MobileRead September 2015 Book Club Vote

[WT Sharpe]

September 2015 MobileRead Book Club Vote

Help us choose a book as the September 2015 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 September 20th. Select from the following Official Choices with three nominations each:

• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (UK title: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone) by J.K. Rowling
Goodreads

Spoiler:

Harry, an orphan, lives with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley.

One day just before his eleventh birthday, an owl tries to deliver a mysterious letter the first of a sequence of events that end in Harry meeting a giant man named Hagrid. Hagrid explains Harry's history to him: When he was a baby, the Dark wizard, Lord Voldemort, attacked and killed his parents in an attempt to kill Harry; but the only mark on Harry was a mysterious lightning-bolt scar on his forehead.

Now he has been invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where the headmaster is the great wizard Albus Dumbledore. Harry visits Diagon Alley to get his school supplies, especially his very own wand. To get to school, he takes the Hogwarts Express from platform nine and three-quarters at King's Cross Station. On the train, he meets two fellow students who will become his closest friends: Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.

Harry is assigned to Gryffindor House at Hogwarts, and soon becomes the youngest-ever Seeker on the House Quidditch team. He also studies Potions with Professor Severus Snape, who displays a deep and abiding dislike for Harry, and Defense Against the Dark Arts with nervous Professor Quirrell; he and his friends defeat a mountain troll, help Hagrid raise a dragon, and explore the wonderful, fascinating world of Hogwarts.

But all events lead irrevocably toward a second encounter with Lord Voldemort, who seeks an object of legend known as the Sorcerer's Stone.

• The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Goodreads | Amazon US

Spoiler:

Read the cult-favorite coming of age story that takes a sometimes heartbreaking, often hysterical, and always honest look at high school in all its glory. Now a major motion picture starring Logan Lerman and Emma Watson, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a funny, touching, and haunting modern classic.

The critically acclaimed debut novel from Stephen Chbosky, Perks follows observant “wallflower” Charlie as he charts a course through the strange world between adolescence and adulthood. First dates, family drama, and new friends. Sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Devastating loss, young love, and life on the fringes. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it, Charlie must learn to navigate those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.

A #1 New York Times best seller for more than a year, an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults (2000) and Best Book for Reluctant Readers (2000), and with millions of copies in print, this novel for teen readers (or “wallflowers” of more-advanced age) will make you laugh, cry, and perhaps feel nostalgic for those moments when you, too, tiptoed onto the dance floor of life.

• The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things by Carolyn Mackler
Goodreads | Amazon US

Spoiler:

From Wikipedia:

Virginia "Ginny" Shreves is an overweight, self-conscious sophomore at a private high school in Manhattan. She has a make out buddy, Froggy Welsh the Fourth, and she doesn't want him (or anyone, for that matter) to see her fat. She hides her fat by wearing baggy clothing. Early in the novel, she doesn't really know how she feels about Froggy, but later she starts to see herself in a new light and realizes that she actually likes this guy she has been fooling around with. Her mother, Dr. Phyllis Shreves, is an adolescent psychologist who is obsessed with her daughter's weight, while her father is always complimenting skinny girls and making her feel unsatisfactory. Her older sister, Anais, joined the Peace Corps and moved to Africa in order to escape her mother, whom she calls The Queen of Denial. Her older brother, Byron, whom she idolizes, was suspended from Columbia University for committing date rape. This event forced her to completely reevaluate her opinion of her big brother.

• The Golden Compass (UK title: The Northern Lights) the first volume in the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman
Goodreads | Amazon UK / Amazon US

Spoiler:

Lyra's life is already sufficiently interesting for a novel before she eavesdrops on a presentation by her uncle Lord Asriel to his colleagues in the Jordan College faculty, Oxford. The college, famed for its leadership in experimental theology, is funding Lord Asriel's research into the heretical possibility of the existence of worlds unlike Lyra's own, where everyone is born with a familiar animal companion, magic of a kind works, the Tartars are threatening to overrun Muscovy, and the Pope is a puritanical Protestant. Set in an England familiar and strange, Philip Pullman's lively, taut story is a must-read and re-read for fantasy lovers of all ages. The world-building is outstanding, from the subtle hints of the 1898 Tokay to odd quirks of language to the panserbjorne, while determined, clever Lyra is strongly reminiscent of Joan Aiken's Dido Twite.

• Candide by Voltaire
Goodreads | Patricia Clark Memorial Library: Kindle | Amazon US / Audible | Librivox: English (collaborative) / English (solo) / French (solo)

Spoiler:

Candide is the story of a gentle man who, though pummeled and slapped in every direction by fate, clings desperately to the belief that he lives in "the best of all possible worlds." On the surface a witty, bantering tale, this eighteenth-century classic is actually a savage, satiric thrust at the philosophical optimism that proclaims that all disaster and human suffering is part of a benevolent cosmic plan. Fast, funny, often outrageous, the French philosopher's immortal narrative takes Candide around the world to discover that -- contrary to the teachings of his distringuished tutor Dr. Pangloss -- all is not always for the best. Alive with wit, brilliance, and graceful storytelling, Candide has become Voltaire's most celebrated work.

• Can Such Things Be? by Ambrose Bierce
Goodreads | Patricia Clark Memorial Library: Kindle | Amazon US / Amazon UK

Spoiler:

Ambrose Bierce never owned a horse, a carriage, or a car; he was a renter who never owned his own home. He was a man on the move, a man who traveled light: and in the end he rode, with all of his possessions, on a rented horse into the Mexican desert to join Pancho Villa -- never to return. Can Such Things Be? Once William Randolph Hearst -- Bierce's employer, who was bragging about his own endless collections of statuary, art, books, tapestries, and, of course real estate like Hearst Castle -- once William Randolph Hearst asked Bierce what he collected. Bierce responded, smugly: "I collect words. And ideas. Like you, I also store them. But in the reservoir of my mind. I can take them out and display them at a moment's notice. Eminently portable, Mr. Hearst. And I don't find it necessary to show them all at the same time." Such things "can" be. twenty-four tales of the weird by Ambrose Bierce, renowned master of the macabre.

• One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexandr Solzhenitsyn
Goodreads | Amazon UK / Amazon US

Spoiler:

From Goodreads:

First published in the Soviet journal Novy Mir in 1962, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich stands as a classic of contemporary literature. The story of labor-camp inmate Ivan Denisovich Shukhov, it graphically describes his struggle to maintain his dignity in the face of communist oppression. An unforgettable portrait of the entire world of Stalin's forced work camps, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is one of the most extraordinary literary documents to have emerged from the Soviet Union and confirms Solzhenitsyn's stature as "a literary genius whose talent matches that of Dosotevsky, Turgenev, Tolstoy"--Harrison Salisbury

Book Extract:

As usual, at five o'clock that morning reveille was sounded by the blows of a hammer on a length of rail hanging up near the staff quarters. The intermittent sound barely penetrated the window-panes on which the frost lay two fingers thick, and they ended almost as soon as they'd begun. It was cold outside, and the camp-guard was reluctant to go on beating out the reveille for long.

The clanging ceased, but everything outside still looked like the middle of the night when Ivan Denisovich Shukhov got up to go to the bucket. It was pitch dark except for the yellow light cast on the window by three lamps - two in the outer zone, one inside the camp itself.

And no one came to unbolt the barrack-hut door; there was no sound of the barrack-orderlies pushing a pole into place to lift the barrel of nightsoil and carry it out.

Longer Extract

• Beloved by Toni Morrison
Goodreads | Amazon UK Amazon US / Audible

Spoiler:

From Amazon:

Staring unflinchingly into the abyss of slavery, this spellbinding novel transforms history into a story as powerful as Exodus and as intimate as a lullaby. ... Filled with bitter poetry and suspense as taut as a rope, Beloved is a towering achievement.

A quick search for "Beloved banned" turned up:

... But Toni Morrison’s “Beloved,” Murphy said, depicts scenes of bestiality, gang rape and an infant’s gruesome murder, content she believes could be too intense for teenage readers. ...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...e79_story.html

• The Castle by Franz Kafka
Goodreads

Spoiler:

A remote village covered almost permanently in snow and dominated by a castle and its staff of dictatorial, sexually predatory bureaucrats - this is the setting for Kafka's story about a man seeking both acceptance in the village and access to the castle. Kafka breaks new ground in evoking a dense village community fraught with tensions, and recounting an often poignant, occasionally farcical love-affair. He also explores the relation between the individual and power, and asks why the villagers so readily submit to an authority which may exist only in their collective imagination.

• Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler
Goodreads | Amazon US

Spoiler:

Madman, tyrant, animal - history has given Adolf Hitler many names. In Mein Kampf (My Struggle), often called the Nazi bible, Hitler describes his life, frustrations, ideals, and dreams.

[CRussel]

FWIW, I posted some links in the nomination thread that aren't here yet. See this post.. Not comprehensive, certainly, but the results of my own poking around with those I had at least a mild interest in.

So my first thought was to limit my votes to a books that I have not read and would like to read based on investigation of all of them. That in large part I suppose with my ageist perspective would have limited me to one book. So I decided to cast votes for any book read or not that I think would make for a good discussion.

[issybird]

One of my motivations was not to vote for books I've read in the fairly recent past or that I read longer ago but didn't like much, which could keep me out of the discussion. I'm trying to cut down on rereads for the club; as with all of us, there's already so much I want to read and never enough time.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Hamlet53

So my first thought was to limit my votes to a books that I have not read and would like to read based on investigation of all of them. That in large part I suppose with my ageist perspective would have limited me to one book. So I decided to cast votes for any book read or not that I think would make for a good discussion.

My ageism is showing, too!

[HomeInMyShoes]

Choices, choices, choices.

[HomeInMyShoes]

I sneaked a peak from Gutenburg at the Voltaire and the Bierce. The Voltaire at least reads better. I wanted to vote for Bierce's, but on reading half of the first story I'd throw myself in the fire to end my misery.

[CRussel]

Both of those are available in our own Patricia Clark Memorial Library.

I vaguely remember reading Candide in my youth. And not being impressed. But that was a long, long time ago. Ambrose Bierce, however, is one I haven't read. OTOH, I'd really like an excuse to re-read Philip Pullman's trilogy. I devoured it the first time I encountered it a few years ago, and I'd like to read it more thoughtfully now. This would be a perfect opportunity. And at least I know it is a good read. And I'm not really interested in another month of unreadable.

In support of that aim, here's the WhisperSync Audible link for The Golden Compass

[sun surfer]

You might consider Ivan Denisovich, CRussel, as it's readable, it's short and it won Solzhenitsyn the Nobel prize.

If anyone likes reading previews, if you didn't already know Goodreads offers quick previews on most books and so for the books nominated all you have to do is click the Goodreads link in the first post then click the preview button and voila. (and thanks to Tom for graciously ensuring that each nomination has a Goodreads link)

Also since I was looking at all the pages anyway, here are the Goodreads rating for each nominee in descending order along with number of voters:

4.40 - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (3,369,499 ratings)

4.20 - The Perks of Being a Wallflower (721,184 ratings)

3.99 - The Castle (22,853 ratings)
3.93 - One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (58,215 ratings)
3.90 - The Northern Lights (788,056 ratings)

3.78 - Can Such Things Be? (306 ratings)
3.76 - The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things (19,370 ratings)
3.75 - Candide (134,081 ratings)
3.73 - Beloved (200,763 ratings)

3.03 - Mein Kampf (15,942 ratings)

[CRussel]

I'm not overly impressed with goodreads voting, so nothing compelling there. But I'm certainly willing to consider Ivan Denisovich, though I confess to a strong (and long standing) anti-preference for Russian novels. I think I was scared in my youth by being forced to read too many of them.

[sun surfer]

That's understandable. As for Goodreads ratings, if I know I like/want to read or don't like/don't want to read a book then I don't pay much attention but I do find them helpful for books I'm iffy on. Besides people I know or of course MR, I think Goodreads is probably the most reliable place to find out what others in general think about a book. If I'm uncertain on one I usually look at the rating while considering whether the average rater for that book might have similar tastes as me and also read a few reviews on the site to help decide (and, I've begun to read more previews).

[JSWolf]

Anybody who votes for Mein Kampf is an unfeeling person who doesn't care about anyone else. This book should never have been allowed. I don't give a dam if this is censorship or not. It's something that is very personal and very hurtful to have it in the list and to have been allowed there. If it's not taken down, then I will be protesting to Alex to deal with it. What I would like to say about the people who nominated/voted for this book would get me banned from MR. And I feel very sorry for this book club when it's leader is allowing this to be here. This is something that needs to be addressed and addressed now! I never thought anyone on MR could be so mean and nasty.

[kennyc]

Any book that uses the words 'my butt' in the title gets a nod from me.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Anybody who votes for Mein Kampf is an unfeeling person who doesn't care about anyone else. This book should never have been allowed. I don't give a dam if this is censorship or not. It's something that is very personal and very hurtful to have it in the list and to have been allowed there. If it's not taken down, then I will be protesting to Alex to deal with it. What I would like to say about the people who nominated/voted for this book would get me banned from MR. And I feel very sorry for this book club when it's leader is allowing this to be here. This is something that needs to be addressed and addressed now! I never thought anyone on MR could be so mean and nasty.

Isn't that the whole point of this month's topic of "banned books", Jon? To explore and discuss why it is that people have found these books so controversial, disturbing, evil, or whatever other term one may wish to use, that they have put them on a "banned" list?

[Nyra]

I've cast votes for Candide and Can Such Things Be? as they look like the most interesting selections, but I've only read Harry Potter out of all the nominations, so unless Harry Potter or Mein Kampf wins, I'll be participating in the discussion thread just as soon as I manage to find the rules for the book club...