MLK Book Club #1 Nomination Thread

[FlipMode]

Nominate UP TO THREE BOOKS EACH here!
Not sure how this will work in future but for now here is how I will roll it out -

1) Choose three books you think would be good for us to all read, chat about etc. Must of course be a book that isn't ludicrously hard to find or whatever though.

2) Post them here and add any further detail you want (what it is about, the genre, cover etc.) or at least a link to somewhere that does. A link or store that we can buy it from would probably be useful too!

3) All nominations will be put into a separate voting thread.

4) Vote on a book, the one with the most at the END of the voting period, wins. That book is the one we read this round. I will say this - if the voting thing does't work out, we will make it so one member chooses the book each time!

5) Discuss the book in it's respective thread!

[Woeler]

Mortality
By Christopher Hitchens



Throughout the course of his ordeal battling esophageal cancer, Hitchens adamantly and bravely refused the solace of religion, preferring to confront death with both eyes open. In this riveting account of his affliction, Hitchens poignantly describes the torments of illness, discusses its taboos, and explores how disease transforms experience and changes our relationship to the world around us. By turns personal and philosophical, Hitchens embraces the full panoply of human emotions as cancer invades his body and compels him to grapple with the enigma of death.

MORTALITY is the exemplary story of one man's refusal to cower in the face of the unknown, as well as a searching look at the human predicament. Crisp and vivid, veined throughout with penetrating intelligence, Hitchens's testament is a courageous and lucid work of literature, an affirmation of the dignity and worth of man.

The New New Rules: A Funny Look At How Everybody But Me Has Their Head Up Their Ass
By Bill Maher


From bestselling author and host of HBO's Real Time, Bill Maher's new book of political riffs serves up a savagely funny set of rules for preserving sanity in an insane world

A follow-up to the New York Times bestselling The New Rules, The New New Rules delivers a series of hilarious, intelligent rants on everything from same-sex marriage to healthcare, from Republican agendas to celebrity meltdowns, with all the razor-sharp insight that has made Bill Maher one of the most influential comedic voices shaping the political debate today. With another presidential campaign on the horizon and a stellar set of real- life characters to have fun with-"New Rule: If Charlie Sheen's home life means he can't have a TV show, then I say Newt Gingrich can't be president"-this enlightening and important book may be the best thing you pretend to read all year.

Lost Horizon
By James Hilton


While attempting to escape a civil war, four people are kidnapped and transported to the Tibetan mountains. After their plane crashes, they are found by a mysterious Chinese man. He leads them to a monastery hidden in "the valley of the blue moon" -- a land of mystery and matchless beauty where life is lived in tranquil wonder, beyond the grasp of a doomed world.

This is a very interesting book. This book created the myth of shangri-la (also known as Shambala)

[FloraTheDarkFaerie]

Book 1) My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Picoult

Some of you may have heard about the movie "My Sister's Keeper" right? Well this is the book which started it, and the movie was based around it. It was hard to pick which Jodi Picoult book to nominate here, because of of her works are just so brilliant. My Sister's keep is a tragic and emotional story about a teenage girl struggling through cancer, and it will captivate you ever step of the way and shock you with every twist and unexpected event that crops up out of nowhere. Although it's sad and obviously heartbreaking, It's a very good read that makes me really wonder about the value of life. Each chapter switches the perspective from which it's being told, but I think that helps to give it more depth.

Book 2) A Great And Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

Now it's rumoured that this too is soon becoming a movie, although I don't put much stock in rumours. Even so it's an amazing book. A Victorian boarding school story, a gothic mansion mystery, gossip about a clique of girls, and a dark other world type of fantasy... If you mix that all together, then you have this complicated and unusual story. It's really gripping, and it made me think. In fact the more it confused me, the more intrigued I was, the whole thing is just so mysterious and awesome, though slow at first. It's the first in a series of books, but I read this as a stand alone novel and I found it to be perfect as it was.

Book 3) The Glass Demon by Helen Grant.

Perhaps the darkest book I've nominated, it's a teen novel with a slight thriller/horror twist to it too. It is incredibly spooky, but also a brilliant novel of family life, and I couldn't put it down. It's got a sort of gothic fairy tale vibe to it. I picked up the book on a whim (in all honesty I was attracted to its shiny/sparkly cover XD) and I'm so glad I did because it fast became one of my favourite books! The story revolves around a series of mysterious deaths and threatening events, when a family move to rural Germany in the hopes of finding wealth and fame there.

[TheLionPrince]

1. Killing Lincoln



Abraham Lincoln is one of America's most enduring and beloved presidents of the United States. If you haven't seen Spielberg's Lincoin (which was today nominated 12 Oscars including Best Picture), then, you owe it to yourself to read this book regardless of your political beliefs, or your personal feelings against Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly. As of 14 November 2011, Killing Lincoln was among Amazon's best sellers and at number two on the New York Times list of best-selling non-fiction. Finally, a television adaptation will air on National Geographic; it's a perfect time to read it before it airs.


2. Killing Kennedy

Here's the premise from Wikipedia: In Killing Kennedy the authors narrate the events leading up to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy as well as the event's aftermath. O'Reilly and Martin Dugard also focus on the element of the growing Cold War, Kennedy's attempt to deal with the rise of Communism, and the potential threat from organized crime. It's not as good as Killing Lincoln, but it's worth reading, and come November, it will be the 50th anniversary of Kennedy's assassination. It's a good recommendation.

3. The Help

I'm sure you have heard of The Help. It was critically acclaimed movie last year that won Best Supporting Actress for actress Octavia Spencer. It's a really good book with an insightful look into the lives of African American women who worked as slaves for white people during the Civil Rights Era.

[FlipMode]

Sorry for the hold up guys. Still waiting on nominations. There were deffinitely more than three people interested in the idea so I assume they'd want to actually join in and nominate?

[Tora]

I am interested, but I haven't anything to nominate sadly.

[Carl]

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
(There are 2 versions of this book, the 1890 version and the 1891 version; I've read the 1890 version, but have both in one book, so if it gets selected, whichever is easiest to find will work.)
The novel tells of a young man named Dorian Gray, the subject of a painting by artist Basil Hallward. Basil is impressed by Dorian's beauty and becomes infatuated with him, believing his beauty is responsible for a new mode in his art. Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton, a friend of Basil's, and becomes enthralled by Lord Henry's world view. Espousing a new hedonism, Lord Henry suggests the only things worth pursuing in life are beauty and fulfilment of the senses. Realizing that one day his beauty will fade, Dorian (whimsically) expresses a desire to sell his soul to ensure the portrait Basil has painted would age rather than he. Dorian's wish is fulfilled, and when he subsequently pursues a life of debauchery, the portrait serves as a reminder of the effect each act has upon his soul, with each sin displayed as a disfigurement of his form, or through a sign of aging.

Dracula by Bram Stoker
Dracula is an 1897 Gothic horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.

Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor Abraham Van Helsing.

Dracula has been assigned to many literary genres including vampire literature, horror fiction, the gothic novel and invasion literature. The novel touches on themes such as the role of women in Victorian culture, sexual conventions, immigration, colonialism, and post-colonialism. Although Stoker did not invent the vampire, he defined its modern form, and the novel has spawned numerous theatrical, film and television interpretations.

[Woeler]

@TLP is that the Bill o Reilly I think it is, or is that just someone else with the same name?

[TheLionPrince]

[quote="Woeler"]@TLP is that the Bill o Reilly I think it is, or is that just someone else with the same name?[/quote]

Yes, it was written by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard.

I saw the television adaptation last week, and it was good, but it could have done without Tom Hanks's narrating.

[TomCat]

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