Nominations for February 2024 Open Pick

[Hugh]

Nominations are now open until December 26th for the February 2024 Open Pick.

Nominating guidelines:
- Fiction (original & translation, if applicable) first published between January 1, 2000 and February 1, 2023. For translations the latter date must be an English edition.
- One nomination per person (please do not nominate or vote for a book unless you are certain you can read and discuss if it wins)
- A book this group has not yet read (see the group bookshelf or the Index of all Group Reads here)
- A book that is not better suited to the wild card (genre) category

If you are nominating, please begin your post by stating "I nominate [name with hyperlink to book]"

The discussion will start on February 1st

[David]

I nominate The Iliac Crest by Cristina Rivera Garza, if eligible.

[Hugh]

Thanks David. I think it is fine.

[Sam]

I nominate Thrust Lidia Yuknavitch

[Hugh]

Thanks Sam

[Hester]

I nominate EstorilDejan Tiago-Stanković.

[Whitney]

Hester wrote: "I nominate EstorilDejan Tiago-Stanković."

That's a fine nomination, Hester. Your link goes to the author page rather than the book. Here is it again for ease of clicking:
Estoril by Dejan Tiago-Stanković

[Hester]

Thanks Witney

[Hugh]

Sorry - lost track of this. Nominations are closed - the poll will be up shortly

[Hugh]

The poll is up here, and will be up until January 7th:
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/2...

[Clarke]

Just so you know, when I clicked on the link to Estoril from the nomination page, I got a synopsis in the original (non-English) language.

[Hugh]

Sorry about that- the list of editions you pick from doesn't show the lsnguage or publisher so unless you are familiar with the cover it is pure guesswork.

[David]

Looks like the race is neck and neck (and neck).

[Marc]

Wow, it's been a while since we've had a horse race like this!

[Hugh]

Estoril won the poll. Hester, are you happy to lead the discussion?

[Whitney]

Hester, checking again if you would like to lead the discussion?

[Hester]

ooh . what does that entail . I'm afraid my son has been grappling with a serious illness since I nominated and I might not be able to give preparation much attention . why does life get in the way ?

[Whitney]

Hester wrote: "ooh . what does that entail . I'm afraid my son has been grappling with a serious illness since I nominated and I might not be able to give preparation much attention . why does life get in the way ?"

Oh, no, I'm sorry to hear about your son.

There is absolutely no requirement to moderate, but if you think it's something you'd like to do, it's basically just starting the discussion, usually asking a few questions to get things going, and encouraging discussion. You can look at other discussions to see what others have done, and I'm happy to provide more input if you like. Again, don't feel compelled unless it would be a stress reliever, not a stress enhancer, for you.

[Hester]

Thanks Witney ....in ordinary times it would be fun but just now I'm afraid I can't predict how each day is going to be . I'm really sorry not to be able to do this but if things settle I do want to contribute . I'm pretty interested in those places on the fringes of Europe that served as places of refuge / escape / intrigue in WW2 . Like Casablanca . From the little I've read about Estoril it's seems there are James Bond connections with Ian Fleming who spent time there along with Graham Greene. On Her Majesty's Secret Service with George Lazonby playing Bond was filmed there . A lot of the royalty of Europe also passed through the resort .

The authoritarian Salazar was bound by the Treaty of Windsor, signed in 1386,and traded with both sides in the war . The large number of refugees flooding into neutral Portugal , estimated to be nearly a million people , were a difficulty for Salazar and he limited visas .

[Hester]

Morning . I am happy to see quite a few of us are signed up , at least in theory , for this group read Estoril.

I'm new to leading a discussion , in fact am new to the group , so please forgive me if I appear ill prepared .

I picked up a copy of the novel in a second hand book shop in Brecon, Wales over the Christmas period . It was really on a whim as I like reading books in translation and stories with a " closed shop setting " ie hotel / prison / country house / school / hospitals / sanatorium as I think it helps keep a plot tight and we likely meet some eccentric or entertaining characters., often with time on their hands.

Ive been mulling over other novels set in hotels or concerning populations of exiles and of course thought of Thomas Mann and Magic Mountain but also of a very funny mid century favourite Betty MacDonald and The Plague and I.

In my childhood I read Eloise and the ubiquitous The Story of Babar with its orphaned elephant and the ornate refuge the Old Lady provides so maybe a strange alchemy was in my head when I saw Estoril on the shelf . Finally I can recommend Paris Stories by Mavis Gallantwho has some really well observed stories in this collection about a hotel on the Italian Riviera between the wars for the great and the good of Europe . And The Great Fortune has some great portraits of high society in Bucarest at the onset of WW2.

I hope to read Badenheim 1939 which is set in a holiday resort town near Vienna and could , perhaps be a pre-qual to our choice this month . On an even darker note last year I read Trieste where the coastal resorts was re imagined by its Nazi occupiers as a destination for R&R for the SS and was equally full of spies and intrigue .

In any event here's a link to the wiki page of the author https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dejan_T... who moved to Portugal in 1996 from Belgrade sandwiched by a period in London .

At the back of my copy is a soundtrack the author has complied and a short bibliography of work he has translated by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Miloš Crnjanski, Ian Fleming and Michael Curtiz . He states " the careful reader will find homages to these writers , especially to Saint - Exupéry .

Happy reading everyone

[Hugh]

Hester wrote: "Morning . I am happy to see quite a few of us are signed up , at least in theory , for this group read Estoril.

I'm new to leading a discussion , in fact am new to the group , so p..."
I have created the folder for the discussion. You should be able to create your discussion topics there. This is the folder:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...

The new topic button there allows you to create as many topics as you like.

[Sonia]

Hester wrote: "Morning . I am happy to see quite a few of us are signed up , at least in theory , for this group read Estoril.

I'm new to leading a discussion , in fact am new to the group , so p..."
I love Brecon Books. I always come out with something, and Brecon is a lovely town to spend the day in.

[Hester]

Sonia wrote: "Hester wrote: "Morning . I am happy to see quite a few of us are signed up , at least in theory , for this group read Estoril.

I'm new to leading a discussion , in fact am new to t..."

Agree . I came out of that bookshop with a great big grin on my face but less money in the bank !