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Pick a book for December

Poll closed Nov 1, 2008.
  1. The Witches of Eastwick by John Updike

    3 vote(s)
    21.4%
  2. Rats Saw God by Rob Thomas

    2 vote(s)
    14.3%
  3. Lamb by Christopher Moore

    1 vote(s)
    7.1%
  4. Seven Ancient Wonders by Matthew Reilly

    1 vote(s)
    7.1%
  5. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

    7 vote(s)
    50.0%
  1. The Freshmaker

    The Freshmaker <insert obscure pop culture reference> Contributor

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    Book of the Month: December Voting

    Discussion in 'Discussion of Published Works' started by The Freshmaker, Oct 20, 2008.

    Pick the book you would most like to read and discuss for the month of December.

    The Witches of Eastwick by John Updike
    In a small New England town in the late 1960s, there lived three witches. Alexandra Spoffard, a sculptress, could create thunderstorms. Jane Smart, a cellist, could fly. The local gossip columnist, Sukie Rougemont could turn milk into cream. Divorced but hardly celibate, content but always ripe for adventure, our three wonderful witches one day found themselves quite under the spell of the new man in town, Darryl Van Horne, whose hot tub was the scene of some rather bewitching delights. To tell you any more, dear reader, would be to spoil the marvelous joy of reading this hexy, sexy novel by the incomparable John Updike.

    Rats Saw God, by Rob Thomas
    In order to pass English class and graduate, 18-year-old Steve York has to write a 100- page essay about his life. What sounds like a run-of-the-mill writing assignment, however, becomes an excuse for Steve to reflect on the last four years (from Texas freshman to California senior), and figure out where it all went wrong. Maybe it was when he discovered that he really couldn't relate to his father, the Famous Astronaut. Or it could be because his "heart had been run through frappé, puree, and liquefy on a love blender" by his ex-girlfriend, Wanda "Dub" Varner. No matter where the finger of blame ends up pointing, it's a wild ride of self-enlightenment as Steve discovers that not all relationships are permanent, and that some--like the one with his dad--can be mended with a little work. With Steve, author Rob Thomas has taken a teenage outsider and given him a funny, intelligent voice: "There are those males who merely fill ear holes with tiny studs hardly big enough to offend a Marine. Not me. Most days I wear big hoops. When I combine the look with a doo rag, I'm a regular pirate." As with his other novels--Doing Time and Slave Day--Thomas proves his thorough grasp of young adult issues and emotions. Teens will appreciate the author's empathy and humor, and teachers and parents will examine his work for clues to the mystery of adolescence.

    Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore
    The birth of Jesus has been well chronicled, as have his glorious teachings, acts, and divine sacrifice after his thirtieth birthday. But no one knows about the early life of the Son of God, the missing years—except Biff, the Messiah’s best bud, who has been resurrected to tell the story in this divinely hilarious yet heartfelt work “reminiscent of Vonnegut and Douglas Adams” (Philadelphia Inquirer). Verily, the story Biff has to tell is a miraculous one, filled with remarkable journeys, magic, healing, kung fu, corpse reanimations, demons, and hot babes. Even the considerable wiles and devotion of the Savior’s pal may not be enough to divert Joshua from his tragic destiny. But there’s no one who loves Josh more—except maybe “Maggie” Mary of Magdala—and Biff isn’t about to let his extraordinary pal suffer and ascend without a fight.

    Seven Ancient Wonders by Matthew Reilly (U.S. -- Seven Deadly Wonders)
    In ancient times, a Golden Capstone was placed atop the Great Pyramid at Giza during a rare solar event called the Tartarus Rotation. Once ever 4500 years, a superhot sunspot—the Tartarus Sunspot—aligned itself with Earth and caused immense worldwide flooding and sun-scorching. It is said that when the Capstone sat atop the Great Pyramid, no such flooding or solar damage occurred. And, according to legend, whosoever places the Capstone on the pyramid at the next Tartarus Rotation will gain absolute power over Earth for the next 1000 years. In 2006, the Tartarus Rotation will come again, but the Capstone is nowhere to be found. With the fate of global dominance hanging in the balance, nearly every world power sends forth its troops to locate the Capstone. Among them are the United States, the European Union, Israel, ruthless terrorists, and one other unusual force: a coalition of seven smaller nations that have decided that the Capstone is too powerfull for any one country to hold. So they band together against all odds and send an eight-man team to take on all the great forces in the chase. Led by an Australian super-soldier named Jack West Jr., the team includes a Canadian professor, two crack Irish commandos (one of whom is female), a Spanish paratrooper, a Jamaican soldier, an Arab commando, and a daredevil New Zealand pilot. And with them always is a little girl named Lily, the ten-year-old daughter of the Oracle of Siwa—one of the only two people in the world who can decode an ancient text that leads to the Capstone. This stalwart group embarks on a global journey filled with booby-trapped mines, stupendous ancient wonders, gigantic evil forces, and adventure beyond imagination. From the Colossus of Rhodes to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, from the Lighthouse at Alexandria to the Great Pyramid itself, fasten your seatbelts and hang on as the author of Ice Station and Scarecrow takes you on the adventure of your life!

    Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
    Once again, the Earth is under attack. Alien "buggers" are poised for the final assault. The survival of the human species depends on a military genius who can defeat the buggers. But who? Ender Wiggin. Brilliant. Ruthless. Cunning. A tactical strategic master. And a child. Recruited for military training by the world government, Ender's childhood ends the moment he enters his new home: Battleschool. Among the elite recruits Ender proves himself to be a genius among geniuses. In simulated war games he excels. But is the pressure and loneliness taking a toll on Ender? Simulations are one thing. How will Ender perform in real combat conditions? After all, Battleschool is just a game. Right?
     
  2. The Freshmaker

    The Freshmaker <insert obscure pop culture reference> Contributor

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    One week left, kids. Make with the voting!
     
  3. laurelin

    laurelin New Member

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    I'm sorry, but I can't honestly say that it's fair to put up a poll with only one really famous option on the list as quite -obviously- Ender's Game is going to be picked by most people. To make it fair, either all the options on the list should be either equally famous or equally unknown, that is to a certain degree.
     
  4. BatCountry

    BatCountry New Member

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    I have to agree with Laurelin
    I've only read the book Ender's game from that list
     
  5. The Freshmaker

    The Freshmaker <insert obscure pop culture reference> Contributor

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    That's why the descriptions are there, so that you can vote based on which book sounds best to you, not which one(s) you've heard of or not. Part of the point of this is to get people reading stuff they've never read (incidentally, I myself have never read Ender's Game, and didn't know what it was about).

    These books were picked based on what was suggested in the suggestions thread. If you have a problem with what is being voted on, then make some suggestions that are more to your liking.

    Furthermore, The Witches of Eastwick is a very well-known book and movie.
     
  6. Rei

    Rei Contributor Contributor

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    It would be impossible to pick a list of books that are either all not well-known by the group or books that are all well-known. We all have different knowledge of books. Shortly before the movie came out, there were people who still had never heard of The Lord of the Rings, and that was one of the most famous books in the English Language. It's better to have people suggest books and then do a poll, because we know that at least one person will be interested.
     
  7. thirdwind

    thirdwind Member Contest Administrator Reviewer Contributor

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    Witches of Eastwick gets my vote. John Updike is said to be a really good author. And people should ideally be voting for books they haven't read and that sound interesting. Hopefully if you have read Ender's Game, you won't be voting for it.
     
  8. lordofhats

    lordofhats New Member

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    Or I want to read it again :p. I kid I kid. Frankly none of the other books listed interest me. I agree with a previous poster who commented on how the novels presented seem to be unbalanced. I think many would vote for Ender's Game whether they read it or not just because the other options are a wee-bit obscure in comparison.
     
  9. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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    I did vote for Ender's game this time, but Witches of Eastwick is still a very tempting choice (which is why I suggested it in the first place). I think the Book or the Month needs a good opening momentum, though, before we stray from teh choices with the broadest general appeal.
     
  10. righting

    righting Banned

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    The Witches of Eastwick by John Updike
     
  11. The Freshmaker

    The Freshmaker <insert obscure pop culture reference> Contributor

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    One more day. Get your votes in.
     

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