MobileRead July 2016 Book Club Vote

[WT Sharpe]

July 2016 MobileRead Book Club Vote

Help us choose a book as the July 2016 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 July 20th. Select from the following Official Choices with three nominations each:

• Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
Goodreads | Amazon US / Barnes & Noble / Kobo US / Overdrive
Print Length: 610 pages

Spoiler:

From Goodreads:

Invisible Man is a milestone in American literature, a book that has continued to engage readers since its appearance in 1952. A first novel by an unknown writer, it remained on the bestseller list for sixteen weeks, won the National Book Award for fiction, and established Ralph Ellison as one of the key writers of the century. The nameless narrator of the novel describes growing up in a black community in the South, attending a Negro college from which he is expelled, moving to New York and becoming the chief spokesman of the Harlem branch of "the Brotherhood", and retreating amid violence and confusion to the basement lair of the Invisible Man he imagines himself to be. The book is a passionate and witty tour de force of style, strongly influenced by T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land, Joyce, and Dostoevsky.

• City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi by William Dalrymple
Goodreads | Amazon UK
Print Length: 352 pages

Spoiler:

‘Could you show me a djinn?’ I asked. ‘Certainly,’ replied the Sufi. ‘But you would run away.’

From the author of the Samuel Johnson Prize-shortlisted ‘The Return of a King’, this is William Dalrymple’s captivating memoir of a year spent in Delhi, a city watched over and protected by the mischievous invisible djinns. Lodging with the beady-eyed Mrs Puri and encountering an extraordinary array of characters – from elusive eunuchs to the last remnants of the Raj – William Dalrymple comes to know the bewildering city intimately.

He pursues Delhi’s interlacing layers of history along narrow alleys and broad boulevards, brilliantly conveying its intoxicating mix of mysticism and mayhem.

‘City of Djinns’ is an astonishing and sensitive portrait of a city, and confirms William Dalrymple as one of the most compelling explorers of India’s past and present.

• The Golem and the Djinni by Helene Wecker
Goodreads | Amazon UK / Amazon US
Print Length: 657 pages

Spoiler:

New York, 1899. Two strangers, one destiny.

Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a disgraced rabbi who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic. [She] arrives in New York in 1899.

Ahmad is a djinni, a being of fire, born in the ancient Syrian desert. Trapped in an old copper flask by a Bedouin wizard centuries ago, he is released accidentally by a tinsmith in a Lower Manhattan shop.

The Golem & The Djinni is their magical, unforgettable story; unlikely friends whose tenuous attachment challenges their opposing natures.

• Nothing But Blue Skies by Tom Holt
Goodreads | Amazon US / Kobo US / Overdrive
Print Length: 336 pages

Spoiler:

From Goodreads:

There are very many reasons why British summers are either non-existent or, alternatively, held on a Thursday. Many of these reasons are either scientific, dull, or both - but all of them are wrong, especially the scientific ones. The real reason why it rains perpetually from January 1st to December 31st (incl.) is, of course, irritable Chinese Water Dragons. Karen is one such legendary creature. Ancient, noble, near-indestructible and, for a number of wildly improbable reasons, working as an estate-agent, Karen is irritable quite a lot of the time. Hence Wimbledon. But now things have changed and Karen's no longer irritable. She's FURIOUS.

• Something Fresh (original title: Something New) by P.G. Wodehouse
Goodreads | Amazon US / Audible / Many Books / Whispersync
Print Length: 284 pages

Spoiler:

This is the first Blandings novel, In which P.G. Wodehouse intorduces us to the delightfully dotty Lord Emsworth, his bone-headed younger son, the Hon. Freddie Threepwood, his log-suffering secretary, the Efficient Baxter, and Beach the Blandings butler.

As Wodehouse wrote, 'without at least one imposter on the premises, Blandings Castle is never itself'. In Something Fresh there are two, each with an eye on a valuable Egytian amulet which Lord Emsworth has acquired without quite realizing how it came into his pocket. But of course things get a lot more complicated than this...

• Death in the Dordogne (Bruno Chief of Police Book 1) by Martin Walker
Goodreads | Amazon UK
Print Length: 262 pages

Spoiler:

It's market day in St Denis, a small town in the Périgord region of South West France. The locals are on the alert because inspectors are expected to make a 'surprise visit' in an attempt to enforce the unpopular and bureaucratic EU hygiene rules. But for Captain Bruno Courrèges, St Denis' Chief of Police, this particular market day turns into something far more serious.

An old man, head of a local immigrant North African family, is found viciously murdered. Suspicion falls on the son of the local doctor, but Bruno isn't so certain. He believes it to be an act of vengeance, with its motive hidden deep in France's divisive war-time past. As rumour and mistrust grow, Bruno must look beneath the surface of this normally calm community to find a brutal killer.

[WT Sharpe]

All the selections look so good that I'm tempted to skip the vote altogether and just read what wins. My grandson will be a senior when high school resumes in the Fall, but as part of a special program in which he's enrolled will be taking college English rather than senior English. Over the summer, he's been assigned to read Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man as part of that program, so a few days ago I decided to grab my own copy from Amazon so we could discuss it and have already started reading it. If the Ellison wins, I'll be one up on everyone who hasn't yet read it, but I'm confident I'll be happy with whatever wins.

[issybird]

I've read Bruno so I hope it's not chosen; other than that, while I have a few preferences, I just want the selection to engender a good discussion and which books are likeliest to do that?

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by issybird

I've read Bruno....

...and written a rather disparaging review of it of goodreads, although most reviews have been considerably kinder (3.82 stars* averaged from 684 reviewers).

I suspect you're not a fan of "cozy" mysteries. Am I right?

[issybird]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

...and written a rather disparaging review of it of goodreads, although most reviews have been considerably kinder (3.82 stars* averaged from 684 reviewers).

I suspect you're not a fan of "cozy" mysteries. Am I right?

I was trying to be polite!

I seem to have gone off mysteries altogether, although I used to inhale them.

Part of what I didn't care for in Bruno was the "quaint peasantry" schtick, which irritates me. I mentioned Peter Mayle in my review and that's not a positive, for me. However, I freely admit that generally speaking, my response is an aberrant one, although those who disliked it seem to have similar objections. I'm also willing to acknowledge that the series as a whole, not atypically, might have improved on a rocky start. But it's the whole so many books, so little time syndrome at work; I'm not likely to pursue a series after an indifferent first experience.

Sorry, Charlie! Only the best tuna.... Oops, kinda went off the rails there.

[din155]

I am happy with all the choices but whichever book wins hopefully it leads to a lively discussion.

[CRussel]

That's OK, issy, I still like it.

Part of what I really like is the food and wine insights about the region. And yes, it's schtiky, but sometimes I like a bit of that. Not often, and not as an unalloyed diet, but perfect for a lazy summer read.

I'm voting for four this time, though I don't think there's any I won't read.

[CRussel]

Hey, folks, did we all go on vacation? No one wants to help decide what we read for our summer read?

I know we have a couple of days left, but it seems like we usually have both more voting and more discussion by now. Or did everyone just decide that all the books are good and they'll take what comes? Surely you have a preference, no matter how much you like them all?

[issybird]

I think it's obvious I won't be voting for Bruno so my holdup is that I'm torn about Invisible Man. I'd like to read it myself, but my guess is that we wouldn't get much participation in the discussion. But I could be wrong, of course.

ETA: That said, I've lined up copies of everything, just in case. I even squandered some of my Apple settlement money on City of Djinns.

[WT Sharpe]

My take:

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison would make for a good discussion. It's not nearly as dark as the subject matter suggests. Although it does have some very dark moments they are balanced by the book's humor and compassion. 610 pages and the serious nature of the work, however, makes it anything but a "light summer read" (even though I'm currently reading it).

City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi by William Dalrymple. No real opinion either way, though it would be an excursion to a place I've never been. It could be an enriching experience.

The Golem and the Djinni by Helene Wecker sounds like something I'd like to experience as an audiobook, but the Audible price is $33.07 isn't in my budget, and at $24.98 ($11.99 for the ebook and $12.99 for the audio add on), the Whispersync deal isn't exactly calling my name either. For some, the 657 page length may be off-putting

Nothing But Blue Skies by Tom Holt looks like it could well be the fun, light, summer book everyone loves. I'm not sure how much discussion it would engender, but I bet everyone would enjoy reading it. I'm surprised it hasn't more votes at this time.

Something Fresh/Something New by P.G. Wodehouse. It's Wodehouse. It's 284 pages. That's all that needs to be said, as everyone is familiar with the author's textbook British humor. The only people I could see not liking this one being chosen would be those who have already read it and were hoping for something they hadn't yet read.

Death in the Dordogne by Martin Walker. I've never read it, but I sense Murder She Wrote cozy mystery vibes coming from this one, and I like cozy mysteries. It's garnered some pretty good reviews from people who don't have "issy" in their names.

[CRussel]

I read Invisible Man back in the 70's, and would actually like to read it again. But Tom's right, it's not exactly light summer reading. The two books with Djinn in their title didn't really excite me, though I don't have anything against them, other than the length of one of them.

Nothing But Blue Skies by Tom Holt looks like fun. I don't understand the lack of love either. I'm quite glad issybird nominated it - I'd likely not have found it else. I really hope we can get some more votes for it.

Wodehouse is what he is. My guess is even better in audio format, since we have a Frederick Davidson narration available, always a pleasure. There's also a Jonathan Cecil narration, which would be good, but appears to have serious audio problems, so the Davidson one will be my choice if we go for this.

And Death in the Dordogne / Bruno, Chief of Police, despite issy's dislike, is a (mostly) cozy that I quite enjoyed the first time, including an excellent audio version. I haven't re-read it before, so I'll be interested to see how it holds up to that if we choose it.

[issybird]

OK, Tom convinced me; Invisible Man would engender a good discussion, so even if it's only a few, that's fine.

I didn't vote for the Golem and the Djinni, because it's not my type of thing. But I'm on board if it wins; I like books set in New York, so long as they get it right.

[din155]

I am warming upto something fresh..Read Golem and Djinni last year and it was quite enjoyable but I get to read something new.

[din155]

Just 10 votes so far? Come on Mobilereaders vote..!

[CRussel]

Only 14 votes, and it looks like we're reading P.G. Wodehouse. Not anything I regret, since his books are always fun, plus I already have a copy of the Frederick Davidson Audible narration. But I'm surprised at the low turnout for the vote.