Tournament of Books discussion
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2012 Books
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Brackets
Hi Jamie! What a coincidence! I emailed Kerry (at Hungry Like the Wolf) yesterday with my picks. It was a challenge trying to imagine how the brackets are going to play out since so much comes down to the argument put forward for each book. I always find I am caught between the literary giants (this year, Murakami, Barnes, Patchett, Eugenides...) and wanting the lesser-knowns to benefit from more attention (Last Brother, Open City...)So, FWIW...my picks:
Round 1 Winners
Sense of an Ending
Salvage the Bones
The Last Brother
The Stranger's Child
State of Wonder
Swamplandia!
The Marriage Plot
Open City
Round 2 Winners
Sense of an Ending
The Stranger's Child
State of Wonder
The Marriage Plot
Round 3 Winners and Zombies
Sense of an Ending
State of Wonder
The Last Brother (Zombie #1)
Open City (Zombie #2)
Zombie Round Winners (Finalists)
The Last Brother
State of Wonder
Champion
The Last Brother
Number of Votes (9-17) the Champion will receive:
13
Okay, here I go:Round One:
Sense of an Ending, Salvage the Bones, 1Q84, Tiger's Wife, State of Wonder, Swamplandia, Marriage Plot, Art of Fielding
Round Two:
Sense of an Ending, Tigers Wife, State of Wonder, Art of Fielding
Round Three:
Marriage Plot (Zombie), Tigers Wife, Art of Fielding State of Wonder (Zombie)
Finalist:
Tigers Wife, Marriage Plot
Champion:
Tigers Wife
Votes:
12
Ok, my predictions are:Round One:
Sense of and Ending, Salvage The Bones, 1Q84, The Tiger's Wife, State of Wonder, Swamplandia!, Marriage Plot, Art of Fielding
Rounds Two:
Sense of an Ending, The Tiger's Wife, State of Wonder, Marriage Plot
Round Three:
Tiger's Wife, Art of Fielding (zombie), Marriage Plot, Swamplandia! (zombie)
Finalist:
Tiger's Wife, Marriage Plot
Winner:
Marriage Plot (10 votes)
My personal picks (skipping ahead to Round 3, since there are a whole bunch of Rounds 1 books I haven't read/have no idea about):
Third Round:
Sense of Ending v. 1Q84
State of Wonder v. Marriage Plot
Zombies Round:
1Q84 v. Tiger's Wife (zombie)
Marriage Plot v. Stranger's Child (zombie)
Final: 1Q84 v. Marriage Plot
Champ: Marriage Plot
My contest entry for 2012ROUND 1
The Sense of an Ending, Salvage the Bones, 1Q84, The Stranger's Child, The Sisters Brothers, The Cat's Table, The Marriage Plot and Open City.
ROUND 2
The Sense of an Ending, The Stranger's Child, The Cat's Table and The Marriage Plot.
ROUND 3 & ZOMBIES
The Sense of an Ending, The Tiger's Wife (Zombie), The Marriage Plot and State of Wonder (Zombie)
ZOMBIE
The Sense of an Ending and The Marriage Plot
CHAMPION
The Marriage Plot
No. of Votes for Champion: 11
I'm still reading too--hoping to finish The Sense of an Ending and The Marriage Plot before the 7th.Round 1 Winners
The Devil All The TIme, Salvage the Bones, 1Q84, The Tiger’s Wife, The Sisters Brothers, Swamplandia!, The Marriage Plot, The Art of Fielding
Round 2 Winners
Salvage the Bones, 1Q84, The Sisters Brothers, The Art of Fielding
Round 3 Winners and Zombies
Salvage the Bones, 1Q84 (zombie), The Art of Fielding, State of Wonder (zombie)
Zombie Round Winners (Finalists)
Salvage the Bones, The Art of Fielding
Champion
Salvage the Bones
Winning Votes
15
Lydia, I hope you are correct on the overall winner. I am torn between Tiger's Wife and Salvage the Bones for my favorites. I would be more than happy to see either win.
Here are my brackets. I've only read 5 of the books, but I'm surprised at how little love Art Of Fielding is getting from the rest of your brackets.Round 1 Winners: Sense of an Ending, Lightning Rods, 1Q84, Tiger’s Wife, Sisters Brothers, Swamplandia, Marriage Plot, Art of Fielding
Round 2 Winners: Sense of an Ending, 1Q84, Swamplandia, Art of Fielding
Round 3 Winners and Zombies: 1Q84, Art of Fielding, Marriage Plot, State of Wonder
Zombie Round Winners (Finalists) 1Q84, Art of Fielding
Champion: Art of Fielding
Michelle wrote: "Lydia, I hope you are correct on the overall winner. I am torn between Tiger's Wife and Salvage the Bones for my favorites. I would be more than happy to see either win."
Well, that makes it even more disappointing that I didn't get to either of those. I'm still on the wait list (#2!) for the Tiger's Wife at the library. If it makes it past the first or second round I'll try to get to it before the end of the tournament.
Well, that makes it even more disappointing that I didn't get to either of those. I'm still on the wait list (#2!) for the Tiger's Wife at the library. If it makes it past the first or second round I'll try to get to it before the end of the tournament.
I am also running a contest around the ToB. The Forever Overhead Tournament of Books Contest round one picks must be submitted by 11:59pm (Central) on 3/6/12.Please feel free to participate in Hungry Like The Wolf's contest and mine!
Most of this year's contenders are really great and it's been hard to pick some over others, but there are a select few that seem to shine above the rest!
Here are my picks for the first round:
The Devil All The Time, Salvage the Bones, The Last Brother, Tiger's Wife, The Sisters Brothers, The Cat's Table, The Marriage Plot, The Art of Fielding
Round 1 WinnersSense of an Ending, Salvage the Bones, IQ84, Tiger's Wife, Sisters Brothers, Swamplandia!, Marriage Plot, and Art of Fielding
Round 2 Winners
Sense of an Ending, IQ84, Sisters Brothers, and Art of Fielding
Round 3 Winners and Zombies
Strangers Child(zombie), IQ84, Art of Fielding, and State of Wonder(zombie)
Zombie Round Winners (Finalists)
1Q84 and Art of Fielding
Champion
Art of Fielding
Number of Votes the Champion will receive:
10
I am terrible at this! Plus, I’ve only read 7 so far. My picks seem to be a combination of what I would like to see happen (Marriage Plot dies in round 1) and what I think will happen (Marriage Plot comes back for the final round) and basically giving the books I have read a leg up. I’m not even giving 1Q84 a chance after seeing so many thumbs downs...but who knows...it should be interesting!Round 1 Winners
The Sense of an Ending, Salvage the Bones, The Last Brother, The Stranger’s Child, State of Wonder, The Cat’s Table, Green Girl, The Art of Fielding
Round 2 Winners
The Sense of an Ending, The Stranger’s Child, State of Wonder, The Art of Fielding
Round 3 Winners and Zombies
The Stranger’s Child, State of Wonder, The Sense of an Ending (zombie), The Marriage Plot (zombie)
Zombie Round Winners (Finalists)
The Sense of an Ending, The Marriage Plot
Champion
The Sense of an Ending
Winning Votes
10
Here is my Hungry like a wolf entry:Round 1 winners - Sense of an Ending, Salvage the Bones, 1q84, Tiger's Wife, State of Wonder, Swamplandia, Marriage Plot, Art of Fielding
Round 2 winners- Sense of an Ending, 1Q84, State of Wonder, Art of Fielding
Round 3 / Zombie - Tiger's Wife, 1Q84, State of Wonder, Marriage Plot
Zombie round / Finalists - 1Q84, State of Wonder
Champion - 1Q84
Winning votes - 9
I love the unpredictability of this contest!
I read this article in the Guardian last week about why booing is actually a good thing. I admit that I'm much better at cheering than booing, even when attending sporting events about which I feel very strongly.
So, today's match has been judged, 1Q84 v. The Last Brother. I have only this to say:
Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!*
So, today's match has been judged, 1Q84 v. The Last Brother. I have only this to say:
Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!*
*you know, that does kind-of make me feel better!
Well, I have to come to the defense of 1Q84 and say I am very glad it survived this round. Of the 10 ToB books I managed, The Last Brother was my least favorite of the bunch. I won't mind if 1Q84 goes out next round to either Tiger's Wife or Stranger's Child, but really thought it would be a travesty if it didn't survive this match-up.Interesting discussion in today's match-up regarding ambition and "swinging for the fences." It's certainly something I factor in when rendering my final opinion about a book. This will certainly be the case for me with 1Q84 vs. either Tiger's Wife or Stranger's Child. Credited them all with being ambitious, but certainly felt there were some misses along the way. Makes for a more interesting reading experience that is for sure!
Ed wrote: "Well, I have to come to the defense of 1Q84 and say I am very glad it survived this round. Of the 10 ToB books I managed, The Last Brother was my least favorite of the bunch. I won't mind if 1Q84 g..."
I should have mentioned that I made my derisive comments without having read The Last Brother. Add to that the fact that I didn't finish 1Q84 and I'm almost entirely unqualified to even have an opinion on the matchup. (I just hated the first 3 novels' worth of that novel that I felt I had to weigh in!)
I love that there are books in the tournament that have people so divided!
I should have mentioned that I made my derisive comments without having read The Last Brother. Add to that the fact that I didn't finish 1Q84 and I'm almost entirely unqualified to even have an opinion on the matchup. (I just hated the first 3 novels' worth of that novel that I felt I had to weigh in!)
I love that there are books in the tournament that have people so divided!
Mr. Warner in his summary says, “Angrist has nothing but praise for The Last Brother, but in the end, Murakami wins because of the perceived ambition. He gets a lot of credit for taking a big swing and quite possibly missing.” To that I say Boooooooo.And regarding the outcome I can only say Boo Hoo, because I haven’t read 1Q84 and may possibly even like it if I attempt it at some point, but I really loved Last Brother and thought it was beautifully written. And of course, I chose it to win this first round for sentimental reasons (even though I knew in my heart 1Q84 would win). Now my first-round picks are falling by the wayside.
Hooray for Wil! He evens my bracket to two and two, though he dislikes State of Wonder way more than he should!
It seems like a ToB hallmark for the last second judging flip-flop for the winner, so found Wil giving it right up at the start to be quite refreshing! Agree the State of Wonder smackdown was a bit harsh, but suspect we haven't seen the last of Patchett. Have been the most flip-floppy of my non-read ToB books with Sisters Brothers. Overall opinions pretty darn mixed (but which book hasn't in ToB this year!)... personally not at big fan of the Western genre, but do like the Coen Brothers vibe. We shall see, my gut tells me it could win its next round.
Ed, you should really give The Sisters Brothers a shot. I was skeptical, too, since I'm not a Western fan, but I loved it. It's so well-written and it is a page-turner.
Judge Wheaton’s verdict was by far the most enjoyable to read so far in the 2012 tourney! And good for him for truly choosing a winner instead of being wishy-washy. But, yes, I also agree that he was a bit too hard on State of Wonder. (Although he nailed the problem of it being tremendously slow in the beginning.) I can see why he chose Sisters Brothers…it’s a surprisingly enjoyable read.
Given the judge, I thought this verdict was an easy pick and I was right. Every single person I talked to about State of Wonder thought it had major problems while I enjoyed it despite these problems. Sisters Brothers just had too many great moments to not win. My favorite is the scene where the one brother goes on a diet in hopes of winning a woman's heart, but a waiter will not give up--driving the poor dieter to the brink (not something you want to do to an assassin). Lucky it was the nicer brother!
Huh. So the judge and commentators really liked Swamplandia (for the most part), but in the comments section, most people seemed to pooh-pooh it. I’ve still got it sitting on my nightstand…should I actually delve in now that it’s moving forward? I wanted to like The Cat’s Table, but felt it was mediocre…not one of Ondaatje’s best.
I feel so unCanadian in saying so, but I really loathed The Cat's Table. It felt like a wasted opportunity that Ondaatje really didn't seize upon, to me. The accolades for the book have left me scratching my head more than once.
I picked the right book on my bracket, but the further away I get from both books the more I think that The Cat's Table is the stronger work. Swamplandia!'s too-many plot flaws lose to Ondaatje's stronger visuals and emotional hook.
So, for me, half a hooray for strengthening my bracket.
So, for me, half a hooray for strengthening my bracket.
I especially enjoyed the judge's remarks and the commentary that followed the Open City/Art of Fielding match. I predicted that Kang might be harder on a baseball book, despite feeling that it was the more engaging story.
But I enjoyed Open City enough that, because of the comments, I feel I need to read Sebald next. Never sounded that appealing to me before.
But I enjoyed Open City enough that, because of the comments, I feel I need to read Sebald next. Never sounded that appealing to me before.
Many years ago I read The Emigrants by Sebald and remember loving it—both for its engaging/enjoyable qualities and the technical skill of the writer. I don’t remember lots of thinking and wandering in that particular book, so maybe that technique is more prevalent in some of his other works, or maybe it didn’t stick out in my mind or distract me.Cole’s work may have been complex, but it didn’t always provide enjoyment. I didn’t mind the meandering in Cole’s Open City—what ruined it for me were the long tracts written in the tone of a dry history lecture. I was conversely bored to tears and totally captivated by this book. Unfortunately, what I remember most is my struggle to get through those passages with lots of dates and names and places. My eyes glassed over.
Have not had a chance to read Art of Fielding, so can’t say whether my fav triumphed today or not.
Favorite line from today’s commentary: “Readers who decide books must be good if they don’t enjoy them are exactly why Rick Santorum doesn’t think anyone should go to college.”
That's two wins for Lightning Rods and still no commentary that makes me want to read it.
I totally agree! I will go back and pick up Open City, but I doubt I will pick up Lighning Rods even if it wins the whole shebang. Just not a subject matter I care to read.That said, I had a suspicion that Roxy Reno would like it so, in 4everoverhead's brackets I did pick it to win!
Crossing my fingers for Tigers Wife tomorrow.
Ugh. Lightning Rods had its moments, but I can't recommend it. I agree with one of the commentators that it’s a real shame that Sense of an Ending had to go down this way. Michelle, I’m rooting for Tiger’s Wife, too! (Although I haven’t started 1Q84 yet…)
I have to admit, I scrolled down to see who won between 1Q84 and the Tiger's Wife. I'm not even going to read the judgment and commentary today.
Yes, I went ahead and read the judges decision and decided not to read the commentary. I am disappointed...
I thought I heard screams from the East as I woke up this morning. While the books have been pretty divisive this year, it just seems like the books advancing are the ones that will tick off the most folks, ha! Granted I likely would have made the same choice today (ducks and covers!), but now I wouldn't be surprised if Swamplandia and Open City round out the semis. (BTW, thanks to all who encouraged me to give Sisters Brothers a try... enjoying it thus far!)
It's a good thing you ducked, Ed. I just flung a ten-pound book in the general direction of Arizona.
I did go back and read the judge's rationale and I'm relieved to see that she actually liked the book, rather than giving it a victory based on ambition over quality. That was frustrating.
I did go back and read the judge's rationale and I'm relieved to see that she actually liked the book, rather than giving it a victory based on ambition over quality. That was frustrating.
TOB redeemed! I had the Sisters Brothers/Swamplandia! matchup wrong on my bracket but right in my heart. (I filled out the brackets before finishing the latter novel.) Way to go, Judge Mazzoli!
Well, I am currently on my 11th ToB book and somehow have only read 1.5 of the semifinalists! Tho I am taking some comfort that I can still go 4 for 4 in the zombie round. What book left do you think can knock out Wonder or Fielding? I am thinking Sisters Brothers as I can't imagine the other 3 have widespread support (not that I would have thought that about Sisters Bros going into ToB).Now tempted to give Open City a try. The first round didn't do much to sway me, but this judging did (perhaps because I felt strongly about Marriage Plot).
I think the right books are winning - even if I didn't pick them on my bracket. I tried, this year, to know a bit about the judges and to let that influence who I thought would win each round. That led me to pick some books to win that I thought were inferior. This is true of the Marriage Plot and Open City.
With greater distance from each, too, Open City is waxing and Marriage Plot waning. Part of that is getting to know what a thought-provoking person Teju Cole is outside of this novel.
With greater distance from each, too, Open City is waxing and Marriage Plot waning. Part of that is getting to know what a thought-provoking person Teju Cole is outside of this novel.
With apologies to my wife, my children, extended family, friends - most of whom I am tremendously fond - Judge Michelle Orange, arbiter of the fates of Lightning Rods (which I have not even read) and 1Q84, is henceforth my favorite human being in the world. I haven't read her books, but she is my favorite author. I don't know what she looks like, but she is the most beautiful woman in the world. I don't know how she treats people or the planet, whether she's involved in her community in the slightest, but she's our greatest citizen. (The "our" = the human race.) If it wouldn't annoy her, I'd recommend that she be presented with a slow clap wherever she goes for the next 365 days.
E. Lockhart, when 1Q84 comes back as a zombie, you will have an opportunity to share that pedestal.
E. Lockhart, when 1Q84 comes back as a zombie, you will have an opportunity to share that pedestal.
1Q84 can't come back as a zombie. State of Wonder and The Art of Fielding are still in the lead. 1Q84 is done!
Whew! I am kind of glad that 1Q84 is gone, as I am tired of feeling like an idiot for having liked it. But even more amused that a novel about anonymous/glory-hole sex (even satiric) is the higher ground that took it out, ha ha! (or as the Little People would say...ho ho!) March Madness, indeed! :-)
Gayla, I don't know how you know that about zombies. Was that somewhere on the TOB site? [Edit: I missed that last comment from the color commentary today. I really thought 1Q84 and State of Wonder would be the zombies. Would have put money on it.]
Ed, you almost had me convinced that I should finish it (someday). I don't think you should feel like an idiot for liking a book. Any book. Sorry if my vitriol made you feel that way.
Ed, you almost had me convinced that I should finish it (someday). I don't think you should feel like an idiot for liking a book. Any book. Sorry if my vitriol made you feel that way.
No worries Jamie! I have enjoyed the passionate discourse about all the books, but particularly 1Q84. It not being much beloved here + the largely negative pile-on in the comments after each of the 3 rounds of judging that made me wonder... perhaps, "odd man out" would have been a better choice than "idiot"! (was nary thru my first cup of joe when I responded this morning). I think the Tiger's Wife judgment best summed up the qualities I enjoyed about 1Q84.I am not sure I would recommend finishing it (ever), haha... in fact, I just had a friend start it here on Goodreads and I immediately msg'd her hoping it was not based on my review/rating. It's certainly not a book I would unequivocally recommend!
re: the Zombies (if I beat Gayla to the punch after my ramble), they have been revealing who's in the lead at the end of the match commentary. Given what they said on Friday combined with 1Q84 now being D.O.A, there's still the possibility of the zombie coming from tomorrow's Sisters Brothers/Open City match-up. Guessing it would be be Sis Bros, otherwise it is Wonder and Fielding.
And here I started 1Q84 over the weekend, assuming that it would kick Lightning Rod’s butt. Oh well. I do plan to continue 1Q84 but here’s my game plan: I intend to read the book as if it’s 3 separate books in a series (which is also out of necessity, because there is no way I’ll be able to finish the whole book before it’s due back to the library). So, the three sections will have to get read with many months in between while I wait (again) to get 1Q84 back out from the library.After having only read Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, I am not in either the “love” or “hate” camps for Murakami…I’m a bit indifferent at this point…
Yeesh, I'm having to play catch-up! Again, was proud of myself for reading 10 of the 16 before ToB got underway, but of those 10 only had 1 book in the semis and zombie rounds. Good thing I finished Sisters Brothers yesterday (review pending, spoiler alert: loved it) to bump things up to 2 books in each round... and just started Open City last night, which appears to be a wise decision (tho it made me skip a big chunk of the judging/commentary today). Glad to see Sisters Bros returning ... and while had issues with both Wonder or Fielding, almost would have preferred for Wonder back in the mix. After all these ToB reads, Fielding has faded for me.
Yes, I skipped most of the judging today too. I won't get to start Open City until Friday or Saturday so I probably won't look at the commentary on Thursday and Friday until after I finish reading it. Hope Sisters Brothers wacks Lighning Rods.
Good grief, I, too, hope that Sisters Brothers finally kicks Lightning Rods out of this tourney forever!
Michelle wrote: "Yeah!"I was getting really worried as I started reading the judge's first few paragraphs praising Lightning Rods! Good riddance.
Definitely happy with today's result as well and yet another review/judging that says what I was thinking/wanting to say about a book, but far more eloquently. Even tho just started Open City (40-ish pages in - liking it, but can see why it would drive folks nuts), I would be happy with it or Sis Bros getting the Rooster... after all these ToB books, Fielding is now striking me as merely "good" and "like-able."
Funny, I rated Fielding higher in my review than Sis Bros. I listened to SB on audio and some of it irritated me and the story line was, in my opinion, absurd, but I loved, loved loved Eli. Fielding on the other hand was an easy read and I liked Henry and Mike, but they left no lasting impression on me. So, I really hope SB takes the rooster. I may not "peek" at the results for the next two days thought, as I am driving to Texas on Friday and will have 12 hours to listen to the 9 hours of Open City.
May the best book win!
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I am much less than confident, and I'm still trying to finish books 9 and 10 of 16, but here they are. I've italicized the books I've read.
Round 1 Winners
Sense of an Ending, Salvage the Bones, Last Brother, Tiger's Wife, Sisters Brothers, Swamplandia!, Marriage Plot, and Open City
Round 2 Winners
Sense of an Ending, Last Brother, Swamplandia!, and Marriage Plot
Round 3 Winners and Zombies
1Q84(zombie), Sense of an Ending, Marriage Plot, and State of Wonder(zombie)
Zombie Round Winners (Finalists)
1Q84 and Marriage Plot
Champion
Marriage Plot
Number of Votes (9-17) the Champion will receive:
9