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The authors for July are Ellis through Fowles.

Books over 600 pages are not included and books that have been past botm in 2023 are also not included. Voting for the botm starts today and ends on the 24th when the winners will be announced.

Only books that have not been previous botm (*) in past 10 years (2015 +) will be added to the randomizer. Each book you choose that has not been previously botm in the past 10 years will be fed into the randomizer for an opportunity to be chosen by the randomizer. Books excluded: Troubles and The Stechlin which were botm in 2023.

HOW TO VOTE:
Please send your choices by private message to either myself or the Shelf Personality. Everyone gets one free vote. if you have participation points you can have up to 4 additional votes. You can use them all on one choice or you can make 5 different choices. Please see how to obtain parAmerican Psychoticipation points in the Annual Point Challenge explanation.

Bret Easton Ellis, US
1. American Psycho, 1991, 399 pgs
2. Glamorama, 1998, 546 pgs
3. Less Than Zero, 1985, 208 pages

Ralph Ellison, US
*4. Invisible Man, 2017 botm

James Ellroy US
*5. The Black Dahlia, botm 2019

Willem Elsschot, Belgium
6. Cheese, 1933, 134 pages

Shūsaku Endō, Japan
*7. Deep River, 1993, 216 pgs, botm 2019
*8. Silence, 1966, 219 pgs, botm 2015

Per Olov Enquist, Sweden
9. The Book About Blanche and Marie

Anne Enright, Ireland
10. The Gathering, 2007, 261 pgs

Olaudah Equiano, Benin
11. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, 1789, 256 pgs

Louise Erdrich, US
12. Love Medicine, 1984, 367 pgs,

Venedikt Erofeev, Russia
13. Moscow stations: A poem, 1969, 143 pages

Laura Esquivel, Mexico
14. Like Water for Chocolate

Jeffrey Eugenides
*15. The Marriage Plot, 2011, 406 pgs, botm 2015
16. Middlesex, 2002, 529 pages
*17. The Virgin Suicides, 1993, 250 pages, botm 2011

Michel Faber - Netherlands
18. Under the Skin

Eugenia Fakinou - Egypt
19. Astradeni, 1996, 239 pages

J.G. Farrell, UK
20. The Singapore Grip, 1978 584 pages
*21, The Siege of Krishnapur, 1973, botm 2018

William Faulkner, US
22. The Sound and the Fury, 1929, 366 pages
23. Absalom, Absalom!, 1936, 316 pgs, botm 2011
24. The Hamlet, 1940, 409 pages
25. Go Down, Moses, 1942, 365 pgs

Sebastian Faulks - UK
26. Birdsong, 1993, 483 pgs

James Fenimore Cooper, US
27. The Last of the Mohicans, 1826, 410 pages

Elena Ferrante, Italy
28. Troubling Love, 2006, 139 pages
29. The Story of the Lost Child, 2015, 473 pgs

Henry Fielding, UK
30. Joseph Andrews, 1742, 400 pages

Timothy Findley, Canada
31. The Wars, 1977, 218 pgs

F. Scott Fitzgerald, US
*32. Tender Is the Night, 1934, 315 pgs, 2009, 2017
33. The Great Gatsby, 1925, 200 pgs

Gustave Flaubert, France
34. Madame Bovary, 1856, 329 pgs, botm 2009, 2011
35. A Sentimental Education, 1869, 460 pages
36. Bouvard and Pécuchet, 1881, 328 pgs
37. The Temptation of Saint Anthony, 1874, 460 pgs

Ian Fleming, British
38. Casino Royale, 1953, 192 pgs, botm 2013

Jonathan Safran Foer, US
39. Everything is Illuminated, 2002, 276 pgs, botm 2021

Theodor Fontane, Germany
40. Effi Briest, 1894, 272 pgs

Ford Madox Ford, England
41. The Good Soldier, 1915, 368 pgs

E.M. Forster, England
42. A Passage to India, 1924, 376 pgs
43. Howards End, 1910, 318 pgs
44. A Room with a View, 1908, 119 pgs
45. Where Angels Fear to Tread, 1905, 148 pgs

John Fowles, UK
46. A Maggot, 1985, 455 pgs
47. The French Lieutenant’s Woman, 1969, 470 pgs, 2015 botm
48. The Collector, 1963, 283 pages

That's our books for this coming July. How many have you read? What would you like to read this July?

I've read 14 (+1 in the immediate queue).

One's that I can access easily that I am interested in are:
Troubling Love
Where Angels Fear to Tread
The Wars
The Good Soldier: A Tale of Passion

I am going to vote for The Good Soldier and for Joseph Andrews. I've read all of Forester. I have 1 left of Flaubert, and I would not mind reading the last book I have of Farrell, The Singapore Grip. I've read 31 of these.

I’ve read 19 of these, and have 5 of them on my TBR:
Where Angels Fear to Tread
Effi Briest
The Singapore Grip
Deep River
Go Down, Moses

I think the 'The Singapore Grip' is a good choice 'cause I 5* it. I think I am a JG Farrell fan girl! (ha, ha...)

Valerie wrote: "I think the 'The Singapore Grip' is a good choice 'cause I 5* it. I think I am a JG Farrell fan girl! (ha, ha...)"

He is a great author and won the 2010 Lost Man Booker Prize and the 1973 Booker for The Siege of Krishnapur.

I have read 20 of these including all of the Faulkner and all of the Farrell listed here. Of the others mentioned I have not read: Where Angels Fear to Tread, The Good Soldier, James Andrews or Effi Briest and would go with any of those.

I don't have my List resources here in London, but I reckon I have read about 23 of them. I believe I have the following books on my TBR shelves:

The Virgin Suicides (Eugenides)
Troubling Love (Ferrante)
The Story of the Lost Child (Ferrante)

I might have others, but I can't recall. I'll be back in Sydney in time to vote so my choices will become clearer then. Unfortunately, I will miss the greater choice of books available in London when I am back in the Sydney cultural backwater...

I have not read The Story of the Lost Child so if we are going for a Ferrante, I would prefer that one.

I've read 33 of this list, a lot more than usual. I'll do five for the randomizer again. I have copies of Under the Skin and A Sentimental Education, so those will definitely be on the list. Then every time I see a reference to The Gathering I think, "Why haven't I read that book? I should have read that book," and I'm always surprised to find I don't even have a copy, so that will be another. A Faulkner would be good, because I've only read one of these four.

I've read 21, 22 if I count Fowles' The Magus which was excluded for being a little over 600 pgs.
I have 5 of these in my to-read list (not counting a couple that are beyond #500, hah) in order of place in my list: Silence by Endo, French Lt's Woman by Fowles, Sentimental Education by Flaubert, Singapore Grip by Farrell and Go Down Moses by Faulkner.
I've read two of the Faulkners- Absalom Absalom and The Sound and the Fury.
Several here have spoken up for Singapore Grip, also Rosemary for Sentimental Education and Pamela for Go Down Moses so I will most likely put votes on those unless there is more support for Silence or French Lt's Woman.
I've read The Story of the Lost Child; haven't read The Virgin Suicides but probably would.

I'll vote for either Less Than Zero or Boken om Blanche och Marie

Last day to get your votes in, winners will be announced tomorrow.

The winners are

Popular vote, The Story of the Lost Child, (very close with Where Angels Fear to Tread. It was a tie so the book with the most voters was selected.

Randomizer: Troubling Love (thanks to Patrick).

July will be a Ferrante month. I haven't read Troubling Love yet, but just recently read The Story of the Lost Child.

I am apparently the one person on the planet who dislikes Ferrante, so I'll likely skip both. Can I organize a buddy read for Where Angels Fear to Tread? Or do I have to have read both BOTMs?

Jane wrote: "I am apparently the one person on the planet who dislikes Ferrante"

No you’re not! I’ll be skipping both too, but would read Where Angels Fear to Tread with you if it’s permitted,

Jane wrote: "I am apparently the one person on the planet who dislikes Ferrante, so I'll likely skip both. Can I organize a buddy read for Where Angels Fear to Tread? Or do I have to have read both BOTMs?"

I dislike her writing, too, but I do own Troubling Love and it is the last one on the list.

Pamela wrote: "Jane wrote: "I am apparently the one person on the planet who dislikes Ferrante"

No you’re not! I’ll be skipping both too, but would read Where Angels Fear to Tread with you if it’s permitted,"

Buddy reads are only allowed if you have read both botm options but of course you could do a shared read and use the options under Annual Read points for points per page count.

Kristel wrote: "Pamela wrote: "Jane wrote: "I am apparently the one person on the planet who dislikes Ferrante"

No you’re not! I’ll be skipping both too, but would read Where Angels Fear to Tread with you if it’s..."

Thanks for the explanation Kristel, I think I will just focus on my Randomised list then

I have read Troubling Love and will not reread it, but I will be reading The Story of the Lost Child. If others are going to Read Where Angels Fear to Tread I will read that also, but as I have not read Lost Child, I can't sponsor a Buddy Read.

I've read The Story of the Lost Child, so I'll be reading Troubling Love in July.

Wow, a Ferrante double! That undoes all the bad luck I've had with the TBR challenge and my wanting to read in French. And I have both Ferrantes in French, so they will definitely be both read. It's a boon for me, since I am about to finish my last chunky of the year (Daniel Deronda) and was relying mostly on the randomised list to keep me going.

I like Ferrante's writing and have read four of her novels, including Story of the Lost Child but not Troubling Love. I'm not interested in reading that now- I think four is enough and would rather read authors I haven't read before and also the avg GR rating (3.25) on Troubling Love doesn't inspire me.
I plan on reading The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall and The Devil to Pay in the Backlands by João Guimarães Rosa in July and a nonlist book or two. I have read one Guimares Rosa book before though, Sagarana, a group of nine stories.

Patrick wrote: "Wow, a Ferrante double! That undoes all the bad .... since I am about to finish my last chunky of the year (Daniel Deronda) ."

How have you liked Daniel Deronda Patrick? I've been planning on reading it sometime soon. I liked the writing in the other Eliots I've read. BTW, May is rather early in the year to swear off the chunky ones for the remainder.

George P. wrote: "Patrick wrote: "Wow, a Ferrante double! That undoes all the bad .... since I am about to finish my last chunky of the year (Daniel Deronda) ."

How have you liked Daniel Deronda Patrick? I've been ..."

I'm not done yet, still about 300 pages to go, but I like it so far. Eliot has a certain wit about her writing, it is not exactly Dickensian, but it sure elicits a few smirks in some passages.

By chunky, I mean everything above 600 pages. The French edition of the Story of the Lost Child has more than 600 pages, but I don't consider it a chunky as I am a faster French reader than English reader. I set the bar at 800 pages for French chunkies.