Boards Book Club- September Vote

lemon_sherbert

Hey everybody, it falls to me to nominate the books for the next month's online book club, so here they are; three 'classic' books and three contemporary novels

Classics

Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
The Red Badge of Courage - Stephen Crane
The Three Musketeers - Alexander Dumas

Contemporary

Regeneration - Pat Barker
The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
Gilead - Marilynne Robinson

So if everyone who's interested would vote for two books, one in each category, we'll read those books for next month. I've tried to pick books that are widely available and well-regarded, but if anyone has objections, please let me know.

In the second post I'll add some information about each choice.

lemon_sherbert

Okay, so I've lifted some info for the web on each book, mostly from Goodreads.com, to help you all to make an informed choice

Heart of Darkness

Heart of Darkness is a novella written by Polish-born writer Joseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski). Before its 1902 publication, it appeared as a three-part series (1899) in Blackwood's Magazine. It is widely regarded as a significant work of English literature and part of the Western canon.
This highly symbolic story is actually a story within a story, or frame narrative. It follows Marlow as he recounts, from dusk through to late night, his adventure into the Congo to a group of men aboard a ship anchored in the Thames Estuary.
The story details an incident when Marlow, an Englishman, took a foreign assignment as a ferry-boat captain, employed by a Belgian trading company. Although the river is never specifically named, readers may assume it is the Congo River, in the Congo Free State, a private colony of King Leopold II. Marlow is employed to transport ivory downriver; however, his more pressing assignment is to return Kurtz, another ivory trader, to civilization in a cover up. Kurtz has a reputation throughout the region.

Available for free download at http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/219

The Red Badge of Courage

Henry Fleming, a raw Union Army recruit in the American Civil War, is anxious to confirm his patriotism and manhood—to earn his “badge of courage.” But his dreams of heroism and invulnerability are soon shattered when he flees the Confederate enemy during his baptism of fire and then witnesses the horrible death of a friend. Plunged unwillingly into the nightmare of war, Fleming survives by sheer luck and instinct.

Available here: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/73

The Three Musketeers

First published in 1844, Alexandre Dumas's swashbuckling epic chronicles the adventures of D'Artagnan, a gallant young nobleman who journeys to Paris in 1625 hoping to join the ranks of musketeers guarding Louis XIII. He soon finds himself fighting alongside three heroic comrades, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, who seek to uphold the honor of the king by foiling the wicked plots of Cardinal Richelieu and the beautiful spy "Milady."
As Clifton Fadiman reflected, "We read The Three Musketeers to experience a sense of romance and for the sheer excitement of the story. In these violent pages all is action, intrigue, suspense, surprise and an almost endless chain of duels, murders, love affairs, unmaskings, ambushes, hairbreadth escapes, wild rides. It is all impossible and it is all magnificent."

Available for free download: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/1257

Regeneration

Regeneration, one in Pat Barker's series of novels confronting the psychological effects of World War I, focuses on treatment methods during the war and the story of a decorated English officer sent to a military hospital after publicly declaring he will no longer fight. Yet the novel is much more. Written in sparse prose that is shockingly clear -- the descriptions of electronic treatments are particularly harrowing -- it combines real-life characters and events with fictional ones in a work that examines the insanity of war like no other. Barker also weaves in issues of class and politics in this compactly powerful book.

The Handmaid's Tale

In the world of the near future, who will control women's bodies?

Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are only valued if their ovaries are viable.

Offred can remember the days before, when she lived and made love with her husband Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now....

Funny, unexpected, horrifying, and altogether convincing, The Handmaid's Tale is at once scathing satire, dire warning, and tour de force.

Gilead

A hymn of praise and lamentation from a 1950s preacher man. A testament to the sacred bonds between fathers and sons. A psalm of celebration and acceptance of the best and the worst that the world has to offer. This is the story of generations, as told through a family history written by Reverend John Ames, a legacy for the young son he will never see grow up. As John records the tale of the rift between his own father and grandfather, he also struggles with the return to his small town of a friend’s prodigal son in search of forgiveness and redemption.

The winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Literature and the National Book Critics Circle Award, and a New York Times Top10 Book of 2004, Gilead is an exquisitely written work of literary fiction, destined to become a classic, by one of today’s finest writers.

turgon

Im being selfish, because I picked Heart of Darkness as its the only one Ive read and Im going away for a month so I wont get the chance to read other ones. So it goes.

And the handmaids tale too. Ive heard of it before.

EDIT: Excellent choices btw.

I'm going to take part this month. I've voted for Heart of Darkness and Regeneration, as they're two books I've always wanted to read.

lemon_sherbert

Good to see votes coming in already, I was wondering, should we pick a few discussion questions on the chosen books? To spark a little debate, or does that seem too much like homework?

turgon

Thats an excellent idea

LiamMc

Very miserable choice for August. in some parts of the world August is Summer season.

Send the list back and get a Summer-time list, I'm serious.
A very miserable list for August.
Did a boards.ie Moderator choose the titles?

The sun is shining, that's a problem for some people.

turgon

Spot on LiamMc. We should have had some Cecilia Ahern and Maeve Binchy on there, who is lemon_sherbert to suggest we read Joseph Conrad, whoever he is. :rolleyes:

silvine

I've been meaning to read Heart of Darkness for a long time so it's got my vote.

I read Regeneration a while back. Some of it was good but parts were very tedious. Wouldn't recommend it to be honest.

Jennifer Johnson does WWI much better in 'How Many Miles to Babylon?'

buck65

LiamMc wrote: »

Very miserable choice for August. in some parts of the world August is Summer season.

Send the list back and get a Summer-time list, I'm serious.
A very miserable list for August.
Did a boards.ie Moderator choose the titles?

The sun is shining, that's a problem for some people.

Jeez I kinda agree with you, have read Heart of Darkness but there is nothing else on that list that would inspire me . Gonna take a raincheck this month.

lemon_sherbert

Well I only chose because it was my turn, and as I haven't read the books already, I couldn't pick books I knew were good on personal experience, but based my choice on books that had won prominent awards or that I had read good reviews of.

I'm sorry that some of you object, though I thought the point of the book club was to get us all reading books we might not have otherwise. I would offer to switch book nominations, but as all have received some votes, I would feel it unfair to those who have already voted to do so. For those who are unhappy with my choices I would encourage you to come back next month, I wouldn't want to spoil the online club singlehandedly.

buck65

Fair points there Lemon. I'll actually go with the 3 Musketeers.

MissRibena

I've just voted for The Red Badge of Courage only because I've never heard of it . I've read the rest of them and the modern ones in particular are fantastic choices - all three would be in my top 50 of all-time.

Heart of Darkness isn't one of my favs but you have to read it at some stage because basically every post-colonial work either re-works it or refers to it non-stop to the point of cliche.

Curnacrieve

Hi there I am new here but if it is okay I would like to vote for Heart of Darkness adn the Hand Maiden's Tale. All of the choices sound really good but those would be my picks to start.
Thanks

lemon_sherbert

Curnacrieve wrote: »

Hi there I am new here but if it is okay I would like to vote for Heart of Darkness adn the Hand Maiden's Tale. All of the choices sound really good but those would be my picks to start.
Thanks

Great to have more adding to the club, if you'd like to vote in the poll, it's keeping track of the numbers, it would be great!

raah!

Couldn't find heart of darkness in waterstones today. Anyone have any reccommendations for where to get it in Cork? I'm a bit apprehensive with internet purchases, as my computer is riddled with viruses.

So are the choices "heart of darkness" and "regeneration"?

I think the discussion questions are a good idea, it would give us all points to talk around. And it's not like it would limit us to those points either.

lemon_sherbert

Yes, it's looking like Heart of Darkness and Regeneration, I'll get discussion questions up nearer september, as they tend to spoil the plot.

Quality

I am not fussy so not going to vote... But will defo take part!!

femur61

when is the book decided?

Locamon

LiamMc wrote: »

Very miserable choice for August. in some parts of the world August is Summer season.

Send the list back and get a Summer-time list, I'm serious.
A very miserable list for August.
Did a boards.ie Moderator choose the titles?

The sun is shining, that's a problem for some people.

Where, where is the sun shining? Please place your answer on a postcard and send to the lost Irish Summers department at Leinster House:)

Seriously though couldn't pick a book from the list have Dumas on the shelf waiting to be read but it is 665 pages short... not this month:(

meganj

I voted for heat of darkness, can I take part this month???


Pretty please??

Quality

has the decision been made on septembers book?

lemon_sherbert

Hi everyone, sorry it took so long to get back to you all, as I've been sick and haven't been checking the thread.

Everyone is of course welcome to participate in the club, and as Heart of Darkness and Regeneration are winning in the poll, these are what we will be reading this month. I'll open up a thread for each book in a week, and as you complete a book you can chime in with your discussion.

Hope this suits everyone, happy reading!