Skip_intro]

I will second The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

[issybird]

I'd like to nominate Death in Venice by Thomas Mann.

From Wikipedia:

The novella Death in Venice was written by the German author Thomas Mann, and was first published in 1913 as Der Tod in Venedig.[1] The plot of the work presents a great writer suffering writer's block who visits Venice and is liberated and uplifted, then increasingly obsessed, by the sight of a stunningly beautiful youth. Though he never speaks to the boy, much less touches him, the writer finds himself drawn deep into ruinous inward passion; meanwhile Venice, and finally the writer himself, succumb to a cholera plague. The novella is powerfully intertextual, with the chief sources being first the connection of erotic love to philosophical wisdom traced in Plato's Symposium and Phaedrus, and second the Nietzschean contrast between the god of restraint and shaping form, Apollo, and the god of excess and passion, Dionysus.

[fantasyfan]

For my last vote I'll second the nomination of The Daughter Of Time by Josephine Tey.

[Loosheesh]

Ill third both the nominations of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and The Daughter of Time.

[sun surfer]

Less than a day left for nominations.

Nominations through post #30:

The short stories of Saki [4]
The Remains Of The Day by Kazuo Ishiguro [3]
Twenty-Six And One And Other Stories by Maxim Gorky [3]
The Last Temptation Of Christ by Nicos Kazantzakis [1]
The Daughter Of Time by Josephine Tey [4]
The Stranger by Albert Camus [3]
The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark [4]
Death In Venice by Thomas Mann [2]

[issybird]

I'll use my last nomination to third The Stranger. Haven't read it since high school and I'd like to think I could read it with additional appreciation now!

[sun surfer]

I'll third Remains Of The Day.

[jersysman]

I'll second Death in Venice by Thomas Mann.

Originally Posted by ficbot

I want to participate more regularly in the club I think I got discouraged early on because the books I voted for never seemed to win, but I want to read more edifying books in the coming year so I am going to at least give an honest go of every book that's picked. -snip-

I hope you will continue to participate Ficbot. Just to let you know how it goes in the time I have been participating in both the regular monthly book club and this one the book I wanted to win has been selected exactly once. That being in November for this book club when it had no competition . So do be prepared for the possibility that what you nominate and really want to win will very seldom be selected.

So only eight hours to go and not even one book fully nominated?

[sun surfer]

There's about six hours left if anyone wants to use any last-minute votes.

ETA - Hamlet53, we cross posted! You are more correct though if I finish exactly at five days, so let's say it'll be around eight hours more instead of six.

[Bookworm_Girl]

Originally Posted by Loosheesh

Ill third both the nominations of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and The Daughter of Time.

I will 4th both of these books.