October Open Pick - Nominations are Closed

[Whitney]

It's that time already! Please make your nominations for the October open pick. Nominations will stay open for approximately one week.

Here's the usual boilerplate:
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.

[LindaJ^]

Once again, the 2013 Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction (and a few other awards) The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson.

[Jen]

I'll nominate Fourth of July Creek, which I've had my eye on since it was released several months ago. I've read several strong reviews.

From the GR blurb:
In this shattering and iconic American novel, PEN prize-winning writer, Smith Henderson explores the complexities of freedom, community, grace, suspicion and anarchy, brilliantly depicting our nation's disquieting and violent contradictions.

[Zulfiya]

I propose something Australian to dilute the reading material:-) - Seven Types of Ambiguity by Elliot Perlman

[Casceil]

Fourth of July Creek looks interesting. Some reviewers liken the writing to Cormac McCarthy.

[Paula]

Zulfiya wrote: "I propose something Australian to dilute the reading material:-) - Seven Types of Ambiguity by Elliot Perlman"

I second this one!

[Casceil]

Reviews for Seven Types of Ambiguity are interesting, too. This is shaping up to be an interesting selection.

[Linda]

Zulfiya wrote: "I propose something Australian to dilute the reading material:-) - Seven Types of Ambiguity by Elliot Perlman"

That one looks interesting! I love long books, but not sure I would be able to get through it in a single month.

[Casceil]

We really need more than three books to choose between. I nominate Euphoria.

[Whitney]

And polls are closing soon - so get those last minute nominations in.

[Ben]

I had been resisting nominating because I liked all of the nominations and I have been reading quite a bit of plays, short fiction and poetry of late and not loads of literary fiction. I will nominate a favorite of mine that I have nominated before but has not quite made it and you are looking for some extra nominations.

Canada by Richard Ford like all of his books it is full of wonderful sentences and moments. Here is the start “First, I’ll tell about the robbery our parents committed. Then about the murders, which happened later. The robbery is the more important part, since it served to set my and my sister’s lives on the courses they eventually followed. Nothing would make complete sense without that being told first.”

If picked it might whet people's pallets for his latest book due out at the end of the year.

[Jane from B.C.]

I will throw another title in the mix if it is not too late.

I am currently reading and very much enjoying History of the Rain by Irish authour Niall Williams. His writing is poetic. The main character is a cynical yet witty bed ridden 19 year-old. Ruth Swain tells us her version of her family's history. There are gobs of literary reference in the novel as Ruth is surrounded by her poet-father's huge personal library which she has worked through from a young age. So she references these works throughout her tale. (She is a great fan of Dickens.) It is a real book lovers book. I think it would make for excellent discussion. The book is long-listed for the Booker.

[Whitney]

Not too late, and a fine choice. This will be another tough one to choose.

Nominations are closed, and the poll is up. Get to it from the homepage or click here: https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1...

Voting will stay open until the end of August.

[Whitney]

Poll is closing soon, get your vote, or change of vote, in now.

[Whitney]

Ben, I just noticed that I didn't get "Canada" into the poll. Apologies for that. I'll automatically make it a nomination of November.

[Ben]

no worries I like lots of the other nominations anyway

[Whitney]

And it looks like The Orphan Master's Son will finally be our pick, thanks to the tenacity of its many fans!

Linda, since it's your nomination, are you interested in leading the discussion?

[Brandon]

I love Richard Ford's Bascombe trilogy, but Canada was exhausting. Ford's way with words and imagery are still amazimg, but the viscerally oppresive content is hard to shake.