21st Century Literature discussion

It's time to start nominating books for our March 2014 Open Pick group read. Everyone is allowed one nomination, but remember that 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.

Nominations will wrap up late next weekend and the poll will run for about a week following. Happy nominating!

"The Whipping Club", by Deborah Henry

"Property" by Valerie Martin

Well, I promised some Belgian tips, so I'd like to nominate Omega minor by Paul Verhaeghen. It's an epic novel, encompassing a big part of the last century. It was originally written in Dutch, but translared into English by the author himself.

Here are links for nominees so far:

Property by Valerie Martin

The Whipping Club by Deborah Henry

Omega Minor by Paul Verhaeghen

Ops, sorry, I deleted my post about HHhH. How about a sprawling, massive The Woman Who Lost Her Soul by Bob Shacochis

I'm already reading INFINITE JEST, but I'm guessing you all already did that? Or does it count as 21st Century?

I see our bookshelf contains no books by Ron Rash, who is a writer of Southern fiction (novels and short stories) and poems. He is perhaps best known for his novel Serena. I think his short stories may be even better, with The Night the New Jesus Fell to Earth and Other Stories from Cliffside, North Carolina being a favorite.

But I am going to nominate his newest novel - The Cove, published in 2012, which has been on my shelf since published.

Infinite Jest was first published in 1997, so, no, it does not qualify. I got so busy posting links that I failed to notice that Elizabeth nominated two books. Sorry, Elizabeth, but it is one nomination per person, so you will have to choose one or the other of your nominations.

How about Seiobo There Below by László Krasznahorkai? I see we don't have any of his stuff on the shelf yet.

I'll fly the flag and pick an Irishman. John banville. The sea. I think you might have covered colm toibin already.

Here is the link for Mark's nomination: The Sea by John Banville. I have been thinking about reading this one for a while.

How about A Tall For the Time of Being.

I would like to nominate The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker. It is a lovely book.

Let The Great World Spin by Column McCann

Thing Two, you mean:

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki, right?

And here's a link for Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann.

This might be the best month of open pick nominations in years! I hope we'll see some lobbying, because I'm really not sure what to vote for.

Thanks Terry! Did that from my phone last night during a slow part of the Super Bowl. I guess I didn't catch the autocorrect.

A Tale for the Time Being is my nomination as well. It's part of the March Tournatment of Books and has been on my TBR for awhile.

The Woman Who Lost Her Soul and The Golem and the Jinni are also on my TRB

Oh, and as for campaigning, A Tale for the Time Being was short listed for the Man Booker last year, and was a Goodreads nominee. It made it to Paris Reviews top 20 books of the year.

I'm also interested in reading Property, and The Sea. Let the Great World Spin is one of my favorites.

I may have to nominate again another month, because this month looks full of great choices, but I am going to put The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout into the ring.

Not the sort of thing I have seen commonly chosen here, but I just finished reading it and found it full of lots of thoughts on siblings, family, economic and social mobility and necessity, immigration, tolerance, and Park Slope, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and small town Maine. Liked it better than Strout's Pulitzer Olive Kitteridge .

Lobbying can be done and found over here:

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

Peter wrote: "I would like to nominate The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker. It is a lovely book."

Just for the record, we did have a little mod huddle over this nomination since The Golem... has largely been embraced as fantasy novel. What differentiates it in our minds, though, is that the author has an MFA from Columbia, and HarperCollins published it under their own label rather than a fantasy imprint. You all will of course be the final arbiters in that regard, but there is enough suggestion of literary merit that it will be allowed to stand in the poll for your consideration.

I also nominate The Golem and the Jinni!

I'd like to nominate:
Hellgoing by Lynn Coady - it's a short story collection so perhaps a number of stories can be selected?
http://www.houseofanansi.com/Hellgoin...

Allison wrote: "I'd like to nominate:
Hellgoing by Lynn Coady - it's a short story collection so perhaps a number of stories can be selected?
http://www.houseofanansi.com/Hellgoin..."

We've read several short story collections in the past, so there's no problem nominating the work as a whole. And for what it's worth, I truly enjoyed the collection myself. Seeing it win the Giller was a high point of 2013 for me.

Have we read "Dissident Gardens" by jonathan Lethem yet? Can't remember. If not, I nominate it.

James E. wrote: "Have we read "Dissident Gardens" by jonathan Lethem yet? Can't remember. If not, I nominate it."

We actually haven't read anything by Lethem in this group...yet. Consider it nominated.

Dissident Gardens by Jonathan Lethem

No Lethem yet? Oh, in that case, can I broaden my nomination to include any of the following:

"Fortress of Solitude" (2003); "Chronic City" (2009) or "Dissident Gardens" (2013).

All are great. "Fortress is one of my all-time fav books.

James E. wrote: "No Lethem yet? Oh, in that case, can I broaden my nomination to include any of the following:

"Fortress of Solitude" (2003); "Chronic City" (2009) or "Dissident Gardens" (2013)."

Any of those would fit the bill, but you'll have to settle on just one. Any preference for which of the three should run in the poll?

"Fortress", then.

Fortress it is.

The Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem

I'd like to nominate The Hunger Angel by Herta Muller. On the tablet, and it won't sllow me to add links. Sorry!

The Hunger Angel by Herta Müller

I nominate A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz

We'll shut down and put the poll up in about five hours. Let's get those last minute nominations in.

I'd like to nominate Super Sad True Love Story
I loved it!

Elizabeth, as I mentioned in Message 8, you need to pick one of your two choices. Act fast, or the person setting up the poll will choose for you.