Poll

What book would you like to read in July to discuss in August (starting the 1st)? Important! Do not vote unless you will return to discuss, as it is unfair to participants to have tally affected by hit-and-run voters. Thanks, and see you in the discussion!

The Salt Line by Holly Goddard Jones
2017, 400 pages, 3.6 stars
$12.99 Kindle, cheap used copies, probably at library



"In the spirit of Station Eleven and California, award-winning novelist Holly Goddard Jones offers a literary spin on the dystopian genre with this gripping story of survival and humanity about a group of adrenaline junkies who jump -the Salt Line.-

How far will they go for their freedom--once they decide what freedom really means?"
See book page for longer blurb
 
  5 votes, 35.7%

Borne by Jeff VanderMeer
2017, 336 pages, 3.91 stars
$9.99 Kindle, print from $6.28, available at libraries



"In a ruined, nameless city of the future, a woman named Rachel, who makes her living as a scavenger, finds a creature she names “Borne” entangled in the fur of Mord, a gigantic, despotic bear. Mord once prowled the corridors of the biotech organization known as the Company, which lies at the outskirts of the city, until he was experimented on, grew large, learned to fly and broke free. Driven insane by his torture at the Company, Mord terrorizes the city even as he provides sustenance for scavengers like Rachel."
See book page for the remainder, long blurb.
 
  3 votes, 21.4%

Gather the Daughters by Jennie Melamed
2017, 353 pages, 3.76 stars
$17.08 paperback, $13.99 Kindle, $5.01 and up in used print, probably at the library



"Never Let Me Go meets The Giver in this haunting debut about a cult on an isolated island, where nothing is as it seems.

Years ago, just before the country was incinerated to wasteland, ten men and their families colonized an island off the coast. They built a radical society of ancestor worship, controlled breeding, and the strict rationing of knowledge and history. Only the Wanderers--chosen male descendants of the original ten--are allowed to cross to the wastelands, where they scavenge for detritus among the still-smoldering fires.

The daughters of these men are wives-in-training. At the first sign of puberty, they face their Summer of Fruition, a ritualistic season that drags them from adolescence to matrimony. They have children, who have children, and when they are no longer useful, they take their final draught and die. But in the summer, the younger children reign supreme. With the adults indoors and the pubescent in Fruition, the children live wildly--they fight over food and shelter, free of their fathers' hands and their mothers' despair. And it is at the end of one summer that little Caitlin Jacob sees something so horrifying, so contradictory to the laws of the island, that she must share it with the others.

Born leader Janey Solomon steps up to seek the truth. At seventeen years old, Janey is so unwilling to become a woman, she is slowly starving herself to death. Trying urgently now to unravel the mysteries of the island and what lies beyond, before her own demise, she attempts to lead an uprising of the girls that may be their undoing."
 
  2 votes, 14.3%

Parasite by Mira Grant
2013, 504 pages, 3.65 stars
$9.99 Kindle, cheap used copies, definitely at library



"A decade in the future, humanity thrives in the absence of sickness and disease.

We owe our good health to a humble parasite - a genetically engineered tapeworm developed by the pioneering SymboGen Corporation. When implanted, the tapeworm protects us from illness, boosts our immune system - even secretes designer drugs. It's been successful beyond the scientists' wildest dreams. Now, years on, almost every human being has a SymboGen tapeworm living within them.

But these parasites are getting restless. They want their own lives...and will do anything to get them."
 
  2 votes, 14.3%

The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway
2017, 594 pages, 4.13 stars
$10.99 Kindle, cheap used copies, available at libraries



"The Jorgmund Pipe is the backbone of the world, and it's on fire. Gonzo Lubitsch, professional hero and troubleshooter, is hired to put it out, but there's more to the fire, and the Pipe itself, than meets the eye. The job will take Gonzo and his best friend, our narrator, back to their own beginnings."
 
  1 vote, 7.1%

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman
2017, 608 pages, 4.32 stars
$1.99 Kindle, cheap used copies, at library



"Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the worst thing she'd ever been through. That was before her planet was invaded. Now, with enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra are forced to fight their way onto one of the evacuating craft, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.
But the warship could be the least of their problems. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their biggest threat; and nobody in charge will say what's really going on. As Kady plunges into a web of data hacking to get to the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: Ezra.
Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents— including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes."
 
  1 vote, 7.1%

The Given Garden by S.K. Munt
2015, 403 pages, 4.45 stars
$4.99 Kindle, $14.99 paperback, likely not available at lib.



"They told us that this new world was perfect

They told us that we were all equal under the eyes of the only God

They told me that I was nothing

He told me that he would protect me

They swear that I can trust them

I don't

How can I believe in something, in a world where faith isn't optional?"
 
  0 votes, 0.0%

The Host by Stephenie Meyer
2008, 625 pages, 3.84 stars
$7.99 Kindle, cheap used copies, definitely at library



"Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, didn't expect to find its former tenant refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

As Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who still lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she's never met. Reluctant allies, Wanderer and Melanie set off to search for the man they both love."
 
  0 votes, 0.0%


Poll added by: Gertie



Comments Showing 1-17 of 17 (17 new)

dateUp arrow    newest »

message 1: by Nancy (new)

Nancy This is tough. There are five books on here that I want to read.


message 2: by Gertie (new)

Gertie Yeah, really nice selection. It's always hard, but when you can only choose ONE, yikes! I asked Goodreads years ago to create a poll option that lets people choose more than one, but it's still too low priority. Would have been nice to allow two votes just to make it easier on everyone, then we take the top one.


message 3: by Phebe (new)

Phebe I want to read Parasite, but I think the blurb under that is the same as the one for The Host.


message 4: by Gertie (new)

Gertie Thanks Phebe! I mess these up half the time because it takes SO long to set them up. I'll fix it.


message 5: by Lupe (new)

Lupe Dominguez Man this was a hard one this time!!!


message 6: by Jennifer (new)

Jennifer ACK!! So hard to choose.


message 7: by Gertie (new)

Gertie Is it bad that I like it that you all are suffering trying to choose? It's a good thing, right?


message 8: by Anne (w/ an E) (last edited May 30, 2018 10:04PM) (new)

Anne (w/ an E) How long do. I have to decide? LOL I have 3 favorites and they are all available at the library. Maybe I will have to sit this one out, though. I will be moving on June 1st. (I already have 3 boxes of books packed and I still have enough for at least another box. Thank goodness there is room for a decent-sized bookcase.)

Later...
I voted. I will find time to read it if mine wins. I might even read one of my other favorites if it wins.


message 9: by Gertie (new)

Gertie Voting ends on the 7th if anyone wants to change their vote or still needs to vote. It is underneath the poll in too-small text.


message 10: by WTEK (new)

WTEK The three I'm definitely interested in are all available at my library. This month is a real killer Gertie. Can't I vote for all of them?!


message 11: by Gertie (new)

Gertie Haha I know! But all but one will be available the next two months, so there is that.


message 12: by Kay (new)

Kay David I'd definitely go with Gather the Daughters.


message 13: by Gertie (new)

Gertie Kay wrote: "I'd definitely go with Gather the Daughters."

You didn't vote though... are you just recommending it?


message 14: by Kay (last edited Jun 06, 2018 10:34AM) (new)

Kay David Gertie wrote: "Kay wrote: "I'd definitely go with Gather the Daughters."

You didn't vote though... are you just recommending it?"


I realized that just now and so I voted! At least, I hope I did. I clicked on it. If my vote didn't go through, let me know because I really liked that book. (And hated The Sunlight Pilgrims, haha)


message 15: by Gertie (last edited Jun 18, 2018 01:02PM) (new)

Gertie I've edited the poll to remove the last winner, so we can vote on the remainder for August. Voting for this next book closes July 3rd unless something changes.

You might want to wait to finish the current book to vote, in case it affects your voting mood. :-)


message 16: by Megan (new)

Megan Aw man, the two that were already on my to-read list (Borne and Illuminae) weren't chosen. That's okay, maybe they'll come around in the next month or two :)


message 17: by Gertie (new)

Gertie Borne is our current club read - this is an old one! You lucked out. I'm curious about it... let me grab the link.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

We are reading it now, to discuss in a couple of weeks (Nov 1st).


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