Tournament of Books discussion

Hello Everyone! Definitely having some major ToB withdrawal! I am sure everyone has seen the "watch list" for next year on the final judgment, but just wondering what your thoughts are for books we're likely to see in next year's ToB? This time last year, both "Swamplandia!" and "Tiger's Wife" were already published and on my radar... anything out there so far this year?

My two hunches right now are "Arcadia" (tentatively my next book) and "The Orphan Master's Son."

I have heard good things about "The Fault in Our
Stars" and has been some buzz within my Goodreads friends (and friends of friends) about "Pure" -- both which made the watchlist as well... but has ToB ever had any YA fiction in the tourney?

Curious about thoughts! I see a Rooster Goodreads group that emerged out of this year's contest, but hope we keep our group going here too!

Hi Ed.

Haha - yes I am suffering a bit of ToB withdrawal too.

I haven't read a lot of the books on the "watch list", though many are on my radar.

As a good Canadian, I must wholly endorse Sheila Heti's How Should a Person Be?. I haven't written my review yet, but it is a book that gets under the skin.

Also as a Canadian, I am totally curious about Richard Ford's Canada. But, he has been hit or miss with me in the past.

Nathan Englander's book, in my circles, has been getting a lot of talk and praise.

I have Morrison's new one in my 'up next' pile and I am very eager for Mantel's 2nd book in the Wolf Hall trilogy and Irving's new one. I have been thinking about next year's tournament already, so I am glad you asked about this today.

Did you like Groff's The Monsters Of Templeton? I own it but haven't read it yet. (I KNOW!! My tbr is truly vast.)

Here's the "watch list", from the ToB:

The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson
Threats by Amelia Gray
Brain on Fire by Susanna Cahalan
Canada by Richard Ford
The Master Blaster by P.F. Kluge
Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
Arcadia by Lauren Groff
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
The Flame Alphabet by Ben Marcus
The Vanishers by Heidi Julavits
Flatscreen by Adam Wilson
The Angry Buddhist by Seth Greenland
Enchantments by Kathryn Harrison
You and Me by Padgett Powell
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
In One Person by John Irving
Home by Toni Morrison
Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel
The Cove by Ron Rash
Pure by Julianna Baggott
Dead Low Tide by Bret Lott
The Newlyweds by Nell Freudenberger
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
How Should a Person Be by Sheila Heti
Zombie by J.R. Angelella
That’s Not a Feeling by Dan Josefson
Carry the One by Carol Anshaw
Back to Blood by Tom Wolfe
What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank by Nathan Englander
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
Dogma by Lars Iyer
Gorilla Beach by Nicole Polizzi
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
Mountains of the Moon by I.J. Kay
The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker
The Sugar Frosted Nutsack by Mark Leyner
Telegraph Avenue by Michael Chabon
Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures by Emma Straub

HI Jennifer,

Thanks for chiming in and for bringing in the watch list!

I think we may have a similar book/reading "pattern" when it comes to stuff like "The Monsters of Templeton." It's been on my TBR list so long, that Groff managed to publish another book before I got to it... so what typically happens is I just end up reading the new one! If it wasn't a trilogy, I would probably do the same with Mantel's "Bring Up the Bodies" (with a title like that, it is just too hard to resist!)... so "Wolf Hall" is on my short-term TBR horizon (plus it's penance for not having read it when it won ToB).

I have read Orphan Masters son and enjoyed it. It has some wierdness in it that if you accept it you will love the book. If you liked Tiger's Wife you will probably like Orphan Masters Son. If you analyze it too much it will lose its allure.

Flame Alphabet, Arcadia, The Snow Child and In One Person are all on my to read list.

Ed wrote: "HI Jennifer,

Thanks for chiming in and for bringing in the watch list!

I think we may have a similar book/reading "pattern" when it comes to stuff like "The Monsters of Templeton...."

Heh, that's okay! I thought I would save some back and forth toggling by pasting the list into the thread. I was not, however, feeling like linking the actual books in with the titles. Sorry!! :D

I actually just finished reading Wolf Hall last week. I have owned it since 2009 and kept thinking I would have read it before now...but now the timing has worked out given the upcoming 2nd book. WH was actually a very quick read. If you own it, I totally recommend you dive in!! It was a very fun read and I like the way Mantel tells the story.

Bit of advice: "He" most always refers to Thomas Cromwell. A friend gave me the tip and it was helpful from page one. It's a peculiar affectation in Mantel's storytelling.

Haha! That's what happened with me a Groff too. I have had Monsters so long...Arcadia came out. Seriously, my TBR of owned books is a problem!

I am so glad you guys started this conversation. Love the TOB but didn't set myself up well for it this year. I may enjoy the experience more if I don't try to cram 8 books into 4 weeks (that's just not my pace.)

Just finished Snow Child and it seems the right flavor for TOB 2013. Now I'm going to do a few classics/non-fiction palate cleansers, then on to Arcadia.

This is terrific! Last year's TOB "Watch List" was a great resource for book selections and was mainly responsible for my having read 6 of the 16 TOB books before they were officially announced in January. This year I read 12 of the 16 before the start of the tournament. Hope to increase that number this next year.

Books on the "Watch List" that immediately caught my eye were:

"Arcadia" - Read "Monsters of Templeton" when it was released and loved it. Have tried recommending this to others but the title seemed to put them off. Here's hoping they'll pick up Groff's latest and enjoy it enough to pick up Monsters too.

"Telegraph Avenue" - I've enjoyed every single book of Chabon's. Can't wait. One of my favorite authors.

"The Orphan Master's Son" - Most intrigued by the reviews and recommendations for this book. Have no idea what to expect. Will be the book I read next.

"What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank" - By far the longest title on the list. Any suggestions on how to shorten it? WWTAWWTAAF seems crazy! This is a set of short stories, right? Has one ever made the tournament (no, last year's winner doesn't qualify)? Already sitting in my T-B-R pile.

"The Snow Child" - Also in my T-B-R pile. Agree with Jamie. This seems to fall in the TOB sweet spot; Fairy tale/Fable set in Alaska during the 1920's. Will I be able to resist reading this until November? Would love to read this during the winter.

Anne Tyler's new book - Don't remember the title. It's been way too long since her last offering. "An Accidental Tourist" is one of my favorites.

"The Song of Achilles" - This seems destined to be a #1 or #2 seed in the 2013 TOB. It's getting a lot of buzz and positive reviews. It's in my T-B-R pile too.

I just finished reading Wish You Were Here, by Graham Swift and I can see it being a great book to debate and a candidate for the 2013 ToB. it is totally one of those books that is not for everyone and Swift makes some interesting choices...but, MAN! can he write.

Ed, regarding your question of YA lit in TOB, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks was a contender a few years ago. I enjoyed it, but it was criticized for its YA status.

Jamie, I agree about being force fed literature. Its like eating a delectible dessert in 30 seconds. I read 15 books over 10 weeks and I caught myself skimming several times just to get through the book. Next year may be a slower pace....

Right now I am attempting to work on my TBR shelf (over 100 books). The Monsters Of Templeton has been on my list for over 2 years. There is simply not enough time to read everything I want to read! I am glad there are others who feel the same.

I am currently reading The Invisible Bridge. Next will be a non-fiction. The Snow Child and Arcadia are on my TBR list.

I love reading this groups reflections of the TOB books. Keep it coming!

I am new here. I only found out about the TOB after it ended this year. I will look forward to seeing how this all works IRL in 2013. Nice to have a watch list. I'll see if I can get to some of those. I have a few million TBR books already waiting.....

i am wondering if anyone here has read Jess Walter's new book Beautiful Ruins and if so, do you think it's a contender??

i just purchased the novel this morning, but everything i am hearing/reading about this book makes me think it seems like a good candidate for the ToB.

Beautiful Ruins is definitely one of the best books I've read this year. I have been recommending to everyone! I hope you enjoy it. It's really a terrific book and would, in my mind, make a great contender next year.

hey! that's great to hear, cynthia. i am really looking forward to reading the story. i do some work in publishing and the buzz about this book has been truly incredible. it doesn't happen like this too often.

I was very fortunate to nab an e-galley so I read this book prior to publication.

ooh - lucky!!

2012 seems to be a very amazing time for great literature. i have been having a hard time deciding which books to accept as ARCs and which ones to wait and purchase on my own. #firstworldproblems (though i always feel a certain amount of guilt over my free books, so i really don't mind visiting my independent bookstore and helping stimulate the publishing economy and - of course!! - getting the authors their hard-earned money. :)

I've read The Flame Alphabet (Marcus), Carry the One (Anshaw), Age of Miracles (Walker) and Home (Morrison) so far. The first two weren't as good as I'd hoped for, but Age of Miracles and Home were excellent.

As far as Morrison goes, Home wasn't the most resonant of her books, but I see it making it onto the shortlist. I also think The Age of Miracles has a pretty good shot at the tournament. It's an easy, compelling read that's well-written.

I can't wait to read more books from the list. I've been hearing crazy good things about The Fault In Our Stars.

i thought i would share this link from book riot, that i just came across on twitter, with their (so far) predictions for the 2013 tob.

what do you think??

Thanks for the link. Wow, I need to get busy reading, especially the much-hyped Gone Girl. I really liked The Fault In Our Stars but I don't see it making the TOB. It seems too YA and mainstream successful.

i have gone girl coming up in august and i am definitely looking forward to the read. though i have managed to not read/avoid most reviews for it i have a slight concern that my expectations are very high and that's always tricky going into a read so i am trying to bring that down a bit. :/

Thanks for posting that link! Great to get a bit more narrowed down, most are on my TBR-list already. I have read 7 so far for the ToB "watch list" (Arcadia, Gone Girl, Beautiful Ruins, Home, Newlyweds, Fault in Our Stars, Age of Miracles) with 4 of those also on Book Riot's list. Hoping to be in far better shape going into this year's ToB, the only problem will be remembering them come next March!

Here's the Book Riot list, just to get it posted here:

Near Certainties: Gone Girl, Bring Up the Bodies, Song of Achilles, A Hologram for the King, Home

Definite-Maybes: Billy Flynn's Long Halftime Walk, Arcadia, Canada, In One Person, Half-Blood Blues, Orphan Master's Son, Buddha in the Attic, Gods Without Men

Naively Hopefuls: Are You My Mother?, The Fault in Our Stars, How A Person Should Be?

And still a lot of heavy hitters coming later this year: Chabon, Wolfe, Kingsolver, Zadie Smith, McEwan, and more!

Of the ones read so far, only seeing Gone Girl and Home making ToB... wouldn't see GG going too far.

thanks for doing that, ed!

I absolutely loved Song of Achilles and Orphan Masters Son. Meh to Arcaidia - seems a lot like Swamplandia from last year to me.

Got a lot of reading to do...

Sheesh! Once again, I've lost track of the year and am not preparing myself well for next Spring. I have read zero/zilch/none of Book Riot's predictions. And I had such good intentions! After Snow Child I got sidetracked by classics and Colm Toibin.

I'll make August the month of 2012 lit and wait for the Booker short list to help prep for the next TOB.

colm toibin is an excellent writer to take a sidetrack with, that's for sure!!

Looking at the watch list, I've read a decent number of these and have a few on my TBR list. I have rambly thoughts, so please bear with me.

I'm pulling hard for The Orphan Master's Son, which totally blew me away earlier this year. Telegraph Avenue, which I've almost finished, has some of the most beautiful sentences I've read in a long time. It's definitely a ToB contender.

Carry the One wasn't really my thing and I'd be shocked if it made the tournament. Flatscreen was an interesting book, it didn't really hit with me, but there were things that I liked about it and it might have a chance. The Newlyweds... maybe I didn't get it, but I don't understand the hype surrounding the book. It wasn't that great and in my opinion, certainly shouldn't make the ToB.

I read The Age of Miracles and although I liked it, I'd be surprised if it made it.

The Vanishers, Flame Alphabet, Beautiful Ruins, Canada are all on my TBR.

I think Hilary Mantel might have a shot at being the first two-time ToB winner.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry was long-listed for the Booker, so that kinda ups it's odds.

The Snow Child seems like a longshot and I think that Home and In One Person are only being mentioned because Morrison and Irving are so well respected. Neither of those two books really got a heap of critical praise.

So that's it. Still have the new Zadie Smith to look forward to!

Aw, I really liked The Newlyweds. But I agree with you about The Orphan Master's Son and Carry the One.

I also liked Bring Up the Bodies a lot, but I will be surprised if it makes the ToB list unless it wins the Booker. I just think it's really similar in tone and scope and premise to Wolf Hall, and I think that the people who run the tournament won't want to repeat.

The new Ian McEwan looks good as well as the new Zadie Smith.

I've just started Canada and it's very good so far.

Brooks wrote: "...are only being mentioned because Morrison and Irving are so well respected."

i think it would be very cool to have a ToB wholly made up of the lesser-knowns! books that are awesome and wonderful and yet don't come with the recognition (or sales) of an irving, morrison, mantel, ford, smith, mcewen, etc...

I believe one of the dudes who works with the ToB team said "Buddha in the Attic" is not eligible (too old).

Otherwise, I'll interject to pimp Kevin Barry's "City of Bohane." It's just great.

Glad to see all the new messages, ToB is alive and well in July!

Here's my take on the watch-list books I've read:

Arcadia - Had a rough time with the first half, got better as it moved along. Seems like a ToB book, but think there might be too much competition or published too early in the year (unless it makes those year-end best lists)

Gone Girl - The "it" book of the summer. Unless there's a back-lash see it making it to ToB, but ultimately seems too much of a guilty pleasure to stick around long.

Beautiful Ruins - Liked it quite a bit, but didn't quite live up the buzz and just never got to "great" territory. Might squeeze in, but probably not.

Home - First Morrison for me in awhile (she was just too "out there" for me for a few books), but this one was quite good and reputation alone seems enough to get her back in ToB.

Newlyweds - My least favorite of the watch-list so far. Not bad, just too many things nagged me about it. Don't see it making it to ToB.

Fault in Our Stars - Quite good (tho not as wildly enthusiastic about it as others), think that YA factor will keep it out or if it squeezes in, an early exit.

Age of Miracles - Probably my favorite of the bunch so far. Seems to be some debate whether this is YA or not, which may hurt it. Loved the premise and the coming-of-age story, but may be too simple for ToB's taste.

While not being a slave to the watch-list, it has provided good and interesting reads this year!

Of books out now (and before the fall onslaught), Orphan Master's and Bring Up the Bodies are high on my ToB prep TBR list.

Finally getting a chance to chime in here…I don’t think I was suffering from TOB withdrawal, I was suffering from TOB overload! I really needed to take a break and head back to books that I had chosen myself, for no other reason than just because I could…some classics, some favorite authors and also the pile of books on my night stand that was starting to topple over.

But, I agree with Jamie and Susan, for the 2013 TOB I want to be more prepared rather than having to cram all at once (I think that lead to my not liking some books for the 2012 TOB as much as I might have otherwise) and I have been trying to intersperse my regular reading with some of those novels that appear to be potential contenders. Here’s where I’ve gotten so far:

The Snow Child: I can see this as a contender, loved the setting and the story, but it really fizzled at the end for me.

Bring up the Bodies: Loved, loved, loved. I liked Wolf Hall but loved Mantel’s second…she does not disappoint.

Gods Without Men: I’m seeing this on some lists and my initial reaction was “meh.” Probably because I didn’t love the hippie drug culture setting and there were some flaws with too many characters (it’s like it tried to be Cloud Atlas but just couldn’t reach Mitchell’s perfection). But, we discussed this novel at book club and listening to the discussions, I appreciated it more. It had potential.

The Orphan Master’s Son: I’m currently in the middle of this one, and while I didn’t love the beginning, now that I’m into the second section I feel like it’s finally getting interesting. Really interesting.

Next on my list because of what I’ve been hearing is Gone Girl, but I am somewhere in the 100+ range on the holds list, so I’m gonna need something after Orphan Master’s Son. Suggestions? Maybe Half-Blood Blues or Home or The Age of Miracles…the cover of Beautiful Ruins is turning me off because it looks like chick lit to me. (What a snob I am!) Should I just go for it?

In the category of “not so sure I want to read until I know it has made the 2013 list because I’ve seen some bad reviews” are Arcadia (hippies again?) and The Song of Achilles (too much purple prose?).

And Ed is right, lots of heavy-hitters coming in October…yikes. I’ll be happy if I have 2 or 3 TOB contenders checked off before the tournament begins!

Kathy wrote: "Finally getting a chance to chime in here…I don’t think I was suffering from TOB withdrawal, I was suffering from TOB overload! I really needed to take a break and head back to books that I had cho..."

The Age of Miracles was a quick read for me and while I don't see it winning the Tournament, I did love it.

Home was excellent as well. It has Morrison's beautiful writing and compelling story, but it wasn't as dense as some of her other works. I've also been caught between not wanting to have to cram for the Tournament and not wanting to miss out on backlist and the exciting new stuff, but these are definitely worth the time.

Kathy, I read your comments and thought, "O yeah, I should read Gone Girl, too. I've read a lot about that!" And then I looked at my list and found I already read it. Last month. And forgot it. I can't say that of many TOB contenders.

Picking a couple of items from the Booker long list isn't helping much, either. Life! Death! Prizes!: 3 stars. Skios is faring better, but it seems awfully light-weight to be a contender.

I think I may do Wolf Hall and Bringing Up the Bodies in December. I've kicked myself too long about missing those.

Finally, why is it that I can't bring myself to read books entitled with the pattern "The Something Something's Relative"?

Only book I have read from any of these lists is 'The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry' which I loved. As a newbie, I'm not sure how this TOB thing works. Can you tell me when things get rolling and how one participates?

Jamie wrote: "Finally, why is it that I can't bring myself to read books entitled with the pattern "The Something Something's Relative"?"

Ha, ha, ha...probably for the same reasons that I judge a book by its cover! But, I am really (and surprisingly--but not until almost 150 pages in) enjoying the current "The Something Something's Relative"--you should think about it.

Faint/damning praise for Gone Girl if you can't even remember reading it! Hmmm. I haven't really looked at anything on the Booker long list yet…I might wait for the short list.

i have one book i will be reading soon, In the Orchard, the Swallows and i get the sense it could be a total contender - though it's way, WAY below the radar. i really hope it to be excellent!!

so i see Telegraph Avenue is on the "watch list" i copied over in message #2, above.

i started reading it last night and i can already see it being a strong contender. i am loving everything about it, so far.

I'm a newbie, too, and would like to know how the ToB works.

i'll just copy this brief blurb from the morning news's web site:

Each March, TMN also hosts the Tournament of Books, “the best literary prize in existence” (MobyLives), a literary event going into its seventh round in 2012. In the Tournament, the previous year’s finest novels are subjected to a four-week, March Madness-style battle, and the winner is awarded/threatened with a live rooster. “[Set] apart from more staid and traditional book contests,” (Los Angeles Times), the Tournament is “a rare pocket of civility and informed intelligence” (Salon) and “literary ‘blood sport’ at its best” (Utne). It’s also a lot of fun.

so there are brackets, where books go head-to-head and each book has a champion, arguing in support of their book. 16 books start the tournament and one champion is crowned. haha!!

here's the 2012 site, where you can see the match-ups, judges and the match commentary.

it's a very cool thing, i think. :)

Hello Everyone,

Amazon has come out with their Top 100 Books of the Year. These year-end best lists seem to be a pretty good predictor of ToB books. I hope so! Have read 4 of the Top 5 (7 of the Top 10).

Fiction books in the Top 10 are:

The Round House
The Yellow Birds
Gone Girl
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
Hologram for the King
The Middlesteins
The Fault in Our Stars


And here's the link to the full list:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html...

I'd say "The Round House" is a virtual lock now, eh?

i would think so. ha! :)

Doesn't the Booker and the NBA always make the list?

i was wondering the same thing, michelle?? i have been curious about shortlist novels and if there are automatic inclusions for the ToB? but haven't had time to investigate.

From last year, Salvage the Bones and Tiger's Wife made it from the NBA. Sense of an Ending (winner), Sisters Brothers (short listed) and Strangers Child (long listed) were on the list from the Booker. I know Cloud Atlas and Wolf Hall were Booker winners that were also included in the TOB. I have not done an exhaustive search though.

Assuming the same, I see Round House and Billy Lynn... making it from the NBA - although I can see Hologram for a King in the mix too. I have not read the other NBAs. Booker titles to make it would be Bring Up the Bodies, Narcopolis (really odd book I actually enjoyed), Swimming Home, Harold Frye (only because it has been mentioned before) and Umbrella. I really hope that Umbrella does not make it - I hated it but I think it may be chosen for the reason that it is unconventional.

At quick glance it does appear the NBA and Booker winners are pretty sure ToB bets (all made it in past 4 years):

ToB year - NBA winner / Booker Winner
2009 - Shadow Country / White Tiger
2010 - Let The Great World Spin / Wolf Hall
2011 - Lord of Misrule / Finkler Question
2012 - Salvage the Bones / Sense of an Ending

So seems pretty safe to say Round House and Bring Up The Bodies will be in the 2013 ToB.

Agree with Michelle on Billy Lynn (think all the NBA nominees stand a good chance) likewise think Gone Girl is pretty sure thing.

Nearly finished with Bring Up the Bodies, now, and have Round House up next. (I think this is better than Wolf Hall, actually.)

So, I've tried to do better this year reading 'likely to be TOB' lit, but I don't know if it's panned out well. I gave three stars to Hologram, Gone Girl, and Telegraph Ave. Just realized that I didn't add stars, much less a review, to NW and I'm not eager to go back and think of it.

Is my brain broken or did a bunch of anticipated greatness fall flat? I'm almost afraid of picking up the next award winner.

Jamie wrote: "Nearly finished with Bring Up the Bodies, now, and have Round House up next. (I think this is better than Wolf Hall, actually.)

So, I've tried to do better this year reading 'likely to be TOB' lit..."

Not so much the award-winners, but I don't think you're alone on some of the highly anticipated releases. Seems like a lot of people are luke-warm, at best, on "Telegraph Avenue."

Jamie, I have been dodging/playing chicken with some books... holding off to see if they'll be ToB... Eggers, Chabon, Zadie (Tom Wolfe's latest appears to be DOA and is off my list). I'll probably get to Eggers since I'm close enough to having read all the National Book Award noms (and it's short).

But of what I would consider "ToB lit" have read a lot of quite good books, no absolute stand-outs (yet), and a few 3 (and even 2) star reviews in there - but I find myself getting crustier in my increasing old age!

It's fun trying to guess the ToB list - hoping it won't be a case of the anticipation of the event, being greater than the event itself when the brackets come out!

There are so many books on the watch list and so little time, so I created a Listopia list from most of the books listed here. TOB fans have a pretty good handle on which books will make the cut, so this might help people know where to start prepping for March Madness.

http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/27...

thank you for doing that, kelly!!! holy cow...it's awesome!

i have a couple of questions:

they don't do nonfiction though, right? i noticed brain on fire on the list.

half blood blues came out in 2011?? so i am confused about qualifying dates. i was wanting to suggest one book i really loved, Galore, but didn't mention it as it was also a 2011 publication date.

my last question -- what's the guideline for YA novels? i read john green's the fault in our stars and loved it a lot but wonder if ToB would seriously consider it because of its classification??