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2022 TOB Longlist
message 51:
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Karin
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Nov 23, 2021 06:06AM
I ONLY use the fire for reading books via hoopla. Otherwise the paperwhite is a superior reading experience.
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I finished 100 Boyfriends yesterday and I think discussion of this title would be interesting! Messy, lots of sex, short linking stories about different boyfriends or hookups, engaging style of writing.
I've started Louise Erdrich's The Sentence yesterday, and while I loved the first section that gave a backstory to the main character, Tookie, my interest is starting to flag - it's starting to feel a little too cutsey/warm/fuzzy for me. Which is making me feel like a grump. Can anyone either give me encouragement to continue or commiseration on my problems with it?
Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "I finished 100 Boyfriends yesterday and I think discussion of this title would be interesting! Messy, lots of sex, short linking stories about different boyfriends or hookups, engag..."Jenny, just finished that last week, the writing was propulsive and engaging, but I found the stories a little one-note as they hit the same topics over and over. I was quite fond of a couple of stories however. Great fodder for convos regardless.
Is anyone reading Percival Everett's The Trees? I liked it about 1000% more than I did either Telephone or So Much Blue. It is a quick read, a satirical novel that starts out as a mystery set in modern-day backwater Mississippi and turns into a story of the history of lynching in America. The prose is crisp and clear, the chapters are short and the punch to the heart is powerful despite the high number of times I snort-laughed while reading. I don't think you'll regret reading it, whether it makes the short list or now.
Jan wrote: "Is anyone reading Percival Everett's The Trees? I liked it about 1000% more than I did either Telephone or So Much Blue. It is a quick read, a satiri..."It is among the longlist books to which I am MOST looking forward so I am saving it for my holiday vacation reading bonanza.
I loved SMB and Telephone. In fact, this author has been one of the best gifts ToB has given me.
The Trees is one of the best books of 2021 in my opinion. Some of the best satire I've ever read.
Hmmm. I liked Telephone okay but thought it kind of... meandered and went off track. I liked the parts with his daughter but didn't like the parts about the female professor or New Mexico as much. And I even live in NM! I did usually like his writing style. So I'll try The Trees. Thanks for the recommendation.
So far out of the long list I've only read three books. Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch - I really liked it! It's not the kind of book I usually read but I'm glad I did. There were some parts I didn't like but I think it's because it was staying true to the real life story. Also some parts I wished were explored more. But overall it was pretty good! 4 stars
Oh, William - I liked the beginning, loved the middle, but I found it rather anti-climatic after that and was left feeling kind of disappointed. I used to love Elizabeth Strout; Olive Kitteridge is a favorite book of all time of mine, and I also love Amy and Isabelle. I just felt like this one fell kind of flat to me and I haven't liked a few others of hers I've read very much so I'm wondering if I still like her writing as much as before. 3 stars.
Beautiful World, Where Are You? Ugh. Talk about anti-climatic, disappointing and a let-down. I loved Normal People. I liked Conversations With Friends. I liked some parts of this one at first but it kept going downhill and then I was slogging through it just to say I finished it. I hated all the characters so much. Ugh. 2 stars and that's being generous.
Why are my favorite writers letting me down? I'm glad to read new recommendations and hope that things will pick back up to when I was reading Everyone Knows. :)
I'm new to the ToB but I'm going to try to follow along this year. Phew, so many boooooks!! I've read five on this longlist, and I just added a bunch of them to my TBR and put a few on hold at the library. My preference will be if I can find the audiobook at my library, because right now that seems to be the fastest way I get through a book.
100 Boyfriends - I wasn't crazy about this one. I don't even remember why, I just know it didn't work for me.
Harlem Shuffle - this was really good! At the time that I was reading it, I enjoyed it but can't say I loved it. But it's one of those books that sticks with you, and I find myself thinking about it from time to time. The main character felt so REAL.
Hell of a Book - I just finished this! It was fantastic, definitely deserved the NBA.
The Other Black Girl - this was fun, much lighter than the majority of the books on this list. I don't usually like magical realism, but I did enjoy it in this book, it was the barest whiff of sci-fi.
Second Place - Did Not Like. So much navel gazing. The writing was great, though.
Nadine wrote: "I'm new to the ToB but I'm going to try to follow along this year. Phew, so many boooooks!! I've read five on this longlist, and I just added a bunch of them to my TBR and put a few on hold at th..."
Welcome! I was confused for a minute, because there's another Nadine here, and it's not that common a name! Glad you're joining us...I agree with you on Hell of a Book and Second Place, but wasn't a fan of The Other Black Girl.
I just finished The Trees, and think it and Hell of a Book are battling for my favorite of the year. So much in both of them to unpack and think about...I think Hell of a Book had more soul, if that makes sense, but The Trees is exceptional, my favorite Everett, I think. I just finished this morning and I'm still processing, it shook me.
Glad to see the love for Percival Everett starting to emerge here, but I'm afraid the organizers are going to be reluctant to put him on the list again. I didn't put =The Trees= on my shortlist prediction because of that, even though it would be in the tournament if I were doing the selection.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...Tim, I really hope you're wrong. This would be the absolute perfect TOB book, there'd be so much great conversation around it, I could see it winning. (I'd definitely make it my Zombie pick.)
Now I feel worn out, emotionally...None of the other books is appealing to me at this moment. (I'm waiting for the Wright at the library, but may end up buying it. That's really the last book I haven't read that was already on my TBR.)
I do have Subdivision out...It seems just strange enough to get me out of my own head, so maybe that's next.
Nadine wrote: "I'm new to the ToB but I'm going to try to follow along this year. Phew, so many boooooks!! I've read five on this longlist, and I just added a bunch of them to my TBR and put a few on hold at th..."
Welcome to the group, Nadine - great to see you here! (I know Nadine from the Popsugar challenge group) :)
Elizabeth wrote: "My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...Tim, I really hope you're wrong. This would be the absolute perfect TOB book, there'd be so much great conversation around it, I could s..."
I'm hoping we both like Subdivision. John is a neighbor and faculty colleague (different departments), and one of his kids is a close friend of one of mine, so ... FINGERS CROSSED! :-)
Elizabeth wrote: "(I'm waiting for the Wright at the library, but may end up buying it. That's really the last book I haven't read that was already on my TBR.)"I just got the Wright from the library 5 minutes ago! I started afterparties and I really enjoyed the first story, but then I realized that these short story collections NEVER make the shortlist so I might hold off for now.
Finishing up Opal and Nev, and I've quite enjoyed it - it's like a version of Taylor Reid Jenkins's "Daisy Jones and the Six" that actually has a point. (Not trying to dog on DJ&6, but it was pleasant fluff. This has substance.)
Lauren wrote: "Nadine wrote: "I'm new to the ToB but I'm going to try to follow along this year. Phew, so many boooooks!! I've read five on this longlist, and I just added a bunch of them to my TBR and put a fe..."
Welcome Nadine from the other Nadine! I have never outgrown the thrill of meeting another Nadine - when I was a kid it was my heart's desire, never fulfilled.
I've read 9 books on the long list and DNF'ed 6 so far:
Adored 3: Everyone Knows...,( maybe my favorite book of the year), The Committed, Matrix
Loved Greatly 2: The Trees, Cloud Cuckoo Land
Liked with Gusto 4: Harlem Shuffle, Hell of a Book, Intimacies, Klara and the Sun
DNF'ed
All's Well (I loved her 1st book Bunny. The beginning of this book wore me down by dwelling too long and intensely on the protagonist's physical pain.
Detransition, Baby - I wanted to love it, but the narrator's tone just rubbed me the wrong way - I got a bored and whiny vibe. I may try again to see if the problem is me.
The Other Black Girl - Just didn't grab me.
Outlawed - Also not a grabber. (I rarely read books that seem like they'll be just okay. Too many great books to discover.)
Popisho - The fable-like approach only works for me in small doses, and this is a long book.
The Prophets - The only DNF I actually disliked and wouldn't try again. Flowery, meandering writing is not my style of choice.
I'm currently reading The Sentence by Louise Erdrich because I thought it was on the longlist! Still, glad I'm reading it, even if the timing isn't great ;)
Nadine wrote: "DNF'ed All's Well (I loved her 1st book Bunny. The beginning of this book wore me down by dwelling too long and intensely on the protagonist's physical pain...."That's too bad - I'm only 7 books into the list so far, but that one is my favorite. It gets plenty Bunny-like once it sets the scene. (And I thought the writing about the pain, and in particular how the people around her responded to her pain, was powerful and True.) A wild ride that somehow manages, despite everything, to keep from going off the rails. (It helps to know a little Shakespeare...not just All's Well, but Macbeth.)
That pain is central to the story, so if that's going to be too hard to read, then maybe it won't be the book for you. But if you were afraid the book was just going to be unrelenting doom and gloom about the pain, I'd give it a few more chapters.
I expect to be pulling hard for this one in the Tourney.
Risa wrote: "Tim, I really hope you're wrong [about =The Trees=]...I'm hoping we both like Subdivision..."
As fans go, I'm not quite Phyllis, but pretty close - so I'd like to see =The Trees= in the tournament. But Everett was just in the tournament last year, so I'm betting against him and my preferences in my shortlist prediction.
I liked =Subdivision=, and would be happy to see it in the Tourney, but I think it is going to have a struggle making the shortlist.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone that celebrates! I am very thankful for the ToB and all of you!!!
Nadine wrote: "Lauren wrote: "Nadine wrote: "I'm new to the ToB but I'm going to try to follow along this year. Phew, so many boooooks!! I've read five on this longlist, and I just added a bunch of them to my T..."
Nadine - 'The Sentence' IS on the longlist. I'm confused?
C wrote: "Nadine - 'The Sentence' IS on the longlist. I'm confused? "rYou are right, I'm confused - and happy :) Somehow I screwed up using the search function on my Excel copy of the list.
I'm also feeling much better about the book. The pacing was slow for me at first (not including the terrific prologue-like first section). But now I'm in a rhythm with it and the characters and plot feel stronger, no longer overshadowed by what feels like a slightly cutesy narrative tone. But it's the kind of book I read through quickly - enjoying it, but also not enamored enough to stop me from thinking about what to read next while I'm reading it. I think I'll like it more in memory, when my warm feelings for the characters are all that lingers.
I'm also feeling much better about the book. The pacing was slow for me at first (not including the terrific prologue-like first section). ..."I'm really enjoying The Sentence. Book lovers' book about book lovers.
Jason wrote: "I'm really enjoying The Sentence. Book lovers' book about book lovers...."Yes, it's fun to get book recommendations directly from the characters - I'm going to read The Blue Flower as soon as I finish this book :)
I assume this is in the paper version too, but the audiobook has a pdf that has a list of Tookie’s favorite books.
I was also not a fan of what I read of The Prophets. If it makes it to the shortlist I'll try it again, but...
Happy thanksgiving, friends, thankful for you all. Just finished In Concrete while waiting in line for my turkey at a local BBQ joint, and just loved it. Clever, funny, eruidte narrator elevates what could've been an ordinary story. The puns throughout are just remarkable...and to think this was a translation!
Bob wrote: "Happy thanksgiving, friends, thankful for you all. Just finished In Concrete while waiting in line for my turkey at a local BBQ joint, and just loved it. Clever, funny, eruidte narr..."And to you, Bob! And, thank you for all the years of making those spreadsheets for all of us, and for your many insightful comments throughout the years of the ToB.
Another one down - Outlawed was a quick, fun read - a gender-flipped take on the old west. Taking on Popisho next. I'm perfectly fine with magic realism in a long book - it's not like 100 Years of Solitude or Midnight's Children were short books.
Also put the Damon Galgut book on hold at the library and realized I'd read (and quite enjoyed) one of his previous books, the E.M. Forster-starring Arctic Summer.
I started and finished Woman in the Purple Skirt , another translated book, yesterday. It’s a quick read and kept my interest , but not one I am pulling for to make the long list . (I have read 16 of the books on the long list , and there are only a couple that I have enthusiasm for. I will keep trying though !)
I have no trouble leaving a book if it isn't working for me. To me it's like trying on clothes--some won't fit.
Outlawed is currently 3 bucks on the Kindle store, btw.
Nadine wrote: "Welcome Nadine from the other Nadine! I have never outgrown the thrill of meeting another Nadine - when I was a kid it was my heart's desire, never fulfilled. ..."LOL I know EXACTLY how you feel :-)
Kyle wrote: "Outlawed is currently 3 bucks on the Kindle store, btw."Grabbed a copy, thanks!
Kindle prices, not sure for how long:Afterparties $2.99
We Run the Tides - $1.99
The Promise - $9.99 (which is higher, but has a greater chance of making the short list)
Oh yay! Thanks, Kyle and C, I already have The Promise, I'm going to order the other 3 (even though I'm only really interested in reading Afterparties, and probably won't touch the others unless they're chosen.)My library has We Run the Tides on Hoopla, so if I pick it up it'll be good to have a paper copy to read along.
I got a paper copy of Times. I read an earlier book by her and liked it, so why not indeed? :-)
I finished Beautiful World, Where Are You, but honestly didn’t love it the way I loved Normal People. The women also read so close to Marianne (from NP) that I’m starting to hear it as the author's voice.I started the audio of Last Summer in the City but I’m doing the audio and the narrator has a classic voice, just reiterating that this book is old. I’m all in for including translated works but maybe next time they could stick to works from this century?
Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "I started the audio of Last Summer in the City but I’m doing the audio and the narrator has a classic voice, just reiterating that this book is old. I’m all in for including translated works but maybe next time they could stick to works from this century?..."Yes! I'm about 70% done w/ this book but I wanna stop! Also, did you skip the first section. I'm listening on Scribd and chapter 1 was an introduction that seemed riddled w/ spoilers so just skipped to chapter 2.
There were so many other translated works they could've chosen instead of this one!
Bob wrote: "Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "I started the audio of Last Summer in the City but I’m doing the audio and the narrator has a classic voice, just reiterating that this book is old. I’m all in for incl..."I went ahead and listened because I was in the car but I almost always skip spoilery intros!
Maybe it's just the fact that I didn't love Normal People that made me like Beautiful World alright? I mean, it's the same basic stuff (with more ruminating on how fucked the world is) and what worked fine last time worked fine this time too.I'm nearing the end of Popisho, and I'm _really_ enjoying it. A lot of life and fun in this one for sure. Hell of a Book and Civilizations coming in from the library next...
NYTimes released their 10 Best...3/5 fiction titles are on the longlist.https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/30/bo...
Chicago Tribune has 5/5 fiction titles on the longlist: https://www.chicagotribune.com/entert...
Has anyone read Subdivision? I'm 88 pages in and it's taking me forever to get through, because every time I put it down I have no interest in getting back to it. It's just so...weird, nonsensical. It probably has more meaning than I realize, and in the beginning I was interested to see where it was going, but then it flew off the rails, and at this point it has almost no cohesion, no plot, just random hallucinatory spoutings. I want someone to tell me it comes together and will be worth it in the end...
Claire, your discussion with Rachel tonight was so fun and fascinating. I could have listened to the two of you all night long!
Just finished Maxwell's Demon and it is *crackling*. One of my favorites of the year, but I suspect it has a snowball's chance of actually making the shortlist. Mysteries, even high-concept ones, tend to not feel "important" enough to actually be on the bracket. (If only because the judgments/discussion about the books tends to focus on "weighty themes" and if the main takeaway is "that was a good mystery" there isn't much to write about...)
Elizabeth wrote: "Claire, your discussion with Rachel tonight was so fun and fascinating. I could have listened to the two of you all night long!"Ditto! - you and Rachel have such a nice chemistry.
Simms wrote: "Just finished Maxwell's Demon and it is *crackling*. One of my favorites of the year, but I suspect it has a snowball's chance of actually making the shortlist. Mysteries, even high-concept ones, t..."I've been meaning to read Steven Hall forever - now I'm torn between this and The Raw Shark Texts....
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