Voting for April 2023 BOTM CLOSED

[Kristel]

April book choices are from authors Barthelme through Boyle. Voting is open from the 15th through the 23. Winners will be announced on the 24th. Please review the list of authors and the books that are eligible in this post. Comment, give your opinions, and most important, don't forget to vote. Everyone gets one free vote but if you want more opportunity you can use participation points. You will be using your 2023 points for voting.

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.

Books Excluded.
Old Masters: A Comedy, 2021 botm
2666, Belano >1000, 2015 Q read
Group Portrait with Lady, read 2021 botm

Donald Barthelme US
1. The Dead Father, 1975, 177 pgs
2. Amateurs, 1977, 184 pgs
3. Come Back, Dr. Caligari, 1964, 185 pgs

Vladimir Bartol, Slovenia
4. Alamut, 1938, 510 pgs, 22015 botm

Giorgio Bassani, Italy
5. The Garden of the Finzi-Continis, 1962, 246 pgs

Georges Bataille - France
6. Story of the Eye, 1928, 103 pgs, 2015 botm
7. L'Abbé C, 1950, 158 pgs
8. Blue of Noon, 1935, 162 pgs

Emilia Pardo Bazán - Spain
9. The House of Ulloa, 1886, 288 pgs

Jurek Becker - Poland
10. Jacob the Liar, 1969, 256 pgs

Samuel Beckett - Ireland
11. Worstward Ho, 1983
12. Mercier and Camier, 1970
13. How It Is, 1959
14. Murphy, 1938
15. Molloy, 1951
16. Malone Dies, 1951
17. Watt, 1953
18. The Unnamable, 1953

William Beckford UK
19. Vathek, 1787, 170 pgs

Harriet Beecher Stowe, US
20. Uncle Tom's Cabin, 1852, 438 pgs

Brendan Behan - Ireland
21. Borstal Boy, 1958 386 pgs

Aphra Behn - UK
22. Oroonoko, 1688, 144 pgs

Saul Bellow, US (born in Canada)
23. Herzog, 1964
24. Dangling Man, 1944
25. Humboldt's Gift, 1975, botm 2013, 2017
26. Henderson the Rain King, 1959, botm 2013
27. Seize the Day, 1956
28. The Adventures of Augie March, 1953
29. The Victim, 1947

Arnold Bennett, UK
30. The Old Wives' Tale, 1908, 565 pgs

John Berger, UK
31. G., 1972, 336 pgs

Georges Bernanos
32. Under Satan's Sun, 1926, 257 pgs

Thomas Bernhard, Netherlands
33, Extinction, 1986
34. Wittgenstein's Nephew, 1982
35. Concrete, 1982
36. Yes, 1978
37. Correction 1975

Maurice Blanchot France
38. Death Sentence, 1948, 81 pgs

Roberto Bolaño - Chile
39. The Savage Detectives, 1998, 577 pgs

Heinrich Böll - German
40. The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum, 1974, 140 pgs, 2015 botm
41. Billiards at Half-Past Nine, 1959
42. The Safety Net, 1979

Jorge Luis Borges, Argentina
43, Ficciones, 1962, botm 2013
44. Labyrinths, 1944

Tadeusz Borowski Ukraine
45. This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen, 2019 botm

Elizabeth Bowen
46. A World of Love, 160 pgs
47. Eva Trout, 301 pgs
48. The Heat of the Day, 415 pgs
49. The House in Paris, 1935, 269 pgs
50. To the North, 320 pgs
51. The Last September, 303 pgs 1929

T. Coraghessan Boyle - US
52. Drop City, 2019 botm
53. World's End, 2017 botm

That's it Folks! Which ones would you like to read in April. Let us, convince us, and don't forget to cast your votes.

[Kristel]

I've read 23 counting the excluded books. I've got 6 on my tbr shelf (meaning I own a copy of them).

[Valerie]

I would be interested in:
Drop City
Labyrinths
Correction
Mercier and Camier

[Amanda]

Very happy with my options this month: 9 I haven't read and open to any. they are:

-Correction (same as Valerie)
-Billiards at half past nine
-The safety net
-the heat of the day
-to the north
-world's end
-alamut
-the garden of the finzi-continis
-the house of ulloa

[Pip]

I think I have read 21 and I own Seize the Day but I hate Bellow. I love John Berger and G is on Kindle so that will be my choice.

[Kristel]

I have G on my kindle as well so I would be in favor of that one. I own some Samuel Beckett but I feel about him the way others feel about Bellow. On the other had Beckett is shorter than reading Bellow. I have two Elizabeth Bowen; Eva Trout, and A World of Love.

[Patrick]

I have read 25 and, once again, I have a long list from my TBR shelf:

- Amateurs (Barthelme)
- Come Back, Dr. Caligari (Barthelme)
- The House of Ulloa (Bazan)
- Watt (Beckett)
- Dangling Man (Bellow)
- Correction (Bernhard)
- To the North (Bowen)
- World's End (Boyle)

So far, there's Correction with Amanda and Valerie; then I share three more with Amanda (Ulloa, To the North, World's End). A couple of comments:

- I think it's fair to say that Bellow is almost univerally hated in this group (well, at least, the old Shelfari refugees like me and Kristel)
- Alamut by Bartol is excellent and, despite its age, is still relevant to understand the brainwashing of Islamic extremist militants like Al Qaeda and ISIS.
- Jacob the Liar by Becker is also excellent.

[Pip]

I checked my spreadsheet and I exaggerated. I have only read 19, including the excluded. Still going for G. My granddaughter introduced me to Berger with the wonderful Ted Tendas of Bologna and later Ways of Seeing

[Kristel]

I actually am the only shelfari refugee that has a bit of appreciation for Saul Bellow but he is a labor to read. I truly liked Augie March but I did not read Henderson the Rain King and know that one was truly hated by the Shelfarians.

[Valerie]

Kristel wrote: "I actually am the only shelfari refugee that has a bit of appreciation for Saul Bellow but he is a labor to read. I truly liked Augie March but I did not read Henderson the Rain King and know that ..."

This makes me laugh.... I had to read Henderson the Rain King for University English, and I still own my copy from then. Interestingly I remember nothing from it (although i have no desire to reread it), although I do remember a bit of The Stone Angel (Laurence) read in the same class.

[Rosemary]

I've read 19, and I own only one TBR, which is Henderson the Rain King. After the comments I don't think I will be voting for that ;)

I've read G, but I would be interested in Correction because I've read nothing by Bernhard yet.

[Gail]

I have only read 9 this month. I evidently don't like authors whose last name begins with B.

On Valerie's list, the only one I Have Not read is Correction
On Amanda's list the only one I Have read is World's End
On Patrick's list the only ones I Have read are World's End and To the North.
I have not read G but I have heard that it isn't as good as Ways of Seeing but I would still be happy to read it.
Thank you for the notes on Alamut and Jacob the Liar, Patrick. I will look for those two.
I will probably vote for Correction.

[Amanda]

well, based on everyone else's comments looks like I'll toss my votes in for Correction as well

[Dianne]

I'm going to vote for Correction as well.

[[deleted user]]

Only one book excluded from the randomiser this time and you will all be please ? that is is a Bellow

Humboldts Gift

[George P.]

Like Gail I've read very few of these (7). An Elizabeth Bowen would be good for me for a challenge for another group.
I would probably read Correction, haven't read any Bernhard but planning to read his Extinction toward year's end.
I will probably throw in with Pip and vote for G by Berger- It was a Booker- winner and is a 1001 core book and sounds sexy. Also not too long.
I'm planning to read Beckett's Murphy soon- no one has mentioned that book as yet.

[Kristel]

Correction was a clear winner but G did quite well too. Only two books received votes.
The randomizer chose Wittgenstein's Nephew so April will be a Thomas Bernhard month. What will you be reading?

[Leni]

I read Wittgenstein's Nephew this month for the TBR challenge. I don't have Correction, nor does my library, but I quite like Bernhard's style so I might just buy it.

[Pamela]

I’m quite excited about these, I’ve never read any Bernhard but they sound intriguing so I’ll read both.

[Patrick]

I too have read Wittgenstein's Nephew, so I will just read Correction while still ploughing through the letters of Clarissa

[Valerie]

I've also read Wittgenstein's Nephew, so will read Correction (which I voted for, so I have to! ha, ha).

[Kristel]

I've not read any Thomas Bernhard and I ordered both books from Book Depository.

[Amanda]

Great: will be reading correction, have read the other already.

[George P.]

I think maybe to avoid having 2 books by the same author the same month, we should have the author chosen by popular vote excluded from the randomizer. I think this has happened once or twice before in the last couple years- this might delay getting results though?
Since I`ve read neither I'll read whichever most of the group is reading which I think is Correction. Wittgenstein's Nephew is quite short, 102 pages, so it would not be much of a challenge to read both.

[Kristel]

George P. wrote: "I think maybe to avoid having 2 books by the same author the same month, we should have the author chosen by popular vote excluded from the randomizer. I think this has happened once or twice befor..."
That's not a bad suggestion, perhaps Book will consider this though I do think reading two books by an author does offer a certain literary exploration that one misses when there are years between reading an author's works.

[Leni]

Wittgenstein's Nephew can be read in one sitting if you clear your evening. It's all one paragraph so it's difficult to find a good place to stop anyway!

[Gail]

I also have read Wittgenstein’s Nephew so I will just be reading Correction.

[Pip]

Wittgenstein’s Nephew was a BOTM in 2019, which is why so many of us have read that one. Old Masters was read in 2021. I thought them both thought provoking so have reluctantly bought Correction on Kindle as it is not on Audible nor Open Library

[Kristel]

Pip wrote: "Wittgenstein’s Nephew was a BOTM in 2019, which is why so many of us have read that one. Old Masters was read in 2021. I thought them both thought provoking so have reluctantly bought Correction on..."

I forgot that I read Old Masters.

[Rosemary]

This will be an interesting month as an introduction to the works of Bernhard!

[Mette]

I'll be reading Wittgenstein's Nephew as it's supposed to be a more gentle introduction to Bernhard and also because it's short :)

[[deleted user]]

I have not read either of these, the library system has both available so I will be reading both.

With regard to excluding same author from the randomiser I can see pros and cons. My suggestion would be vote on this at the end of the year to see how all members feel. That way we would also get a feel for how often this happens.

[George P.]

Book wrote: "....With regard to excluding same author from the randomiser I can see pros and cons. be vote on this at the end of the year to see how all members feel. That way we would also get a feel for how often this happens."

I agree, it would be good to put it to a vote.