RPA Book Club: June Voting

[Chat Noir]

Below is a comprehensive list of all novel titles suggested for the RPA book club to read for June.

If you're not a part of the book club, feel free to join our group here (and make sure to read all the rules posted there!) Once you're a part of the group, feel free to vote here! I will discard all votes made by those not in the group, because it's not fair to those who plan on reading the book.

That being said, everybody is allowed three (3) votes! Do not vote for your own! All votes are visible to keep people from ignoring the above. If you do vote for your own or more than three all of your votes will be ignored! Yep! I'm just mean like that! And you don't have to use all three of your votes if you don't want to.

Now that that's out of the way, on to the list. I have included the title, author, genre, and a small blurb about each book to make sure that people are choosing books that really interest them. Voting will be open through the 29th of this month (that's a little less than a week!) unless there is a clear winner!

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The Giver
Suggested by: Griffin

Written by Lois Lowry
Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopia

Spoiler: Info 

Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the Community. When Jonas turns twelve, he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back.

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The Jester
Suggested by: Griffin

Written by James Patterson & Andrew Gross
Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Historical Fiction

Spoiler: Info 

Freedom - in eleventh-century France, it is a luxury enjoyed by only the King and nobility. For the serf, it is surely worth fighting for. But is it worth dying for?





Arriving home disillusioned from the Crusades, Hugh DeLuc discovers that his village has been ransacked and his wife abducted. The dark riders came in the dead of night, like devils, wearing no colours but black crosses on their chests, leaving no clue as to who they are. Knights they may be, but honour and chivalry are not part of their code. They search for a relic, one worth more than any throne in Europe, and no man can stand in their way. Until Hugh, taking on the role of a jester, is able to infiltrate the enemy's castle where he believes his wife is being held captive.





And when a man is fighting for freedom - for his wife, and for everything he holds dear - he will prove a formidable opponent.

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Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Suggested by: Megilwen

Written by John Boyne
Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, War

Spoiler: Info 

Berlin 1942

When Bruno returns home from school one day, he discovers that his belongings are being packed in crates. His father has received a promotion and the family must move from their home to a new house far far away, where there is no one to play with and nothing to do. A tall fence running alongside stretches as far as the eye can see and cuts him off from the strange people he can see in the distance.

But Bruno longs to be an explorer and decides that there must be more to this desolate new place than meets the eye. While exploring his new environment, he meets another boy whose life and circumstances are very different to his own, and their meeting results in a friendship that has devastating consequences.

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The Handmaid's Tale
Suggested by: Megilwen

Written by Margaret Atwood
Genres: Science Fiction, Dystopia, Feminism

Spoiler: Info 

Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if their ovaries are viable. Offred can remember the years before, when she lived and made love with her husband, Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now...

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I, Robot
Suggested by: Kicks

Written by Isaac Asimov
Genres: Science Fiction, Dystopia, Fantasy

Spoiler: Info 

The three laws of Robotics:
1) A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm
2) A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Here are stories of robots gone mad, of mind-read robots, and robots with a sense of humor. Of robot politicians, and robots who secretly run the world--all told with the dramatic blend of science fact and science fiction that has become Asmiov's trademark.

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Cinder
Suggested by: Kourtney

Written by Marissa Meyer
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Romance

Spoiler: Info 

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.*

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

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Ready Player One
Suggested by: Distorted Reality

Written by Ernest Cline
Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Dystopia

Spoiler: Info 

In the year 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the* OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. When Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win—and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.

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Gregor the Overlander
Suggested by: Eldora

Written by Suzanne Collins
Genres: Fantasy, Juvenile, Adventure, Science Fiction

Spoiler: Info 

When Gregor falls through a grate in the laundry room of his apartment building, he hurtles into the dark Underland, where spiders, rats, cockroaches coexist uneasily with humans. This world is on the brink of war, and Gregor's arrival is no accident. A prophecy foretells that Gregor has a role to play in the Underland's uncertain future. Gregor wants no part of it -- until he realizes it's the only way to solve the mystery of his father's disappearance. Reluctantly, Gregor embarks on a dangerous adventure that will change both him and the Underland forever.

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Eragon
Suggested by: Eldora

Written by Christopher Paolini
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Adventure

Spoiler: Info 

One boy . . .

One dragon . . .

A world of adventure.

When Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon soon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself.*

Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic, and power. With only an ancient sword and the advice of an old storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a king whose evil knows no bounds.

Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands.

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The Language of Flowers
Suggested by: ʟ υ ɔ ı ғ ε я

Written by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
Genres: Romance, Contemporary

Spoiler: Info 

The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it’s been more useful in communicating grief, mistrust, and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings.

Now eighteen and emancipated from the system, Victoria has nowhere to go and sleeps in a public park, where she plants a small garden of her own. Soon a local florist discovers her talents, and Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But a mysterious vendor at the flower market has her questioning what’s been missing in her life, and when she’s forced to confront a painful secret from her past, she must decide whether it’s worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness.

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The Night Circus
Suggested by: ʟ υ ɔ ı ғ ε я

Written by Erin Morgenstern
Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Historical Fiction

Spoiler: Info 

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called "Le Cirque des Reves," and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

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Room
Suggested by: ʟ υ ɔ ı ғ ε я

Written by Emma Donoghue
Genres: Contemporary, Family, Abuse

Spoiler: Info 

To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough...not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.

Told entirely in the language of the energetic, pragmatic five-year-old Jack, ROOM is a celebration of resilience and the limitless bond between parent and child, a brilliantly executed novel about what it means to journey from one world to another.

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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime
Suggested by: ʟ υ ɔ ı ғ ε я

Written by Mark Haddon
Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Contemporary

Spoiler: Info 

Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. And he detests the color yellow.

Although gifted with a superbly logical brain, for fifteen-year-old Christopher everyday interactions and admonishments have little meaning. He lives on patterns, rules, and a diagram kept in his pocket. Then one day, a neighbor's dog, Wellington, is killed and his carefully constructive universe is threatened. Christopher sets out to solve the murder in the style of his favourite (logical) detective, Sherlock Holmes. What follows makes for a novel that is funny, poignant and fascinating in its portrayal of a person whose curse and blessing are a mind that perceives the world entirely literally.

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Eleanor & Park
Suggested by: ʟ υ ɔ ı ғ ε я

Written by Rainbow Rowell
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Spoiler: Info 

Two misfits.
One extraordinary love.

Eleanor... Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough...Eleanor.

Park... He knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There's a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises...Park.

Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.

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The Glass Castle
Suggested by: ʟ υ ɔ ı ғ ε я

Written by Jeanette Walls
Genres: Non-Fiction, Memoir, Biography

Spoiler: Info 

The Glass Castle*is a remarkable memoir of resilience and redemption, and a revelatory look into a family at once deeply dysfunctional and uniquely vibrant. When sober, Jeannette's brilliant and charismatic father captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and how to embrace life fearlessly. But when he drank, he was dishonest and destructive. Her mother was a free spirit who abhorred the idea of domesticity and didn't want the responsibility of raising a family.

The Walls children learned to take care of themselves. They fed, clothed, and protected one another, and eventually found their way to New York. Their parents followed them, choosing to be homeless even as their children prospered.

The Glass Castle*is truly astonishing--a memoir permeated by the intense love of a peculiar but loyal family.

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The Dark Tower
Suggested by: Omac

Written by Stephen King
Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror

Spoiler: Info 

The seventh and final installment of Stephen King's*The Dark Tower*saga is perhaps the most anticipated book in the author's long career. King began this epic tale about the last gunslinger in the world more than 20 years ago; now he draws its suspenseful story to a close, snapping together the last pieces of his action puzzle and drawing Roland Deschain ever closer to his ultimate goal.

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Hounded
Suggested by: Omac

Written by Kevin Hearne
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Supernatural

Spoiler: Info 

Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think that this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about twenty-one years old—when in actuality, he’s twenty-one*centuries*old. Not to mention: He draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer.

Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants that sword, and he’s hounded Atticus for centuries. Now the determined deity has tracked him down, and Atticus will need all his power—plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of attorneys, a bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good old-fashioned luck of the Irish—to kick some Celtic arse and deliver himself from evil.

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American Gods
Suggested by: Splat

Written by Neil Gaiman
Genres: Fantasy, Mythology, Contemporary

Spoiler: Info 

Days before his release from prison, Shadow's wife, Laura, dies in a mysterious car crash. Numbly, he makes his way back home. On the plane, he encounters the enigmatic Mr Wednesday, who claims to be a refugee from a distant war, a former god and the king of America.

Together they embark on a profoundly strange journey across the heart of the USA, whilst all around them a storm of preternatural and epic proportions threatens to break.

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[Kris]

*Briefly go over the list*

*Notice the word "Mythology"*

*Notice the book title*

*Vote*

[Griff]

Man, I want to read 7 of these books! >.>

[Chat Noir]

Hmm, I wonder which one's going to win.............

[Griff]

So, what book is going to be chosen now?

[Chat Noir]

I'll be sending out PM's some time soon to see if we should revote.

To those who don't know what is being referred to, American Gods is... not RPA appropriate.

[TheBarbarian]

Why?

EDIT: I mean I have read American Gods and that's why I did not vote for it but why is it not RPA appropriate?

[Griff]

It's a bit to "descriptive" for RPA.

[Kiki]

Voted!

[TheBarbarian]

And the Handmaid's Tale isn't?

Anyway I am completely fine with this arrangement just that if you don't want American Gods on that list you should prune out out Handmaid's Tale and The Dark Tower too...


EDIT: For future reference what subject matter can't a book have to be read by RPA bookclub?