Goodreads Ireland discussion

[Goodreads Ireland] January 2018 group read
This month the theme will be historical fiction. Please ensure the book is currently in commercial print and available widely to ensure all members can participate.

Please remember:
1. People may only nominate one book.
2. All nominations must be seconded.
3. You can nominate a book or second a book not both.
4. If the book you nominate wins, you must lead the discussion.
5. Authors may not self nominate.

Nominations shall close at midday GMT on Monday 18th Dec. For those outside Ireland:

New York: 7.00am
LA: 4.00am Sydney: 11.00pm,

I'll nominate the Essex serpent. As I have been meaning to get around to it for over a year now. It was a big hit in 2016. Though of course, that probably means a lot of people have already read it.

The Essex Serpent

good one Maria - would help me start new year taking another from my TBR list.

nominate Bleak House by Charles Dickens

ooh I want to read that one too! I am a hopeless case LOL

started it a few weeks ago, but have left it on the shelf - hope to pick up again in January

Thomas wrote: "[Goodreads Ireland] January 2018 group read
This month the theme will be historical fiction. Please ensure the book is currently in commercial print and available widely to ensure all members can p..."

Hi Thomas,

Can you kindly give me a list of those books so that I can nominate or if you can give me a link where I can find those, it will be helpful..

Thanks :-)

Year of Wonders

A novel of the plague in an English village. I'm going to be getting around to it anyway....

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind

Okay, not sure if my nomination would be classed as historical fiction.

Welcome yourself.

The nominations for the monthly do not need to be set in Ireland.

I will nominate The Women in the Castle

I will nominate Cal

I will second The Women in the Castle.

Sarah wrote: "Thomas wrote: "[Goodreads Ireland] January 2018 group read
This month the theme will be historical fiction. Please ensure the book is currently in commercial print and available widely to ensure al..."

Sarah, you can search historical fiction titles in Goodreads. Two authors that I like are Bernard Cornwell and Winston Graham(Poldark).

Sorry I posted my Cal nomination in the wrong place & it’s not currently allowing me to delete it, please ignore that comment all.

Sarah, here is a link to the historical fiction books that I have read.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

Sorry to be confused but is the 2018 Yearly Challenge Genres? The poll shows the Geographical Challenge as the top vote getter. The poll is open until Dec. 19th.

I am going out of town during holidays and Emma suggested that I set this up beforehand. Bear in mind that I don't usually vote in group reads. It may be that I am not a suitable moderator.

Thomas I think you’ve been doing a wonderful job, especially as I’ve been less than present lately due to a lot going on in life! It’s bound to be a learning curve for the three of us but I think we are keeping things ticking along just fine so far.

[ Notable historical fiction authors with an emphasis on engaging the cerebral cortex rather than hypothalamus---]

Geraldine Brooks EG: Year of Wonders

Robert Harris EG: The Cicero Trilogy

Amitav Ghosh EG: River of Smoke /trilogy

Thomas Kenneally EG: The Daughters of Mars

And of course, Sebastian Barry. EG: A Long Long Way and related titles: Secret Scripture, etc.

& The venerable Mary Renault. EG: The King Must Die Ahead of her time.

I am grateful to Thomas for taking this on but I am still not clear if this is the monthly read is the same as the yearly challenge. Maybe they are two separate things.

No it's just the monthly group read .

Heather wrote: "Thomas I think you’ve been doing a wonderful job, especially as I’ve been less than present lately due to a lot going on in life! It’s bound to be a learning curve for the three of us but I think w..."

Thanks Heather

It's just our normal monthly read, Barbara. It has nothing to do with the Genre Challenge.

Or should I say the yearly challenge as that poll is still open.

So far we have The Essex Serpent and The Women in the Castle.

What about Clare and I’s nominations?

Only two have been seconded.

Heather wrote: "What about Clare and I’s nominations?"

Three for G Brooks' novel.

I can't tell you how much I love Geraldine Brooks novel. It is one of my favorites. Who else could make the plague interesting? You beat me to the punch, J.S., for seconding it.

Thomas, you are doing a wonderful job. Don't worry when people are unclear on things. They are not criticizing just trying to understand. :)

Adding Year of Wonders.
Thanks Susan

Declan wrote: "I'll second The Essex Serpent."

Thanks Declan

Donna wrote: "It's just our normal monthly read, Barbara. It has nothing to do with the Genre Challenge."

OK so why is a genre - historical fiction - the criteria? That is why I am confused.

Barbara, for some months now we have been doing monthly book readings with different criteria. This month we are reading books with cold. Last month it was books with colors in the title. One time it was non-fiction, etc. Every month the criteria changes. For Jan it just happens to be historical fiction. I think it's something to spice up our nominations.

By the way, under monthly nominations Emma posted a list of proposed criteria for nominations. Apparently the moderators go in and select one of them for the month. You can see the choices and which ones we have done and when. Then there are some that are still to be selected.

Susan, thanks for the explanation.

Thomas wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Thomas wrote: "[Goodreads Ireland] January 2018 group read
This month the theme will be historical fiction. Please ensure the book is currently in commercial print and available widel..."

Thanks a lot.. Will do that :-)

Thomas wrote: "Sarah, here is a link to the historical fiction books that I have read.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list..."

Thanks so much :-)

I would nominate - The Stranger from the Sea (The Poldark Saga #8)
by Winston Graham

:-)

Susan wrote: "I can't tell you how much I love Geraldine Brooks novel. It is one of my favorites. Who else could make the plague interesting? You beat me to the punch, J.S., for seconding it.

Thomas, you are d..."

Susan, for an excellent SF time travel book about the plague...
Not counted here because time travel.

Susan, for an excellent SF time travel book about the plague... Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
Not counted here because time travel.

Clare and Susan - one of the themes not completed yet for the monthly reads is time travel - so maybe you'll get to nominate it soon?

These 3 books have been nominated and seconded:
The Essex Serpent, The Women in the Castle, Year of Wonders.
The poll closes tomorrow. If you have nominated a book that has not been seconded, perhaps you could explain a little bit why you like it.

I nominated Perfume because it was simply an excellent read. The take can be rather chilling and harrowing at times but I felt it never veered off into being distasteful. The detailing in the book is magnificent and really brought it to life. Fresh subject matter, it was just a breath of fresh air.

I'll second Perfume. I've been meaning to read it for ages.

All right, a fourth book for the poll!

Yahoo!

If the nominations are still open, I would like to second Andy's choice of Bleak House. Thanks.

Yes, I will add it.

I have set up the poll. No new nominations please.

I can't find it! I went into polls and the last one is for December?