Beyond Reality discussion

Hi everyone,

It's time to open nominations for our November 2016 Books of the Month. Each group member can make 1 science fiction and/or 1 fantasy nomination in this thread. If you would like to make a nomination, please reply to this post with the title and author of the book(s) you would like to put forward for the group’s consideration. A couple of suggestions to keep in mind:

1. Telling us a little about the book and why you think it would be a good group read can help get other members interested in reading (and voting for) your nomination.

2. To see if your nomination has already been read by the group, you can check:

a. the group's bookshelf for Previous Books of the Month

and/or

b. these threads:
Master List of Previous Books of the Month 2012-Present
Master List of Previous Books of the Month 2006-2011

Books the group has read in the past 2 years are not eligible for current consideration. Being chosen as a past BotM prior to that time is not an automatic disqualification, but be aware that it may hinder your nomination’s chances at the polls.

General guidelines:
• Feel free to re-nominate a book that didn’t win in the polls in previous months!
• For questions regarding specifics such as book formats, books in series, self-nomination and various rules for nominations, please see the group FAQ.
• Seconding isn't necessary in this group.
• Friendly discussion & debate is strongly encouraged, but let's please keep things civil.

Poll schedule:
• Nominations will remain open through Sunday, August 21.
• The first round of polls will open Monday, August 22, and will run through Friday, August 26.
• The run-off polls go up Saturday, August 27, and will be open through Wednesday, August 31.

Thanks!


NOMINATIONS SO FAR:


SCIENCE FICTION:
The Guns of the South by Harry Turtledove (Paul)
Her Smoke Rose Up Forever by James Tiptree Jr. (Nick)
Barsk: The Elephants' Graveyard by Lawrence M. Schoen (Justine)
The January Dancer by Michael Flynn (Mary)
The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson (Alexa)
Ringworld by Larry Niven (Sumant)
Stranger in a Strange Land Robert A. Heinlein (Joey)

FANTASY:
Thomas the Rhymer by Ellen Kushner (Paul)
Jurgen by James Branch Cabell (Wastrel)
All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders (Justine)
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz (Alexa)
The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher (Mary)
Theft of Swords by Michael J. Sullivan (Sumant)
Last Song Before Night by Ilana C. Myer (Kathi)
Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley (Helen)

Hey everyone

I'd like to nominate a couple of classics I've never got around to reading:

Fantasy: Thomas the Rhymer by Ellen Kushner


Sci-fi: The Guns of the South by Harry Turtledove

For Sci Fi I will nominate Her Smoke Rose Up Forever, probably the most famous collection of James Tiptree Jr.. In my mind a sci fi reader just cannot beat 1970's feminist science fiction.

If we had a nonfiction category, I would heartily recommend James Tiptree, Jr.: The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon, an absolutely wonderful biography by Julie Phillips of one of the most intriguing sci fi writers of the past century.

I'll second Thomas the Rhymer.

We've only got one full day left after today, and our nominations list is looking mighty sparse. If anyone would like to throw a suggestion into the ring, please do!

I may as well put in my traditional push for Jurgen, I suppose, though it's been rejected enough times that I should probably take the hint... Funny, moving, beautiful, one of the most historically important books in the genre, Mark Twain, F Scott Fitzgerald, Robert Heinlein, Neil Gaiman all big fans etc etc, unjustly forgotten yadda yadda.

For fantasy I would like to nominate All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders.

For SF I would like to nominate Barsk: The Elephants' Graveyard by Lawrence M. Schoen.

Wastrel, it's done respectably well in the polls, even making it to the final 2 once. Perhaps its day will yet come!

Does something that's been shelved as magical realism count? I was wondering about The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.

The January Dancer by Michael Flynn. Intrigue, adventure, and world-building on a galactic scale. (SF)

The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher. A unique world, with steampunk adventure. And cats.

Alexa wrote: "Does something that's been shelved as magical realism count? I was wondering about The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao."

Alexa, there's nothing in the rules that...rules out magical realism. If it has a fantastical element, it doesn't have to be "just fantasy" - be it horror, mythopoeia, urban fantasy, etc. But I haven't read it, so I don't know how prevalent the fantasy elements of this particular book are. I read down the page of reviews on GR, and several people mention the fantastical elements, so I'm inclined to allow the nomination. If people want to read it and vote it in, why not?

OK great! Well in that case I nominate The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao for fantasy and The Summer Prince for science fiction.

For sci-fi I would nominate Ringworld.

For fantasy I would nominate Theft of Swords.

Alexa wrote: "OK great! Well in that case I nominate The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao for fantasy and The Summer Prince for science fiction."

I just wanted to put in a word for The Summer Prince. It made a number of award shortlists including the Tiptree and the Andre Norton. Here is a book review by Liz Bourke that was published on Tor.com where she has nothing but good things to say about it:

http://www.tor.com/2014/12/30/sleeps-...

For sci-fi, I will nominate Stranger in a Strange Land. I've never read it before, but it has always been in my library to read.

Wastrel wrote: "I may as well put in my traditional push for Jurgen, I suppose, though it's been rejected enough times that I should probably take the hint... Funny, moving, beautiful, one of the mo..."

Keep up! I remember well I picked it up thanks to your nomination and I had a wonderful time with it. Always spread the love!
I know it's optional but I second it.

Joey wrote: "For sci-fi, I will nominate Stranger in a Strange Land. I've never read it before, but it has always been in my library to read."

You know what would go well with Stranger in a Strange Land? Jurgen! Stranger was apparently intended as, and received by contemporary critics as, Heinlein's attempt at a 'Cabellesque' novel (or one of them, at least. Obviously the titles of Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice and Heinlein's Job: A Comedy of Justice are not a coincidence either...)

(Fun fact: Jurgen was originally (before the publishers interfered) meant to be titled The Pawnbroker's Shirt, which I think would have made a better title, personally, if a rather baffling one)

Alissa: it's always nice to hear that someone found something they liked because of my recommendation!

I will nominate Last Song Before Night by Ilana C. Myer for fantasy. I have not yet read it but I've heard good things about it.

I didn't realise it was nomination time, I seem to miss it most months! Anyway, for fantasy The City of Woven Streets

Helen wrote: "I didn't realise it was nomination time, I seem to miss it most months! Anyway, for fantasy The City of Woven Streets"

Helen, I loved this author's previous book, Memory of Water. I didn't know she had a new one out!

Unfortunately, this book isn't yet available in the US (and several other markets.) According to the author's website:

"Emmi Itäranta’s second novel was published as The City of Woven Streets on June 2nd 2016 in the UK by by Harper Voyager. The US version, titled The Weaver, will follow in September 2016."

Our policy has been that a book must already be out in the US and UK markets, as well as available in Canada, Australia, etc., at the time of nomination. That way we don't run into a situation where publication is delayed and a big chunk of the group can't opt to read along. Most often, this ends up working the other way around - a book is available in the US but not yet in the UK or elsewhere - but the policy works the same either direction.

So...do you have another nomination you'd like to make? And please do come back to nominate this one in a couple of months after it's been released all around the pond!

Also, Helen: I tried to send you a private message about this so that you might have a better chance of seeing it before the end of nominations, but your profile is set to "private," which disallows PMs from non-Friends. I hope you see this in time! :)

Hi, I didn't realise that it was late in the US, sorry. What about Magonia? I can't link in on a mobile. It's by Maria Headly - I think

Helen wrote: "Hi, I didn't realise that it was late in the US, sorry. What about Magonia? I can't link in on a mobile. It's by Maria Headly - I think"

That one works!

Nominations are now closed, and the first polls will be up in a bit.

The first round of polls for November are open. They will be up for voting through Friday, August 26, and the top two books in each category will move on to the run-off polls on Saturday, August 27.


Science Fiction: https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1...

Fantasy: https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1...

Everyone! I'm closing the polls for a few minutes while I fix a mess I made.

I'm so sorry, but I somehow managed to mix up Justine's nominations, putting her Fantasy nom in the SF category and vice versa. This has the polls futzed up, for which I apologize. If you've already voted, please vote again. I'll post here in a few minutes when the fixed polls are up.

I will send out a new broadcast message tomorrow morning, as the system on Goodreads won't allow me to send two the same day.

Ok - the fixes are in. If you voted for Barsk: The Elephants' Graveyard or All the Birds in the Sky, you will especially want to revisit the polls, because these books have changed sides, so to speak. (Only two people had voted for each at the time I changed things.)

Again...sorry. For some reason, my brain thought Barsk was a Fantasy and Birds was SF...but the reverse is true!

Lol.

The November run-off polls are live and will be open for voting through the end of the day Wednesday, August 31.

Science Fiction: https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1...

Fantasy: https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1...