Tournament of Books discussion
2024 ToB
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2024 TOB Shortlist
Risa wrote: "Lauren wrote: "C wrote: "I believe the Occupy book you don't want to remember is 'Overthrow' by Caleb Crain. :D"Yes, you are correct! lol"
I had blocked it from memory. SIGH."
I read it on kindle, and it felt like it was 987 pages long. ;)
It's been a while, but I seem to remember that the book put the whole Occupy movement and income inequality and all those issues much secondary to whether the main character was able to kiss that cute boy or not
Kyle wrote: "It's been a while, but I seem to remember that the book put the whole Occupy movement and income inequality and all those issues much secondary to whether the main character was able to kiss that c..."This is the first thing I've heard about the book that makes me want to read it.
Alison wrote: "C wrote: "Sooooo.... sorry in advance, but in case any of you missed these lists. For your consideration for 2025 ToB: 1 ) https://electricliterature.com/75-boo......"
But Alison, finding out about all the books you need to read IS PRODUCTIVE. haha.
C wrote: "But Alison, finding out about all the books you need to read IS PRODUCTIVE. haha."THIS
As far as book quality goes for this year, I think my biggest difference between this year and others isn't so much the number of books exceeding my expectations, it's the fact that, historically, plenty of books did not blow me away but I appreciated what they were doing and enjoyed them enough to get that middle ground 3 star review. This year is just way more 2 stars where I feel let down by a book. Maybe I am getting grumpier.
Interesting about the meh's. I've found this year to be much better in terms of DNFs so far...I'm only 7 or 8 books in and have skipped Brainwyrms, Boys Weekend, Monstrilio, Shamshine, and Auburn because those aren't calling me. While that's 5 right there that could sway me another way, for now, I'm in the warm cradle of Heaven and Earth, and having just finished Dayswork, which was *lovely,* I'm perhaps still in the honeymoon phase. Just got my hard copy of Blackouts and am really excited to jump in.
Karen wrote: "I Just got my hard copy of Blackouts and am really excited to jump in...."I'm about a third of the way in and it's charming me.
Welp, I made it about 75% through Brainwyrms before giving up (which I'm going to call "read"). I really tried, but the book felt like it was actively trying to get me to dislike it by continuing to throw another intense, violent, disgusting thing at me. I was surprised the worms were one of the things that bothered me the least. The TOB discussion will be interesting. Especially against Chain Gang All Stars, which also has a lot of violence but nothing like Brainwyrms.In other news, I read half of The Guest in one day and can't wait to finish. I'm surprised to be so hooked considering how much I dislike the main character.
Happy Pub Day to Lark for Poor Deer coming out today! I preordered a print copy from my favorite local bookstore and will likely get the audio version as well. I apologize for not getting to the ebook ARC before today. I accidentally got a bunch of other ones from NetGalley with due dates sooner, and I've had an aversion to kindle/ebook format reading lately. But I will read it soon and will of course leave a review. As I found Chouette to be one of the best books I've ever read, I am thrilled to see what you came up with for this one.
Congrats and cheers to you!
Lauren wrote: "Happy Pub Day to Lark for Poor Deer coming out today! I preordered a print copy from my favorite local bookstore and will likely get the audio version as well. I apologize for no..."
My hard copy came yesterday, a day early, and I got the audio this morning (which I’m loving!) For anyone in the NLF group, we’ll be doing a buddy read this month so I hope you’ll join us!
Bretnie wrote: "Welp, I made it about 75% through Brainwyrms before giving up (which I'm going to call "read"). I really tried, but the book felt like it was actively trying to get me to dislike it by continuing t..."Bretnie, I am shaking your hand for managing to get that far in. That is tenacity! Who is that book meant for? Why is it part of TOB? I understand the love of horror when it’s fun, but this just sounds like pure misery.
Thanks, Lauren. Thanks, Elizabeth.true fact about this book that I will only share here, among friends: in early drafts "Poor Deer" was a moose named "Spence"
Lark wrote: "Thanks, Lauren. Thanks, Elizabeth.true fact about this book that I will only share here, among friends: in early drafts "Poor Deer" was a moose named "Spence""
Aw... Maybe Spence can make an appearance in the next book. ;) Thanks for sharing!
Ah, a moose named Spence??!! I was also excited that today is pub day for 'Poor Deer'!!! I hardly ever remember specific pub days for books. :D
Please don't share outside of our little corner that the magisterial and mysterious and tragic Poor Deer started her fictional life as a wise-cracking (male) cousin of BullwinkleThere is still a moose in this novel but he is a tiny remnant of his former self
Elizabeth wrote: "Bretnie, I am shaking your hand for managing to get that far in. That is tenacity! Who is that book meant for? Why is it part of TOB? I understand the love of horror when it’s fun, but this just sounds like pure misery."I got a kick out of scanning the 3, 4, and 5 star reviews, which seemed to be "this book was horrifying and disgusting and I liked/loved it." So I think it's meant for a small overlapping venn diagram of people who like horror, and are into some kink, and are ok with some violence and disturbing themes.
I'm thinking like - I read books that are sad and depressing sometimes - I might cry and it might be hard and I might not say I "enjoyed" reading it, but it moves me and makes me feel which makes me say it was a good book. Some people just need more from a book to move them?
Why it's in the TOB is a whole other question I can't theorize...
Bretnie wrote: "Why it's in the TOB is a whole other question I can't theorize......"I know I've been defending this year's list as just as good as the list in years past, but this year there are a few books that do make me wonder if they have less time to spend choosing books? And Brainwyrms was the edgy book for this year. Last year brought us Manhunt, but that had a history and reputation that made it reasonable ToB fodder. This and Cold People seem chosen more as random representatives than of choices that required at least a conversation.
OTOH, Blackouts was wonderful and I'm so glad I was pushed to read it. This is the kind of book I always mean to read, but somehow never get around to reading.
I'm close to the end of North Woods and, as with some of the rest of you, am salty that it didn't make the short list. Or even the long list!Birnam Wood, Same Bed Different Dreams, Wellness, and Land of Milk and Honey, so far, are longlist books I've liked more than most/all of the shortlist.
Because of the order of how things were sent from the library, I just made my way through the Queer Horror section of our short list back to back to back. Boys Weekend (fine and fast!), Monstrilio (tender and moving), and Brianwyrms, for which I kind of feel like I need to post a short, spirited defense. It was hard for me to get through - goriness is not my thing at all - but after reading the whole thing, I was really struck by the comparison of transphobia to a ravenous parasite that makes its hosts go violently mad. I don't think I've ever read anything that merited the upfront warning like this book, but that's appropriate when you're trying to use horror to depict the real-life terrors of creeping fascism and deadly transphobia. The book won't be for everyone - I'm not even sure it's for me - but looking headlong into the terrors of today, the author stuck to the courage of her unwavering convictions in ways I appreciated (and ways I'm not sure her first round opponent fully accomplished.)
Anyway, your mileage may vary, but at the very least, I see why it was included on the shortlist and don't begrudge its inclusion at all.
That said, I need to settle into a nice book in which a queer person/mountain lion is not at all traumatized. Between the 3 books above, and Big Swiss, Chain Gang, Blackouts, and Open Throat, the community is really going through it this year.
Zachary wrote: "Because of the order of how things were sent from the library, I just made my way through the Queer Horror section of our short list back to back to back. Boys Weekend (fine and fast!), Monstrilio ..."I was really hoping you'd weigh in on this, Zach, thank you. I know this isn't the book for me, but it's great to hear your perspective.
(Even for those who couldn't get through Brainwyrms, I highly recommend Rumfitt's 2022 book Tell Me I’m Worthless. It was hard to read, but so well done.)
Elizabeth wrote: "Zachary wrote: "Because of the order of how things were sent from the library, I just made my way through the Queer Horror section of our short list back to back to back. Boys Weekend (fine and fas..."I am always trying to reconcile my competing instincts of, "Life is Short - I don't want to read violence or horror!" and "Be open-minded! Stretch your literary boundaries!".
I've decided that when it comes to Brainwyrms, I am in the former camp. (However, I appreciated Zach's defense of it.) I did force myself to read "Chain Gang", and, though the violence was, as expected, not for me, I'm not sorry I read it.
What is the judging order of these books? I know the play-in round goes first but then from there does it start at the bottom right, top left, or what? I'm trying to prioritize the order that I read these in, ha.
Top to bottom, left to right - on the bracket.
Please give me back the time I spent reading Cold People.
Audra wrote: "Please give me back the time I spent reading Cold People."Thank you for validating my instinct to give this one a Pass. I appreciate your service!
Audra wrote: "Please give me back the time I spent reading Cold People."We will live shorter, less happy lives having read that terrible book.
Audra wrote: "Please give me back the time I spent reading Cold People."LOL I liked that book!! I really liked the thought experiment "how could humans survive on Antarctica if they had no time to prepare before arriving?"
Nadine in NY wrote: "Audra wrote: "Please give me back the time I spent reading Cold People."LOL I liked that book!! I really liked the thought experiment "how could humans survive on Antarctica if they had no time ..."
They couldn't. There book over in 2 words.
Nadine in NY wrote: "I really liked the thought experiment "how could humans survive on Antarctica if they had no time ..."I would have really liked a book about that. In the copy I read, they arrived on the shores and then the story jumped forward 20 years.
Nadine, you’re not alone! I liked the book more than I expected after reading all the reviews in this group. I liked the survival aspects. It was a quick and mostly entertaining read (though I didn’t like where the book went in the last 25%)..
I've fallen off from reading the short-list recently, but should hopefully pick up The Guest shortly. I got sidetracked by books I already owned, more fool me.
Me too!! I’ve got 6 books to read and I got back to it last night. Read the first 65 pages of Cold People. I guess I’m going to be in the crowd that likes it. So far so good. Cool (haha) concept.
So now I’m on page 152 of Cold People and I really like it! The passage I just read is about the ships all connected together in the McMurdo harbor and it reminds me of China Mieville’s The Scar. There too, many ships are connected forming a floating city for the purpose of protection. It’s a great image.
Alison wrote: "Nadine in NY wrote: "I really liked the thought experiment "how could humans survive on Antarctica if they had no time ..."I would have really liked a book about that. In the copy I read, they ar..."
Yes, kind of an easy and lazy out, though I was already not buying it by that point.
Yes but it went back again and discussed those 20 years from at least 2 POVs. That’s something I like about the book. The jumping forward and backward several times.
Bryn wrote: "Yes but it went back again and discussed those 20 years from at least 2 POVs. That’s something I like about the book. The jumping forward and backward several times."It sort of did? But in broad strokes, emphasizing how they had to let a lot of people die. The human story was utterly lost. There was great potential and interesting ideas presented but no follow through. We can imagine a better book, but we can only judge this one on what it did, not on what it might have done.
Slightly off topic, but look how our own Lark has made it into the NYT.https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/18/bo...
Alison wrote: "Slightly off topic, but look how our own Lark has made it into the NYT.https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/18/bo..."
That’s amazing! They also got a fantastic full page review in NYT a couple of weeks ago. (I’ve read it twice, and loved it even more the second time.)
All this Cold People talk actually has me interested in reading it. And here I was going to cut down my shortlist reading...The Guest is pretty good so far. It interests/repels me for the same reasons that Yellowface did - seeing an unsympathetic character make bad choices and dig herself deeper. Sometimes i feel like I'm reading by peeking through my fingers.
Alison wrote: "Slightly off topic, but look how our own Lark has made it into the NYT.I’ve got mine….
The Librarianist is $2.99 for kindle deals today for those that care!
I just saw Poor Deer on a BookTube video of someone visiting a B&N, face out at the end of an aisle. I literally squealed! My famous inordinately talented friend.
Elizabeth wrote: "I just saw Poor Deer on a BookTube video of someone visiting a B&N, face out at the end of an aisle. I literally squealed! My famous inordinately talented friend."I love this Elizabeth! I would do the same thing!
Cheers to that recognition, Lark! I have my print copy waiting for me at Black Pearl Books, which I’ll be picking up tomorrow or Thursday. So excited to dig in. :)
Tournament of Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Frankenstein in Baghdad (other topics)Tyll (other topics)
Tell Me I’m Worthless (other topics)
Poor Deer (other topics)
Chouette (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Ahmed Saadawi (other topics)Paz Pardo (other topics)
Michiko Aoyama (other topics)
Debra Magpie Earling (other topics)
Patrick deWitt (other topics)
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I found Elizabeth's breakdown helpful. It's been nearly 20 years since I've taken statistics, but I'm interested in whether it's possible to say that this year's short list is "statistically significant" in its level of disappointment compared to previous years. I don't know if we need a standard deviation to decide that, or what that would look like, but I think Elizabeth's list shows that 2021 was a stand-out year for her.
Since we all have our own opinions on the books, I can only speak to my own ratings/preferences, but I feel like this year is standing out. I'll update when I'm done with the list, but of those six remaining, one I've already DNF'd but will attempt a second time with low expectations, one I've started but is painfully slow and confusing, one is totally not for me, another one is likely not for me, and so there's really only one or two books left that have a chance of being another five-star read (or even four-star read) for this year's list (Blackouts. I have my hopes set on Blackouts but still can't get my copy.)
2024: 4/12
2023: 10/18
2022: 13/18
2021: 14/18
2020: 12/18
2019: 12/18
So, even if I add one or two more 4 or 5-star reads for this year, I feel like I can complain with confidence and light math to back me up. ;)
Thank you for allowing this nerdy Ted Talk today. Now I'm excited to check out these other 2024 lists C posted.