Tournament of Books discussion
2021 TOB General Topics
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2021 TOB Longlist
Cactus League is on sale for 2.99 today. (kindle store)
(I also wasn't too impressed by Glass Hotel - it's not that the hook of a pandemic wasn't there, it's just that Vincent and her brother didn't really feel like really interesting characters.)
So, what are y'all's top 5 so far? I got:1) Apeirogon
2) Shuggie Bain
3) The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree
4) A Burning
5) Transcendent Kingdom
Top 5? I've only read 8 and 2 of them I didn't like. 1) A Burning
2) My Dark Vanessa
3) Sharks in the Time of Saviors
*big gap*
5) Such a Fun Age
5) Luster
In the middle of Interior Chinatown and Shuggie Bain.
EarthlingsExciting Times
The Hole
Real Life
Red Pill
I've not yet read some of the biggies, but my top five so far:Valentine
Sharks In the Time of Saviors
Interior Chinatown
Four By Four
A Children's Bible
Bob, thanks for asking this. Here’s mine so far, although once I read Valentine and The Cold Millions, I may have to reconsider. For now:Hamnet
Deacon King Kong
Apeirogon
Transcendent Kingdom
Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line
Bob wrote: "So, what are y'all's top 5 so far?"I've only read 10, but so far my top 5 are:
1) Or What You Will
2) Interior Chinatown
3) Deacon King Kong
4) Telephone
5) Such a Fun Age
Bob wrote: "So, what are y'all's top 5 so far?"1) Apeirogon
2) Apeirogon
3) Apeirogon
4) Apeirogon
5) Apeirogon
I didn't connect with The Glass Hotel either, but I read it in the spring of 2020 while going through my own financial crisis, so who knows. (Things are better now!)Turns out what I really wanted this year was weird fantasy:
We Ride Upon Sticks
Piranesi
Interior Chinatown
Has anyone else read Leave the World Behind? I finished the audio yesterday, and I think I liked it. It did the thing that I usually hate in a book where the published synopsis is not what the book is about, but in this case I respect it. It took a swerve in the third act that I did not see coming. I can see it making the short list.
My current top five are probably these, not necessarily in order: Sharks in the Time of Saviors
Transcendent Kingdom
Clap When You Land
The Night Watchman
Apeirogon (although I want to reread it in print)
This will likely change after I've read a few more that I have high expectations for. I just started The Vanishing Half and am loving it, and I have Real Life, A Burning, Telephone, The Death of Vivek Oji, and The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree on my shelves. I'm expecting a few of those to climb toward the top once I can get to them.
Like others here, I expect this to change some as I dig into the list—I feel like I’ve only done a surface read and haven’t touched some biggies I feel pretty confident I’ll love (Apeirogon)—but for now:Luster
Piranesi
The Vanishing Half
The Death of Vivek Oji
Real Life
Amanda wrote: "Has anyone else read Leave the World Behind? I finished the audio yesterday, and I think I liked it. It did the thing that I usually hate in a book where the published synopsis is n..."Good to know! I have it on my shelf but it's competing with many others for my attention. ;)
I have only read 5 so far:Hamnet
Shuggie Bain
Transcendent Kingdom
Valentine
Long Bright River
I think Hamnet and Shuggie will for sure stay on my top 5 list as I read more books on the list, not sure about the other three. I'm reading My Dark Vanessa and Deacon King Kong now and enjoying them.
1. A Burning2. Piranesi
3. Apeirogon
4. Crossings
5. Sharks
I've only read five, but here's how they rank:1. The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree
2. A Burning
3. Interior Chinatown
5. The Night Watchman/Such a Fun Age
I recently read the sample of The Down Days and am really looking forward to reading the rest of it.
Count me in with the "haven't even read 5" crowd:1) Interior Chinatown
2) Piranesi
3) Transcendent Kingdom
4) Glass Hotel
I’ve read 16 and my top 5 are:1. Piranesi
2. A Children’s Bible
3. Hamnet
4. Four by Four
5. Telephone
Bob wrote: "So, what are y'all's top 5 so far? I got:1) Apeirogon
2) Shuggie Bain
3) The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree
4) A Burning
5) Transcendent Kingdom"
I've given four of them 5-stars so far, and I'm not sure the Reid would hold up in that assessment, so I'll say my top 3 are:
-Real Life
-Sharks in the Time of Saviors
-Memorial
I think Red Pill, although I didn't *love* it, will be a great discussion book....
I was halfway through Untold Night and Day last night when I fell asleep, upright on the couch, and had four nightmarish dreams back to back so I'm not sure I can recommend it... I'm going to start The Death of Vivek Oji today.
Amanda wrote: "Has anyone else read Leave the World Behind? I finished the audio yesterday, and I think I liked it. It did the thing that I usually hate in a book where the published synopsis is n..."It was a slow burn for me, so I had to remind myself not to be impatient, but I ended up really liking it.
Lljones wrote: "Bob wrote: "So, what are y'all's top 5 so far?"1) Apeirogon
2) Apeirogon
3) Apeirogon
4) Apeirogon
5) Apeirogon"
So you're saying you liked Apeirogon? Ha ha. Me too--very much. It does so much and gives so much to think (and feel) about. I'll be interested to see how the discussions go, and to what extent they become political.
Of the 16 I read (or DNF'ed), I really haven't loved many of them. The two I have are:Sharks in the Time of Saviors
Transcendent Kingdom
But the top 5 I'm looking forward to reading at some point in the hopefully near future are:
Deacon King Kong
Shuggie Bain
Crossings
Or What You Will
The Vanishing Half
I’m seeing Interior Chinatown on a lot of top 5 lists! I’ve been stalled out about 1/4 into it, so I guess I shouldn’t give up yet...
I’ve read 14, and the ones I loved are Sharks in the Time of Saviors, Such a Fun Age, Clap When You Land, and We Ride Upon Sticks. Lots of 4 stars too.
Matthew wrote: "I've not yet read some of the biggies, but my top five so far:Valentine..."
I feel very stupid about this, Matthew, but every time I try to get interested in this book the title makes me swerve away and read something else.
lark wrote: "Matthew wrote: "I've not yet read some of the biggies, but my top five so far:Valentine..."
I feel very stupid about this, Matthew, but every time I try to get interested in this book the title ..."
Yeah, that title is not great. The main thing keeping me from reading Valentine is I hit my limit on books dealing with sexual assault back in the spring when I read My Dark Vanessa. Valentine is at the bottom of my list, and will only pick it up if it makes the shortlist.
lark wrote: "Matthew wrote: "I've not yet read some of the biggies, but my top five so far:Valentine..."
...but every time I try to get interested in this book the title makes me swerve away and read something else ..."
I agree that the title does not necessarily inspire confidence, but I thought the book was marvelous.
Ditto on Valentine. I didn't think I'd like it that much but picked it up based on the review of a GR friend and I loved it!I've read 23 in the list and I gave more than 5 of them 5 stars, but these are the ones that are really sticking in my mind for being either the most enjoyable or the most unforgettable.
Apeirogon
Deacon King Kong
Earthlings
Interior Chinatown
Valentine
Amanda wrote: "Has anyone else read Leave the World Behind? I finished the audio yesterday, and I think I liked it. It did the thing that I usually hate in a book where the published synopsis is n..."I was frustrated with that book and wound up lukewarm about it at best. I couldn't suspend my disbelief enough to ignore what I saw as problems with underlying cause of the plot, nor with their too-slow reactions, and some of the steps they took.
Amanda wrote: "Has anyone else read Leave the World Behind? I finished the audio yesterday, and I think I liked it. It did the thing that I usually hate in a book where the published synopsis is n..."I DNF'ed it on Kindle. Too overwritten for me.
Has no one else read The Cold Millions? That's jumped to the top of my list. 1. The Cold Millions
2. Real Life
3. A Children's Bible
4. Sharks in the Time of Saviors
5. Cleanness
Amanda wrote: "Has anyone else read Leave the World Behind? I finished the audio yesterday, and I think I liked it. It did the thing that I usually hate in a book where the published synopsis is n..."I think this hit me, too. I was expecting suspense and mystery, so never adjusted to what was really a sort of wry social commentary?
On the other hand, I would love to see a conversation comparing it to We Ride Upon Sticks because of the non-specific narrators with intense personalities. I've never read anything like that before and then to get two so close together was interesting.
Alison wrote: "Has no one else read The Cold Millions? That's jumped to the top of my list. "Hoping to have it in my hands (curbside pickup) tomorrow.
Gosh, the reactions to Leave the World Behind are so interesting! I enjoyed the sly satire early on and thought it morphed effectively into something else entirely, building a sense of dread and tension that I felt big-time. I actually really loved it! Also enjoyed The Vanishing Half and was kinda meh on Cactus League. In the midst of Sharks now (enjoying) with Transcendent Kingdom up next.
Alison wrote: "Has no one else read The Cold Millions? That's jumped to the top of my list."Just finished it today! My review. No plot spoilers.
Amanda, I read Leave the World Behind and I enjoyed it (though I did keep wondering why nobody turned on a radio). I wouldn’t say it’s in my favorites, but I certainly liked it a whole lot better than A Children’s Bible - both of those seemed to me to be telling basically the same story. I’m becoming a little tired of apocalypse books, so it may be that the books are not bad, but instead I am just not enjoying the story.
Can anyone who's read Valentine and My Dark Vanessa help a reader decide which one to move up the pile?
Jan wrote: "Can anyone who's read Valentine and My Dark Vanessa help a reader decide which one to move up the pile?"I've read both. Personally I thought My Dark Vanessa was the stronger of the two....much more to parse and discuss.
Out of the 15 I've read so far, these are my top 4. I absolutely adored the first 3 and the 4th well, it's Louise Erdrich! Deacon King Kong
Shuggie Bain
Sharks In the Time of Saviors
The Night Watchman
Some of the more popular books mentioned here just didn't really didn't click for me (Piranesi and Apeirogon to name a few). I am looking forward to Hamnet, The Vanishing Half and Djinn Patrol!
Has anyone else read Take Me Apart? I just finished it and I couldn’t put it down.
Marionette wrote: "Out of the 15 I've read so far, these are my top 4. I absolutely adored the first 3 and the 4th well, it's Louise Erdrich! Deacon King Kong
Shuggie Bain
Sharks In the Time of Saviors
The Night Wa..."
Haha, yes, I worship at the temple of Louise Erdrich. :-)
Janet wrote: "Jan wrote: "Can anyone who's read Valentine and My Dark Vanessa help a reader decide which one to move up the pile?"I've read both. Personally I thought My Dark Va..."
Thanks, Janet. It has also had a higher profile in the industry this year. I think I'll start there, although I plan to read both.
I also worship at the temple of (recent) Louise Erdrich, although I didn't think The Night Watchman was her strongest effort.Jan, I seem to be the only person who disliked My Dark Vanessa. I thought it was trite and covered well-trodden ground without adding anything new to the subject. I actually found myself rolling my eyes at passages or sections that were clearly meant to be revelatory, and so clearly were textbook examples of the phenomenon.
I read The Death of Vivek Oji yesterday. I admire this author but I'm not sure this is their best work! It has the underlying structure of a who/whydunit which is so different from their previous work, and I'm not sure they are as well-versed in this genre. I knew who was responsible maybe halfway through and I think it's supposed to be a reveal. I like the exploration of gender identity inside the context of a country that is still actively violent against lgbtq people (I say as if my own country isn't also....)Not everyone likes multiple perspectives but for me it's something that saves the book a bit.
Maggie wrote: "Has anyone else read Take Me Apart? I just finished it and I couldn’t put it down."On that recommendation, I checked it out from my library last night and read 25 pages before I knew it. Not sure if I have time right now to finish it, but the beginning grabbed me, the bizarre geographical mistakes of the Bay Area aside. (You can't see the ocean from Tiburon and SFO has never ever been 'balmy')
Ellen wrote: "Jan, I seem to be the only person who disliked My Dark Vanessa. I thou..."
Ellen, I wasn't a fan either. So overrated, IMO. (My review, which was the longest review I've written this year: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... )
I was also not a fan of My Dark Vanessa which seemed to tread a little too close to soft teen porn for me, a real danger when your narrator doesn't think she was abused. That's a tricky thing to pull off and for me My Dark Vanessa mostly failed on that score.I haven't read Valentine so I can't compare them, but the book that really nailed this extremely fraught topic for me was His Favorites by Kate Walbert. That book got way too little attention. Its narrator is psychologically complex and the story feels like a strong and enlightening read when it comes to this topic. Which is I guess shows the difference between a book that gets a lot of marketing vs. one that doesn't.
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)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
María Sonia Cristoff (other topics)Percival Everett (other topics)
Cormac McCarthy (other topics)
Brandon Sanderson (other topics)
I listened to it and it wasn't hard to follow, but I really just didn't care about any of it or any of the characters. Not sure if that was the audio's fault or possibly my state of mind at the time (late april).