2024 TOB Shortlist

[Bob]

Boy--I've finished 15/18. I got the McBride on deck starting today. Looks like I'm gonna miss out on Sacajewea and Mermaid. Unless...Sacajewea gets judged on the 12th, and Mermaid on the 18th? Seems like I might have plenty of time. Maybe audio...

[Zachary]

I'm at peace with not being a completist this year at 15/18. Maybe I'll end up picking up Cold People if enough people identify it as "so bad that it's good" in the comments? As always, I can't wait for the tournament to start, but this was my least favorite shorty in a minute.

Monstrilio was my favorite book that I wouldn't have read but for the tournament. And Dayswork was what I like to call my "price of admission" book - my least favorite that I read just to be a part of the conversation. My order of preference would go something like this below, with the top half being ones I really enjoyed:

Blackouts
The Guest
Big Swiss
The Bee Sting
Monstrilio
Open Throat
Heaven and Earth Grocery Store
American Mermaid

Chain Gang All Stars
What You Are Looking For Is in the Library
BrainWyrms
Boys Weekend
The Shamshine Blind
Lost Journals of Sacajawea
Dayswork

[Kyle]

Don't know if this has been brought up just yet, but could we make a 2025 Contenders discussion thread? I only ask because my copy of Wandering Stars (Tommy Orange) just came in.

[Alison]

Kyle wrote: "Don't know if this has been brought up just yet, but could we make a 2025 Contenders discussion thread? I only ask because my copy of Wandering Stars (Tommy Orange) just came in."

A lot of new novels by ToB favorites coming out this year.

[Bryn]

Just in time, I am a completist. Yay! However, it is going to take me a long time to get the images from Brainwyrms out of my head.

[Phyllis]

You and me both, Bryn. Congratulations!!!

[Alison]

Bryn wrote: "Just in time, I am a completist. Yay! However, it is going to take me a long time to get the images from Brainwyrms out of my head."

Congratulations! And thanks for reinforcing my decision to skip that one.

[Lauren]

Kyle wrote: "Don't know if this has been brought up just yet, but could we make a 2025 Contenders discussion thread? I only ask because my copy of Wandering Stars (Tommy Orange) just came in."

I just made one! Hopefully I did it right. It always takes a minute to figure out...

[Audra]

Bryn wrote: "Just in time, I am a completist. Yay! However, it is going to take me a long time to get the images from Brainwyrms out of my head."
I'm calling myself a comletist with that one more than half done. It's still on my nightstand but I don't see myself picking it up again.

[Jennifer]

Are you all feeling the excitement today? I'm a long-time lurker (though I read all the comments, belatedly in digest form). I usually only read 8-12 of the books any given year, but this year all I have left are Brainwyrms, The Bee Sting, Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, and Shamshine Blind. I have all in my possession and started Brainwyrms (yikes), and will definitely read Heaven & Earth in the next few days. Which I call for winning even without having read it- we shall see? I actually really enjoyed many of the books this year- not a lot of five star reads but some I would never have found without the competition. Dayswork and Lost Journals of Sacajewea for sure were interesting. Blackouts took me two tries to get into, but ultimately was so fascinating. I also really loved the Auburn Conference (but then I was in an English PhD program for a while doing Victorian studies, so that tracks). Boys Weekend made me laugh hard, and I found the constant Melville of this year's TOB to be perplexing and fun, and made me very glad I read Moby-Dick a few summers back. Anyways- hello. So READY for today's judgment!

[Gwendolyn]

Jennifer wrote: "Are you all feeling the excitement today? I'm a long-time lurker (though I read all the comments, belatedly in digest form). I usually only read 8-12 of the books any given year, but this year all ..."

Yes, I am excited too! Glad you enjoyed The Auburn Conference. I was wondering who the right reader for that one would be, and now I know. I didn’t hate it, but I was pretty bored getting through it. I also picked Heaven & Earth to win. We shall see!

[Kyle]

Well, that judge sure loved the winner. More, I think, than anyone in this group did.

(Do we have topics for the matches yet?)

[Bryn]

Not me! I chose The Librarianist to win also. I love Bob!!

[Heather]

Kyle wrote: "Well, that judge sure loved the winner. More, I think, than anyone in this group did.

(Do we have topics for the matches yet?)"

I loved The Librarianist! It was my favorite book of last year, and definitely my favorite of the tournament.

[Kim]

I loved the Librarianist, too! My favorite of the tournament! I did also love Bee, just not quite as much.

[Lauren]

Kyle wrote: "Well, that judge sure loved the winner. More, I think, than anyone in this group did.

(Do we have topics for the matches yet?)"

No, and I'm short on time today. I think anyone can add those (don't need to be an admin). Does anyone have time to do that today?

And has the first judgment already been posted?? I don't see it.

[Karin]

Lauren wrote: "Kyle wrote: "Well, that judge sure loved the winner. More, I think, than anyone in this group did.

(Do we have topics for the matches yet?)"

No, and I'm short on time today. I think anyone can a..."

https://www.tournamentofbooks.com/202...

[Lauren]

Lauren wrote: "Kyle wrote: "Well, that judge sure loved the winner. More, I think, than anyone in this group did.

(Do we have topics for the matches yet?)"

No, and I'm short on time today. I think anyone can a..."

Nevermind, I just found it in Discord:

https://www.tournamentofbooks.com/202...

[Bob]

As a Librarian named Bob, you bet your self-checkout I picked Librarianist!

[Phyllis]

Lauren wrote: "Kyle wrote: "Well, that judge sure loved the winner. More, I think, than anyone in this group did.

(Do we have topics for the matches yet?)"

No, and I'm short on time today. I think anyone can a..."

I added a discussion page for the play-in round. I'll also set up the other discussion pages.

[Lauren]

Thank you, Phyllis!!

[Elizabeth]

Thanks so much for all you’ve done the past few days, Phyllis! ❤️

[Bretnie]

I finished The Bee Sting today, which was my 18th book and closes out the list for me.

I was going to skip it, but since others had good things to say about it, I went for it. I'm glad I read it, but I had a lot of issues with it - I hope it stays as a zombie so I can participate in a late discussion of it!

[Caroline]

Generally bummed that I didn't like a single book in the tournament this year (esp when my 3 favorite reads of 2023 were new fiction that could have been eligible) but glad to see that the show goes on.

[Phyllis]

OK, Caroline, now you have to tell us what your three favorite reads of 2023 were.

[Risa]

Phyllis wrote: "OK, Caroline, now you have to tell us what your three favorite reads of 2023 were."

Agreed! The People Need to Know! :-)

[Caroline]

ooh, well -- 'Wellness' by Nathan Hill was on the long list, 'Confidence' by Rafael Frumkin was the book that was *drugs* for me (and the one I want everyone who liked 'The Guest' to read), and the third one was a science fiction book 'Some Desperate Glory' by Emily Tesh.

[Risa]

Caroline wrote: "ooh, well -- 'Wellness' by Nathan Hill was on the long list, 'Confidence' by Rafael Frumkin was the book that was *drugs* for me (and the one I want everyone who liked 'The Guest' to read), and the..."

Well, now, Caroline, you sold me on "Confidence". "Wellness" was already near the top of my TBR list. I am hoping it makes it into the ToF bracket because that will be the push that I need to take on another doorstopper.

[Chrissy]

Wellness is a shoe-in based on early voting!

[Caroline]

'Wellness' is for sure a doorstopper but it doesn't feel like one because it's giving you something new in every section (I read the audio which was really well done and hard to turn off.)

Confidence (which just came out in paperback!) isn't superficially that much like the Guest but they're both about self-deluding scammers trying to fake their way through whatever passes for an economy.

[Kyle]

I'm excited for the ToF, cause 2023 was a great year for books... even if not for the Tournament.

[BitterAndMurky]

Who is the author of Confidence?

[Risa]

BitterAndMurky wrote: "Who is the author of Confidence?"

Rafael Frumkin

[BitterAndMurky]

Thanks!

[Bob]

Uhhh anyone watch Jimmy Fallon tonight? He’s unveiled a book-themed bracket-style tournament where viewers pick winners until there’s one book left, and that will be the Fallon Book Club pick for Spring: https://people.com/jimmy-fallon-annou...

[Karen]

Aaack!!

[Chrissy]

I'm OK with famous people encouraging their fans to read good books.

[Nadine in NY]

Bob wrote: "Uhhh anyone watch Jimmy Fallon tonight? He’s unveiled a book-themed bracket-style tournament where viewers pick winners until there’s one book left, and that will be the Fallon Book Club pick for S..."



I voted! I voted on every single pair and then it said I could vote 9 more times and that seemed excessive. I wonder why they set it up like that?

[Nadine in California]

Interesting selection - I'm going to have to look up the many I've never heard of. It doesn't work quite like the ToB - people vote for each book in the bracket, but it's only the winner that gets read by the group. I wonder about a lot of things - if he'll be talking about each book through the month - interview the author, etc. so more viewers are enticed to read it. I wonder how the books got chosen - it's a great marketing strategy. I don't watch Jimmy Fallon, but maybe he'll post segments on Youtube.

[Karin]

Nadine in NY wrote: "Bob wrote: "Uhhh anyone watch Jimmy Fallon tonight? He’s unveiled a book-themed bracket-style tournament where viewers pick winners until there’s one book left, and that will be the Fallon Book Clu..."

I thought it was excessive too. But I love the idea! Like Chrissy said, I am also all for celebs encouraging people to read. I thought the books were pretty interesting and diverse in genre.

[Elizabeth]

I love this! I hadn't heard of or read many of the books, but I voted 5 times because there's a small chance my votes might push James and Wandering Stars over the edge, and everyone needs to read them.

[Zachary]

Electric Lit is also doing a books bracket called March Sadness, looking for the saddest book of all time. https://x.com/ElectricLit/status/1772...

[Karen]

Chrissy wrote: "I'm OK with famous people encouraging their fans to read good books."
you know, that's a better way to think about it. (Unless it violates TOB IP, in which case, I'm enraged. lol)

[Audra]

Elizabeth wrote: "I love this! I hadn't heard of or read many of the books, but I voted 5 times because there's a small chance my votes might push James and Wandering Stars over the edge, and everyone needs to read ..."

Did they do that last year as well? I remember The Great Believers being in the running.

[Risa]

Zachary wrote: "Electric Lit is also doing a books bracket called March Sadness, looking for the saddest book of all time. https://x.com/ElectricLit/status/1772..."

I haven't clicked on the link yet, but ... it's gotta be "A Little Life", right?

[Kyle]

I dunno, by the end I found it kind of funny.

[Zachary]

Risa wrote: "Zachary wrote: "Electric Lit is also doing a books bracket called March Sadness, looking for the saddest book of all time. https://x.com/ElectricLit/status/1772..."

I haven't clic..."

It's actually losing this round to Anna Karenina!

[Risa]

I mean, AK is, indeed sad, but …ALL is rip your heart out and feed it through a Cuisinart sad.

[Audra]

I DNFed ALL

[Phyllis]

How come “Prophet Song” isn’t on their list? Man, was that sad. Could it be the US publication date cut off?