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08-01-2020, 12:27 AM | #1 |
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September Nominations • Over the Hills and Far Away: Journeys
Good morning, and welcome to the New Leaf Book Club's September Book Nomination thread where we select the book that the New Leaf Book Club will read in September, 2020. The theme is Over the Hills and Far Away: Journeys.
Everyone is welcome to join the nomination process even if they'd rather lurk during the voting and discussion; if that is still a little too much commitment, please feel free to suggest titles without making a formal nomination. Also, don't sweat the links. It's helpful to check availability and prices before nominating in order to eliminate anything that's out of the question, but ultimately our global members with different gadgets and preferences will have to check for themselves. The nominations will run through 9 AM PST, August 7, 2020. Each nomination requires a second to make it to the poll, which will remain open for three days. The discussion of the selection will start on September 15, 2020. And don't forget to join us for the discussion of Stephen Leacock's Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town, our August selection. That discussion starts on Saturday, August 15th. (Or whenever I manage to get the discussion thread up!) Any questions? See the FAQ below, or just ask! FAQs for the Nomination, Selection and Discussion process General Guidelines for the New Leaf Book Club Official choices with two nominations:
Last edited by CRussel; 08-07-2020 at 01:33 AM. Reason: Thru post #35 |
08-01-2020, 12:28 AM | #2 |
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Nominations awaiting a second:
Last edited by CRussel; 08-07-2020 at 12:36 AM. Reason: Thru #35 |
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08-01-2020, 01:19 AM | #3 |
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Hmm, so many possibilities for this theme. My favourite, West with the Night, isn't eligible yet. But there's always Steinbeck's Travels with Charlie , that should be fun. Or Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods. Sigh, must think about this. Hmmm. Or, since West with the Night isn't eligible, how about a somewhat different take on very much the same period and place? We could do Elspeth Huxley's The Flame Trees of Thika, or maybe Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen/Karen Blixen? Sigh, sadly, I suspect all three of the colonial Africa books are showing their age, though I admit to having enjoyed each of them in spite of that.
Or, how about going at it a completely different way -- with something like Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander, or one of the Sharpe books from Bernard Cornwell. Finally (well, for now, anyway), it seems to me that there are a whole range of Space Operas that would fit the category. I can see it's going to take me a bit to pick just one or two to nominate. Ah, well, I'll be back. |
08-01-2020, 04:03 AM | #4 |
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This theme instantly made me think of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (There and Back Again, a Hobbit's Tale by Bilbo Baggins), but I expect everyone that wants to has probably read it already.
Given the concept of the monomyth, or the Hero's Journey, pretty much adventure story could be said to fit the theme. I'm thinking non-fiction might be good. I failed to get one David Attenborough up in April, but I've got another I want to read ... but for the moment I will keep thinking about it. |
08-01-2020, 11:33 AM | #5 | ||
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I nominate Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian (2008, 386 pp.). (I nominated it earlier this year, and the interest in it was underwhelming--not even a second!--but I am undeterred.)
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08-01-2020, 04:02 PM | #6 |
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I immediately thought of Fellowship of the Rings - which is my quintessential ‘over the hills’ book. Lovely wafts of nostalgia. But as gmw said about The Hobbit, everyone who wants to read it, already has.
Several of the old classics, like Huckleberry Finn come to mind, but I’m afraid they haven’t aged well. I’ve read several articles on the best adventure books, etc, but nothing quite fits. So I need to do a bit more thinking too. Charlie, fwiw, I think the space operas would fit the theme very well. |
08-02-2020, 12:21 AM | #7 |
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Well, while I'm sure you and I wouldn't object to a re-read of, say, Balance of Trade, a perfect journey book on several different levels, some amongst us dislike anything SFF almost as much as I abhor horror, or really, anything even moderately dark. So I'm hoping to go with something of somewhat more general acceptability.
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08-02-2020, 06:19 AM | #8 |
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The first book I thought of was Noah Gordon's Physician. From Amazon:
Spoiler:
I'm not nominating this, I've read it so I'm just putting it out there if someone else wants to. Warning, It's quite lengthy. 838 pages. |
08-02-2020, 07:16 AM | #9 | |
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Quote:
I'm tempted to nominate The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro, because I liked it a lot and would like to re-read it soon ... but our last Ishiguro got very a mixed reception here. Last edited by gmw; 08-02-2020 at 07:44 AM. |
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08-02-2020, 11:32 AM | #10 |
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Well, this is a cliché, and probably a groaner. However, it’s been on my tbr list for most of my lifetime, so if not by now, when? Plus, it does sound like fun. Therefore, I nominate Around the World in Eighty Days ,by Jules Verne. Depending on the translation, it’s approximately 130 pages.
From Wikipedia: “ The story starts in London on Wednesday, 2 October 1872. Phileas Fogg is a rich British gentleman living in solitude. Despite his wealth, Fogg lives a modest life with habits carried out with mathematical precision. Very little can be said about his social life other than that he is a member of the Reform Club, where he spends much of every day. Having dismissed his former valet, James Forster, for bringing him shaving water at 84 °F (29 °C) instead of 86 °F (30 °C), Fogg hires Frenchman Jean Passepartout as a replacement. At the Reform Club, Fogg gets involved in an argument over an article in The Daily Telegraph stating that with the opening of a new railway section in India, it is now possible to travel around the world in 80 days. He accepts a wager for £20,000, half of his total fortune, from his fellow club members to complete such a journey within this time period. With Passepartout accompanying him, Fogg departs from London by train at 8:45 p.m. on 2 October; in order to win the wager, he must return to the club by this same time on 21 December, 80 days later. They take the remaining £20,000 of Fogg's fortune with them to cover expenses during the journey.” It’s in the public domain, and available via overdrive. |
08-02-2020, 06:59 PM | #11 | |
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I nominate Tracks: One Woman's Solo Trek Across 1,700 Miles of Australian Outback by Robyn Davidson, a classic Australian travel book. Kindle prices are $9.99 US, $9.99 CDN, $8.99 AU. It's available to borrow in my Overdrive library.
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08-02-2020, 08:54 PM | #12 |
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I'll second 80 Days and Tracks. First message will get updated later tonight.
Updated. And I'll add that if you get the Amazon Classics Edition (Free) of Around the World in 80 Days, you can get the Patrick Tull narration from Audible for the $7.49 WhisperSync price. There are lots of narrations available, but when you can choose Patrick Tull, why look further? (OK, some might prefer the Frederick Davidson narration, but you can choose that for the same WhisperSync price with this Amazon Classics edition.) Last edited by CRussel; 08-03-2020 at 01:38 AM. |
08-02-2020, 09:49 PM | #13 | |
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I am going to nominate My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell.
Quote:
Amazon: US https://www.amazon.com/Family-Other-.../dp/B01LYWHFSR Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/my-...ther-animals-2 eBooks.com UK: https://www.ebooks.com/en-gb/book/95...erald-durrell/ Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06ZZMLMKT Kobo UK: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/my-...ther-animals-3 |
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08-02-2020, 11:04 PM | #14 |
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08-03-2020, 12:37 AM | #15 | |
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Quote:
Sorry, Jon -- you'll have to wait to nominate My Family and Other Animals. Meanwhile, you have that ticket back. |
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