2016 - Possible Contenders

[[deleted user]]

I just finished Undermajordomo Minor. It is a fun read and every bit as darkly comic and quirky as The Sisters Brothers.

[Kamil]

I'm still before picking up A Little Life, however after ManBooker Shortlist, my list of excuses is drying out. I'm very skeptical about emotionally exhibitionist books. The fact that it makes rounds and that almost everybody from young adults to much older seem to like it and repeat how emotionally wrenching it is, makes me even less interested. Hopefully it will prove me wrong.

So far I'm absolutely in love with A Brief History of Seven Killings, best thing I've read this year, I posted my review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGbb7....

I'm having great time right now reading The Year of the Runaways, it's hard not to compare it in some aspects with The Live of Others and The God of Small Things, but having said that, it's a great novel in its own rights. Emigrant narration brings in mind Zadie Smith's White Teeth with much darker flavour though.
Being honest National Book Finalists are very new to me apart of Clegg and Yanagihara and of course Adam Johnson, any recommendation where to start would be very much appreciated.

[Jan]

Kamil wrote: "I'm still before picking up A Little Life, however after ManBooker Shortlist, my list of excuses is drying out. I'm very skeptical about emotionally exhibitionist books. The fact th..."

Kamil, a lot of people dislike A Little Life, so you'll have plenty of company there in case you don't like it. There's been a lot of good discussion, as well as sharing of links to interviews with Yanagihara, at https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... in case you want to check that out. FWIW, I count Brief History as one of my all-time greats and am very interested to read Runaways, and I ended up loving Life. It's not a perfect book by any means, but Yanagihara's ability to portray a character's response to extreme abuse won me over.

As for the NBA long list, The Turner House is a well written story about two generations of a large African American family, with a straightforward style of writing. Fates and Furies is getting excellent reviews and is the story of a marriage, told first from the husband's POV and then from the wife's.

Happy reading!

[[deleted user]]

The Carnegie Medal longlists for both fiction and nonfiction were announced today. Several of the books are also on the Booker and NBA lists, but there are a few surprises. Here is the link for those who are interested: http://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/carne...

[Jan]

Tina wrote: "The Carnegie Medal longlists for both fiction and nonfiction were announced today. Several of the books are also on the Booker and NBA lists, but there are a few surprises...."

Thanks, Tina. Really nice to see some that haven't shown up on the Booker/NBA lists, esp (for my tastes) the Boyle, Hannaham, Nguyen and Shepard.

[Lark]

Tina wrote: "The Carnegie Medal longlists for both fiction and nonfiction were announced today. Several of the books are also on the Booker and NBA lists, but there are a few surprises. Here is the link for tho..."

I really like this list, both because it includes a lot of newer and more diverse voices (like Hannaham, Johnson, Nguyen, Treuer) and because it includes some consistently good writers who more often than not get left out of these awards lists because they are too well established to be hot news (like Vollman, Tyler, Boyle, Franzen).

Not all these writers are my cup of tea but it feels like the people who put this list together were thinking about contemporary literature in an intelligent way.

[[deleted user]]

Poingu wrote: ."...it feels like the people who put this list together were thinking about contemporary literature in an intelligent way."

Interesting observations, Poingu. The Carnegie Medals are bestowed by the American Library Association, which has the promotion of diverse books and authors as a goal. However, I expect that the shortlist will mirror all the other awards.

[Lljones]

Has anyone read Marvel and a Wonder? Just came across it a few days ago (at The Millions Book Report), put it on my hold list this morning, and here it is on the Carnegie list!

[Juniper]

Poingu wrote: "Not all these writers are my cup of tea but it feels like the people who put this list together were thinking about contemporary literature in an intelligent way. "

i had very similar thoughts when reading the list. :)

thanks for sharing it, tina.

[[deleted user]]

Lljones wrote: "Has anyone read Marvel and a Wonder?"

I read the arc a few weeks ago, and I had a mixed reaction to it. I very much liked the main story, about a grandfather bonding with his emotionally damaged grandson. It's not an original premise, but it is very well written. However, the second half of the book is filled with corrupt characters and lots of gratuitous violence. I didn't care for that part.

[C]

Tina wrote: "The Carnegie Medal longlists for both fiction and nonfiction were announced today. Several of the books are also on the Booker and NBA lists, but there are a few surprises. Here is the link for tho..."

If you look at the past long lists for each year, the Carnegie Medal does manage to include a few books that make it to the ToB each year (especially as it seems like around 20 fiction choices.. considering how much fiction is published each year!). Interesting!

[Lark]

Yet another review of A Little Life in today's NYT--how can this be?

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/01/boo...

[Janet]

Poingu wrote: "Yet another review of A Little Life in today's NYT--how can this be?

They're prepping it to win the Man Booker.

[Lark]

Janet wrote: "They're prepping it to win the Man Booker."

I don't know. Janet Maslin is exceedingly cranky about the novel in this review, esp. considering Yanagihara is an editor at the NYT.

[Sue]

I thought so, too! I'm seeing Hanya Yanagihara at an event in CT tomorrow. I was told by the people at Oblong Books, who are hosting it, that she is friends with the owners of the White Hart Inn, one of whom is Malcom Gladwell (!) and was planning to visit them this weekend. They asked her if she'd like to do an event and she said, 'Sure!' It looks like a beautiful place and the perfect setting for an intimate event. Needless to say, I'm very excited!

Poingu wrote: "Janet wrote: "They're prepping it to win the Man Booker."

I don't know. Janet Maslin is exceedingly cranky about the novel in this review, esp. considering Yanagihara is an editor at the NYT."

[Janet]

There's no such thing as bad publicity.

[Lark]

Here is a link to Kirkus Reviews best books for 2015--A Little Life, my favorite 1-star read of the year, makes the list once more:

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/201...

I seriously hated this book but I'm still tickled that so many people found it great--it requires the commitment of a serious reader to make your way through it, it's serious in intent, and it gave people feelings.

[Ellen]

Another point on which we differ, Poingu. I can't say I loved it -- the premise was frankly unbelieveable, of course -- but it gripped me and it got me. I didn't exactly cry at the end, but boy, was I touched mightily.

[Juniper]

so A Little Life just won the 2015 kirkus prize.
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/prize/2...

The judges call @alittlelifebook "disturbing yet humane...a sublime achievement." -- https://twitter.com/KirkusReviews/sta...

[Lljones]

I'm about half-way through Kitchens of the Great Midwest - so far, very good! We'll see if it holds up...

[Lark]

I'm listening to Speak by Louisa Hall and I'm loving it. I haven't heard much about it but I think it's wonderful.

[Lark]

This week's NYT Book Review with a full page add for John Irving's latest made me realize how little attention we spend thinking about novels by established authors in naming our TOB contenders here.

I guess it's fair to think that TOB favors "hot new authors" and "quirky outliers" and also that it has a healthy appreciation for diversity and lack of interest in championing already-established authors who don't need any help finding readers. New novels this year by Martin Amis, William Vollman, John Irving, Umberto Eco, Jonathan Franzen, Neil Gaiman, Kent Haruf, Anne Tyler, Margaret Atwood, Kazuo Ishiguro, and probably many others get barely a mention here

[Juniper]

I have an ARC of Avenue of Mysteries on my shelf, Poingu. I have a soft spot for Irving in my bookish heart, but he's pretty consistent with his themes so it always feels familiar. I would love for something utterly different from him.

The Dying Grass: A Novel of the Nez Perce War - would love to see it considered, but I fear it's just too chunky for the ToB, at over 1300 pages.

It will definitely be interesting to see the 2016 lists (longlist and final); there were a number of big releases from established authors this year.

[Sherri]

Poingu wrote: "This week's NYT Book Review with a full page add for John Irving's latest made me realize how little attention we spend thinking about novels by established authors in naming our TOB contenders her..."

I'd add Jane Smiley to this list. I'm really enjoying her trilogy, but it doesn't seem like any one else is reading it. I wonder if she simply waited to long to publish, and readers either forgot about her or lost interest.

[Juniper]

I was was waiting for the third book to be released this year before taking on the whole trilogy, Sherri. Glad to hear you have liked the books, so far. Where are you at with them?

[Sherri]

Jennifer wrote: "I was was waiting for the third book to be released this year before taking on the whole trilogy, Sherri. Glad to hear you have liked the books, so far. Where are you at with them?"

I've read the first two, and am next in line at the library for the third.

[Lljones]

Golden Age: A Novel will be the 14th Jane Smiley book I've read and is next on the stack (I'm half-way through Infinite Home by Kathleen Alcott - very good so far). The first two books in the "Last Hundred Years" saga are, simply put, breathtaking. Classic Smiley at her best. Smiley reports that she wept at the end of this trilogy. I am braced to do the same.

[Juniper]

Wow -- that's some high praise, Lljones. Thanks for sharing your feelings about Smiley's work! It's been years since I have read her, but quite enjoyed A Thousand Acres. :)

@ Sherri -- I hope the third book holds up for you!

[Lljones]

Poingu wrote: "I guess it's fair to think that TOB favors "hot new authors" and "quirky outliers" also that it has a healty appreciation for diversity and lack of interest in championing already-established authors who don't need any help finding readers..."

Been pondering along similar lines lately, poingu. It will be very interesting to see what the longlist looks like as we get ready for TOB 2016.

I hesitate to throw this out there (please, publishers, ignore me) but are the publishers putting out too much, too fast, these days? Are we, the collective reading public, too hungry for the next big (new) thing to stop and savor the established authors with more substantial oeuvres than a book or two?

2015 is the first year I've been consistent in tracking my books on Goodreads. I am in the middle of my 91st book since January 1st (approx. 85% fiction & short stories). I'm a life-long, every-day-of-the-year, reader who probably averaged closer to 50 books a year until the last few years. Now, two books a week is the norm, and I have a rolling list of to-read books of 200 or more at a time!

Now don't get me wrong...too much to read is not a bad thing! I feel rich in opportunities these days. But when I look over the 2015 list so far, I see only a handful that give me that "I wish I was reading this for the first time" feeling. Some very good reads to be found among the others, for sure, including a surprising number of first-time authors (many of whom could have benefited by a surer hand in editing).

But I sometimes feel like I'm just a little bit over-fed on fast-food. Rarely do I pause and digest between books these days. (And as a result, I often look back on individual entries and remember *nothing* about them! Have to look up the synopsis before I can remind myself, "Oh yeah, that was pretty good.")

I'm rambling here; interested to hear thoughts from others.

And to get back to poingu's query about upcoming TOB list, I will just add that while it will be interesting to watch the selection process, I'm okay with whatever the judges choose--my favorite books or books I've never heard of, either way. I always enjoy the tournament, no matter what's on the list.

[Lark]

Lljones wrote: "Are we, the collective reading public, too hungry for the next big (new) thing to stop and savor the established authors with more substantial oeuvres than a book or two?"

Thanks for writing all you did Lljones, really you gave me a lot to think about.

I'm also pondering what drives the frenzy for the next big new book/author. People who read for pleasure at all are a tiny % of humans that you would think we would all be individualists in our reading choices, but instead some relentless force each year makes some literary books "hot books" of the year and others close to unread. I like to think TOB tips the scale a little in favor of neglected great reads of the year, though.

[Lljones]

Poingu wrote: "People who read for pleasure at all are a tiny % of humans that you think we would all be individualists in our reading choices..."

People Who Read For Pleasure = My Tribe. May I always belong.

Poingu also wrote: "I like to think TOB tips the scale a little in favor of neglected great reads of the year..."

I agree, especially with the emphasis on "neglected", which is not necessarily the same as "outre".

[Janet]

I've wondered too why people always gravitate to the "hot new" book when some of them are definitely not so hot.

A friend of mine in another forum pointed out is that one of the reasons is so we can discuss it with our friends. If you're doing your own thing (as I often do), it's hard to find people who have read your book or if they have they don't remember enough to have a detailed conversation.

[Lark]

Janet wrote: "A friend of mine in another forum pointed out is that one of the reasons is so we can discuss it with our friends. If you're doing your own thing (as I often do), it's hard to find people who have read your book or if they have they don't remember enough to have a detailed conversation."

That makes total sense and I guess that's why we try to read all the books on the short list when TOB finally rolls around, so we can talk about the novels here with others.

My own experience with lonely reading: This year I've been trying to read 19th century "neglected classics," which to me has mostly meant seeking out authors of color writing in that century. I've tried to get others in various likely Goodreads groups to read them with me, and learned it's really hard to get even power readers interested in spending time on a book they've never heard of before. We humans trust collective wisdom, I guess. As social animals it's probably an inherited trait.

[Lark]

I've finished Speak by Louisa Hall and thought it was great! Something of a cross between David Mitchell and Emily St. John Mandell (who blurbed it, and there are similarities in the gentle tone of Speak and Staion Eleven, even when the events portrayed are harrowing).

[Topher]

I can't keep up with all the new books that come out. I'm aware of them through my work, and I read the ones that particularly interest me. Most of the books I read (50-60 per year) are much older. I feel like there's just too much out there to pigeonhole myself to reading the latest fiction. The only thing that I don't like about this is that I miss out on conversations like this one!

[[deleted user]]

I have the opposite issue, Topher. I have so many ARCs and new releases to read for work (I'm a librarian) that I don't have much time to read the older books on my TBR.

[April]

Jennifer wrote: "a book was just released in the US, one i loved a lot when it came out here in canada last year: Sweetland, by Michael Crummey. i think it would be a great tournamen..."

I just finished Sweetland and was completely blown away by it. I will buy every Michael Crummey book he publishes sight unseen. I loved his book River Thieves.

[Lljones]

April wrote: "I just finished Sweetland and was completely blown away by it. I will buy every Michael Crummey book he publishes sight unseen...."

Aaahhh. Welcome, April, to the Sweetland Adoration Club. I mentioned in a post yesterday that there were a handful books I've read in 2015 that I wish I could read again for the first time. This is one of them--I loved that book so much.

You'll be hearing from Jennifer shortly, I expect. :)

[Jen]

April wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "a book was just released in the US, one i loved a lot when it came out here in canada last year: Sweetland, by Michael Crummey. i think it would be ..."

This was my reaction too, April - isn't it wonderful? I have Galore on my shelves and will get to it soon.

[Juniper]

April wrote: "I just finished Sweetland and was completely blown away by it. I will buy every Michael Crummey book he publishes sight unseen. I loved his book River Thieves."

YAY!!! Michael Crummey is the most delightful person - I have loved all his books. At one point, in reviewing one of his books, I am pretty sure I said I just want to live in his brain for an hour - to see what it's like, because his writing blows me away too. (I am such a giddy fangirl, which is not a typical trait for me. Heh!)

As Jen mentioned Galore - I have to plug it as my favourite from Crummey. So, so good!! I also really liked The Wreckage a whole lot.

/swoon

:)

[Juniper]

@ Lljones -- Right? I wish I could experience Galore again for the first time. I don't reread very often at all but, for various reasons, I have read 'Galore' four times now. It held up wonderfully each time, which was great, but not like the first reading.

@Jen -- HI!! Wait... you haven't read 'Galore' yet? Oooh! Lucky! I was sure you had read it already. I hope I haven't overinflated your expectations (I do get nervous about that when I go on and on about a book)!! :)

[Sue]

He is delightful in person, too. I was lucky enough to share some wonderful conversation and after dinner drinks with him at Booktopia last year. He's funny, and charming and was very generous in sharing his insights and thoughts about Newfoundland and writing in general.

Jennifer wrote: "April wrote: "I just finished Sweetland and was completely blown away by it. I will buy every Michael Crummey book he publishes sight unseen. I loved his book River Thieves."

YAY!!! Michael Crumme..."

[Jan]

Lljones wrote: "Golden Age: A Novel will be the 14th Jane Smiley book I've read and is next on the stack (I'm half-way through Infinite Home by Kathleen Alcott - very good so far). ..."

Count me as another huge fan of Smiley's trilogy (loved the first one, loved the second even more, and will start the third in another week or two). It's beyond me to understand which books get buzz and which don't. If anyone wants more Smiley recommendations, I thought Greenlanders (especially) and also The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton were wonderful.

[Jan]

Janet wrote: "If you're doing your own thing (as I often do), it's hard to find people who have read your book or if they have they don't remember enough to have a detailed conversation...."

This is why God gave us the Internet, so booklovers can find each other. ;-)

[Juniper]

I'm going to plop this over here -- I mentioned Saint Mazie in the 'if you had to choose 16 books' thread, by mistake.

My reading of 2015 books hasn't been great this year, but Attenberg's book was one I really enjoyed. Jan mentioned liking it too (anyone else read this one this year?) -- but wondered whether it is a ToB kind of book. Which kind of ties back in to what you were talking about earlier, Poingu. There is something about less traditional books being a part of the Tournament. (Or maybe my brain is not working well. That is probably more likely. Heh!) 'Saint Mazie' is a pretty straightforward story... but I found it very evocative and well written.

Anyway... sorry for the ramble. :)

[Janet]

Jan wrote: " Janet wrote: "If you're doing your own thing (as I often do), it's hard to find people who have read your book or if they have they don't remember enough to have a detailed conversation...."

This..."
It's even difficult on the internet when you're reading something that was published in 1950...lol. There are just too many books competing for our limited time and attention.

[Jan]

Janet wrote: "Jan wrote: " Janet wrote: "If you're doing your own thing (as I often do), it's hard to find people who have read your book or if they have they don't remember enough to have a detailed conversatio..."

Haha, Janet, great point!!

[Juniper]

Just an FYI -- This evening, Fifteen Dogs, by André Alexis, just won the $25,000 Writers' Trust Award for Fiction for 2015. (Canadian award, presented annually.)

[Lark]

Jennifer wrote: "Just an FYI -- This evening, Fifteen Dogs, by André Alexis, just won the $25,000 Writers' Trust Award for Fiction for 2015. (Canadian award, presented annually.)"

Yay! Yay! Yay!

I loved this book so much. I was afraid it wouldn't get the recognition it deserved because of the whole from-a-dog's-POV thing.

[Juniper]

I thought you would be happy about this news, Poingu!! The book really got under my skin. It took me a while to get on board with the premise (Hermes and Apollo walk into a bar... heh!), but of all my reads from 2015, this one has stayed with me the longest. In my mind, 'Fifteen Dogs' is a perfect ToB book. I hope it is on the radar and makes it through. Delicious Foods is the only other book that stuck with me long after I finished reading. :)