Decision, Results and... Bookclub?

   
Last week, I was trying to make a decision about something important and had the hardest time. The Boy and I was hashing it through, talking pros and cons, imagining different scenarios - well, I was hashing, he was asking gentle questions and probably enjoying watching me spin crazily like a hamster on speed. After a protracted discussion monologue, he told me about this very cool decision-making aid. To wit: it is said - in this case by The Boy, although he mentioned having heard it elsewhere - that when you flip a coin to make a decision, the minute the corn leaves your hand, you know which side you want it to land on, knowing that if it falls on the other side, you'd want to do best two out of three. And when he said that, I knew what my decision had to be.

It turns out that posting a blog entry in which you ask your readers to pick a book for your works much the same way. The minute I posted, I knew which book I wanted to read first. Not surprisingly, knowing my predilections for all things salty, it was The Whale, but alas, it didn't win.

The results are as follows:

Abigail Adams              4
The Whale                   1 (by email)
In Defense of Food      1
The Pain Chronicles     3
Infidel                          2

Well, I think that's the result, anyway. A number of people seem to have the same problem I had in choosing which one, mentioning two or more that sounded interesting. I wasn't really sure if those comments meant they voted for several books, so I decided not to tax my tiny little brain and not count them in the final tally. However, had I not, it would still have been a close race between Abigail Adams and The Pain Chronicles, with Abigail winning by a nose. So, Abigail it is.

This is not to say that the rest won't be read - I have a half a mind to put these five on my nonfiction reading list (which will be interspersed with plenty of fiction), so it's likely that all five of them will be reviewed at some point in the next several months.

I have a thought… Want to do a book club? It'll take a while, because reading audio books takes longer than regular books, but if you want to join in, pick up Abigail Adams and start reading. We'll discuss sometime in February.

Thanks for playing!
 

Comments

Colleen Humphreys said…
I'm sure Abigail Adams will be interesting!   I read the letters between her and John recently.   I was shocked...totally shocked!   I expected her to be a hero of mine.   WRONG!   She is smart, loyal, incredible, and strong....yet....if you don't agree with her, not only does she consider you wrong and misguided....but frequently she considers you just about criminally misguided...disagreeing with her is a moral depravity!   Weird...I suspect some sort of mental illness (severe depression?  bipolar?   trauma?   must be something....). But, no matter, she's very very interesting!
LynnM said…
Austerity measures mean I can't participate by February but I look forward to observing. Colleen's comment sums up Laura Linney's portrayal in the mini-series. HA! No nonsense New England farm wife! Loved the way she expressed her disdain. 
Wendelene said…
I know I said that I was going to read it, but a gloomy weekend persuaded me to go for the light fiction first, so I too will have to wait until Feb to read unless I can find an available copy at the library.

Have you tried using an e-reader?  I've had mine for almost a year and really love it. My father has trouble holding books so we got him one for Christmas and he is totally hooked in spite of himself. 
AlisonH said…
Not trying to whale on the subject, but abby adam-ant about reading about the food first (she said defensively.)
Trevor said…
Hrmm... I could have sworn that I voted for The Whale.  Maybe I'm thinking of someone else who asked me to vote on which of these books to read.  Weird.
Laura47 said…
I'm in!  I immediately ordered Abigail Adams for my new Kindle (a wonderful toy when it hurts your hands to hold a book -- I only have osteoarthritis, but it's primarily in my hands and there are times when I simply have to put even a light paperback down because it's just too painful; the Kindle weighs so little it takes the whole issue away about 95% of the time), and we're going on a being-really-lazy vacation next week, so I should easily have it read by the time we get home.  I love biographies and have always wanted to know more about her, so it's the perfect choice right now.

But I'd vote for whales for next in line!

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