Tournament of Books discussion

N.K. Jemison's The City We Became vs. Kawai Strong Washburn's Sharks in the Time of Saviors

June 3rd - The City through end of Chapt 7 (page 217)
June 10th - The City thru the end
June 17th - Sharks through Part 2 (page 191)
June 24th - Sharks thru the end --- June winner declared

first half The City commentary here: https://themorningnews.org/article/ca...

A friend pointed me to the original short story (one that always makes her cry) yesterday in case anyone wants to check it out (and forestall the commitment of the full book) - https://www.tor.com/2016/09/28/the-ci...

Happy to see the discussion today and have camp back in session. I haven’t read much fantasy beyond Harry Potter and His Dark Materials, but (and???) I’ve really been enjoying TCWB so far. I agree with whoever it was who’s hoping for more Bronca and Brooklyn. And I love the way Jemisin WRITES!!!

I also almost never read fantasy or science fiction, I am enjoying this book because of the writing and the characters, and I am letting the highly unrealistic bits fly by without bothering me too much.

Irene wrote: "I also almost never read fantasy or science fiction, I am enjoying this book because of the writing and the characters, and I am letting the highly unrealistic bits fly by without bothering me too ..."

Irene, I DO read fantasy and science fiction and am feeling the same way - less concerned with how and why things are happening and just enjoying the wild ride.

I really liked the commentary and discussions yesterday. Loved seeing lots of perspectives on the book and the many ties to current events.

Like Bretnie and Irene, I also need to let some of this just wash over me...it reminds me a bit of looking at those 3D pictures where you can see the embedded picture best by staying a little out of focus.
The writing is crisp and clean and even though the subject is a bit out of focus, I always know exactly what is being said, quite a feat. I also cannot believe how apropos it is to today's racial/social issues AND to the Virus, it almost feels like it is prophetic. REALLY enjoying reading this.

Amy wrote: "A friend pointed me to the original short story (one that always makes her cry) yesterday in case anyone wants to check it out (and forestall the commitment of the full book) - https://www.tor.com/..."

Thank you Amy, didn't know this and will look it up. Not everyone can take this style of writing in a short story and turn it into a novel. Impressive.

2nd half of The City We Became discussion with Chris Stults
https://themorningnews.org/article/ca...

I’m starting Sharks in the Time of Saviors. Wow, the language is amazing in these first few pages. But I may not have allowed myself enough time to read this one. It’s definitely one to read slowly to savor the writing.

There’s a nice video on YouTube of Tommy Orange interviewing Kawai Strong Washburn in a virtual event sponsored by the Politics & Prose bookstore.

just started it last night, but so far so good

Wow, Washburn is doing a great job of making me care about and feel curious about these characters and creating a distinctive voice for each one. I’m going to have a hard time stopping at the halfway point today. How is everyone else doing?

I finished Sharks and I’m not very excited about it. I always appreciate a new setting and so like learning about native Hawaiian culture. But neither the story nor the characters grabbed me. My vote for the month goes to the Jemisin.

I’m in the other corner. I loved Sharks and can’t wait to discuss all of its layers. I think the second half was a bit stronger on the character development, and I appreciated the ending. I’m definitely voting for that one this month. :)

I loved both of these books but for very different reasons. Sharks wasn't what I expected and I'm really looking forward to discussing it with others tomorrow!

It'll be interesting to discuss Sharks in two halves since the book takes quite a turn halfway!

I'm a Sharks gal too, for this matchup. Both books had big time strengths and some flaws, but for me Sharks' strengths were greater and TCWB's flaws were more distracting. I'm not sorry I read either one, though, because both writers have such a command of voice.

I thought Sharks was especially strong in audio. Accents and dialects always help immerse me in the story. This is one of those matches that is totally unfair so I’ll err on the side of the debut.

I sat down thinking today's match would be up. Oh, well.

Loved the first half of SitToS. Here are the richly imagined characters missing from TCWB.

It's up!

https://themorningnews.org/article/ca...

I audioed both. I'm going with Sharks, even at the half way.

I read Sharks in print, and I'm glad I did because I needed to take my time with the multi-layered language the author uses. So many details in each paragraph! But I plan to listen to the audiobook sometime in the future to hear the words I likely mispronounced in my head. Looking forward to that!

I'm embarrassed I don't remember how books move forward? I think we vote on the final three, but do the people who provided commentary choose which of the two each month make it to the final three?

EDITED: Never mind, eye roll, I found it in the commentary - we all vote!

I haven't been participating in this, so maybe I should not be commenting, but I just saw the thread and wanted to join in on praising Sharks in the Time of Saviors. I just completed it and really liked it and concur with so many of what the rest of you said about what it offers. I wish it luck in your voting!

Hope Sharks wins!

I have absolutely been loving today's discussion. I think I just really needed to talk to someone about this book, and people here are so smart and stuff. :)

Yes - also rooting for sharks!

I also voted for Sharks but i liked both

Team Sharks

@Irene, I’m with you. Really liked both books, bit voted for Sharks. It’s so fresh and different.

NK Jemisin thread on working on the narration for her Cities novels: https://twitter.com/nkjemisin/status/...

Who won between these books? The UI on the Camp ToB pages is really confusing.

Jason wrote: "Who won between these books? The UI on the Camp ToB pages is really confusing."

Sharks won the first round.

Lauren wrote: "I’m in the other corner. I loved Sharks and can’t wait to discuss all of its layers. I think the second half was a bit stronger on the character development, and I appreciated the ending. I’m defin..."

I'm pulling a Noa on this discussion, bringing it back alive because my library copy has finally arrived. I was happy enough with this book until the sibs went away to college. Suddenly they became wooden and inauthentic - I could feel the author pulling their strings. I've been debating DNF'ing, but Lauren, your post caught me just in time ;) Hopefully it won't feel like more of the same to me.

I did not strike gold with this Tournament - two books I adored didn't make it to the short list, I already DNF'ed three on the shortlist, and the two I read for the tournament were flawed enough to be disappointments.

No matter, on to the Super Rooster!