May Nominations > Likes and Comments

The nominations for May are now open.

For May the theme is Historical Fiction (meeting our definition) that was published at least three months ago. Please include the publication date in your nomination for it to be counted. The book MUST also be available in all three formats-Book, ebook, and audiobook.


REMINDERS
NO SELF NOMINATION- Any member who self nominates a book, will have the post deleted and the member will be removed from the group.
NOMINATION POST MUST INCLUDE: TITLE, AUTHOR, AND PUBLICATION DATE - If any one of these three things is missing from the nomination post, it will not be counted.
EVERY MEMBER GETS ONE NOMINATION AND ONE SECOND - Please make sure you are clearly marking if you are nominating and/or seconding a book. Too much extra chatter in the nomination thread makes it difficult for the moderators to keep track of the books that need to be counted.
BOOKS IN A SERIES MUST BE READ IN SERIES ORDER -Book 4 in a series cannot be nominated if the group has not read books 1-3
For a complete breakdown of how the nomination process works, see this thread - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE look over the bookshelf containing all of the past group reads. Past group reads cannot be nominated again -
https://www.goodreads.com/group/books...

Nominations will close on March 15th.

Nominations up to #35

1. Our Woman in Moscow by Beatriz Williams -6 seconds
2. In a League of Her Own by Kaia Alderson- 2 seconds
3. The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hill by Robert Dugoni- 2 seconds
4. The Women on Platform Two by Laura Anthony -2 seconds
5. River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer- 2 seconds
6. Typewriter Beach by Meg Waite Clayton- 1 second
7. Woman on Fire by Lisa Barr
8. The Master Jeweler by Weina Dai Randel
9. A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell

I nominate In a League of Her Own by Kaia Alderson. Published August 2024. 352 pages. Available Libby ebook and audio and physical.
Set in 1930's America. Historical fiction about Effa Manley, a black businesswoman in the male dominated baseball industry, and, currently, the only woman inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Edited to add that there are other females who are honored in the BHOF through exhibits but they have not been voted in as Manley was.

I’d like to nominate “The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hill”
Author: Robert Dugan, published 2018. Available in ebook, printed book, audio CD, and e-audiobook on Audible and LibroFM ( Independent bookstore audiobook club). Thanks!

Actually the spelling was corrected on my phone, sorry about that…. The author of post above is Robert Dugoni

I nominateRiver Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer Published 1/19/2023

I second In a League of Her Own.

I nominate Our Woman in Moscow by Beatriz Williams.

I second In a League of Her Own.

I nominate A Girl Called Samson, published on April 1, 2023. It is about Deborah Samson born in 1760. When her father abandons the family, Deborah is bound out as an indentured servant. From that moment on, she yearns for a life of liberation and adventure.

I second A Girl Called Samson

Woman on Fire by Lisa Barr
(Ive searched the list but I don’t think it’s been read here)

Amazon Bkurb:

A gripping historical thriller about a young, ambitious journalist embroiled in an international art scandal centered around a Nazi-looted masterpiece—forcing the ultimate showdown between passion and possession, lovers and liars, history and truth.

After talking her way into a job with Dan Mansfield, the leading investigative reporter in Chicago, rising young journalist Jules Roth is given an unusual—and very secret—assignment. Dan needs her to locate a piece of Nazi-looted art stolen by the Nazis more than 75 years earlier: legendary Expressionist artist Ernst Engel’s most famous work, Woman on Fire. World-renowned shoe designer Ellis Baum wants this portrait of a beautiful, mysterious woman for deeply personal reasons, and has enlisted Dan’s help to find it. But Jules doesn’t have much time; the famous designer is dying.

Meanwhile, in a dangerous game of international suspense, provocative and powerful Margaux de Laurent also searches for the painting. Heir to her art collector family’s millions, Margaux is a cunning gallerist who gets everything she wants. The only thing standing in her way is Jules. Yet the passionate and determined Jules has unexpected resources of her own, including Adam Baum, Ellis’s grandson. A recovering addict and brilliant artist in his own right, Adam was once in Margaux’s clutches. He knows how ruthless she is, and he’ll do anything to help Jules locate the painting before Margaux gets to it first.

A thrilling tale of secrets, love, sacrifice, and revenge that illuminates the destructive cruelty of war and greed and the triumphant power of beauty and love, Woman on Fire tells the story of a remarkable woman and an exquisite work of art that burns bright, moving through hands, hearts, and history.

Sorry (cant diet my post) … publication date March 2022
Girl on Fire by Lisa Barr

Second: “The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hill”

I'd like to nominate The Women on Platform Two by Laura Anthony. It was published March 11, 2025.

Chuck wrote: "I nominate A Girl Called Samson, published on April 1, 2023. It is about Deborah Samson born in 1760. When her father abandons the family, Deborah is bound out as an indentured serv..."

This was our group read in December of 2024.

Here is the link to the discussion if you would like to go back and add to it.
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I have already read The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hill, and I agree that it is a fantastic book. I would support that nomination.

My only reservation for the Sam Hill book is that it really is more fiction as opposed to historical fiction.

I second Our Woman in Moscow

The Master Jeweler by Weina Dai Randel published June 24, 2025

I second Our Woman in Moscow

I second "The Women on Platform Two," by Laura Anthony. 'Sounds interesting...about the quest for birth control in Ireland. It is very highly rated by Goodreads readers and available in paperback.

If I knew how to post a link to it, I would.

I second Our Woman in Moscow by Beatriz Williams.

I nominate The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

I second Our Woman in Moscow

Lisa wrote: "I nominate The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

I second Our Woman in Moscow"

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society was our group read in in August of 2019.

If you would like to add to the discussion it can be found here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Feel free to nominate a different book.

I nominate A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell, published Feb 1, 2005.

A Thread of Grace
Available in all 3 formats.

I second “the women on platform two”, by Laura Anthony. It was a fantastic read and an eye opener.

FYI If Weina Dai Randel's The Master Jeweler is nominated and voted as our read I would throw my hat in the ring to moderate the discussion or co-moderate. I have moderated once before a historical fiction novel in another group's discussion. Not sure if that is the way it is done in this group or the same person moderates every month. Perhaps someone can tell me how it works.

Thank you in advance.

I second River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer

I second Our Woman in Moscow,

I am nominating Typewriter Beach by Meg Waite Clayton, which was published July 1, 2025. It is a dual timeline story taking place In 1950s, Red Scare Hollywood, reflecting on the actress who caught Alfred Hitchcock's eye, along with 2018 seaside California. On lots of "Best of" Summer lists!

I've wanted to read The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell, but I'm not sure -- is it historical fiction or contemporary?

I'm seconding River Sing Me Home.

I’ll second Typewriter Beach.

I was alive (barely) and living on a southern California beach in those days, and my family knew a lot of the people blacklisted. Would be fun to read! For those interested in the period, there are two films—one documentary, one feature—about Dalton Trumbo, a key figure in the resistance to blacklisting.

Since everyone was questioning The genre of Extraordinary Life of Sam Hill, I checked what it is….considered coming-of age/ literary fiction, so guess it’s out.



M

To add to above: several historical fiction bookclubs on Facebook consider the Sam Hill book historical fiction. Starts in 1957 when he was born, through his life 1989-90 adulthood

Melanie wrote: "To add to above: several historical fiction bookclubs on Facebook consider the Sam Hill book historical fiction. Starts in 1957 when he was born, through his life 1989-90 adulthood"

I wasn't questioning it. One of the tags lists it as historical fiction, and while this might sound a little bad, my opinion/questioning is the only one that actually matters in the nomination process as I have the final say on what can be included and what cannot.

Nominations are now closed.