You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

November. That time of year when you can head into Melbourne and see women tottering around on high heels the size of stilts, with plumage on their heads that resembles an exotic bird park, with men wearing suits and ties they pull out once a year which gives them the appearance of 5 year old page boys. Both doing this in order to soak themselves in as much sparkling white as possible, while watching horses being pushed to their physical limits so humans can watch them run around in a circle, and then seeing if they (the humans, not the horses) can make it home with both shoes and a shred of dignity. Spring Racing Carnival is here.

The Melbourne Cup Race is held on the first tuesday of November during this carnival. The race lasts around 3 mins, and is watched by most of Australia. Usually for those of us who have more sense and less money, this is done in our workplaces. Where we may get some chips and dip, if we are really lucky a paper cup with a splash of champagne, indulge in small amounts of gambling, and head back to our desks 10 mins later. Wham, bam (sometimes more literally for some of the horses), go back about your business.

And that's what we shall do this month. We are going to read a book that will take slightly more time than our 3 minute horse race, but shorter than usual. I would like you to read a book between 100 and 200 pages long.

However, so that we are all running with the same weight.
- No childrens books
- No graphic novels
- No collections of short stories.

General Rules:

1. The book may be in any format - paperback, ebook, audiobook.
2. The book may be in any genre besides those listed above.
3. The book may NOT be combined with the Year Long Geocaching Challenge.
4. The book must be read between November 1 - 30, 2017 (based on your local time zone).
5. The challenge is for one book. You may read more books if you chose.
6. If reading an audiobook or ebook where page numbers aren't listed, page numbers will be determined by the issue that comes up first on a Goodreads search.

Scoring

Cover:
5 points - The cover has a watch or clock on it. The winner of the early Melb Cups won a gold watch.
4 points - The cover has champange (glass or bottle) on it.
3 points - The cover has a trophy on it.
2 points - The cover has a horse on it.

Author:
5 points - Is from New Zealand.
4 points - Is from Ireland.
3 points - The author has won an award for writing.
2 points - The entire author's name on the version of book you read, is 10 characters long or shorter.

Melbourne Cup Points:
2 points - A character is involved in charity work. A "big heart" like Phar Lap's.
2 points - There is a horse race in the book
2 points - There is an archer in the book. The first winner was called Archer.
2 points - A character runs away in the book. The first race, a horse bolted before the start.
2 points - There is a pig in the book. Australian slang is rife in horse racing too. Pig Root: The act of a horse bucking. This will cost a horse ground and can often dislodge the jockey; it almost always puts paid to a horse's chance of being competitive in a race.

November Points:
2 points - Your main character has a moustache. Movember.
2 points - Your book is set in the Middle East. National Pomegranate Month.
2 points - A character dies in the book. All Souls Day/Day of the Dead.
2 points - Your main character is a musician. Hungarian Opera Day.

Nice!! Finally a chance to read the books that are too short to qualify for anything else.

I love your description of the races :D

Hm, I own fewer short books than I expected. None of them will get me many points I think.

A Study in Scarlet
Hiroshima
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (does this count? It's classifief as a children's book, but it's not a children's book in the sense that it has mostly pictures and hardly any text.
Lord of the Flies
The Alchemist

Peggy wrote: "Nice!! Finally a chance to read the books that are too short to qualify for anything else.

I love your description of the races :D"

This was exactly my thought too. I am just ending up with a pile of short books that don't fit anything, so this will at least get one (maybe two or more if I want to play for points) off my shelf.

The races... yes, well... it's going to be a messy two weeks here in Australia lol. Friends photos are already appearing on Facebook.

Peggy wrote: "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (does this count? It's classifief as a children's book, but it's not a children's book in the sense that it has mostly pictures and hardly any text."

I'm going to hold to no on this. I take your point, but I was thinking about the accessibility and ease of reading. It's a pretty quick challenge, but I don't want it to be too quick.

Granted, Wizard of Oz is over 100 years old so probably is harder to read than some adult books. However, I'm going to hold to that rule, sorry.

No worries :) I wasn't sure what exactly children's books refer to, but I understand that something like The Wizard of Oz is a lot easier to read than The Alchemist.

I'll go for one of the others. Almost all of those I put on my tbr not because I'm desperate to read them, but because they're classics or many of my friends have read them and I think I should too, at some point. They might turn out to be 4 or 5 star reads, but right now I'm mostly glad they're short ;-)

Excellent. I might actually complete the challenge this month. It feels like ages since I got around to a monthly challenge read in time. I have lots of options. Ideas:
The Variable Man
The Monarch of the Glen
Cosmocopia
I Am Legend

Not The Illustrated Man I'm afraid Sarah. Picked it up, as it's on my shelf too. No short stories :( Guessing the Stephen King is out then too.

Well, that was the quickest bit of gophering I have done in ages. I only have a few books that fit the challenge. They are:

Bodies of Water
The Invisible Man
The Peculiar Life of a Lonely Postman
The Testament of Mary
Tin Man

At first glance, none of these appear to be particularly high scoring so I might be heading for the glue stick 🙂

This sounds like a fun challenge and a great way to bump up my number of read books for this year.

I have quite a few books that fit this challenge but I've not looked to see how many points I could get. There are two books in particular that I really want to get to:-

Tin Man (I see you have this one too Lisa)
Such Small Hands

Other possible books I could pick from are:-

Satin Island
One Hundred Shadows
Every Heart a Doorway
The Birth MachineTapas, Carrot Cake and a Corpse

And I have plenty more.

Anna wrote: "This sounds like a fun challenge and a great way to bump up my number of read books for this year.

I have quite a few books that fit this challenge but I've not looked to see how many points I cou..."

Yes, I do have Tin Man as a possible for this challenge. I'm not sure whether I will read it though. I'm leaning more towards The Testament of Mary as I think it will be the highest scoring.

Great challenge! I actually may try this month...

I have lots of books that would fit, but I think I am particularly interested in The Canterville Ghost. Although the different editions can go from 50 pages on, the kindle edition (the one I own) is 126. It is my understanding that it is more of a novella than a short story. What the people who read it think? Would it fit?

Thanks Sandra, for pointing out a way you can misread the above. I will update the wording. Sorry, I mean short story collection.

Very good! I’ll start gophering.

I was planning to read The Christmas Train 150p and A Christmas Carol 104p in December. Maybe I'll move one up to November.

I had no idea the ridiculous dress of horse racing was world wide. To each their own. More of a t-shirt and jeans guy myself

Do you have similar famous horse racing events in the US Travis? I know the Royal Ascot races in the UK, but that's it. I don't think the Netherlands is much of a horse racing country.

Kentucky Derby?

Rusalka wrote: "Not The Illustrated Man I'm afraid Sarah. Picked it up, as it's on my shelf too. No short stories :( Guessing the Stephen King is out then too."

Ok I didn't fully read the instructions. I see short story collections aren't allowed. Doh. I was thinkinh two birds with one stone.

I just bought Down Among the Sticks and Bones which is 189 pages. But, I shall check what other short books I may have before committing.

Hmmm... maybe I should make this a John Scalzi month and read The Dispatcher. It's 130 pgs hardcover and 2 hours audiobook. I have two others of his books scheduled for November - Lock In and The Collapsing Empire. That's what I'll do.

Sarah wrote: "Ok I didn't fully read the instructions. I see short story collections aren't allowed. Doh. I was thinkinh two birds with one stone."

All good. I am very glad I had already thought of my criteria for this particular challenge if I went with it, before the monthly theme was decided. It's not intentional, I promise.

I had a look at my wishlist and couldn't resist buying The Emperor's Soul. I'm in a bit of a fantasy mood lately and it was only $2.34 on amazon, so that's what I'll be reading.

Rusalka wrote: "Kentucky Derby?"

Went to the Derby once. Had box seats. Got all dressed up with my black hat with the yellow ribbon as if I were in the movie My Fair Lady. Cubed a bunch of different specialty cheeses as a snack for a crowd of people.

Turns out a box seat is one of four folding chairs positioned in a square of chalk drawn on the tarmac at the rail. Everyone wears jeans and obscenely worded message t-shirts. The chairs are positioned together so that a lovely young girl stretched across them offers Jelly Shots from her belly button. And forty dollars worth of exotic cheese cubes are wonderful projectiles to throw into the unsuspecting crowd!☻

I liked that one Janice. Interesting concept which I would love Scalzi to explore in more detail. And Peggy, I really liked that one of Sanderson too.

Almeta wrote: "Went to the Derby once. Had box seats. Got all dressed up with my black hat with the yellow ribbon as if I were in the movie My Fair Lady. Cubed a bunch of differe..."

Well, that experience didn’t turn out exactly as anticipated! Laugh of the day, Almeta!

Almeta wrote: "Rusalka wrote: "Kentucky Derby?"

Went to the Derby once. Had box seats. Got all dressed up with my black hat with the yellow ribbon as if I were in the movie My Fair Lady. Cubed a bunch of differe..."

Hahahah, so funny, Almeta!

Rusalka wrote: "Thanks Sandra, for pointing out a way you can misread the above. I will update the wording. Sorry, I mean short story collection."

Ok. I guess that means yes, so thank you. ;)

Yeah. We have 3 so racers can try for the triple crown and win all 3 . Kentu ky Derby. Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes

Almeta wrote: "Rusalka wrote: "Kentucky Derby?"

Went to the Derby once. Had box seats. Got all dressed up with my black hat with the yellow ribbon as if I were in the movie My Fair Lady. Cubed a bunch of differe..."

Hahaha! A bit of a surprise, but it sounded like it was fun.

Good idea with The Dispatcher, Janice. I own that one too. I’ll have to add it to my list.

Brilliant Rusalka! On book that I've been meaning to read for ages should qualify; Witches of Lychford. Will trawl for more options that might score a bit higher :-)

I didn't realize how many short books I own! This has been a gophering gold mine.

Nice challenge - great way to compensate for all the challenges where books have to be more than 175 or so pages! :-)

Sandra wrote: "Rusalka wrote: "Thanks Sandra, for pointing out a way you can misread the above. I will update the wording. Sorry, I mean short story collection."

Ok. I guess that means yes, so thank you. ;)"

Oops sorry. Yes :D

Almeta wrote: "Rusalka wrote: "Kentucky Derby?"

Went to the Derby once. Had box seats. Got all dressed up with my black hat with the yellow ribbon as if I were in the movie My Fair Lady. Cubed a bunch of differe..."

ROFL. Well, it was an experience!

This is what I have that seems to fit. My problem is that I want to read them all!
Anthem
Witches of LychfordLichfield
The Haunting of Hill House
A Far Cry from Kensington
Penric's Demon

You can do it, Margo! Stop sleeping, showering, and cut off family and friends. :)

I have quite a few options apparently:

A Clockwork Orange
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
The Great Divorce
Things Fall Apart
A Cool Head
The Island of Dr. Moreau
On Chesil Beach
The Housekeeper and the Professor
Lord of the Flies
Mrs. Dalloway
The Daylight Gate

Leaning towards those under 175pp that don't fit other challenges.

Sandra wrote: "You can do it, Margo! Stop sleeping, showering, and cut off family and friends. :)"

Sandra I could live without all those things (except sleeping - I'm fond of my bed lol) but I need to finish the annual challenge!! Priorities ;-p

Being a reader is such responsibility!

Sandra wrote: "You can do it, Margo! Stop sleeping, showering, and cut off family and friends. :)"

*snort*

Rusalka - What say you to The Night Tourist by Katherine Marsh Sorry - I can't link right now. It is listed as YA and my Nook book eversion is 154 pages.

I also have
Timbuktu - about a dog
No Place Like Oz
Murder in E Minor - Nero Wolfe mystrey
Testimonies
Passing
Emma McChesney and Co. - I am not sure if this a novel or not, need to look.
Pellucidar
At the Earth's Core
that fit the 100 to 200 page criteria.

I buy strange books in my weak moments, I've decided. I'm sure they were all on sale.
I must have 10 others that are less than 100 pages. :(.

edited Nov 1st to add book links. clr

The Night Tourist, this the one?

I ummed and ahhhed on YA. My ruling is on children's books. YA is permissible.

Good YA it shouldn't make a difference. I have *opinions* about bad YA, or people who think that they are allowed to write bad books if mark it they as YA and that covers a multitude of sins. Let me know which bucket that one falls into.

I also want to keep it under 175 pages, since those 175-200 page books are usually great for other challenges. I think I'm going to hold off on any Christmas books. I'm just not in the mood for those yet. And I'm going to try to read something I already own. I'm leaning towards The Dispatcher and will probably go with that. I'm also considering I Am Legend or The Sign of Four.

Rusalka wrote: "Leaning towards those under 175pp that don't fit other challenges. "

That was the deciding factor for me.

The dispatcher is really good folks.

This is a fun challenge Rusalka! And perfect for me to get my feet wet after not participating in a challenge for awhile. I will choose between Wishful Drinking, All Grown Up and After Dark. Leaning towards the Carrie Fischer as my Halloween costume is Princess Leia and I just read and loved The Princess Diarist.

I read Wishful Drinking two or three years ago, and I loved it. I thought it was much better than the Princess Diarist.

Cherie wrote: "Rusalka - What say you to The Night Tourist by Katherine Marsh? Sorry - I can't link right now. It is listed as YA.

I also have
Timbuktu- about a dog by Paul Aster and
No Place Like Oz by Danie..."

I want to read Timbuctù but I never spot it in sales.

Travis sivarT wrote: "The dispatcher is really good folks."

I have The Dispatcher too. This is in danger of becoming another group read lol