August Open Pick - Nominations Are Open

[Whitney]

In order to increase the lead time between choosing a book and starting the discussion, nominations for the August open pick are now open!

Here's the usual boilerplate (is that a redundancy?):

- Everyone is allowed one nomination, eligible books must be works of fiction published from 2000-2014.
- Selections that are overly genre or fail to meet the group standards of literary quality will not be permitted in the final poll.
- Anyone voting for a book is expected to read said book and participate in the discussion, should that book win.

Nominations will be open for one week. So, happy nominating everyone! And don't forget we have three pretty nifty books coming up in July.

[Zulfiya]

Let me try to nominate The Son by Philipp Meyer for the third and last time. Maybe, it will finally win the poll. :-)

[Jen]

I really enjoyed The Son.

I'd like to nominate something I've been meaning for to read for some time now and have heard great things about: Anil's Ghost. Description-

Anil’s Ghost transports us to Sri Lanka, a country steeped in centuries of tradition, now forced into the late twentieth century by the ravages of civil war. Into this maelstrom steps Anil Tissera, a young woman born in Sri Lanka, educated in England and America, who returns to her homeland as a forensic anthropologist sent by an international human rights group to discover the source of the organized campaigns of murder engulfing the island. What follows is a story about love, about family, about identity, about the unknown enemy, about the quest to unlock the hidden past–a story propelled by a riveting mystery. Unfolding against the deeply evocative background of Sri Lanka’s landscape and ancient civilization, Anil’s Ghost is a literary spellbinder–Michael Ondaatje’s most powerful novel yet.

[Julia]

I nominate Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

One of The New York Times's Ten Best Books of the Year

Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction

An NPR "Great Reads" Book, a Chicago Tribune Best Book, a Washington Post Notable Book, a Seattle Times Best Book, an Entertainment Weekly Top Fiction Book, a Newsday Top 10 Book, and a Goodreads Best of the Year pick.

A powerful, tender story of race and identity.

Ifemelu and Obinze are young and in love when they depart military-ruled Nigeria for the West. Beautiful, self-assured Ifemelu heads for America, where despite her academic success, she is forced to grapple with what it means to be black for the first time. Quiet, thoughtful Obinze had hoped to join her, but with post-9/11 America closed to him, he instead plunges into a dangerous, undocumented life in London. Fifteen years later, they reunite in a newly democratic Nigeria, and reignite their passion—for each other and for their homeland.

[Angie]

Julia wrote: "I nominate Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

One of The New York Times's Ten Best Books of the Year.
An NPR "Great Reads" Book, a Chicago Tribune Best Book, a Washington Post Notable Book, a Seattle Times Best Book, an Entertainment Weekly Top Fiction Book, a Newsday Top 10 Book, and a Goodreads Best of the Year pick.One of The New York Times's Ten Best Books of the Year"

That's a lot of Best lists! I've heard great things about this from all my friends who've read it. I'll keep my fingers crossed that this one make's the cut.

[LindaJ^]

I nominate The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson for a second try. According to Amazon, this 2012 book garnered the following recognition:

* WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE
* NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FINALIST
* DAYTON LITERARY PEACE PRIZE WINNER
* LONGLISTED FOR THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION’S ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL
* WINNER OF THE CALIFORNIA BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION
* NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

[Cactus]

Purple Hibiscus, by the same a author as Amercanah, also gets enthusiastic praise from sll I know who have read it. http://www.amazon.com/Purple-Hibiscus... (Sorry for the klunky link -- I'm on a Kindle with limited capabilities.)

[LindaJ^]

Karen wrote: "Purple Hibiscus, by the same a author as Amercanah, also gets enthusiastic praise from sll I know who have read it. http://www.amazon.com/Purple-Hibiscus......"

Purple Hibiscus is great. I nominated it a few months ago in hopes I could read it with the group but it did not prevail! Adichi is an excellent writer.

[Whitney]

Karen, just to be clear, are you nominating Purple Hibiscus?

[Lily]

This is NOT a nomination for August, but I am going to mention a nomination from July. It didn't get a lot of votes then, but I read it based on its being put forward and I think it is very worthwhile as well as could be the basis for many good discussions. It received considerable publicity when it was released (~2011?). If someone else does not, I may well nominate it again in a future month -- this is just a bit of campaigning. (I think there are some very strong choices this month that have been sitting in the wings for awhile here. I don't want to put Open City up against them.)

Open City by Teju Cole

[Cactus]

No, I'm not nominating Purple Hibiscus. That was just a comment. However, I would like to nominate All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr. This is a link to the Washington Post review: http://www.washingtonpost.com/enterta... . Sorry -- still on a Kindle.

[Lily]

Karen wrote: "No, I'm not nominating Purple Hibiscus. That was just a comment. However, I would like to nominate All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr. This is a link to the Washington Post review: ..."


All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Hardcover, 544 pages
Published May 6th 2014 by Scribner

[Cactus]

Thanks, Lily.

[Lily]

Karen wrote: "Thanks, Lily."

Looks interesting. Right out of the box, though, so may need to nominate again in a few months if doesn't get the polling this time. There appear to be, however, a large number of Goodreads reviews already. Good luck if it is what you hope we read. I think I'm going to let others make the choice since it is not clear how much reading I'll be able to do in August.

[Whitney]

Nominations closing soon, so get any last minute picks in!

[Whitney]

Okay, the poll is up, here: https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1...

Poll will run through July 6th. Happy voting!

[Casceil]

Since this is July 5th, this means the poll closes tomorrow. As of now, there are eight votes spread out rather evenly between five books. I point this out because, if anyone wishes to change their vote, they may have a decisive effect on what wins.

[Whitney]

For those who haven't been following the poll, the winner for the August open pick is Americanah!

[Angie]

Number 50 on the library hold for Americanah. I hope it doesn't take too long to get this one.

[Casceil]

Number 50? For a book that has been out over a year and is now available in paperback? That's appalling. I wish you luck.

[Angie]

They have 15 ebooks available, so it is possible. I'll be buying a copy to read if it doesn't come off hold in time. I've heard sooo many good things about this novel. I think the long hold list it is a testament to the word of mouth on this one.

[Linda]

Angie wrote: "Number 50 on the library hold for Americanah. I hope it doesn't take too long to get this one."

I'm not reading this one with you guys, but I was curious about the status of the book at our library so I looked it up. There are 152 holds on 42 total copies. Hopefully it's a quick read!

[Julie]

There are 9 holds at my library. Guess I lucked out!

[Linda]

Actually, 152 holds can be a deceiving number since that's for the library system, not just one particular library. But still, a lot of people want to read it!

[Angie]

I personally use Overdrive for all my library reading. It usually only takes 3-4 weeks for even the longest hold list. It's worth the wait for me since I rarely, if ever re-read. And since I'm not able to loan or give away my kindle books, I'd much rather read a copy I can return when I'm done.

[LindaJ^]

I have the book in audio, which always makes it harder to discuss, but since I ended up buying 2 of the 3 we are reading in July, I'm resisting the urge to have it in paper!