MobileRead Book Club: December08 book nominations

[pilotbob]

Hello,

Since I have not seen PsyDocJo around I decided to take it upon myself to open this thread. Per her original schedule the nominations will run thru Nov 20th.

Book selection for December per the "official" club opening thread is:

December
MobileRead Classic (can be any genre, but must be a classic and must be available in our library)

I suggest that in order for a nomination to be included in the poll it gets seconded by two other members. I think we should also limit it to no more than 10 books... I would rather have a selection closer to 5.. but I don't see that happening considering the WIDE range that December's category allows for.

So, please the floor is open to nominations.

BOb - self-appointed vice president of the MRBC.

Official choices each with three nominations:

1) The Time Machine - H. G. Wells
Novella, one of the earliest SF tales. Adventure story, scary in places. Under the hood all sorts of interesting things are being said, not least about the British class system in the 19th century

2) Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
...is the only novel of Emily Brontë, who died a year after its publication, at the age of thirty. A brooding Yorkshire tale of a love that is stronger than death, it is also a fierce vision of metaphysical passion in which heaven and hell, nature and society, and dynamic and passive forces are powerfully juxtaposed. Unique, mystical, with a timeless appeal, it has become a classic of English literature.

3) A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
It was the best of times,' it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

4) Three Men In A Boat - Jerome K Jerome
Three Men in a Boat is a humorous account by Jerome K. Jerome of a boating holiday on the Thames between Kingston and Oxford. The book was intended initially to be a serious travel guide, with accounts of local history of places along the route, but the humorous elements eventually took over, to the point where the serious and somewhat sentimental passages now seem like an unnecessary distraction to the essentially comic novel. One of the most praised things about Three Men in a Boat is how undated it appears to modern readers. The jokes seem fresh and witty even today.

5) Augustus Carp Esquire, by Himself: Being the Autobiography of a Really Good Man - Sir Henry Howarth Bashford
Augustus Carp is a sidesman, churchwarden, Sunday school superintendent, secretary of the Glee Club, and President of the St. Potamus League for purity. He undertakes his book as a necessary corrective to what he sees as the complete moral collapse of society ... "I had a great deal of trouble at the microphone when I read Augustus Carp for the BBC, caused by the need to stifle my laughter." (Kenneth Williams)

6) The Hound of the Baskervilles - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
There is a curse that hangs over the house of the Baskervilles at Dartmoor in Devon England. It is the curse of the great hound the attacks and kills people on the moors. Now after many years of peace the beast has struck again. Sherlock Holmes and his assistant Dr Watson are called in to help solve the mystery of the Hound of the Baskervilles.

7) The Man Who Was Thursday - G. K. Chesterton
British writer GILBERT KEITH CHESTERTON (1874-1936) expounded prolifically about his wide-ranging philosophies-he is impossible to categorize as "liberal" or "conservative," for instance-across a wide variety of avenues: he was a literary critic, historian, playwright, novelist, columnist, and poet. His witty, humorous style earned him the title of the "prince of paradox," and his works-80 books and nearly 4,000 essays-remain among the most beloved in the English language Considered by many readers to be his best work, this 1908 novel is an outrageous satire about a club of gentlemen in London at the turn of the 20th century who have vowed to destroy the world. Subtitled "A Nightmare," and bursting with Chesterton's trademark wit and abundant in surprising metaphors about religion, nature, and human civilization itself, it is a philosophical and ironic wonder, a delight to read and an even greater delight to ponder.

8) The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
It's also a love story, of sorts, the narrative of Gatsby's quixotic passion for Daisy Buchanan. The pair meet five years before the novel begins, when Daisy is a legendary young Louisville beauty and Gatsby an impoverished officer. They fall in love, but while Gatsby serves overseas, Daisy marries the brutal, bullying, but extremely rich Tom Buchanan. After the war, Gatsby devotes himself blindly to the pursuit of wealth by whatever means--and to the pursuit of Daisy, which amounts to the same thing. "Her voice is full of money," Gatsby says admiringly, in one of the novel's more famous descriptions. His millions made, Gatsby buys a mansion across Long Island Sound from Daisy's patrician East Egg address, throws lavish parties, and waits for her to appear. When she does, events unfold with all the tragic inevitability of a Greek drama, with detached, cynical neighbor Nick Carraway acting as chorus throughout.

9) Dracula by Bram Stoker
A true masterwork of storytelling, Dracula has transcended generation, language, and culture to become one of the most popular novels ever written. It is a quintessential tale of suspense and horror, boasting one of the most terrifying characters ever born in literature: Count Dracula, a tragic, night-dwelling specter who feeds upon the blood of the living, and whose diabolical passions prey upon the innocent, the helpless, and the beautiful. But Dracula also stands as a bleak allegorical saga of an eternally cursed being whose nocturnal atrocities reflect the dark underside of the supremely moralistic age in which it was originally written -- and the corrupt desires that continue to plague the modern human condition. Pocket Books Enriched Classics present the great works of world literature enhanced for the contemporary reader. This edition of Dracula was prepared by Joseph Valente, Professor of English at the University of Illinois and the author of Dracula's Crypt: Bram Stoker, Irishness, and the Question of Blood, who provides insight into the racial connotations of this enduring masterpiece.


NOMINATIONS ARE CLOSED!!!

[JSWolf]

Dracula by Bram Stoker would make a good classic read.

[daffy4u]

Books I feel I should read:

A Tale of Two Cities
Mobi Dick
Don Quixote

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by daffy4u

Books I feel I should read:

A Tale of Two Cities
Mobi Dick
Don Quixote

Some good choices there.

One suggestion for anyone else picking something. I suggest we read a book available here so everyone can read it without having to buy it.

[daffy4u]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Some good choices there.

One suggestion for anyone else picking something. I suggest we read a book available here so everyone can read it without having to buy it.

I think this month is supposed to be a book in the MobileRead library. There may be a format not represented but I think we can fill in any holes once a book is chosen.

[ficbot]

I recommend Wuthering Heights. It is the first classic I ever enjoyed, so it might be a good way in for those not used to reading classics. I would love to talk about this book with other people.

[Richard Herley]

I second Wuthering Heights.

Here are some other suggestions:

Wilkie Collins - The Woman in White
Victorian detective story; feisty heroine and excellent villain!

Joseph Conrad - Heart of Darkness
Not very long, a work of genius which bears close analysis and discussion

Joseph Conrad - Lord Jim
One of the few Conrad novels I haven't got to yet - said to be one of his best

Fyodor Dostoevsky - The Gambler
Novelette length, hair-raising plot, wonderfully funny and perceptive. It was itself dictated by Dostoevsky in record time, to pay off a gambling debt

F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby
I haven't read this one - it's very well regarded

Victor Hugo - Les Miserables
Long but colourful and involving novel with very sympathetc protagonist

Henry James - Washington Square
Chilling story about the damage an overbearing father can do, set in 19th century America

Jerome K. Jerome - Three Men in a Boat
Very funny and English, just the thing for the holiday season; but not as light as an initial reading suggests

Franz Kafka - Metamorphosis
A long short story, one of the most famous ever written, and deservedly so; also bears any amount of scrutiny and discussion. Fascinating stuff

Katherine Mansfield - The Garden Party and Other Stories
I've never read any of hers, but this is supposed to be excellent

Mary Shelley - Frankenstein
I'm ashamed to say I've never read this. Apparently it works on all kinds of levels

Ivan Turgenev - Fathers and Sons
One of my favourite 19th century Russians. I haven't read this one

Kurt Vonnegut - 2R02B
Neither have I read this, nor any Vonnegut, a gap I'd like to fill

H. G. Wells - The Time Machine
Novella, one of the earliest SF tales. Adventure story, scary in places. Under the hood all sorts of interesting things are being said, not least about the British class system in the 19th century

P. G. Wodehouse - My Man Jeeves
I haven't read this one either and would like to.

All of these are in the MobileRead library, though not all are available in every format.

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

Originally Posted by Richard Herley

Wilkie Collins - The Woman in White
Victorian detective story; feisty heroine and excellent villain!

Victor Hugo - Les Miserables
Long but colourful and involving novel with very sympathetc protagonist

Jerome K. Jerome - Three Men in a Boat
Very funny and English, just the thing for the holiday season; but not as light as an initial reading suggests

H. G. Wells - The Time Machine
Novella, one of the earliest SF tales. Adventure story, scary in places. Under the hood all sorts of interesting things are being said, not least about the British class system in the 19th century

P. G. Wodehouse - My Man Jeeves
I haven't read this one either and would like to.

I'd second any of those. Although Les Miserables had some very long winded, hard going sections from what I can remember (the looting section, for one)

I'll chuck Bleak House by Charles Dickens into the hat. If only for the spontaneous human combustion

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by ShortNCuddlyAm

I'd second any of those. Although Les Miserables had some very long winded, hard going sections from what I can remember (the looting section, for one)

H. G. Wells - The Time Machine
Novella, one of the earliest SF tales. Adventure story, scary in places. Under the hood all sorts of interesting things are being said, not least about the British class system in the 19th century

I will third this. So, this is our first suggestion with three nominations so is our first official choice.

Keep em coming!

BOb

[daffy4u]

Hey, I'll 4th "The Time Machine". I've only seen the movie (which I love), so it would be a fun read.

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by daffy4u

Hey, I'll 4th "The Time Machine". I've only seen the movie (which I love), so it would be a fun read.

I'll "5th" it......saw the movie, but never read the book.

[Roy White]

I second The Gambler by Dosto. If you've never read any D its a great start.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

I'll "5th" it......saw the movie, but never read the book.

Great... but not needed.

As I said, the first 10 books or less that get three nominations by the EOD on the 20th go into the selection poll.

So far, only one books has got three... actually 5. So, nominate a few of the others listed here or put out a few new nominations.

THE FLOOR IS OPEN!

BOb

[JSWolf]

The only thing I'd like to suggest is please, nothing heavy. It's hard enough trying to read A Passage to India. Something a bit less heavy would do wonders.

And as for The Time Machine by H.G. Well, I'll vote for it as well. I have read it but ages agai and I did enjoy it. So a reread would not be a bad idea at all.

[Sparrow]

I'll 3rd 'Wuthering Heights'; I've always wondered why a 'hero' who indulges in brutal domestic abuse is such a popular character.