Vote for December 2021 BOTM CLOSED

[Kristel]

It's time to vote for december BOTM.. Our authors are Dickens to Edgeworth Voting will be open through October 23 and winners announced on the 24th. Please review the list of authors and their books that are eligible in this post. Comment, give your opinions, and then be sure to not forget to vote. Everyone gets one free vote but if you want more opportunity you can use participation points. See the thread on participation points on how to earn them.

HOW TO VOTE:
1. Make your choice or choices from the list that is posted here.
2. You get one free vote and if you have participation points you can have up to 5 votes. You can use them all on one choice or you can make 5 choices.
3. Send a Personal Message to either me or the shelf personality for Reading 1001
4. If you only comment here on your choice it won't get counted so don't forget to send that message.
5. In order to receive messages you must be a friend or in your profile, click that you will receive mail from everyone.

Excluded books this month: As If I Am Not There (BOTM 2019), Ormond (2019 BOTM), Martin Chuzzlewit, David Copperfield, Our Mutual Friend, Bleak House, Nickolas Nickleby, U.S.A.: The 42nd Parallel / 1919 / The Big Money, the Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo, Foucault's Pendulum

Charles Dickens English author
1. Great Expectations, 1860, 544 pages
2. A Tale of Two Cities, 1859, 489 pages
3. Hard Times, 1854, 353 pages
4. A Christmas Carol 1843, 112 pages
5. Oliver Twist 1837

Denis Diderot France
6. Rameau's Nephew, 1805, 81 pages
7. The Nun, 1796, 234 pages
8. Jacques the Fatalist, 1785, 304 pages

Joan Didion US
9. Democracy, 1984, 234 pages
10. Play It As It Lays, 1970, 231 pages

Eilís Dillon Ireland
11. The Bitter Glass 1958, 220 pages

Isak Dinesen, Denmark
12. Out of Africa 401 pages, 1937, 2013 BOTM

Alfred Döblin Poland
13. Berlin Alexanderplatz, 1929, 457 pages

E.L. Doctorow US
14. City of God, 2000, 272 pages
15. Billy Bathgate 1989, 326 pages
16. Ragtime, 1975, 320 pages
17. The Book of Daniel, 1971, 320 pages

Jim Dodge US
18. Stone Junction 1990, 384 pages

H.D. Hilda Doolittle
19. Asphodel 1961, 215 pages

John Dos Passos US
20. Manhattan Transfer 1925, 342 pages

Fyodor Dostoevsky Russia
21. Notes from the Underground, 1864, 136 pgs 2017 botm

Maro Douka Greece
22. Fool's Gold 1979, 235 pages

Apostolos Doxiadis
23. Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture: A Novel of Mathematical Obsession, 1992, 209 pages

Arthur Conan Doyle UK
24. The Adventures of Sherlock Holm 1892, 280 pgs
25. The Hound of the Baskervilles, 1902, 256 pgs

Margaret Drabble UK
26. The Red Queen, 2004, 352 pgs
27. The Radiant Way, 1987, 396 pages

Theodore Dreiser US
28. Sister Carrie, 1900 580 pages

Daphne du Maurier, US
29. Rebecca, 1938, 449 pgs

Alexandre Dumas
30. La Reine Margot 468 pages

Patricia Duncker Jamaica
31, Hallucinating Foucault 1996, 192 pages

Marguerite Duras Vietnam (French)
32. The Lover 1984, 117 pages
33. The Vice-Consul, 1965, 169 pages
34. The Ravishing of Lol Stein, 1964, 181 pgs

Lawrence Durrell India
35. Justine 1957, 253 pages

Friedrich Dürrenmatt german
36. The Judge and His Hangman 1951, 128 pages

Alfredo Bryce Echenique Peru
37. A World for Julius 1970, 450 pgs

Umberto Eco Italy
38. The Name of the Rose 1980, 536 pgs 2011 botm

Maria Edgeworth UK
39. The Absentee 1812, 320 pgs
40. Castle Rackrent 1800, 170 pgs

This is our list for December. It's one of the shorter list but that's a good thing for December when we are so busy with holidays. How many have you read? What would you like to read?

[Valerie]

Well, it's the end of the year pick and I still have money in my Amazon bank (ha, ha..). So, I would like to splash out and buy The Judge and His Hangman and read it for Dec.

[Diane]

I have read all but the following 4:

Jacques the Fatalist
A Bitter Glass
Fool's Gold
The Radiant Way

I'm not sure if I can easily get Fool's Gold but have the others readily available.

[Pip]

I have only read 14, but I don’t own any of the rest, so once again I am indifferent to what is chosen.

[Amanda]

I've got good pickings for me this month (especially considering there's only 40 this time).

Out of the ones already mentioned I could get behind any of the 4 Diane mentioned:

Jacques the Fatalist
A Bitter Glass
Fool's Gold
The Radiant Way

but could also be persuaded by these ones I can easily get on audio:

The name of the rose
Reine Margot
Justine
Book of Daniel
Billy bathgate

[Gail]

I have read 12 of these. Of the ones mentioned, I would like to read:
The Judge and his Hangman
A Bitter Glass
Reine Margot
Book of Daniel

And as usual open to almost anything.

[Pip]

I have just ferreted out old cassette tapes, one of which is Justine, which I listened to a couple of decades ago. I will vote for that because the audio in my old car is not Bluetooth enabled. And I remember the book as very atmospheric. It made me long to visit Alexandria.

[Leni]

I think I’ll vote Justine. I’m currently reading the youngest Durrell brother’s memoirs from the family’s time on Crete, and they are hilarious. So I’m curious about the eldest brother’s writing.

[[deleted user]]

Excluded from the randomiser this month:

Bleak House
The Lover

[Amanda]

if there's a couple people interested in Justine, I'll probably put my votes toward it as well.

[Patrick]

I read 31 of these, including the exclusions and the three books from Dostoevsky which are not listed in the exclusions.

There are 2 books sitting on my TBR shelf:

- Play it as it lays (Didion)
- Justine (Durrell)

Leaning towards Justine, since there seems to be some interest.

[Jamie]

I've read 20 of the books mentioned in this segment of the List.
I have read most of the books in this segment of the list that I have easy/reliable access to. I have Hard Times, which is on my TBR Takedown shelf, but unless its number is picked soon it might as well be among the books I'd vote for as a BOTM. I know I can get Rebecca from the library. I've been planning to start requesting Didion's books via ILL soon, so her books would be an option for me. Uncle Petros looks interesting, though I'd have to get it from ILL too. The Radiant Way is on my list of books I plan to request from ILL soon, as I have finished the rest of Drabble's books on the Boxall and Guardian lists.

3. Hard Times, 1854, 353 pages
9. Democracy, 1984, 234 pages
10. Play It As It Lays, 1970, 231 pages
23. Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture: A Novel of Mathematical Obsession, 1992, 209 pages
27. The Radiant Way, 1987, 396 pages
29. Rebecca, 1938, 449 pgs

[Kristel]

I've read 19 of the options. 8 of the excluded, and I've read the Dostoyevsky's that I have forgotten to list in the excluded. Of the few that I've read, I have read Justine. I liked it and perhaps would be okay with rereading it. I also have on my shelf The Doctorow books, Sister Carrie, and Le Reine Margot.

[George P.]

I've read 13 of these, and find I have 9 in my (rather long) To-Read list. So a 25% chance the chosen book will be in my to-reads.

My top choices would be:
- Didion's Play it as it Lays (2 other members have endorsed this)
- Doyle's Hound of the Baskervilles
- Drabble's Radiant Way (3 other members have endorsed this, and it's one of the few Diane hasn't already read so I am leaning for this one; also I'm trying to read more women-authored books)
- Dumas' Queen Margot / La Reine Margot (3 other members have endorsed this)
- I would also be interested in reading Durrell's Justine, which 4 other members have endorsed.

PS: I see tomorrow is the vote deadline, so I'm going to go ahead and vote so I don't miss it again, mostly for Drabble's Radiant Way, & one for Didion's Play it as it Lays.

[Diane]

I will be voting for The Radiant Way.

[Wayne]

I like Dickens and I haven't read Hard Times so my vote went there.

[Amie]

I voted for Justine.

[Kristel]

This month there was no doubt as to the winner. Justine jumped into the lead and never let up. A couple of others had good showings; The Judge and the Hangman and Radiant Way. Well the good news is that even the randomizer was for the Judge.

Winners
Popular Vote: Justine by Lawrence Durrell
Randomizer: The Judge and His Hangman by Friedrich Dürrenmatt

[Pip]

Yah! Something I own.

[Valerie]

Hey - that's funny! The randomizer was on my side! I threw all of my votes to the Judge, so I had better read that.

[Diane]

I have read both. I will host a Buddy Read for Radiant Way if anyone is interested.

[Gail]

I will be reading The Judge but I just read Justine last year and do not need to reread it so soon. However, yes, Diane, I would read Radiant Way if you want to do a Buddy read.

[Kristel]

I've also read both, I might reread Justine. I enjoyed it. I also might see if I can find Radiant Way.

[Leni]

I've read the Judge, a couple/few years ago. I don't have the book, but I might remember enough to discuss it. Looking forward to Justine.

[Amanda]

Happy about Justine: will be reading. Judge I've already read and probs won't get in on.

[Amanda]

Diane wrote: "I have read both. I will host a Buddy Read for Radiant Way if anyone is interested."

I might be able to fit it in if you are doing it. Since Gail gave a hard yes, I guess I'd be a maybe.

[Amanda]

Amanda wrote: "Diane wrote: "I have read both. I will host a Buddy Read for Radiant Way if anyone is interested."

I might be able to fit it in if you are doing it. Since Gail gave a hard yes, I guess I'd be a ma..."

Scratch that, my tired self looked at my November plans when I saw this for some reason. You can put me down as a yes too.