New Leaf September Nominations • Over the Hills and Far Away: Journeys

[CRussel]

I'm going to nominate the story of what is arguably the greatest journey in history, and certainly one of the most amazing, Ernest Shackleton's South. This is in the public domain, and therefore available in multiple editions at a wide range of prices, but none of them are above my personal $10 limit. I might have gone for Alfred Lansing's Endurance, but it's too expensive. And besides, with South, we're getting it from the primary source.

Originally Posted by Goodreads

In 1914 Ernest Shackleton and a crew of 27 stalwart individuals attempted to undertake what Shackleton described as “the one remaining great object of Antarctic journeying” - crossing the continent on foot from the Weddell Sea to the Ross Sea via the South Pole. While disaster famously beset the Endurance expedition, Shackleton, through extraordinary leadership and dogged, relentless effort, lost none of his men; all were saved in 1916.

The legendary tale of how he accomplished this is still taught in the best military and business schools on the planet. South! is the story of the doomed expedition, straight from the man who led it - Sir Ernest Shackleton.

I'm not going to list specific editions, because it doesn't really matter which one you choose and there are multiple. But I do suggest one with good illustrations, especially the original photographs from Frank Hurley. This was an amazing journey, and Ernest Shackleton's story of it is an amazing read.

[JSWolf]

How many ADE pages or number of words would be considered to be too long?

[gmw]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

How many ADE pages or number of words would be considered to be too long?

There are no hard rules, but there is guideline see under heading "What books result in the best discussions?":

Length: Since we all read a different rates books longer than 300 to 400 pages are less likely to be appealing to everyone.

I had to look it up, but it fits with what I've been thinking as I look at books for nominating. I start to get iffy around 500 pages*, 600+ (I think) really needs some advance indication that most are up for it.

That said: remember it's not a hard rule. You can always nominate and people will simply not support it if they don't want it - which happened to me many months back when I nominated Nelson DeMille's Word of Honour. Hence the earlier hints around The Physician, the idea being that if it sparked enough interest I might have nominated it despite the length, but not without that interest.


* ADE or other is not huge issue, same ballpark, but for ADE I'd probably use slightly smaller limits. eg: The Physician is 714 pages in MMPB, 648 ADE, 875 showing on Kobo, 838 in Amazon. Word of Honour is 752 MMPB, 618 ADE, 884 at Amazon. These are both big books and a big reading commitment if someone is not sure whether they are going to like the book or not.

[JSWolf]

I shall nominate The Eyre Affair by Jasper FForde.

Jasper Fforde’s beloved New York Times bestselling novel introduces literary detective Thursday Next and her alternate reality of literature-obsessed England.

Fans of Douglas Adams and P. G. Wodehouse will love visiting Jasper Fforde's Great Britain, circa 1985, when time travel is routine, cloning is a reality (dodos are the resurrected pet of choice), and literature is taken very, very seriously: it's a bibliophile's dream. England is a virtual police state where an aunt can get lost (literally) in a Wordsworth poem and forging Byronic verse is a punishable offense. All this is business as usual for Thursday Next, renowned Special Operative in literary detection. But when someone begins kidnapping characters from works of literature and plucks Jane Eyre from the pages of Brontë's novel, Thursday is faced with the challenge of her career. Fforde's ingenious fantasy—enhanced by a Web site that re-creates the world of the novel—unites intrigue with English literature in a delightfully witty mix.

Overdrive: https://www.overdrive.com/search?q=t...+affair+jasper
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000OCXHC2
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002V091VG
eBooks.com UK: https://www.ebooks.com/en-gb/searcha...he+eyre+affair
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the...day-next-novel
eBooks.com US: https://www.ebooks.com/en-us/book/26.../jasper-fforde

[fantasyfan]

I’ll second south By Ernest Shackleton.

[fantasyfan]

I’ll nominate Erebus: The Story of a Ship By Michael Palin.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Erebus-Stor...al-text&sr=1-1
365 pages

“In the early years of Queen Victoria’s reign, HMS Erebus undertook two of the most ambitious naval expeditions of all time.

On the first, she ventured further south than any human had ever been. On the second, she vanished with her 129-strong crew in the wastes of the Canadian Arctic.

“Her fate remained a mystery for over 160 years.

Then, in 2014, she was found.

This is her story.“

The ebook edition of Erebus Is Available for less than £5 at Amazon UK and Palin does an excellent job narrating the text for Audible.

[CRussel]

Oooh, more good nominations! One has been on my TBR for a while, and the other is about the ill-fated Franklin expedition, a topic of much interest her in Canada the last few years. Oh, and both are reasonably priced, always a consideration. Sadly, I have no more tickets, but I expect they'll both get through.

[Victoria]

I’ll second the The Eyre Affair, and Erebus: The Story of a Ship. The first sounds like great fun, and I really enjoy Michael Palin’s work.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Victoria

I’ll second the The Eyre Affair, and Erebus: The Story of a Ship. The first sounds like great fun, and I really enjoy Michael Palin’s work.

Thank you for the nod. It is a fun series. I've not read it myself. Ive been waiting to try to get it read for the book club.

[gmw]

And before something else comes up that drags me away for a day...

I nominate Winter Journey by Diane Armstrong.

The description from Goodreads:

A mother's silence, a village with a terrible secret, and an Australian woman who travels to Poland to uncover the truth ...

When forensic dentist Halina Shore arrives in Nowa Kalwaria to take part in a war crimes investigation, she finds herself at the centre of a bitter struggle in a community that has been divided by a grim legacy. What she does not realise is that she has also embarked on a confronting personal journey.

Inspired by a true incident that took place in Poland in 1941, Diane Armstrong's powerful novel is part mystery, part forensic investigation, and a moving and confronting story of love, loss and sacrifice.

467 pages (according to Goodreads), 381 ADE pages.

Some example links: Kobo US $7.99, Kobo CA $10.99, Kobo UK £7.49, Kobo AU $1.99
Yes that AU price is right, it's on special here at the moment.

[gmw]

I will second Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian. I have had Bohjalian on my list since you nominated a book back in 2018, Catlady. The problem is that most of his books are over-priced here, this one included, and I've yet to see any of them come up on special. But, if it gets voted in I'm willing to have an excuse

[JSWolf]

Would anyone maybe be up for a book by Bill Bryson?

[gmw]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Would anyone maybe be up for a book by Bill Bryson?

I'd be happy to use my last ticket to second a Bryson book ... but I can't guarantee a vote. I am interested in reading his books (so far I've only read A Short History of Nearly Everything), but it's a very strong field this month, with a lot of books I'd like to read. I haven't yet worked out what I'm likely to vote for.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by gmw

I'd be happy to use my last ticket to second a Bryson book ... but I can't guarantee a vote. I am interested in reading his books (so far I've only read A Short History of Nearly Everything), but it's a very strong field this month, with a lot of books I'd like to read. I haven't yet worked out what I'm likely to vote for.

Thanks. I'll pick one and nominate.

[Luffy]

I'm seconding Winter Journey. I like the sound of it.