Voting CLOSED for April 2020 BOTM

[Kristel]

Yes, I am early. I am posting the authors and books for April voting. Voting will occur from February 15 to the 23 with winners announced on the 24. I will be away from my computer during February and decided it would be easier just to post before I leave. You'll have more time to investigate the authors and books. I will send a reminder out to you don't forget to vote.

Voting: voting is open from the 15 through the 23. I will announce the winner of the popular and randomizer on the 24. Everyone gets 1 free vote. You can use an additional 4 points if you have participation points to use. These start over in January so if you haven't started a new one for 2020 you might want to do that. You can vote for 1 or 5 books depending on number of participation points and how you wish to distribute those. Feel free to try to get people to join you in trying to get your book to be the winner. Send a PM to the bookshelf personality or me with your votes. Just saying what you want here in the topic will not get your vote counted.

April authors are Solzhenitsyn through Tharoor.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Russian SFSR 1918 to 2008
1. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich 1962, 182 pages
2. Cancer Ward, 1968, 576 pages.
omitted First Circle because most editions are greater than 600.

Edith Anna Œnone Somerville Edith Anna Œnone Somerville (2 May 1858 – 8 October 1949) was an Irish novelist who habitually signed herself as "E. Œ. Somerville". She wrote in collaboration with her cousin "Martín Ross" (Violet Florence Martin) under the pseudonym "Somerville and Ross". 1859 to 1949.
3. Some Experiences of an Irish R. M 1899, 288 pges
4. The Real Charlotte 1894, 415 pages

José Carlos Somoza Cuba 1959
Lady Number Thirteen no English translation

Natsume Sōseki, Japan 1867 to 1916
5. Kokoro 1914, 248 pages

Muriel Spark 1918 to 2006
6. Memento Mori 1958, 228
7. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie 1961, 150 pages
8. The Girls of Slender Means 1963, 140 pages
9. The Driver's Seat 1970, 107

Edward St. Aubyn, UK, 1960
10. Mother's Milk 2005, 235 pages

Christina Stead Australia, 1902 to 1983
11. The Man Who Loved Children 1940, 527 pages

Gertrude Stein Pennsylvania, US
12. Three Lives 1909, 176 pages
13. The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas 1933, 252 pages

John Steinbeck California, US, 1902 to 1968
14. Of Mice And Men, 1937, 103 pages
15. The Grapes of Wrath 1939, 479 pages
16. Cannery Row, 1945, 181 page

Stendhal, Henri-Marie Beyle, France, 1783 to 1842.
17. The Charterhouse of Parma 1839, 532 pages.

James Stephens Ireland, 1880 to 1950, The Charwoman's Daughter, 1912, 132 pages BOTM in 2018.

Crytonomicon omitted, was qrtly read last year.

Laurence Sterne Ireland, 1713 to 1768.
18. A Sentimental Journey 1768, 134. Tristam Shandy > than 600 pages.

Robert Louis Stevenson Scotland, 1850 to 1894
19. Treasure Island 1882, 311 pages
20. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, 1886, 150 pages
21. Kidnapped, 1886, 288 pages
22. The Master of Ballantrae, 1889, 388 pages.

Adalbert Stifter, Czech Republic, 1805 to 1868
23. Indian Summer, 1857, 478 pages

Bram Stoker, Ireland 1847 to 1912
24. Dracula, 1897, 488 pages

Botho Strauß, Germany 1944
25. Couples, Passersby, 1981, 126 pages
26. The Young Man, 1995, 274 pages

August Strindberg, Sweden, 1849 to 1912
27. The Red Room, 1879, 224 pages
28. The People of Hemso 1887, 158 pages
29. By the Open Sea, 1890, 208 pages

Patrick Süskind, Germany 1949
30. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, 1985, 263 pages
31. The Pigeon, 1987, 77 pages

Italo Svevo, 1861 to 1928 (Austria, Italy)
32. As a Man Grows Older, 1898, 320 pages
33. Zeno's Conscience 1923, 437 pages.

Graham Swift UK, 1949
34. Waterland, 1983, 368 pages
Light of Day was BOTM in 2018.

Jonathan Swift Ireland, 1667 to 1745
35. A Tale of a Tub, 1704, 208 pages
36. Gulliver's Travels, 1726, 306 pages
37. A Modest Proposal, 1729, 48 pages

Antun Šoljan, Serbia, 1932, 1993
The Port I don't think an English translation is available

Andrzej Szczypiorski Poland, 1924 to 2000
38. The Beautiful Mrs. Seidenman 1986, 204 pages

Antonio Tabucchi, Italy, 1943 to 2012
39. Pereira Declares: A Testimony 1994, 136 pages.

Rabindranath Tagore India, 1861 to 1941.
40. The Home and the World, 1916, 213 pages

Costas Taktsis, Greece, 1927 to 1988
41. The Third Wedding, 1963, 303 pages

Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, Japan, 1886 to 1965
42. Some Prefer Nettles, 1928, 202 pages

Donna Tartt, Mississippi, US
43. The Secret History, 1992, 559 pages
Goldfinch is greater than 600 pages.

Elizabeth Taylor Berkshire, England, 1912 to 1975
44. Blaming, 1976, 190 pages

Vanity Fair is greater than 600 pages

Shashi Tharoor UK, 1956
45. The Great Indian Novel, 1989, 423 pages.

Study the choices, discuss, but don't vote until February 15. Winners to be announced February 24.

[Valerie]

More than likely, most everyone in this group has read this..... but I would be very interested in Gulliver's Travels. It's on my 2020 classics list and this would be a good push to do so. As well, even though I love satire I'm not sure I'm up on my 1726 events and may miss some key points without discussion!

[Pip]

I have read 18 of these and there isn't one I am desperate to read of the rest. Persuade me to vote for something!

[Kristel]

I've read 22 of these. I have not read Gulliver's Travels. It is on my TBR takedown. (II think every year). I have not officially read Treasure Island. Can't remember if I read it as a kid. I own The Man Who Loved Children and the Master of Ballantrae.

[Tracy]

I’ve read 38- there was a time when I tried to focus on S authors to reduce space on the shelves.
Alice B. Toklas and The Great Indian Novel have been collecting dust for a while. I might vote for one of them.

Two of my favorite authors are here: Steinbeck and Spark. And I loved Cancer Ward- I think we did that one back in Shelfari days.

[Jen]

I'm particularly interested in The Beautiful Mrs. Seidenman, or The Girls of Slender Means (the Sparks on this list I've not read yet!).

[Kristel]

Jen wrote: "I'm particularly interested in The Beautiful Mrs. Seidenman, or The Girls of Slender Means (the Sparks on this list I've not read yet!)."
Those are both very good.

[Amanda]

There's only 9 selectable books on here that I haven't read/won't have read by April, so my pickings are slim this time.

The one I'll likely vote for is Kokoro since I put it on a read the world list for this year anyway, and it is on audible.

the other ones are:
-The Real Charlotte
- The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas
- Indian Summer
-The Young Man
-Zeno's Consience
-Waterland
-The Third Wedding
- The Great Indian Novel

I could also be potentially persuaded to vote for these ones as well.

[Kristel]

The only book on Amanda Dawn's list is Waterland which I really liked. So provided I can find them. I could read any of those.

[Diane]

I have read 14 from this list. I would like to read any Muriel Spark. I have not read Gulliver's Travels yet so I would be up for that one. I also have not read any Gertrude Stein so would be up for Alice.

[Jen]

Kristel wrote: "Jen wrote: "I'm particularly interested in The Beautiful Mrs. Seidenman, or The Girls of Slender Means (the Sparks on this list I've not read yet!)."
Those are both very ..."

Thanks for endorsing... but I just saw your response and realized I've read The Girls of Slender Means already. I meant to say The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie! You really can't go wrong with Spark, in my opinion.

[Kristel]

Jen wrote: "Kristel wrote: "Jen wrote: "I'm particularly interested in The Beautiful Mrs. Seidenman, or The Girls of Slender Means (the Sparks on this list I've not read yet!)."
Thos..."

Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is even better.

[Gail]

As usual, I have only read 6 of these and therefore am open to almost anything. I would like to read any of the Sparks, or Strindberg or Gulliver’s Travels. I have read Treasure Island multiple times as a child and as an adult.

[George P.]

Four of these are on my to-read list, [actually 4- left out The Great Indian Novel], the closest to the top is The Home and the World which I bought a copy of (& which my wife is currently reading).
I've read eleven counting Jekyll & Hyde that I'm currently reading.
Also would like to read Cancer Ward, Perfume, Pereira Declares & The Great Indian Novel.
No one else has yet mentioned wanting to read any of these five :(
So, I would support The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie if others (Jen, Diane?) will plan to vote for it.

[Diane]

I have read 38 of these. Of the books already mentioned, these are what I have left:

Alice B. Toklas
The Great Indian Novel
The Man Who Loved Children
Zeno's Conscience
The Real Charlotte

[Valerie]

I voted for Gulliver's travels.

[Jessica-sim]

I'm suddenly really into Stevenson and will vote for Kidnapped.

[Jessica]

I've only read 9 of these. The Third Wedding is on my randomized reading list.

[Amanda]

I read half of Gulliver's Travels and then moved, had to give it back to the library. This was in 2009. So I don't remember the book very much. Will be voting for GT.

[George P.]

Diane wrote: "I have read 38 of these. Of the books already mentioned, these are what I have left:

Alice B. Toklas
The Great Indian Novel
The Man Who Loved Children
Zeno's Conscience
The Real Charlotte"

Shall we both vote for The Great Indian novel then? I'd like to read it. And you Tracy?

PS 2/19: ok, I just voted for it.

[Diane]

George P. wrote: "Shall we both vote for The Great Indian novel then? I'd like to read it. And you Tracy?..."

I'll vote for it.

[Amanda]

Well if most of the people who've read the Sparks and Stevenson books are voting for Great Indian Novel, I can do that as well :)

[Tracy]

Sounds good to me!

[[deleted user]]

No books are excluded from the randomiser this month. Sorry for the late update I missed this post somehow :(

[Kristel]

April Winners
Popular vote: The Great Indian Novel by Shashi Tharoor
Randomizer: The Secret History by Donna Tartt.

What will you be reading?

[Amanda]

Nice! I read The Secret History last year and loved it, so will probs discuss but not read again. And happy to see The Great Indian Novel won the vote: will def be reading that one :)

[Tracy]

The Great Indian Novel will finally be leaving my shelf. Hurray! I read The Secret History a while back, so that leaves me more free time for the TBR read.

[Gail]

Over 900 pages if you read both so will no doubt select only one....not sure which one yet

[Kristel]

I read The Secret History a while back. Maybe would consider a reread. I think I have audio but it will depend on how April fills up with books that are more pressing to be read. I don't own the Great Indian Novel and have not really found cheap options though I can get one from MNLink. I probably will try for that.

[Pip]

I have read The Secret History long ago, but own a copy and may re-read if I have finished everything else. Now I have to hunt for The Great Indian.

[Pip]

Has anyone found a copy of The Great Indian Novel which costs less than $50?

[Liz M]

Pip wrote: "Has anyone found a copy of The Great Indian Novel which costs less than $50?"

$18 USD with free shipping anywhere in the world on BetterWorldBooks:
https://www.betterworldbooks.com/prod...

And a handful of used copies on AbeBooks, but I don't know if they ship to where you are:
https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/Sear...

[Diane]

Pip wrote: "Has anyone found a copy of The Great Indian Novel which costs less than $50?"

I don't know if you can access this site from NZ, but you can borrow the e-book for free on openlibrary.org.

[Pip]

Thanks, for the suggestions but I found a copy in an university here and can access it through interloan which only costs about $15..

[George P.]

I have read The Secret History five years ago- I rated it 3.5 out of 5.
I'll be reading The Great Indian Novel. I have access to three public library systems and one of them has it (2 copies). So I haven't looked for purchasing it.
Pip, that's a steep charge for interlibrary loan there. They are free here (Utah, U.S.) though it can take quite a while to get them.

[Pip]

It really only covers the postage, and they are normally prompt, but usually it is cheaper to buy a Kindle version. No such luck with this one, but I will probably have to read it ahead of schedule.

[Kelly_Hunsaker_reads]

I loved The Secret History -- may read it again. But, I can't locate the other so I will miss that one.

[Diane]

Kelly_Hunsaker_reads wrote: "I loved The Secret History -- may read it again. But, I can't locate the other so I will miss that one."

Kelly you can borrow The Great Indian Novel the e-book for free on openlibrary.org.

[[deleted user]]

Pip wrote: "It really only covers the postage, and they are normally prompt, but usually it is cheaper to buy a Kindle version. No such luck with this one, but I will probably have to read it ahead of schedule."

I managed to get a copy on Ebay for £4 which wasn't too bad and it has already arrived

[Amanda]

I loved A Secret History!! (I don't do re-reads) I started reading other books by Donna Tartt as well. Will check out TGIN on openlibrary.org.

[Kelly_Hunsaker_reads]

Diane wrote: "Kelly_Hunsaker_reads wrote: "I loved The Secret History -- may read it again. But, I can't locate the other so I will miss that one."

Kelly you can borrow The Great Indian Novel the e-book for fre..."

thanks!

[Pip]

Interloan has delivered The Great Indian Novel - but I have to return it by March 21st, so I will be reading it ahead of time. I therefore offer to lead the discussion, hoping that my life doesn't fall apart like the other time I offered to lead! My husband was given 2-7 months to live and he has now survived 8 months, so the future is still uncertain but at the moment he is doing well so I will read the book now and think up some questions before April!

[Diane]

Pip wrote: "Interloan has delivered The Great Indian Novel - but I have to return it by March 21st, so I will be reading it ahead of time. I therefore offer to lead the discussion, hoping that my life doesn't ..."

Pip thanks for volunteering. I will open a thread for April. I hope all goes well at home. Sending you peace.

[Kristel]

Pip wrote: "Interloan has delivered The Great Indian Novel - but I have to return it by March 21st, so I will be reading it ahead of time. I therefore offer to lead the discussion, hoping that my life doesn't ..."
Pip, don't worry about starting book early, Because of ILL just count it for full points. Thanks for volunteering to lead the discussion. My thoughts have been with you in this difficult time.