2015 ToB Competition Discussion Showing 101-150 of 1,076

[Janet]

To me, Redeployment is much more graphic and brutal than An Untamed State. I really hope Roxanne Gay gets some love in the tournament. It's still my best read of the year.

[Stacey]

I have 6 on the list - and all but one of the rest are available through the library. A couple I am too far down the list to get in time, so will watch for those to go on sale. Most of these I am interested in. Tried the Bone Clocks last year and gave it up. I like that this is making me expand my reading comfort zone.

[jess]

Susan wrote: "Jess, I just finished Untamed State today also. I need one of her valium to get my heart to stop racing. Will start "A Brief History" later today. It sounds like a slow read according to what others are saying...."

PREACH. should definitely come with a valium rx.

[Rosie]

Jennifer wrote: "i have only read 2 of the 16: All the Birds, Singing, and Dept. of Speculation. i was fairly 'meh' about both books. it will be interesting to see the debates for th..."

I LOVED The Bone Clocks. Absolutely loved it. The only thing that irked me was the ending, but the rest was delightful!

[Sherri]

Katie wrote: "Finished The Bone Clocks today and will start A Brave Man Seven Storeys Tall tomorrow -- that 1.99 price :) Also the first Ferrante book My Brilliant Friend is 1.99 from Amazon (if that hasn't bee..."

I have the same problem - my books always seem to all come in at once. And now that I can put ebooks and audio book holds from my library it gets even crazier. Thanks for mentioning the sale on My Brilliant Friend. I bought it today and it looks really good.

Based on the feedback here and my gut, I think I'm going to put Wittgenstein Jr and A Brief History of Seven Killings in the category of books I'm only going to read if they make it past the first round.

[Christina]

I ended up skimming Annihilation and Silence Once Become. Nothing wrong with either, but apparently creepy suspense just isn't what I need right now.

The more I get into A Brief History of Seven Killings . . . yeah, it's even more violent than An Untamed State. No surprise, I mean the title is a big hint, right?
I have a sneaking suspicious that these two are going to face each other in the first round and man do I pity the judge that has to read these back to back.

Think I'll take a breather before tackling the rest and see if I can get in a more amenable "readerly" mood.

[Beth]

With only six to read to complete the TOB list, I am committing to the full Ferrante trilogy bringing my total to eight. I see My Brillant Friend has been on sale on Amazon, so far I have not seen the same price for my Nook. I have on hold at library and will see how quickly it moves through the 7 ahead of me. In the mean time, just finished Silence Once Begun. It's an interesting book, both in story and execution. Will be interested in TOB discussion. I don't see it advancing far, but I'm not complaining about its inclusion. On to Adam!

[Juniper]

so, i am late to the read, but am now reading All the Light We Cannot See - man, this is a beautiful book!!!

[Mina]

taking advantage of that 1.99 Kindle read.

[C]

Mina wrote: "taking advantage of that 1.99 Kindle read. "

Yep, so am I. I was going to read something else but then I realized the ToB is about 40 days away and I've only read one of them.

[Ed]

Sure there are a lot of book cover lovers/judgers like me, so love this annual feature from The Millions comparing ToB book covers US vs. UK:

http://www.themillions.com/2015/01/ju...

[Anne]

It looks like our bookshelf and the header have been updated for the 2015 Tournament. Thanks, Jamie!

[Katie]

Those who started A Brave Man Seven Storys Tall, thoughts? I will likely finish it tonight. At different points I have really enjoyed it and at others been a bit bored. I am curious about the end though and that's a good thing. It feels very TOB For me though because I wouldn't have otherwise picked it up and it has that weird hard to pin down factor for me.

[Anne]

I find A Brave Man Seven Storeys Tall has stuck with me. Like you, there were some parts I liked better than others. The Burr parts were for me the most boring. The ending is pretty darn good imo.

[Sherri]

Katie wrote: "Those who started A Brave Man Seven Storys Tall, thoughts? I will likely finish it tonight. At different points I have really enjoyed it and at others been a bit bored. I am curious about the end ..."

Yes, Katie! I'm only 35% and I finally feel like it's getting good. This book is going to make for some great discussions, and I'm glad I'm reading it. I'm looking forward to seeing where it's going. I've been doing a lot of highlighting :).

[C]

Katie wrote: "Those who started A Brave Man Seven Storys Tall, thoughts? I will likely finish it tonight. At different points I have really enjoyed it and at others been a bit bored. I am curious about the end ..."

I'm about 30% of the way in, and it's a little Goldfinchy for me.. (not a good thing). But rather than just carry a painting around for years, there are some attempts at art happening!

[Ohenrypacey]

I just finished Station Eleven, and can't, for the life of me, understand what all the hype is about. Okay, there are a few shakespeare references in it, so it's 'literate', but it's pretty poorly researched, in terms of how pandemics work, and how civilizations collapse, and in terms of speculative fiction, pales in comparison to many post-apocalyptic stories (and I'm no student of the genre).
Not one of the characters struck me as particularly well developed (don't say arthur, he's just a collection of cliche's) and there's no dramatic tension whatsoever.
so there's at least one book i hope gets beaten in the first round.

[jess]

I felt like Station Eleven was overhyped and couldn't really live up to it. However, if I could separate myself from the hype, it was a four star book.

I wish I hadn't read it because it was on so many "Best of..." lists, so I could have just appreciated the awesomeness without expecting so much.

With that said, S11 was basically everything I want in an End of the World book. I got a sense of the quiet expanse left behind when the electricity fails and 99% of the population dies, which I miss in apocalyptic books with lots of noisy action. I sat in a sort of unsettled, eerie spell for the duration of my reading. It worked for me. I liked the star trek reference, too?

[Ohenrypacey]

jess wrote: "I felt like Station Eleven was overhyped and couldn't really live up to it. However, if I could separate myself from the hype, it was a four star book.

I wish I hadn't read it because it was on s..."

ahhh, see, those were the biggest failings for me....first off, pandemics don't work the way she describes, they just don't, not the timing, nor the devastation, so it seemed poorly researched, and secondly, electricity is pretty easy, so the idea that it would disappear at all, let alone take 15 yrs to recoup, is also kinda silly. so, for me, it was exactly the opposite of what an end of the world scenario would be like. the lack of plausibility took away from an otherwise pleasant story about interconnectedness, celebrity and a fun touring shakespeare troupe.

[jess]

Oh, if it's so easy why was it so hard for the cast of that tv show Revolution, huh?! haha. I think I just liked that her world ended so differently from other books I've read. I suspended my disbelief because I wanted the koolaid.

[C]

jess wrote: "Oh, if it so easy why was it so hard for the cast of that tv show Revolution, huh?! haha. I think I just liked that her world ended so differently from other books I've read. I suspended my disbeli..."

Oh, that was because the evil nano was (were?) controlling the electricity! haha

[Julie]

I'm with you Jess S11 was basically everything I want in an End of the World book! It may not have lived up to the hype, but luckily I read S11 before I encountered any of the hype so I read it without preconceptions.

I immersed myself in its dystopian future so wasn't overly mindful of the "is this possible or not".

And I think Okay, there are a few Shakespeare references in it, so it's 'literate', is a little mean ... along with the plays of Shakespeare, the role of the graphic novel and the Bible are deftly woven into the narrative. And I don't think it set out to be a Great Literary Work (save me from The Marriage Game!)

However, much as I thoroughly enjoyed it as a great example of speculative fiction, and I voted for it for my Zombie round book, I don't think it will take home the Rooster (but hope it survives longer than the first round!)

Keep away from the koolaid!

[Katie]

Like Jess I kind of just rolled with it. The flu was kind of ancillary for me I didn't much care if it made scientific sense. I think for 2014 books in which civilization falls apart I preferred The Book of Strange New Things (which was also a four star for me) but that didn't make the tournament :).

[jess]

Evil nano?!? I clearly didn't get far enough into that series.

[C]

jess wrote: "Evil nano?!? I clearly didn't get far enough into that series."

Yes, unfortunately I watched all of it. Ben Edlund was writing for it, so I had to. :D

[Kerry]

@Ohenrypacey,

I am not quite through (87%), but your gripes very closely mirror mine. The characters aren't that interesting or particularly well drawn, the collapse of society as she describes it is not remotely plausible (epidemiologically, technologically, even socially), and the writing is good enough but not stirring. I do not understand the hype at all.

I'll be with you, rooting for an early Station 11 exit. Unless, of course, it is totally redeemed by its ending. So far, Redeployment is still, far and away, my favorite contender so far.

[Mina]

Ed wrote: "Sure there are a lot of book cover lovers/judgers like me, so love this annual feature from The Millions comparing ToB book covers US vs. UK:

http://www.themillions.com/2015/01/ju......"

Thanks for the link - I found myself liking more UK covers than US.

[Lauren]

I'm currently reading All the Birds, Singing. I've finished Silence Once Begun, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, An Untamed State, Everything I Never Told You, Dept. of Speculation, and Adam. I highly recommend reading Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay third and reading the first two in the trilogy beforehand.

[Katie]

I finished A Brave Man Seven Storeys Tall last night and on the whole did really enjoy it. Not something I'd have picked up on my own, but I look forward to the discussions on it and I could see it making it out of the first round depending who it's up against. I just started Dept. of Speculation and bought Deployment (wait list was way too long). I'm not really looking forward to a war read, just totally not in the mood, but others are really positive about it so I'm hoping it surprises me. I'm about to get A Brief History of Seven Killings and Annihilation from the library - both are in transit to my branch right now. I'm thinking if I can get those and The Paying Guests read in the next two weeks the lengths of what I have left will probably leave me time to read the first two in the Ferrante trilogy....my house may be a wreck and my children may wonder if I remember them though :)

[Dan]

I have completed half of the books for the contest brief history, redeployment, annihilation, station 11, Adam, all the birds singing, bone clocks, and untamed state. I have liked all of them. Though untamed state and brief history are my favorites. I liked Adam more than I thought I would considering the subject matter. On to brave man seven storeys tall

[Beth]

I'm reading Adam now. It's an entertaining read, although I'd be surprised if it advanced far. Next read may depend on how library holds come through. Think I'm going to commit to the entire Ferrante trilogy and hope for the best. What is everyone else doing on that front?

[Christina]

I'm going to try to read the whole trilogy. I just can't read the third one as a stand alone.

[Christy]

I've been limited by what's available at my local library, where the only two books I could get immediately were Those Who Stay and Annihilation (I've got holds on a bunch more). I just finished the Ferrante, and I thought it worked fine as a stand-alone. I enjoyed it a lot and will definitely go back and read the other books in the series when I have more time.

I'm in the middle of Annihilation and it's leaving me flat. No interest in finishing out this series.

[Kerry]

On Ferrante,
I just purchased the first in the series for Kindle ($2.99 yesterday). If I like it, I will try to finish the series for ToB. I had earlier read her "Troubling Love" as a toe in the water and was unmoved. James Wood's opinion carries weight with me, so I am going to give the Neapolitan series a go.

That would likely mean I don't finish others, but I am fine with that.

[Janet]

I'm 142 pages into The Bone Clocks and getting bogged down.....not loving it as much as the beginning. Should I slog on or try something else?

[Jason]

Get to the Crispin Hershey section in The Bone Clocks before bailing. It's picking up there and getting very meta and the action is starting to unfold. I'm at page 400 and can see the end from here.

[Ellen]

Janet, I didn't love it, but I think it's worth finishing.

Finished All the Birds, Singing last night, which wasn't at all what I expected it to be (it's been on my list since the beginning of the year). I liked it, though, and it's a very quick read -- which is certainly an advantage in ToB books.

Started Wittgenstein Jr. this morning and have An Untamed State, A Brief (hah. Longest book in the Tournament.) History of 7 Killings, and Adam on deck.

I'm intentionally leaving the Ferrante until last, so that if I have time I can read the entire trilogy. I'm really uncomfortable reading the third book of a trilogy first, but if I have to I have to. However, once I finish what I have at home (see above), I'll be half way there and also I'll be finished with all the longest books, so I predict I'll have the time to read all three.

So far nothing's blown me away, but that was true of this stage last year, too. It took People in the Trees and, to a lesser extent, How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia to ramp it up for me.

[Janet]

I predict that An Untamed State will blow you away and also predict that as another poster (I forget who) said that at some point it will go head-to-head with A Brief History of Seven Killings since they are both books about violence in the Caribbean. It looks like I'm going to have to break down and buy that one (Brief) as my library's holds list is impossibly long.

[Topher]

Brief History is about Jamaica, not Haiti

[Janet]

Topher wrote: "Brief History is about Jamaica, not Haiti"
Yes thanks, I self-corrected.

[Christina]

I'm sure other people have predicted it, but I know I've said that I predict a faceoff between An Untamed State and A Brief History of Seven Killings. And I actually feel kind of bad for the judge because that's a lot of disturbing reading in one go.

Also I hope they won't make that a pairing because it's so predictable to lump those two books together. I contradict myself? Well, then I contradict myself! ;-)

[AmberBug]

My thoughts on the Ferrante... do you think the judge will feel the same way as the majority of the posters here and read all three? That seems like a tough pill to swallow, especially if it makes it far (the more judges will be reading it). I know someone here said they read it stand-alone and they liked it, so maybe it has a chance that way.

I detest reading things out of order... but knowing that this is the way the judge will probably read it, makes me interested to try it as a stand-alone as well. I can't wait to see how the judge approaches this one.

I'm reading A Brief History of Seven Killings right now and it really is a slow going one (dialect and character changes every chapter) but so far really worth the read.

I'm also LOVING "Redeployment" as an audiobook, not sure if anyone else selected that format for that one?? Highly recommend that one as a "listen".

[C]

I agree with Jason - at least make it to the end of the Crispin Hershey chapter before giving up on The Bone Clocks.

[Janet]

That's a good idea Amber, about listening to Redeployment. I read it and the only thing that kept me from giving it 5 stars were all those darn acronyms. How is that handled in the audio?
I will soldier on with The Bone Clocks...lol. Thanks everyone for the encouragement.

[Joy]

Janet wrote: "I'm 142 pages into The Bone Clocks and getting bogged down.....not loving it as much as the beginning. Should I slog on or try something else?"

Ace wrote: "Janet wrote: "I'm 142 pages into The Bone Clocks and getting bogged down.....not loving it as much as the beginning. Should I slog on or try something else?"

Life is short, but no..."

I took BONE CLOCKS on a 2-week vacation and read it every night in a motel room. I might have given up had I had something else to read. But I didn't so I persevered and am glad I did. Some parts are better than others and I particularly did not care for Section 5. It is a book that grows on you after completion. If I hadn't yet read it and was trying to read as many TOB books as possible, I'd quit. FYI, of the books I have read, I prefer CLOCKS over WITTGENSTEIN JR, SILENCE ONCE BEGUN, ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE and UNTAMED STATE. I put it second only to ALL THE BIRDS, SINGING. Regarding WITTGENSTEIN: I read the Wikipedia article about him after I read the book. I should have read it beforehand.

[Mainon]

Anybody read and hated Annihilation? I finished it quickly and found it just.... well, ridiculous. It's been awhile since I had such a negative reaction to a TOB book, and I honestly have no idea what it's doing in this competition. What redeeming literary value did I miss?

[Juniper]

Mainon wrote: "Anybody read and hated Annihilation? I finished it quickly and found it just.... well, ridiculous. It's been awhile since I had such a negative reaction to a TOB book, and I honestly have no idea..."

so, i haven't read all of this new yorker article yet (because i haven't read Annihilation yet), but the bit i read was interesting, and may be of interest to ToB fans:

'The Weird Thoreau': http://www.newyorker.com/culture/cult...

"If Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach trilogy has a moral, it has to do with the dignity of the search for even partial truth."

[Jayme]

Kerry wrote: "On Ferrante,
I just purchased the first in the series for Kindle ($2.99 yesterday). If I like it, I will try to finish the series for ToB. I had earlier read her "Troubling Love" as a toe in the ..."

I feel the same way as you do. I just finished the first book and will start the second one tomorrow. After reading the first book I can't imagine reading the third as a stand alone - you would miss to much back story.

[AmberBug]

Janet wrote: "That's a good idea Amber, about listening to Redeployment. I read it and the only thing that kept me from giving it 5 stars were all those darn acronyms. How is that handled in the audio?
I will ..."

I haven't really noticed. I find myself tuning out the military babble when it happens but so far I have only done that with 2 of the essays (maybe that was the military jargon that got to you too?)

[Emma]

Mainon wrote: "Anybody read and hated Annihilation? I finished it quickly and found it just.... well, ridiculous. It's been awhile since I had such a negative reaction to a TOB book, and I honestly have no idea..."

I also didn't like Annihilation at all. I laughed when I saw it made the long list. This is a book that should have been right up my alley, but for whatever reason it didn't resonate.