# Reading > Forum Book Club >  Summer Reading 2008 Poll

## Scheherazade

* Please nominate the books you would like to read during the summer of 2008 here 

by 

May 24th! 

Theme of this year is "sea".

Only the first ten books nominated will be included in the poll!

(As always one nomination per member, please!)

The aim of the Book Club is to read and discuss new books together with other members.

Please try to avoid nominating the books you will not read/discuss yourself.

Thank you! 

Some information on the books:

Ship of Fools by Katherine Anne Porter

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

The Sea by John Banville

Every Man for Himself by Beryl Bainbridge

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini 

The Cruel Sea by Nicholas Monsarrat

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

English Passengers by Matthew Kneale

Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad

The poll will be closed on June 20th. 


Book Club Regulations*

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## Virgil

I nominate _Atonement_ by Ian McEwan.

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## Virgil

> I nominate _Atonement_ by Ian McEwan.


Ooops I didn't notice the line about this year's theme being about the sea. Sorry I will have to retract my nomination. I'll think of another later.

But wasn't last year's summer theme about the sea as well?

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## Nossa

Last year's theme was the Beach:

http://www.online-literature.com/for...ad.php?t=25340

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## Virgil

> Last year's theme was the Beach:
> 
> http://www.online-literature.com/for...ad.php?t=25340


Oh thanks Nossa. Sea, beach what's the dfference?  :FRlol:  Hey how about next year's theme being sharks.  :FRlol:  There must be a book out there where someone gets bitten by a shark.  :Biggrin:  Was Jaws based on a book?  :Tongue:

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## Nossa

> Oh thanks Nossa. Sea, beach what's the dfference?  Hey how about next year's theme being sharks.  There must be a book out there where someone gets bitten by a shark.  Was Jaws based on a book?


 :FRlol:  I like sea turtles  :Tongue: 
But yeah, I can't find a difference either...maybe one of the mods can clear this up.

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## Virgil

I'm not sure if this qualifies as a novel with a theme of the sea, but it has "sea" in its title. How about Jean Rhys' _The Wide Sargasso Sea_? You can read about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wide_Sargasso_Sea. I have wanted to read this for the longest time. It's actually a prequel to Charlotte Bronte's _Jane Eyre_. Here's what Wiki says:



> Wide Sargasso Sea is a 1966 postcolonial parallel novel by Dominica-born author Jean Rhys. After many years of living in obscurity since her last work, Good Morning, Midnight, was published in 1939, Wide Sargasso Sea put Rhys into the limelight once more and became her most successful novel.
> 
> The novel acts as a prequel to Charlotte Brontë's famous 1847 novel Jane Eyre. It is the story of the first Mrs. Rochester, Antoinette (Bertha) Mason, a white Creole heiress, from the time of her youth in the Caribbean to her unhappy marriage and relocation to England. Caught in an oppressive patriarchal society in which she belongs neither to the white Europeans nor the black Jamaicans, Rhys' novel re-imagines Brontë's devilish madwoman in the attic. As with many postcolonial works, the novel deals largely with the themes of racial inequality and the harshness of displacement and assimilation.


Sounds very feminist and left wing, so that should make some of you happy.  :Tongue:  Who says i don't read literature I don't agree with?  :Biggrin:  

Only thing is that I don't know if it has the sea as a theme.

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## DapperDrake

Sounds good, not sure I've read anything with a "sea" theme though, so I'll sit out nominating.
Look forward to seeing what people come up with.

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## THX-1138

> Oh thanks Nossa. Sea, beach what's the dfference?  Hey how about next year's theme being sharks.  There must be a book out there where someone gets bitten by a shark.  Was Jaws based on a book?


lool
I agree with you similer themes , i can't think of a book other than (Kafka on the shore) other than that i have no idea , i was hoping the theme would be the wilderness then i would nominate (the call of the wild ) I really wanted to read this book after I saw the movie (Into the wild) .back to the topic would someone recommend several books so that we could pick one the problem that i can't think of a book other than the ones of the last summer reading.

.....

Kafka on the shore

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## papayahed

Seriously? Off the top of my head: Old Man and the Sea, 20,000 leagues under the sea, master and commander.

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## Nossa

> Seriously? Off the top of my head: Old Man and the Sea, 20,000 leagues under the sea, master and commander.


lol...I actually thought of Heart of Darkness, but I was afraid to say, lest someone takes it seriously and actually nominates it  :FRlol:  I hate that novel..lol so I'm gonna wait to see the rest of the nominations.

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## Quark

I would think Melville and Conrad would be the obvious choices. How strictly are we going to adhere to the theme, though? Can it be a story that has just some parts at sea (like Shapepeare's _The Tempest_ or Vonnegut's _Galapagos_)?

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## Nossa

I didn't know we even get to read Shakespeare in the bookclub!

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## _Shannon_

What about ..............oohhh---should I nominate Stevenson or Kipling...._Kinapped!_ or _Captains Courageous_.....ugh I'll sleep on it and post in the am.

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## Chesterfield

Can someone nominate Captains' Courageous by Kipling?

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## thelastmelon

I'd like to nominate _Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea_ by Jules Verne.

And the Summer Reading, is that from June to August or for how long would we read the summer book?

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## Niamh

> I'm not sure if this qualifies as a novel with a theme of the sea, but it has "sea" in its title. How about Jean Rhys' _The Wide Sargasso Sea_? You can read about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wide_Sargasso_Sea. I have wanted to read this for the longest time. It's actually a prequel to Charlotte Bronte's _Jane Eyre_. Here's what Wiki says:
> 
> Sounds very feminist and left wing, so that should make some of you happy.  Who says i don't read literature I don't agree with?  
> 
> Only thing is that I don't know if it has the sea as a theme.


I only bought that the other day with the intent on reading it! :Biggrin:  Sweet!

I'd like to nominate _The Sea_ by John Banville.

Was going to nominate _Mutiny on the Bounty_ By John Boyne but seeing as its literally just out in Ireland, that doesnt nessesarily mean its out everywhere else, and its a HUGE trade paperback. (and not to mention pricey!)

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## bouquin

I would like to nominate Beryl Bainbridge's *Every Man for Himself*. 

This book was the winner of the 1996 Whitbread Novel Award and was shortlisted for The Booker Prize. 

The story takes place on the Atlantic Ocean actually, on board the _Titanic_. I have not read it yet so I don't know if it's got Leonardo in it!  :Biggrin:  

Here's what is written on the backcover:
_For the four fraught, mysterious days of her doomed maiden voyage in 1912, the Titanic sails towards New York, glittering with luxury, freighted with millionaires and hopefuls. In her labyrinthine passageways are played out the last, secret hours of a small group of passengers, their fate sealed in prose of startling, sublime beauty, as Beryl Bainbridge's haunting masterpiece moves inexorably to its known and terrible end._

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## Nossa

> lool
> I agree with you similer themes , i can't think of a book other than (Kafka on the shore) other than that i have no idea , i was hoping the theme would be the wilderness then i would nominate (the call of the wild ) I really wanted to read this book after I saw the movie (Into the wild) .back to the topic would someone recommend several books so that we could pick one the problem that i can't think of a book other than the ones of the last summer reading.
> 
> .....
> 
> Kafka on the shore


If this one fits to the theme, then I second this nomination. I have the book already, and it sounds interesting.

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## Virgil

> I'd like to nominate _Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea_ by Jules Verne.
> 
> And the Summer Reading, is that from June to August or for how long would we read the summer book?


Not sure when it begins, either June or Juy (perhaps Scher can answer) but it definitely lasts through August.

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## _Shannon_

> Can someone nominate Captains' Courageous by Kipling?


I'll take this as a sign (or an excuse) to end my indecisiveness and nominate Captains Courageous  :Smile:

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## DapperDrake

Would Robinson Crusoe count? It starts at sea at least.

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## papayahed

I nominate Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini

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## Scheherazade

Clarification: The books should either take place in the sea or the sea should play an important role in the development of the storyline.

In light of this, the nominations so far:

1. Captains' Courageous by Kipling

2. _Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea_ by Jules Verne

3. _The Sea_ by John Banville

4. _Every Man for Himself_ 

5. _Robinson Crusoe_

6. _Captain Blood_ by Rafael Sabatini 


> And the Summer Reading, is that from June to August or for how long would we read the summer book?


We will have about 3 months to read the book, starting from mid-June.

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## SnipSnap

I would like to nominate Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad.

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## _Shannon_

Snip- you have to have 50 posts before you can nominate. If you go over to the games section of the bosrd you can rack up posts pretty quickly  :Smile:

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## Stewart

Here's a suggestion: _Down To A Soundless Sea_ by Thomas Steinbeck. It's a small collection and the first published work of the man, son of the Nobel laureate, John Steinbeck.

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## Scheherazade

I would like to nominate _The Cruel Sea_  by Nicholas Monsarrat.

So, the nominations are:

*1. Captains' Courageous by Kipling

2. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

3. The Sea by John Banville

4. Every Man for Himself by Beryl Bainbridge

5. Robinson Crusoe

6. Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini 

7. The Cruel Sea  by Nicholas Monsarrat*

Could someone nominate _The Sea, The Sea_ by Iris Murdoch and/or The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, please?  :Biggrin:

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## sofia82

> How about Jean Rhys' _The Wide Sargasso Sea_?


This is a good option although I even don't know if it is about sea or not :Wink:  . I look for a time to read this book.  :Biggrin:  If this will be the book, i will be very glad that I will read this novel finally  :Biggrin: 

I nominate Herman Melville's Billy Bud. And any suggestion about other works by Melville or Conrad as they are the prominent sea novel writers.

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## Il Penseroso

I'd be down with Moby Dick. I was planning on reading it later in the summer anyway.

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## motherhubbard

> I nominate Herman Melville's Billy Bud. And any suggestion about other works by Melville or Conrad as they are the prominent sea novel writers.


My fest friend was just telling me about this and I've been excited about reading it.  :Thumbs Up:  Is it too short for the summer read?

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## grace86

I would like to nominate the Count of Monte Cristo  :Wink:  

It's been on my summer reading list for like three summers now!

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## Nightshade

ha I was going to nominate Monte Cristo myself, ( great minds  :Tongue: )... although come to thin of it I didnt really like the 3 musketeers when I read that , maybe I should reread it ...  :Biggrin:  

how about _English Passengers by Matthew Kneale_
?
EDIT: humm I think Ive missed the cut

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## JBI

How about some Joseph Conrad, Lord Jim perhaps? Either way, The Count of Monte Cristo is far too long to read (it is 1600 pages, give or take, many of which are mediocre in my opinion). I am skeptical about the other works because of availability, but if we could grab a little lesser known work perhaps, that is available on-line in the event we cannot find it, I think that would be better.

Billy Bud and Moby Dick are great books, I fail to give my support because I fear too many have already read those books, and we have already elected too many books that people have previously read.

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## sofia82

It is better the novels not be too long and also can be found on the net at least. What about deciding between Conrad and Melville, then the novle  :Wink:

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## Scheherazade

> I nominate Herman Melville's Billy Bud. And any suggestion about other works by Melville or Conrad as they are the prominent sea novel writers.


Thank you for your nomination but you need to have at least 50 posts to be able to nominate.


> I would like to nominate the Count of Monte Cristo


Thank you!  :Biggrin: 

Considering that we have about three months to read the summer reading, no book will be too long, I think.

Nominations:

*1. Captains' Courageous by Kipling

2. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

3. The Sea by John Banville

4. Every Man for Himself by Beryl Bainbridge

5. Robinson Crusoe

6. Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini 

7. The Cruel Sea  by Nicholas Monsarrat

8. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

9. English Passengers by Matthew Kneale*



*JBI>* Are you nominating _Lord Jim_?

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## Nightshade

> 5. _Robinson Crusoe_


What no author is this book special ?  :Tongue:  

I got to say I like this list... so many available online, or I already own I should be able to join in, 
Im ot sure if Ive read the full version of Crusoe or if it was an abridged version ( probbaly) and I read abridged versions of 20 leagues, monte cristo and captain Courageous back in the Tweeny years-got to say I hated verne at the time, maybe readin the original might be an improvment.

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## sofia82

> Thank you for your nomination but you need to have at least 50 posts to be able to nominate.


Please someone with more than 50 posts nominates Billy Budd on behalf of me :d

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## JBI

Yeah, I'll nominate Lord Jim, but I doubt it will win. Probably the Count will win, which is a shame, since I bet most people read some 600 page edited version. Also, Daniel Defoe wrote Robinson Crusoe (if you didn't know that. You seem to have the names of all the other authors there).

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## _Shannon_

LOL! It would be cool to have a trio of the shorter books as summer reading... some combination of Billy Bud, Captain's Corageous, Lord Jim and 20,00 Leagues.  :Smile: 

I keep going back and forth with Kipling and now Patrick O'Brian. Those books have been recommended to me so much- but I just never think to myself , "I know what I want to read! Master and Commander..." I still never made it through the first Hornblower--despite loving it while I was reading it. :Frown:

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## Scheherazade

> What no author is this book special ?





> Daniel Defoe wrote Robinson Crusoe (if you didn't know that. You seem to have the names of all the other authors there).


Daniel Defoe??? Well, knock me down with a feather!

Thought Robinson Crusoe himself wrote that book... You know after being stranded on that deserted island and then getting saved or something... A la Henri Charriere (of _Papillon_)...

 :Wink: 

Seems like we have finally got the 10 nominations we need:

*1. Captains' Courageous by Kipling

2. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

3. The Sea by John Banville

4. Every Man for Himself by Beryl Bainbridge

5. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

6. Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini 

7. The Cruel Sea by Nicholas Monsarrat

8. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

9. English Passengers by Matthew Kneale

10. Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad*

Thanks you all for your contribution and nominations. 

The voting will start on May 24th. Meanwhile, if you change your mind, please let us know asap!  :Smile:

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## Il Penseroso

Um, did my nomination for Moby Dick get skipped? I know it wasn't entirely clear, but I thought I got my point across. Anyhow, if it did get skipped that is fine because I will probably vote for the Lord Jim anyway, depending on how long it is.

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## Scheherazade

> Um, did my nomination for Moby Dick get skipped? I know it wasn't entirely clear, but I thought I got my point across. Anyhow, if it did get skipped that is fine because I will probably vote for the Lord Jim anyway, depending on how long it is.


Il Penseroso,

I am sorry that your nomination has not been listed (I thought you were taking part in the discussion; did not realise that you were actually nominating the book).

Since this is a oversight on my side, we will add _Moby Dick_ to the list as well and have 11 books in the poll just this once.

*1. Captains' Courageous by Kipling

2. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

3. The Sea by John Banville

4. Every Man for Himself by Beryl Bainbridge

5. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

6. Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini 

7. The Cruel Sea by Nicholas Monsarrat

8. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

9. English Passengers by Matthew Kneale

10. Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad

11. Moby Dick by Melville*

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## _Shannon_

Didn't Nossa nominate _Wide Sargasso Sea_  :Confused:

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## Scheherazade

I don't think that is actually about the sea.

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## _Shannon_

Ahhhh....I see (LOL! tht's punny!)

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## Scheherazade

> Ahhhh....I see (LOL! tht's punny!)


 :Biggrin: 


__________________

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## Virgil

Lord Jim is a great novel, but I've already read it twice. I may finally read Robinson Crusoe. Or I would like to.

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## sofia82

Although i can not nominate any novel  :Biggrin:  but i suggest J. M. Coetzee's Foe which is based on Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusie. You can think about this, too.  :Wink:

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## _Shannon_

Alright-- I think I'm gonna change mine--because Kipling is too short for a summer read. But should I change it to _A General History of the Pyrates_ by Daniel Defoe http://www.amazon.com/General-Histor...1117828&sr=8-1 

-OR-
_Two Years Before The Mast_ by Richard Henry Dana, Jr. (which was a great influence of Melville)

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Two...1527592/?itm=1

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## Nightshade

Ha ha it looks like Ill definatly be reading along this year, Ive been sorting through my books and discovered I own alot Id fogotten about or these books are available online  :Banana:  - 




> *1. Captains' Courageous by Kipling- available online at the litnet
> 
> 2. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne- available online at the litnet altough really Id preffer not to read this as I found my childrens version increadibly mind numbing and wth the notable exception of 80 days Ive hated all his books, soimething about the writing style .,
> 
> 3. The Sea by John Banville-not online and I dont own a copy...boo hiss
> 
> 4. Every Man for Himself by Beryl Bainbridge-- ditto
> 
> 5. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe - available online at the litnet
> ...


turns out I own a copy of billy bud I might take that with me to entertain me on the flight to prague :Biggrin: 
See what I mean there is a 60% chance Ill be able to participate... :Biggrin:   :FRlol: 
(Just as long as noone votes for the ones in red  :Tongue: )

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## Virgil

> *Virgil*, you would love Banville's _The Sea_. Just ask *Niamh*!


OK, that's a possibility.

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## Niamh

> I would have loved to discuss Alessandro Barricco's _Ocean Sea_ because I don't understand the ending. LOL And it's so poetic. But I didn't get here in time. Too much like a tortoise with this thread. 
> 
> I can tell you, I'm with *Niamh*. My vote's going to John Banville's _The Sea_, though I've heard _English Passengers_ is very good.





> _Lord Jim_ and _Captain Blood_ also sound interesting to me, but right now, my vote's still with _The Sea_.





> *Virgil*, you would love Banville's _The Sea_. Just ask *Niamh*!


Oooohhhhh!!!!! you would make a great campaigner!
Nightie, I could always send you a copy as an early B-day present if its selected. Remember i work in a book shop.

I had been considering changing my nomination to The Star of the Sea by Joseph O' Connor (based on famine ships from Ireland) but Now i'm not too sure. Might stick with The Sea. :Biggrin:  Although if people voice that they'd rather Star of the sea than The Sea i'd change my nomination. Either way they are two books i really want to read. :Biggrin:  
I mean there is sooooo many classics on that list. :Tongue:  Something modern might make a nice change.

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## Virgil

> Oooohhhhh!!!!! you would make a great campaigner!


She certainly does. She's almost convinced me.  :Wink:

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## Il Penseroso

Thanks Scher.

I doubt Moby Dick will win, for the reason someone mentioned that many people have already read it, but it's at least worth a try. Maybe I'll get lucky and the bunch participating will have yet to read it (it's a must, apparently, so those who have not read it, give it your vote!)

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## DapperDrake

bah humbug to modern authors.

You won't catch me voting for anything written in the past 50 years - probably ever. Infact I take some convincing to read anythng written in the past 100 years  :Tongue:

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## _Shannon_

OKay--final time--I swear! After much deliberation-- I want to change my nomination to _Ship of Fools_ by Katherine Anne Porter.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Shi...6713900/?itm=1

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## Nightshade

> Oooohhhhh!!!!! you would make a great campaigner!
> Nightie, I could always send you a copy as an early B-day present if its selected. Remember i work in a book shop.
> 
> I had been considering changing my nomination to The Star of the Sea by Joseph O' Connor (based on famine ships from Ireland) but Now i'm not too sure. Might stick with The Sea. Although if people voice that they'd rather Star of the sea than The Sea i'd change my nomination. Either way they are two books i really want to read. 
> I mean there is sooooo many classics on that list. Something modern might make a nice change.


In which case vote for whatever Nims wants ..... ( if monte cristo doesnt win that is- sorry chuck, but I do want to read monte cristo  :Nod:  )

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## DapperDrake

> In general, I feel as you do, but there are a few more modern authors I really like - John Banville, William Trevor, Edna O'Brien, Jose Saramago, Toni Morrison - but I agree that much of what's being published now is junk.


Yes, that's part of what I think but mostly its just personal taste, I take a positive pleasure in reading a book that was written long before I was born. 
Its the style, old books are much slower, they're meant to be read in big chunks and savoured. Modern books cater to a much shorter attention span.

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## Niamh

Antiquarian, I would recommend, if you can get your hands on it, _Hellfire_ by Mia Gallagher. It is amazing.
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/...r/hellfire.htm I dont usually read this type of novel but there was just something about it that caught my attention and in the end i just loved it.

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## papayahed

> Antiquarian, I would recommend, if you can get your hands on it, _Hellfire_ by Mia Gallagher. It is amazing.
> http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/...r/hellfire.htm I dont usually read this type of novel but there was just something about it that caught my attention and in the end i just loved it.


I've seen that book and picked it up a few times but never took the plunge, perhaps I will.

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## Niamh

No problem! Its really good. It gives a very accurate insight into the poverty and life in inner city dublin in around the 80's and 90's. Alot of it reminds me of my youth growing up in an under privilaged part of the Dublin Suburbs, surrounded by drugs, rob cars etc. I've seen it tear families apart.
Mind you instead of wandering the streets of dublin and robbing from shops, we use to sneak onto trains and head out to howth or sutton. Or play nick nacks on the doors of the flats in the tower blocks not far from my home. :Tongue:  There were always burnt out cars in my area back then. (think of movie In to The West with the flats, but thankfully not as rough!)

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## JBI

What is published now is not junk, it just isn't sifted. The good think about classics is you know what you are going to read has value. With contemporary books, you have no clue. Try reading from a time period the works that have not been canonized though were popular, you'll find quite the dumping ground of junk. We're lucky that academics and time have brought out the best from the midden heap of classics.

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## DapperDrake

> What is published now is not junk, it just isn't sifted. The good think about classics is you know what you are going to read has value. With contemporary books, you have no clue. Try reading from a time period the works that have not been canonized though were popular, you'll find quite the dumping ground of junk. We're lucky that academics and time have brought out the best from the midden heap of classics.


This is definitely also one of the prominent reasons I prefer classics.. Why wade through modern authors who might be good or bad when with classics the wheat has already been sifted from the chaff for you  :Smile:

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## Niamh

just let me know what you think when you do read it.

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## Nightshade

> Antiquarian, I would recommend, if you can get your hands on it, _Hellfire_ by Mia Gallagher. It is amazing.
> http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/...r/hellfire.htm I dont usually read this type of novel but there was just something about it that caught my attention and in the end i just loved it.





> I've seen that book and picked it up a few times but never took the plunge, perhaps I will.


Actually Im sure I saw that recently but it was going out when I noticed it will add it to the list Im leaving with My boss to get me when I get back  :Nod:   :Biggrin: 




> What is published now is not junk, it just isn't sifted. The good think about classics is you know what you are going to read has value. With contemporary books, you have no clue. Try reading from a time period the works that have not been canonized though were popular, you'll find quite the dumping ground of junk. We're lucky that academics and time have brought out the best from the midden heap of classics.





> That's true. I will read contemporary authors if someone whose taste I trust recommends them, though. I've discovered some gems that way.
> 
> I have to disagree with JBI (again!) in that I do think a lot of what's being published today is junk. Mostly the genre stuff, but there's still good genre fiction out there. Alexander McCall Smith and Michael Dibdin are good genre writers. Jose Saramago (mainstream literary, of course) has a new book out and he's one of my favorites. I'll definitely read that one.
> 
> On the other hand, some people read a classic and don't like it. I know people who feel terribly let down by _Anna Karenina_ or _Moby Dick_ or _Huckleberry Finn_. My reading group read _Jude the Obscure_ last year and I think I was the only person who didn't hate it.
> 
> I simply like the style of the classics more.
> 
> I'll probably read it soon, *Niamh*, and I'll be sure to let you know.


I think in general there is more to it than saying classics are good or bad,or even well sifted through. because for one thing what is a classic --actually thats an idea for a thread-- what makes one book more note worthy than another to read. Ive read *a lot* of junk as well as junky books ( by junky books I mean silly fun things that have no weight at all bt are still amusing) and some biggest junk Ive read has been pretentious books that have just annoyed me and wasted my time. And at the same time I think that reading all the rubbish bad junk I have - and Im not talking just modern Ive read alot of public domain junk- I didscovered all sorts of relly good books, and learnt all sorst f random bits of trivia. For instance did you know that e.m hulls _The sheik_ is consider the first true example of a modern romance, wouldnt read it it is not only crap but really annoying I mean he rapes her then she falls in love with him then its all alright because he is really a long lost english gentleman so she can marry him and everything is honkydory. But the point there are parts of that book that illustrated all sorts social norms and values of the time it was written, the fact that he was white fixed everything for example, that only really came through because the book was desiggned as a pice of 'literture' it was a mass selling form of entertainmet. 

I have people who come into my library who will only read one type of book, and Im always trying to get them to widen what they read because how can you honetsly know you wont like something till youve tried it?
For one thing you run out of book quickly like that I have read every class of fiction we carry in our library, including large print romances, Ill try anything Im given although I will qite often give up if the book is just too rubbish, my point is you cant talk about it tioll youve tried it.  :Nod:

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## Scheherazade

Nominations:

*1. Ship of Fools by Katherine Anne Porter

2. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

3. The Sea by John Banville

4. Every Man for Himself by Beryl Bainbridge

5. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

6. Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini 

7. The Cruel Sea by Nicholas Monsarrat

8. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

9. English Passengers by Matthew Kneale

10. Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad*

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## Nightshade

> I've tried most of it, *Nightshade*. I've read most ancient literature, the classics of Russia, England, continental Europe. South America, African literature, literature from Oceania, a lot of contemporary literature, thrillers, a few romances, detective novels, series novels, fantasy, some science fiction, etc. I still find most (not all by any means) but most of what's being published junk, especially when compared to the classics.
> 
> Now, there are excellent writers out there in every genre and in mainstream fiction - John Banville, Jose Saramago, Edna O'Brien, Amy Tan, Margaret Atwood, A.S. Byatt, Mario Vargas Llosa, etc., but sadly, most of the mss. we receive here are just dreadful.
> 
> What makes one book better than another? How well the author knows and executes his craft, for one thing. The prose. How well the characters come to life. Point-of-view. Skillful manipulation of the third person subjective. Many things.
> 
> Literature is always going to be subjective, up to a point. However, there are objective rules and guidelines that govern the discernment of good literature from bad. I do think literature offers something for everyone, and that's a very good thing.


True enough... :Nod:  
Humm I think I might need to point out as usual my post was rather messy I wasnt actually implying people hadnt I was just saying in general I know alot of people who are adamant they wont read something without even trying it, for instance I read something Id never really tried before on the train a few weeks ago chick-lit written by a man. Now I know it shows prejudice but if I hadnt been feeling like something 'different' Id never have read that even in my chick-lit weeks ( I tend to read in 'genre' stages so one week Ill read 8, or 9 scifis, one week classics, one week vampire books, one week childrens books, one week thrillers one week westerns etc) anywa as I was saying I usually wouldnt read a choicklit written by a man simply because of the seeming pardox, but yu know something it was a _nice_  book. Didnt have the typical happy ending which also made a nice change in chicklit, nbut I was really and honetsly suprised I liked itand it got me to wondering what other gems Id been missing simply by being prejudiced against 'bubbly' books written by men and all the other things that make me just think nope wont event try that , like hype. I just cant read books that have had loads hype about them.

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## Virgil

Hmm, I was at Borders Book Store at lunch kiling time and I was glancing through Banville's The Sea and it looked very interesting. I think I will vote for it.

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## papayahed



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## phoebelll25

The waves
by Virginia Woolf

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## Niamh

> Hmm, I was at Borders Book Store at lunch kiling time and I was glancing through Banville's The Sea and it looked very interesting. I think I will vote for it.


Good man yourself!!!! :Biggrin:

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## thelastmelon

> Hmm, I was at Borders Book Store at lunch kiling time and I was glancing through Banville's The Sea and it looked very interesting. I think I will vote for it.


I was thinking the same thing myself.  :Smile:  It might have my vote.

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## Scheherazade

Some information on the books:

*Ship of Fools by Katherine Anne Porter

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

The Sea by John Banville

Every Man for Himself by Beryl Bainbridge

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini 

The Cruel Sea by Nicholas Monsarrat

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

English Passengers by Matthew Kneale

Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad*

The poll will be closed on June 20th.

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## _Shannon_

wow! _Captain Blood_ looks like it'd be awfully fun to read over summer!!! It seems like just the right book to read at the beach...

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## Niamh

Vote The Sea!!!!!

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## papayahed

> wow! _Captain Blood_ looks like it'd be awfully fun to read over summer!!! It seems like just the right book to read at the beach...


It seems Shannon is the only right thinking poster on this thread. :Wink:   :Biggrin:   :Biggrin:

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## Nossa

> It seems Shannon is the only right thinking poster on this thread.


Actually I googled the story and I really like it. I'm gonna have to check and see if they have it, and if I can get it by the beginning of June, I'm in  :Biggrin: 
I'm still not sure if I should vote, cuz I'm not sure if I'll find the book.

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## JBI

Well, at least the Count of Monte Cristo isn't winning. If that doesn't win, and Jules Verne doesn't win, I think I'll be happy.

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## Nightshade

well sicne Ive been promised a copy..... my votes yours niamh!



well maybe I might sit on it for a few days when does the poll close?

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## thelastmelon

> well maybe I might sit on it for a few days when does the poll close?


The poll will be closed on June 20th.  :Smile:

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## papayahed

> well sicne Ive been promised a copy..... my votes yours niamh!
> 
> 
> 
> well maybe I might sit on it for a few days when does the poll close?



heyyyyyy, don't you owe me a vote??? I'll send you a copy of Captain Blood.....and a postcard..... :Biggrin:

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## Nightshade

Oooo  :Eek:  hummm I might vote for you then.... :Biggrin: 
 :Goof:

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## Niamh

traitor.  :Tongue:

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## Nightshade

I prefer the term opportunist actually  :Tongue: 
SO in the true spirit of oppertunisim... IM taking all offers on my vote  :Tongue:

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## DapperDrake

Votes are pretty spread out, look like it might be close.

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## Niamh

> I prefer the term opportunist actually 
> SO in the true spirit of oppertunisim... IM taking all offers on my vote


But but but but.........  :Frown:

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## _Shannon_

I'm holding my vote in case it looks like Defoe is gonna win--_anything_ except Robinson Crusoe. I just had my husband get me _Captain Blood_- because it sounded so good I'm gonna read it while I'm on vacation. LOL! I think I'll ave him grab _The Cruel Sea_ for me over the summer, too....

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## DapperDrake

What's so wrong with Robinson Crusoe?  :Tongue:

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## Niamh

its over read and an obvious safe choice.

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## _Shannon_

> What's so wrong with Robinson Crusoe?


I taught it a few years ago and had to read poorly written papers about it--which had to be re-worked and re-worked to reflect that those writing the papers did ,in fact, speak English as their native language....Ugh I was so, so, so sick of reading about that book....

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## DapperDrake

I sympathise but its still a great book  :Wink:  

Honestly anyone who hasn't read Robinson Crusoe owes it to themselves to vote for it, after all, it is the granddaddy of all classic English novels...

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## mickitaz

hehe. I do not doubt that Robinson Crusoe is a good book. I personally have not read it. However, the reviews lead me to believe it is along the lines of "Castaway". I fear that reading the book and "listening to the waves crash on the beach" will put me to sleep. 
Ironically, I have a long weekend planned starting June 13. Nothing to do but read  :Smile:  cept maybe go out on my boat to do some fishing.
I am leaning towards The Cruel Sea or the Count of Monte Cristo. What is swaying me from the count is the fact he was in prisoned for so long. Having just read Papillon, I am somwhat leary to go down that road again. However, it is an ambitious read.

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## icandoit

oops , i prefer Robinson Crusoe though i dont like sea much. i love mountain:X

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## Scheherazade

Still no clear winners in this poll...

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## Nightshade

> Still no clear winners in this poll...


Surley its the sea isnt it? 2 votes ahead although admittedly it could easily be swung... get voting people!!

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## sofia82

NO one wants to vote?!

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## HerGuardian

Hope the Sea wins 

Coz I have it as an ebook on my PC and it's on the desktop but didn't read it till now. so i voted for it

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## Equality72521

I wouldn't mind The Count of Monte Cristo winning, mainly because I picked it up not too long ago and I enjoy it. Quite a few of those books I haven't read so what ever wins I would be up to reading, though.

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## thelastmelon

> People still have six days. That's a lot of time. I would wait until the last day myself so as not to waste my vote, but this time, I was very clear on what I wanted to read - _The Sea_. Banville is one of my favorite authors - ever.


I'm hoping it will win as well, since I started reading it yesterday!  :Smile:  And, so far it's a wonderful book everyone. Keep voting! Vote: _The Sea_.

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## Virgil

Oh I hope The Sea holds on. I just bought the book tonight while we were out and stepped into a Barnes and Noble.

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## Virgil

> I actually first read the book back in 2005, I think, when it won the Booker and it's a marvelous book for discussion, so I hope it holds the lead and wins, too. I'd love to reread it and discuss it. But even if it doesn't you've got a fabulous book ahead of you to read, *Virgil*.
> 
> John Banville's male narrators usually aren't too likable or too reliable, but that adds, rather than detracts, from the book's appeal.


I'm really looking forward to it now. It better win.  :Biggrin:  




> (Did you order _The Death of Virgil_ while you were in Barnes and Noble? LOL I hope so!  Really, you would love that book.)


I was in a real (not virtual  :Wink:  ) book store. My wife and I were at a concert this evening and across from the Philharmonic is a B&N and we killed a little time there. I was actually looking for the Virgil book you mentioned, but I just couldn't think of the author's name. But I ran across The Sea and decided to pick it up. I will get that book eventually.

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## Virgil

> But real bookstores order things, too. LOL
> 
> The author is Hermann Broch, Virgil. Here:
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Death-Virgil-H...3510433&sr=8-1
> 
> You can "Look inside the book." Read some online. I dare you to begin reading that and not be hooked immediately. I get hooked just thinking about it.  Such gorgeous, gorgeous prose. Such glorious subject matter. I could go on and on. This is a true masterpiece.
> 
> I hope you and your wife enjoyed the concert.


I know but I only had ten minutes and had to run. I've put it on my Amazon wish list.  :Smile:

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## Scheherazade

_Going once..._

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## sofia82

Please vote for _The Sea_. I bought it yesterday, although the translation  :Frown:

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## eyemaker

I voted for the Count of Monte Cristo. My teacher loves the story as well!

---
eye

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## sofia82

It seems I have to give KITKAT for those who vote for _The Sea_  :Biggrin:

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## HerGuardian

with almost two days and two votes difference. Hope the sea wins

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## mickitaz

I voted for the Count of Monte Cristo. I was just on vacation, and decided to pick up a big juicy book. So I am already reading Count. I have to say, I am pleasantly surprised, and loving reading it. Considering I haven't seen any of the movies. I have an unbiased view.

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## Scheherazade

_Going twice..._

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## DapperDrake

Come on people, vote The Count of Monte Cristo!!! I'm fed up of reading modern books - always disappointing.

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## papayahed

I was just about to vote for the count when I realized I already voted. :Flare:   :FRlol:   :FRlol:

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## Virgil

> I was just about to vote for the count when I realized I already voted.


Thank God you had. I'm sure you would not have gone for The Sea.  :Wink:  I wonder at what time this will be over.

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## papayahed

> Thank God you had. I'm sure you would not have gone for The Sea.  I wonder at what time this will be over.


You know my tastes far too well. :FRlol:  

(The poll closes tonight at 6:20)

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## HerGuardian

wow. it's getting tight

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## Virgil

> wow. it's getting tight


I know. I'm sweating.  :FRlol:  I hope it holds on. If it winds up in a tie, Scher decides. I have never seen Scher (whether consciously or unconsciously) break a tie that went favorable to me.  :Wink:

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## HerGuardian

> I know. I'm sweating.  I hope it holds on. If it winds up in a tie, Scher decides. I have never seen Scher (whether consciously or unconsciously) break a tie that went favorable to me.


he should let The Sea win

coz it's been ahead till the very end

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## sofia82

> I was just about to vote for the count when I realized I already voted.


I'm happy you didn't miss this poll  :Biggrin:  , but I wished you voted for _The Sea_  :Wink: 




> he should let The Sea win
> 
> coz it's been ahead till the very end


I hope so, please vote for _The Sea_!!!

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## Scheherazade

> he should let The Sea win


_He_ will determine the same way as he always does and put his trust in good old coin flipping!


> I know. I'm sweating.  I hope it holds on. If it winds up in a tie, Scher decides. I have never seen Scher (whether consciously or unconsciously) break a tie that went favorable to me.


http://www.online-literature.com/for...lts&pollid=319

There ya go!

Could I also point out that the book that I picked for that month was not my choice either (even though I had voted for the other book that tied)?

Now, I think I will go and decide what form of public apology I will demand from Virgil...

*strolls out of the thread, whistling*

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## Virgil

> There ya go!
> 
> Could I also point out that the book that I picked for that month was not my choice either (even though I had voted for the other book that tied)?
> 
> Now, I think I will go and decide what form of public apology I will demand from Virgil...
> 
> *strolls out of the thread, whistling*


Ah, so you did.  :Blush:  My memory is not the best. I apologize Scher. To be honest I was half joking when i said it. I wasn't sure.  :Wink:

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## Scheherazade

> Ah, so you did.  My memory is not the best. I apologize Scher. To be honest I was half joking when i said it. I wasn't sure.


I know you were "half-joking"... 

However, I am 100% right!  :Biggrin:

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## Scheherazade

Another vote for the _Count_ and we will have a tie!  :Brow:

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## JBI

Oh god no, not the count! how frustrating; who has the time for a mediocre 1600 page novel for a reread!

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## Virgil

Haha! Poll is closed! The Sea won!!!!  :Banana:

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## sofia82

> Oh god no, not the count! how frustrating; who has the time for a mediocre 1600 page novel for a reread!


Fortunately, neither you nor me have to read 1600 pages,  :FRlol:  
COngratualtions to ourselves  :Banana:

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## JBI

It isn't that, Dumas just seems like that paperback bestseller who refuses to be forgotten. The reason why, it would seem, is that nobody takes the time to read him. A lot of his fans read abridgments. 

Honestly though, the Count just keeps dragging and dragging to end in nothing. It isn't even a redemption story, or a tragedy. The whole thing relies on the reader's curiosity of how Edmund will kill his enemies. Take that away, and the book is just a long set of descriptions, and overly dragged out sub-plots.

Perhaps I am a little idiosyncratic in my criticism, but just look at how many different abridgments there are of the work. Even Penguin is publishing 600 page copies, and it is the rare person who picks up the 1600er, whereas something like War and Peace is laughable in abridgment by its fans. In truth, Dumas didn't even come up with the plot, and ghost wrote most of the premises for the book, and merely filled in the gaps. The book seems to echo this distinction in the notion that the 'bought' aspect of the book, the plot and characters, seem to be the center, whereas Dumas' contribution, the blanks and writing, seem worthy of their abridgments.

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## Jozanny

> It isn't that, Dumas just seems like that paperback bestseller who refuses to be forgotten. The reason why, it would seem, is that nobody takes the time to read him. A lot of his fans read abridgments. 
> 
> Honestly though, the Count just keeps dragging and dragging to end in nothing. It isn't even a redemption story, or a tragedy. The whole thing relies on the reader's curiosity of how Edmund will kill his enemies. Take that away, and the book is just a long set of descriptions, and overly dragged out sub-plots.
> 
> Perhaps I am a little idiosyncratic in my criticism, but just look at how many different abridgments there are of the work. Even Penguin is publishing 600 page copies, and it is the rare person who picks up the 1600er, whereas something like War and Peace is laughable in abridgment by its fans. In truth, Dumas didn't even come up with the plot, and ghost wrote most of the premises for the book, and merely filled in the gaps. The book seems to echo this distinction in the notion that the 'bought' aspect of the book, the plot and characters, seem to be the center, whereas Dumas' contribution, the blanks and writing, seem worthy of their abridgments.


I think these sentiments are a little harsh. Do I think Dumas is top tier? No, but the Count keeps going because it has that kind of umph. Edmund as character anticipates cinema, and the growth of the graphic novel as a genre, and the birth of just avengers like James Bond, or Batman. I like Dumas. He has color, he flashes, he swash buckles, and when I want light but not infantile reading, I do The Three Musketeers, or the Count--and feel also that Dumas was the primary architect of his work.

I don't know what is wrong with occasional mellodrama if done well, and Dumas just does it well.

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## mickitaz

> Perhaps I am a little idiosyncratic in my criticism, but just look at how many different abridgments there are of the work. Even Penguin is publishing 600 page copies, and it is the rare person who picks up the 1600er, whereas something like War and Peace is laughable in abridgment by its fans. In truth, Dumas didn't even come up with the plot, and ghost wrote most of the premises for the book, and merely filled in the gaps. The book seems to echo this distinction in the notion that the 'bought' aspect of the book, the plot and characters, seem to be the center, whereas Dumas' contribution, the blanks and writing, seem worthy of their abridgments.


I..having voted for Count and actually READ the 1600 page version found the book to be a delightful read. I wouldn't necessarily classify it as a page turner. BUT it was definately worth the time and effort.

What is defined as dry sub plot developements of characters other than Edmund, I think that it was Dumas' attempt for the reader to be acquainted with the type of person The Count was focusing his revenge on. Then, perhaps the reader could become a part of the story, agree with the reasoning behind the motives; and side with the "hero" of the story.

The only reason why I feel there are several abrigded verisons which are shorter in length; is precisely because of comments like "who would read such a lengthy, drawn out story". Publishing companies appeal to the mass media, and perhaps by shortening the books overall length will increase sales.

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