Tournament of Books discussion

Longlist released ~7:20am PST 11/18/2019 (for when we're trying to guess 2020's release!)

All This Could Be Yours by Jami Attenberg
Bangkok Wakes to Rain by Pitchaya Sudbanthad
Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
Black Light:Stories by Kimberly King Parsons
Blood & Sugar by Laura Shepherd-Robinson
A Cosmology of Monsters by Shaun Hamill
Death is Hard Work by Khaled Khalifa
Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips
Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellmann
Exhalation:Stories41160292 by Ted Chiang
Fleishman Is in Trouble by Taffy Akner
A Girl Returned by Donatella Di Pietrantonio
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
Golden State by Ben H. Winters
Home Remedies by Xuan Juliana Wang
Honey in the Carcase by Josip Novakovich
In at the Deep End by Kate Davies
Inland by Tea Obreht
King of Joy by Richard Chiem
Last of Her Name by Mimi Lok
Let's Tell This Story Properly by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli
Lot by Bryan Washington
Mary Toft; or, the Rabbit Queen by Dexter Palmer
The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo
Mostly Dead Things by Kristen Arnett
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
The Night Swimmers by Peter Rock
Normal People by Sally Rooney
Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell
Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
Optic Nerve by Maria Gainza
The Other Americans by Laila Lalami
Oval by Elvia Wilk
Overthrow by Caleb Crain
The Parisian by Isabella Hammad
Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn
Pigs by Johanna Stoberock
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
The Remainder by Alia Trabucco Zeran
Riots I Have Known by Ryan Chapman
Rules for Visiting by Jessica Francis Kane
Sabrina & Corina by Kali Fajardo-Anstine
Same Same by Peter Mendelsund
Saudade by Suneeta Peres da Costa
Say Say Say by Lila Savage
Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Damaged Glory by Raphael Bob-Waksberg
Tears of the Trufflepig by author:Fernando A. Flores]
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
Trump Sky Alpha by Mark Doten
Trust Exercise by Susan Choi
The Unpassing by Chia-Chia Lin
Very Nice by Marcy Dermansky
The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
We Cast a Shadow by Maurice Carlos Ruffin
What is Missing by Michael Frank
When All is Said by Anne Griffin
A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum
Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha

Andrew just said “a few days” so very soon!

Thanks Amy, I'm excited! I'm always interested to see whether there are any unexpected gems.

I'm mostly excited for the discussion...It seems like it's been a quiet year around here, and no real crowd favorites like there have been in previous years. But I think it's been a pretty good year in books, quite a few that I loved that I hope will make the shortlist and go far.

Wow, hard to believe it is "that time" already!

Yep sounds like longlist ~2 weeks from now and then mid-Dec for shortlist so we’ll have a little less than a month for the shortlist contest and to put all our best guesses on hold. Powell’s hasn’t done a TOB discount in a couple of years but shortlist before Christmas raises the chances I’ll get some deals when I spend all my money on the bracket.

I’ve been MIA for quite a while. I spent most of the summer reading books about the countries I’d be traveling to in September, then I was traveling, then I was too sick to read for a week or so but I’m back now! I expect I will be way behind on ToB reading this year. It’s a good thing I retired in June. And I still have some money on the Powell’s gift card I received as a retirement gift!

Oh Drew! You just put a target on your back for TOB work! Will message you!
Also, welcome back! I went down a Hugo awards rabbithole for half of the year so I’m with you on few 2019 reads!

my favorite book-time of year!

Lark wrote: "my favorite book-time of year!"

I am in complete agreement!

I moved jobs last month and my colleagues at the old place took the hint and gave me $135 in Amazon vouchers as a parting gift.

Bring on the longlist (and then bring on whoever makes that spreadsheet so I can sort it by number of pages and pick off some low-hanging fruit before the shortlist)!

I'm. Not. Ready.
(But let's be honest: I never am.)
(But also: I'll be obsessively checking this thread until the longlist posts.)

One week from today! (https://www.facebook.com/tournamentof...)

I was hoping it would be sooner (grump, grump) but Peggy now you can stop obsessively checking. :) It's great to have a specific date.

Elizabeth wrote: "One week from today! (https://www.facebook.com/tournamentof...)

I was hoping it would be sooner (grump, grump) but Peggy now you can stop ..."

Thanks! I'm marking my calendar! :)

Oh good - I would have been checking all week too (not on Facebook). Thanks for posting that, Elizabeth. What to read next. What to read next. (I just finished The Water Dancer and it seems ripe for the ToB.)

Drew wrote: "I’ve been MIA for quite a while. I spent most of the summer reading books about the countries I’d be traveling to in September, then I was traveling, then I was too sick to read for a week or so bu..."

Seems like the people you worked with knew you well, if they gave you a Powell's card at retirement! Congratulations!

Elizabeth wrote: "One week from today! "

Thanks for this update - now I know how long I have until I have to judiciously trim my overflowing library holds lists so I can throw as many unread long list titles onto it as possible

Melanie wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: "One week from today! "

Thanks for this update - now I know how long I have until I have to judiciously trim my overflowing library holds lists so I can throw as many unread long ..."

Yes, this is my plan too! Our library changed our hold limits from 10 to 7 earlier this year, which makes it more difficult though. :(

So glad we have a date!

Elizabeth wrote: "One week from today!"

Woohoo! The longlist is coming out on my birthday. I may have to gift myself some of the books that appear on the list 😂

Karissa wrote: "Woohoo! The longlist is coming out on my birthday. I may have to gift myself some of the books that appear on the list 😂"

One for every year you've been alive is my suggestion.

Alrighty then, I'm ready.....bring on the longlist.

Janet wrote: "Alrighty then, I'm ready.....bring on the longlist."

I'm excited!

I'm "I took the day off work" excited....I had some other reasons for my hooky day but I'd be lying if I said having ample time to soak in the longlist wasn't one of them

From their FB page: “Minutes away!“ (Just when I was about to stop obsessively checking email.)

https://themorningnews.org/article/th...

No Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead? Am I wrong about that book's eligibility? It seems like a very surprising omission from the longlist. Sad about Cantoras as well!

Madeleine wrote: "No Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead? Am I wrong about that book's eligibility? It seems like a very surprising omission from the longlist. Sad about Cantoras as well!"

I'm very upset about Bones...I adored that book, I could imagine it making it to the finals.

Also, there is a new Dexter Palmer!!! How did I miss that? (ETA: Oh wait, I missed it because it's not even out yet, no wonder it's not at my library. Interesting they're including a November book.)

I haven't read enough this year to have an opinion about the list, but I'm happy to see two of my favorites on it: When All Is Said and Death Is Hard Work.

Elizabeth wrote: " there is a new Dexter Palmer!!!"..."

Holy!!

I'm sad that Lanny wasn't included. I'm in the middle of it now and really taken by it...I guess I'll have to put it down till the tourney is over...

I've done a bad job this year, partly because I'm re-reading Tournament of Champions books, and partly because I'm trying to make way on my endless old TBR. I've only read (or started to read) 18 of these. A lot of story collections (which I love) and a lot of books that were completely off my radar. (Off my library's radar too, apparently, they're usually pretty good, but there are a handful they don't have.)

I'll be interested to see what people think of Ducks, Newburyport. It's the most unusual book I've ever looked at. (I've been renewing it on Hoopla for the past few months, grabbing chunks of it between books, so probably missing the point.)

I don't see American Spy or Bowlaway or Daisy Jones on the list, so I guess those summer books are not coming back.
I wonder if both Girl, Woman, Other and The Testaments will both make it to the shortlist to battle it out. I would honestly like that.

I've read 12 but now for the arduous task of trying to pick which ones to read before December. Where is Jan? I think she had read the most from the longlist last year.

you guys are the best! I'm adding the list to the top of the thread but love that everyone stalked themorningnews.org to get the breaking news the moment it was released!

Thanks, Amy!

Janet wrote: "I've read 12 but now for the arduous task of trying to pick which ones to read before December. Where is Jan? I think she had read the most from the longlist last year."

Yes! I'm starting with Pigs because it's under 300 pages, it looks fascinating, and my library has it on Hoopla. Only a few pages in, but so far it's wonderful.

I've read 8 & am glad a few others were on my holds list already cause the wait for them was bad to start with.

Happy Birthday, Karissa!

Amy, are you posting it in easily-printed-out-list format, by any chance? If so, you will be my best friend forever.

I'm with Elizabeth that I'm sad Lanny wasn't included. Still haven't fully analysed the list yet, though.

P.S. I've read 6, with three others on my list. As always, most of them I've never even heard of.

I've read or am currently reading 12 - one of them a DNF, and a couple were good enough, but not much more. I have a Pavlovian response when I first see the list, but then I get a grip on myself. But the list is a good last reminder of which 2019 books I really wanted to read, but lost track of.

A million thanks for the list, Amy!

Nadine wrote: "I've read or am currently reading 12 - one of them a DNF, and a couple were good enough, but not much more. I have a Pavlovian response when I first see the list, but then I get a grip on myself. B..."

Good way of putting it, and unfortunately my Pavlovian response has taken over. I mean, I think I was literally salivating. My poor librarians, and my poor shoulder this weekend when I try to lug these home, many more than I could possibly read before March.

There are 7 story collections and at least 2 novels that reviews mention that they read like story collections. I don't think a story collection has ever won the Rooster? Maybe I can eliminate those right now.

I can't get any of these until I finish my library pile at home. I can't get any of these until I finish my library pile at home. I can't...

Ellen wrote: "I can't get any of these until I finish my library pile at home. I can't get any of these until I finish my library pile at home. I can't..."

LOL....oh yes you can! I belong to 3 libraries and they all hate me for depleting their newer releases.

Yeah! Ducks, Newburyport!!!

Yeah, Olive, Again, too!

Oh but the story collections I've read have been so so great!

Of the ones from summer TOB (Black Leopard, Trust Exercise, Lost Children Archive) I like LCA best, but am still willing to talk about the others - though I feel like it would be a rehashing of summer’s commentary.
Queenie is great but will possibly be treated as Too Light
I finished Lot yesterday & LOVED IT SO MUCH (and if I have to pick which book set in my hometown goes on, I totally want it over Trust Exercise) - the rhythm of his prose is just so catchy
Nickle Boys I liked, but didn’t love - certainly it’s a good one for book talking
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous: gorgeous
& I finished Sabrina & Corina last week, and it, too, I LOVED SO MUCH & it resonates well with Lot

I've got 3 or 4 others already on hold.

Janet, hi and thanks! I’ll be back later today (curses on Monday morning fire drills), but if anyone wants a quick rec, I’m currently enjoying (very much) Bangkok Wakes to Rain. Rules for Visiting is a fun, light read. Both authors were in the booth for...Camp TOB, I think? I’m not sure if that makes them any more or less likely to be on the short list, but both books are in the 300-page range.

I have read 10 on the list and another 10 or so are either already on my tbr list or radar. That leaves 40 some books to investigate! Aside from summer winner Lost Children Archive, does anyone care to make any sure thing short list predictions?

I'm thrilled to see Ben Winters' Golden State on there because I was so certain once I'd read it that the ToB Powers-That-Be had MEANT to include in last year instead of the mediocreThe Golden State. I'm glad to know it actually qualifies for this year.

It's interesting to me that despite their disclaimer put out with the list that they have chosen not to include genre books, there really is a significant amount of dystopian/speculative fiction on the longlist -- does that not count as genre? I'm not complaining -- more and more "literary" fiction is actually dystopian/speculative -- but I did find it interesting. There's even one [very good] book that could count as mystery fiction/thriller, Disappearing Earth. As always, it's a mystery (heh) to me where "genre" ends and "literary" begins.

Ellen,
One of the books A Cosmology of Monsters is actually nominated for a Goodreads Choice award in the Horror genre....so yes, I am seeing what you are.

Ellen wrote: "I'm thrilled to see Ben Winters' Golden State on there because I was so certain once I'd read it that the ToB Powers-That-Be had MEANT to include in last year instead of the mediocr..."

I think genre would be sci-fi, speculative is litfic. Also thrilled to see Golden State there...So fun, with so much to talk about!