02-01-2021, 12:10 AM | #1 |
languorous autodidact ✦
Posts: 4,235
Karma: 44667380
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: smiling with the rising sun
Device: onyx boox poke 2 colour, kindle voyage
|
Flights of Fantasy • February 2021
Help select what we'll read and discuss next!
The topic is Flights of Fantasy. This could mean books that have a fantasy genre element to them. Or it could mean a character who is prone to flights of fantasy/fancy, daydreaming or otherwise imaginative but unrealistic ideas, or a character who has a single flight of fantasy central to the story. Or it could mean a book to do with flying. Or it could be a book with 'flight', 'fantasy' or some similar synonym to either of those in the title. Detailed nominating and voting guidelines can be found here. Basically, nominations are open for about four days and each person may nominate up to three literary selections which will go automatically to the vote. Voting by post then opens for four days, and a voter may give each nomination either one or two votes but only has a limited number of votes to use which is equal to the number of nominations minus one. Any questions, feel free to ask. We hope that you will read the selection with us and join in the discussion. * Nominations are complete. Initial voting is complete. Run-off voting is complete. Final results-
Last edited by sun surfer; 02-11-2021 at 09:08 PM. |
02-01-2021, 11:40 PM | #2 | |
languorous autodidact ✦
Posts: 4,235
Karma: 44667380
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: smiling with the rising sun
Device: onyx boox poke 2 colour, kindle voyage
|
I'll begin with The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin. This apocalyptic fantasy (is that an oxymoron?) drew me right in with the preview. And though Goodreads ratings may not be the best measure of how good a book might be, I will say that this book has a 4.28 with over 160,000 ratings which is an extremely high rating for a book with a lot of ratings that's not a sequel.
Goodreads . Preview . 468 Pages . 2015 . U.S. Quote:
|
|
Advert | |
|
02-03-2021, 04:06 AM | #3 | |
languorous autodidact ✦
Posts: 4,235
Karma: 44667380
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: smiling with the rising sun
Device: onyx boox poke 2 colour, kindle voyage
|
For my second nomination I'll go with Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock. I had a lot of options for nominations this month (as usual) and like the former, the preview of this one really pulled me in.
Goodreads . Preview . 274 Pages . 1984 . England Quote:
|
|
02-03-2021, 10:49 PM | #4 | |
E-reader Enthusiast
Posts: 4,873
Karma: 36507503
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Southwest, USA
Device: Kindle Oasis 3; Kobo Aura One; iPad Mini 5
|
My first nomination is Flights by Olga Tokarczuk, Jennifer Croft (Translator). Currently on sale for $1.99 in the US. WINNER OF THE NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE. WINNER OF THE MAN BOOKER INTERNATIONAL PRIZE. I previously nominated another book by this author.
From Goodreads: Quote:
|
|
02-03-2021, 10:57 PM | #5 | |
E-reader Enthusiast
Posts: 4,873
Karma: 36507503
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Southwest, USA
Device: Kindle Oasis 3; Kobo Aura One; iPad Mini 5
|
My second nomination is Wind, Sand and Stars by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Lewis Galantière (Translator).
From Goodreads: Quote:
|
|
Advert | |
|
02-04-2021, 05:07 AM | #6 |
languorous autodidact ✦
Posts: 4,235
Karma: 44667380
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: smiling with the rising sun
Device: onyx boox poke 2 colour, kindle voyage
|
I ended up reading that other book! Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead.
|
02-04-2021, 05:20 AM | #7 | |
languorous autodidact ✦
Posts: 4,235
Karma: 44667380
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: smiling with the rising sun
Device: onyx boox poke 2 colour, kindle voyage
|
For my final nomination I'll put up Sourdough by Robin Sloan. This magical realism book is a lighter view on the topic and could fit in more ways than one, and again the preview was fun and intriguing.
Goodreads . Preview . 259 Pages . 2017 . U.S. Quote:
Last edited by sun surfer; 02-04-2021 at 05:28 AM. |
|
02-04-2021, 11:19 PM | #8 | |
E-reader Enthusiast
Posts: 4,873
Karma: 36507503
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Southwest, USA
Device: Kindle Oasis 3; Kobo Aura One; iPad Mini 5
|
My final nomination is A Green and Ancient Light by Frederic S. Durbin.
From Goodreads: Quote:
|
|
02-04-2021, 11:20 PM | #9 |
E-reader Enthusiast
Posts: 4,873
Karma: 36507503
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Southwest, USA
Device: Kindle Oasis 3; Kobo Aura One; iPad Mini 5
|
|
02-05-2021, 06:00 AM | #10 |
languorous autodidact ✦
Posts: 4,235
Karma: 44667380
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: smiling with the rising sun
Device: onyx boox poke 2 colour, kindle voyage
|
Yes, I liked it. I wouldn't say I loved it but it was an interesting read that was atmospheric and cultural (being set in the wintry cold on a tiny speck at the very edge of Poland). I would almost say it was quirky with some things such as the narrator's strong belief in and use of astrology, but the tone of the novel was a bit too darkly realistic, serious and sombre for that adjective... sometimes with dashes of black humour might be a more appropriate description. The mystery was good and though I solved it a good ways before I still thought it was well constructed.
The narrator of the story, an older lady living alone who some might call a bit 'out there' and who is investigating the mystery, is definitely a unique character and reading up on the book afterwards I found the author said she liked the idea of using for the narrator and really getting the perspective of a character who might be well on the sidelines in other books, perhaps relegated to a tiny colourful supporting appearance at best. I listened to the audiobook and the person who read the novel did a great job and fit perfectly- she was an older lady who spoke in a Polish accent. It would have definitely made for an interesting discussion in the book club for a number of reasons, and I think you'd enjoy it. I found there's also a Polish film made of the novel though I haven't watched it. Last edited by sun surfer; 02-05-2021 at 06:03 AM. |
02-05-2021, 06:15 AM | #11 | |
languorous autodidact ✦
Posts: 4,235
Karma: 44667380
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: smiling with the rising sun
Device: onyx boox poke 2 colour, kindle voyage
|
Quote:
ETA- Also, there's a quirk with its preview as well. The book begins with a lower-case 'remember the plane hurtling above the village.' If you click the preview link in the first post of this thread for it, it can look as if a possibly previous part might be missing, but I checked against a preview of it from another source and confirmed that the 'remember' sentence is indeed how the book begins. Last edited by sun surfer; 02-05-2021 at 06:40 AM. |
|
02-05-2021, 05:37 PM | #12 |
languorous autodidact ✦
Posts: 4,235
Karma: 44667380
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: smiling with the rising sun
Device: onyx boox poke 2 colour, kindle voyage
|
Nominations are complete and voting is now open!
Voting will close exactly four days from this post. Each person has FIVE votes to use. |
02-07-2021, 04:50 PM | #13 |
E-reader Enthusiast
Posts: 4,873
Karma: 36507503
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Southwest, USA
Device: Kindle Oasis 3; Kobo Aura One; iPad Mini 5
|
I will start with 1 vote for each of the following books.
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin Flights by Olga Tokarczuk Wind, Sand and Stars by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Sourdough by Robin Sloan |
02-09-2021, 07:15 AM | #14 |
languorous autodidact ✦
Posts: 4,235
Karma: 44667380
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: smiling with the rising sun
Device: onyx boox poke 2 colour, kindle voyage
|
I'll give one vote each to
-The Fifth Season -Flights -Wind, Sand and Stars -Sourdough -A Green and Ancient Light |
02-09-2021, 07:49 PM | #15 |
languorous autodidact ✦
Posts: 4,235
Karma: 44667380
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: smiling with the rising sun
Device: onyx boox poke 2 colour, kindle voyage
|
Initial voting is complete and we're down to four! We have a tie between:
-The Fifth Season -Flights -Wind, Sand and Stars -Sourdough Run-off voting is now open! Voting will close exactly TWO DAYS from this post. Each person has THREE votes to use. If the run-off ends in a tie, the selection that received all its votes first will win. |
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Free/Bargain Science Fiction & Fantasy in February 2014 | pdurrant | Deals and Resources (No Self-Promotion or Affiliate Links) | 117 | 03-01-2014 01:09 PM |
Free/Bargain Science Fiction/Fantasy February 2013 | GeoffR | Deals and Resources (No Self-Promotion or Affiliate Links) | 54 | 03-01-2013 10:49 PM |
[FINISHED] Free SF/Fantasy February 2013 Monthly Baen Bundle | koland | Deals and Resources (No Self-Promotion or Affiliate Links) | 98 | 02-13-2013 05:06 PM |
Free SF/Fantasy February 2012 Monthly Baen Bundle Gift Thread (formerly Webscription) | Ajax | Deals and Resources (No Self-Promotion or Affiliate Links) | 133 | 11-07-2012 01:12 PM |
Flights with no e-readers?! | CCDMan | News | 213 | 01-20-2010 09:34 PM |