MobileRead February 2010 Book Club Nominations

[Ea]

I really don't understand how "An accidental tourist" could be called 'romance'? I've read it. Seen the film. Romance???

Originally Posted by colinsky

How are we defining "Romance"? I'm going to go on a stretch and nominate Anaïs Nin's Delta of Venus (Penguin Classics ebook) primarily because I've bought it but haven't yet gotten around to reading it!

This is erotica that's far closer to porn than romance. Once you get around to read it you'll see why.

[Ea]

I nominate Le Morte d'Arthur by Thomas Malory.

From amazon.co.uk:
In a resonant prose style, Malory charts the tragic disintegration of the fellowship of the Round Table, destroyed from within by warring factions. Recounting the life of King Arthur, the knightly exploits of Sir Lancelot du Lake, Sir Tristram, Sir Gawain, and the quest for the Holy Grail, Le Morte Darthur depicts the contradictions that underscore the Fellowship's chivalric ideals. A pervading tension cumulates in the revelation of Lancelot and Guenivere's illicit passion, and in Arthur's powerlessness to prevent a related outbreak of violence and revenge.

[Format C:]

My nomination is Alessandro Manzoni's the Betrothed.
I'm fairly sure it's PD everywhere.

Summary here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bet...(Manzoni_novel)

There have been lots of translations, but I cannot find one in Gutenberg.
It's on the kindle, though:

http://www.amazon.com/Harvard-Classi.../dp/B000SP5JLM

[Ea]

I nominate "The House of the Seven Gables" by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Even the real men here might be able to stomach that...

From feedbooks.com:
In a sleepy little New England village stands a dark, weather-beaten, many-gabled house. This brooding mansion is haunted by a centuries-old curse that casts the shadow of ancestral sin upon the last four members of the distinctive Pyncheon family. Mysterious deaths threaten the living. Musty documents nestle behind hidden panels carrying the secret of the family’s salvation—or its downfall.

Hawthorne called The House of the Seven Gables “a Romance,” and freely bestowed upon it many fascinating gothic touches. A brilliant intertwining of the popular, the symbolic, and the historical, the novel is a powerful exploration of personal and national guilt, a work that Henry James declared “the closest approach we are likely to have to the Great American Novel.”

[Ea]

Originally Posted by dreams

This sounds like it would appeal to both sexes, an adventure and romance (plus it's free).
It Happened In Egypt

I second this.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by Ea

I really don't understand how "An accidental tourist" could be called 'romance'? I've read it. Seen the film. Romance???


This is erotica that's far closer to porn than romance. Once you get around to read it you'll see why.

There is a distinction between porn and erotica, but it usually resides within the eye, mind, and sensibilities of the reader.

I second ANYTHING by Anis Nin.

I would also like to nominate ANYTHING by Henry Miller.


Don

[Ea]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

There is a distinction between porn and erotica, but it usually resides within the eye, mind, and sensibilities of the reader.

I agree. I just think in this case that these short stories don't fit comfortably within most general definitions of 'romance'. As far as I remember, they were also written with the intent of being porn.

[John F]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

...

I would also like to nominate ANYTHING by Henry Miller.

I did a search of +Anything +Henry +Miller and couldn't find that book. A lot of his other titles came up, but not Anything.

Then I realized...

[Ea]

Originally Posted by John F

I did a search of +Anything +Henry +Miller and couldn't find that book. A lot of his other titles came up, but not Anything.

Then I realized...

Just for the record, Anais Nin hasn't written ANYTHING either

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Ea

I nominate "The House of the Seven Gables" by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Even the real men here might be able to stomach that...

From feedbooks.com:
In a sleepy little New England village stands a dark, weather-beaten, many-gabled house. This brooding mansion is haunted by a centuries-old curse that casts the shadow of ancestral sin upon the last four members of the distinctive Pyncheon family. Mysterious deaths threaten the living. Musty documents nestle behind hidden panels carrying the secret of the family’s salvation—or its downfall.

Hawthorne called The House of the Seven Gables “a Romance,” and freely bestowed upon it many fascinating gothic touches. A brilliant intertwining of the popular, the symbolic, and the historical, the novel is a powerful exploration of personal and national guilt, a work that Henry James declared “the closest approach we are likely to have to the Great American Novel.”

I will second that one.

Written by a Real Man(tm)

[Ea]

I couldn't help wondering.... Is the Real Men here actually afraid to tackle a romance novel such as the kind Nora Roberts write? Or are you just too, too sensitive, poor dears?

[Tattncat]

Originally Posted by Katti's Cat

I am trying to participate this year. Hopefully it will make me read some genres I usually avoid

I would like to nominate a Christine Feehan book from the Ghostwalker Series : Shadow Game (the first book in the series).

I like the mix of paranormal, action and romance mixed in some genetic alterations by evil :-)

"The classified experiment is the brainchild of renowned scientist Peter Whitney and his brilliant daughter, Lily. Created to enhance the psychic abilities of an elite squadron, it can transform their natural mental powers into a unique military weapon. But something goes wrong. In the isolated underground labs, the men have been dying-victims of bizarre accidents. Captain Ryland Miller knows he is next. When Dr. Whitney himself is murdered, Ryland has only one person left to trust: the beautiful Lily. Possessed of an uncanny sixth sense herself, Lily shares Ryland's every new fear, every betrayal, every growing suspicion, and every passionate beat of the heart. Together, they will be drawn deeper into the labyrinth of her father's past…and closer to a secret that someone would kill to keep hidden."

I'll second Shadow Game and Dead Until Dark. While I'm at it, I'll second Darkfever, that is an eBook that was given away as a freebie on several legal sites.

[Sparrow]

Originally Posted by Ea

I really don't understand how "An accidental tourist" could be called 'romance'? I've read it. Seen the film. Romance???

Internet Movie Database lists it as Drama / Romance.

[Sparrow]

Originally Posted by Ea

I couldn't help wondering.... Is the Real Men here actually afraid to tackle a romance novel such as the kind Nora Roberts write? Or are you just too, too sensitive, poor dears?

I tried her first 'In Death' novel, but only got half way through it - but I would be prepared to gird my loins and take another crack at it if it wins the vote.

[Ea]

Originally Posted by Sparrow

Internet Movie Database lists it as Drama / Romance.

But what about the book? For romance as a literary genre, I just don't think you can fit in that novel at all.