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2022 Activities and Challenges > WPF: Announcing the 64 Authors and BRACKETS

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message 1: by Anita (last edited Dec 28, 2021 09:34PM) (new)

Anita Pomerantz | 9280 comments We have our 64 authors! Sadly, some very worthy opponents were knocked out by the randomizer (including one of my personal favorites, Steinbeck).

If an author was named more than once (we had 16 of those), they were automatically included. The rest were selected at random to fill the remaining slots.

Stay tuned for the brackets! Get to thinking about your predictions (final 4, final 2, winner). Please note that your responses need to be consistent i.e. the final 2 must come from your final 4. Your winner must come from your final 2. We will also have a tie breaker question.

In alphabetical order:

Albom, Mitch
Allende, Isabel
Alyan, Hala
Andrews, Ilona
Atwood, Margaret
Austen, Jane
Backman, Fredrik
Barclay, Linwood
Bowen, Rhys
Boyne, John
Bradbury, Ray
Bryson, Bill
Bujold, Lois McMaster
Caro, Robert
Castillo, Linda
Center, Katherine
Christie, Agatha
Connolly, Michael
Davis, Fiona
Delinsky, Barbara
Ferrante, Elena
Follett, Ken
Gabaldon, Diana
George, Elizabeth
Hannah, Kristin
Harmon, Amy
Haruf, Kent
Hellenga, Robert
Hibbert, Talia
Hodgson, Antonia
Hoffman, Alice
Hoover, Colleen
Ishiguro, Kazuo
James, P.D.
Jones, Stephen Graham
Joyce, Rachel
King, Stephen
Kingsolver, Barbara
Kinsella, Sophie
Kristof, Agota
Krueger, William Kent
Michener, James
Moriarty, Lianne
Morrison, Toni
Morton, Kate
Ozeki, Ruth
Patchett, Ann
Picoult, Jodi
Pratchett, Terry
Reid, Taylor Jenkins
Rowling, JK/Galbraith, Robert
Russell, Mary Doria
Sandford, John
See, Lisa
Shinn, Sharon
Shute, Nevil
Simon, Coco
Stilton, Thea
Strout, Elizabeth
Tolkien, J.R.R.
Towles, Amor
Turo, Scott
Willis, Connie
Wingate, Lisa


message 2: by Anita (new)

Anita Pomerantz | 9280 comments For those who are curious, the following authors didn't get more than one nomination and were eliminated by the randomizer.

Hyde, Catherine Ryan
Jemisin, NK
Atkinson, Kate
Bohjalian, Chris
Henry, Emily
Macomber, Debbie
Dickens, Charles
Steinbeck, John
Dunnett, Dorothy


message 3: by Anita (last edited Dec 28, 2021 05:14PM) (new)

Anita Pomerantz | 9280 comments Bracket A

https://www.goodreads.com/photo/group...

This bracket will lead to the first author of your final four.

The match ups in this bracket are:

Davis, Fiona v.
Kingsolver, Barbara

Ferrante, Elena v.
Ozeki, Ruth

Hellenga, Robert v.
Sandford, John

Gabaldon, Diana v.
See, Lisa

Hibbert, Talia v.
Morrison, Toni

George, Elizabeth v.
Reid, Taylor Jenkins

Follett, Ken v.
Picoult, Jodi

Hannah, Kristin v.
Russell, Mary Doria


message 4: by Anita (last edited Dec 29, 2021 02:16PM) (new)

Anita Pomerantz | 9280 comments Bracket B

https://www.goodreads.com/photo/group...

This bracket will lead to the second author of your final four.

The match ups in this bracket are:

Connelly, Michael v.
Jones, Stephen Graham

Allende, Isabel v.
Towles, Amor

Haruf, Kent v.
Stilton, Thea

Harmon, Amy v.
Strout, Elizabeth

Andrews, Ilona v.
Patchett, Ann

Hodgson, Antonia v.
Kinsella, Sophie

Hoffman, Alice v.
Wingate, Lisa

Alyan, Hala v.
Shinn, Sharon


message 5: by Anita (new)

Anita Pomerantz | 9280 comments Bracket C

https://www.goodreads.com/photo/group...

This bracket will lead to the third author of your final four.

The match ups in this bracket are:

Boyne, John v.
Krueger, William Kent

Bryson, Bill v.
Moriarty, Lianne

Bowen, Rhys v.
Pratchett, Terry

Atwood, Margaret v.
Tolkien, J.R.R.

Backman, Fredrik v.
Willis, Connie

Center, Katherine v.
Simon, Coco

Caro, Robert v.
Ishiguro, Kazuo

Bradbury, Ray v.
Joyce, Rachel


message 6: by Anita (last edited Dec 29, 2021 08:45AM) (new)

Anita Pomerantz | 9280 comments Bracket D

https://www.goodreads.com/photo/group...

This bracket will lead to the third author of your final four.

The match ups in this bracket are:

Albom, Mitch v.
Turow, Scott

Delinsky, Barbara v.
Kristof, Agota

Castillo, Linda v.
Michener, James

Barclay, Linwood v.
King, Stephen

Austen, Jane v.
Shute, Nevil

Hoover, Colleen v.
James, P.D.

Bujold, Lois McMaster v.
Rowling, JK/Galbraith, Robert

Christie, Agatha v.
Morton, Kate


message 7: by Peacejanz (new)

Peacejanz | 1015 comments OK, I am new. How does this work? Teams? I am to read one in each bracket? My partners chose the one?

Lots of good authors. Looks like you did a lot of work. Thanks. If only I knew what to do or if I will have a team or a partner. peace, janz


message 8: by Sue (new)

Sue | 2713 comments Interesting list! Some of these I love and some I really don't love.

And most surprising to me - there are some I've never read. I may take the time to read some of the "new to me" authors here as part of this game.


message 9: by LibraryCin (new)

LibraryCin | 11669 comments I have a question, as well. From what I understand, we can read any of the authors (until they are knocked out) to gain votes to vote for on the authors for the next round.

But what I'm not sure about - how to the brackets come into play?
Thanks.

I think I've found the answer on rereading the rules.
"2. We will start with 64 authors presented in random pairs. (For you sports enthusiasts, think March Madness brackets!) Each member may cast 1 vote for their favorite in each head to head match up."

So, if two of the authors we like are up against each other, we are unable to vote for both.


message 10: by LibraryCin (new)

LibraryCin | 11669 comments Peacejanz wrote: "OK, I am new. How does this work? Teams? I am to read one in each bracket? My partners chose the one?..."

Rules are outlined here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...


message 11: by NancyJ (last edited Dec 28, 2021 06:43PM) (new)

NancyJ (nancyjjj) | 11062 comments My oh my. There are many names I don't recognize, so I need to figure out if I can fit them in my upcoming reading. I'm missing Lily King, Louise Erdrich, Louise Penny, Jacqueline Woodson, Fannie Flagg, Octavia Butler, Ursula Le Guin, Becky Chambers, Daphne duMaurier, Virginia Woolf, Richard Powers, Colum McCann. So many authors, so little time.

Some of these match-ups will be really hard to decide. One decision will really break my heart because I love them both.

I'm reading one pair-up this month, which makes it really easy to decide. I just read Elena Ferrante and I'm reading Ruth Ozeki right now. I'll definitely be voting for Ruth, but I know Elena is more famous.

Anita, so we pick one person from each bracket (A,B,C,D) that we think will win from that group. That's our final four, correct?

How will you pair the final four? A v B and C v D? or could it go another way?



message 12: by NancyJ (last edited Dec 28, 2021 07:11PM) (new)

NancyJ (nancyjjj) | 11062 comments Peacejanz wrote: "OK, I am new. How does this work? Teams? I am to read one in each bracket? My partners chose the one?

Lots of good authors. Looks like you did a lot of work. Thanks. If only I knew what to do or i..."


This is an individual exercise. Our first vote (in March I think) will be to decide one winner from each pair presented. You don't have to read any of them, but if you read an author before they win, you can earn points (extra votes).

What you have to do right NOW is try to guess which author from each bracket A, B, C, or D will beat all the other authors in that bracket group. So you might guess A. Barbara Kingsolver, B. Kent Haruf, C. Margaret Atwood, and D. Agatha Christie as your final four. [Your final four could NOT be: Agatha Christie, Jane Austen, JK Rowling, and Stephen King - because they are all in bracket 4. You can only have one from bracket 4.]

Then you have to guess, which two of them will be the finalists - e.g. Barbara Kingsolver, and Agatha Christie, and then who will be final winner - You must then pick one of your top two. SUBMIT THESE names to Anita soon.

If your top four authors actually make it into the top 4, you win something.

The winning authors will be announced on December 1. If you read a book by that author before the end of the year, you earn 20 additional points.


message 13: by Anita (new)

Anita Pomerantz | 9280 comments Nancy,

Thank you for great answers and an excellent question.

From the final four, the winner of A will go up against the winner of B.

And the winner of C will go up against the winner of D.

That will lead us to our final 2.

Those two will go head to head for the championship!


message 14: by Peacejanz (new)

Peacejanz | 1015 comments So I could just vote for Barbara Kingsolver even if I do not read anything by her in the time period? If I have read her in the past and want to vote for her, is that ok?
Like Basketball, I am trying to pick winners. But do I have to read them during this time period or could I be off reading other stuff? Thanks for all this work. peace, janz

p.s. I promise to be better next year and will nominate Steinbeck.


message 15: by NancyJ (new)

NancyJ (nancyjjj) | 11062 comments Anita wrote: "Nancy,

Thank you for great answers and an excellent question.

From the final four, the winner of A will go up against the winner of B.

And the winner of C will go up against the winner of D.

Th..."


Thanks the picture helped identify the other pairings.

Bracket D is crazy. I'm going to make a wild prediction that the final match in D will involve Stephen King. But will he play Jane Austen, JK Rowling, Agatha Christie or a dark horse (is that the term)?


message 16: by NancyJ (new)

NancyJ (nancyjjj) | 11062 comments Peacejanz wrote: "So I could just vote for Barbara Kingsolver even if I do not read anything by her in the time period? If I have read her in the past and want to vote for her, is that ok?
Like Basketball, I am tryi..."


Yes, you don't have to read her, but if you do and she wins that round, you earn an extra vote to be used in the next round (or later).

I'm more likely to read authors that I haven't read before. So I might read books in February by Kent Haruf and Theo Stilton, then whichever wins in March, I'll earn a point.

I also want to read the Tournament of Books this year, and I was hoping there would be some overlap. So far I only see Ruth Ozeki and Kazuo Ishiguro.


message 17: by Linda (new)

Linda Nielson | 388 comments So right now do we have to guess who will be in the final four? Or are we guessing who will be in the next round? I am still confused.


message 18: by Amy (new)

Amy | 12913 comments Nancy said something about needing to submit our guesses for the final two soon. I am going to go ahead and believe that is not the case. I see how this works pretty much, but I am going to otherwise wait for instructions as we go. I figure Anita is going to tell us our next steps. Meanwhile, I am also assuming that we are gaining points for reading any author listed that is still in the running, as well as gaining points for our picks should they survive. Unless I have misunderstood something, this is my gameplan. I am excited for many of these authors. We will see if I can finish the Fiery Cross, all 55 hours of the audio, before the first vote in March, but I have the feeling Diana Gabaldon will survive against Lisa See. The curious thing about this game, is not even what you think, but what you think the large and diverse group thinks. Like already, for Bracket D, can you imagine pitting JK Rowling against Diana Gabaldon, and think about who might survive? What the "group" is going to pick, forgetting my own thoughts?


message 19: by Anita (new)

Anita Pomerantz | 9280 comments I will be providing specific instructions and a form to fill out.

But you will be guessing the final four, the final two, and the champion.


message 20: by Joanne (new)

Joanne (joabroda1) | 12568 comments Sue wrote: "Interesting list! Some of these I love and some I really don't love.

And most surprising to me - there are some I've never read. I may take the time to read some of the "new to me" authors here a..."


Feeling the same Sue-perhaps we can read a few together


message 21: by Joanne (new)

Joanne (joabroda1) | 12568 comments @Anita-I am right on this: You would get 1 point for reading any of the 64 between now and March, and 2 points if the books fits the tag, for a possible 3 points per book?


message 22: by Joanne (new)

Joanne (joabroda1) | 12568 comments Sorry, one more question- "Book is tagged monthly tag" is there a 5 tags minimum again?


message 23: by Joanne (new)

Joanne (joabroda1) | 12568 comments Ok, it's me again-In Bracket D is that suppose to be Turow matched with Albom?


message 24: by Robin P (new)

Robin P | 5735 comments When is "soon" as far as submitting our guesses? I suppose that will be on the form that Anita is preparing.


message 25: by Anita (new)

Anita Pomerantz | 9280 comments So I could just vote for Barbara Kingsolver even if I do not read anything by her in the time period?

Yes

If I have read her in the past and want to vote for her, is that ok?

Yes

Like Basketball, I am trying to pick winners.

Exactly! You've got it . . .

But do I have to read them during this time period or could I be off reading other stuff?

You do not need to read at all to play. If you read, you may cast more votes toward your favorites and help them win . . .but reading is not required at all.

p.s. I promise to be better next year and will nominate Steinbeck.

We usually do not hold the same challenges two years in a row and try to switch things up, but I'm also a little heartbroken about Steinbeck . . .


message 26: by Anita (new)

Anita Pomerantz | 9280 comments Nancy,

Just want to clear up one point.

You said:

Yes, you don't have to read her, but if you do and she wins that round, you earn an extra vote to be used in the next round (or later).

Actually, you get the extra votes regardless of whether or not the author wins the round. So initially, if you read ANY of the 64 authors, you will get extra votes to cast in March. Once authors are eliminated, you may no longer read them to earn extra votes. So the choices of authors to read whittles down as the game progresses.


message 27: by Anita (new)

Anita Pomerantz | 9280 comments Linda wrote: "So right now do we have to guess who will be in the final four? Or are we guessing who will be in the next round? I am still confused."

You will be guessing the final four, the final two, and the champion. I will be giving you a form to fill out with your picks.

It is important to note - - your final four must be ONE author from each bracket.

Your final two must come from the final four. One choice will come from your A bracket author vs. your B bracket author. The second choice will come from your C bracket author vs. your D bracket author.

Then, you will pick your champion from one of your final two.


message 28: by Anita (new)

Anita Pomerantz | 9280 comments Nancy said something about needing to submit our guesses for the final two soon. I am going to go ahead and believe that is not the case. I see how this works pretty much, but I am going to otherwise wait for instructions as we go. I figure Anita is going to tell us our next steps

I will be giving the specific directions, but Nancy is right. You will be making these selections by January 15th. You will need to pick the final 4, final 2, and champion. Plus answer a tie breaker question.

But you can start reading on January 1st to earn the extra votes for the March voting period.


message 29: by Anita (new)

Anita Pomerantz | 9280 comments Joanne wrote: "@Anita-I am right on this: You would get 1 point for reading any of the 64 between now and March, and 2 points if the books fits the tag, for a possible 3 points per book?"

Yes, you are correct. And those 3 points may be cast as votes in March, or you can save them up to use in a future round of voting.


message 30: by Anita (new)

Anita Pomerantz | 9280 comments Joanne wrote: "Sorry, one more question- "Book is tagged monthly tag" is there a 5 tags minimum again?"

Yes, there is!


message 31: by Hilde (new)

Hilde (hilded) | 472 comments If you read one or more of the authors before the next round in March, do you need to use that extra vote on the authors you read, or are you free to use it on whomever?


message 32: by Anita (new)

Anita Pomerantz | 9280 comments Joanne wrote: "Ok, it's me again-In Bracket D is that suppose to be Turow matched with Albom?"

Oops, yes. I've corrected in the post. It's nearly impossible to fix the photos, so I apologize for the two typos I've made so far! Theo is Thea and Turo is Turow.


message 33: by Anita (new)

Anita Pomerantz | 9280 comments Robin P wrote: "When is "soon" as far as submitting our guesses? I suppose that will be on the form that Anita is preparing."

I plan to give everyone until January 15th to submit the form. I hope to post the form in the next day or so.


message 34: by Anita (new)

Anita Pomerantz | 9280 comments Hilde wrote: "If you read one or more of the authors before the next round in March, do you need to use that extra vote on the authors you read, or are you free to use it on whomever?"

Good question. You may use your extra votes on ANY author (that remains in the contest.

You may use your votes in March, but you can elect to save them and use them in a future round if you prefer.

Reading earns you votes. Once they are earned, you may expend them on any author you want, whether or not you've read them for the challenge or ever.


message 35: by Hilde (new)

Hilde (hilded) | 472 comments Great, thanks!


message 36: by Hilde (new)

Hilde (hilded) | 472 comments One more stupid question from a non-American. I see reference to ‘March Madness’ mentioned several places. Now, Google tells me this is the Basketball Championship, and I assume this game is build on that. But I hope it doesn’t matter if you don’t really know what this is to be part of this challenge? Lol, this made me feel really ignorant, sorry about that.


message 37: by Jenni Elyse (new)

Jenni Elyse (jenni_elyse) Interesting. I already have my four chosen based on what I know about this group and my own preferences. It will definitely be an interesting challenge.


message 38: by LibraryCin (new)

LibraryCin | 11669 comments Hilde wrote: "One more stupid question from a non-American. I see reference to ‘March Madness’ mentioned several places. Now, Google tells me this is the Basketball Championship, and I assume this game is build ..."

I'm in Canada, but not a basketball fan. I have no idea what "March Madness" is. You found out more than I did by looking it up! :-)


message 39: by Hilde (new)

Hilde (hilded) | 472 comments LibraryCin wrote: "Hilde wrote: "One more stupid question from a non-American. I see reference to ‘March Madness’ mentioned several places. Now, Google tells me this is the Basketball Championship, and I assume this ..."

Haha, thank you. Glad I’m not the only one who don’t know what this ‘March Madness’ is 😂


message 40: by Peacejanz (new)

Peacejanz | 1015 comments Oh, Hilde, do not feel stupid. It is a long standing event in the spring - called March Madness because it starts in March, after the regular college basketball season is over. It ends in early April. Zillions of people bet on it - even fools who have no clue. I have done so myself. A group of "experts" pick the 64 best college basketball teams. They rank them into 4 groups and place the games in various parts of the country. (This is very biased, not really based on science - just good guesses). Each team is ranked within each of the four brackets. Number One plays 16, 2 plays 15, etc. So out of the four who play at first, there are two winners who play each other. Next there are 32 winners who face each other - out of that 16 winners then 8 and then 4. The final four meet each other -- a big event. I was able to attend one, my friend got tickets - There are tens of thousands at the events - On Saturday afternoon it is winner of East against West and on Saturday evening it is winner of South again North. We all go back to hotels to rest, get our voices back after so much shouting - and some drink a lot of alcohol (not me - I am diabetic). Then on Monday night the winners face off. It is a chance for a university with low enrollment but a great coach and a great team to go against the big boys - those schools that pour millions of dollars into sports. The two games on Saturday and the one on Monday night get a very large TV viewership. The tickets are very costly - chosen by lottery. If my alma mater is playing, of course, I root for them. If they win it all and they have won the national championship a couple of times. If they lose, I pick another team to cheer for. The are multiple betting schemes: first to score 100 points, the first team to wear red, but most of them are based on the winning teams. The brackets are posted in newspapers and on the web. People go around at work getting betters to choose. Many ways to win. This is the biggest sporting even in the US in the spring - all based on men's college basketball. There is a similar event for women's college basketball but it is not as popular and has far fewer followers. Right now, I am betting on my college team but the game yesterday was cancelled because of Covid. Last year's tournament was Covid cancelled. Sorry for being long winded. This is a favorite event of mine. I do not give money to the athletic program - I give to learning based activities. But I do get excited about the sports. peace, janz


message 41: by Peacejanz (new)

Peacejanz | 1015 comments And, Hilde, after we get to the end of the regular season, I will tell you where my team is placed and hope that you will cheer for my team. I bet you can even bet on my team if you wish to spend some money. peace, janz


message 42: by Cora (last edited Dec 29, 2021 11:27AM) (new)

Cora (corareading) | 1921 comments Is Michael Connolly spelled correctly? I had assumed that was the author of the Harry Bosch series, but that is spelled Connelly. There is a Michael Connolly in Good Reads, but that seems to be someone that writes about Kerry County (I assume Ireland).


message 43: by Book Concierge (new)

Book Concierge (tessabookconcierge) | 8412 comments Anita wrote: "Peacejanz wrote: p.s. I promise to be better next year and will nominate Steinbeck.

We usually do not hold the same challenges two years in a row and try to switch things up, but I'm also a little heartbroken about Steinbeck ...."


As the single person who nominated Steinbeck ... I am definitely heartbroken ... and also somewhat surprised.


message 44: by Book Concierge (new)

Book Concierge (tessabookconcierge) | 8412 comments Cora wrote: "Is Michael Connolly spelled correctly? I had assumed that was the author of the Harry Bosch series, but that is spelled Connelly. There is a Michael Connolly in Good Reads, but that seems to be som..."

Good catch, Cora! Perhaps the person(s) who submitted Michael could clarify with Anita.


message 45: by Book Concierge (new)

Book Concierge (tessabookconcierge) | 8412 comments I have a question about voting in March ...
We will have already submitted our guesses for final four, final 2, and champion.

But we're starting with 8 pairs in each bracket. So, in March ... are we just getting to the 8 authors per bracket who will advance to the next round?

When will the succeeding rounds be held .... i.e. when do we go to four ... to two ... to champion?


message 46: by Hilde (new)

Hilde (hilded) | 472 comments @Peacejanz: Thank you so much for taking the time to elaborate, feeling much more enlightened now. Sounds like a lot of fun!

And yes, do tell me your team, and I will send good wishes your way 😊 I also like to watch some sports, but it’s more skiing, skating, handball and football (the European football that is) for me.


message 47: by Hilde (new)

Hilde (hilded) | 472 comments I am sad about Steinbeck (and Dickens) too. Thought Dickens were so obvious he wouldn’t need an extra vote. But it looks likes a really fun game, lots of authors on that list I’ve never even heard of.


message 48: by Anita (last edited Dec 29, 2021 02:18PM) (new)

Anita Pomerantz | 9280 comments Book Concierge wrote: "Cora wrote: "Is Michael Connolly spelled correctly? I had assumed that was the author of the Harry Bosch series, but that is spelled Connelly. There is a Michael Connolly in Good Reads, but that se..."

I'm quite sure it's the Harry Bosch Connelly . . .I will look through the submissions, but I'm betting it's my error.

Update: Yes, my typo. Sorry!!


message 49: by Anita (new)

Anita Pomerantz | 9280 comments Book Concierge wrote: "I have a question about voting in March ...
We will have already submitted our guesses for final four, final 2, and champion.

But we're starting with 8 pairs in each bracket. So, in March ... are ..."


Here's roughly how the schedule will go.

March 1 - voting begins
by Mid March - announce 32 winners
May 1 - voting begins
by Mid May - announce 16 winners
July 1 - voting begins
by Mid July - announce 8 winners
September 1 - voting begin
by Mid September - announce the final 4
November 1 - voting begins
by November 7 - announce the final 2
December 1 - voting begins
by December 7 - announce the Champion

The schedule compresses a bit at the end, but there will be much fewer choices on reading, and so I think it will work out fine.


message 50: by Linda (last edited Dec 29, 2021 05:50PM) (new)

Linda Nielson | 388 comments I have another question. If the author we think is going to be the winner is out in this first round are we unable to continue to be in the running to be a winner? We can then only vote for authors?
There are a lot of authors I have no clue who are.


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