Tournament of Books discussion
2021 TOB General Topics
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2021 TOB Longlist
message 351:
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Jason
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Dec 17, 2020 11:25AM
I'm guessing he decided not to pick The Vanishing Half as Most Likely to Become a Limited Series since it already sold to HBO for "7 figures." But, it's going to be some kind of tv event when it airs. Wonder if the world will have any opinions about the casting? yikes.
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lark wrote: "Isaac wrote: "My favorite way to read is audiobook-assisted, having an e-book or physical book and following along with the narration. ..."Isaac, I'm so delighted to know that other readers do th..."
I'm impressed you guys can do this. The only time I've tried it was with Black Leopard, Red Wolf, where I started with audio, then tried to read while listening. My brain did NOT think that was a good idea, and I ended up doing print for the whole book. Of course, that book was such a mindf*ck that I might have been scrambled no matter how I encountered it. :-)
lark wrote: "Well to clarify I don’t read along simultaneously while listening to audio. I swap back and forth in a mysterious way where there is a lot of checking back, and overlap. It allows me to ‘read’ cont..."Now this I could do. :-)
Jan wrote: "lark wrote: ".... Want is one of those books that was hard to love but really great at the same time...."Thanks for saying this, Lark. I gave Want three stars, whi..."
I'm also typically a very easy grader, and it takes a lot for me to rate a book two stars. That lack of a center and narrative momentum is why I gave that rating to Topics of Conversation. I'm not familiar with John Warner, so I'll be curious to find out if I see the same thing in it that he did.
As I listened to/read Black Leopard, Red Wolf, I felt that if I didn't have the narration to propel me along I would get completely lost. While listening, my reaction to complex plots is to accept that I won't completely understand what's going on, but I'll get enough of the gist of it. That book in particular reminded me a lot of The Vorrh, another novel which takes place in a fantastical, violent, and mindf*cking African jungle and also helped this cishet white man appreciate how very different the myths and legends from that diaspora are.
Whispersync is always very spotty for me. Typically what I'll do, when catching up in a text with something I'm listening to on audiobook, is search for a phrase I hear when I have the e-book, or wait until I get to the end of a chapter in the audiobook when I have it in print.
Isaac wrote: "Jan wrote: "lark wrote: ".... Want is one of those books that was hard to love but really great at the same time...."Thanks for saying this, Lark. I gave Want thre..."
John is one of the two long-time commentators for the ToB.
Kip wrote: "Isaac wrote: "Jan wrote: "lark wrote: ".... Want is one of those books that was hard to love but really great at the same time...."Thanks for saying this, Lark. I gave [book:Want|..."
Well, I feel silly. I'd forgotten that.
Noticed several familiar titles on Obama’s just released favorite books of 2020 list: Luster, the Vanishing Half, The Glass Hotel, Sharks..., Jack, Deacon King Kong, Long Bright Riverhttps://mobile.twitter.com/BarackObam...
Someone sent me this yesterday. It made me feel all warm and cosy inside to think that President Obama and I were clearly choosing our books from the same sources; I'd read 7 of them, 3 are on my TBR list, and another 3 or maybe 4 will most probably show up on the ToB shortlist and I will read them as well (whether or not I would have chosen to on my own).
*nominates Obama as new featured judge*
I don’t know, if Obama was a judge, McConnell would probably still find a way to block him from advancing anything.
Jason wrote: "Counterpoint: https://twitter.com/riffraffpvd/statu..."That could be us! For our one title a year that squeaks through..
I'm eagerly awaiting the announcement of the shortlist. In the meantime, here are the longlist books I've read since the last post I wrote about this and my Goodreads ratings:Barn 8 ****
A Burning ***1/2
The Cactus League ****
Deacon King Kong ****
The Down Days ****
Earthlings ***
The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree ****
Exciting Times ***
Four by Four ****
Topics of Conversation **
Untamed Shore ****
This brings the number of longlist books I've read to 26. I'll keep trying to read all 77, but I'll be curious to see how many of the shortlist books I've read so far. There are some books I really hope are on it, and others I really hope are not, and I'm fully expecting it to feature both.
Lee wrote: "I don’t know, if Obama was a judge, McConnell would probably still find a way to block him from advancing anything."*Slow clap*
Meagan wrote: "Noticed several familiar titles on Obama’s just released favorite books of 2020 list: Luster, the Vanishing Half, The Glass Hotel, Sharks..., Jack, Deacon King Kong, Long Bright Riverhttps://mob..."
I wonder if Biden reads fiction. Somehow I'm thinking no.
(Harris, though, I could totally picture immersed in a good book.)
ETA: Ah, I was right. https://bookriot.com/2020-democratic-...
Hey, Elizabeth -- how much snow did you get by you? I'm heading over that way to pick up my farm share this afternoon and am hoping that the littler back roads aren't too bad. My friends in your town seem to have gotten less than I did, 4-6" to my 10-12".
Ellen wrote: "Hey, Elizabeth -- how much snow did you get by you? I'm heading over that way to pick up my farm share this afternoon and am hoping that the littler back roads aren't too bad. My friends in your to..."We got around 6 inches, I'd say. The roads by me (secondary roads, but not back roads) are completely clear, I think you should be okay. It's also supposed to be a little above freezing by this afternoon, so that should take car of any remaining patches.
Elizabeth wrote: "I wonder if Biden reads fiction. Somehow I'm thinking no.."I know he wrote the intro to Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss, and the Fight for Trans Equality....
I wonder about Madame VP to be. She has young children so I wonder what role reading plays in their family.
Ok folks, it's that time. There's no way that I can be completist on the longlist. I have library holds on everything that my library has, which ones should I still read even though they didn't make the short list?My recommendations:
My Dark Vanessa (I was so looking forward to the conversation about this one... interestingly, so far 100% of fellow psychiatrists I have discussed MDV with think it is phenomenal, while people that are not psychiatrists are more divided.)
The Glass Hotel (I was literally up until 3:30 in the morning last night because I could not put it down.)
Honorable mention:
Untamed Shore
Take Me Apart
(Both fast-paced quick reads with an element of mystery)
Maggie wrote: "Ok folks, it's that time. There's no way that I can be completist on the longlist. I have library holds on everything that my library has, which ones should I still read even though they didn't mak..."I think the only books I loved that didn't make the list were A Burning, The Hole, and Earthlings. (I'm a little disappointed not to get a chance to discuss the last two.)
Maggie wrote: "Ok folks, it's that time. There's no way that I can be completist on the longlist. I have library holds on everything that my library has, which ones should I still read even though they didn't make the short list?..."Great question, Maggie. I highly recommend Hamnet and Apeirogon. And wasn't The Glass Hotel great?!?
Maggie wrote: "Ok folks, it's that time. There's no way that I can be completist on the longlist. I have library holds on everything that my library has, which ones should I still read even though they didn't mak..."I second Jan's recommendations of Hamnet and Apeirogon. They're two of the most powerful books of this year for me. Other recommendations from what I've read so far would be The Death of Vivek Oji, The Knockout Queen, and Valentine. Feel free to skip Barcelona Days, Docile, and Topics of Conversation.
Welp, looking at that shortlist and I’m not aiming for completing them all this year, more like 10, I think. I find I just don’t have the stomach for kids in danger or cannibalism this year. Oh well! From the shortlist, of what I haven’t read, I’m looking forward to Deacon King Kong most. Up next for me!
I was looking forward to Apeirogon and Hamnet, though, so I think I’ll keep on them on my TBR.
Maggie wrote: "which ones should I still read even though they didn't make the short list?"I loved so many from the longlist: Apeirogon for sure. A Burning. Earthlings and Ring Shout were both distinct trips, Kim Jeyoung Born 1982 was great, Sisters, Little Eyes are recommended.
I'm floored Apeirogon didn't make the list. At least I don't have to see it torn apart by the commentariat!
Bretnie wrote: "I'm floored Apeirogon didn't make the list. At least I don't have to see it torn apart by the commentariat!"That's always the consolation when your favorite doesn't make the shortlist!
Hamnet definitely....my favorite book of the year.
That's next on my library queue - even though it's not on the shortlist, the summary sounded fun. Looking forward to it!
Yup, it's in my pile, too. I figure since I only have 11 ToB books to read, I'll be able to seed in books out of my library stack.
Still planning to read Hamnet, Death of Vivek Oji, and The Knockout Queen even though they didn't make it. I've heard good things about Pizza Girl from several people, so will keep that on the TBR pile too.
The Death of Vivik Oji was my absolute favorite of the longlist. I had hopes for it pairing against The Knockout Queen in the shortlist ........ some similar themes. Enjoy your reading!
Shannon wrote: "The Death of Vivik Oji was my absolute favorite of the longlist. I had hopes for it pairing against The Knockout Queen in the shortlist ........ some similar themes. Enjoy your reading!"Oh, good to know! I have a copy of Vivek and now I'm even more excited to get to that one. :)
2022 head start. Full year list of Roxanne Gay’s new book clubhttps://twitter.com/rgay/status/13401...
Her list of books looks seriously amazing.
I just finished Hamnet, I am disappointed by the lack of Hamnet in the shortlist.
I loved Hamnet! I’m disappointed it didn’t make the shortlist as well, Kip.
Yes! There are a handful of shortlist books I feel very Meh about...Hamnet would have been such an interesting competitor.
Whether you're a completist or someone who picks and chooses from the longlist, I still feel like you can feel okay about skipping Include Me Out by María Sonia Cristoff. The blurb says it's about silence.To me, it's a bizarre combination of elements from previous/congruent Argentinian authors in the tournament - art museums, long confusing journeys (including a three-hour walk home every night? is that accurate?), and horses! Dead ones. Not only that but from the art perspective there are frequent insertions of long quotations from other sources.
Once I understood why the MC was there, I was more interested in her, but for a long time, really not so much. And it's like the interesting parts are all in the past....
Does anyone else obsessively wait for The Millions Most Anticipated list to come out each January? I celebrated when it came out this morning , and then realized how many books I still have on my to-read from previous years. As always, so many great books to look forward to this year!
Shannon wrote: "Does anyone else obsessively wait for The Millions Most Anticipated list to come out each January? I celebrated when it came out this morning , and then realized how many books I still have on my t..."Me! And I didn't know it was out so thank you! There tends to be significant crossover with ToB so if I do a bunch of reading from it, it helps.
Shannon wrote: "Does anyone else obsessively wait for The Millions Most Anticipated list to come out each January? I celebrated when it came out this morning , and then realized how many books I still have on my t..."Yes! I hadn't realized it was out. I saw LitHub had one this year and I thought they'd taken over for the Millions. Here it is just to add...you know, 228 new books to your TBR: https://lithub.com/lit-hubs-most-anti...
It the most anticipated most anticipated!!!
If anyone uses Audible and has access to the $5 sale and is working on the longlist (that's a lot of IF!) - The Cold Millions by Jess Walter was one of the titles and I snagged it.
I've been poring over The Millions and LitHub's lists for the past couple of days, adding to my TBR...It looks like the two lists are almost completely different.(I CAN'T WAIT for the new Ishiguro.)
Anyone read any other books from the longlist? I've finished Ring Shout and Or What You Will are interesting fantasy-esque stories, while Cactus League was a very solid little collection of interconnected vignettes around a baseball team's spring training season.
Kyle wrote: "Anyone read any other books from the longlist?"Here are the ones I've read:
Afterlife, by Julia Alvarez - a bit disappointing
Apeirogon, by Colum McCann - possibly one of my favorite books from 2020
Clap When You Land - enjoyable!
Earthlings, by Sayaka Murata - I know a lot of people liked this one but it wasn't for me
Little Eyes - more weirdness from Samanta Schewblin!
The Night Watchman, by Louise Erdrich - really good
The Longlist looked amazing to me, so I plan to read most of it. The books I read that didn't make the shortlist cut were Barn 8, Clap When You Land, Glass Hotel, and The Night Watchman. Of these, Glass Hotel was, by far, my favorite, but I am an ES-JM Stan so .... Of the longlist books I've not yet read, I am most looking forward to Hamnet, Apeirogon, The Cold Millions, and Jack. Given my personal commitment to read more literature from outside N. America and the UK, I am also hoping to be wowed by The Disaster Tourist, Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line, Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree, Kim Jiyoung Born 1982, and The Death of Vivek Oji.
All of these may need to take a (temporary) backseat to the books I've not yet read in the People's Choice tournament (that's what I'm calling it) that we are doing after the ToB concludes -- celebrating commentariat favorite books from past ToB years that did not take the Rooster.
Kyle wrote: "Anyone read any other books from the longlist?"I've read:
Barn 8 - so-so, but you'll never think about chickens in the same way again
Crossings (read twice, in each of the ways the book suggests) - I loved it
The Night Watchman - really liked it
Or What You Will - I loved it, the idea of a writer's internal muse as an independent being, and also the wisdom of an older woman
Real Life - meh; struck me much the same as did Memorial; angst-ridden folk
Such a Fun Age - really liked it
Temporary - I loved it
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)
