Bookclub Voting for April, May and June Titles

[Culhwch]

The nominated titles for April, May and June. Voting ends in ten days.

Temeraire, Naomi Novik (2006)

As Napoleon's tenacious infantry rampages across Europe and his armada lies in wait for Nelson's smaller fleet, the war does not rage on land and water alone. Squadrons of aviators swarm the skies - a deadly shield for the cumbersome canon-firing vessels. Raining fire and acid upon their enemies, they engage in a swift, violent combat with flying tooth and claw... for these aviators ride dragons.


Consider Phlebas, Iain M. Banks (1987)

The war raged across the galaxy. Billions had died, billions more were doomed. Moons, planets, the very stars themselves, faced destruction; coldblooded, brutal, and worse, random. The Idirans fought for their Faith; the Culture for its moral right to exist.

Principals were at stake. There could be no surrender.

Within the cosmic conflict, an individual crusade. Deep within a fabled labyrinth on a barren world, a Planet of the Dead proscribed to mortals, lay a fugitive Mind. Both the Culture and the Idirans sought it. It was the fate of Horza, the Changer, and his motley crew of unpredictable mercenaries, human and machine, actually to find it, and with it their own destruction.

Consider Phlebas - a space opera of stunning power and awesome imagination from one of the most talented writers of his generation.


Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke (2004)

Centuries ago when magic still existed in England, the greatest magician of them all was the Raven King. A human child brought up by fairles, the Raven King blended fairy wisdom and human reason to create English magic. Now at the beginning of the nineteenth century, he is barely more than a legend, and England, with its mad King and its dashing poets, no longer believes in practical magic. Then the reclusive Mr Norrell of Hurtfew Abbey appears and causes the statues of York Cathedral to speak and move. News spreads of the return of magic to England and, persuaded that he must help the government in the war against Napoleon, Mr Norrell goes to London. There he meets a brilliant young magician and takes him as a pupil. Jonathan Strange is charming, rich and arrogant. Together, they dazzle the country with their feats. But the partnership soon turns to rivairy. Mr Norrell has never conquered his lifelong habits of secrecy, while Strange will always be attracted to the wildest, most perilous magic. He becomes fascinated by the shadowy figure of the Raven King, and his heedless pursuit of long-forgotten magic threatens, not only his partnership with Norrell, but everything that he holds dear. Elegant, witty and utterly compelling, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell creates a past world of great mystery and beauty that will hold the reader in thrall until the last page.


The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray, Chris Wooding (2001)

Thaniel, just 17, is a wych-hunter. Together, he and Cathaline track down the fearful creatures that lurk in the Old Quarter of London. It is on one of these hunts that he first meets Alaizabel Cray.


City of Dreaming Books, Walter Moers (2006)

The author of 13 1⁄2 Lives of Captain Bluebear transports us to a magical world. Optimus Yarnspinner, finds himself marooned in the subterranean world of Bookholm, the City of Dreaming Books, where reading can be dangerous, where ruthless Bookhunters fight to the death.


Earth Abides, George R. Stewart (1949)

In this profound ecological fable, a mysterious plague has destroyed the vast majority of the human race. Isherwood Williams, one of the few survivors, returns from a wilderness field trip to discover that civilization has vanished during his absence. Eventually he returns to San Francisco and encounters a female survivor who becomes his wife. Around them and their children a small community develops, living like their pioneer ancestors, but rebuilding civilization is beyond their resources, and gradually they return to a simpler way of life.


Fool’s Run, Patricia McKillip (1987)

YA Master of fantasy McKillip has turned her considerable talents to science fiction, fashioning a riveting tale of romance and mystery. The beautiful golden-faced musician known as 'The Queen of Hearts' hides her past and her identity from her mentor, the Magician, and from her lover, Aaron Fisher, while her notorious twin sister Terra remains imprisoned in the Dark Ring of the Underworld, an orbiting prison colony, for mass murder. A rock concert on the Dark Ring provides the means for Terra to escape; the ensuing pursuit forces each character to confront the reality of her vision: not madness but a very real alien form struggling to be born somewhere in the universe. The strong emphasis on music and the rock group that plays it will appeal to YA readers as will the language that amazes and delights at every turn.


Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, Haruki Murakami (1987)

This novel tracks one man's descent into the Kafkaesque underworld of contemporary Tokyo, to unite East and West, tragedy and farce, compassion and detachment, slang and philosophy.


Cordelia’s Honor, Louise McMaster Bujold (1996)

Made an outcast after being forced into an unwanted marriage with her arch enemy, Cordelia Naismith finds further trouble when her husband is made the guardian of the infant heir to the imperial throne.


The Book Thief, Markus Zusak (2006)

It's just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .

Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak's groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can't resist - books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.

This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.

[BookStop]

Hey all - I recommended The Book Thief before I saw that it is only available in HC for around $12 or 8 pounds. I know we are wanting to focus on easier to find/ more affordable books that the last ones, and although it looks like an amazing story, I'd hate to exclude someone because they don't want to spend that much money on a book they don't even know if they'll like. It's supposed to be released on PB in Sept, so maybe I'll re-suggest it if it doesn't make it now. No worries.

Iw as going to vote for Iain M Banks book, but it is out of print. Earth Abides also around $12 - aggg this is hard!

Ok - I finally voted for Cordelia's Honor.

[Lenny]

I would say that City of Dreaming Books is also HB only... but it comes out in PB on March 1st. Saying that, though, it'll still be around £8, methinks.

[pyan]

Can I just point out that Cordelia's Honor is actually a compilation of Shards of Honor, and Barrayar, both previously published as separate volumes.

[BookStop]

Originally Posted by pyanfaruk

Can I just point out that Cordelia's Honor is actually a compilation of Shards of Honor, and Barrayar, both previously published as separate volumes.

Yep _ I knew that, but the seperate books are out of print.

[pyan]

I just wanted to warn people - I bought SoH, and Barrayar a while ago, and when I saw Cordelia's Honor, I thought "Whoopee! A new Miles!" and grabbed it, and rushed to the till - it was only when I was in the queue that I read the back, and was most disappointed!

[BookStop]

oh no - good thing you caught it before you got it home. I do that all the time when books get new cover art. It's frustrating.

[pyan]

Isn't that the whole point of new cover art?

[Culhwch]

Though the Banks is out of print, it's still pretty common, at least in the (chain) bookstores I frequent. Trust me, I wouldn't have suggested it if I couldn't get it, with all the trouble I had trying (unsuccessfully) to get a hold of the January and February titles.

[Teresa Edgerton]

Though the Banks is out of print, it's still pretty common, at least in the (chain) bookstores I frequent.

It's not going to be available around here, though -- unless someone gets lucky at a used or specialty bookstore. And not cheap at amazon when you add in the postage.

The perils of an international book club.

[dwndrgn]

Culhwch - thank you for setting this up!

[Culhwch]

Originally Posted by Teresa Edgerton

It's not going to be available around here, though -- unless someone gets lucky at a used or specialty bookstore. And not cheap at amazon when you add in the postage.

The perils of an international book club.

That's interesting. I thought that it'd be far more readily available in the US than here. There's a first. Australia 1, US 0!

And no probs, DD. I was at a loose end...

[Teresa Edgerton]

Out of print books don't stick around very long in the chains here, Culhwch. (We may get a greater variety than you do, but books can come and go very quickly.) But maybe there's a British or Australian edition that's a lot more recent than 1991.

Edit -- Yes, it looks like Orbit reissued it in 2005.

[Brown Rat]

I voted for Banks, mainly because I've read the other science fiction on the list (except for Murakami, which I nominated but realize that you all probably don't want to read).

I really enjoyed reading Earth Abides, the Bujold novels, and Fool's Run. Just thought I'd vote for something I haven't read.

[jenna]

Definitely Consider Phlebas for me. Looks awesome!