Tournament of Books discussion

Here's a spot to discuss the Shortlist, separate from the longlist/contenders thread.

Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kaung
The Book of Goose by Yiyun Li
Dinosaurs by Lydia Millet
Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin
Mercury Pictures Presents by Anthony Marra
Mouth to Mouth by Antoine Wilson
Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley
Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance by Alison Espach
Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzales
The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy
The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb
Play-in Round Books
2 A.M. in Little America by Ken Kalfus
An Island by Karen Jennings
My Volcano by John Elizabeth Stintzi

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

Thanks so much for making the new threads!

I've read all three of the play-in books, and I enjoyed all of them. But I'm gonna be some kind of upset if My Volcano doesn't make it into the full tourney. And I'm so surprised at that, because I would never have read this book but for it being in this shortlist.

I am very much looking forward to some My Volcano discussions, cause I still am not quite sure what I think of it

I am not going to even pretend to try to read all of them this year.

So far I've read Sea of Tranquility (which I loved, but I think it's not really a ToB type of book? I was surprised to see it on the shortlist) and An Island (which I did not like - the only good thing about this book was its amazing cover art). I've got seven more either borrowed from the library right now or on hold at the library. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is sitting on the top of my library pile right now, staring at me, judging me for reading other books, but I don't think I'm going to get to it before it's due back, so I'll just have to put it on hold again. Four or five more books are "maybes" for me, maybe I'll give them a try, maybe I'll skip it, I'll be highly influenced by the discussion here.

Manhunt and The Passenger are NOT happening for me.

I've read six of the books and am in the middle of The Rabbit Hutch, which is usually where I stand at the start. Disappointed that If I Survive You and Which Side Are You On didn't make it -- they would have sparked interesting discussions. And I loved Dinosaurs, another no show.

But this line-up looks fine! I usually have far more complaints. And having already read the terrible The Passenger, I'm pleased to see it on the list. I have opinions.

Alison wrote: "... And I loved Dinosaurs, another no show. ..."


Didn't Dinosaurs make the short list??

Alison wrote: "I've read six of the books and am in the middle of The Rabbit Hutch, which is usually where I stand at the start. Disappointed that If I Survive You and Which Side Are You On didn't make it -- they..."

I just finished Which Side Are You On and loved it, but could see how others might get annoyed by the 100%-on talking points. I share the views and communities of the main character but was laughing at how he spouted those phrases in response to everything anyone said. Activists have to know when to pick our battles and tone down our intensity, or we'd have no outside-of-the-movement friends and family, lol. I'm wondering if part of this comes with age (I'm 15 years older than the MC), or if the author had fun letting loose on all the philosophies and TPs, knowing it's not how anyone actually operates in the world. It's a great follow-up to Your House Will Pay and complement to My Government Means to Kill Me (one of my top-three novels of the year, and the author is a delight).

I'm curious about the ambiguity around the last line of Mouth to Mouth... To me, it (view spoiler)[ 100% meant Jeff killed Francis on the ski slopes. Otherwise, he wouldn't have lied about that part, right? Is there another interpretation? Maybe the ambiguity is around who Francis collided with and if that person also died? If it wasn't Jeff, how could Jeff have caused someone to collide with Francis? Maybe there is ambiguity... haha (hide spoiler)]

I've read 7 and I'm in the middle of 2 others now. I see myself reading all of them since school has ended and I'm unemployed and I've gone from being too busy to tie my shoes to not busy at all.

Juliana wrote: "Alison wrote: "And having already read the terrible The Passenger, I'm pleased to see it on the list. I have opinions."

Curious if you have read and enjoyed other of McCarthy's novels and liked th..."

No Country for Old Men and The Road are two of my all time favorite novels, but for whatever reason I'm going into The Passenger with skepticism. We'll see!

Nadine in NY wrote: "Alison wrote: "... And I loved Dinosaurs, another no show. ..."


Didn't Dinosaurs make the short list??"

It did, and I carelessly missed it at first glance. That makes me happy.

Juliana wrote: "Alison wrote: "And having already read the terrible The Passenger, I'm pleased to see it on the list. I have opinions."

Curious if you have read and enjoyed other of McCarthy's novels and liked th..."

I liked The Road, but that's all I've read. The Passenger was just so relentlessly misogynistic -- none of the characters seemed to think that women are people, although there's a perfect and conveniently dead girl as counterpoint.

Is it just me or do the shortlist repeat authors seem really recent? (Or am I thinking so because of Constellation of Vital Phenomena hitting the Tourney of Favorites in this group?)

Juliana wrote: "Lauren wrote: "I'm curious about the ambiguity around the last line of Mouth to Mouth... To me, it (view spoiler)."

[spoilers removed]"

Oh, those are some great questions! Want to drop them in the Mouth to Mouth thread so folks can chime in there?

--Are we doing unhidden spoilers in individual book threads, assuming folks will have already finished the book if they're in a book's specific thread, or should we still do spoiler tags?

Lauren wrote: "Juliana wrote: "Lauren wrote: "I'm curious about the ambiguity around the last line of Mouth to Mouth... To me, it (view spoiler)."

[spoilers removed]"

Oh, those are some great questions! Want to..."

I'm open to spoilers or non-spoilers in the book threads - I tend to avoid them until I've read the book anyway. Juliana your questions really changed my thinking of the book - would love to discuss more on the book thread!

I’d like to not worry about spoilers in the individual book threads. I always avoid the threads of books I haven’t read. That’s my 2 cents. :)

I’ve finished 5 books and am now halfway thru both The Book of Goose and Mercury Pictures Presents. I like them both in different ways. Goose is quieter and really lovely. Mercury is more of an exciting plot. Which will I read before bed tonight???

Lauren wrote: "Alison wrote: "I've read six of the books and am in the middle of The Rabbit Hutch, which is usually where I stand at the start. Disappointed that If I Survive You and Which Side Are You On didn't ..."

Yes, that is what the last line is meant to suggest. More on this when we get to the book in the Tournament. Lots of folks saying that line redeemed the book for them. For me, it did not.

Amy wrote: "Is it just me or do the shortlist repeat authors seem really recent? (Or am I thinking so because of Constellation of Vital Phenomena hitting the Tourney of Favorites in this group?)"

OTOH, no Percival Everett this year -- [insert sad face emoji]

No Everett or Rooney! Thanks be *ducks*

Audra wrote: "No Everett or Rooney! Thanks be *ducks*"

Rooney will almost certainly be back (like a bad penny? *ducks*) if/when she publishes next.
Everett I will ALWAYS read, shortlist or no, and I owe ToB for that. It is the reason this tournament has my forever gratitude, no matter what any shortlist looks like ever again.

PSA: 'Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance' is $2.99 today!

Bryn wrote: "I’ve finished 5 books and am now halfway thru both The Book of Goose and Mercury Pictures Presents. I like them both in different ways...."

I really liked =The Book of Goose= and was really, really unhappy to see it go up against ToB juggernaut Marra.

I just started the Marra - I think it is going to be, on the whole, more judge and commentariat friendly than the quiet subtlety of =The Book of Goose=, but I'm trying not to let that influence my reading.

I think the Marra was just good, not great. Mid, as the kids say, but mid Marra, which is still a lot better than most authors' best.

I like character-driven, too, Juliana. I recommend The Book of Goose and Dinosaurs. (I haven't read them all, but those are my favorites so far.)

I will have to get to that one. Thanks, Juliana.

Yikes, I’m really struggling with The Passenger. :/ I’m close to the halfway point on audio and I have no idea what’s going on besides what’s in the description. Ugh, not enjoying this…

I just started The Violin Conspiracy and it's SOOO SLOW. Someone reassure me that it gets interesting! I'm 7% in and so far it's just been the protagonist beating himself up about his violin being stolen, and other people reassuring him that he did nothing wrong. Sometimes they take a break to shower or eat breakfast. My real life is already full of blame and reassurance, I need more of a hook in my fiction.

All right, it looks like I've officially taken one for the team. Just finished Manhunt. I cannot imagine what people will say during the ToB discussion. I've never read a more pointlessly angry and misandric book and, frankly, I think I'm just too old to get it. Or maybe just too locked into my hetero-cis-woman world. And of course people act in extreme ways under extreme circumstances (and this book certainly presents extreme circumstances) but I've never gotten the impression from the trans people I know -- and I know a bunch -- that their entire minds are focused only on gender and sex, all the time. Maybe when they're first transitioning? but not all their lives.

Anyway, I am not the audience for this book. Clearly.

Nadine…I read it back in April so I can’t remember whether it was slow for me in the beginning or not. I found it to be a good story unlike any I had read before. So much seems the same to me these days.

Unless someone else has mentioned it already, the ebook for Mercury Pictures Presents is $2.99 from various sellers at the moment: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/bo...

Nadine in NY wrote: "I just started The Violin Conspiracy and it's SOOO SLOW. Someone reassure me that it gets interesting! I'm 7% in and so far it's just been the protagonist beating himself up about h..."

The perspective the author provided on the challenges of being a Black classical musician in this country would have made an engaging personal essay. The novel? Not so much. At least for me.

re: the Manhunt observation that "their entire minds are focused only on gender and sex all the time" - that was my main issue with last year's big hit, "Detransition, Baby." There seemed to be so much more to explore there but it was all just about their sex lives.

I did think Violin Conspiracy got better once we saw more of Ray's life, but the stolen violin plot was never really a big part of the book.

Kyle wrote: "I did think Violin Conspiracy got better once we saw more of Ray's life, but the stolen violin plot was never really a big part of the book."


that gives me some motivation to stick with it!

Detransition Baby > Manhunt.

Audra wrote: "Detransition Baby > Manhunt."

I really liked D, B.
Did it have some flaws? Sure. (There were passages that felt like Wikipedia entries and that interrupted the narrative flow.)
Was it nonetheless engaging (and enlightening)? Absolutely.

Kyle wrote: "re: the Manhunt observation that "their entire minds are focused only on gender and sex all the time" - that was my main issue with last year's big hit, "Detransition, Baby." There seemed to be so ..."

Kyle, comparatively, Manhunt is way, way more focused on gender and sex, and a majority of the sex was edged with violence, and that really troubled me.

So today and tomorrow, all hardcovers are half price at B&N.

Online, Alison? Or in store?

Alison wrote: "So today and tomorrow, all hardcovers are half price at B&N."

Uh oh. (IdonotneedmorebooksIdonotneedmorebooksIdonot...)

For Violin Conspiracy, I’d say years, the plot does pick up, maybe around the 25% mark? For me it was a letdown because it could have used more literary elements (sensory descriptions, introspection/interiority, subtext, how the MC felt about the things happening, etc), the mystery aspect wasn’t too compelling (but I agree with other readers’ comments about appreciating learning about the experience of being a Black classical musician), but my biggest gripe is with something toward the end that I’ll save for the book-specific thread. It barely made it to three stars after that.

I’m dreading Manhunt (but loved Detransition Baby, even though yes, they were too focused on their sex lives and some balance would have helped).

I finally finished The Passenger and ugh, didn’t love it. But I just started the audio version of Mercury Pictures Presents and it seems great so far.

I’m slowly making my way through My Volcano and it’s very scattered in different directions (so many characters to track!) but I think the themes will end up being a good match for me and I’m hoping the experience will be similar to the movie we just watched, after I’ve heard rave reviews for it all year: Everything Everywhere All at Once. Wow! The first 90 minutes were confusing chaos, too much action and violence for me, but the final 50 minutes were beautiful and I cried for a good ten minutes, realizing I finally understood why people loved it so much. I’m hoping that’s how My Volcano will turn out for me…

Ellen wrote: "Online, Alison? Or in store?"

Allegedly both, but people were reporting problems with the B&N website. I've got a field trip planned for tomorrow.

I've started Babel as an audiobook and I'm enjoying it. For anyone with an Audible account, Babel is part of their "buy 2 books for 1 credit" sale going on now.

Sigh. Me, too, then. I'm #19 on the Holds list for the Zevin.

Lauren wrote: "...I’m hoping the experience will be similar to the movie we just watched, after I’ve heard rave reviews for it all year: Everything Everywhere All at Once. Wow! The first 90 minutes were confusing chaos, too much action and violence for me, but the final 50 minutes were beautiful and I cried for a good ten minutes, realizing I finally understood why people loved it so much. I’m hoping that’s how My Volcano will turn out for me…"
Lauren, I predict this is exactly how you will feel once you get to the end of My Volcano. I know for sure the beginning was very confusing for me, and then I loved it. Felt the same way about the movie EEAAO.

Hello... I feel like I'm intruding in on the middle of a conversation, but I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone says about the books. I've been aware of TOB for a while, but by the time I think to catch up on the books by March, it's always too late. Well, this year, I've put myself on the waitlist for books, already borrowed or bought the rest on the shortlist. Somehow I hadn't read any of the books, so for me, this will be an adventure.

I started with an easy one, Sea of Tranquility, which I loved and have started Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution. Babel seems challenging only because of the length so far.

Meera wrote: "Hello... I feel like I'm intruding in on the middle of a conversation, but I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone says about the books. I've been aware of TOB for a while, but by the time I th..."
Welcome, Meera! You are not in the least intruding -- it is always so much fun to hear what someone new to the ToB thinks about the tournament and the novels chosen for it.

I think you'll find Babel to be a fast read, even though it tends toward the longer side. It is a fast-moving story, well-written in my view.

Be sure to check out the individual threads for each book after you read them. There you can discuss your thoughts with others, without fear of spoiling them for those who haven't read them yet.

Welcome, Meera! So nice to have you with us.

Welcome, Meera! Great to have you!! I just finished Babel and really enjoyed it. It was a fast read despite its length because at a certain point, it became such a page-turner that I started rearranging my days to steal more time for reading. :-)