Historical Fictionistas discussion

Hello all... Gretchen has asked for assistance as she is busy with non-GR stuff, so you'se guys are stuck with me for this nomination round. MWAHAHAHA! *ahem*

November is when we (at least in the northern hemisphere) start feeling like it's always dark and cold, and so we're leaning into that for the theme this month and taking it to the extreme: The Arctic Circle. :D

To fit the theme, a book must meet at least one of the criteria below:
- Take place/set in/exploration or discovery of/life in etc the AC
- Have a character from the AC
- Author is from the AC
- I'll also accept if the setting or author's or character's location or country or ancestral/territorial land/hunting grounds etc intersects with the AC (within reason - Much of Russia is well outside of the AC, so please try to keep to northern Russia if nominating a book set there. Both St. Petersburg and Moscow are fine, but further south than that and it gets iffy. Thanks!) See AC map below.
- I'll also accept Iceland even though it's JUUUUST outside the AC but not in it.
- Bonus points if the book positively depicts indigenous peoples or the author is indigenous to the AC.
- Extra bonus points if your nomination is a thriller or mystery. LEAN INTO THE DARKNESS... :P

Map of the Arctic Circle - click to embiggen. :)


Nomination Rules & Eligibility:
- I'm not limiting this month to historical or period fiction or historical nonfiction. Any genre is allowed as long as it fits the theme.

- Books must be a minimum of 250 pages.

- Series books: Books must be read by the group in order of publication.
If the GR series page is ordered by story chronology, it is acceptable to nominate books other than the first in the series, as long as the publication order is followed.

- Self-published and small or Indy press books are fine, but they MUST be available in print format (in addition to any ebook options), and must be available internationally.

- No self-nominations.

- You must include a brief explanation of how your nomination fits the theme, but please do NOT include the full synopsis or description.

- Check the group bookshelf to make sure that we have not already read the book you're nominating: https://www.goodreads.com/group/books...

- You must include (and preferably link to) the title and the author in text, not cover images. Book cover images without a text title will not be counted. Nominations without book AND author will not be counted.

The nominations will run until the 22nd, and the poll will go up on the 23rd and run through the 30th. :)

Any questions, let me know.
* Note, there are no points actually awarded except the Brownie variety. lol

This feels like a good time to give Greer Macallister's The Arctic Fury a shot: A party of 12 women venture into the Arctic to search for the lost Franklin Expedition.

It's been shelved as mystery according to the GR book tags, so... extra bonus points? :D

I would like t nominate The Glass Woman by Caroline Lea
1686, ICELAND. AN ISOLATED, WINDSWEPT LAND HAUNTED BY WITCH TRIALS AND STEEPED IN THE ANCIENT SAGAS.
HISTORICAL FICTiONAL MYSTERY

I nominate Burial Rites by Hannah Kent. Based on a true story of a woman accused of murder in Iceland in 1829.

I nominate Wolf Winter by Cecilia Ekbäck.

Listed as "A compelling historical thriller set in 1700s Sweden", it depicts the struggles of settlers in Swedish Lapland, a shocking death and learning to live with each other and the native Sami.

The author is originally from northern Sweden and her parents were from Lapland.

I will second Wolf Winter

I will nominate The Voyage of the Narwhal by Andrea Barrett

Capturing a crucial moment in the history of exploration—the mid-nineteenth century romance with the Arctic—Andrea Barrett's compelling novel tells the story of a fateful expedition. Through the eyes of the ship's scholar-naturalist, Erasmus Darwin Wells, we encounter the Narwhal's crew, its commander, and the far-north culture of the Esquimaux. In counterpoint, we meet the women left behind in Philadelphia, explorers only in imagination. Together, those who travel and those who stay weave a web of myth and mystery, finally discovering what they had not sought, the secrets of their own hearts.

These nominations look great so far! All (brownie) bonus points applied! :D

Updated through post #9:

Nominations - Seconded:
Wolf Winter - 1 second
Burial Rites - 1 second

Nominations - Not Yet Seconded:
The Arctic Fury
The Glass Woman
The Voyage of the Narwhal

Not sure Iceland is in the Arctic Circle (Sits just south of, except one of her islands.) But I would like to second Burial Rites as I'd like to re-read it :)

Robin wrote: "Not sure Iceland is in the Arctic Circle (Sits just south of, except one of her islands.) But I would like to second Burial Rites as I'd like to re-read it :)"

You are correct. I allowed it as a specific exception in the rules though, so it's valid. :) Got your second, thanks!

Becky wrote: "Robin wrote: "Not sure Iceland is in the Arctic Circle (Sits just south of, except one of her islands.) But I would like to second Burial Rites as I'd like to re-read it :)"

You are correct. I all..."

whoops! I missed the exception!

I nominate: The Greenlanders by Jane Smiley.

It is a bit long (608 pages) but it looks good.

No worries. Really I just think Iceland is awesome and wanted to include it... so I did. 😈

Megan wrote: "I nominate: The Greenlanders by Jane Smiley.

It is a bit long (608 pages) but it looks good."

Got it!

Updated through post #16:

Nominations - Seconded:
Wolf Winter - 1 second
Burial Rites - 1 second
The Arctic Fury - 1 second

Nominations - Not Yet Seconded:
The Glass Woman
The Voyage of the Narwhal
The Greenlanders

I will second The Arctic Fury

Charlene wrote: "I will second The Arctic Fury"

Got it.

I will second Wolf Winter.

I will second Voyage of the Narwhale.

I will second Burial Rites.

OK, got those seconds.

Updated through post #22:

Nominations - Seconded:
Wolf Winter - 2 seconds
Burial Rites - 2 seconds
The Arctic Fury - 1 second
The Voyage of the Narwhal - 1 second
The Glass Woman - 1 second

Nominations - Not Yet Seconded:
The Greenlanders

I’d like to second The Glass Woman—always up for a witch story!

Abigail wrote: "I’d like to second The Glass Woman—always up for a witch story!"

Got it.

Another vote for Burial Rites!

I 2nd Arctic Fury.

I'd like to nominate Snowblind by Ragnar Jónasson. This book is set in Iceland.
I think Iceland is awesome too, Becky!

I’ll nominate the excellent The Sealwoman's Gift

I nominate The tricking of Freya
: A novel by Christina Sunley. Deals with family secrets and the strange magical history language and landscape of Iceland

History language and landscape of Iceland

Under a pole star by stef penney

I second Under a Pole Star by Stef Penney

I nominate The Terror.

I second The Arctic Fury.

I’d like to nominate the memoir North of Hope: A Daughter’s Arctic Journey by Shannon Huffman Polson. “After her parents are killed in a rare grizzly attack, the author is forced into a wilderness of grief… Her travels take her from the suburbs of Seattle to the concert hall where she sings Mozart's Requiem, and ultimately into the wilderness of Alaska's remote Arctic and of her heart.”

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

I’ll second The Glass Woman.

I nominate A Dream in Polar Fog by Yuri Rytkheu, an indigenous (Chukchi) author.

If you want an excuse to include Iceland, the map you posted also shows the "Arctic Region", outlined in red, and that does include most of Iceland. Interestingly, it cuts off the tops of some of the Scandinavian countries and adds a bit more of Canada.

I just double checked and my nomination doesn’t meet the page count. So, new nomination:

The Raven’s Gift by Don Rearden
Couple moves to Yup’ik village in remote Alaska to be teachers. Epidemic hits and husband has to make trek across the tundra for help.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

Another second for Narwhal, I can throw in a link to a video, fab creatures that they are.

I'm adding my second to Snowblind. I've had it on my TBR for a while.

Also, this was done on my phone, so if I missed or messed anything up, just let me know!

Also, Patty, I did see that, but I figured the Arctic circle was more inclusive and easier to follow, plus I didn't want to have to make a bunch of exceptions to re-include Scandinavia. :)


Nominations updated through post #38:

Nominations - Seconded:
Wolf Winter - 2 seconds
Burial Rites - 3 seconds
The Arctic Fury - 3 seconds
The Glass Woman - 2 seconds
The Voyage of the Narwhal - 2 seconds
Under a Pole Star - 1 second
Snowblind - 1 second

Nominations - Not Yet Seconded:
The Greenlanders
The Sealwoman's Gift
The Tricking of Freya
The Terror
A Dream in Polar Fog
The Raven's Gift

I’ll second Burial Rites

I would like to nominate The Ice-Shirt by William T. Vollmann which takes place in "the wastes of Greenland" according to the book's description. Greenland is in the Arctic Circle. The historical period is the 10th century C.E.

I'll second The Tricking of Freya which I read and liked very much back in 2009.

I'll second The Ice-Shirt

I will secondThe Greenlanders.

I'll second The Tricking of Freya.

I second The Terror

I nominate MissMiss Smilla's Feeling for Snow
I read it years ago and it was unputdownable. A dark look at Denmark as a colonial power and their very discreet but very powerful role in the Arctic. For being a 90's book it is so current. Race, environment, gender are all dealt with. It is a stern, powerful grown-up book a teenager might enjoy. Actually, I will recommend it to my own daughter after I post this!

I second Burial Rites by Hannah Kent.

Nominations updated through post #51:

Nominations - Seconded:
Burial Rites - 4 seconds
The Arctic Fury - 3 seconds
Wolf Winter - 2 seconds
The Glass Woman - 2 seconds
The Voyage of the Narwhal - 2 seconds
The Tricking of Freya - 2 seconds
The Terror - 2 seconds
Under a Pole Star - 1 second
Snowblind - 1 second
The Ice-Shirt - 1 second
----------------- Cut-off-----------------
The Greenlanders - 1 second
Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow - 1 second


Nominations - Not Yet Seconded:
The Sealwoman's Gift
A Dream in Polar Fog
The Raven's Gift

I would like to change my second to Miss Smilla’s feeling for snow

Margaret wrote: "I would like to change my second to Miss Smilla’s feeling for snow "

Okie doke. Done.