I love to read novels about places I am about to visit to get a feel for them. any suggestions as to good reads that take place in Portugal? current or back in time are both good. thanks

You can start with "The Book of Disquiet" by Fernando Pessoa, which is set in Lisbon. "The Night in Lisbon", by Eric Maria Remarque is set during the time of the Nazis rise to power. There is also "Guardian of the Dawn" by Richard Zimler, dealing with the experience of the Jews of the Iberian Peninsula. There is also "Night Train to Lisbon" by Pascal Mercier and "Journey to Portugal" by Nobel Prize-winning author Jose Saramago.

awesome, thank you

"A Small Death in Lisbon," by Robert Wilson (I think).

Small death is long and ultimately morally vapid.