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Book of the Month themes

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Divia
Bibliomaniac
Posts: 4435
Joined: August 2008
Location: Always Cloudy, Central New York

Post by Divia » Sat January 17th, 2009, 8:52 pm

[quote=""LoveHistory""]How about Colonial America?[/quote]


The Tory Window is coming up for publication soon, right? That would be perfect.
News, views, and reviews on books and graphic novels for young adult.
http://yabookmarks.blogspot.com/

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MLE (Emily Cotton)
Bibliomaniac
Posts: 3566
Joined: August 2008
Interest in HF: started in childhood with the classics, which, IMHO are HF even if they were contemporary when written.
Favourite HF book: Prince of Foxes, by Samuel Shellabarger
Preferred HF: Currently prefer 1600 and earlier, but I'll read anything that keeps me turning the page.
Location: California Bay Area

Post by MLE (Emily Cotton) » Sat January 17th, 2009, 9:11 pm

How about a theme of HF with lower-class main characters? The queens, kings and nobles are better-known, of course, but books like Girl With a Pearl Earring told me a lot about real life for 90% of the population.

Another theme might be HF featuring places as the 'main character'. Houses, or countries, or even cathedrals (I'm thinking Hunchback of Notre Dame here, not Pillars.)

What about seafaring novels? Plenty to choose from there.

Novels about exploration?

Novels about famous scientists, astronomers, engineers, etc.? (I don't know how many of those there are, but I did enjoy 'Galileo's daughter' NF)

Classic HF that was written before 1900?

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LCW
Compulsive Reader
Posts: 756
Joined: August 2008
Location: Southern California

Post by LCW » Sun January 18th, 2009, 4:00 am

[quote=""MLE""]How about a theme of HF with lower-class main characters? The queens, kings and nobles are better-known, of course, but books like Girl With a Pearl Earring told me a lot about real life for 90% of the population.

[/quote]

Love that, MLE!

I'd like to see a theme on villainesses. Bad, wicked women would be cool to read about!
Books to the ceiling,
Books to the sky,
My pile of books is a mile high.
How I love them! How I need them!
I'll have a long beard by the time I read them. --Arnold Lobel

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Misfit
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Posts: 9581
Joined: August 2008
Location: Seattle, WA

Post by Misfit » Sun January 18th, 2009, 1:36 pm

[quote=""LCW""]Love that, MLE!

I'd like to see a theme on villainesses. Bad, wicked women would be cool to read about![/quote]

Ooh yes, and big bad villains as well. :) :) :)

I liked the suggestion of books on the regular folks instead of the kings and queens and lords and ladies we always see. That's been the best part of Anand's Bridges Over Time Series, getting to see what life was like in medieval England for the villeins, serfs and yeomen.

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Divia
Bibliomaniac
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Joined: August 2008
Location: Always Cloudy, Central New York

Post by Divia » Sun January 18th, 2009, 4:44 pm

I agree. Average people would be an interesting topic.

Do we get to vote on the topics or do you just pick the best ones?
News, views, and reviews on books and graphic novels for young adult.
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Leo62
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Location: London
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Post by Leo62 » Sun January 18th, 2009, 4:58 pm

Some great ideas - love the medieval plebs, voyages, explorations, scientists :p

Here's my tuppence-worth:

Periods of revolution and/or rebellion.

Culture clash, e.g. east meets west, colonialism.

Spies.

Betrayal.

Timeslip.

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diamondlil
Bibliomaniac
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Joined: August 2008

Post by diamondlil » Sun January 18th, 2009, 7:51 pm

I was just going to pick one. We have enough here for about 3 years worth of themes!
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There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.

Edith Wharton

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