Historical Fictionistas discussion

Hello all... so sorry, the series nominations threw me all off this month, and I forgot to do the single book noms, and now we're behind! Booooo!

Anyway, so we're doing a really quick one this time.
The theme is Spanish HF.

Nominate ONE BOOK per person that fits the theme. Make sure that we have not already read the book as a group. (HINT: If it's on the group bookshelf, we've read it.)

Use the Add Book/Author link to link to the title (NOT cover image).

Nominations will close on August 8th. Then we'll vote. :)

Would The Constant Princess count as its about Katherine of Aragon?

Guernica: A Novel by Dave Boling

She was from Spain but I don't think that book took place in Spain. I read it last year.

Lucinda, I don't believe that would count because I think most of it takes place in England even though it is about Katherine. Also, the nomination should be linked to the title.

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Since the group has read The Shadow of the Wind I'm going to nominate The Angel's Game.

As a clarification, the book doesn't need to take place entirely in Spain, but a good percentage of it, or have a heavy Spanish influence, etc. Like "Ines of My Soul" takes place in Chile for a large part of the book, but I would allow it because of the Spanish influence the people brought with them.

I'll nominate: Captain Alatriste by Arturo Pérez-Reverte.

BTW, I think we need a run-off poll for the series nomination.

Unforunately, the link goes to a spanish description of the of the book. The link to hardcover version has the description in english. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56...

Jolene, I put up the run off poll just now. GR kept giving me over capacity messages every time I attempted it. Here it is: http://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/69...

I love this theme, since I am going to Spain in November I am in Spanish mode.

I would like to nominate By Fire, By Water

I would like to nominate the latest novel by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, The Prisoner of Heaven.

Lets see how about Guy Gavriel Kay'sThe Lions of al-Rassan

Crown Of Aloes


Still one of the better ones I've read...

@Gabriel, Lions is one of my favorite books of all time!

Sharpe's Company by Bernard Cornwell about the Siege of Badajoz during the Napoleonic era's Peninsular War in Spain. 200 years ago!

Winter in Madrid by C.J. Sansom

Gabriel wrote: "Lets see how about Guy Gavriel Kay'sThe Lions of al-Rassan "

Sorry Gabriel, this is more Historical Fantasy based on Spain, so it wouldn't be eligible as historical fiction.

Want to choose another?

Reign of Madness

Either Reign of Madness or Crown of Aloes. Both look really good!

The Spanish Helmet

Something a little different. Historical fiction blended with modern thriller (two timelines intertwined).

Barely any of the story occurs in Spain, however the entire novel is based on the controversial theory that a lost Spanish explorer discovered New Zealand (true story... maybe).

Poem of the Cid There are many different versions/translations so there is a bit of choice still.

Bah, I will try amazon, then. And I pick Sultana

Shadows of the Pomegranate Treeby Tariq Ali

Carlos Fuentes Terra Nostra

I've been wanting to read Cathedral of the Sea by Idelfonso Falcones for a while.

The Shadow of the Wind byCarlos Ruiz Zafón

The Last Queen by C.W. Gortner looks really good!

OK... I'm actually going to close the nominations since we got a ton of them already and we don't have time for a run-off poll!

Joe, we've read The Shadow of the Wind as a group.

John, only first books in a series are eligible until we've read the previous ones.

Putting up the poll... :)

Alrighty - The poll is up! (I can't send out a message until tomorrow, so those of you who check get early voting privileges! :P

http://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/69618

Becky wrote: "Alrighty - The poll is up! (I can't send out a message until tomorrow, so those of you who check get early voting privileges! :P

Hi, does the "poll is up" mean it's about to start or has just finished? I sometimes have trouble with American idioms! If you do my new novel The Chosen Man(a Hispano/Vatican conspiracy & romance released June 7th by KRP) I can answer your searching questions! I did two years background research to get historical details right - but you can take me to town on the story itself, if you like.JGH

Nominations are closed. You can vote here: http://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/69...

I just read a wonderful book called The Sadness of the Samurai, by Victor del Arbol. The setting is pro-Nazi Spain in 1941, with the "main" story set in 1981. Beautifully written, literary historical mystery.
The Sadness of the Samurai: A Novel

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12...

It talks about Barcelona in the XX century, just before the civil war. And it talks about books. So, for me, is the perfect book ;)

Alana & Ti - the nominations are closed - we got a ton in a really short timeframe and so we closed it early.

I had a great suggestion, "The Moorish Whore," but I waited til I had internet access to post it. And someone had decided to close the nominations two days early.
Thanks for giving an even break to us people in the slow-internet rural world.

Reb.

Phooey. I guess I am late. But I am adding anyway since I just saw the note today! The Time Inbetween by Maria Duenas.

Rebekah wrote: "I had a great suggestion, "The Moorish Whore," but I waited til I had internet access to post it. And someone had decided to close the nominations two days early.
Thanks for giving an even break to us people in the slow-internet rural world."

I explained why I was closing it early. We had 16 nominations make it onto the poll, which all came in within a few hours. If I'd left the poll up for the full length, we'd have so many options that we'd need a 2nd run-off poll, which we didn't have time for.

I'm sorry you didn't get a chance to nominate this round. It goes that way sometimes, and you can nominate in the next round.

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

The Spanish Bridegroom by Jean Plaidy.

I'm coming to this too late, obviously - I didn't nominate anything earlier because I didn't know of a lot of historical fiction set in Spain - but just noticed a really intriguing sounding one, and wanted to note it down for the record, in case anyone else is interested: The Flesh and the Devil