All righty, a hat and some bits of paper were fussed with and an order has been selected. It's going to take a bit of time to get around to everyone, I'm afraid, because there are 24 of us! I hope it doesn't look like too much of a long-term commitment...
So, here we go:
October 07 - Rita
November 07 - millymoo
December 07 - scorpy
January 08 - hungry hungry hypocrite
February 08 - ThirdCat
March 08 - killerrabbit
April 08 - phishez_rule
May 08 - beer and skittles
June 08 - gigglewick
July 08 - audrey
August 08 - actonb
September 08 - Ariel
October 08 - nai
November 08 - harriet
December 08 - sakura
January 09 - Rosanna
February 09 - the ianandan expedition
March 09 - feminkneesm
April 09 - Chesty LaRue
May 09 - kiki
June 09 - yoffi
July 09 - blakkat
August 09 - dot
September 09 - gerl
October 09 - Mary Bennett
In the interest of getting things rolling, I'll take actonb's suggestion and start us off with a book from Booker Prize long list. September's book will be Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones. The English bookies are paying 20/1 on it winning. Ian McEwan is the favourite to win with On Chesil Beach, but I'm still carrying a grudge over the first half of Atonement being such a monumental pain the arse, so I wasn't going to go there.
Here's the blurb from the back of the jacket:
"After the trouble starts and the soldiers arrive on Matilda's tropical island, only one white person stays behind. Mr Watts wears a red nose and pulls his wife around on a trolley. The kids call him Pop Eye. But there is no one else to teach them their lessons. Mr Watts begins to read aloud to the class from his battered copy of Great Expectations, a book by his friend Mr Dickens.
"Soon Dickens' hero Pip starts to come alive for Matilda. She writes his name in the sane and decorates it with shells. Pip becomes as real to her as her own mother, and the greatest friendship of her life has begun.
"But Matilda is not the only one who believes in Pip. And, on an island at war, the power of the imagination can be a dangerously provocative thing."
Admittedly I haven't read Mister Pip yet, so I'm not sure what it will be like. It's had good reviews and it hasn't been on Oprah's Book Club yet, so I figure those are points in its favour. And it's not Ian McEwan, Harry Potter, Jane Austen or The Celestine Prophecy.
I'll post the review on 15 September. Gosh, I hope it's not a dog...
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31 comments:
Jeepers, I never heard of a blog with its first two years already organised.
Can't wait for the first review. Who knows, you might end up being like Oprah's Book Club and getting millions of dollars from publishing houses as incentive to review their books.
What is it with new authors using classic characters in their work of late? March is a favourite of mine, but that was based upon the characters of Little Women.
Jan 09. I can relax for a bit then (ha)
jacob, erm, anal? Moi? I suppose I should just have done the first three, shouldn't I? After all, people might get bored and leave. But overthrowing Oprah sounds like a dandy plan for world domination!
rosanna, yeah, I know it's a popular device at the moment. A bit like the old unreliable narrator. Fingers crossed this one doesn't suck.
dude - I would so be signing on if not for the fact that I can't get freakin' gmail to open
(actual example of language likely to be used in my review - bet you can't wait)
What an effort! Book sounds good so far, looking forward to picking it up tomorrow.
I shall pencil this into my diary ...
At least there is a LOT of time for me to think of the perfect book.
Nice work redcap with all the organising. And would it be totally rude of me to ask if the place could do with a little customised visual sprucing, and offer my services for such if required?
gw, what is it with gmail? It has an unreasonable hate against me - I can't even create an account!
dan, thanks :)
chesty, no, it wouldn't be rude at all. It is rather dull. I took some photos of a stack of books on the weekend that I was planning to set as the background, but I didn't have itme. I'll see if my HTML is up to it, but if it isn't, or it looks crap, I will definitely call on you for some help!
Hi Redcap and fellow Paper Ds
Is it OK to select a 'classic' to review? You now, something like 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime'? or waaay back, such as 'The Grapes of Wrath'?
I ask not only because I'm not 'up' with all the short-listed literacy lists and because I'll have to think of my book by October
yours respectfully (and desk leaning to one side with the pile of books to read when current work project is completed)
MillyMoo
milly, can't see why not. Or you could ask for someone to swap with you, perhaps?
I hope noone steals the book I want to write about...actually there are two books that I have read this year that have blown me away...should I nominate them now so I can keep them for myself? Selfish aren't I :)
PS...I have just read that Milly has nominated one of my Books ~sob~
Let's raise our glasses to redcap. (clink-clkink-clinks). To a splendid job of organising this here bookery of a clambake. Cheers!
I'll drink to that.
Let's face it, I'll drink to anything xo
Oh excellent! I have heard good things about Mr Pip and now I have an excuse to go get it!
And 'me too' (coz it's so hott right now) to all those who said thanks for doing the organising - you've done a fabulouso job Redcap!
To Redcap! (raises glass)
I've read Mister Pip and loved it, so look forward to revisiting it ... and if I don't get around to it, I look forward to being able to take part in a relatively informed manner anyway. Hurrah!
Oh my goodness...I'm not on for 2 years - when I first read it I thought it would be next year but then I read the year...
See you all in 2 years! (Just kidding - I'm here...always watching you).
I come to congratulate you with your work, very good, and to desire good vacations to you
Very much looking forward to this - and redcap, you are admirably organised. If anyone is pushed for ideas for books to select, this blog is quite good:
http://bookedy.blogspot.com
Lots of good reviews etc.
Hurrah for Redcap! Nice job!
*guzzles in honour of nice job*
Very very exciting. I just visited my favourite bookshop and bought 5 books on the weekend, now I will have to go an buy another. Yipee.
Nice work Red
Awww, thanks everybody. I'm feeling all warm and fuzzy now!
Scorpy, you're in December, so you tell us your pick now if you like. If it's the Dog in the Nighttime, I'm guessing pretty well everyone has already read it, so I guess it would make for an easy December...
Femikneesm, thanks for the link - I'll add it to the book sites.
Yoffi, sorry :( It is a bit of a long list, I know. But post any other reviews you like in the meantime to tide you over.
rosanna, I too will drink to anything, as I've proved on numerous occasions :P
yeah good work Red - can't wait to read el numero uno review.
Red, Yes it was 'Dog in the night time...' but I suppose that is because the subject matter is so close to me as my daughter has it. I would actually like to nominate 'The time travellers Wife' or would you prefer I pick something that really new?
scorpy, totally up to you, old sport. You pick whatever you like -so long as it's not James Joyce, of course ;)
You know what's so totally awesome?
(Apart from Die Hard 4.0 of course...)
I'm actually going to get off my arse and join the local library now!
After all those raised glasses, I am rather sloshed, but as I can never stop drinking after my first 3, let's have another gulp for Red!
Ahhh.
Also, how would people feel about setting up a mailing list for the contributors? Not to make it public, just so that we can all contact each other with ease.
acton, well done you! Apart from uni library cards, I can't remember the last time I had one...
nai, hmm, dunno. Reckon it's that necessary? I'll be guided by everyone else.
I feel there are not enough people with sleep disorders and associated bladder conditions represented in this comment thread.
july '09??
this is ridiculous
i've already written an awesome revue of a book and you're saying i have to wait two years??
i don't think so
kiki, if you've written a review, please post it now! July 09 is just when you get to choose a book for everyone to read and discuss. Sorry - we've got a few people to get around to.
... So I'll see you guys in two years, yeah?
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