June 2011 - Group Read - Winner - Water for Elephants

[Andy]

Opening Nominations thread for June 2011 - looks like previous version was deleted/lost
please add your nominations
Nominations close: 20th May
Voting close: 25th May
bit compressed, but should allow time to get your hands on the winning book

[[deleted user]]

Hi Andy

You can go ahead and delete my June Nominations thread now you have started this.

My nom is
Spitting on a Soldier's Grave: Court Martialed After Death, the Story of the Forgotten Irish and British Soldiers

[Paul]

The History of Love cos it's awesome I promise

[s e n t i m e n t a l i t i e s]

LOL.

[s e n t i m e n t a l i t i e s]

I would actually go and demonstrate how awsum it is, but Keith shit all over the 4 pages I typed up last time, and then they got deleted, and then there was a spat, so i'm going to refrain from my awsumly huge posts, and say G'WAN HISTORY OF LOVE. even though i've read it a million times and honestly would be more interested in reading sam's book. not water for elephants though. because it's in my to read list. and i'm kinda looking at the tv ads going oh god no ...

[s e n t i m e n t a l i t i e s]

Oh noes. I reminded you. D: crap ..

[s e n t i m e n t a l i t i e s]

Vicki you won last months book read w/a terrible book you hadn't read and aren't even enjoying!! Surely you should take a break just for this one straight after. >_>

[Joanna]

So how does that work exactly? Can anyone nominate whatever they'd like? Does it have to be Irish/Irish interest? Any guidlines?

[s e n t i m e n t a l i t i e s]

Anyone nominates any 1 book per read. Any book you like. Then after the nomination finish date we all vote and read the winner.

Irish Quarterly Read nominations must be something Irishy. I think it's Irish authors. Not sure. But this can be Irish but doesn't have to be. So yeah. (:

[Joanna]

Thanks! :)

OK, i won't endear myself with this probably but I'm being emotionally blackmailed into reading this book (mind you it's meant to be good and looks ok but I seem to have developed a mental block about actually reading it), so on an off-chance someone else would be interested and I might have some company in overcoming the aforementioned block:

The Black Prince

[Joanna]

Ok, I don't think I really even tried to sell the book to anyone. :) I think it would be a cool book to read in a group seeing as it's meant to be reasonably complex, give enough material to actually discuss stuff and compare ideas about it, not mentioning that if all else fails we can all bitch about over-intellectual, snooty philosophy types ;)

[s e n t i m e n t a l i t i e s]

Definitely doesn't look bad but i'm backing Paul's nomnom for History of Love since I actually was going to nomnom it first. But then he read it and only gave it 3 stars. So now i'm raging and want everyone to read it and shove hundreds of 5 stars down his throat. '-'

[Joanna]

Fair enough but I'm afraid you've no support from me here. ;)
If not my book, then I'll be backing Sam's (from the ones mentioned so far). I'm Polish, WW2 books trump pretty much all else ;) And since I'm way more informed of what's been happening on the East side of things it does look like an interesting read to me.

[s e n t i m e n t a l i t i e s]

Ah yeah i totes said above sam.s book looks cool too! :p haha hopefully winwin sure

[Paul]

I'm liking the sound of The Black Prince. *Adds The Black Prince to shopping list.

[Joanna]

@Paul - Right? I'm pretty certain I'll enjoy it once I actually get around to reading it. I think it's just my contrary nature acting up; when someone tries to force me to read something all I want to do it stamp my feet and go into 'NO!NO!NO!NO!NO! I WON'T!' tantrum ;)

[Paul]

Lol kind of like when a parent tells a kid not to touch the stove, and the kid goes ahead and touches it? So if people want you to read something they need to say you'll hate it? :p

[Joanna]

Yeah... Pretty much. I'm not saying I'm proud of it but that's how it goes :P
If someone really wants to make me read something the best thing to say would probably be 'I'm not sure you'd get this. It's quite difficult. Not sure you'd be up to it, don't know if your English is good enough' etc. Then my blood boils and I'll sit and read till I drop. A friend once played a nasty trick on me goading me that way to read 'Middlemarch' just to see if I'd suffer through it just to spite him. Like an idiot I did. :P

[Keith]

olittlebear wrote: "I would actually go and demonstrate how awsum it is, but Keith shit all over the 4 pages I typed up last time"

All I said was "Meh!"???

[s e n t i m e n t a l i t i e s]

It deserved at least an 'omg that sounds absolutely epic, i'm totally voting for that!' though. D:

[Keith]

olittlebear wrote: "It deserved at least an 'omg that sounds absolutely epic, i'm totally voting for that!' though. D:"

meh

[Keith]

So I'm going for a classic that I've never read this month:

Lord of the Flies

[s e n t i m e n t a l i t i e s]

:(

BOO KEITH'S BOOK. NOONE WANTS TO READ ABOUT A FAT KID GETTING SMUSHED BY A ROCK.

[Keith]

A fat kid gets smashed by a rock? SPOILER?? Oooh i'm gonna get my mod on Sophie!!!

[Paul]

LOOOL you saw that review as well OLB? Most awesome review ever.

[s e n t i m e n t a l i t i e s]

I said SMUSHED. not SMASHED. and it's like how everyone knows the book if you don't know the title!

I did. It was. :D it was also the only thing i remember liking about the entire book when i read it in secondary school. :/

[Paul]

Sooo, when's the poll opening for this??
(Just in case you've forgotten like...... nevermind if you're too busy again or whatever. :))

[Andy]

Poll Open
not sure if people are getting the group mails, maybe sender not copied.

[s e n t i m e n t a l i t i e s]

Maybe, i never got the message.

Good to know voting's started anyway. ^_^

[Paul]

No, I didn't get the message either. It needs to be sent again for all the members under rocks.

[Andy]

ok - 3rd "broadcast to all members" sent - anyone receive?, not in my inbox.

[s e n t i m e n t a l i t i e s]

nope, still not. lol.

we'll log on tomorrow and there'll be a whole load of the same message waiting for us. :p

[Keith]

I've sent an invite myself now too. Let me know if you guys get it.

[s e n t i m e n t a l i t i e s]

not yet!

[Andy]

Keith - just got one from you - but to my registered email address rather than my Goodreads inbox...

[[deleted user]]

It looks like it's a tie break. I'm happy to read both books, or let one of the mods pick the winner.

[s e n t i m e n t a l i t i e s]

I'd suggest a new poll just for like 24hrs or w/e so people can vote between the two books!

That way the people who picked something else get to choose too. (:

[Paul]

http://www.google.ie/url?sa=t&sou...

[Paul]

olittlebear wrote: "I'd suggest a new poll just for like 24hrs or w/e so people can vote between the two books!

That way the people who picked something else get to choose too. (:"

Or this, yes. Much fairer to allow the people who have picked the other books pick again between the two that are tied. That could take forever on this forum though, best allow one day for it or something.

[Paul]

Sophie, you're such a visionary.

[Andy]

I held off on voting - just in case there was a tie
Unless there are any objections - I'll cast the tie breaking vote tomorrow...the tension...
if you want to make the case for either book please do so in this thread and I'll accept those bribes review before making a decision.
if there are any objections, let me know your alternative method to choose

[[deleted user]]

Andy - As mod I'm happy for you to make the casting vote.

[s e n t i m e n t a l i t i e s]

Andy wrote: "I held off on voting - just in case there was a tie
Unless there are any objections - I'll cast the tie breaking vote tomorrow...the tension...
if you want to make the case for either book please d..."

alright. i suppose if you're waiting till tomorrow we can always just try to put forward our votes here with you. the case i'm throwing forth's on behalf of water for elephants since i didn't vote for either of the books. I found it easier to get a hold of!

[Paul]

Somehow, I don't think it's worth me complaining that I find that option unfair. But, hey go ahead. OMG I can't wait.

[Dem]

Yep! Go ahead with that Andy. Fine by me.

[Andy]

Paul - think this is the fairest method - if we can agree that one member each month would not vote unless in event of tie. let us know if you want to propose an alternative for future months
I have selected Water for Elephants because it may be the easier book for people to source at short notice.

[s e n t i m e n t a l i t i e s]

Yayayayay. (:

That was totally my logic too! ^_^

[s e n t i m e n t a l i t i e s]

For future months i'd put forth the idea of having a 24hr poll as tie-breaker. i mean if everyone voted while the poll was open it might not end up tying anyway? but that's just a suggestion. (:

delighted i don't need to search for ages for another monthly read. x_x ahhh.

[[deleted user]]

Ordered my copy the other day from the Book Depository, I had a feeling it would win.

If any of you are going to use the Book Depository if you put MAY11 in the voucher code you get a 10% discount.

With the discount the book is €4.13, which is a lot cheaper than the shops I've seen it in.

[Paul]

Andy wrote: "Paul - think this is the fairest method - if we can agree that one member each month would not vote unless in event of tie. let us know if you want to propose an alternative for future months
I hav..."

I thought (as Sophie suggested) leaving the poll open for another 24hrs (since you weren't picking a book immediately anyway) and allowing people who voted for the other nominations to change their vote, would have been a better choice.
I can only imagine what would happen if I picked between the tied nominations and decided for everyone.

But, its done now dude, so it's fine. Can't pretend I'm happy with Water for Efelants though, I mean wtf were you thinking? :p