Tournament of Books discussion
2021 TOB General Topics
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2021 TOB Longlist
lark wrote: "Bob wrote: "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."
I'm kind of hating it so far."
I was interested in the first half, but the second half just wasn't where I was expecting it to go, and I enjoyed it less than the beginning. Curious what you think about the rest of it if you end up finishing.
Meagan wrote: "Hi everyone! I’ve been following TOB for ages, but not courageous enough to comment. Dipping a toe in here, trying to change that!At first I thought I’d only read 1 on the long list, but it turns..."
I read Cold Millions and did really enjoy it. Beautiful Ruins is one of my all time favorites, and I just really like Jess Walter's writing style. Cold Millions is historical fiction, which is not usually my favorite, but the topic was pretty interesting and Walter's writing is strong as ever.
Heather wrote: "I read Cold Millions and did really enjoy it. Beautiful Ruins is one of my all time favorites, and I just really like Jess Walter's writing style. Cold Millions is historical fiction, which is not usually my favorite, but the topic was pretty interesting and Walter's writing is strong as ever. "You might enjoy David Duchovny's reading from Cold Millions from the Center for Fiction.
Heather wrote: "I read Cold Millions and did really enjoy it..."Me too. Also We Live in Water - fabulous short stories. Like Heather, I'm not big on historical fiction but I'm really look forward to Cold Millions.
lark wrote: "Bob wrote: "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."
I'm kind of hating it so far."
I'm so glad to hear people didn't like this book. I wouldn't say I hated it, I just didn't enjoy it much, there was no character development, I hated the stereotypical ridiculousness of the adults and the "bad guys." I thought the premise was so interesting, and I usually love Millet, I had such high hopes, especially after Rosecrans (or maybe it was Andrew) said how much he loved it. But yeah, it was all pretty blah for me.
Phyllis wrote: "By the way, Crossings looks really intriguing to me. Have you (has anyone here) read it? ..."I read it, and really liked it! It was very mind-bendy, in a similar way to Cloud Atlas. I may read it again, in page-order, if it makes the shortlist. (Or I may listen on audio, which I assume goes in page order.)
Elizabeth wrote: "I'm so glad to hear people didn't like this book. I wouldn't say I hated it, I just didn't enjoy it much, there was no character development, I hated the stereotypical ridiculousness of the adults and the "bad guys..."That sums up my feeling too. It also feels like, if it makes the short list, that it might be one of those books where the commentariat will become passionately angry at the judge, no matter what the judge writes about it. Short list shoo-in for sure on that basis!
And, the NYTimes just chose it as the best book of the year.https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/23/bo...
Or, top 10 anyway. I think they listed them in alphabetical order.
Jason wrote: "And, the NYTimes just chose it as the best book of the year."Whoa. I'll press on, then. Thanks Jason. The mystery of contemporary fiction and how it works on us, or not, continues to amaze me.
lark wrote: "Whoa. I'll press on, then. Thanks Jason. The mystery of contemporary fiction and how it works on us, or not, continues t..."That wasn't an endorsement. I should have put an ? at the end of my first sentence. I did not like this book.
Heather wrote: "I read Cold Millions and did really enjoy it. Beautiful Ruins is one of my all time favorites, and I just really like Jess Walter's writing style.."I discovered Jess Walter by happy accident with Citizen Vince and he instantly became one of my favorite authors. I also read and recommend The Financial Lives of the Poets, The Zero, Beautiful Ruins, and two ebook shorties, Don't Eat Cat and The Way the World Ends. His earlier books are crime novels, which isn't a genre I'm interested in, but one of these days I'm sure I'll read those too. He also did a terrific podcast a few years ago with Sherman Alexie, who's a close friend of his. Like I said, I'm a fan ;)
Elizabeth wrote: "Phyllis wrote: "By the way, Crossings looks really intriguing to me. Have you (has anyone here) read it? ..."I read it, and really liked it! It was very mind-bendy, in a similar way to Cloud Atla..."
Last spring, ARC giveaways of this book were everywhere. I got one because the description was so intriguing but kept putting off reading it, maybe suspicious of its easy availability. And now I feel even more guilty, but inspired to read it. I have an 'out of sight, out of mind' problem with my kindle books.
Nadine wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: "Phyllis wrote: "By the way, Crossings looks really intriguing to me. Have you (has anyone here) read it? ..."I read it, and really liked it! It was very mind-bendy, in a similar..."
I read it, and also really liked it! Cloud Atlas is a very clear-reference point. And someone asked about a book that had to do with time earlier, and this would fill that requirement also.
This morning*, I finished Pizza Girl (my review here,) a book I was actively avoiding because the books it is compared to, I dislike. It was weird to read it on the heels of finishing Jack (my review here) because on the surface you have such different authors but now I feel like I would give anything to have these go up against each other. Both stories revolve around a slacker type character with people around them who can see the issues but not help. The writing and focus are entirely different but they actually have more in common than not. Am I crazy?
*I tried to finish it last night but was reading in bed and after my Kindle drops off the side three times I usually call it good. I sat and finished the novel before having breakfast this morning. Is that the sign of a good book? It's not a perfect book. But I wanted to get to the end.
Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "I sat and finished the novel before having breakfast this morning. Is that the sign of a good book? It's not a perfect book. But I wanted to get to the end."Is that the sign of a good book? Sometimes.
But I've also had the opposite response - books that I force myself to put down for a little while because they are so good I don't want them to end.
And sometimes I want to finish a book quickly because I'm already invested in it, but I'm ready to move on to something better.
Tim wrote: "And sometimes I want to finish a book quickly because I'm already invested in it, but I'm ready to move on to something better. "Yes. I think it's both - it feels like a one-sitting read and I was frustrated that my brain insisted on sleeping instead of finishing. I'm focusing on the shorter reads first, so whoever organized the spreadsheet that way, kudos!
lark wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: "I'm so glad to hear people didn't like this book. I wouldn't say I hated it, I just didn't enjoy it much, there was no character development, I hated the stereotypical ridiculousn..."I hope my posts never come across as "passionately angry" in the commentariat - more like Passionately Confused. I'm never angry at the wonderful ToB!
Also, Lauren - whoa for reading that many 2020 books! Awesome job. I always want to mix in some old books with the new, so reading mostly 2020 wouldn't work for me. I imagine this happened to you after you found the tournament though. haha.
C wrote: "I hope my posts never come across as "passionately angry" in the commentariat - more like Passionately Confused. I'm never angry at the wonderful ToB!..."I was projecting. I was thinking about what it would be like if I were a judge in a round where I had to write something cogent about The Children's Bible, and right away I imagined how easy it would be for me to come across like the infamous Jessa Crispin, or maybe even the more-than-infamous Stephin Merritt...
oh lord what did Stephin Merritt doHe did create 69 Love Songs so I will love him but what sin did he commit in the TOB
Bob wrote: "Hey, gang, in case anyone is interested or has a Scribd account already, I made two lists that I'm gonna share.13 ebook titles from the longlist here: https://www.scribd.com/lists/23964139......"
Thank you, Bob, for sharing. I've been following the TOB for several years, but as a new participant, this is very helpful. Not sure how many books I will read, but I feel inspired to give it a go this year.
C wrote: "lark wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: "I'm so glad to hear people didn't like this book. I wouldn't say I hated it, I just didn't enjoy it much, there was no character development, I hated the stereotypica..."Yes, now I read way more current-year releases than before thanks to the ToB. With the pandemic and how many audiobooks I listen to, I'll still end up getting to plenty non-2020 reads this year though. Just added some Tournament of Favorites books to my Christmas list! But next year I might slow down on the 2021 books since I'm not too accurate with guessing which ones will make the longlist. ;)
Kyle wrote: "oh lord what did Stephin Merritt doHe did create 69 Love Songs so I will love him but what sin did he commit in the TOB"
I think it was just abundantly clear in his write up that he hated both books he had to judge and he was a little mean in his reasoning. Fair enough, though.
Ruthiella wrote: "I think it was just abundantly clear in his write up that he hated both books he had to judge and he was a little mean in his reasoning. Fair enough, though. .."yes, that's all he did. He is one of the few judges over the years who has written something like: "I hated both of these books, and now let me tell you why you should hate them too," and it doesn't go over so well with us rooster-lovers, it seems. Even if they're right!
Has anyone listened to the audio of Interior Chinatown? I'm having a hard time getting the print version from my library and want to know if it's worth the Audible credit and how it holds up in that format
Heather wrote: "Has anyone listened to the audio of Interior Chinatown? I'm having a hard time getting the print version from my library and want to know if it's worth the Audible credit and how it holds up in tha..."I did the audio and it held up relatively well, but I can sense that it woulda been better in print.
Heather wrote: "Has anyone listened to the audio of Interior Chinatown? I'm having a hard time getting the print version from my library and want to know if it's worth the Audible credit and how it holds up in tha..."I am reading Interior Chinatown right now, and the book is playing with form in print. You would lose that in the audio version, and I can see it being confusing.
Heather wrote: "Has anyone listened to the audio of Interior Chinatown? I'm having a hard time getting the print version from my library and want to know if it's worth the Audible credit and how it holds up in tha..."I did it as audio, and you probably do lose some of the interesting things in the print, but I thought they made the screenplay-feel of the book work pretty well.
Heather wrote: "Has anyone listened to the audio of Interior Chinatown? I'm having a hard time getting the print version from my library and want to know if it's worth the Audible credit and how it holds up in tha..."I listened to it today - I don't think it's worth an audio credit, both for its contents (I was not a fan) and because it's only 4 hours and 20 minutes. The narrator is fine. Here is my review which tries to explain why this is not my kind of thing. You might be able to decide from that if it would be YOUR kind of thing, for instance if you are more interested in structure than substance. Then again, having that structure read to you, I'm not sure is great. It wasn't terrible but I found it very repetitive albeit short.
Afterlife is on sale today for $1.99. (Has anyone read it? Thoughts? I'll probably buy it since it's so cheap, but I want to decide whether it's worth devoting some of my limited, already fragmented reading energy to.)
Elizabeth wrote: "Afterlife is on sale today for $1.99. (Has anyone read it? Thoughts? I'll probably buy it since it's so cheap, but I want to decide whether it's worth devoting some of my limited,..."
I really enjoyed it! It's a pretty short read and I thought it was very beautifully written. If I had to compare it to any book, I would probably compare it to The Friend, but more grounded and with a plot.
Elizabeth wrote: "Afterlife is on sale today for $1.99. (Has anyone read it? Thoughts? I'll probably buy it since it's so cheap, but I want to decide whether it's worth devoting some of my limited,..."
Thanks for posting about Afterlife, Elizabeth! I just noticed Untold Night and Day is also $1.99 right now.
Kathryn wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: "Afterlife is on sale today for $1.99. (Has anyone read it? Thoughts? I'll probably buy it since it's so cheap, but I want to decide whether it's worth devoting s..."
Thank you! It sounds right up my alley, then. I've ordered it. And I'll now buy Untold Night and Day (thank you C!) even knowing it will probably never be read, ha (unless it makes the shortlist, of course.)
C wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: "Afterlife is on sale today for $1.99. (Has anyone read it? Thoughts? I'll probably buy it since it's so cheap, but I want to decide whether it's worth devoting s..."
I hadn't seen that deal for Untold Night and Day. Thanks for the heads up - just snagged a copy! I like how short it is... that might move it up in my ToB TBR stack now that it's on my kindle. :)
I see from the reviews that a few of us have picked up The Resisters by Gish Jen because of the long list. I've started it and I'm wavering on whether to keep turning the pages. It seems very crowded with jargon-y world building here at the beginning, where I'm feeling that an author with more experience writing speculative fiction would integrate the worldbuilding cues more elegantly than Jen has.Maybe she settles in soon, though. It's always a tough challenge to set the scene in the beginning of a speculative novel, when it's an entirely new reality that needs to be rendered quickly.
lark wrote: "I see from the reviews that a few of us have picked up The Resisters by Gish Jen because of the long list. I've started it and I'm wavering on whether to keep turning the pages. It ..."I can't fully answer because I DNF this one but yes, all the jargon, no dialogue and I couldn't find the story. Another idea that sounded so promising, but for me just didn't work.
I just finished A Children's Bible and actually thought it was pretty interesting. I really liked that the book kept changing from what I thought it was. I still don't really know what it was, and I wouldn't say I loved it, but it was a fascinating and weird read.
Bretnie wrote: "I just finished A Children's Bible and actually thought it was pretty interesting. I really liked that the book kept changing from what I thought it was. I still don't really know w..."The most recent NYT Book Review podcast has a great review of this book. It brought up some points that I hadn't really considered.
Janet wrote: "Bretnie wrote: "I just finished A Children's Bible and actually thought it was pretty interesting. I really liked that the book kept changing from what I thought it was. I still don..."That's good to know, thanks Janet, I'll listen tonight. I really wanted to like this book, and was so disappointed, so hopefully it'll renew my interest!
The Glass Hotel is on sale for $2.99 today. Has anyone read that one already? It sounds like it might be hard to follow.
Lauren wrote: "The Glass Hotel is on sale for $2.99 today. Has anyone read that one already? It sounds like it might be hard to follow."I didn't find it very hard to follow, and I did the audio version. I was kind of disappointed in it, though. It was pretty good, but I wanted great, as I was such a fan of Station Eleven.
Lauren wrote: "The Glass Hotel is on sale for $2.99 today. Has anyone read that one already? It sounds like it might be hard to follow."I loved it! (Not hard to follow at all...) At first I may have been a little disappointed (like Heather), but over time and at a distance now, it has grown on me!
Lauren wrote: "The Glass Hotel is on sale for $2.99 today. Has anyone read that one already? It sounds like it might be hard to follow."Pretty easy to follow but kind of a let down compared to Station Eleven.
Electric lit is doing a bracket this week for best book cover of the year: https://electricliterature.com/help-u...
Lauren - I didn’t think Glass Hotel was tricky to follow. I’m curious - what about it made you think it might be? If it was the financial part, really the book doesn’t focus on that - it’s more like the broader ripple effects of that disastrous scheme, if that makes sense.Like everyone else, I couldn’t help comparing it to Station 11, which I loved, and it isn’t as moving as that one was. But I still really enjoyed reading it. It feels real in a way - like I felt like if I could open a drawer in one of the rooms in the book, it wouldn’t be empty, it would be filled with the real detritus of that character’s life. And yet it isn’t a long book, it’s just the details that are given make it feel fully realized...? I don’t know how she pulls that off!
Lauren wrote: "The Glass Hotel is on sale for $2.99 today. Has anyone read that one already? It sounds like it might be hard to follow."It's like all of Mandel's novels in style, being a sort of nonlinear mosaic. I don't think they're hard to follow because she writes so precisely and clearly, but if you've read one of them you'll have the idea.
It's not full of easily likable characters like Station Eleven, which will surely remain her masterpiece, so in that its more similar to her previous work.
Lee wrote: "Lauren wrote: "The Glass Hotel is on sale for $2.99 today. Has anyone read that one already? It sounds like it might be hard to follow."It's like all of Mandel's novels in style, being a sort of ..."
Yes, I think the nonlinear mosaic aspect is what made me think that this book would be "harder to follow" in the audio format. I'm trying to be more careful about saving books that play with structure and timelines for print versions, since some things can be lost in the audio. I listened to Station Eleven but think I would have gotten more out of reading it in print.
Thanks for everyone's input!
Today, Long Bright River is on sale $4.99
Tournament of Books
Books mentioned in this topic
This Mournable Body (other topics)Luster (other topics)
Shuggie Bain (other topics)
The Cold Millions (other topics)
Include Me Out (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
María Sonia Cristoff (other topics)Percival Everett (other topics)
Cormac McCarthy (other topics)
Brandon Sanderson (other topics)
That was such an odd book."
I'm kind of hating it so far.