Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Time to Pick a New Book

Iliana has passed the torch to me for coming up with suggestions for the next Slaves book. I tried to find books that weren't too long and were by well-known authors but not necessarily the works we think of first. And some of them are a little...different.

  • The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula Le Guin. "In a future world racked by violence and environmental catastrophes, George Orr wakes up one day to discover that his dreams have the ability to alter reality. He seeks help from Dr. William Haber, a psychiatrist who immediately grasps the power George wields. Soon George must preserve reality itself as Dr. Haber becomes adept at manipulating George's dreams for his own purposes.

    The Lathe of Heaven is an eerily prescient novel from award-winning author Ursula K. Le Guin that masterfully addresses the dangers of power and humanity's self-destructiveness, questioning the nature of reality itself. It is a classic of the science fiction genre."


  • Martha Quest by Doris Lessing. "Intelligent, sensitive, and fiercely passionate, Martha Quest is a young woman living on a farm in Africa, feeling her way through the torments of adolescence and early womanhood. She is a romantic idealistic in revolt against the puritan snobbery of her parents, trying to live to the full with every nerve, emotion, and instinct laid bare to experience. For her, this is a time of solitary reading daydreams, dancing — and the first disturbing encounters with sex."


  • The Glimpses of the Moon by Edith Wharton. "Set in the 1920s, The Glimpses of the Moon details the romantic misadventures of Nick Lansing and Susy Branch, a couple with the right connections but not much in the way of funds. They devise a shrewd bargain: they'll marry and spend a year or so sponging off their wealthy friends, honeymooning in their mansions and villas. As Susy explains, "We should really, in a way, help more than hamper each other. We both know the ropes so well; what one of us didn't see the other might -- in the way of opportunities, I mean." The other part of the plan states that if either one of them meets someone who can advance them socially, they're each free to dissolve the marriage. How their plan unfolds is a comedy of eros that will charm all fans of Wharton's work."


  • Shadows on the Rock by Willa Cather. Set in 17th century Canada, it tells the story of Euclide Auclair, an apothecary, and his daughter Cecile, newcomers to Quebec. It features life on the edge of the wilderness and a love story.


  • Pale Horse, Pale Rider by Katherine Anne Porter. A series of three novellas (don't worry, it's only 216 pages) following Porter's semi-autobiographical protagonist Miranda through WWI and the 1918 flu epidemic. The stream of consciousness narration gives us the details of Miranda's Texas childhood, her work as a newspaper critic, her romance with a soldier, and her hallucinatory flu visions.


  • The Passion of New Eve by Angela Carter. "This story follows Evelyn, a young Englishman, along a journey through mythology and sexuality. It is a story of how he learns to be a woman, first in the brutal hands of Zero, the ragtime Nietzsche, then through the ancient Tristessa, the beautiful ghost of Hollywood past."


Voting is open until Sunday (18th) and the "winner" will be announced on Monday with the discussion set for June 30th (does that date seem about right?)

18 comments:

Danielle said...

Those all sound good! I think my first choice is Pale Horse Pale Rider and my second is Martha Quest (I can't really decide which one actually), but I'd be happy to read any of them. And this time I promise to start EARLY (and not wait until the very, very last minute!). Very sorry I missed out on the last discussion!

J.C. Montgomery said...

Hmmm....tough choices...good, but tough.

(1) The Lathe of Heaven
(2) Martha Quest
(3) The Glimpses of the Moon

Anonymous said...

Are newcomers allowed? If so I like Cather first, then Porter, then Le Guin. What a great idea!

Anonymous said...

I'm another newcomer, but I'd like to read the Wharton or Cather.

Rebecca H. said...

Thanks for choosing these Stefanie! I think I'll vote for the Wharton, although any of them would be fine.

Anonymous said...

TJ and Sarah, newcomers are certainly allowed and appreciated. The more the merrier! :)

Danielle said...

TJ and Sarah--I'll send out invites to you both so you can post here--watch for them in your email in the next day or so!

litlove said...

Danielle - do you know how to send out invites? Only Ann at Table Talk needs one again - she moved her blog and I can't seem to sort out how to include her still.

Wonderful choices, Stefanie! I'd like to read the Le Guin or the Wharton most, I think, but they all sound good!

Anonymous said...

I don't have a first choice. :) Most are from writers I've always meant to try and never quite got around to and all sound great. Maybe I'll be a tie breaker if you need one.

Anonymous said...

Hi, I'm another newcomer and would love to join in. Actually I've been wanting to since The Stone Diaries but it never worked out.
I would love to read either Martha Quest, The Glimpses of the Moon, or The Passion of New Eve.
Thanks!

Danielle said...

Litlove--Yes, I can send out invites and will send out one to Ann as well. I'll just need her email, which should be on her blog. I'll try to send those out today! :)

Anonymous said...

Current vote count is a 2-2 tie between Wharton and Le Guin as the first choice. If we look at this as instant run off voting, Wharton is in the lead unless someone wants to change their first choice vote or, eh-hem, Imani, wants to cast the tie-breaker.

Danielle said...

Litlove--Can you ask Ann to send me her email address? I clicked on her email icon and tried to send her an invite with it, but I don't think it went.
Sarah and TJ--If you would send me your emails I can send you both an invite!
Jaimie--I had your email, so I have sent you an invite, too.

SFP said...

I would like to read both the Wharton and the Le Guin, but I think my desire for the Wharton edges out a bit ahead.

Kate S. said...

They all sounds like fabulous options, but Martha Quest would be my first choice.

Cipriano said...

I really should not be saying anything, since I am not a part of this Reading Group.... but I am partial to the Cather book, because I have read several of her other books and I love them, and this one [so lesser known] is about Quebec, which I see out my window, beyond the bridge.
But, in lieu of Cather, Edith Wharton, for I loved Ethan Frome.

Anonymous said...

Danielle - I'll send it to you!

Nabeel said...

you should also pick international writers, especially from the third world countries. If you don't, then you are truly missing the "gems"