2021 TOB Longlist

[Alison]

lark wrote: "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...."

His Favorites was just so good. It's a difficult book to talk about because it's best approached with absolutely no idea of what it's about.

[Simms]

Only read 6 so far, but the top 5 of them would be...

Piranesi
Such a Fun Age
The Searcher
My Dark Vanessa
The Vanishing Half

... out of which I only really loved Piranesi and Such a Fun Age. I've got holds out on like ten others though now (the ones with the longest wait times for an ebook copy, so by the time the shortlist comes out I will be closer to having whichever ones get selected!)

[Elizabeth]

lark wrote: "Earthlings
Exciting Times
The Hole
Real Life
Red Pill"

I got The Hole from the library today. It's so teeny! But it intrigues me.

I'm so far behind in my reading, but my favorites of the few I've read are:
Piranesi
A Burning
Red Pill
Summer (although maybe only because of the full Seasons quartet)
Crossings

And I'm midway through Deacon King Kong (thank you to those who recommended it!), and it's delighting me, so I'm pretty sure it'll bump something off this list.

[Lauren]

I listened to Exciting Times this week and at first it reminded me too much of that book we're no longer talking about... but it ended up being more interesting than the other one. I wouldn't say it's strong enough to make the shortlist, but those who included it in their top five, feel free to sing its praises.

I just finished Barcelona Days and have really mixed (but mostly negative) feelings about it. I found the premise annoying but decided to give it a try since the audio version was available through my library. I was frustrated by a lot of what happened and how shallow and insecure the characters were. But maybe the ending was decent? Well part of it, the other part of the ending felt wrong... I'm not sure. Oh and there's very little of Barcelona in the story, which was disappointing. I was also confused by how much time they were spending outside when there was ash falling from the sky.

Anyway, I did enjoy some tiny moments that came up in the story though, like the idea of an open-invitation weekly dinner where travelers can meet and mingle with locals (minus the creepy stuff). And one of the characters is a "bookshelf filler" (designing and selecting the books for rich people's bookshelves depending on different criteria, and giving them a tutorial so it seems like they've read everything in the collection if a guest comments on a book). This sounds both intriguing and horrible for the sake of respecting literature, haha. Has anyone else read this? I can't picture it making the shortlist, but some of it reminded me of Fleishman Is in Trouble (which I didn't enjoy), so maybe it's possible.

[Jason]

I appreciate bookshop.org's sponsorship of the ToB this year. But this article brings up some points that concerned me and is why I stopped buying thru them and buy direct from the bookstore. Tldr: most of their customers are people who would have bought directly from the bookstore, not Amazon converts. And, the bookstore is getting less money than direct selling.

The fact that the bookstore is getting money without having to stock every book and saving on the mechanics of shipping is the part I'm not sure how to quantify. I'm guessing it's been better for shops that didn't have an online shopping option.

https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/...

[Lauren]

Jason wrote: "I appreciate bookshop.org's sponsorship of the ToB this year. But this article brings up some points that concerned me and is why I stopped buying thru them and buy direct from the bookstore. Tldr:..."

Yes, this is disappointing. I think I only placed one order through them at the start of the pandemic when my local indies were directing us there as their only option at the time, but since then I buy directly (and as much as possible, of course).

I'm curious about the collaboration between bookshop.org and libro.fm though. I've been using libro and directing Audible users to switch to that platform for audiobooks for a while, but I wonder if there's a better option? I don't believe small bookstores have ways of selling e and audiobooks outside of those options, but I could be wrong.

For some good news when it comes to local bookstores, I just found out this wonderful kickstarter idea I'm backing got the funding needed to move forward - yay!

[Aaron]

I just want to echo Lauren re: Exciting Times — it definitely felt like the version of That One Book that I wanted, and it’s also hilarious which I found really helped the millennial angst go down more smoothly. It’s GREAT on audio

[Laura]

I LOVED Actress by Anne Enright. So feminist, so good. I'm disappointed it wasn't on the long list,

[Heather]

The one that is my favorite (and that I haven't seen on anyone else's list) is The Knockout Queen by Rufi Thorpe. It was The Animators-esque for me in tone and in my level of enjoyment reading it.

[Heather]

Also, I'm currently listening to Deacon King Kong on audio and reading These Violent Delights and I'm really enjoying them both. I could see McBride pulling a repeat win.

[Bob]

Heather wrote: "Also, I'm currently listening to Deacon King Kong on audio and reading These Violent Delights and I'm really enjoying them both. I could see McBride pulling a repeat win."

Just finished These Violent Delights and I think I loved it? Def needs a trigger warning or two though

[Lauren]

Heather wrote: "The one that is my favorite (and that I haven't seen on anyone else's list) is The Knockout Queen by Rufi Thorpe. It was The Animators-esque for me in tone and in my level of enjoyment reading it."

I'm listening to Take Me Apart right now, but The Knockout Queen is up next!

And thanks for the warning on These Violent Delights, Bob. I have that one on hold.

I also have Red Pill on hold. For those who've read it, will the audio version work, or would it be best to read it in print?

[Lark]

Lauren wrote: "I also have Red Pill on hold. For those who've read it, will the audio version work, or would it be best to read in print? ..."

Lauren, I have both versions and I did one or the other, audio and hardcover, to fit my schedule. They were different.

Kunzru narrates Red Pill himself, and he did a great job, but I noticed that it also gave the narrator a level of reliability in my head that maybe is a misreading of the novel (?).

When I was reading the words on the page I had more objectivity about this character.

This could just be me, though. He's an excellent reader.

[Marionette]

Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "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 ..."

I like how the author seemed to be peeling back layers of the story in such a subtle way.

[Jan]

lark wrote: "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 pu..."

Ellen, Elizabeth, Lark, thanks for the additional perspectives on My Dark Vanessa. Much appreciated.

[Jan]

David wrote: "I LOVED Actress by Anne Enright. So feminist, so good. I'm disappointed it wasn't on the long list,"

I loved it too. It is especially wonderful on audio...Enright performs it, and I do mean *performs,* although her reading fit the characters and never felt over the top.

[Jan]

Elizabeth wrote: "...my favorites of the few I've read are:
Piranesi
A Burning
Red Pill
Summer (although maybe only because of the full Seasons quartet)
..."

I'll be interested to hear how Summer lands for people who haven't read the first three. I read them as they came out and reread them this fall. I'm halfway through Summer now and am surprised at how much reading joy I'm experiencing seeing Ali Smith pull together the characters and artists and themes of the quartet. I've cried over a lot of books, but rarely out of sheer joy and delight.

[Jan]

I thought I had my reading plan settled, but now I'm adding Red Pill, The Knockout Queen and Exciting Times. Thanks, you guys! (Said with only a slight tinge of sarcasm, because really, there's no such thing as too many books.)

[Lark]

I totally loved Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan. I found Sally Rooney's prose to be loose and imprecise, but in ways that don't bother most readers. The connection that so many readers feel instantly between these two writers isn't something I felt. I hope people can approach Dolan's novel on its own terms...admittedly a challenge, though, when Rooney is Dolan's mentor and her biggest champion.

My autism gene got activated in such a good way by Dolan's novel. I was so attracted by the precision of her writing. Her narrator's hyper-attention to language and meanings was delightful to me. I could tell Dolan was autistic from her writing, even before I learned this about her. I wonder if anyone else here had a similar feeling.

[Lauren]

lark wrote: "I totally loved Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan. I found Sally Rooney's prose to be loose and imprecise, but in ways that don't bother most readers. The connection that so many readers feel instantl..."

I should clarify that my comment comparing Exciting Times to NP was mainly because I listened to the audio version of both, and they may have had the same narrator (and I've only listened to a handful of books with Irish-accent narrators).

Also, the first part of the story is about sex and a hetero romance (ish) situation, which are not my cup of tea for reading, so that's why I made the quick comparison. But I think people reading this in print might not find any resemblance of NP, and along with the different writing style, it ends up being a very different story. I wouldn't have guessed about the author being autistic, but that's good to know!

And thanks for your input on Red Pill. I'm now leaning toward canceling my audiobook hold and reading that one in print. :)

[Lark]

Lauren it seems to me sometimes that every review I've read for Exciting Times says it reads like Sally Rooney. I wasn't meaning to make you feel I was responding to your comment. My sense of Dolan's prose as different from Rooney's feels like it deviates from how Dolan's words strike most people.

I follow Dolan on Twitter and I've learned a lot about the way she presents herself as an autistic person.

[Nadine in California]

lark wrote: "My autism gene got activated in such a good way by Dolan's novel. I was so attracted by the precision of her writing. Her narrator's hyper-attention to language and meanings was delightful to me. I could tell Dolan was autistic from her writing, even before I learned this about her. I wonder if anyone else here had a similar feeling."

I haven't read it yet, but there's an opinion piece in the NY times today on women and autism: I’m Autistic. I Didn’t Know Until I Was 27.

[Karissa]

lark wrote: "Lauren it seems to me sometimes that every review I've read for Exciting Times says it reads like Sally Rooney..."

I am guilty of being one of those people who spent my entire review of Exciting Times comparing it against Rooney. I listened to it on audiobook and it was hard not to immediately make comparisons when it has the same narrator as NP and Conversations with Friends, Aoife McMahon. Besides that, they are both Irish millennial women who write about relationships and explore similar themes: power, class, sex, etc. The more of Exciting Times I read though, the more I could see the differences.

One of the things I really enjoyed about Dolan's writing is her humor. I actually laughed out loud a few times. What bothered me though is how much telling she did throughout. It felt like she was spelling everything out for the reader, and I would like to think I'm smart enough to pick up things on my own through the story itself.

Overall, I rated NP and Exciting Times the same, 4 stars. As a millennial myself, I definitely connected with both sets of characters and relationships, but neither book was a favorite.

[Phyllis]

I just finished Temporary, and I loved it. I know from the reviews here on GR that it is not for everyone, but it was a perfect little 181-page dose of joy for me.

[Lark]

Thanks for writing about your experience with Temporary, Phyllis. I have it out from the library but I keep picking up the less exuberant novels first, for some reason.

[Nadine in California]

The "So Many Damn Books" podcast has an episode with the author of Temporary. I haven't listened to it yet - I'm waiting to read the book first. It's intriguing me the most among all the other books I've never heard of on the long list.

[Phyllis]

Nadine wrote: "The "So Many Damn Books" podcast has an episode with the author of Temporary. I haven't listened to it yet - I'm waiting to read the book first. It's intriguing me the most among all the other book..."
Nadine, thanks so much for sharing this. I'm going to take a listen as soon as I can. I know nothing about the author Hilary Leichter, but she's got to be a hoot to have written this book.

[Marionette]

Nadine wrote: "The "So Many Damn Books" podcast has an episode with the author of Temporary. I haven't listened to it yet - I'm waiting to read the book first. It's intriguing me the most among all the other book..."

I love this podcast. It's really the only literary podcast I listen to. They also include the TOB so that's when they had me!

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

lark wrote: "Lauren it seems to me sometimes that every review I've read for Exciting Times says it reads like Sally Rooney. I wasn't meaning to make you feel I was responding to your comment. My sense of Dolan..."

I saw this a lot before reading the Dolan, leading me to experience Greatest Disappointment. It may have some similarities but the things I love in the Rooney are not present in the Dolan.

[Lark]

Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "I saw this a lot before reading the Dolan, leading me to experience Greatest Disappointment. ..."

Yeah, it's too bad Dolan is under such a shadow. It's not ideal, no matter what people end up thinking of her novel.

I just went to peruse the goodreads reviews and the top review is so snarkily meanspirited that I immediately re-upped my review from 4 to 5 stars. Which is more in line, really, with my feeling about the novel, and compared with other 5-star reads of 2020.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

lark wrote: "Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "I saw this a lot before reading the Dolan, leading me to experience Greatest Disappointment. ..."

Yeah, it's too bad Dolan is under such a shadow. It's not ideal, no m..."

So that would be someone in your friends, right, don't you see those first? In my friends who have read it, the reviews are very mixed, some 1-2, some 4-5. You know a book is good for the tournament when it goes that way.

[Kyle]

I want to like the Too Many Damn Books podcast, but the issue is that unlike music podcasts, if I need to know what they're talking about I'll have to spend like a week or more reading a book that I either had to order from the library or buy. It's a little less accessible that way. (Music podcasts - just pop on the album and listen for like an hour, you're good to go!)

[Lauren]

Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "lark wrote: "Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "I saw this a lot before reading the Dolan, leading me to experience Greatest Disappointment. ..."

Yeah, it's too bad Dolan is under such a shadow. It's no..."

That snarky review was at the top for me as well (so it must be based on engagement), and I was pretty conflicted about it. The way she approached her criticism was terrible, but I could see some of the racism issues she referred to when I thought about it more. I had to comment on her review though, about her casual references to sending the author to the electric chair (I believe it came up TWICE), which is an extremely racist reference for a rant about racism... In the end I was conflicted enough to clear my rating for this book though. :/

On another topic, I'm really loving The Knockout Queen for a few reasons, but will hold off on my comments until I finish it.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Lauren wrote: "Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "lark wrote: "Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "I saw this a lot before reading the Dolan, leading me to experience Greatest Disappointment. ..."

Yeah, it's too bad Dolan is..."

Interesting! I think I have my whole account set to give preference to people I designate as "top friends" - those are the emails I get too, only reviews from top friends.

[Lauren]

Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "Lauren wrote: "Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "lark wrote: "Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "I saw this a lot before reading the Dolan, leading me to experience Greatest Disappointment. ..."

Yeah, it's t..."

I generally see reviews of friends first, but I think none of my GR connections had reviews for that one so it started with the review that has the most interaction I'm guessing. I'm only "friends" with a handful of folks in this group. Not sure if everyone likes adding that next level of GR relationship status, haha.

And I don't think I know how the "top friends" part works either. Does it feel like Myspace? ;)

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Lauren wrote: "And I don't think I know how the "top friends" part works either. Does it feel like Myspace? ;) "

Kind of..... only you get 500 instead of 8, and you don't see anyone's favorite bands.

I had to do it because I have thousands of friends (we can debate the benefit of that later) and I was tired of seeing updates from people who only read YA and use a lot of GIFs (no judgment, I just don't read a lot of it myself and can't stand a fake gushy review) or from people in languages I don't read. And guess what - daily digest emails are limited to 500 entries. My top friends move is an attempt to make sure I see the reviews from people whose reading tastes I enjoy!

[Lark]

Jenny, I meant at the top of my "community reviews." Dolan's first review in that section is kind of outrageously and overtly mean, imo, where the reviewer expresses the desire to tank the book with her review. Not someone I follow or am friended with.

for instance, she writes" ... the only reason I even justified myself finishing it is because I very much wanted to be the top review of this and give it one star...

and it looks like she got her wish, at least ranked by number of 'likes.'

I love my friends' reviews even when I disagree with them. There are such thoughtful readers here on GR and I always learn something new from them. And it's the same for me with my friends' Exciting Times reviews--a real mix of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 stars.

[Heather]

Lauren wrote: "Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "lark wrote: "Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "I saw this a lot before reading the Dolan, leading me to experience Greatest Disappointment. ..."

Yeah, it's too bad Dolan is..."

Yay for more The Knockout Queen love. It was my favorite read of 2020.

[Isaac]

These are the longlist books I've read so far, and my Goodreads score for each:
Black Sunday: ****
Barcelona Days: **
A Children's Bible: ****
Cleanness: ***
Crossings:****
The Death of Vivek Oji: *****
Docile: **
Hamnet: *****
The Knockout Queen: ****
The Night Watchman: ****
Piranesi: *****
Sharks in the Time of Saviors: ****
Such a Fun Age: ***
Transcendent Kingdom: *****
Valentine: ****
This was my first year as a completist and Commentariat participant, and now I'm trying to read as much of the longlist as I can. Some of the books will take longer to get to because they're later books in series I haven't read yet or they're not available from my library, but I've really loved getting into this so much. If you're interested, I wrote a comment on my Goodreads profile giving own literary awards for this year modeled after the Dundies from The Office. I talk a lot there about what the ToBs meant to me this year and other literary things that helped make 2020 better for me. I hope you're all getting through it okay, too.

[Lauren]

Heather wrote: "Lauren wrote: "Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "lark wrote: "Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "I saw this a lot before reading the Dolan, leading me to experience Greatest Disappointment. ..."

Yeah, it's t..."

Ok now that I've finished it I'm here to add to your praises about it. Here's my review for The Knockout Queen:

This book! I had low expectations based on the description since stories about rich white people are not my thing. But damn. This book! First, I love stories about deep platonic friendship where there's none of that romantic interest messiness. The bond between Bunny and Michael felt real and powerful. The story explores the nature and the "why" of violence, while also calling out the hypocrisy of our culture around it. The author highlights the arbitrariness and general horror of our (in)justice system in various ways, while also questioning the use of punishment as a response to pain. I listened to the audio version, so it was hard to mark my favorite parts, but I wrote down this quote, "Wasn't language our best hope and our last stop before murder?" Be still, my abolitionist heart! What a gem; this will stick with me for a long time and I'll be checking out the author's other books soon.

[Lauren]

Isaac wrote: "These are the longlist books I've read so far, and my Goodreads score for each:
Black Sunday: ****
Barcelona Days: **
A Children's Bible: ****
Cleanness: ***
Crossings:****
The Death of Vivek Oji: ..."

Thanks for sharing your list! It looks like we have similar taste based on most of these ratings, so I'm excited to get to The Death of Vivek Oji soon. How do I see those ToB comments you mentioned? Just added you on here in case that's what's needed to get access. :)

[Peggy]

Isaac wrote: "These are the longlist books I've read so far, and my Goodreads score for each:
Black Sunday: ****
Barcelona Days: **
A Children's Bible: ****
Cleanness: ***
Crossings:****
The Death of Vivek Oji: ..."

Ooohhh...thanks for posting this. It may help me reorder my towering TBR stack of longlist books. Especially Vivek Oji, which I'm really eager to get to.

[Isaac]

Peggy wrote: "Isaac wrote: "These are the longlist books I've read so far, and my Goodreads score for each:
Black Sunday: ****
Barcelona Days: **
A Children's Bible: ****
Cleanness: ***
Crossings:****
The Death ..."

I love stories that uncover themselves layer by layer, as Death of Vivek Oji does (as does Piranesi). You would think you understand this novel’s plot after reading the title and first chapter, but you discover as you go on how little you knew. It’s quite a rewarding read, and I highly recommend it.

[Kyle]

Deacon King Kong is a Kindle Daily Deal today for 3.99.

[Isaac]

Kyle wrote: "Deacon King Kong is a Kindle Daily Deal today for 3.99."
I'm reading it now. It's another layered story like Death of Vivek Oji and Piranesi, so I'm liking it. That could be a play-in theme, but each of these novels deserve to make it to the shortlist on their merits, so I'd rather they not go head-to-head-to-head like that.

[Alison]

Kyle wrote: "Deacon King Kong is a Kindle Daily Deal today for 3.99."

Thank you!

I just finished reading both Interior Chinatown and Sisters and they were both brilliant. Sisters is probably a longshot to make it into the tournament, but it's definitely worth reading.

[Shannon]

This is the first year that I have even made a dent in the long list! Previously in the year I had read a few of the “popular” reads... Such a Fun Age and My Dark Vanessa, which I both loved.

While I am waiting for some of the long list books to come available on my holds account, I have read a few of these that were not high up on my list but were available at the library. As always, Tournament of Books expands my mind and my reading comfort zone. That’s why I keep coming back every year!

Pizza Girl. Read in a day. I had no clue where the book was going, but rooted for the main character the whole way!

Nights When Nothing Happened. Many reviews complain that it is a book in which nothing happens. I just finished it, and found it to be a quiet book in which all the characters went through a lot emotionally. Not my top pick of the bunch but am glad I put the time into reading it.


Leave the World Behind. An intense, slow building thriller of sorts that I connected with from the first page. Everything seemed like it could easily be happening in our crazy world today.

I never have the luck of many (or any!) of the books I have read making the shortlist. Can’t wait to see what makes it this year!!

[Jason]

are we assuming the short list is coming Monday or sometime next week?

[Lauren]

Jason wrote: "are we assuming the short list is coming Monday or sometime next week?"

I think it's likely! Time to finalize our predictions... I might make a last minute change this weekend.

[Tim]

Jason wrote: "are we assuming the short list is coming Monday or sometime next week?"

I think next year we should have a shortlist contest in which we try to predict the release date....