MobileRead March 2014 Book Club Nominations

[issybird]

Second On the Trail of Genghis Khan.

[BelleZora]

Third On the Trail of Genghis Khan

[John F]

I'll nominate Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne.

Everyones heard of it, and it is available everywhere.

[Dazrin]

Originally Posted by John F

I'll nominate Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne.

Everyones heard of it, and it is available everywhere.

I will second this.

[sun surfer]

I'll third Allan Quartermain. I'd love to finally read a Quartermain book. I don't think any of us were around when the first book was selected for the club, but these novels aren't so long so I wouldn't mind catching up on the first one before I read this one, if it wins. Together they are still less pages than last month's selection of Outlander and some of this month's nominations.

I am hoping the Verne doesn't win the month since a Verne book won the last Travel/Adventure month.

[sun surfer]

I'd like to nominate Sailing Alone Around the World by Joshua Slocum.

Spoiler:

From Amazon:

Classic of sea adventure conveys all the excitement of being the first man to sail around the world, alone, in small boat. Pirates, perils, witty observations, stories. 67 illustrations.


About the Author:

Joshua Slocum was a Canadian-American seaman and adventurer, a noted writer, and the first man to sail single-handedly around the world. In 1900 he told the story of this in Sailing Alone Around the World. He disappeared in November 1909 while aboard his boat, the Spray.


"This book has literary merit, thoughtful and beautifully written and packed with incident." - The Nautical Magazine

"As a writer Slocum is given to plain understatement, dry wit, wry humor and Yankee observations about nature that led some to call him a sea-locked Thoreau. ... he offers descriptive glances at the sea, in storm or calm, that can rival those of Joseph Conrad." - Smithsonian

"A literary gem, adroitly and engagingly written." - National Fisherman

"A literate and absorbing yarn published in 1900 and still in print... His story is a convincing tale of the intelligence, skill and fortitude that drove a master navigator." - The New York Times

"One of the most readable books in the whole library of adventure." - Sports Illustrated

"Yet, he seems to almost casually find his way around the world, meeting interesting people, avoiding mishaps and just generally having a great time." - Amazon Reviewer (Robert R. Briggs)

"Fantastic adventure! ... He writes about the practical and technical challenges of long distance sailing in the 19th century and about his encounters with the peoples and tribes on his route. The writing style is short and factual, but that almost makes the impression even stronger given that more often than not Joshua Slocum had to face death and only escaped with the narrowest of margins." - Amazon Reviewer (Robert Pajor)

"Sailing Alone Around the World is a great read, and the adventure it describes is an amazing testament to courage, perseverance, and the human spirit of exploration." - Amazon Reviewer (Carlene Garrick)

MR Library, epub

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by sun surfer

I'd like to nominate Sailing Alone Around the World by Joshua Slocum....

Is there a Mrs. Slocum?

[sun surfer]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

Is there a Mrs. Slocum?

If there were, I dare say her pussy would have gone sailing too, but whether it would've gotten wet or not on the boat only she would know.

[BelleZora]

Second Sailing Alone Around the World.

[sun surfer]

By the way, for anyone not familiar with Mrs. Slocombe, I should probably add that I'm not just posting vulgarities, though the risqué double entendre is very strong with her. She often talks about her cat, which she likes to call her pussy. I felt a bit dirty writing it and still can't quite believe it was allowed so freely on national television (and so many times!).

[ccowie]

I'd like to nominate Beyond the Horizon by Colin Angus.

In June, 2004, Colin Angus left Vancouver on his bicycle. Nearly two years later, he rolled back in, looking like a castaway, and having completed the first human-powered circumnavigation of the globe.

Angus cycled, skiied, and rowed a route that took him to Alaska, across the Bering Sea and the Siberian winter, across Europe from Moscow to Portugal, then across the Atlantic to Costa Rica–a 156-day rowing odyssey. From there it was a short 8,300 kilometre ride back to Vancouver. Along the way he burned through 4,000 chocolate bars, 72 inner tubes, 250 kgs of freeze-dried foods, 31 dorado fish (caught from the sea), 2 offshore rowboats, 4 bicycles, 80 kgs of clothing. And he showed the world that if he can travel 43,000 kilometres without polluting the planet, then the rest of us can get off our butts, and clean up our own acts.

[Billi]

I second Beyond the Horizon.

[GA Russell]

I third Journey to the Center of the Earth.

[fantasyfan]

I nominate South: The Endurance Expedition to Antarctica by Ernest Shackleton.

This is one of the most astonishing and heroic true stories ever told. Shackleton's expedition to Antarctica and his amazing exploits are the stuff of legend. One reader on the Amazon site had this to say:

"If you thought you were a hard man - read this book, THEY were hard men. They never complained - except that -20°F was too warm!! Hard to credit this happened not quite a century ago. Rubbish equipment, rubbish food, no contact with the outside world for months at a time. A walk over South Georgia, over the glaciers at 4000 feet in rotten boots and torn clothing! Barely believable. After reading this you will think twice about complaining about anything ever again!!!"

It is available free from Project Gutenberg and Amazon or one can buy it in a number of formats quite easily and inexpensively. There is also a fascinating DVD about the expedition.

[Dazrin]

While I would like to read The Right Stuff, I can't find it at my library. Instead, I will second South: The Endurance Expedition which I have considered a couple times before. Maybe this will give me the incentive to actually read it.