Nominations for DECEMBER Group Read

[Alexa]

What are you really hoping to get read before the end of the year? Do you have an unfinished category in your Group Challenge that you need to fill? Is there something you've been longing to read but still haven't gotten to? For our December group read, let's nominate books that will help us get that sense of completion for the year. So nominate away!

[Alexa]

So, browsing through people's challenge lists, I noticed lots of folks hadn't yet read a non-fiction book on science or philosophy. Reading through my own to-read list, I came across some books that might fit this category (some of them sort of depend on how you define philosophy). Anyway, I'm throwing them out here for consideration:
Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype
A Room of One's Own
A Field Guide to Getting Lost
Black Milk: On Writing, Motherhood, and the Harem Within
Heroines
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America
Do any of these appeal to anyone?

[Alexa]

And then also for your consideration, some books from The Best Science Books List:
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
Silent Spring
Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith and Love
The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York
Woman: An Intimate Geography
Any of these grab anyone?

Or perhaps people have some different categories they would like to focus on?

[Alexa]

Or if none of those books is on your TBR list, what is? December is wide open for whatever folks want to nominate!

[Desiree']

I nominate "The Vagina Monologues" by Eve Ensler, Marilyn French's "The War Against Women" or Starhawk's "Dreaming the Dark: Magic, Sex and Politics" in the name of fighting for women's equal rights and reproductive rights.

[Desiree']

Keeping up with the Campaign 2014 Lady Parts Justice began the campaign V To Shiing V. In the name of Female Reproductive Rights, the Republicans have won both The Senate and The House of Reps. This is bad for us women; our reproductive rights are going to be revoked, and not one Republican voted for equal pay for women. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&r...

[Taylor]

For my own greedy greedy purposes I would like to nominate The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks to fill the science category! The ones you listed also look great, Alexa!

I also mentioned this on the challenge thread, but some memoirs by trans authors that look interesting are She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders, Rethinking Normal: A Memoir in Transition and Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More

[Alexa]

Another great book in the science category would be Delusions of Gender: How Our Minds, Society, and Neurosexism Create Difference.

My own personal greediness leads me to nominate Alif the Unseen. With all these titles being thrown around, does anybody want to second anything?

[Taylor]

Oooooh I second Alif the Unseen!

[Luke]

I second The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, and nominate Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA. I'll also nominate Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness if that qualifies for science.

[Alexa]

Brain on Fire was our monthly memoir selection back in February, but I have to admit I didn't get a chance to read it back then. So I don't know if it qualifies as science either. Does the fact that it was already a group selection disqualify it from being nominated again? Or perhaps since the December theme is "finish up loose ends" it qualifies for this month?

[Desiree']

Yes, "Brain on Fire" does qualify as science. It is her ordeal about dealing with an auto-immune disease; her body turns on itself and begins to eat her brain, by desiccating her brain. The Middle Ages called this "possession;" people inflicted with this auto-immune disease become psychotic. I am conducting research on auto-immune diseases because I have become afflicted with one; as with the authors blood tests showing no abnormalities, as do mine. I second the nomination of "Brain on Fire."

[Taylor]

Brain on Fire was a great book, and I would consider it sciencey for sure. A good idea for anyone still trying to fill the science category!

[Alexa]

This one also looks really interesting: On Immunity: An Inoculation.

[Alexa]

Last call for nominating or seconding anything before the poll goes up! What do YOU want to read for December?

[Desiree']

OOOh. I am adding On Immunity: An Inoculation to-read list. Since Brain on Fire has already been read in this group, I nominate "Vagina Monologues" and "Nickel and Dimed."

[Erin]

I am so excited about all of the books mentioned here! I love science books. Mary Roach is one of my favorite writers!

More Science suggestions, I have been meaning to read The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert and A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines and/or How the Universe Got Its Spots: Diary of a Finite Time in a Finite Space by Janna Levin.

My sister and a few friends are currently reading Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype. I am hoping to read it before the end of the year.

[Alexa]

Oh Erin, drats! I just set up the poll before I saw this! And these are such great suggestions! Can we save them for another month?

[Erin]

No worries! There is already too many good books listed above to choose from!

[Alexa]

Oh good, I'm so glad there's something there you like!

[Alexa]

And the winner is...Alif the Unseen! I'm amused that after throwing out all those great science titles, we went for the fiction - but maybe December just requires something lighter? Still, I'm seriously looking forward to this!