FOFC Literature Draft - Picks Thread

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by NoMyths

I'm just not a panderer, at the end of the day. I'm encouraged that several of us in the draft are sticking to our guns about wanting "good" literature, and not merely "popular" literature (even though all of my choices to this point have been immensely popular outside of the confines of this thread). My sense is that when our entire boards are assembled you'll see that several of us have worked to have a range of material and tones.

*shurg*.. I think coming into these drafts with a music snob/movie snob/lit snob/whatever snob attitude is a losing strategy, but whatever floats your boat.

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

Just a comment to the commentors (who are adding a ton to the fun factor, by the way.)

Those who are saying "There's a book I personally like that I don't think will even be picked at all, but if it is I'll give my vote to whoever picks it"... um, that's kind of an interesting method for determining a vote.

FWIW I backed off of my "you win!" comment to just bonus points .

[NoMyths]

Originally Posted by wade moore

*shurg*.. I think coming into these drafts with a music snob/movie snob/lit snob/whatever snob attitude is a losing strategy, but whatever floats your boat.

You misunderstand me -- I'm not arguing for snobbishness at all. I'm just pointing out that I think voters will take into account more than just whether or not they've heard of a book with this draft. I don't feel I'm giving them too much credit. The nice thing about this draft is it shows the range of human experience that has been articulated over centuries. There are a number of strategies that could lead to winning, and I personally am more interested in the entire slate from each competitor than I am waiting for the one 'gotcha' title that's supposed to carry the day. I also think that some of us are trying to stay within the spirit of the rules more than others -- it is, after all, a book draft, not an author draft. Yes, there will be voters that just vote because of the name of the author, but I'd still rather try to stay within the spirit of things.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by NoMyths

Now may also be a good time for me to mention that I'm going out of town tomorrow...will have intermittent access to the web, so I'll try to get a list in order.

If it helps to sway any voters, I'll be gone because Kansas State University is bringing me in for two days to give a reading from my book, meet in one-on-one workshops with their advanced writing students and sit in on a class about creativity. I'll try to find some time to post my picks when I'm able.

i'm insulted that you didn't select yourself for poetry BTW.

congrats, that sounds like a real accomplishment

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

i'm insulted that you didn't select yourself for poetry BTW.

Now that would've been hilarious.

[NoMyths]

hehe...eh, I'd have just had to weep when the voters chose Coleridge's dusty old warhorse of a (not-very-good) poem over my work.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by NoMyths

hehe...eh, I'd have just had to weep when the voters chose Coleridge's dusty old warhorse of a (not-very-good) poem over my work.

i agree. not a coleridge fan. although there were a couple other poems i could have chosen last night that after i posted my pick and went upstairs for dinner i literally...smacked myself on the forehead and went "DOH!" and then had to explain to everyone why I was beating myself up. Obviously can't discuss them now.

[Izulde]

Dashing off to my first class.

I'll check in after it and I've sent the writeup I'd like used for my first choice if it's not taken to wade and LS so they can post it if Axxon picks and one or the other is here and I"m not.

[Axxon]

Originally Posted by Warhammer

Fiction - 3.7 Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Single Short Story - 5.7 Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Poem - 1.7 The Iliad - Homer
Fantasy/Science Fiction -
Series (A set of books continuing the same story and intended to be read sequentially) - 2.4 The Cronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
Sport Related 4.4 Ball Four by Jim Bouton
Children's
Non-Fiction
Biography/Autobiography
History

My fifth round pick is the 1960 Hugo award winner for best short story. It was made into the movie Charly and was later expanded by the author into a novel that ran 324 pages and won the Hugo for best novel in 1968. However, I am sticking with the original 60 page short story that many of you read in high school.

For clarification purposes, the short story was originally published in a magazine, however it was published as part of a compilation of short stories: Flowers for Algernon and Other Stories 1ST PB Edition.

http://www.amazon.com/Flowers-Algern...984652&sr=1-28

You bastard.

Seriously, just catching up ( via dial up this weekend alas ) and this has been a brutal round to my draft board. Good drafting guys.

This one though, I so thought I'd get it as my short story. Great pick.

[cartman]

So, after reading through the overnight postings, am I correct in assuming that Axxon is now on the clock?

[cartman]

that was freaky.

[Warhammer]

Originally Posted by Axxon

You bastard.

Seriously, just catching up ( via dial up this weekend alas ) and this has been a brutal round to my draft board. Good drafting guys.

This one though, I so thought I'd get it as my short story. Great pick.

That was the single category that scared the daylights out of me. I kept seeing authors that I was going to use there get picked and I started going back through stories in my mind. I remembered that book and the effect it had on me in high school (one of the few books in high school besides LotR that had any effect on me). I figured that would be a perfect short story and would open up some other categories for authors that I was considering for a short story.

[Warhammer]

Originally Posted by NoMyths

hehe...eh, I'd have just had to weep when the voters chose Coleridge's dusty old warhorse of a (not-very-good) poem over my work.

+1

[Axxon]

Fiction
Single Short Story
Poem
Fantasy/Science Fiction -
Series (A set of books continuing the same story and intended to be read sequentially)
Sport Related 5,10 - The Miracle of Castel di Sangro - Joe McGinniss
Children's
Non-Fiction
Biography/Autobiography
History

Yes, a soccer book and pretty much the best written sports novel I've ever read. I was hoping this one would drop but seeing how good you guys are and knowing this is a tough category, it's time.

I am going off the unupdated draft board and the read of the last few pages. If it has been taken and I missed it I do apologize but it's too slow to go back and triple check.

[Warhammer]

I would have waited on this one until your 6th round pick.

[wade moore]

fyi - i'm here to make Izulde's pick after Axxon makes his 2nd pick.

[Axxon]

Fiction
Single Short Story 6,1 - The Lottery - Shirley Jackson
Poem
Fantasy/Science Fiction -
Series (A set of books continuing the same story and intended to be read sequentially)
Sport Related
Children's
Non-Fiction
Biography/Autobiography
History

Not much to be said here. Now that Algie is down this is the best choice available. I do have a couple of "oh, those were short stories" that are popular but when all is said and done, this is a classic, it's creepy, its well written and oh yeah, it's famous.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by wade moore

FWIW I backed off of my "you win!" comment to just bonus points .

Just to be clear, if by "you win" you mean me, specifically, then your strategy is perfectly valid.

[NoMyths]

Good story pick, Axxon.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

Just to be clear, if by "you win" you mean me, specifically, then your strategy is perfectly valid.

Depends, are you going to pick _____________?

[Axxon]

Originally Posted by Warhammer

I would have waited on this one until your 6th round pick.

Hehe, so would I actually and I had intended to but I got caught up trying to remember who had written it so when I remembered, I just put it down.

I hope this won't hurt me too much in the eyes of the voters.

[wade moore]

IZULDE BY PROXY

1. Fiction - 2.2 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
2. Single Short Story
3. Poem - 1.9 "The Waste Land" - T.S. Eliot
4. Fantasy/Science Fiction
5. Series (A set of books continuing the same story and intended to be read sequentially) - 3.9 The Musketeers Saga - The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, Le Vicomte de Bragelonne, Louise de la Valliere, The Man in the Iron Mask - Alexandre Dumas
6. Sport Related - 5.9 North Dallas Forty - Peter Gent
7. Children's
8. Non-Fiction - 4.2 The Art of War - Sun Tzu
9. Biography/Autobiography - 6.2. Night - Elie Wiesel
10. History

A small book, but the kind of book that, once you read it, you'll remember it for the rest of your life. Elie Wiesel's autobiographical account of his experiences during the Holocaust, it's moving and heartbreaking like few other texts in the world are. A woman who hated to read told me once, "You know, I don't like reading... but I cried when I read this book. It's so beautiful and so sad... I loved it."

Night will always stand as a reminder of how deeply a genocidal campaign like the Holocaust affects not only the people of the time and place in which it occurs, but generations afterwards.

[DaddyTorgo]

nice pick by Izulde

[DaddyTorgo]

and nice by Axxon on "Lottery." I was actually considering it

[NoMyths]

Damned fine pick by Izulde. My favorite in the category by far. So far, anyway...still have a pick there to make myself.

[DaddyTorgo]

can we get to my pick please? lol...although i'm still debating between 2-3 different choices in one category and 2-3 in another

[Axxon]

Originally Posted by NoMyths

You misunderstand me -- I'm not arguing for snobbishness at all. I'm just pointing out that I think voters will take into account more than just whether or not they've heard of a book with this draft. I don't feel I'm giving them too much credit. The nice thing about this draft is it shows the range of human experience that has been articulated over centuries. There are a number of strategies that could lead to winning, and I personally am more interested in the entire slate from each competitor than I am waiting for the one 'gotcha' title that's supposed to carry the day. I also think that some of us are trying to stay within the spirit of the rules more than others -- it is, after all, a book draft, not an author draft. Yes, there will be voters that just vote because of the name of the author, but I'd still rather try to stay within the spirit of things.

I concur. Gotta say, I tried that strategy. Didn't work out too well.

What's worse is that was actually a good category for me too since I read a lot of nonfiction. Ah well. After getting into it, I'd say that this approach is a really fun way to play, but it's gotta be harder for the voters who may not have read a lot of the choices we're picking.

[wade moore]

FWIW - if I haven't heard of a piece I wiki it and try to establish some level of where it should fit. But, I have to be honest, if I have to wiki it that hurts it no matter how good/influential it may have been.

[Axxon]

Originally Posted by NoMyths

Damned fine pick by Izulde. My favorite in the category by far. So far, anyway...still have a pick there to make myself.

I know who I want in this category and it won't necessarily be the best for voting but it's a great read. If someone else takes it, I'll be amazed and actually pleased at the same time because...

I read a lot of biographies and I can't possibly run out of choices that are good reads.

[Axxon]

Originally Posted by wade moore

FWIW - if I haven't heard of a piece I wiki it and try to establish some level of where it should fit. But, I have to be honest, if I have to wiki it that hurts it no matter how good/influential it may have been.

It'd almost have to. How can you rank something you haven't read higher than something that you have read and enjoyed? You'd be voting someone elses opinions. Now, if it's up against something you dislike or even another you haven't heard of, then the wiki would be more important.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by Axxon

It'd almost have to. How can you rank something you haven't read higher than something that you have read and enjoyed? You'd be voting someone elses opinions. Now, if it's up against something you dislike or even another you haven't heard of, then the wiki would be more important.

Exactly. When comparing two "unkowns" i'm going to use that as a relatively strong criteria.

[wade moore]

hmm.. larry was here earlier, i'm surprised he didn't pick.

[cartman]

I believe going by the list that larrymcg421 is on the clock.

[cartman]

lol, that's twice now this morning I've had a simul-post

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by cartman

lol, that's twice now this morning I've had a simul-post

OUT OF MY HEAD!

[Axxon]

One clarification. Does childrens books include young adult and teenage works or simply pre teen fare?

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by Axxon

One clarification. Does childrens books include young adult and teenage works or simply pre teen fare?

I think we've established that it's... "voter's discretion"...

Me, as a voter, I see "Children's" and I think of pre-teen fare. NM's and others disagree. I'll weight it in my voting, but see no reason to get strict in the rules on it.

And if we did now, it really hoses NM's earlier Treasure Island pick.

[larrymcg421]

I was here, but the previous pick hadn't been made before I got pulled away.

Making my pick now...

[Axxon]

Originally Posted by wade moore

I think we've established that it's... "voter's discretion"...

Me, as a voter, I see "Children's" and I think of pre-teen fare. NM's and others disagree. I'll weight it in my voting, but see no reason to get strict in the rules on it.

And if we did now, it really hoses NM's earlier Treasure Island pick.

Ok, that gives me some options then. I had one choice for childrens but was wondering if I had more latitude than I was using.

[lordscarlet]

I'm back at work, but I'm leaving for lunch. Hopefully I don't slow things down. I will update the two master lists when I get back.

[larrymcg421]

1. Fiction - 1.8 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
2. Single Short Story - 5.8 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Washington Irving
3. Poem - 2.3 Paradise Lost, John Milton
4. Fantasy/Science Fiction
5. Series (A set of books continuing the same story and intended to be read sequentially)
6. Sport Related
7. Children's - 6.3 The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L Frank Baum
8. Non-Fiction - 4.3 Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx
9. Biography/Autobiography - 3.8 Mein Kampf, Adolf Hitler
10. History

[Warhammer]

Good pick!

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by larrymcg421

1. Fiction - 1.8 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
2. Single Short Story - 5.8 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Washington Irving
3. Poem - 2.3 Paradise Lost, John Milton
4. Fantasy/Science Fiction
5. Series (A set of books continuing the same story and intended to be read sequentially)
6. Sport Related
7. Children's - 6.3 The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L Frank Baum
8. Non-Fiction - 4.3 Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx
9. Biography/Autobiography - 3.8 Mein Kampf, Adolf Hitler
10. History

Interesting. I've never read Oz, but my impression was that the book was not really children's fair?

[Warhammer]

In the sixth round of this draft, I am continuing to shore up weak categories. Rather than just take a biography or autobiography of a famous person, I am going with a Pulitzer Prize winner. In the 1950s, John F. Kennedy was a senator from Massachusettes, but this work helped catapult him into fame and stardom (EDIT: and eventually the Presidency). That work was the 1957 Pulitzer Prize winning Profiles in Courage.

Here is a synopsis of his work: http://www.senate.gov/reference/refe...In_Courage.htm

Fiction - 3.7 Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Single Short Story - 5.7 Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Poem - 1.7 The Iliad - Homer
Fantasy/Science Fiction -
Series (A set of books continuing the same story and intended to be read sequentially) - 2.4 The Cronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
Sport Related 4.4 Ball Four by Jim Bouton
Children's
Non-Fiction
Biography/Autobiography - 6.4 Profiles in Courage by John F. Kennedy
History

[ntndeacon]

some nice picks this morning!

[NoMyths]

I'd considered Oz, but didn't feel it resonated as widely as some other choices. Plus growing up in Kansas = Oz burnout.

Good Kennedy pick, Warhammer -- definitely was a book that brought him some acclaim. Even if he didn't really write it.

[cartman]

Interesting categorization. I would have had it in history, as the passages are only about a rather specific event in those person's lives, and not a recounting of major portions of their lives as most biographies cover.

[Warhammer]

Originally Posted by cartman

Interesting categorization. I would have had it in history, as the passages are only about a rather specific event in those person's lives, and not a recounting of major portions of their lives as most biographies do.

Agreed. But it won the Pulitzer Prize in the biography/autobiography category. If it is good enough for the Pulitzer Prize, its good enough for me.

[larrymcg421]

Originally Posted by wade moore

Interesting. I've never read Oz, but my impression was that the book was not really children's fair?

It has some underlying themes that scholars believe match the political undercurrents of the day, but it is definitely a children's book.

From Wiki....

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children's novel written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W.W. Denslow.

[NoMyths]

My turn, yes?

[cartman]

Originally Posted by NoMyths

My turn, yes?

Yeppers