New Leaf Vote for March 2020 • As You Wish: Anything Goes

[issybird]

It's time to select the book we'll read and discuss in March 2020.

We love new participants. We're happy for you to vote, but in the interest of a vibrant conversation, we'd like to request that you not vote unless you plan to join the discussion whatever the selection. So if you haven't posted in a book club thread yet, do please say a quick hello here or in the Welcome thread.

This is a poll. Vote for as many books as you'd like. Questions? FAQs | Guidelines Or just ask!

Choices:

The Maltese Falcon, by Dashiell Hammett
Public Domain in Canada

Spoiler:

Wikipedia:

Sam Spade is a private detective in San Francisco, in partnership with Miles Archer. The beautiful "Miss Wonderley" hires them to follow Floyd Thursby, who has run off with her sister. Archer takes the first stint but is found shot dead that night. Thursby is also killed later and Spade is a suspect. The next morning, Spade coolly tells his office secretary, Effie Perine, to have the office door repainted to read simply "Samuel Spade".

"Miss Wonderley" is soon revealed to be an acquisitive adventuress named Brigid O'Shaughnessy, involved in the search for a black statuette of unknown but substantial value.

The Maltese Falcon is a 1930 detective novel by American writer Dashiell Hammett, originally serialized in the magazine Black Mask beginning with the September 1929 issue. The story is told entirely in external third-person narrative; there is no description whatever of any character's internal thoughts or feelings, only what they say and do, and how they look. The novel has been adapted several times for the cinema.

The main character, Sam Spade (who also appeared later in some lesser-known short stories), was a departure from Hammett's nameless detective, The Continental Op. Spade combined several features of previous detectives, notably his cold detachment, keen eye for detail, unflinching, sometimes ruthless, determination to achieve his own form of justice, and a complete lack of sentimentality.

Although Hammett himself worked for a time as a private detective for the Pinkerton Detective Agency in San Francisco (and used his given name, Samuel, for the story's protagonist), Hammett asserted that "Spade has no original. He is a dream man in the sense that he is what most of the private detectives I worked with would like to have been, and, in their cockier moments, thought they approached."

213 pp.

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Carey Elwes
Amazon US $12.99

Spoiler:

From actor Cary Elwes, who played the iconic role of Westley in The Princess Bride, comes a first-person account and behind-the-scenes look at the making of the cult classic film filled with never-before-told stories, exclusive photographs, and interviews with costars Robin Wright, Wallace Shawn, Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, and Mandy Patinkin, as well as author and screenwriter William Goldman, producer Norman Lear, and director Rob Reiner.

The Princess Bride has been a family favorite for close to three decades. Ranked by the American Film Institute as one of the top 100 Greatest Love Stories and by the Writers Guild of America as one of the top 100 screenplays of all time, The Princess Bride will continue to resonate with audiences for years to come.

Cary Elwes was inspired to share his memories and give fans an unprecedented look into the creation of the film while participating in the twenty-fifth anniversary cast reunion. In As You Wish he has created an enchanting experience; in addition to never-before seen photos and interviews with his fellow cast mates, there are plenty of set secrets, backstage stories, and answers to lingering questions about off-screen romances that have plagued fans for years!

259 pp.

Nation by Terry Pratchett
US$9.99; CA$11.89; GB£4.99; AU$11.99

Spoiler:

Goodreads

Alone on a desert island — everything and everyone he knows and loves has been washed away in a storm — Mau is the last surviving member of his nation. He’s completely alone — or so he thinks until he finds the ghost girl. She has no toes, wears strange lacy trousers like the grandfather bird, and gives him a stick that can make fire.

Daphne, sole survivor of the wreck of the Sweet Judy, almost immediately regrets trying to shoot the native boy. Thank goodness the powder was wet and the gun only produced a spark. She’s certain her father, distant cousin of the Royal family, will come and rescue her but it seems, for now, that all she has for company is the boy and the foul-mouthed ship’s parrot, until other survivors arrive to take refuge on the island. Together, Mau and Daphne discover some remarkable things (including how to milk a pig, and why spitting in beer is a good thing), and start to forge a new nation.

Encompassing themes of death and nationhood, Terry Pratchett’s new novel is, as can be expected, extremely funny, witty and wise. Mau’s ancestors have something to teach us all. Mau just wishes they would shut up about it and let him get on with saving everyone’s lives!

367 pp.

The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
Amazon US $4.99

Spoiler:

On a cold spring night in 1952, a huge meteorite fell to earth and obliterated much of the east coast of the United States, including Washington D.C. The ensuing climate cataclysm will soon render the earth inhospitable for humanity, as the last such meteorite did for the dinosaurs. This looming threat calls for a radically accelerated effort to colonize space, and requires a much larger share of humanity to take part in the process.

Elma York’s experience as a WASP pilot and mathematician earns her a place in the International Aerospace Coalition’s attempts to put man on the moon, as a calculator. But with so many skilled and experienced women pilots and scientists involved with the program, it doesn’t take long before Elma begins to wonder why they can’t go into space, too.

Elma’s drive to become the first Lady Astronaut is so strong that even the most dearly held conventions of society may not stand a chance against her.

431 pp.

The Dollmaker by Harriette Simpson Arnow
Amazon U.S., $15.99

Spoiler:

The Dollmaker was originally published in 1954 to immediate success and critical acclaim. In unadorned and powerful prose, Harriette Arnow tells the unforgettable and heartbreaking story of the Nevels family and their quest to preserve their deep-rooted values amidst the turmoil of war and industrialization. When Gertie Nevels, a strong and self-reliant matriarch, follows her husband to Detroit from their countryside home in Kentucky, she learns she will have to fight desperately to keep her family together. A sprawling book full of vividly drawn characters and masterful scenes, The Dollmaker is a passionate tribute to a woman's love for her children and the land.

"The depth and power and stature of this enormous book are rare indeed in modern fiction." -- The New York Times

"The Dollmaker has vividness and terrific reality. It is a book to make one think...a story of the strength of the human heart against bitter odds....Deeply sincere and moving." -- Chicago Tribune

"A masterwork...A superb book of unforgettable strength and glowing richness." -- The New York Times

"The Dollmaker's depiction of family life -- the entangled bonds between parents and children, brothers and sisters -- is unparalleled in modern fiction." -- The Georgia Review

690 pp.

City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi by William Dalrymple
US$4.99; AU$9.99; CA$11.99; UK£6.49

Spoiler:

From Goodreads:

Sparkling with irrepressible wit, City of Djinns peels back the layers of Delhi's centuries-old history, revealing an extraordinary array of characters along the way-from eunuchs to descendants of great Moguls. With refreshingly open-minded curiosity, William Dalrymple explores the seven "dead" cities of Delhi as well as the eighth city-today's Delhi. Underlying his quest is the legend of the djinns, fire-formed spirits that are said to assure the city's Phoenix-like regeneration no matter how many times it is destroyed. Entertaining, fascinating, and informative, City of Djinns is an irresistible blend of research and adventure.

352 pp.

[GA Russell]

The Maltese Falcon is a favorite of mine, but does it matter that it was already a selection in June, 2011?

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=140184

[Dazrin]

That's fine, as long as it is 5 years or more ago it is eligible. Thanks for pointing that out though, it might sway some people one way or another even if it is eligible.

[CRussel]

Hey, folks. I'm going to pass on voting this month. I'll try to read whatever is selected, but I'm not at all sure I'll be able to. "Life" is intruding again, and I don't want to skew the results if I'm reasonably sure I might not be able to read the selection.

[Bookpossum]

Originally Posted by Dazrin

That's fine, as long as it is 5 years or more ago it is eligible. Thanks for pointing that out though, it might sway some people one way or another even if it is eligible.

Nine years ago in a different club with probably one or two New Leaf members at most having been involved? I can't see that it should be of any concern.

[issybird]

Hmm, a lot of wait-and-see this month!

I don't like to vote for more than half and while I've got it down to four, I'm not sure about jettisoning the book in fourth place.

[Dazrin]

I was in the same boat, wanted to choose 4 but don't like choosing more than 3. In the end this quote decided it for me:

Originally Posted by issybird

I think it's a far better movie than book.

It is weird that we've nominated one book and one memoir for a movie where issybird thinks the movies are better than the books though. That can't happen often.

Edit: The thread with that quote is full of spoilers, beware!

[Victoria]

Originally Posted by Dazrin

It is weird that we've nominated one book and one memoir for a movie where issybird thinks the movies are better than the books though. That can't happen often.

Edit: The thread with that quote is full of spoilers, beware!

Which thread is that?

[Dazrin]

The previous discussion for Maltese Falcon.

[Victoria]

That cast and director would be pretty stiff competition for any book. But that said, sometimes it’s interesting to read the book behind great movies.

[Dazrin]

This is the first time we have selected a book that the MRBC had already talked about. The Literary Club has done so a couple times with A Passage to India (Nov 2008 / Aug 2011) and The Woman in White (Dec 2010 / May 2019) but this is a first for the NLBC.

[Catlady]

So ... is this one of the handful of titles where the movie is better than the book? I don't believe I've ever seen the movie, only bits and pieces of it--or if I did see it, it was so long ago that I don't remember it.

[Bookpossum]

The movie is very good indeed. It’s so long since I read the book that I can’t recall it in any detail at all. My overall feeling about Hammett’s books versus those of Raymond Chandler is that I thought Chandler was better, back when I was reading them. No doubt we shall be discussing style as well as content in due course.

I must confess that I’m glad this book won as it’s a short one and I have a lot on my plate in coming weeks.

[Victoria]

I haven’t read the book but I’m very curious about it because of the movie. Usually, I make a point of reading the books first. But in this case, the movie is so iconic, and has permeated popular culture so deeply that it’s hard to escape references, even if you’ve never seen it. So it should be a fun read.

[fantasyfan]

The original version of The Maltese Falcon first appeared in Black Mask Stories from Sept. 1929 to Jan. 1930. It was revised and published in Feb. 1930. There were very many changes made in the novel and some evidently prefer the original. If anyone is interested Audible has that first version.