What to Read June 2013 - Open pick has been chosen!

[Daniel]

It's time for everyone to throw out their suggestions for our June 2013 Open Pick read. Everyone is allowed one nomination, but remember that eligible books must be works of fiction published from 2000-2013. As usual, selections that are overly genre or fail to meet the group standards of literary quality will not be permitted in the final poll.

Nominations will wrap up on May 8th and the poll will run for about a week following. Happy nominating!

[Sophia]

'Life After Life'
by Kate Atkinson

[Karen]

How about by Markus Zusak?

[Jane from B.C.]

My suggestion is Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese.

[Julie]

Jane from BC wrote: "My suggestion is Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese.

"

I have heard this is great!

[Matthew]

Atonement

A precocious 13 year old girl narrator than I found much more believable than Ava in Swamplandia. I think it would be a good comparison.

[Terry]

I've for a long time been meaning to read:



Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Johnathan Safran Foer. It has had so much buzz, I am going to have to read it at some point. People have described it as an extremely moving and emotional book.

If you've seen the film, I wouldn't let that bother you either way; many people who love the book seem to hate the film and say that it is an entirely different beast.

[Sophia]

Now this is really good!

[Donna]

Equilateral by Ken Kalfus is newly released and looks very intriguing.

[Terry]

Equilateral looks extremely good.

[Thing Two]

Terry wrote: "I've for a long time been meaning to read:



Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Johnathan Safran Foer. It has had so much buzz, I am going t..."

Well, if you're going to nominate Safran Foer, I'm going to nominate his wife. The History of Love by Nicole Krauss.

[Cordelia]

I am not going to nominate anything. Too many really good books there already.

[Deirdre]

I'd like to suggest Trieste by Dasa Drndic. It may be an interesting read after reading HHhH. Apologies for not including proper ref from Goodreads library, but my tablet is acting up today and not giving me the option.

[Deirdre]

Trieste is described as a work of documentary fiction

[Daniel]

Deirdre wrote: "Apologies for not including proper ref from Goodreads library, but my tablet is acting up today and not giving me the option."

No problem, Deirdre. For everyone else's convenience, here is the reference info:

Trieste by Daša Drndić

[Lily]

Given the high calibre and current relevancy of the books nominated already, I don't expect this to be selected, but I just finished listening to it this morning and found it worthy enough to want to call it to the attention of this group:

The View from Castle Rock by Alice Munro

(The moderators may also disqualify it since The View can be considered a collection of short stories, in this case more closely connected than in some of her other work. But consider it, especially if you haven't read this author yet. I liked particularly a nearly last chapter, which traveled from geology and origins to crypts in an abandoned Ontario cemetery to mammograms to its-a-small-world stories. Munro isn't necessarily likeable, but she uses her pen like a surgical knife.)

[Julie]

Jane from BC wrote: "My suggestion is Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese.

"

Is this book readily available in the US? I can't find it in libraries and even amazon.com only has it for sale by other sellers. (Some for $100...)

[Thing Two]

Julie wrote: "Jane from BC wrote: "My suggestion is Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese.

"

Is this book readily available in the US? I can't find it in libraries and even amazon.c..."

Good observation. The same goes with Trieste

[Daniel]

We'll have to have a moderator huddle over this, but at the very least we can note issues of availability as a flag for potential voters.

[Daniel]

Karen wrote: "How about by Markus Zusak?"

seconded

[Jane from B.C.]

Julie wrote: "Jane from BC wrote: "My suggestion is Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese.

"

Is this book readily available in the US? I can't find it in libraries and even amazon.c..."

Hi Julie,
I checked Amazon.com and it does appear that it is not available directly from them but is available through them from other sellers. The prices seem to range from $20-$54. I did not realize that this was only readily available in Canada.

[Thing Two]

Jane from BC wrote: "Julie wrote: "Jane from BC wrote: "My suggestion is Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese.

"

I did not realize that this was only available in Canada. ..."

And I wonder why, too. But it heightens my interest to read contraband books. ;)

[Thing Two]

Cecily wrote: "Jack Dawkins

I've ordered a paperback of this one, but it comes in e-book as well. It's about the Artful Dodger from Oliver Twist as an adult."

This one is only available on Amazon as an e-book.

[Julie]

Jane from BC wrote: " I did not realize that this was only readily available in Canada...."

I didn't either! I already had it on my to-read shelf because two of my Canadian friends read it. Now I am sad.

[Deirdre]

Indian Horse also added to my to-read list.

[Daniel]

IMPORTANT UPDATES FOLLOW!



That header is just to make sure you read this message if you have nominated books in this thread, because there are quite a few bases to cover in one fell swoop.

First, we will make sure to identify books for which availability is a question mark. If the group would still like to nominate them, at least everyone will have been forewarned.

Second, I initially had reservations about allowing The Book Thief to qualify, since it is widely promoted as Young Adult fiction in my local bookstores. I got roundly voted down by fellow mods who have read the book and can verify that it meets our suggested requirements, so that nomination will stand.

Third, the moderators have made the decision not to include Jack Dawkins in the final poll. I think that deserves an explanation—even if it might be lengthy. We are strong advocates for the championing of unknown writers, but there are some qualifications to that support. A big consideration is that the nominated book should be readily available in paperback or hardcover from a major retailer (Amazon being a safe standard). What's more important to us, though, is that there be strong evidence of literary ambition or excellence on the part of the author. Good examples would be: Short stories published in journals or magazines; podcasts of public readings; or having reviews printed in trade publications. It's an unfortunate reality that the bar is raised a little higher when trying to sell an unknown author, but it's not insurmountable. Explain to us why this is more than just an interesting book. Show us why you think this book absolutely needs to be read. Convince us. And even though we might not have been convinced with Jack Dawkins, please don't let that hold you back from making a substitute nomination.

Fourth, we love short stories. Adore them, even. No worries here about disqualifying The View from Castle Rock. If you take a look at our bookshelf, we've already read a few collections of short stories, and many others have been nominated in previous months.

[Karen]

Thanks for giving The Book Thief a chance.

Personally, I can't stand YA fiction, although I have read enough of it. I really have nothing in common with teenagers and others of the very youthful persuasion, and I don't enjoy books aimed squarely at them.

Still, a good book is a good book, no matter who its target audience is. If To Kill a Mockingbird came out today, would it bear the stink of YA marketing? Probably. But I think we can all agree that it is an important literary work that should not be prejudicially treated because the protagonist is a child.

I've heard a lot of good about Book Thief, so I intend to read it eventually even if this nomination fails. I also intend to read whatever wins in the polling.

I'm just grateful that I found a group like this that cares enough to stick to their stated standards. YAY! And thanks for letting me play. :D

[Deborah]

We're very happy to have you.

[Daniel]

Cecily wrote: "Alright, my reasons for nominating besides just the subject matter appealing to me..."

There are some valid points here, but I think this particular novel is still just too new out of the gate. The author has indicated on their blog that the paperback will be coming to Amazon soon. Perhaps between that and a few more months worth of reviews, this will be better positioned as a good candidate. For now, though, I'm afraid that the wine is just too young.

Did you have another title you would like to nominate in its place?

[Cordelia]

I would like to nominate The Crane Wife by Patrick NessThe Crane Wife

[Daniel]

Anne wrote: "I would like to nominate The Crane Wife by Patrick Ness"

We had a quick moderator huddle over this nomination as well. There appears to be a bit of a disconnect between the publisher's claim that it is literary fiction, and the hordes of youngsters—the residual fan base from Ness's children and YA fiction books—who are classifying it as fantasy or fairy tale.

We're going to give it the benefit of the doubt and permit it to run in the poll, with the added comment (for the sake of precedent) that it's on the fringe of what we would typically allow to stand in this group.

[Daniel]

For the benefit of those following at home, here are the nominations so far:

Atonement by Ian McEwan

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Crane Wife by Patrick Ness

Equilateral by Ken Kalfus

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss

Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

Trieste by Daša Drndić

The View from Castle Rock by Alice Munro

And remember that nominations will be wrapping up tomorrow, so be sure to get yours in today if you want to avoid the disappointment of missing the cut-off!

[[deleted user]]

How about


I've heard many good things about it... is it "literary" enough?

[Daniel]

Laura wrote: "How about
The Last Girlfriend on Earth: And Other Love Stories

I've heard many good things about it... is it "literary" enough?"

This one looks like a pretty fun read, and I can totally see myself reading it outside of this group (my thanks for pointing it out!). Unfortunately, this falls squarely in the "humour" genre so we won't be including it in the final poll. If you have a substitute nomination, you might just be able to squeak it by...

[Cordelia]

Daniel wrote: "Anne wrote: "I would like to nominate The Crane Wife by Patrick Ness"

We had a quick moderator huddle over this nomination as well. There appears to be a bit of a disconnect between the publisher'..."

This book is not aimed at YA market - it really is a book for grown ups. I have read some good reviews from some good newspapers - Guardian, Independent etc.

[Lacewing]

I have no additional nomination for this month, but I'd like to second the nominations for The History of Love and Atonement.

The History of Love has one of my favorite passages, about pinhole cameras. I love the voices and the characters, quirky yet deeply understood.

Atonement is perfectly titled. This is a redemptive work. I find I want more stories like this.

[Deborah]

Poll goes up tonight. Nominations are closed.
Stay tuned.

[Daniel]

The original poll resulted in a tie, so we will be having a very short run-off to determine which of The History of Love and Life After Life will be chosen as our winner. I don't necessarily trust the Goodreads broadcast feature to inform everyone on time, so consider this post a backup to the original message that was sent out.

If you haven't voted yet, be sure to place your vote today. The poll closes at midnight, so time is of the essence.

[Terry]

And so, by a narrow margin (3 votes), we have a winner:

The History of Love

by Nicole Krauss.

Thanks to everyone who voted. Reading will start on June 1st -- I look forward to seeing you on the thread.