MobileRead July 2016 Book Club Vote

[WT Sharpe]

July 2016 MobileRead Book Club Vote

Help us choose a book as the July 2016 eBook for the MobileRead Book Club. The poll will be open for 5 days. There will be no runoff vote unless the voting results a tie, in which case there will be a 3 day run-off poll. This is a visible poll: others can see how you voted. It is You may cast a vote for each book that appeals to you.

We will start the discussion thread for this book on July 20th. Select from the following Official Choices with three nominations each:

• The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
Patricia Clark Memorial Library: Kindle | Project Gutenberg: Various formats | Librivox (audiobook)

Spoiler:

From Wikipedia:

Meditations (Medieval Greek: Τὰ εἰς ἑαυτόν Ta eis heauton, literally "[that which is] to himself") is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 CE, recording his private notes to himself and ideas on Stoic philosophy.

Marcus Aurelius wrote the 12 books of the Meditations in Koine Greek as a source for his own guidance and self-improvement. It is possible that large portions of the work were written at Sirmium, where he spent much time planning military campaigns from 170 to 180. Some of it was written while he was positioned at Aquincum on campaign in Pannonia, because internal notes tell us that the second book was written when he was campaigning against the Quadi on the river Granova (modern-day Hron) and the third book was written at Carnuntum.

It is unlikely that Marcus Aurelius ever intended the writings to be published and the work has no official title, so "Meditations" is one of several titles commonly assigned to the collection. These writings take the form of quotations varying in length from one sentence to long paragraphs.

• Pitching in a Pinch by Christy Mathewson
Amazon US / Barnes & Noble / Kobo

Spoiler:

This is considered one of the greatest baseball books ever written. Leopold Classic Library issued a new edition three months ago, calling it "a significant literary work."

• Rites of Peace: The Fall of Napoleon and the Congress of Vienna by Adam Zamoyski
Amazon US / Kobo US

Spoiler:

From Goodreads:

In the wake of Napoleon's disastrous Russian campaign of 1812, the French emperor's imperious grip on Europe began to weaken, raising the question of how the continent was to be reconstructed after his defeat. While the Treaty of Paris that followed Napoleon's exile in 1814 put an end to a quarter century of revolution and war in Europe, it left the future of the continent hanging in the balance.

Eager to negotiate a workable and lasting peace, the major powers—Britain, Austria, Prussia, and Russia—along with a host of lesser nations, began a series of committee sessions in Vienna: an eight-month-long carnival that combined political negotiations with balls, dinners, artistic performances, hunts, tournaments, picnics, and other sundry forms of entertainment for the thousands of aristocrats who had gathered in the Austrian capital. Although the Congress of Vienna resulted in an unprecedented level of stability in Europe, the price of peace would be high. Many of the crucial questions were decided on the battlefield or in squalid roadside cottages amid the vagaries of war. And the proceedings in Vienna itself were not as decorous as is usually represented.

Internationally bestselling author Adam Zamoyski draws on a wide range of original sources, which include not only official documents, private letters, diaries, and firsthand accounts, but also the reports of police spies and informers, to reveal the steamy atmosphere of greed and lust in which the new Europe was forged. Meticulously researched, masterfully told, and featuring a cast of some of the most influential and powerful figures in history, including Tsar Alexander, Metternich, Talleyrand, and the Duke of Wellington, Rites of Peace tells the story of these extraordinary events and their profound historical consequences.

• The Beer Wench's Guide to Beer: An Unpretentious Guide to Craft Beer by Ashley V. Routson
Amazon US

Spoiler:

Pull up a stool and learn about beer with the Wench!

Craft beer is officially everywhere: there are now more breweries in the United States since any time before prohibition. At the local grocery store, the beer aisle is as big as the cereal aisle. At the bar, it's increasingly hard to choose a beer--the IPA is stronger than the ESB, right?

In this book, Ashley V. Routson (aka The Beer Wench) provides the first all-in-one guide that demystifies beer and makes learning fun. She'll quickly bring you up to speed on beer styles, the brewing process, how to taste beer like a pro, and how to pair beer with food. Unconventional tastings, delicious recipes from killer craft breweries, eye-catching photos--and, of course, plenty of beer--means there's never a dull moment.

• This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women by Dan Gediman and Jay Allison
Amazon Ca / Amazon US / Barnes & Noble / Kobo

Spoiler:

From Goodreads

Based on the National Public Radio series of the same name, This I Believe features eighty essayists--from the famous to the unknown--completing the thought that begins the book's title. Each piece compels readers to rethink not only how they have arrived at their own personal beliefs but also the extent to which they share them with others.

Featuring a well-known list of contributors--including Isabel Allende, Colin Powell, Gloria Steinem, William F. Buckley Jr., Penn Jillette, Bill Gates, and John Updike--the collection also contains essays by a Brooklyn lawyer; a part-time hospital clerk from Rehoboth, Massachusetts; a woman who sells Yellow Pages advertising in Fort Worth, Texas; and a man who serves on the state of Rhode Island's parole board.

The result is a stirring and provocative trip inside the minds and hearts of a diverse group of people whose beliefs--and the incredibly varied ways in which they choose to express them--reveal the American spirit at its best.

• What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe
Amazon Ca / Amazon UK / Amazon US / Barnes and Noble / Google Play / Kobo US

Spoiler:

From Goodreads:

Randall Munroe left NASA in 2005 to start up his hugely popular site XKCD 'a web comic of romance, sarcasm, math and language' which offers a witty take on the world of science and geeks. It's had over a billion page hits to date. A year ago Munroe set up a new section - What If - where he tackles a series of impossible questions: If your cells suddenly lost the power to divide, how long would you survive? How dangerous is it, really, in a pool in a thunderstorm? If we hooked turbines to people exercising in gyms, how much power could we produce? What if everyone only had one soulmate? From what height would you need to drop a steak to ensure it was cooked by the time it reached the ground? What would happen if the moon went away? This book gathers together the best entries along with lots of new gems. From The Lord of the Rings, Star Trek and the songs of Tim Minchin, through chemistry, geography and physics, Munroe leaves no stone unturned in his quest for knowledge. And his answers are witty and memorable and studded with hilarious cartoons and infographics. Far more than a book for geeks, WHAT IF explains the laws of science in operation in a way that every intelligent reader will enjoy and feel the smarter for having read.

• Waterloo by Bernard Cornwell
Amazon UK / Amazon US / Audible / Barnes & Noble / Overdrive

Spoiler:

#1 Bestseller in the U.K.

From the New York Times bestselling author and master of martial fiction comes the definitive, illustrated history of one of the greatest battles ever fought—a riveting nonfiction chronicle published to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Napoleon’s last stand.

On June 18, 1815 the armies of France, Britain and Prussia descended upon a quiet valley south of Brussels. In the previous three days, the French army had beaten the Prussians at Ligny and fought the British to a standstill at Quatre-Bras. The Allies were in retreat. The little village north of where they turned to fight the French army was called Waterloo. The blood-soaked battle to which it gave its name would become a landmark in European history.

In his first work of nonfiction, Bernard Cornwell combines his storytelling skills with a meticulously researched history to give a riveting chronicle of every dramatic moment, from Napoleon’s daring escape from Elba to the smoke and gore of the three battlefields and their aftermath. Through quotes from the letters and diaries of Emperor Napoleon, the Duke of Wellington, and the ordinary officers and soldiers, he brings to life how it actually felt to fight those famous battles—as well as the moments of amazing bravery on both sides that left the actual outcome hanging in the balance until the bitter end.

Published to coincide with the battle’s bicentennial in 2015, Waterloo is a tense and gripping story of heroism and tragedy—and of the final battle that determined the fate of nineteenth-century Europe.

[issybird]

Bumping this so more people vote. I'm pulling for the Rites of Peace over Waterloo. Not only am I more a causes-and-effects person than a battle person, Rites of Peace is far cheaper!

Nothing wrong with a good baseball story, though.

[HomeInMyShoes]

I've been wanting to read What If? for a while. It looks amusing and light for the summer. Although, I'm thinking a baseball story is a good option as well.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by issybird

Bumping this so more people vote. I'm pulling for the Rites of Peace over Waterloo. Not only am I more a causes-and-effects person than a battle person, Rites of Peace is far cheaper!

Nothing wrong with a good baseball story, though.

Ah, but I'd much rather read something by Cornwell, a proven writer whose work I've enjoyed over the years. Plus there's such an excellent Audible version (which is how I'm reading it, FWIW.)

OTOH, a good baseball story seems a reasonable alternative.

[sun surfer]

And there are those of us in a more...meditative mood. And as far as cheap goes, it's free!

As far as baseball goes, maybe this is sacrilegious but I find it about as interesting as watching paint dry. I have a friend who's into it and so sometimes I'm around while a game is on the television. About 90% of the time is spent waiting for the short spurts of game, and even then most gameplay consists of strikes and outs. Anyway, if baseball wins I'll have more time to get an early jumpstart on my other upcoming July-December reading challenges.

I'm with you on reading about baseball. I have virtually no interest in professional sports at all and reading about one of the dullest of the professional sports . . . If Pitching in a Pinch wins I'll be skipping reading the July selection.

I've read one of Cornwell's historical fiction books, it was set in Anglo-Saxon England at the time of King Alfred the Great. I did not care for it at all. Now I realize that in historical fiction the author takes a framework of actual history and on that hangs a tapestry of fiction that coincides with the author's intent. In the case of King Alfred's time the actual facts are so limited that of necessity a book becomes primarily fiction. I was just really put off though by how much made up sexual content and sexual attitudes, presumably to garner interest among modern readers, Cornwell put in the book I read, as well as misrepresenting the importance of Christianity in England at that time.

On the other hand if Waterloo is selected I will probably read that if only to see how Cornwell does with a non-fiction history book, especially from a time where so much more is known about the people and events.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by sun surfer

...As far as baseball goes, maybe this is sacrilegious but I find it about as interesting as watching paint dry....

Originally Posted by Hamlet53

I'm with you on reading about baseball. I have virtually no interest in professional sports at all and reading about one of the dullest of the professional sports . . . If Pitching in a Pinch wins I'll be skipping reading the July selection....

I'm no sports fan, either, but if the rest of the team we've nominated strikes out, I'll take a walk and buy the baseball book. It's only 150 pages; that could probably be read that in a couple of innings.

C'mon, Meditations.

[bfisher]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

C'mon, Meditations.

It's still looks like at least a 5-horse race.

[GA Russell]

Fifty years ago when I was a boy, there was an old saying about sports books: "The smaller the ball, the better the literature."

[CRussel]

It looks like it all depends on the flurry of last minute votes we usually get. I'm still hoping for Bernard Cornwell's Waterloo. (And it's much more than just battles, issybird, though I agree completely about the price, which is why I am listening to it for now.) But I'd certainly give a good baseball story a try too.

[WT Sharpe]

That July 2nd end date for the poll is somewhat misleading as the poll ends just two minutes into July 2nd. It's better to think of the thing as ending at midnight. There are only a few hours left to vote for the really good books (i.e., the ones I nominated. )

[GA Russell]

Oh well. My thanks to those who voted for Christy Mathewson!

[WT Sharpe]

I guess this is where we meet our Waterloo.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

I guess this is where we meet our Waterloo.

THIS is where we meet our Waterloo.

[issybird]

I'm next up for Waterloo at one of my OverDrive libraries, so I'll be getting it within the next two weeks, which should be sufficient to get it read in a timely fashion.