Chaos Reading discussion

Time to nominate books for the next group read - woohoo!

The next theme is: PLACES AS PERSONALITIES
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How it works: I post a theme, we each nominate books that in some way reflect the theme. The nominated books go up on a group shelf, along with details like price, length & availability. The group votes on a book for the next Group Read. We read & discuss the winning book! Easy.

Nominations: Just post a reply to this thread that includes the book title link and why you're nominating it. Please don't post any spoilers though!
*This time there's a maximum of TWO BOOK NOMINATIONS PER PERSON*
I won't set a definite time frame for this group read until the book's chosen, and we know how long it is etc. but this nominations thread will run for about two weeks this time.

Selecting A Book: When you're thinking about books to nominate, try to keep in mind things like: the length of the book, availability in different countries, price, whether it's something that would make for a good discussion etc etc. The books you nominate for the group read don't have to reflect the theme in an obvious, literal sense. The link between book and theme can be anything at all, as long as it is meaningful to you.

The Theme: Some of the ideas we've talked about for this topic include cities that practically form their own characters, haunted houses, enchanted woods, sentient architecture....... I'm hoping we get some really unique suggestions..

I'd definitely second Howl's Moving Castle (I checked, it's not available for kindle, which is a shame, but there are loads of cheap secondhand copies on amazon marketplace)

I also wondered if any/all of The Lord of the Rings trilogy might fit, since I've always felt that it was Middle Earth that was the most important character, not Frodo or Aragorn et al.

I haven't read it yet, but it seems like Palimpsest would fit perfectly.

I thought about either Perdido Street Station or The Scar - both have some amazing places with personalities, but they're both very long books. Same with LotR. Still - if enough people are happy to make that sort of commitment for a group read, it should show in the poll. :)

A respected friend urges me to read Tales of the South Pacific by James Michener. This of course was the basis for the beloved musical “South Pacific.” You may know that South Pacific had a then-controversial theme of racial tolerance, providing a sympathetic view of interracial love (Polynesian - Anglo) which rankled many in America at the time, particularly in the South. The musical attacked bigotry, and a theater-owner in the South refused to show the play unless that part was excised; Rodgers and Hammerstein refused. Anyway, this could be a winner. Michener was a wise and loving man.

This is such a great idea for a theme. Ruby, have you considered adding this and some of the other theme ideas as bookshelves?

Very hard to narrow it down, but here are my two nominations, I tried to pick ones that would lead to good discussions, and not just the surreal dreamscape ones I love so dearly.

The Sheltering Sky. On my tbr list forever. The desert as a reflection of anomie and existential isolation, or something pretentious like that, I haven't read it yet.

Little, Big. Two place personalities, the labyrinthine house Edgewood on the edge of Faerie and a mythologized New York of past and future. This one may also be a bit long (and measured) for a group read.

I'm kinda surprised House of Leaves hasn’t turned up here yet….

I should say, Feel free to nominate more than two books. I just don't promise to include more than the first two on the poll. But I might if I really like the book. It's good to be the Mistress of Chaos :)

Whitney - I start shelves for the themes just before the poll opens, putting the availability details into the book entries so that people have enough info to vote. See the "Insects" shelf here as an example. If you click on "About" under the book titles you'll see what I mean: http://www.goodreads.com/group/booksh...

I'm DYING to get the second edition colour hardcover of House of Leaves and read it with the sort-of-companion-album by Poe (the writer's sister). So I will include this in the nominations :)

For my first pick, I'm going to nominate Titus Groan since that's the first in the Gormenghast series, and set inside Castle Groan (which certainly has a strong personality!). It's bleak but surreal and I'd love an excuse to re-read it and take the time to analyse it a bit.

I'm holding off on my second nomination for the time being, in the meantime reading this short story to see if it might make a good nomination: Fixture. It's only short though, and I think it's hard to cram in something to justify a group read in 35 pages.

Likewise, the individual stories in the anthology I'm finishing off has some AMAZING places with personalities, including a bio-engineered living flesh building, but there's not enough detail in that part to justify a group read.
Diverse Energies

Ruby wrote: "including a bio-engineered living flesh building..."

So cool! Has David Cronenberg bought the rights yet? And this book doesn't seem to be available in the US until October anyway. Which is probably a good thing as I was about to impulse buy it.

Ruby wrote: "I start shelves for the themes just before the poll opens, putting the availability details into the book entries so that people have enough info to vote. See the "Insects" shelf here as an example..."

Got it, thanks. Very nice.

Whitney wrote: "So cool! Has David Cronenberg bought the rights yet? And this book doesn't seem to be available in the US until October anyway. Wh..."

Yeah, I managed to get hold of an ARC of that one. It's a great anthology.

My first pick is Word Made Flesh, set in the fictional US city "Quinsigamond." The city itself really drives the story, with descriptions gothic crime headquarters, creepy abandoned factories, desolate ruined neighborhoods - all the stuff you'd hope to find in a dystopian decaying New England factory town.

This is just a really compelling and violent book that oozes with noir (in a good way - for me at least). The synopsis on Goodreads kind of sucks, so I've provided a link to a more helpful review:

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

.......................

My other choice is Set This House in Order: A Romance of Souls. It's about a person managing his Multiple Personality disorder by creating and maintaining a house in his mind where the personalities all reside.

Those both look fantastic.
Word Made Flesh looks like Part 4 of a series. Do you need to have read parts 1-3?

Oh and if I can add one more, here's one that looks really intriguing in the same decaying noir wonderland vein:

Katja from the Punk Band

Ruby wrote: "Those both look fantastic.
Word Made Flesh looks like Part 4 of a series. Do you need to have read parts 1-3?"

No, not at all. They're all set in the same fictional city, but there's no continuing narrative between the books. I chose this one because it's my favorite in the series, though any of them would work with the theme.

By the way, there doesn't appear to be a kindle edition, but there is an e-book. Plus there are a bunch of paperbacks and hardcovers for cheap on the Amazon marketplace.

Edited: There is a kindle version.
http://www.amazon.com/Word-Made-Flesh...

This probably won't appeal to a wide demographic, but the first book that popped into my mind with this theme is Stephen King's The Shining. The hotel really is a character in the story.

Candace wrote: "This probably won't appeal to a wide demographic, but the first book that popped into my mind with this theme is Stephen King's The Shining. The hotel really is a character in the story."

I actually like that idea (especially since it is on the 1001 books list and I am working on that).

A. wrote: "Nicholas wrote: "...Set This House in Order: A Romance of Souls....

This looks absolutely brilliant. Thank you."

Thank YOU. I think it's definitely worth tracking down, and it seems to be internationally widely available used.

Nicholas wrote: "Edited: There is a kindle version.
http://www.amazon.com/Word-Made-Flesh... ..."

Sadly, not for Ruby. It must be limited to certain regions. :(

Damn! Well, the publisher has other ebook links, including Google and iTunes:

http://mysteriouspress.com/products/h...

Not sure if those can be accessed outside of the US either or if they'll work with any e-reader.

Candace wrote: "This probably won't appeal to a wide demographic, but the first book that popped into my mind with this theme is Stephen King's The Shining. The hotel really is a character in the story."

That is the first book that cam to my mind too. It's on my reading list this year.

Can I replace my second nomination with Neverwhere? Because it is so completely perfect for this theme. Subway stations personified, what's better than that?

My nomination: Blood Meridian by Cormac MaCarthy. It's something I have never read but I have always wanted to. The place is the American West(which dominates as a personality) and from what i've heard, it's one of the best.

Daniel wrote: "My nomination: Blood Meridian by Cormac MaCarthy. It's something I have never read but I have always wanted to. The place is the American West(which dominates as a personality) and from what i've h..."

That was another one I wanted to nominate! One of my all time favorite books. The landscape is very much a personality, as you said. Extreme violence warning.

Once the selection is made, can we suggest others to go on the bookshelves?

Sure. After the poll is completed, I'll start a Bookshelf thread if you like.

I may well include all 3 of your nominations too, Whitney. I must be in a good mood or something.

Ruby wrote: "Sure. After the poll is completed, I'll start a Bookshelf thread if you like.

Cool.

I may well include all 3 of your nominations too, Whitney. I must be in a good mood or something."

Hey, thanks, but I'm not greedy - two is fine with me :-) (Plus I'm tending towards someone else's nomination for my vote.)

Whitney wrote: "Can I replace my second nomination with Neverwhere? Because it is so completely perfect for this theme. Subway stations personified, what's better than that?"

Ooh, yes! I had forgotten about this one, but Neverwhere is a really good choice and something I've been meaning to read for years (ever since I saw the series on BBC when I was in my teens - I think I have it right that he wrote the screenplay first, then he turned it into a novel). I may be voting for something other than one of my own nominations too.

I'm not going to nominate this, since there are other nominations I'd rather read... but.... what about something like
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?

My second actual nomination is: The Brief History of the Dead. The City is where people go after they die, and they stay as long as somebody remembers them. It's also generated by the souls themselves. Kinda.

Jon wrote: "A respected friend urges me to read Tales of the South Pacific by James Michener. This of course was the basis for the beloved musical “South Pacific.” You may know that South Pacific had a then-co..."

I heard that there was also pressure to remove the song "You've Got to Be Carefully Taught" (where Lt. Cable sings about racism being taught to you by your family and friends) from the movie; thank goodness they refused. That was always one of my favorite parts.

I've read Tales of the South Pacific before. It's quite good, but for those who've only seen the movie, it's different. It's not so much a novel as a series of short stories with slight overlap -- makes for quick reading.

Ruby wrote: "I'm not going to nominate this, since there are other nominations I'd rather read... but.... what about something like
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?"

Yes, another great one! That's why this will be a bookshelf of awesomeness!

Ruby wrote: "My second actual nomination is: The Brief History of the Dead. The City is where people go after they die, and they stay as long as somebody remembers them. It's also generated by the souls themsel..."

I've been meaning to read this one forever!

Tammy wrote: "Jon wrote: "A respected friend urges me to read Tales of the South Pacific by James Michener. This of course was the basis for the beloved musical “South Pacific.” You may know that South Pacific h..."

South Pacific is definitely one of my favorite musicals, so I may have to check this out. Though who knows if I'll like it as much without sailors singing "There's Nothing Like A Dame"!

The Willows by Algernon Blackwood the scariest book I have read ever.

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

It's very much a study of the England of Gaskell's day, with the industrialized north and the rural south.

For a very literal idea, The Merlin Conspiracy has a place that is a character with a personality. And like the people who mentioned Howl's Moving Castle earlier, I think Diana Wynne Jones is a great author who I enjoy as an adult even though I know she technically writes "kids" books. I wish I knew her stories as a kid.

While I haven't read this one myself, when I asked my partner his thoughts this was yelled without hesitation, and I do like a DWJ read. Will keep thinking for number two...

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Howl's Moving Castle andRailseabecause in Railsea, the trains are used so much that they will probably seem to be like characters.

The Haunting of Hill House

I loved the nomination for The Shining so much I thought of another one 1408.

I think Speaker for the Dead would be brilliant, and I would happily withdraw one of my previous nominations, but it's the second in a series and although it can be read as a stand alone, it definitely has more impact if you've already read Ender's Game. Anybody else read this? What do you think? (I'm thinking about the sentient "trees" etc. making it suitable for a place with personality).

Of course, blatantly ignoring the fact I'm already way over my personal quota, Gulliver's Travels is one of the MOST classic books for Places as Personalities.

Riona wrote: "Tammy wrote: "Jon wrote: "A respected friend urges me to read Tales of the South Pacific by James Michener. This of course was the basis for the beloved musical “South Pacific.” You may know that S..."

"There ain't nothing wrong with any man here
That can't be cured by putting him near
A girly womanly female feminine
Dame!"

Good point, Riona!

Can I just remind people to try to explain how your nominations fit with the theme of "Places AS Personalities"?

I'm not familiar with most of these, so I can't comment on any specifically. The idea is though, that the place should pretty much be treated as a character in its own right.

Oh, dear, I'm late to the party, but I have to correct the China Miéville nominations: The City and The City is THE definitive "Place as Personality" (though, I quite like the nomination for The Shining, because that place really is alive).

The location of The City and The City is not only a character, but it's a character with a serious psychosis.

Hehe. Your own prophesy has come to pass. Several Mieville nominations!

Derek wrote: "Oh, dear, I'm late to the party, but I have to correct the China Miéville nominations: The City and The City is THE definitive "Place as Personality"

Yes it is, and a much plausible suggestion for a group read as it isn't as time consuming (only around 300 pages).

Howls Moving Castle is a great suggestion, I loved the movie very much, I'd like to get my hands on the book ^^

Okay, since we're exceeding our nomination limits, and because it would be a shame if it wasn't on the final list, Invisible Cities. Because it is the definition of this theme. I don't think it would necessarily make a good discussion book, but it is a great book.

Derek wrote: "Oh, dear, I'm late to the party, but I have to correct the China Miéville nominations: The City and The City is THE definitive "Place as Personality" (though, I quite like the nomination for The Sh..."

So glad to see this one as a possibility, it's been on my TBR but I need a nudge to get started.