Bailey's/Orange Women's Fiction Group discussion

Just for this month we will be nominating from both the new list for 2014 and from last years 2013.
Next month we will include 13 in the 'archive' as the new prize will have been announced (June 4th I think!)

so keep those ideas coming!

I'll kick off by nominating

from the 2014 list.

This is the author of Olive Kitteridge some of you might remember.

from 2014s list, by Anna Quindlen

There are several on the 2014 list I want to read, but I will renominate one from the 2013 list first:
or
Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson

☮Karen wrote: " from 2014s list, by Anna Quindlen"

I was going to suggest the same book but you beat me to it. I second it and also Alif the Unseen.

I nominate Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

Burial Rites

I am reading this right now! It is rather dry and yet I cannot put it down!! Very quick read so far. I must say, I am half way thru and cannot think of anything to discuss, so I must assume the best is yet to come....

Penny, there is a book in the poll without a cover. Is that supposed to be Still Life with Bread Crumbs? because that's the one I want to vote for.
And then once I click on it, the results are hidden.

Ruthie wrote: "Burial Rites

I am reading this right now! It is rather dry and yet I cannot put it down!! Very quick read so far. I must say, I am half way thru and cannot think of anything to dis..."

Okay, I have finished Burial Rites, it was a fantastic read! The pace picked up and the language was just so beautiful. The fact that the novel was based on a very well known (at least in Iceland!) incident was interesting, and I loved reading about the day-to-day details about life in Iceland in the 1820's. Hard to believe it is a first-time novelist!

'Burial Rites' is on my to-read pile, excited by this one having read everyone's comments above. SD

I read "Burial Rites" a few months ago.
At the time I was considering it for my Around the World (in 52 Books) Challenge, so I was thinking about how well it represented Iceland more than whether it deserved to win a literary prize and I should amend my review a bit for this group.
It is very well written and I enjoyed it a lot.

Edit: I have added a short comment to the end of my review, so here it is.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I am reading Alif the Unseen now, since it looks like it might come second again and I don't intend to nominate it a third time.
It is a strange book, but it is heading for four or five stars at the moment.

Val wrote: "I am reading Alif the Unseen now, since it looks like it might come second again and I don't intend to nominate it a third time.
It is a strange book, but it is heading for four or ..."
If, and that's if, it doesn't win I'll nominate it. It sounds intriguing to me.

Diane wrote: "Val wrote: "I am reading Alif the Unseen now, since it looks like it might come second again and I don't intend to nominate it a third time.
It is a strange book, but it is heading ..."

Diane and Val - we could simply state that Alif the Unseen is our chosen book for next month - I am happy with that as its been runner up a couple of times - there are only a few of us actively reading so if it suits then why not?

I liked it, but I do like some rather odd books sometimes and it is certainly something different.
It will be an archive book next month and there are a lot to choose from, so I think we should have a poll, but I will nominate it again.

☮Karen wrote: "Penny, there is a book in the poll without a cover. Is that supposed to be Still Life with Bread Crumbs? because that's the one I want to vote for.
And then once I click on it, the results are hi..."

sorry Karen - I didnt see this post of yours - yes it would have been your book - I am sorry if the link didnt work - sometimes the icon is blank but when you click it it still works and goes to that book - sorry again!

Val wrote: "I read "Burial Rites" a few months ago.
At the time I was considering it for my Around the World (in 52 Books) Challenge, so I was thinking about how well it represented Iceland more than whether i..."

I'm doing that Around the World challenge - I think it may take the rest of my life!!!! I will be able to tick off Iceland - any others that you think are worth reading for more obscure countries do let me know!

The most difficult areas to find books for are Francophone Africa, small island nations and any new countries. I am still looking for books from some of those.
Here are some books I read which might suit this group and the Around the World challenge, because they have been on a longlist for the prize or are written by women and a few sympathetic men:
Africa
Purple Hibiscus or Half of a Yellow Sun for Nigeria (although there are lots of others)
The Memory of Love for Sierra Leone
Lyrics Alley for Egypt
Secret Son for Morocco
I don't think these have been listed for the Women's Fiction Prize:
The Grass is Singing for South Africa
Children of the New World for Algeria
Nervous Conditions for Zimbabwe
Patchwork for Zambia
So Long a Letter for Senegal
Baking Cakes In Kigali for Rwanda
The Last Brother for Mauritius
These are by male authors, but have female main characters:
From A Crooked Rib for Somalia
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Collection for Botswana

Americas (including Caribbean)
The White Woman on the Green Bicycle for Trinidad and Tobago
and several for Canada and USA have made the prize list, eg Annabel for Canada
Like Water for Chocolate for Mexico
Thursday Night Widows for Argentina
The House of the Spirits for Chile
In the Time of the Butterflies for Dominican Republic
Breath, Eyes, Memory for Haiti

Asia
A Thousand Years of Good Prayers for China
Anything by Anita Desai or Kiran Desai or Saraswati Park or The Space Between Us for India (or Jhumpa Lahiri at a slight stretch)
In the City by the Sea or others by Kamila Shamsie for Pakistan
A Golden Age for Bangladesh
Please Look After Mother for South Korea
The Blood of Flowers for Iran
The Night of the Mi'raj for Saudi Arabia (author is from USA, but lived there and describes it well)
and another two about women by men:
The Girl from the Coast for Indonesia
A Thousand Splendid Suns for Afghanistan

Australia and Oceania
The Light Between Oceans for Australia
The Luminaries for New Zealand (or The Bone People, but I don't really recommend it)
The Marriage Proposal and Frangipani for French Polynesia

Europe
It is usually easy enough to find books for Europe, apart from the newer nations, but here are some I enjoyed (even though some only got three stars)
A Watermelon, a Fish and a Bible for Cyprus
The Elegance of the Hedgehog for France
The Tiger's Wife for Serbia
Baba Yaga Laid an Egg for Croatia

Anywhere else in the world you want to visit in books, let me know and I will let you know what I have found.