May Nominations

[Kell]

Look at that! It's April and we've started reading Black Beauty, but what will our May book be?

You've got two weeks to make your nominations (this thread will close on Sunday 15th April), which will be followed by a week of voting from a selection chosen from the nominations to give everyone a chance to get the winning book.

If you'd like to second a book that's already been nominated, that's absolutely fine too - it helps make the poll selection a lot easier!

Please only make nominations and seconds here, rather than discussing the books nominated or going off-topic.

Thanks.

Let the nominations begin!

[Kell]

I'd like to get the ball rolling and nominate the crime-thriller, Black Tide by Caroline Carver:
When journalist India Kane agrees to accompany a Greenpeace ship called Sundancer in its pursuit of a whaling fleet, she has no idea what awaits her. Buffeted by high winds and blinded by freezing fog, by the time they spot the huge tanker bearing down on them - it is simply too late. Eight crewmembers are lost. Ned, one of India's closest friends, is among them. When it emerges that the tanker that rammed Sundancer is unregistered - a kind of ghost ship, untraceable and unaccountable - India is determined to bring the owner of the vessel to justice. But first she must make the journey back to Jambouko Bay to break the news to Ellie, Ned's wife. Jambouko Bay is a desolate and deserted place. Famed for its progressive architecture and stunning views, it was once a symbol of hope and prosperity in the Australian outback. But now its population is a dying breed. Some say that it's Albert's curse - an Aborigine who once called upon the thunder God to protect their sacred land from desecration - and some say that it's the air, the very soil. As yet more members of the community fall ill, India starts piecing the puzzle together. What India discovers will take her on a journey to a dark and terrifying place...

[Michelle]

I have a nomination, with two great reasons for it....

The lovely people at Headline have another great offer for our UK readers.. they are offering TEN copies of Maggie O'Farrell's The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox. You can find out more about the book here (http://www.readingcircle.co.uk/esme.html). I have to say that I have loved her other three books, and I am really excited about reading this one.

The second great reson is that Maggie will be out Featured Author during May, and I think it would be a great oppertunity to have the author with us during the reading circle. :D

[Renniemist]

Wow! That’s a great idea Michelle.

I am definitely seconding “The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox” because I loved “After You’d Gone”, and I have heard good things about this one.:D

[chocolategal]

how do you make a nomation:10_confused:

[Lilywhite]

Just pick a book you would like to nominate and post it in this thread with a little information about and and why you would like to nominate it. The a vote will be taken towards the end of the month to determine the next book.

hth
x

[lovesreading06]

or you can second a book that has been mentioned here.

[chocolategal]

i think that we could read out of the ashes, by michael morpurgo


i love this book its really interesting, and its got lots of animals in. it is a good book because it is sad but happy at the same time.

i also think this would be a good book because it is really funny(well i thought some bits were funny but eveyone is different):D

[scottishbookworm]

I agree that is a good Idea!:friends0:

[Louiseog]

I'd like to second The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox. Like the sound and the link with author of the month

[wrathofkublakhan]

I'd like to nominate the following for consideration:

a. Ender's Game by Orson Scott CardIt is a great science fiction book set in the future where kids are trained to be military leaders because they are so easy to train at an early age. The book has gone on to have influence in the military with some of the ideas of independent thinking soldiers being, well, a good idea!

b. The Sackett Brand by Louis L'AmourIf we can 'circle' the wagons for Black Beauty, we can explore one of the great American western writers as well. This is the story of a man who loses his wife to an evil man, this evil man decides to kill our hero as well. Little does he know that the "Sackett Brand" will bring his kinfolk from all over to help him out. One of the best of the series, in my opinion. The region is well researched, the history is accurate and one's got to love a good cowboy story now and then.
c. The Jungle Books by Rudyard KiplingLike Black Beauty (1877), this book is quite old and a classic; first printed in 1894, these tales and the supporting songs and poetry are wonderful. Much like Burroughs' Tarzan, it entrenches the mythos of the underlying greatness of the human spirit in adverse situations: inherent nobility, that; I believe, we all can relate to.
d. Macbeth or Othello by The BardJust an idea, but it might be fun to read a play in the circle. Another that comes to mind is Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf by Albee. Still another might be Little Foxes or The Children's Hour by Lillian Hellman.
e. The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson The Diamond Age or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer is postcyberpunk (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postcyberpunk) novel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novel) by Neal Stephenson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neal_Stephenson). It is a bildungsroman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bildungsroman) focused on a young girl and set in a world in which nanotechnology (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanotechnology) affects all aspects of life. Its primary themes include education (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education), social class (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_class), cultural tribalism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnicity), and the nature of artificial intelligence (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_Intelligence). The Diamond Age was first published in 1995 by Bantam Books (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bantam_Books), as a Bantam Spectra hardcover (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardcover) edition. In 1996, it won the Hugo Award (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Award) for Best Novel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Award_for_Best_Novel) and was shortlisted for the Nebula Award (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebula_Award). A six-hour miniseries scripted by Stephenson and produced by George Clooney (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Clooney) is being developed for Sci Fi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sci_Fi_Channel_%28United_States%29).[5] (http://clooneyproject.livejournal.com/278739.html)[6] (http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-story-tv-thediamondage,0,2058393.story)

[pontalba]

I've read the Sackett series, and it is great!

I'll second The Sackett Brand by Louis L'Amour.

[Gyre]

I am thirding 'The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox', it sounds brilliant.

[OnyxAngel]

I'm nominating "the boy next door" it's a fascinating book about how one year can ruin a whole friendship.

It is also interesting how the authors change from the 2 main character's point of view.

This is the blurb:

As the 1980's dawn in the sleepy village of Rushton, Mickey and Fred are next-door neighbours and best friends. In and out of their scrapes, they share everything, from their first cigarette to their first kiss. They think nothing will ever keep them apart. But they're wrong.

Fifteen years on, Fred is set to marry his girlfriend in just a few short weeks. Mickey is starting her new life with a small flower shop and a tiny flat above it. Then they bump into eachother for the first time since that fateful summer.

As they try to rekindle their friendship, can they ever forgetthe year their worlds fell apart? And is it true what they say about first loves....?

[wrathofkublakhan]

As they try to rekindle their friendship, can they ever forgetthe year their worlds fell apart? And is it true what they say about first loves....?

Oh my, OnyxAngel, I second that motion -- sounds wonderful.

I'd like the group to consider My Life and Hard Times by James Thurber. Written in 1933, Thurber was a master story-teller and was brilliant at the short-story art form. It's auto-biographical and wonderful - and absolutely hilarious.
As I recall, the book may include illustrations by the author which are charming and quaint; knowing he drew with failing eye-sight enhances the experience.

Also, I think M*A*S*H by Richard Hooker was quite brilliant.
I read it many moons ago (before the movie came out, yes, THAT long ago) and it was a life-changing book for me. The philosophy of the two doctors who were where they did not want to be, decided that: if they were damn good at their jobs no one could bother them about what they did on the side. This, in fact, is exactly how I've lived my life for the past 25 years. Considering the uselessness of wartime in Korea and wartime in this day and age, it might strike a chord with the Reader's Circle.

I'd really like to find a book for May to which we can respond. Black Beauty was a fine little story but I chomped it up on two bites, did my best to find things interesting to post and quickly moved on.
I've learned that those not participating in the Circle most likely skip the posts - so this core group needs a challenge, I think.
People have been posting choices and I like them ~ if it's an author we have to which we have access, I think that's great; if it's a classic or challenge or new adventure: I'm all for it.

[Kell]

Nominations close tomorrow afternoon so that the poll can open tomorrow night, so if anyone else wants to put forward or second a book, now is the time to do it!

[Kell]

I'm nominating "the boy next door" it's a fascinating book about how one year can ruin a whole friendship.Who's it by, OnyxAngel?

[wrathofkublakhan]

I'd like to mention a few more titles before the deadline. I have to admit not reading the rules, so I don't know if multiple postings for nominations is kosher, tho I promise not to repeat myself! Mostly I'm just having fun talking and reading about books.

Please consider the following:

A. Still Life With Woodpecker (A Sort of Love Story) by Tom Robbins -- it's a fun little read even though I feel Mr. Robbins falls into the category of "Ivy League Prep School" authors, the story has a fun and odd sense of humor.

B. My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok -- even if this book never makes a Reader's Circle it's a book I deeply recommend. I've read many by this author and he touches my soul on several levels. This story is about a Hasidic Jewish boy who ... has to be an artist.
This is a rough struggle trying to find balance between his family, his religion and his passion for Art. His first venture into the great artists who painted the crucifixion of Jesus and his first foray into nude paintings; because he must if he is to be a great painter, show the sacrifice any and all make when they are driven to make Art.

C. The Manager as Motivator by Dr. Michael Kroth -- I nominate this one simply because it's my brother's newest book and he needs the sales, lol. It has some material in it by me, but surely it's a dreary read only for the challenged bosses of the world.

D. The Riddle-Master by Patricia A. McKillip - it originally was a trilogy that is now sold under one cover. It's of the Fantasy Genre (with no dragons) about a boy with a destiny. Ms. McKillip writes with a gentle touch, sharing the story with our hero's love who is also a woman of growing power and strength: and ultimately a story about the love of a father for a son. I read these as a trilogy when first published and have now re-read the single edition and still find myself drawn to the cleverness and charm of this fine author.

E. My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George -- if we could have a set of books for the month, quick good reads, I'd include this one. While it might only take a few days to read, like Black Beauty, it's a fine decent book that is a treat. It's about a boy who leaves the city and decides to live on his own in the mountains - and he succeeds.

Let the voting begin! This should be a fun month!

[Michelle]

The trouble is, we only choose a few for voting each month, otherwise the votes could get spread out, with no clear winner. It's probably therefore not worth nominating loads for one month, because we can't add them all.

[wrathofkublakhan]

The trouble is, we only choose a few for voting each month, otherwise the votes could get spread out, with no clear winner. It's probably therefore not worth nominating loads for one month, because we can't add them all.

Okay, I rescind my nominations and bow to: The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox.

[Kell]

Okie dokie, we've had a wealth of nominations for May's reading circle, but only a very small handful can make it through to the poll, so I hope that some of you will renominate a couple of these another month, as well as making some fresh nominations.

Thanks to everyone who made suggestions and seconds. You can now vote for your favourite in the poll.