Tournament of Books discussion
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2016 Books
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2016 - Possible Contenders
Tina wrote: "I made it about halfway before deciding not to finish it. I found too much of the story unbelievable, and the second person voice annoyed me. It has many 5-star and 1-star GR reviews, which might bode well for it as a ToB pick. Polarizing books make for interesting conversations. ..."Tina, agree about polarizing books. The second person didn't bother me, but I did struggle with the implausibility (and also the character's not being especially likable, not that there's anything wrong with unlikable characters!!). I think my wanting to understand her and all that she wasn't saying kept me going, and I ended up being quite moved.
Interestingly, Vendela Vida has a first-person piece about implausible plot points in today's NYTBR: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/29/boo...
Slate’s Best Books of 2015 coverage:Monday: Overlooked books of 2015.
Tuesday: The best lines of 2015.
Wednesday: The best comics of 2015.
Thursday: Laura Miller and Katy Waldman’s favorite books of the year.
Friday: The best audiobooks of 2015.
Here's Monday: http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/bo...
Jason wrote: "Slate’s Best Books of 2015 coverage: ..."thanks so much for this, jason! i love hearing about 'overlooked' books so i am particularly interested in today's list.
i will admit that The Sunlit Night was on my alt-TOB list for a long time... but i couldn't get past one sentence that, though kind of hilarious, was also really terrible. haha. (yes... we were at that kind of point in trying to narrow down the list!!) i do still plan to read all of dinerstein's book, though, and do own a copy of it. :)
The Country of Ice Cream Star would have totally been included in my offerings for alt-TOB, if we didn't have a page count restriction going on.
though NF so not eligible for TOB shenanigans, thrilled to see Love and Other Ways of Dying: Essays noted. i loved this essay collection, and just recommended it to someone earlier today.
Jennifer wrote: "Jason wrote: "Slate’s Best Books of 2015 coverage: ..."thanks so much for this, jason! i love hearing about 'overlooked' books so i am particularly interested in today's list.
i will admit that..."
I love his other book The Telling Room: A Tale of Love, Betrayal, Revenge, and the World's Greatest Piece of Cheese, I wanted to check this one out too but short stories/essays aren't my favorite and always sit on the backburner.
I'd love to see The Water Knife and A Reunion of Ghosts in the tournament.
Sherri wrote: "I'd love to see The Water Knife and A Reunion of Ghosts in the tournament."Yes to The Water Knife but I wonder if Gold Fame Citrus will strike the "TOB PTB" as the more literary drought-as-apocalypse story and have a better chance because of it.
I imagine though that apocalypses generally will have a tough time of it after 2 novels with that theme made it last year, and one of them won.
Sherri wrote: "I'd love to see The Water Knife and A Reunion of Ghosts in the tournament."
A Reunion of Ghosts was among my favorites for the year, along with The Tusk That Did the Damage and The Animals. They all deserve much more attention than they have received. Being chosen for the ToB, even the longlist, would give each of them a much needed push.
A Reunion of Ghosts was among my favorites for the year, along with The Tusk That Did the Damage and The Animals. They all deserve much more attention than they have received. Being chosen for the ToB, even the longlist, would give each of them a much needed push.
Jennifer wrote: "Jason wrote: "Slate’s Best Books of 2015 coverage: ..."i will admit that..."
A small edit might be needed re the page "count" ... or not!
Julie wrote: "A small edit might be needed re the page "count" ... or not!"
: )
: )
Julie wrote: "A small edit might be needed re the page "count" ... or not!"HAHAHA!!! fixed that! sigh! :)
AmberBug wrote: "I love his other book The Telling Room: A Tale of Love, Betrayal, Revenge, and the World's Greatest Piece of Cheese, I wanted to check this one out too but short stories/essays aren't my favorite and always sit on the backburner. "I loved that book too, AmberBug! In my review of his newer one, I think I linked in essays already available online.
I'm next in line at the library for Gold Fame Citrus. Wouldn't that be a fun matchup to discuss?poingu wrote: "Sherri wrote: "I'd love to see The Water Knife and A Reunion of Ghosts in the tournament."
Yes to The Water Knife but I wonder if Gold Fame Citrus will strike the "TOB PTB" as the more literary dr..."
Here is an interesting list and I would be curious if anyone has a strong recommendation(s) about any of the books.10 Great Books by Women Overlooked in 2015
http://lithub.com/10-great-books-by-w...
I checked out After the Parade by Ostlund from the library after seeing it on the alt-TOB longlist and reading what it was about. I haven't gotten to it yet as I'm trying to work my way through the shortlist first, but I'm really excited to read it. Hearing the author compared to Anne Tyler on this list ramps up the excitement level.
The editors of the NYT Book Review have put out a 10 best list that avoids a lot of the usual suspects: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/20...
Beverly wrote: "Here is an interesting list and I would be curious if anyone has a strong recommendation(s) about any of the books.10 Great Books by Women Overlooked in 2015
http://lithub.com/10-great-books-by..."
I plan to add a couple to my TBR based on this list. Only one I've read is The Small Backs of Children. It is strong stuff -- not my favorite, but parts are amazing. I agree it deserves more attention than it got, although I think Yuknavitch's memoir, The Chronology of Water, covers many of the same themes better.
Heather wrote: "I checked out After the Parade by Ostlund from the library after seeing it on the alt-TOB longlist and reading what it was about. I haven't gotten to it yet as I'm trying to work my way through the..."I haven't finished After the Parade but it's very well written, not overly elaborate in its storytelling, and not afraid to keep the focus of the story on individuals--on the worthiness of a single character to have his/her story told--and in these ways it reminded me of David Leavitt maybe but now that I think about it Leavitt reminds me of Tyler.
Excellent article in the NYRB about how novels are getting commodified, and how literary novelists are rewarded by conforming to a certain kind of creativity vs. trying anything truly new:http://www.nybooks.com/daily/2015/12/...
At least a few TOB picks each year seem to reward nonconformity, thank goodness, and to bring new and innovative writing to more readers.
poingu wrote: "Excellent article in the NYRB about how novels are getting commodified, and how literary novelists are rewarded by conforming to a certain kind of creativity vs. trying anything truly new:http://..."
Thanks for sharing, Poingu. This makes me grateful that we have such a vibrant small-press scene now where it's easier to take risks than it is for a major publisher. If like to read more small-press books than I already do.
A couple of interesting Best of Lists from opposite coasts in the US.From Boston Globe:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/book...
Interesting that in the Fiction category 9 out of the 17 are translated works.
From Seattle Times:
http://www.seattletimes.com/entertain...
Interesting that 3 of the top fiction books are speculative fiction.
Interesting how very few made more than one list.
Early days for me with Gold Fame Citrus, but so far, not so great. It feels scattered, like important things have been left out, not in a gently suspenseful way as in Station Eleven, but in a sort of careless way. I hope it starts gelling soon; I was really eager to read it. Sherri wrote: "I'm next in line at the library for Gold Fame Citrus. Wouldn't that be a fun matchup to discuss?
poingu wrote: "Sherri wrote: "I'd love to see The Water Knife and A Reunion of Ghosts in the tourna..."
Beverly wrote: "From Seattle Times:...Interesting that 3 of the top fiction books are speculative fiction."
I was surprised by the Zen Cho book, but not the Stephenson one. He lives in Seattle, and the Times makes a point of reviewing Northwest authors.
I was surprised by the Zen Cho book, but not the Stephenson one. He lives in Seattle, and the Times makes a point of reviewing Northwest authors.
90% chance of long list on Wednesday! I heard it on Twitter from The Morning News feed!
Rebecca wrote: "90% chance of long list on Wednesday! I heard it on Twitter from The Morning News feed!"Woohoo!
Rebecca wrote: "90% chance of long list on Wednesday! I heard it on Twitter from The Morning News feed!"Last Thursday or Friday, I got 4-5 goodreads notifications in a row on my phone while I was work. I thought for sure the long list had come out. I made myself wait till lunch to check and I was so sad when it wasn't! I'll keep my phone close by on Wednesday.
Rebecca wrote: "90% chance of long list on Wednesday! I heard it on Twitter from The Morning News feed!"
Great news! Thanks for sharing it, Rebecca!
Great news! Thanks for sharing it, Rebecca!
And...they also said they are aware of and following the Alt-TOB. Why does that excite me so much?
Heather wrote: "And...they also said they are aware of and following the Alt-TOB. Why does that excite me so much?"i totally tweeted them that this is going on. with links. twice. haha!! yes -- i am a dork. :)
Heather wrote: "And...they also said they are aware of and following the Alt-TOB. Why does that excite me so much?"That is SO exciting.
Slate's Audio Book Club has a spirited discussion on Fates and Furies. https://soundcloud.com/panoply/abc-th...
Has anyone read City on Fire? I'm intrigued by the $2M deal with Knopft and curious to see if it lives up to the hype.
Kendra wrote: "Has anyone read City on Fire? I'm intrigued by the $2M deal with Knopft and curious to see if it lives up to the hype."it's siting on my shelf... but i haven't cracked it yet. i am thinking over the holidays. my husband started to read it in october, and was quite engaged, but he was travelling a lot and it was a bit of a brick so he stepped away from it.
I listened to the first quarter of it on audiobook. I was enjoying it, but stopped when the alt-TOB started and haven't thought about it at all.
i would have loved to included it in the alt-TOB, though! heh!!!
I'm planning to read it at some point. It sounds like it is not a perfect book, but has lots to recommend it, and I thought Hallberg's My Year in Reading on The Millions was charming.
Jennifer wrote: "Kendra wrote: "Has anyone read City on Fire? I'm intrigued by the $2M deal with Knopft and curious to see if it lives up to the hype."it's siting on my shelf... but i haven't cracked it yet. i am..."
It is sitting on my shelf also.
I also wondered how the audio book might be.
I just finished City on Fire. I enjoyed it, but not as much as I expected to based on the hype. Not sure what I can offer as far as criticism other than while good, it did not live up to my pre read expectations and I found myself taking much longer to finish than typical. Btw, I like really big books, so it's not that. Perhaps it was some early comparison to Infinite Jest that caused the disconnect. Favorite reads for me this year have been Sweetland and Delicious Foods.
Kendra wrote: "Has anyone read City on Fire? I'm intrigued by the $2M deal with Knopft and curious to see if it lives up to the hype."
I read the ARC several months ago. There is plenty to like about it, but also some weaknesses. I think it will have a special appeal to New Yorkers, as it is very much a novel of place. I don't want to be too critical, but I'll say that for me, it did not live up to the hype.
I read the ARC several months ago. There is plenty to like about it, but also some weaknesses. I think it will have a special appeal to New Yorkers, as it is very much a novel of place. I don't want to be too critical, but I'll say that for me, it did not live up to the hype.
I am on my last 50 pages of this book. I have really enjoyed it because it is historical, humorous characters, interesting plot line where all 50 characters are somehow related, it's believable and unbelievable at the same time. It's a Charles Dickens meets Tom Wolfe…almost. If you enjoy 900 page novels then go for it and try to read it as fast as possible
Gaby wrote: "I am on my last 50 pages of this book. I have really enjoyed it because it is historical, humorous characters, interesting plot line where all 50 characters are somehow related, it's believable and..."Thank you all for the feedback. Much like the books in the alt-Tob there seems to be some very differing opinions. I have to say your description interests me, Gaby. Dickens meets Wolfe...almost. Love it!
Ugh, the giant ARC has been sitting on my shelf making me feel guilty for not picking it up. I think I wanted to wait until the initial hype went down. The publishers pushed this one like crazy. It's nice to know that some have enjoyed it here though. Maybe It'll be picked for the TOB?
Sorry if this is a repeat post, but Diver's Clothes Lie Empty is $1.99 for Kindle right now.
I thought City of Fire started out very strong but really, really dragged by the end. At least, that was my reading experience.
AmberBug wrote: "Longlist? Wherefore art thou?"right?? haha!!! :)
i'll make a thread when it is shared.
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Tournament of Books
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Authors mentioned in this topic
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Sandra Newman (other topics)
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André Alexis (other topics)
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Lljones wrote: "I only made it about 50 pages into this...really liked the story and the premise and really wanted to stick with it, but I found the 2nd-person voice unsettling."
I made it about halfway before deciding not to finish it. I found too much of the story unbelievable, and the second person voice annoyed me. It has many 5-star and 1-star GR reviews, which might bode well for it as a ToB pick. Polarizing books make for interesting conversations.