2015 ToB Competition Discussion Showing 501-550 of 1,076

[Kerry]

Ed, Thanks for the stats!

I agree with the "assigned book" theory. Especially for lesser known / publicized works, I assume a larger percentage of reviews are from favorably disposed sources, in addition to the selection bias that comes from choosing your own books.

I grade on a curve, of sorts, weighted heavily toward the bottom of the spectrum. For me, as for someone who posted above, a 5-star rating is a rare thing. It means both that I think the book is outstanding, stand-the-test-of-time literature and that I loved it unconditionally. A 4-star rating means I loved it, but it lacked some minor thing (or I'd read just too many great novels just before it). A 3 means it is a book definitely worth reading, maybe even great literature, but for some reason I didn't loved it, only really liked it. A 2 star rating means I am not sorry I read it, but it had definite flaws of one sort or another. A 1 star rating means I wish I had spent my time doing something else and I hope no one else ever reads that book.

Despite reading mostly books that either are highly regarded generally or that have been recommended by people whose judgment I trust, most of my ratings are 2 and 3 stars. I do that because it seems pointless to differentiate how bad a book is. If 3 meant the average of all books, then I don't want to read a below average book at all. I don't care if it is sort of bad or really bad. I only want to read books that are potentially great. For my future self, 5-stars means it is definitely worth a re-read, 4-stars probably, 3-stars likely not unless there are special circumstances of some sort. 1s and 2s are right out.

These are basic guidelines and, with these sorts of rating systems, calibration is everything. 4-stars today could be 3-stars or 5-stars tomorrow.

That is more than even I wanted to know about the three seconds of thought that goes into my GR numerical ratings.

[Katie]

I am so not hard on starring books and my personal system is all over the board. If I'm reading genre I hold it to entirely different standards than lit fic and then sometimes I love something because it works in whatever moment I am in and other times I hate something for the same reason! I'm no good at literary devices and all that technical stuff....I'm a math-numbers girl who never took an English class after honor lit in 12th grade and went to an engineering school.

That may be why I'm rarely really let down by TOB. I love to read and I like a challenge so a list of books, many of which I'm unfamiliar with, is perfect for me because I rarely truly hate a book.

This week I finished Everything I Never Told You (which kind of ripped my guts out, maybe it's because I'm in the process of raising little kids but man it was heavy) and Redeployment which I didn't love but I didn't expect to.

I just got All The Birds, Singing from the library so that's next up.

I gave up on A Brief History but I have a flight to California coming up and I think I may revisit it for that. So many of you really liked it but I just couldn't get in to it and I tried hard for the whole 2 weeks I had it from the library.

[Anne]

Yay! the brackets are up. Let the speculating begin.

[Susan]

Here's the link. Now to make any last minute reading decisions:

http://www.themorningnews.org/post/pr...

[Beth]

Am I missing the dates for each bracket?

[Juniper]

Susan wrote: "Here's the link. Now to make any last minute reading decisions:

http://www.themorningnews.org/post/pr..."

WOOT!!!

[Susan]

Beth wrote: "Am I missing the dates for each bracket?"

From my experience, the dates are not placed on the bracket. The tournament usually starts the first Monday in March. It looks like it is starting March 9 this year. My assumption is that March 9 will be the first matchup of Bone Clocks & Adam. Keep an eye on Morning News for more info.

[Beth]

The TOB Facebook page says start is March 9th.

[Ed]

Station Eleven vs. Untamed State first rounder -- let's get ready to rumble!

[Sherri]

Beth wrote: "The TOB Facebook page says start is March 9th."

The bracket page says March 9 - 31st in the heading.

[Susan]

Ed wrote: "Station Eleven vs. Untamed State first rounder -- let's get ready to rumble!"

Hate to see either lose in the 1st round!

[Jason]

An Untamed State is going to crush Station Eleven. It's not even close in my mind. The singular voice of An Untamed State is built for winning the TOB. Station Eleven is entertaining, but when held up next to each other as the judge will do, I don't believe it's that hard of a decision. And Station Eleven will probably make it back as a zombie.

I'm sad that A Brave Man and The Paying Guests have to battle it out in the first round. Favorite time of year, this is.

[Ed]

Ha! This is what I love about ToB. For me, it's an easy pick for Station Eleven over Untamed State.

I looked up the bio on that judge and she has written for a Fantasy/Sci-Fi fiction magazine -- tho who knows if that could help/hurt Station Eleven's chances. Regardless, still glad I chose Station as my zombie pick... Untamed was always going to be the dangerous floater/juggernaut of the competition.

[Juniper]

i actually find the judge (alice sola kim) for station eleven v. untamed state most interesting, so i am trying to gauge where she will land with her decision. it's a cozy new york trio in that bracket.

my next 'what's the judge gonna do?' most interesting is tayari jones with everything i never told you v. those who leave and those who stay.

[jess]

Excuse me while I freak out over the brackets for three solid days.

Goodbye, Adam! First Round KO! Then.... All the Birds Vs Seven Killings. I guess Elliot Ackerman is an interesting judge for that match. I think Elisabeth Donnelly will go with All the Light. I have a feeling Stephen Marche will choose paying guests.... does anyone else go through this?

[Ohenrypacey]

If i had to speculate, i would guess that even if station eleven goes down in the first round it will reappear as a zombie pick.
I am intrigued by the potential second round Bone Clocks v. 7 Killings, 2 heavies.

[Ohenrypacey]

Allow me to say that I think it's lame that the reader judge this year doesn't get her own pairing, is only part of the finals team. boo.

[Sherri]

The matchup that's going to break my heart is Dept. of Speculation vs Annihilation. I didn't expect either to win, but I don't want to see either of them go right away.

Oh - and I think Station Eleven will take the first round and we'll see An Untamed State in the zombie round.

[Janet]

I think whichever wins, Station Eleven or An Untamed State, the other will be the zombie.

[Beth]

Pairings mean 2 of my top 5 will be eliminated round one. Then, assuming a Bone Clocks & Brief History match up another will be gone round two. The heartbreak. Looks like I will be paying special attention to zombie standings this tourney

[Ellen]

I'm particularly fascinated by the seeding. I'm truly surprised at Dept. of Speculation being seeded first, above A Brief History... and An Untamed State, and truly shocked at the latter being seeded #3.

I do see obvious early exits of the weakest links, Adam and Wittgenstein Jr. No way either of them can survive their opponents, and a good thing, too.

[Ellen]

But I'm also pretty unhappy about An Untamed State v. Station Eleven. I believe An Untamed State is the best book in the competition and deserves to win, but I LIKED Station Eleven the best. I hope you're all right and whichever loses will reappear in the zombie round.

[Katie]

I love it! Time to print it out and power through the last few I can before the tourney starts then see if discussions convince me to read a couple I will likely miss reading. And obsess about where the pairings will lead things!

[Janet]

OK, so I'm trying to figure out what to read in the limited time I have left. Anybody have an opinion from these that I already own?

A Brief History of Seven Killings
The Paying Guests
A Brave Man Seven Storeys Tall
Annihilation
or
Finish The Bone Clocks? (200 pgs left)

[Ellen]

I say finish Bone Clocks, then read Annihilation and The Paying Guests. But that's just me.

[Janet]

Based on how dreary The Bone Clocks has become for me, it might take me 19 days just to finish it.

[Sam]

Sherri wrote: "The matchup that's going to break my heart is Dept. of Speculation vs Annihilation. I didn't expect either to win, but I don't want to see either of them go right away. "

That Dept. of Spec. v. Annihilation match-up bummed me out too! Although for me it's more because I can already predict that my favorite won't be the winner. I have a feeling that with Victor LaValle as the judge, my beloved Dept. of Speculation is going to bite the dust so very early. I hope I'm wrong, but based on Victor's past comments on Twitter about books he's liked as well as the themes in his own books, he seems to enjoy the horror and spec-fic genres and all their mash-ups with lit fic, so Annihilation seems to be right up his alley.

I wished I enjoyed Annihilation more. I found most of it tolerable if a bit boring, but the last quarter of it was just too much gobbledygook for me. I just don't think my imagination is good enough to visualize all the weirdness in Weird fiction.

[Sherri]

Janet wrote: "Based on how dreary The Bone Clocks has become for me, it might take me 19 days just to finish it."

If you're 200 pages from the end and not liking it, you're probably not going to. I loved it until right about where you are now. Maybe try something different and come back to The Bone Clocks if you really want to later.

What have been your favorites so far? My personal ranking here would be Annihilation, A Brave Man, then The Paying Guests (I haven't read a Brief History yet). I'm enjoying listening to The Paying Guests, but it is very detailed and slow moving. The beauty of the book to me so far is in the vivid descriptions of every day things.

[Juniper]

Sherri wrote: "What have been your favorites so far?"

i hope this is a general question for all? i feel like answering, so apologies if you were asking janet only. :)

i haven't read all the books, just 8 of 16. but my 2 favourites are:
* those who leave and those who stay
* all the light we cannot see

i feel like all the birds singing could take the thing. even though i was fairly meh about it... it seems to be standing out for me most as a potential winner, winner, rooster dinner.

[Juniper]

question to all: if you had to recommend only one of these books, which would you suggest i read: Redeployment, or Silence Once Begun? this is the only bracket where i have not read at least one of the books.

[Sam]

Janet wrote: "OK, so I'm trying to figure out what to read in the limited time I have left. Anybody have an opinion from these that I already own?

A Brief History of Seven Killings
The Paying Guests
A Brave Ma..."

Janet, you could polish off Annihilation pretty quickly. And then I'd suggest turning to A Brief History! The writing's impressive, the characters are moving, and the story overall is absolutely absorbing--basically, a sure bet for advancing deep into the tournament.

Then perhaps The Paying Guests--getting deep into the head of the protagonist, from the calmness at the start of the story to the...not so calm turn of events afterwards, was deliciously entertaining.

[Janet]

Thanks everyone! I'm going to start with Annihilation.
My favorites so far have been An Untamed State, heads above the rest. Then in order, Station Eleven, Redeployment and Silence Once Begun.

[Deborah]

Jennifer wrote: "question to all: if you had to recommend only one of these books, which would you suggest i read: Redeployment, or Silence Once Begun? this is the only bracket where..."

I'd go with Silence Once Begun.

[Juniper]

thanks, deborah!

[Patty]

I agree with Deborah. I have read both and I like short stories, but Silence Once Begun is unlike any other book I have read. And that is why I read the TOB books.

[Karen]

Patty wrote: "I agree with Deborah. I have read both and I like short stories, but Silence Once Begun is unlike any other book I have read. And that is why I read the TOB books."

Agree! I'll finish "Silence Once Begun", my 9th of the tournament before moving onto either "A Brief History of Seven Killings" or "The Bone Clocks." It's crunch time for the left side of the bracket: I've only read 2! Much better prepared for the right side: read 6.

[Drew]

I've finished everything on the left side. I haven't read Annihilation but I'm pretty sure I can finish that by 3/9. Then I'm good until I get to the bottom pair but I think I can do it. Personal best!

[Juniper]

thank you, patty and karen! :)

[Ellen]

I'm totally with Patty and Karen, Jennifer.

[Juniper]

thanks, ellen! :)

[Ed]

They posted the dates!

Opening Round

March 5
ToB Introduction
by Kevin Guilfoile & John Warner

March 9
The Bone Clocks v. Adam
Judged by Matthea Harvey

March 10
All the Birds, Singing v. A Brief History of Seven Killings
Judged by Elliot Ackerman

March 11
All the Light We Cannot See v. Wittgenstein Jr
Judged by Elisabeth Donnelly

March 12
The Paying Guests v. A Brave Man Seven Storeys Tall
Judged by Stephen Marche

March 13
Dept. of Speculation v. Annihilation
Judged by Victor LaValle

March 16
Station Eleven v. An Untamed State
Judged by Alice Sola Kim

March 17
Redeployment v. Silence Once Begun
Judged by Christina Bevilacqua

March 18
Everything I Never Told You v. Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay
Judged by Tayari Jones
Quarterfinals

March 19
TBD v. TBD
Judged by Manuel Gonzales

March 20
TBD v. TBD
Judged by Meg Wolitzer

March 23
TBD v. TBD
Judged by Jessica Lamb-Shapiro

March 24
TBD v. TBD
Judged by Victor “Kool A.D.” Vazquez
Semifinals

March 25
TBD v. TBD
Judged by Laura Cogan

March 26
TBD v. TBD
Judged by J. Courtney Sullivan
Zombie Round

March 27
Zombie Pick No. 1 v. TBD
Judged by Nicole Cliffe

March 30
Zombie Pick No. 2 v. TBD
Judged by Stephin Merritt
Championship

March 31
TBD v. TBD
Judged by Amanda McClendon + All Judges

[Juniper]

thanks, ed!

[Juniper]

i posted this in the rooster group but thought i would share it here too. (apologies for those who also belong to both groups, and may see this twice.)

i was wondering if the discussions in the rooster group could be any indicator of how books place in the ToB. so i looked at the activity for each book - the views and comments - and ranked the books from busiest to quietest. this is what it looked like:

rank / book / comments / views / total activity

1. station eleven: 40 / 71 / 111
2. all the birds singing: 44 / 63 / 107
3. all the light we cannot see: 21 / 78 / 99
4.annihilation: 33 / 65 / 98
5. untamed state: 23 / 71 / 94
6. dept. of speculation: 27 / 65 / 92
7. everything i never told you: 30 / 59 / 89
8. bone clocks: 27 / 60 / 87
9. a brief history of seven killings: 28 / 55 / 83
10. the paying guests: 28 / 54 / 82
11. adam: 23 / 53 / 76
12. a brave man seven stories tall: 24 / 44 / 68
13. silence once begun: 20 / 45 / 65
14. redeployment: 14 / 45 / 59
15. those who leave and those who stay: 20 / 33 / 53
16. wittgenstein jr.: 7 / 42 / 49

[Janet]

I've decided to read bios on all the judges and make my predictions based on how I think their backgrounds will affect the outcome....should be a fun exercise.

[Juniper]

Janet wrote: "I've decided to read bios on all the judges and make my predictions based on how I think their backgrounds will affect the outcome....should be a fun exercise."

heh! i started doing that today too - for the judges i didn't know much about.

[Janet]

Jennifer wrote: "Janet wrote: "I've decided to read bios on all the judges and make my predictions based on how I think their backgrounds will affect the outcome....should be a fun exercise."

heh! i started doing ..."

LOL...we should compare notes Jennifer. Really, no wonder my friends think I'm crazy....who does this??!

[Juniper]

Janet wrote: "... who does this??! ..."

me. and probably a few other people around this group! :)
hahaha!!

i'll tell you that i am most curious about where alice kim will fall between station eleven and untamed state. next most interesting bracket for me (based on the judge) is tayari jones, with everything i never told you v. those who leave and those who stay. but i knew a bit about both of those judges already.

today, i got quite curious about eliot ackerman, where he'll fall with all the birds singing and a brief history of 7 killings. i wasn't terribly familiar with him and had not known about his service record.

[Janet]

I think Alice Kim will pick Station Eleven but An Untamed State will come back as a zombie. Tayari will pick Everything I Never Told You and Ackerman will pick A Brief History of Seven Killings. Does anybody bet money on these things? lol

[Janet]

Christina Bevilacqua strikes me as being a highbrow intellectual so I'm betting she'll pick Silence Once Begun. Elisabeth Donnelly is the one I'm confused about, she a non-fiction editor for Flavorwire but she's really into pop culture. That doesn't sound like someone who would be a fan of All the Light but it's so strong I have to think she'll pick it.

[Juniper]

i am unsure about all of them, haha, but the elizabeth donnelly bracket has me scratching my head too.

okay -- with alice kim... i find that bracket very insular in the new york/brooklyn world. kim, apart from her own talents, is buzzfeed books editor isaac fitzgerald's partner. and that adds another layer to it for me (buzzfeed v. the millions where mandel hangs out a lot) and so i get stuck thinking they (the new york/brooklyn writer set) are all buddy-buddy and how will she choose between people she knows, or knows through others? at the moment, i kind of feel she could go with untamed state. but these two books are the strongest zombie contenders so whichever goes out will come back, i think.

see how much i can think about this? :) #ridiculous