2021 TOB Longlist

[Heidi]

Jan wrote: "Although I confess, any book with "violent" in the title, let alone "violent delights," is gonna be #77 on my ToB TBR list."

I was drawn in by the Shakespeare reference! And someone described the book by Micah Nemerever (the one that IS on our list) as the closest read-alike they've ever found to The Secret History, one of my all time favorites. So I was sold! I'm reading it now.

[Risa]

Phyllis wrote: "Ellen wrote: "I love you guys. I love knowing that I'm not the only one obsessively making lists and organizing and reorganizing my library pile to ensure I won't have to bring anything back before..."

Same, Phyllis! Actually, lots of independent bookstores around the country got a lot of my $$ today, thanks to this list. There are a handful that did not sound much like my cup of tea, so those I am waiting on to see about the shortlist. But, most of them sounded very promising, and there were a fair number of which I'd not previously heard -- including Crossings, which I ordered today.

[Ellen]

It's in my pile (Children's Bible) so I don't know yet. I didn't love her last book (but I didn't hate it, either). And I was so glad to see Deacon King Kong that I forgave any other absences. I'm pretty sure it's my only 2020 5* read.

[Jason]

Phyllis wrote: "Like you, I didn't love A Children's Bible."

I think I related too much to the parents instead of to the kids.

[Phyllis]

Jason wrote: "Phyllis wrote: "Like you, I didn't love A Children's Bible."

I think I related too much to the parents instead of to the kids."

Me too. And the parent characters were so flat - hardly seemed like real people at all. I suspect that was intentional by the author, but didn't work for me. I know the whole thing was meant as metaphor, allegory, but it was too concretely grounded to be humorous or satirical or magical realism, and it wasn't realistic enough to be . . . real? I just felt like it was a swing and a miss.

[Phyllis]

Ellen wrote: "It's in my pile (Children's Bible) so I don't know yet. I didn't love her last book (but I didn't hate it, either). And I was so glad to see Deacon King Kong that I forgave any other absences. I'm ..."

Yup, Deacon King Kong I found to be wonderful.

[Bretnie]

Michelle wrote: "Thanks Bretnie for the heads up😊 I figured out what I did. It's fixed now. 👍"

Nice, thanks!

[Lljones]

Lots of love for Deacon King Kong here...I'm moving it up the TBR pile.

Did you all read McBride's The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother? Stunningly beautiful and powerful, that book.

[Chrissy]

Are there any books on the long list you’d say are “related to time”? I haven’t chosen the last book for an annual challenge I do, so maybe I can double dip!

[Nadine in California]

Risa wrote: "Are you going to perform your annual heroic feat of creating the spreadsheet with all the longlist books in order of page count? (She asks, full of hope ....)..."

The downloadable spreadsheet on the ToB website has a column for page count that can be re-ordered.

[C]

Ellen wrote: "It's in my pile (Children's Bible) so I don't know yet. I didn't love her last book (but I didn't hate it, either). And I was so glad to see Deacon King Kong that I forgave any other absences. I'm ..."

interesting... if Deacon King Kong makes it to the ToB, could we have the first two time champion on our hands?

[Lljones]

C wrote: "interesting... if Deacon King Kong makes it to the ToB, could we have the first two time champion on our hands?
..."

Haven't read DKK yet, so can't say. I'm hoping Emily St. John Mandel is our first two-timer!

[Phyllis]

Lljones wrote: "Lots of love for Deacon King Kong here...I'm moving it up the TBR pile.

Did you all read McBride's The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother? Stunningly beautif..."

Yes! I thought it was excellent.

[Risa]

Nadine wrote: "Risa wrote: "Are you going to perform your annual heroic feat of creating the spreadsheet with all the longlist books in order of page count? (She asks, full of hope ....)..."

The downloadable spr..."

Ah! I missed that: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

[Bob]

Risa wrote: "Are you going to perform your annual heroic feat of creating the spreadsheet with all the longlist books in order of page count? (She asks, full of hope ....)"

Wouldn't you know it...?

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...

[Risa]

Bob wrote: "Risa wrote: "Are you going to perform your annual heroic feat of creating the spreadsheet with all the longlist books in order of page count? (She asks, full of hope ....)"

Wouldn't you know it......"

THIS, sir, is a thing of beauty! I am officially adding you to my Things For Which I'm Grateful List. Many thanks!

[Risa]

Jason wrote: "From one of the descriptions: "Now, eating human meat—'special meat'—is legal."

Sounds like a fun 2020 read."

I nearly tossed my lunch when I read that. Hard Pass.

[Risa]

Ellen wrote: "Elizabeth, I'm putting in another vote for Deacon King Kong. In my mind, it's his best book yet by far, and his most accessible, and it's fun to read, and truly, truly funny while touching on a lot..."

I mean, I totally think of Oberlin as a "hotbed of creativity". I thought that's why people chose it! :-)

[Risa]

For those who have read Ali Smith's seasons quartet -- I had been saving all four of them for after the tournament because I thought I should read them in order. How much do we miss out on by reading Summer without having read the other three?

[Wendy]

Looks like it’s time to pull Hamnet of my shelf

[Phyllis]

Chrissy wrote: "Are there any books on the long list you’d say are “related to time”? I haven’t chosen the last book for an annual challenge I do, so maybe I can double dip!"

This might be a bit of a stretch (and I've only read 9 of this list thus far, so others might have a better rec), but Or What You Will is one I think you could consider being "related to time." It's narrated by the (imaginary friend) muse of an author. She has written many books, and she is in Florence in 2018ish while writing what is to be her last book. The book she is writing is set in a Florence-like place during the Renaissance, and within that story there are people from Florence in the 1850s who travel back there in time.

So the book itself looks at Florence, Italy and Renaissance art & culture from three different points in time: the 1400s, the 1800s, and the present.

But I'll take any opportunity to recommend this book, which I found to be excellent!

[Kyle]

That sounds intriguing. Besides the two award winners, that and Deacon King Kong are probably next in my list.

[Lark]

"These violent delights have violent ends" is a quote from Romeo and Juliet, which I only know because it was also quoted in the HBO series Westworld.

[Lark]

ok my 'sad it didn't make it list' would include

Tyll
Indelicacy
Eartheater
Night Theater

:0)

[Lark]

I'm surprised and maybe also delighted that Tender Is the Flesh made the long list. What a relentless read that one is!

[Rachel]

For Audible's Black Friday sale, Afterlife, My Dark Vanessa and The Night Watchman are available for $6 each, starting tomorrow. Link: https://www.audible.com/ep/black-friday

I've not been in a great headspace this year to read thoughtful literature. I haven't even made it through Sharks in the Time of Saviors yet, though that's next on the docket. I've decided to be kind to myself and assign no TOB completion goals this year and allow myself to read more fluff and escapist fiction.

Glad everyone is doing so well still!

[Ellen]

Risa wrote: I mean, I totally think of Oberlin as a "hotbed of creativity". I thought that's why people chose it! :-)

Creativity, maybe -- creative writing, specifically, not so much, at least in my day. That seems to have changed dramatically, though!

[Ellen]

Hamnet -- with its 49 Holds list at the library, damn it -- has been on my list since forever. Hope it makes the shortlist and I can get it more easily...

[Michelle]

The ebook for Valentine is on sale for $2.99

[Michelle]

The Night Watchman is on sale for $3.99

[Matthew]

lark wrote: "ok my 'sad it didn't make it list' would include

Tyll
Indelicacy
Eartheater
Night Theater

:0)"

I second the thought on Night Theater. I still have Tyll on my shelf waiting to be read.

I'm also sad about these not making the longlist:

That Time of Year
The Teacher
Things in Jars
Blacktop Wasteland

[Ellen]

Oh, yes! Things in Jars! I really, really like Jess Kidd; I think I liked this book even more than Himself.

[Jan]

Matthew wrote:

Blacktop Wasteland
"

Yep. Also Winter Counts to add a (or anotheer?) Native writer to the list.

[Jan]

Risa wrote: "For those who have read Ali Smith's seasons quartet -- I had been saving all four of them for after the tournament because I thought I should read them in order. How much do we miss out on by readi..."

I've been rereading the first three and haven't started Summer yet, but I think you'd miss a lot of the richness and joy of this series by reading only the fourth. Not sure what starting with the fourth would do to the reading experience. Good luck!

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

I added marks for items in Hoopla in my version (a copy of the simplified version) with the intent that you could just copy that column to your own. I think Hoopla is the same for everyone, unlike Libby/Overdrive (which I think depends on the library), NetGalley & Edelweiss (which I think varies on your publisher and permissions.)

Overall I of course encourage purchasing the books but maybe this will lighten the load for completists.

(Hoopla is a digital book app some public libraries purchase access to, including eBooks, audiobooks, comics, movies, tv shows, and sound recordings.)

[Jan]

Heidi wrote: "Jan wrote: "Although I confess, any book with "violent" in the title, let alone "violent delights," is gonna be #77 on my ToB TBR list."

I was drawn in by the Shakespeare reference! And someone de..."

Thanks, Heidi and @Lark! The Shakespeare reference went right past me. I'll have to give it a look.

[Nadine in California]

My 'sad' list includes of those mentioned so far, and the ones it doesn't are now on my TBR. Plus 3 more.

Dance On Saturday
Fiebre Tropical
The King at the Edge of the World

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Wow check out this cover of a book I DNF'd, did a double take with the Barcelona Summer cover.



Some of my wishlist not on the list include

by K-Ming Chang
by Amina Cain
by Shani Mootoo (do Canadians count? This book is excellent.)

[Nadine in California]

I forgot to include the book I'm reading right now - by the 2nd page I knew it would be 5 stars, even though it is a short story collection

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Did anyone notice there are two books with baseballs on the cover?

[Peggy]

I bought Hurricane Season a while back expressly b/c I thought it would make the longlist easily. Oops. Same for Pew. Also surprised not to see the Ferrante or The Girl with the Louding Voice or The New Wilderness.

So now I'm just going to read those I already own from the longlist and hope for the best! Although whomever described These Violent Delights as being close to A Secret History totally drew me in, so I'll likely buy that one soon. I adore The Secret History.

[Lauren]

Here's my list of books I wanted to make the longlist that didn't...

Ones I've read:
This Town Sleeps
Empire of Wild
Winter Counts
Jonny Appleseed
(These four are written by indigenous authors - is there no indigenous representation on the long list? I haven't looked into all of the authors yet.)
The Black Kids
Inheritors (Highly recommend this one for fans of Cloud Atlas.)
Fiebre Tropical (Although I was guessing they couldn't choose it since you need to speak Spanish to understand about a third of it.)
Black Bottom Saints: A Novel (Probably too unique -even for the ToB- but it was fun.)
The Coyotes of Carthage
Blacktop Wasteland
The Girl with the Louding Voice
A Luminous Republic (Similar theme to Children's Bible, but so much better in my opinion.)
The Immortals of Tehran
The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida
New Waves
Indelicacy
The Lost Book of Adana Moreau
Creatures
Amnesty
These Ghosts Are Family
Run Me to Earth
Night Theater

I read a ton of 2020 books this year (probably 50-60), but only 20 were on the longlist, so I'm not too great at guessing what they'll choose.

Books I haven't read yet, but own and thought might make it:
Hurricane Season
The Shadow King
This Mournable Body
Burnt Sugar
Crooked Hallelujah
Track Changes
Then the Fish Swallowed Him
The Black Cathedral

Without the ToB bumping these up in my TBR "stack" I don't know when I'll get to them :sob:.

[Lark]

Xe Sands narrates The Children’s Bible and I’m listening now. Her narration is never a neutral read.

[Meagan]

I was hoping for The Girl With the Louding Voice, too, Lauren.

There is at least one native author on the long list: Louise Erdrich, for the Night Watchman...

[Bob]

lark wrote: "Xe Sands narrates The Children’s Bible and I’m listening now. Her narration is never a neutral read."

That was such an odd book.

[Lauren]

Meagan wrote: "I was hoping for The Girl With the Louding Voice, too, Lauren.

There is at least one native author on the long list: Louise Erdrich, for the Night Watchman..."

Ah of course. I think my brain was skipping the books we've already discussed, like The Night Watchman. I'm glad it's on the list though!

[Mike]

Snubs to stalwarts David Mitchell, Ferrante and Mantel, but many intriguing books on the long list I had not known about. Really pleased to see The Cactus League make the list; it was a tiny wedge of a substitute for actually being able to attend baseball games this past spring. The Cactus League along with The Resisters and We Ride upon Sticks, possibly a way too early play-in prediction of “sports with sticks”? I also saw two covers with sharks (one the winner from Camp ToB) and a third with a fish on the cover. Also a couple covers with swimming pools, just sayin. Off to plan some ambitious holiday reading.

[Nadine in California]

Lauren wrote: "Here's my list of books I wanted to make the longlist that didn't..."

You've given me a lot to work with here, Lauren! I listened to The Coyotes of Carthage on audio and it was great! My two cents on the spanish in Fiebre Tropical: I don't think it's nearly 1/3 of the book, it's more like an added flavor than a necessary ingredient. I'm a beginning spanish learner, so I only understood some of it, but very often a spanish sentence or phrase would be immediately followed by an english one that basically translates it, so you really don't miss anything - and you can roll the spanish around on your tongue, just for fun. All you really need to know is that the narrator often calls the reader "mi reina", "my queen" using it the way Ilana does in Broad City, if that rings a bell for anybody.

[Lauren]

Nadine wrote: "Lauren wrote: "Here's my list of books I wanted to make the longlist that didn't..."

You've given me a lot to work with here, Lauren! I listened to The Coyotes of Carthage on audio..."

Glad you enjoyed those! It was hard to tell how much of a block the Spanish would be in Fiebre Tropical since I have a background in it (although a few words were specific to Colombia). It's good to hear it worked for you as a Spanish beginner. Not sure how the ToB generally handles that, but I'm guessing there aren't too many books that have that much of a second language incorporated. It was an important statement the author made to keep it authentic to their voice. And man was it hilarious.

[Nadine in California]

Lauren wrote: "Nadine wrote: "Lauren wrote: "Here's my list of books I wanted to make the longlist that didn't..."

You've given me a lot to work with here, Lauren! I listened to [book:The Coyotes of Carthage|435..."

I do remember that the first paragraph on the first page was too much spanish all in my face at once and I did consider moving on. If I was editor I'd have suggesting more of an easing into it - at least until page 2 ;) Much of the spanish is swear words too, which is fun and essential when learning a new language!