All About Books discussion

Here we go again, it's time for another round of nominations!

This thread is for nominations for our group fiction read in September 2015.

Nominations will be run for 5 days and will close on July 25th.

During this time anybody can either nominate or second a book. The 6 books with the most second votes at the end of the 5 day nomination period will go into the poll. Each person can either nominate one book or second one book. There are no limits to the number of seconds a book can receive.

The poll will then run until the 31st July and the winner will be announced the following day. This will leave a month for people to get hold of the book in preparation for the read.

Please only nominate, second or vote for a book you will read with the group if it should win. Please also check that your chosen nomination hasn't been a group read in the past. You can do this by looking at the group bookshelf, contact one of the moderators or post on 'Ask the Moderators' thread

If you have any questions on the nominations process please contact me, use the 'Ask the Moderators' thread or post on here and we will be happy to help.

Even though I am new to ABA, I will give it a try:

The Pearl that Broke Its Shell, a January 2015 debut novel by Nadia Hashimi.
Goodreads reader's rating: 4.09

I nominate Bone & Bread by Saleema Nawaz.

I would like to nominate Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

At Swim-Two-Birds
by Flann O'Brien

The Marrow of Tradition by Charles W. Chesnutt.

I nominate Never Let Me Go
and i second The Pearl that Broke Its Shell

I second At Swim Two Birds.

♥ Lisa ☯ wrote: "Even though I am new to ABA, I will give it a try:

The Pearl that Broke Its Shell, a January 2015 debut novel by [author:Nadia H..."

Looks like a good pick Lisa!

Siewjye wrote: "I nominate Never Let Me Go
and i second The Pearl that Broke Its Shell"

Hi Siewjye, in AAB you can either nominate or second but not both. Which one do you want to do?

I'll nominate (or second) Never Let Me Go

I like the sound of Sarah's Key. I second that one.

I nominate The Pulitzer Prize winner American Pastoral by Phillip Roth.

Greg wrote: " ♥ Lisa ☯ wrote: "Even though I am new to ABA, I will give it a try:

The Pearl that Broke Its Shell, a January 2015 debut novel. Looks like a good pick....."

Thanks Greg!!

I've tried this before, but I'll nominate The King Must Die by Mary Renault again (her imagining of the story of Theseus)

I would like to second The Marrow of Tradition.

I nominate The House We Grew Up In.

I second American Pastoral by Phillip Roth.

I would Nominate Never Let Me Go

I would like to nominate The Ocean at the end of the Lane by Neil Gaimen

sorry... will link when I can next get on my laptop

I'd like to nominate The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

It was Man Booker long listed and is a UK read - a refreshing change maybe?

Or the The Summer of the Bear?

Please not Never Let Me Go! ITS SOOOOOO DEPRESSING!!!!

And my daughter just finished studying it for GCSE and I've had a skull full........no offence intended!

I'm new to the group but I would like to second The Pearl that Broke Its Shell. ( Btw loved Sarah's Key)

Karen wrote: "Please not Never Let Me Go! ITS SOOOOOO DEPRESSING!!!!

And my daughter just finished studying it for GCSE and I've had a skull full........no offence intended!"

Oh come on, Karen. Let's be positive about books other people nominate or second. It's so disheartening to have someone put down a book you have advocated here.

Greg wrote: "I've tried this before, but I'll nominate The King Must Die by Mary Renault again (her imagining of the story of Theseus)"

I will second this! For anyone who liked The Song of Achilles, this is a similar sort of book (for me an even better one!).

Greg wrote: "I've tried this before, but I'll nominate The King Must Die by Mary Renault again (her imagining of the story of Theseus)"

I would also like to second The King must die.

I would like to nominate London Fields

Yay Leslie and Giorgia! :)

Harold Fry and Sarah's Key have both been read in my F2F club and really enjoyed.

I'm holding out to see if something I won but haven't read gets nominated so I can second it....

Maureen wrote: "Harold Fry and Sarah's Key have both been read in my F2F club and really enjoyed.

I'm holding out to see if something I won but haven't read gets nominated so I can second it...."

Just to voice another opinion, Maureen. Those two both disappointed me.

I'd like to nominate The Dust That Falls from Dreams by Louis de Bernières

I'll second Never Let Me Go.

Gill wrote: "Karen wrote: "Please not Never Let Me Go! ITS SOOOOOO DEPRESSING!!!!

And my daughter just finished studying it for GCSE and I've had a skull full........no offence intended!"

Oh come on, Karen. L..."

I agree, Gill. Thanks for saying that.

I enjoyed Sarah's Key but can understand why some readers did not really care for it. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry has been on my tbr list for a while.

I detested the modern thread of Sarah's Key! I saw it as a melodramatic soap-opera. The only thing good about the book was that you learn about Vel' d'Hiv. Sarah's thread was OK, but the book just didn't work for me b/c of the modern thread.

I am glad you liked it Lisa.

Chrissie wrote: "Maureen wrote: "Harold Fry and Sarah's Key have both been read in my F2F club and really enjoyed.

I'm holding out to see if something I won but haven't read gets nominated so I can second it...."..."

That's what makes it fun Chrissie :~)

Maureen wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "Maureen wrote: "Harold Fry and Sarah's Key have both been read in my F2F club and really enjoyed.

I'm holding out to see if something I won but haven't read gets nominated so I c..."

I agree! What a bore if everyone thought the same! There would be nothing to discuss!

Hi everyone, I see you have been busy here whilst I've been away for a few days!

The nominations so far:

The Pearl that Broke Its Shell (3 seconds)
Sarah's Key (1 second)
At Swim-Two-Birds(2 seconds)
The Marrow of Tradition (1 second)
Never Let Me Go (4 seconds)
American Pastoral (5 seconds)
The King Must Die (4 seconds)
The House We Grew Up In
The Ocean at the End of the Lane (1second)
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (2 seconds)
London Fields

So far, 4 books with more than one second will go through to poll, so please feel free to second (if you haven't already) as we have three books tying for the remaining two places - it's anyone's game, and remember I will close this on the 25th (UK time).

I'll also second The King Must Die

.... But I want to read all of them - so many books, so little time ....

I withdraw my nomination for Bone & Bread and second At Swim-Two-Birds.

Ok, I'll update the list.

I'd like to second American Pastoral.

Tejas Janet wrote: "I'd like to second American Pastoral."

Thanks, I have updated the list.

Too late to place, but I nominate Labyrinth by Kate Mosse which had this summary on Wikipedia. It won many awards in 2006 in the UK I think.

"When Dr Alice Tanner, who works as a volunteer at the archaeological site of Pic de Soularac in France, discovers two skeletons in a long-hidden cave in the hillside, she unearths a link with an horrific and brutal past. But it's not just the sight of the shattered bones that makes her uneasy; there's an overwhelming sense of evil in the tomb that Alice finds hard to shake off, even in the bright French sunshine. Puzzled by the words carved inside the chamber, Alice has an uneasy feeling that she has disturbed something which was meant to remain hidden...

Eight hundred years ago, on the night before a brutal civil war ripped apart Languedoc, three books were entrusted to Alais, a young herbalist and healer. Although she cannot understand the symbols and diagrams the books contain, Alais knows her destiny lies in protecting their secret, at all costs. It is later revealed that Alice is Alais' descendant."

I second The Pearl that Broke Its Shell

Ok, I'd like to withdraw my nomination of The Dust That Falls from Dreams.

I'll second Jon's nomination of Labyrinth; it's part 1 of a series and I've read the series three times. I could easily read Labyrinth a fourth time.

The King Must Die
Sounds interesting, I'll second that one.

I'll second The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

Jon wrote: "Too late to place, but I nominate Labyrinth by Kate Mosse which had this summary on Wikipedia. It won many awards in 2006 in the UK I think.
..."

Jon, you can either nominate or second but not both. Did you want to nominate Labyrinth or second Pearl that broke its Shell?

I'll second The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry.

I second Never Let Me Go!