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Choose wisely! This poll is closed. |
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| Thinking Fast and Slow |
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9 | 8.41% |
| Go Set a Watchman |
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10 | 9.35% |
| Between the World and Me |
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22 | 20.56% |
| Speak |
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6 | 5.61% |
| Apathy and Other Small Victories |
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4 | 3.74% |
| The Library at Mount Char |
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15 | 14.02% |
| Traitor's Blade |
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9 | 8.41% |
| The Killer Angels |
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2 | 1.87% |
| The Moonstone |
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10 | 9.35% |
| The Dinosaur Lords |
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20 | 18.69% |
| Total: | 107 votes | ||
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CHOOOSE Ok, here are the poll options for next month's book of the month. Vote early, vote often! You can vote for more than one book if you want. You can vote for a book you've already read if you want. As always, though, please only vote if you plan on actually participating in the discussion if that book is selected. Doesn't have to be a witty or brilliant comment or anything, "this book was too loving long" or whatever is fine, just please if you vote for a book think of it as making some minimal commitment. I use these polls as an interest check, so don't click if you aren't interested. Thanks! Depending on how this vote goes, since there are so many options this month, we may do a runoff with the top few vote-getters. This could go down to the wire! 1) Thinking Fast and Slow by Kahneman quote:The mind is a hilariously muddled compromise between incompatible modes of thought in this fascinating treatise by a giant in the field of decision research. Nobel-winning psychologist Kahneman (Attention and Effort) posits a brain governed by two clashing decision-making processes. The largely unconscious System 1, he contends, makes intuitive snap judgments based on emotion, memory, and hard-wired rules of thumb; the painfully conscious System 2 laboriously checks the facts and does the math, but is so "lazy" and distractible that it usually defers to System 1. Kahneman uses this scheme to frame a scintillating discussion of his findings in cognitive psychology and behavioral economics, and of the ingenious experiments that tease out the irrational, self-contradictory logics that underlie our choices. We learn why we mistake statistical noise for coherent patterns; why the stock-picking of well-paid investment advisers and the prognostications of pundits are worthless; why businessmen tend to be both absurdly overconfident and unwisely risk-averse; and why memory affects decision making in counterintuitive ways. Kahneman's primer adds to recent challenges to economic orthodoxies about rational actors and efficient markets; more than that, it's a lucid, marvelously readable guide to spotting--and correcting--our biased misunderstandings of the world. (Publishers' Weekly (starred review)) This is one of the best pop-science books I've read and you'll learn a lot of truly useful things about how you and other people think from reading it. The science is solid and it'll help you understand why a lot of seemingly inexplicable things about the human mind, aren't. If everyone read this, we'd be living in a different world that understood itself better. 2) Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee http://www.amazon.com/Go-Set-Watchman-A-Novel/dp/0062409859 It's a new release, it's literary, it's going to be controversial regardless, even publishing it was probably inethical. quote:Go Set a Watchman is a novel by Harper Lee published on July 14, 2015, by HarperCollins in the United States and William Heinemann in the United Kingdom. Although publicized as a sequel, it is actually the first draft (Lee herself referred to it as the "parent")[2] of her first and only other published novel, the Pulitzer Prize-winning To Kill a Mockingbird (1960).[3][2] The title comes from Isaiah 21:6: "For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth."[4] It alludes to Jean Louise Finch's view of her father, Atticus Finch, as the moral compass ("watchman") of Maycomb,[5] and has a theme of disillusionment, as she realizes the extent of the bigotry in her home community. http://jezebel.com/atticus-was-always-a-racist-why-go-set-a-watchman-is-n-1718996096 http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/07/27/sweet-home-alabama http://www.theonion.com/article/harper-lee-announces-third-novel-my-excellent-care-50840 3) Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates http://www.amazon.com/Between-World-Me-Ta-Nehisi-Coates/dp/0812993543 quote:An Amazon Best Book of July 2015: Readers of his work in The Atlantic and elsewhere know Ta-Nehisi Coates for his thoughtful and influential writing on race in America. Written as a series of letters to his teenaged son, his new memoir, Between the World and Me, walks us through the course of his life, from the tough neighborhoods of Baltimore in his youth, to Howard University—which Coates dubs “The Mecca” for its revelatory community of black students and teachers—to the broader Meccas of New York and Paris. Coates describes his observations and the evolution of his thinking on race, from Malcolm X to his conclusion that race itself is a fabrication, elemental to the concept of American (white) exceptionalism. Ferguson, Trayvon Martin, and South Carolina are not bumps on the road of progress and harmony, but the results of a systemized, ubiquitous threat to “black bodies” in the form of slavery, police brutality, and mass incarceration. Coates is direct and, as usual, uncommonly insightful and original. There are no wasted words. This is a powerful and exceptional book.--Jon Foro Coates is a brilliant writer and he's probably the most biting critic on American racial issues who still manages to speak to mainstream audiences. http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/07/the-toxic-world-view-of-ta-nehisi-coates-120512.html#.VbGmurNVhBc (by The National Review's Rich Lowry!) 4) Speak by Louisa Hall http://www.amazon.com/Speak-A-Novel-Louisa-Hall/dp/0062391194 quote:Her new novel, Speak, explores what happens to humanity when machines have no trouble at all acting human. The book cuts back and forth between five characters, in five different time periods, who all contribute — some unwittingly — to the creation of an artificial intelligence. http://www.npr.org/2015/07/04/419246275/if-robots-speak-will-we-listen-novel-imagines-a-future-changed-by-ai It's on NPR so you know it's for smart people! This is probably a good pick if you like genre fiction and SF but want something a little more challenging. 5) Apathy and Other Small Victories by Paul Neilan http://www.amazon.com/Apathy-Other-Small-Victories-Neilan/dp/0312352190 quote:The only thing Shane cares about is leaving. Usually on a Greyhound bus, right before his life falls apart again. Just like he planned. But this time it's complicated: there's a sadistic corporate climber who thinks she's his girlfriend, a rent-subsidized affair with his landlord's wife, and the bizarrely appealing deaf assistant to Shane's cosmically unstable dentist. When one of the women is murdered, and Shane is the only suspect who doesn't care enough to act like he didn't do it, the question becomes just how he'll clear the good name he never had and doesn't particularly want: his own. So, that's a protagonist most goons can identify with! Plus it sounds like it's entertaining enough: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3731408#post448008533 6) ]The Library at Mount Char http://www.amazon.com/The-Library-at-Mount-Char/dp/0553418602 quote:Not exactly literary, but how about The Library at Mount Char? It got a bit of a buzz in the fantasy and horror threads: basically it's modern fantasy that starts off weirdly nonsensical, becomes a page-turner thrillerthingamajig around the midway point and ends on a pretty crazy note while being very enjoyable all the way through. I'd think it's a good summer read. http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3731408#post447974072 This comes highly recommended and looks like a great entry if we want to do more urban fantasy, but it's a little off the beaten track it seems, despite lots of great reviews. 7) Traitor's Blade by Sebastien de Casell quote:When fantasy has gotten so grim and dark that the term "grimdark" has been coined to describe certain authors, things may have gone slightly overboard. With Traitor's Blade, the first installment of a new fantasy series called the Greatcoat Quartet, author Sebastien de Castell seems to be taking a stand against the grimdark wave. Unlike the bleak, bloody work of George R.R. Martin and Joe Abercrombie, Traitor's Blade is a swashbuckling romp packed with charisma, camaraderie, quick wit and even quicker swordplay. That said, it's far from candy-coated — and it packs some serious substance. flosofl posted:I just finished Traitor's Blade about 20 minutes ago (which I got because of this thread), and I haven't been so amped by a fantasy book since Lies of Lock Lamora. I immediately purchased Knight's Shadow. http://www.npr.org/2014/07/15/325491349/review-traitors-blade This is a relatively new series that's supposed to be all that and a bag of chips, very lies-of-locke-lamora-esque. Plus, it's also on NPR! It can't be completely for stupids then, right? 8) The Killer Angels by Michael Sharra quote:“My favorite historical novel . . . a superb re-creation of the Battle of Gettysburg, but its real importance is its insight into what the war was about, and what it meant.”—James M. McPherson quote:The late Shaara's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel (1974) concerns the battle of Gettysburg and was the basis for the 1993 film Gettysburg. The events immediately before and during the battle are seen through the eyes of Confederate Generals Lee, Longstreet, and Armistead and Federal General Buford, Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain, and a host of others. The author's ability to convey the thoughts of men in war as well as their confusion-the so-called "fog of battle"-is outstanding. This unabridged version is read clearly by award-winning actor George Hearn, who gives each character a different voice and effectively conveys their personalities; chapters and beginnings and ends of sides are announced. Music from the movie version adds to the drama. All this comes in a beautiful package with a battle map. esn2500 posted:So any novel past or present that we really liked reading? http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3731408#post448014153 9) The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins quote:The Moonstone (1868) by Wilkie Collins is a 19th-century British epistolary novel, generally considered the first detective novel in the English language. The story was originally serialised in Charles Dickens' magazine All the Year Round. The Moonstone and The Woman in White are considered Wilkie Collins' best novels. Besides creating many of the ground rules of the detective novel, The Moonstone also reflected Collins' enlightened social attitudes in his treatment of the servants in the novel. Collins adapted The Moonstone for the stage in 1877, but the production was performed for only two months. . . . . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moonstone I'm including this one because I wanted to make sure we had an option for at least one free book. I've read an absurd amount of out-of-copyright fiction on my kindle and this is my personal pick for the best "forgotten favorite" of the lot. It's genre fiction which people are asking for, it's literary (at least in that it has a patina of age, if nothing else), it's classy, it's a great story, there's a lot of social subtext and implicit commentary on British colonialism, etc. 10) Comedy Option: The Dinosaur Lords by Victor Milan  http://grrm.livejournal.com/388192.html I can't think of anything I could say that would add to that cover. Comes out July 28th. You wanted more new releases, right? Those are the options for August. As above, there may be a runoff, maybe not. EDIT: Because I cannot see who voted for what, only votes made in the actual poll by clicking on the vote button will be counted. Votes made by posting "I vote for X" won't count. Hieronymous Alloy fucked around with this message at 04:05 on Jul 24, 2015 |
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Jul 24, 2015 03:27
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Traitor's Blade gets my vote.
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Jul 24, 2015 03:52
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Ornamented Death posted:Traitor's Blade gets my vote. You have to click the button for it to count! Hieronymous Alloy fucked around with this message at 03:56 on Jul 24, 2015 |
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Jul 24, 2015 03:53
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:You have to click the button for it to count! Huh, the poll doesn't show up on the mobile app. Or at least the version I'm using. I'll cast an official vote next time I'm at a computer.
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Jul 24, 2015 03:57
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Ornamented Death posted:Huh, the poll doesn't show up on the mobile app. Or at least the version I'm using. Yeah for some reason the mobile app doesn't handle the polls well. Great suggestions all around, I want to read all of these.
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Jul 24, 2015 03:59
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I vote for Franchescanado fucked around with this message at 14:23 on Jul 24, 2015 |
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Jul 24, 2015 04:01
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Dang, I would vote for four but I felt I should vote for the one I suggested!
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Jul 24, 2015 04:22
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thehomemaster posted:Dang, I would vote for four but I felt I should vote for the one I suggested! I hope it's Dinosaur Lords. I work at a bookstore and this motherfucker is just sitting in the backroom screaming for me to check it out. One of the only perks to working here. That loving cover.
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Jul 24, 2015 04:26
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thehomemaster posted:Dang, I would vote for four but I felt I should vote for the one I suggested! You *should* be able to vote for more than one option, unless I hosed up the poll settings, which is perfectly possible. edit: nevermind yeah sorry that one's my bad
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Jul 24, 2015 04:26
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:You *should* be able to vote for more than one option, unless I hosed up the poll settings, which is perfectly possible. I could only vote once.
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Jul 24, 2015 04:28
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Carteret posted:I could only vote once. Yeah, I hosed up the settings somehow. I'll see if I can fix it but may not be possible w/out a new thread which would be a pain.
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Jul 24, 2015 04:30
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I wouldn't worry about it, just go with the flow!
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Jul 24, 2015 04:42
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It's been a few months since I've done one of these, but The Traitor's Blade is on my to-read list, and The Dinosaur Lords just made my list with that cover.
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Jul 24, 2015 05:28
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The moonstone is real cool though
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Jul 24, 2015 06:15
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Guess it's going to be Dinosaur Lords. Not like anyone wasn't going to read this!
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Jul 24, 2015 06:22
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thehomemaster posted:Guess it's going to be Dinosaur Lords. I hate genre fiction.
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Jul 24, 2015 06:27
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Ornamented Death posted:Traitor's Blade gets my vote. Ditto
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Jul 24, 2015 07:48
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Had to vote Dinosaur Lords because I know absolutely nothing about it and I'm going to read it purely based on that cover.
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Jul 24, 2015 09:51
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Between the World and Me you group of absolute children
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Jul 24, 2015 11:05
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Mel Mudkiper posted:Between the World and Me you group of absolute children
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Jul 24, 2015 11:14
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Mel Mudkiper posted:Between the World and Me you group of absolute children What's wrong with the Moonstone
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Jul 24, 2015 11:54
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Can't beat knights riding dinosaurs lol
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Jul 24, 2015 13:18
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esn2500 posted:Can't beat knights riding dinosaurs lol This seems inevitable. 
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Jul 24, 2015 14:16
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I voted for The Moonstone because Wilkie Collins owns loving bones and if there were any justice in this world he'd be as well known as Dickens.
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Jul 24, 2015 15:00
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Mel Mudkiper posted:Between the World and Me you group of absolute children I voted for this too because barring anything else it is an important book on race and the discussion that is going to come out of it is going to be much more engaging than a few pages of "that part where he rode the triceratops tho!" Not trying to take away anything from your dino books tho fellas.
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Jul 24, 2015 16:03
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CountFosco posted:I voted for The Moonstone because Wilkie Collins owns loving bones and if there were any justice in this world he'd be as well known as Dickens. He really does. For what it's worth, of the nominees that I've read, Moonstone is the best read. Also I'm somewhat regretting listing Traitor's Blades. It's very entertaining but also very pulpy and somewhat lacking in "realism." -- reminded me a lot of the first Dresden book entertaining but obviously a first novel. probably should have gone to the source and just listed The Three Musketeers, except that I'm still scarred from reading Louise de Vallerie & The Man in the Iron Mask is so sad.
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Jul 24, 2015 16:18
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Dinos has a great cover but the novelty could wear off pretty quickly in text. It's also a fairly long book.
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Jul 24, 2015 17:02
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Peel posted:Dinos has a great cover but the novelty could wear off pretty quickly in text. It's also a fairly long book. This. Also, it's the first part of a planned series, so it may just devolve into loose ends.
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Jul 24, 2015 17:17
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I wish I could switch my vote to defeat the Dinosaur book. I wanted to read "The Killer Angels" but that's going to lose, and "The Library at Mount Char" sounds interesting. I also bought both, so please vote for those! The Moonstone also sounds really good.
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Jul 24, 2015 17:25
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Clearly I am a heretic for being unexcited about the Dinosaur book. Voted for Traitor's Blade, but The Library at Mount Char sounds intriguing too.
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Jul 24, 2015 18:03
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:He really does. For what it's worth, of the nominees that I've read, Moonstone is the best read. The Woman In White had me staying up at night to just keep reading so I could find out what came next in the story in a manner that I hadn't experienced since blazing through Tom Jones not long before it. He was able to produce that sort of "and then what happened?" curiosity that was what got me to love books in the first place.
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Jul 24, 2015 18:11
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Voted for moonstone. Doesn't look like it's going to win, but I'll be reading it regardless.
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Jul 24, 2015 22:12
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I voted Between the World and Me because it sounds interesting and because that the cover is probably the high point of that dinosaur book so I think we should appreciate it like that.
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Jul 24, 2015 22:47
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Can I change my vote from Speak to Between the World and Me?
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Jul 24, 2015 22:51
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There will (very likely) be a runoff vote from the 28th to the 31st, so don't be afraid to vote for entries you think "won't win."
Hieronymous Alloy fucked around with this message at 05:22 on Jul 25, 2015 |
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Jul 24, 2015 23:19
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:There will be a runoff vote from the 28th to the 31st, so don't be afraid to vote for entries you think "won't win." Murica. I'm about a third of the way through the Coates book. IMO, most people could read it in an afternoon. I'm a very slow reader and it took about an hour and a half to get a third of the way though it. shrug.
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Jul 25, 2015 04:44
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Yeah, after reading the descriptions of some of the books, there are other books that I'd enjoy doing a group read of than Traitor's Blade of The Dinosaur Lords. I actually really want to read The Library at Char.
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Jul 25, 2015 05:17
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I was in Italy once, in this little backwater town out in the middle of nowhere, and the bookstore had exactly one book in English, which was Wilkie Collins's The Moonstone.
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Jul 25, 2015 07:23
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| # ? Dec 9, 2024 04:54 |
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ROUND TWO: FIGHT! http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3733422
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Jul 28, 2015 02:08
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