New Leaf Nominations for July 2018 • Some Like It Hot: Summer

[gmw]

I third: The Summer Book by Tove Jansson.

[astrangerhere]

I would like to nominate Rebecca West's The Return of the Soldier.

From the description:

Writing her first novel during World War I, West examines the relationship between three women and a soldier suffering from shell-shock. This novel of an enclosed world invaded by public events also embodies in its characters the shifts in England's class structures at the beginning of the twentieth century.

The book's events take place almost exclusively during the summer months, and there are some beautiful descriptions of the weather and countryside.

Some Pros:

• The book is in the public domain, and therefore FREE
• It is properly a novella (clocking in at around 110 pages), which might be nice for busy summer months
• "Shifting English class structures"
• Elizabeth Klett, a very popular LibriVox reader, did the audiobook.

Find it here for free:
Manybooks
Gutenberg
LibriVox (Audio)

[astrangerhere]

I will also third the Dandelion Wine.

[issybird]

So far, this is an embarrassment of riches. I'm going to second Atonement and The Go-Between as I think they'd make for good discussions (not that others wouldn't, of course).

[CRussel]

I've only got a single ticket left, and I'm seriously torn. I quite like the sound of gmw 's Cricket Kings -- it sounds delightfully Australian. But it's late in the process and I'm not sure it would succeed into the voting. And then there's astrangerhere's The Return of the Soldier, which sounds quite interesting as well. Especially since it appears my own nomination isn't getting much traction.

[Catlady]

I'll second The Return of the Soldier.

While I quite like Elizabeth Klett as a narrator, I'd like to point out that the audio version in Overdrive is narrated by the wonderful Wanda McCaddon (aka Nadia May, aka Donada Peters).

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by Catlady

I'll second The Return of the Soldier.

While I quite like Elizabeth Klett as a narrator, I'd like to point out that the audio version in Overdrive is narrated by the wonderful Wanda McCaddon (aka Nadia May, aka Davina Porter).

OK, that made up my mind! I'd listen to Ms. McCaddon reading the London Directory. (Though to be clear -- Wanda McCaddon is not Davina Porter. She is, however, Nadia May and Donada Peters.)

I'll third The Return of the Soldier with my last ticket.

[Bookworm_Girl]

I will third The Go-Between.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by CRussel

OK, that made up my mind! I'd listen to Ms. McCaddon reading the London Directory. (Though to be clear -- Wanda McCaddon is not Davina Porter. She is, however, Nadia May and Donada Peters.)

I'll third The Return of the Soldier with my last ticket.

EEEK! Sorry about that--I did have the right initials at least!

[Bookpossum]

This list is looking impressive.

I shall use my third vote for Atonement.

[gmw]

Originally Posted by CRussel

I've only got a single ticket left, and I'm seriously torn. I quite like the sound of gmw 's Cricket Kings -- it sounds delightfully Australian. But it's late in the process and I'm not sure it would succeed into the voting. And then there's astrangerhere's The Return of the Soldier, which sounds quite interesting as well. Especially since it appears my own nomination isn't getting much traction.

Please note that William McInnes's Cricket Kings is NOT the book I nominated (I was only tempted). I nominated the memoir A Man's Got to Have a Hobby. They are both good reads, I just think the memoir is better. Note that I doubt if Cricket Kings would offer you much insight into the game of cricket ... maybe a little into why people play it.

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by gmw

Please note that William McInnes's Cricket Kings is NOT the book I nominated (I was only tempted). I nominated the memoir A Man's Got to Have a Hobby. They are both good reads, I just think the memoir is better. Note that I doubt if Cricket Kings would offer you much insight into the game of cricket ... maybe a little into why people play it.

Oh, I quite knew that -- I was considering nominating it myself as something that sounded interesting. I might well buy it and read it anyway. (Sadly, no Overdrive.)

[issybird]

There's one significant subset of summer lit no one's nominated: children's books set in the summertime. I like school books too (and obviously many kids' books fall into one or the other category), but there's something about summer and children. I love the way the books can evoke that sense you had as a child of the endlessness of it and how it was completely divorced from your other life in school.

I'd love to hear people name a few old favorites in this category (we can save the school ones for September!). Some that occur to me are Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons books and the magic books of E. Nesbit and Edward Eager (who was greatly influenced by Nesbit). I particularly wanted to mention the last, as Eager wrote about bookish kids and I'm charmed by a particular reference which is a nexus between our current read and the current nominations. From Magic by the Lake:

"And nothing scary," said Martha.

"Granted," said the turtle, "and that is absolutely all."

The other three turned on Martha. "What did you have to go and ask that for?" said Jane. "Now it'll be all tame and namby-pamby and watered down! Like those awful children's editions of books Aunt Grace always gives us!"

"That Three Musketeers with Lady de Winter left right out!" said Mark.

"Excavated versions, I think they're called," said Katharine. "You can see why."

I hope everyone is enjoying an unexcavated version of The Three Musketeers!

[Bookpossum]

Oh issybird, karma coming your way for that! I regret to say I have never come across Edward Eager, so I must look for him.

[orlok]

Originally Posted by issybird

There's one significant subset of summer lit no one's nominated: children's books set in the summertime. I like school books too (and obviously many kids' books fall into one or the other category), but there's something about summer and children. I love the way the books can evoke that sense you had as a child of the endlessness of it and how it was completely divorced from your other life in school.

I'd love to hear people name a few old favorites in this category (we can save the school ones for September!). Some that occur to me are Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons books and the magic books of E. Nesbit and Edward Eager (who was greatly influenced by Nesbit). I particularly wanted to mention the last, as Eager wrote about bookish kids and I'm charmed by a particular reference which is a nexus between our current read and the current nominations. From Magic by the Lake:



I hope everyone is enjoying an unexcavated version of The Three Musketeers!

For me it evokes the Famous Five books by Enid Blyton. I used to sit enraptured as our teacher read these to us in our down time, which probably fuelled my love of reading. They weren't all based in the summer, but that's the enduring memory I have of these wonderful stories.