March 2011 Book of the Month: Poll

[boswellbaxter]

Vote for the March BOTM here! Poll closes on February 12.

India Black by Carol Karr

When Sir Archibald Latham of the War Office dies from a heart attack while visiting her brothel, Madam India Black is unexpectedly thrust into a deadly game between Russian and British agents who are seeking the military secrets Latham carried.

Blackmailed into recovering the missing documents by the British spy known as French, India finds herself dodging Russian agents-and the attraction she starts to feel for the handsome conspirator.

The Raven's Bride by Lenore Hart

When eight-year-old Virginia "Sissy" Clemm meets her handsome cousin, Edgar Allan Poe, he seems the very image of the make-believe husband she conjures up in childhood games. He’s thirteen years her elder, but kind, soft-spoken,brooding, and, handsome. Eddy floats in and out of her life as he fails his way through West Point and then the army. Each time he returns to Baltimore, their odd friendship grows, and her understanding of the moody, troubled writer deepens.

As Sissy prepares for a career on the musical stage, her childhood crush turns to love. When she is 13, Eddy proposes marriage, swearing to care for her forever. Yet even child brides eventually grow up, and it's really Eddy who needs caring for, who leans on her. She gains his complete devotion, true -- yet also must endure his abrupt disappearances, strange moods, and the aftermath of alcoholic binges. Then, when she falls ill, Poe’s greatest fear – that he’ll once again lose a woman he loves – drives him both to near-madness, and to his greatest literary achievement.

Star of the Sea by Joseph O'Connor


In the bitter winter of 1847, from an Ireland torn by injustice and natural disaster, the Star of the Sea sets sail for New York. On board are hundreds of fleeing refugees. Among them are a maidservant with a devastating secret, bankrupt Lord Merridith and his family, an aspiring novelist, a maker of revolutionary ballads, all braving the Atlantic in search of a new home. Each is connected more deeply than they can possibly know. But a camouflaged killer is stalking the decks, hungry for the vengeance that will bring absolution. The twenty-six day journey will see many lives end, others begin afresh. In a spellbinding story of tragedy and mercy, love and healing, the further the ship sails towards the Promised Land, the more her passengers seem moored to a past which will never let them go.

[Divia]

Wow. I'm surprised that there is only 3 books this month.

[Margaret]

Looks like we won't need a run-off!

[Brenna]

Wow. I'm surprised that there is only 3 books this month.

I have to admit I am not that surprised. It seems like interest and participation in BOTM has been dwindling.

[Margaret]

Seems like the last few choices have not had very many readers, and there has been little, if any discussion on the BOM threads. Maybe with so much interest in this one, the discussion thread will revive.

We had quite a good discussion on Wolf Hall, as I recall, as well as on some other BOM choices. The key, I think, is to pick a book a sufficient number of us really will read, and which offers an interesting enough reading experience that people can have varied reactions to it that are worth discussing.

[Misfit]

Seems like the last few choices have not had very many readers, and there has been little, if any discussion on the BOM threads. Maybe with so much interest in this one, the discussion thread will revive.

We had quite a good discussion on Wolf Hall, as I recall, as well as on some other BOM choices. The key, I think, is to pick a book a sufficient number of us really will read, and which offers an interesting enough reading experience that people can have varied reactions to it that are worth discussing.

Margaret, nicely said. I've noticed that the BOTM threads have been a little sparse lately as well. I'm not I'm not the only one, but I can't always fit the current book into my reading schedule, as well as there are times there really isn't a lot to *discuss* unless we've got a more controversial book.

[Divia]

Maybe we should pick a more controversial book.

I'll be honest none of the books have interested me because most are European history. The one that was American didn't appeal to others. Plus I'm not big on nonfiction books unless they are about the Victorian Era.

Out of the past 6 months I think I read 1 book....

[Margaret]

I'm reading The Raven's Bride now, so will join the discussion next month, as long as at least one other person reads and comments on it.

Maybe for our next BOM, we should focus on shorter novels that a member has already read and can strongly recommend as both good reading and enough out of the ordinary to spark an interesting discussion. I can think of several that would qualify and which I haven't already nominated - and I'm sure other members can, as well. Of course, the novel should be readily available - that's already part of our system for choosing the BOM.

[Divia]

That might work.

[LoveHistory]

I rarely participate in BTOM due to bugetary issues. Unless I already have the book or can pick it up locally, I'm not likely to participate.

[boswellbaxter]

I put a poll up about the future of BOTM here:

http://www.historicalfictiononline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4345

[Madeleine]

I'll usually go along with the poll if it's a book I have on a tbr pile; sometimes a book nominated by someone in the US might not yet be available in the UK or only be out in hardback, and vice versa, or might be out of print in one domain etc.

I've posted some more comments on the shall we keep BOTM thread.

[Ash]

We had quite a good discussion on Wolf Hall, as I recall, as well as on some other BOM choices. The key, I think, is to pick a book a sufficient number of us really will read, and which offers an interesting enough reading experience that people can have varied reactions to it that are worth discussing.

Exactly. Wolf Hall and Company of Liars are two that stand out recently. They were books that were easy to discuss because they were complex and layered. It also helps if one person, say the person who nominated the book, could be a cheerleader for the discussion, encouraging others to participate by nudging the book in other threads, or just in general being an eager participant of it.

[Margaret]

It also helps if one person, say the person who nominated the book, could be a cheerleader for the discussion, encouraging others to participate by nudging the book in other threads, or just in general being an eager participant of it.

Yes, good idea!

[annis]

Yes, I agree with Ash. If one or two people are excited enough about a book to get a discussion going it usually has a follow-on effect. Sometimes I wonder what happened to all the members who nominated a winning BOTM :)

One problem for me is older books which I've read in the past. Even if I really enjoyed them at the time, I'd have to re-read them to discuss them properly. I've usually moved on, and have too many ones I haven't read yet that I want to get on with. If it's going to involve buying a book that I may not be super keen on I wouldn't usually bother either.

[Divia]

I dont think I or Misfit could have been anymore of a cheerleader for My name is Mary..... than we already were.

[Vanessa]

I've mentioned on another thread that Mary Sutter wasn't published in the UK until January so it was difficult for those such as myself to participate in the discussion.

Some books have set discussion questions - I wonder if they would help with getting a discussion going? We don't have to answer any specifically but could help as memory joggers!

[Ash]

Oh gawd those are usually so awful. They are usually rather shallow and read like a HS lit class exam. There are a few that might be jumping off questions that lead to others, but I wouldn't want to base a discussion on them

That being said, how about this? The person who nominates the book comes up with a few questions that he thought might lead to some good discussion, then post them at the top of the month's page. That would get people thinking about the questions, thinking about how the book might approach them, and then actually read and discuss said book. (repost in poll thread)

[Vanessa]

Yes, I must admit some of the questions are like being back at school. I was just thinking that some of them could be prompts of what to discuss - not individually answered specifically. I think your idea of someone putting forward their own questions is a good one. It's not always easy to think them up, though.

Actually, the discussion can be better if the book is disliked - probably more to chat about. :rolleyes:

[boswellbaxter]

We have a winner!

The Raven's Bride by Lenore Hart

[Margaret]

I'm halfway through and promise to join the discussion!

[Ash]

I just went to the Amazon site and noticed there is another book of the same name. Don't confuse this

http://www.amazon.com/Ravens-Bride-Lynn-Kerstan/dp/0061084220

with this

http://www.amazon.com/Ravens-Bride-Novel-Lenore-Hart/dp/0312604335/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0

(we are reading the latter, I believe :)

[Margaret]

Aw, Ash, now you have gone and spoiled everyone's fun. :D Wouldn't it have been a blast to have people discussing both books in the BOM thread under the impression everyone was discussing the same one?

[Ash]

LOL! Yes, that could be very interesting. Ah well.

[Undine]

Hello there. I'm new to this board, and would like to join in the discussion for "The Raven's Bride" once it gets underway.

If it's at all possible, I'd love it if anyone here who is reading this novel can also look at a 1956 novel which was also told from the viewpoint of Virginia Poe--Cothburn O'Neal's "The Very Young Mrs. Poe." Hart's novel has so many scenes--even lines of dialogue--that are so similar to O'Neal's novel that I found it disturbing. I'd really appreciate it if someone else compared the two books and weigh in on whether or not I'm right in being...troubled by this.

[Ash]

Mmm, thats very interesting - and sad if true. I hate hearing about plagarism. Think I might google this and see if there is any connection.

ETA this review of RB found on the World of Poe website says this:

Although I must say that I found myself quite fascinated by the fact that Ms. Hart must be--how can I best put it?--a great admirer of Cothburn O'Neal's earlier novel "The Very Young Mrs. Poe." Seriously, I wish someone would read both books back-to-back and tell me if I'm wrong

[Divia]

Thats interesting, and sad if it is true. I just got the book today and look forward to reading it.

[Misfit]

Hello there. I'm new to this board, and would like to join in the discussion for "The Raven's Bride" once it gets underway.

If it's at all possible, I'd love it if anyone here who is reading this novel can also look at a 1956 novel which was also told from the viewpoint of Virginia Poe--Cothburn O'Neal's "The Very Young Mrs. Poe." Hart's novel has so many scenes--even lines of dialogue--that are so similar to O'Neal's novel that I found it disturbing. I'd really appreciate it if someone else compared the two books and weigh in on whether or not I'm right in being...troubled by this.

Hi and welcome. Intersting post and since my library has the new one on order plus the old one in the catalog I'm going to try and look at both. Thanks for this.