May Nominations

[Kell]

The nominations thread will remain open till the evening of Friday 11 April, after which a selection will be chosen for the poll.

Let the nominations begin!

A Note on Nominating and Seconding
If a book has already been mentioned here, then it has already been nominated and you need only second it (books with the most seconds get put through to the poll). To second a book, all you have to do is say, "I second {Name of book}"

Nominating is slightly different. If the book you would like to see chosen has not already been mentioned, you can nominate it. Please give the title of the book, the name of the author and a brief synopsis (usually fromthe back of the book) in this case. It can then be seconded by other members.

Please note this is not a voting thread - a poll will be set up after this one closes.

Thank you.

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

- Bear in mind that having hundreds of nominations makes it more difficult, so please limit yourself to a maximum of two nominations per person, although you can second as many as you like.

- Please also remember to post a synopsis of the books you nominate as it helps people to know what they're seconding!

- Please make sure the books you nominate are readily available in paperback (as we don't want to make it prohibitively expensive for members to take part in the reading circle).

- If the book you're nominating is part of a series, please make sure it is either the first one or a stand-alone (or the sequel to one already read by the reading circle).
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NOMINATIONS:
1. Peony in Love by Lisa See (nominated by Kell)
2. Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy (nominated by Kell)
3. The House at Riverton by Kate Morton (nominated by Spooncat / seconded by Lovesreading, Inver, Madcow)
4. The Island of the Day Before by Umberto Eco (nominated by Gyre)
5. Any Way You Want Me by Lucy Diamond (nominated by Lovesreading / seconded by JudyB)
6. Pillow Talk by Freya North (nominated by Scottishbookworm)

NOMINATED, BUT EXEMPTED:
1. E11even Terrible Months by R L Royle (nominated by FishAnd Chips / seconded by Kell) – On account of only being available in limited edition hardback

[Kell]

I'd like to nominate:

Peony in Love by Lisa See:
Peony is the cherished only child of the first wife of a wealthy Chinese nobleman. Yet she is betrothed to a man she has never met and as her sixteenth birthday approaches, she has spoken to no man other than her father and never ventured outside the cloistered women's quarters of the Chen Family Villa. She is trapped like a good-luck cricket in a bamboo-and-lacquer cage and the romantic lyrics from the Chinese classic novel "The Peony Pavilion" mirror her own longings.Though raised to be obedient, Peony has dreams of her own. Her father engages a small theatrical troupe to perform scenes from the epic opera of "The Peony Pavilion" - a live spectacle that few women have ever seen - in their garden amidst the scent of ginger, green tea and jasmine. Peony's mother is against the production: "Unmarried girls should not be seen in public." But Peony's father prevails. Women will watch the opera from behind a screen to hide them from view and through a crack, Peony catches sight of an elegant, handsome man with hair as black as a cave and is immediately bewitched by him. So begins Peony's journey of love, desire and sorrow as Lisa See's haunting new novel takes readers back to seventeenth-century China and into the heart and soul of an unforgettable heroine.

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy:
Stephanie's uncle Gordon is a writer of horror fiction. But when he dies and leaves her his estate, Stephanie learns that while he may have written horror, it certainly wasn't fiction. Pursued by evil forces intent on recovering a mysterious key, Stephanie finds help from an unusual source -- the wisecracking skeleton of a dead wizard. When all hell breaks loose, it's lucky for Skulduggery that he's already dead. Though he's about to discover that being a skeleton doesn't stop you from being tortured, if the torturer is determined enough. And if there's anything Skulduggery hates, it's torture! Will evil win the day? Will Stephanie and Skulduggery stop bickering long enough to stop it? One thing's for sure: evil won't know what's hit it.

[Spooncat]

I would like to nominate "The House at Riverton by Kate Morton."

A story of love,mystery,and a secret history revealed.

Summer 1924: On the eve of a glittering Society party, by the lake of a grand English country house, a young poet takes his life. The only witnesses, sisters Hannah and Emmeline Hartford, will never speak to each other again. Winter 1999: Grace Bradley, 98, one-time housemaid of Riverton Manor, is visited by a young director making a film about the poet's suicide. Ghosts awaken and memories, long-consigned to the dark reaches of Grace's mind, begin to sneak back through the cracks. A shocking secret threatens to emerge; something history has forgotten but Grace never could. A thrilling mystery and a compelling love story, "The House at Riverton" will appeal to readers of Ian McEwan's "Atonement", L.P. Hartley's "The Go-Between", and lovers of the film "Gosford Park".

:readingtwo:

[Gyre]

I would like to nominate 'The Island of the Day Before' by Umberto Eco

Synopsis:

Set in the 17th century, in Italy, France and on the high seas, this is a tale of medieval legends and dastardly deeds, mixed with portions of exploration literature. Roberto, a young nobleman, waits alone on a Pacific island, separated from the island beyond: the island of the day before.

[lovesreading06]

I would like to second House on the Riverton

I would like to nomaite

Any Way You Want Me by Lucy Diamond

(From Amazon)

On paper, Sadies got it allthe partner, the children, the house. But in real life, that doesnt feel quite enough. Sadie cant help harking back to the time when she was a career woman by day and a party animal by night. And what happened to feeling like a sex kitten, anyway? The only sleepless nights shes getting now are due to the baby. Maybe a little reinvention is the answer Sadie cant resist creating a fictitious online identity for herself as a hot TV producer. Its only a bit of harmless fununtil truth and fantasy become dangerously tangled. It isnt long before shes wondering if the exciting alter ego she has dreamed up really is the kind of person she wants to be after all Wry, funny, and with a wonderful twist in the tale, Any Way You Want Me is an enchanting novel of infidelity, motherhood, and friends that heralds the debut of a lovely new voice in fiction.

[JudyB]

I'm interested in giving Any Way You Want Me a try so I'll second it.

[scottishbookworm]

the book I'll nominate isn't on your list it's called Pillow Talk it's by Freya North.

here's a wee description by amazon for you all


Synopsis
A story of first love and second chances from the bestselling author of Love Rules The sleepwalker. By day, Petra Flint is a talented jeweller working in a lively London studio. By night, she sleepwalks. She has 40 carats of the world's rarest gemstone under her mattress but it's the skeletons in her closet that make it difficult for her to rest. The insomniac. At one time a promising song-writer, Arlo Savidge now teaches music at a boys' boarding school in North Yorkshire. He assumes he's happy with his isolated lifestyle. But, like Petra, ghosts from his past disturb his sleep. Putting the past to bed. Petra and Arlo loved each other from afar during their schooldays. Now, seventeen years later, in a tiny sweetshop one rainy day, they stand before each other once more. Could this be their second chance?

[Inver]

"The House at Riverton by Kate Morton."

Because I have it already on my shelf (I won it in a RABCK draw on Bookcrossing)

[madcow]

The House at Riverton because I have it on Mt TBR

[Kell]

One more day for nomminations and seconds if anyone has anything they'd like to mention...

[FishAndChips]

I'd like to nominate Eleven Terrible Months by R L Royle.

from Amazon:

Review
Amityville Horror meets Shameless... Chilling but not gratuitously sick. Much is left to the reader s imagination, which of course makes it all the more creepy... a gripping read. --Telegraph & Argus

Review
...Royle caused a sensation both in the UK and the US with her first novel, Lucy s Monster - now she looks set to repeat that success with her second book, eleven terrible months. There is no doubting the 25-year-old author has a richly dark imagination and an unconventional authorial style, both of which have already endeared her to avid book collectors across the world. --Yorkshire Evening Post

You can also see Michelle's review here (http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=4269&highlight=Royle)

[Kell]

I'll second E11even Terrible Months - I have it on Mount TBR and mean to get to it very shortly anyway, so it would be lovely to discuss it with other members here too. :)

Edited to add: Ah, hang on - it's only available in hardback and is a limited edition, therefore not freely available. Unfortunately, this exempts it from nomination for Reading Circle (as is stated in the first post). Sorry guys!

[FishAndChips]

Oh poo! Sorry folks :)

[Kell]

Thread now closed. Please go to the POLL THREAD (http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=5146) and cast your vote. :)