Tournament of Books discussion
2019 TOB - the Tourney
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Final Round!!!
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man, my bracket predictions are never accurate, but this isn't even close! So excited Sister came back via the Zombie (and a reason I love love love the zombies so much!)
I did worse on my predictions than ever before. I was sad to see my favorite dismissed early, as usual, but so happy that MStSK made it to end. No matter how today's match goes, Braithwaite's great book gained a lot of readers (including me). I'll be eager to read whatever she publishes next.
Amy wrote: "It’s live!!www.themorningnews.org/TOB"
I just keep getting a "page not found" message. Argh!
Did we crash the ToB site? I keep getting an error message! Did Ayoola kill the rooster?
No spoilers! I keep getting a white page...did it crash?!
It's working on my PC but not on my phone...
try it again - replaced the link and hopefully it will work this time. I was getting white screen too after it took to long to download.https://themorningnews.org/tob/2019/c...
Amy wrote: "try it again - replaced the link and hopefully it will work this time. I was getting white screen too after it took to long to download.https://themorningnews.org/tob/2019/c......"
Thank you, Amy! I couldn't even access it from The Morning News site.
and this is why I love the tournament!!! I thought I was being too optimistic in my predictions yesterday - turns out, not nearly enough!
I read top to bottom this time, no peeking...wow. What a treat to read all these different takes. Seems it might be time for literary authors to get back to the arts of plotting and pacing, maybe.
Knock me over with a feather....I’m surprised but oh so pleased!
Interesting! This feels like a year that Stephen Florida could have made it farther (still up there with White Tears on tournament losses in my mind.)
I was excited to see a tournament of champions is being seriously considered! I’ve only read four of the winners, how embarrassing.
Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "Interesting! This feels like a year that Stephen Florida could have made it farther (still up there with White Tears on tournament losses in my mind.)"In 3 more years they'll have enough winners to have a Tournament of Tournaments!
I'm still hoping for the day when the winner accepts the prize...
Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "Interesting! This feels like a year that Stephen Florida could have made it farther (still up there with White Tears on tournament losses in my mind.)"Stephen Florida and White Tears are my two favorite ToB contenders. Except for The Animators. And the Sport of Kings. And...
Well, two OF my favorites.
I got the feeling from at least a couple decision paragraphs that the judges were watching our commentary & their vote on Sister influenced by the commentariat. That would be so amazing! The people have been heard!
Ok, I went all out nerd and went ahead and created a list of all the tournament winners:https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
I'm so excited about this possibility! So many great books on this list!
Also, this will be my motivation to finally read Wolf Hall.
Bretnie wrote: "Ok, I went all out nerd and went ahead and created a list of all the tournament winners:https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
I'm so excited ab..."
So is this a 15 year celebration? I always thought it would be when we have 16 winners!
Kip wrote: "So is this a 15 year celebration? I always thought it would be when we have 16 winners! "I have been assuming that they'd run their usual tournament in March 2020 and that would make the 16th - and then they'd hold the winners tournament maybe in the summer or fall? I don't know!
Bretnie wrote: "Also, this will be my motivation to finally read Wolf Hall."I read Bring Up the Bodies and really struggle to find motivation to go backwards, apart from a distinct feeling of already knowing the story from studying history (and, ahem, watching the tv version both from Wolf Hall and The Tudors, which was excellent in its own way) no matter how well written.....
Bretnie wrote: "Kip wrote: "So is this a 15 year celebration? I always thought it would be when we have 16 winners! "I have been assuming that they'd run their usual tournament in March 2020 and that would make ..."
Ahhhh, that makes sense. Also, I was busy building a list of winners, when you posted your list so the nerding out is consistent on this group.
Wolf Hall is fantastic. I am thrilled to finally be able to make the Ali Smith plunge, I had been debating where to start and now I will start with the Rooster!
Bretnie wrote: "Ok, I went all out nerd and went ahead and created a list of all the tournament winners..."Wow, thanks Bretnie! What an interesting list when you see the winners all together. If this happens I'm looking forward most to having an excuse to re-read of Orphan Master's Son.
Kip wrote: "So this is a 15 year celebration...?"it sounded like a possible double tourney: maybe back to back 16th year tournament followed by tournament of tournaments.
Jenny - I’m with you. Loved Bring Up the Bodies especially because I wasn’t nearly as familiar with the history as Wolf Hall. Have procrastinated WH due to size and feeling as if it’s well-trod territory (and the TV adaptations WERE great)
Kip - be warned. I don’t consider Ali Smith “difficult” but I always have to adjust my reading goggles with her - she has a really unique voice that is a definite switch from other reading material. It’s magical.
Amy wrote: "Kip - be warned. I don’t consider Ali Smith “difficult” but I always have to adjust my reading goggles with her - she has a really unique voice that is a definite switch from other reading material..."Oooohhh, magical sounds nice. But this warning explains the disparity between friend's reviews of her books.
I've read Wolf Hall four times! It typically wouldn't be my kind of book but I love the way Mantel inhabited this man who had been so successfully painted as the #1 bad-guy politico in A Man for All Seasons, re-imagining Cromwell into someone who could have been the most honest and compassionate man in Henry VIII's court. It made me think a lot about how history is shaped.
It did take me a moment to get my sea legs with Ali Smith's "The Accidental." The story is a bit odd, but in an edgy and appealing way for those that like a little tense and weird feel in their novels. What took the most getting used to was the stream of consciousness writing and the shift of narrator's for each chapter.
I described it as a "fun house of mirrors" experience in my review & after all these years, I'd say that's still pretty accurate.
I'm looking at the list of winners again and it feels so adventurous. Outside of A Mercy and Wolf Hall and maybe The Road they all feel like books that take big risks and that tell stories in a new way. Seeing them all together makes me think MStSK isn't such a quirky outlier after all.
About today's win, anyone here know how to cabbage patch?As I've said before, if it couldn't be "wee sisters," I'm more that delighted it's these sisters!
My first year discovering the TOB was the year my favorite read of the year, The Orphan Master's Son took the Rooster. I was thrilled with the result and eagerly waited to see how next year's favorite, A Constellation of Vital Phenomena would fare. (still a little bitter, but I'm doing better by only mentioning the slight approximately once or twice a year). I will have three to read from previous winners, A Mercy, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and The Accidental. Favorites from the winners list for me are Orphan Master's Son, Wolf Hall and Cloud Atlas.
I want to say thank you Amy and Tina for your hard work here!! This has been so much fun... <3
Me too, Tina and Amy! Thank you so much!
You are all welcome! It's not really so much work, and it's fun. I'll echo my thanks to Amy.
Thanks to all our active members for making this group my favorite place in cyberspace—except in March, when my heart is divided between here and the official ToB site! I'm excited to meet a few of you tomorrow at our PNW Wrap-Up Brunch!
Thanks to all our active members for making this group my favorite place in cyberspace—except in March, when my heart is divided between here and the official ToB site! I'm excited to meet a few of you tomorrow at our PNW Wrap-Up Brunch!
I enjoyed reading some of the books in the tournament, and watching all the comments regarding them. The passion some people feel about outcomes is endearing! Perhaps next year life will allow me the time to read all the selected books, which might bubble my own passions to the forefront! Additionally, the comments, pro and con, helped me make difficult choices as to what to read next.
Thanks you guys! Great conversations as usual! Mar is SO stressful because the rest of the world does not go on hold for TOB (what!?) and I never feel like I get to dedicate enough attention where I really want it with you! And then suddenly it’s the last day and we’re saying goodbyes online again. It’s been a wild ride this year - thanks to everyone who participated (lurkers included)!
I'm late to the party but THRILLED with the winner, especially since I had prepared myself for the worst. Kudos to the judge who called Warlight "a beautiful chore," because that was spot-on. Doubly excited for a TOB winners tourney, too, since I've only been around four years or so now. There are some mighty tomes on that list.
This was my first year following ToB and it was great! I'm so glad My Sister won, and I look forward to the summer reads and tournament of winners. At least I can get a head start on some of those. I'm most looking forward to The Good Lord Bird, The Orphan Master's Son, A Visit from the Goon Squad, The Accidental, and A Mercy based on the descriptions.
I only need to read Wolf Hall and The Good Lord Bird to be a Super Rooster completist. Oh, and, finish Fever Dream. Well, maybe I won't be a completist after all.
Jason wrote: "I only need to read Wolf Hall and The Good Lord Bird to be a Super Rooster completist. Oh, and, finish Fever Dream. Well, maybe I won't be a completist after all."You left some great ones for last, imho!
Kip wrote: "Amy wrote: "Kip - be warned. I don’t consider Ali Smith “difficult” but I always have to adjust my reading goggles with her - she has a really unique voice that is a definite switch from other read..."It's maybe too late for you to catch this but - I am a HUGE Ali Smith fan! She is wonderful in my eyes. & one of the things that cemented my love for her is hearing her give a talk & then read from her books. If you can find a good video on YT or a nice radio interview (maybe her desert island discs?) I would recommend it! she speaks so fast, so passionately, and it's now impossible for me not to hear her voice narrating when I read her books, and it makes them even better for me. It helps me sort of click into the flow of her writing style.
Libby wrote: "It's maybe too late for you to catch this but - I am a HUGE Ali Smith fan! She is wonderful in my eyes. & one of the things that cemented my love for her is hearing her give a talk & then read from her books."Oooh, ok! I love author voice in my head so I will track something down. I will definitely read The Accidental for the Rooster of Roosters. But it seems her seasons quad is getting even more love, so I don't want to shortchange her and will probably try both.
Also, as a serial fast talker, there is now some built in camaraderie
Tournament of Books
Books mentioned in this topic
The Road (other topics)The Accidental (other topics)
A Man for All Seasons (other topics)
A Mercy (other topics)
Wolf Hall (other topics)
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Warlight v. My Sister the Serial Killer