Tournament of Books discussion

space to start predicting your favs (or good for discussion!) 2022 books to hit the TOB 2023 long and shortlists!

Thank you, Amy!

I get the feeling the new Hanya Yanagihara will not be on the list this year.

Kyle wrote: "I get the feeling the new Hanya Yanagihara will not be on the list this year."

In some ways I think it actually could be a good TOB book. Controversial, lots to discuss and love or hate...I see as many glowing reviews as negative.

I pre-ordered (even though I hated many things about A Little Life), mostly based on the description of the first section...and then read reviews and debated whether to return it. But it's still sitting in my pile.

The most balanced review I saw said it had flaws but also explored race, class and sexuality in new, interesting ways, and that the storytelling was fully engaging. Which are really the most important things we can ask from a book, no?

Anyway, I won't read it now, but I'm not returning it either. If anyone here tackles it, I'll be interested to see what they think.

Yeah really mixed reviews. I loved The People in the Trees and was moved by A Little Life despite feeling somewhat manipulated so I feel like I have to read To Paradise. Does anyone have a particular reviewer they follow and trust? I've tried to find one but the closest I've come is Ron Charles at WAPO and I don't always agree with him. BTW he loved To Paradise.

Janet wrote: "Yeah really mixed reviews. I loved The People in the Trees and was moved by A Little Life despite feeling somewhat manipulated so I feel like I have to read [book:To..."

You know, I rarely trust newspaper reviewers for some reason. Some, especially the authors, seem to have agendas or are in bed with other authors, ha. I'm more inclined to trust readers, and I have a couple of Booktube favorites whose reviews are really well considered. Eric is my absolute favorite, we have identical reading tastes and I've agreed with almost all his opinions. Here's the balanced review of To Paradise that I referred to above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-Kvj...

I also love this reviewer, he's so enthusiastic and in love with books and fun to watch. (Linking his glowing review of To Paradise that made me decide to keep the book.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DjGj...

I just started To Paradise. Disclaimer: I'm a Yanagihara stan, and absolutely loved both of her previous novels. And so far I'm liking this one as well. I just really like her writing style, I think, and I do find her novels very engrossing. I have a feeling this one will end up being third in a ranking of her novels, but a third-place Yanagihara is still worth reading, for me.

Elizabeth wrote: "Janet wrote: "Yeah really mixed reviews. I loved The People in the Trees and was moved by A Little Life despite feeling somewhat manipulated so I feel like I have to..."

Thanks for sharing that video review! I'm registered for an event with the author in Austin at the end of this month (as long as covid is in a better position by then) and it helps to have this context before I start the book.

Lauren wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: "Janet wrote: "Yeah really mixed reviews. I loved The People in the Trees and was moved by A Little Life despite feeling somewhat manipulated so I f..."

I'll be very interested to see what you think! I know it addresses some of the themes you're especially interested in, and I'm curious whether it addresses them well.

Reposting into this discussion (from my earlier post in the 2022 ToB shortlist discussion):

I really think Lemon, Yeo-Sun Kwon's 2019 novel(la) just this year released in English translation [okay, technically released 10/12/21], should at least be on the 2023 ToB longlist -- and I think on the shortlist.

I'm not sure if I loved it or hated it, but it is haunting me. My lack of assuredness about my feelings is all tied up in how much the prose changed in translation, how much difference cultural differences make to understanding a complex story, whether this is a book that just demands to be read in a single sitting and then immediately re-read to begin to understand its meaning? In short, it is to me a perfect ToB book to talk about with you brilliant people.

The review of To Paradise by Lynn Steger Strong (her novel, Want, was on last year's long list) was the one I read. About half of it is really about A Little Life

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment...

Lan Samantha Chang's The Family Chao, a refiguring of The Brothers Karamazov as set in a midwestern Chinese restaurant run by a family of immigrants, was fantastic and I hope it makes next year's tournament.

Alison wrote: "...Lan Samantha Chang's The Family Chao, a refiguring of The Brothers Karamazov as set in a midwestern Chinese restaurant run by a family of immigrants, was fantastic..."
Thank you, Alison, for this tip. Moving it up on my 2022 TBR list.

Phyllis wrote: "Alison wrote: "...Lan Samantha Chang's The Family Chao, a refiguring of The Brothers Karamazov as set in a midwestern Chinese restaurant run by a family of immigrants, was fantastic..."
Thank you, ..."

Me too!!

“Books and Reading are Two Different Hobbies” https://bookriot.com/books-vs-reading/

Jason wrote: "“Books and Reading are Two Different Hobbies” https://bookriot.com/books-vs-reading/"

read that this morning and felt very seen. I will say that for awhile my hobby was way way way more books than reading but now I think reading has taken the forefront again

Kip wrote: "Jason wrote: "“Books and Reading are Two Different Hobbies” https://bookriot.com/books-vs-reading/"

read that this morning and felt very seen. I will say that for awhile my hobby was way way way m..."

At first it was sad to think about book lovers not enjoying reading, but after finishing the whole article, I think I get it. I sometimes enjoy finishing books more than being in the middle of them (with numerous exceptions, of course). And I'll admit sometimes reading can feel like a chore if I have too many books in a row that I have to read, because of my numerous book commitments like book clubs (and sometimes the ToB, with how I aim to be a completist, which can mean forcing myself to read a book I'm not interested in). Overall I get tons of enjoyment from both books (buying/collecting them, marking them "tbr" or "read," stacking them, taking photos of them, etc.) and reading itself, but I can see how other bookish folks fall on different points of that spectrum. Any form of book-loving sounds like a win to me. ;)

Such an interesting discussion.

Really, although I read a fair amount, and fall in love with a lot of what I read, I fall on the side of being a Book person. My absolute favorite thing (before Covid) was to go into a bookstore and walk out with books in a bag. Just the feeling of carrying books to the car! It's almost the same now with ordering books, clicking the Buy button and then getting the packages.

So once they're home I'll pull the books out, rifle the pages, smell them (yeah), maybe read a few random pages and then stack them somewhere I can see them. I just love their physical presence. After I own them I may or may not pick them up again for months. I just love looking at the books and feeling like I have all these worlds in front of me waiting for me to explore them.

And I always have big plans to devote more dedicated free time to reading. The idea of tucking into my chair for a full day with a book in my lap feels like such a dream. But does it ever really happen? I don't think it ever has. So I think what I'm drawn to is the image of curling up with a book rather than the actual act of reading.

Everything you said resonates with me, Elizabeth. The physical presence of books makes me happy. I love looking at them on my shelves and stacked various and sundry places. Of course I have high aspirations to read them all, but owning them is a distinct pleasure in and of itself.

Peggy wrote: "Everything you said resonates with me, Elizabeth. The physical presence of books makes me happy. I love looking at them on my shelves and stacked various and sundry places. Of course I have high aspirations to read them all, but owning them is a distinct pleasure in and of itself. ..."

It was a great day in my life when I admitted this to myself--that I enjoy buying books and owning them as a pleasure separate from reading them--and that THAT IS OK!.

A follow-on delight for me is when I am sitting in my favorite chair where my bookshelves are within arm's reach and a book catches my eye and I begin to read it--I love it, it's an intense pleasure for me to not have to leave the house to find an intriguing book on the shelf that I forgot I had, and to get lost in reading it. (Although it does mean that I read more books of authors whose names begin with G through O) (because they are in reach).

I buy a lot of used books so it doesn't feel like a terrible extravagance.

I have a 3 year old and a 6 year old, so the concept of spending a whole day in a comfy reading nook is 100% a fantasy. (We have the reading nooks, they're just filled with scattered toys.) I've learned to set an alarm early on Sunday morning so that I can brew myself a cup of coffee and get in an hour of quality reading before I hear them stirring.

lark wrote: "A follow-on delight for me is when I am sitting in my favorite chair where my bookshelves are within arm's reach and a book catches my eye and I begin to read it--I love it, it's an intense pleasure for me to not have to leave the house to find an intriguing book on the shelf that I forgot I had..."

I love that too, although it's a little bittersweet when the old friend I pull off the shelf is a 40 year old mass market paperback ($2 new) that is now so yellowed and dry, with type so small that reading it again isn't very palatable. I've been dragging around quite a few of these for so many years that I can't bear to toss them and can't bear to read them ;) The latest old friend experience was with Leguin's The Dispossessed. I suppose the solution is to buy a new copy. Lesson - don't give your heart to a super cheapo paperback;)

I love books and reading about books more than reading books, for sure. I have managed to buy or borrow every book on the shortlist, but there's no way I'm going to get through them all.

I went down a weird rabbit hole on The Millions' first-half of the year list where I tried to figure out what generation each author belonged to in hopes of finding some Gen-X voices that might be telling stories I relate to. There are 21 Gen-X authors on the list just thru Feb, btw. But, am I going to read many of them? who knows? It was just some new way to categorize and filter through an unwieldy list of books.

My favorite thing to do in a well-curated bookstore is open a random number generator and use it to point me to a specific but random book... and then buy it. Read my first Jean Rhys that way (Powell's), but I also have a bunch of odd things I may never get to.

This feels like a safe spot to admit that I often buy books at the used bookstore (or, ok, sometimes new) only to read them as audiobooks or on the kindle from the library. I felt some shame in doing that until reading this thread.

Bretnie wrote: "This feels like a safe spot to admit that I often buy books at the used bookstore (or, ok, sometimes new) only to read them as audiobooks or on the kindle from the library. I felt some shame in doi..."

Oh, no shame at all, I do that too, especially if the book is long. I love having both words and audio. I need to read in print in the beginning till I'm grounded but then I switch back and forth depending on how my eyes are feeling (and if I'm cooking, driving, etc.)

Really, I feel good buying the books even if I don't read a significant portion, because it's supporting my bookstore and authors I like. And I keep hoping the more people who buy the type of books I love, it'll send a message to publishers.

(I always set a book buying budget for the year. But it seems to run out by September, around the time all the books I realize I absolutely NEED start to come out...)

No shame at all in buying books you don't read. I feel guilty because sometimes I get the book and the audio from the library at the same time so that means I'm holding up someone else from enjoying it. That doesn't happen very often though....the timing is hardly ever right.

Interesting conversation. The only thing I can add is that I’ve enjoyed the ToB much more since I gave up trying to be a completist, ie, giving up forcing myself to read books I wasn’t enjoying much at all.

Also, in case anyone else wants to adopt this rationalization, when I start to feel guilty about buying too many books, I reframe the purchases as donations to writers and bookstores…both of which are at least as important to me as contributions to my favorite political causes and parties. :-)

I skimmed the article so maybe I missed it, but even for someone who loves reading, I still find reading most lit fic takes concentration, in ways that reading, say, a John Sandford mystery doesn’t. I could sit and read the latter for a full day; the former, not so much.

Bretnie wrote: "This feels like a safe spot to admit ... I felt some shame in doing that ..."
Oh my, Bretnie, I think we here are all members of Books/Readers Anonymous: "Hi, my name is ____. I buy books I have no hope of ever reading and for which there is no remaining shelf or floor space in my home." You are definitely safe.

I love having a big TBR pile (currently about a foot-and-a-half tall) and then getting like 3 more books from the library.

Also if I actually had physical copies of my Kindle library I'd need another room to store them.

Elizabeth wrote: "Bretnie wrote: "This feels like a safe spot to admit that I often buy books at the used bookstore (or, ok, sometimes new) only to read them as audiobooks or on the kindle from the library. I felt s..."

Same! I have a monthly book budget (which I often exceed - oops!) and get tons of joy out of supporting my local bookstores and the authors. Since I listen to audiobooks faster than I can read them in print, I've also been doing more combo reads so I can get to more of the books already on my shelves.

Kyle wrote: "Also if I actually had physical copies of my Kindle library I'd need ano..."

I have so many books on my Kindle that I have no idea what's there anymore. There have been so many times I'll think a book looks interesting, I'll go into Amazon to read a sample and see I already bought it years ago...

I have a secret too: Sometimes, if I really really loved an audiobook, I'll buy they physical book and shelve it like I physically read it.

Here's the Millions anticipated 2022 list if you're looking for your next 2022 read/listen: https://themillions.com/2022/01/most-...

Ah, a new Quan Barry! And it looks a lot different from "Sticks," which is cool.

Also somewhat interested in the sequel to "The Idiot" - "Either/Or" by Elif Batuman...

You are all my people. :)

Yay Millions list, and new Quan Barry!

And a new ones from St. John Mandel and Jennifer Egan!

Bob wrote: "And a new ones from St. John Mandel and Jennifer Egan!"

I've heard mixed reviews on the Egan. Sad because I'd been looking forward to it since over a yer ago when I first heard it was coming. The St. John Mandel looks fantastic, though! I've already preordered, and I rarely do that.

Elizabeth wrote: "I have a couple of Booktube favorites whose reviews are really well considered. Eric is my absolute favorite, we have identical reading tastes and I've agreed with almost all his opinions. Here's the balanced review of To Paradise that I referred to above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-Kvj...."

I love Erik @Lonesome Reader too. :D He's a more generous reader than I am, however. But I do think his reviews are balanced and he doesn't have any agenda (unless it is about Joyce Carol Oates LOL). And Bob the Bookerer is absolutely adorable.

Ruthiella wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: "I love Erik @Lonesome Reader too. :D He's a more generous reader than I am, however. But I do think his reviews are balanced and he doesn't have any agenda (unless it is about Joyce Carol Oates LOL). And Bob the Bookerer is absolutely adorable. "

Yeah, I've tried a couple of his JCO raves just because he was so enthusiastic about them, and then have been so disappointed! (I mean, she's brilliant, but nobody can write 5 amazing books every year.)

And oh my gosh, Bob the Bookerer, I want to hug him! He's just a joy to watch, SO excited about what he reads, and he seems like such a sweetheart.

Elizabeth wrote: "Ruthiella wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: "I love Erik @Lonesome Reader too. :D He's a more generous reader than I am, however. But I do think his reviews are balanced and he doesn't have any agenda (unle..."

Please go watch Bob and another adorable Booktuber, doomantidote compete on this hilarious video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Lk1v... . Seriously, Booktube, I love it!

Ruthiella wrote: "Please go watch Bob and another adorable Booktuber, doomantidote compete on this hilarious video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Lk1v... . Seriously, Booktube, I love it!"

Oh gosh, Ruthiella, thank you for bringing that much needed spark of laughter and joy to my day!!

LOVE the Millions preview list. Another list in case anyone missed it: https://lithub.com/lit-hubs-most-anti...

So many choices! So many ToB names on both lists. I'm most looking forward to 'End of the World House' and new Sara Baume - 'Seven Steeples'. The new Emily St. John Mandel sounds amazing. 'A Tiny Upward Shove' sounds amazing. New Mat Johnson! Peng Shepherd's new book didn't even make either list! But really I want to read most of the books on both lists.

Elizabeth wrote: "Lauren wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: "Janet wrote: "Yeah really mixed reviews. I loved The People in the Trees and was moved by A Little Life despite feeling somewhat man..."

I'm excited to meet the author and learn more about the book at a Book People event on Tuesday. :)

Also, I just finished Olga Dies Dreaming and while it wasn't perfect, I was thoroughly entertained, learned a ton, and think it would be fun to discuss. Has anyone else read it yet?

Lauren wrote: "Also, I just finished Olga Dies Dreaming and while it wasn't perfect, I was thoroughly entertained, learned a ton, and think it would be fun to discuss. Has anyone else read it yet? ..."

Not yet, but I have a copy on my stack to read soon.

In case anyone hasn't seen the great news...Chouette (written by our friend, lark, in this group) made the longlist for the 2022 Pen/Faulkner award for fiction! https://www.penfaulkner.org/our-award... (Two of our ToB shortlist books are on there too). I'm hoping the pub date for Chouette means it could have a chance in this year's ToB longlist, but in the meantime, this is a huge accomplishment.

Congratulations!!! So well deserved. The other day I was thinking of examples of "perfect books" in my view (books I thoroughly enjoyed and I wouldn't change anything in), and Chouette came to mind. Even if I didn't know you, lark, I'd still mark it as one of the best books I've read. Hats off to you, and I hope you are celebrating. :)

Lauren wrote: "In case anyone hasn't seen the great news...Chouette (written by our friend, lark, in this group) made the longlist for the 2022 Pen/Faulkner award for fiction! https://www.penfaulk..."

I did see this! CONGRATULATIONS lark! So cool.

lark, my heartfelt congratulations! BTW, I have the book here and will read it as soon as I'm out from under the yoke of the ToB list.

Lauren wrote: "Hats off to you, and I hope you are celebrating. :)..."

Thanks, Lauren! I'm happily flabbergasted.

Lauren wrote: "In case anyone hasn't seen the great news...Chouette (written by our friend, lark, in this group) made the longlist for the 2022 Pen/Faulkner award for fiction! https://www.penfaulk..."

Wow, celebrating for you, Lark! 'Chouette' is a very special book.

Lauren wrote: "anyone else read [Olga Dies Dreaming]?.."

oh! I just picked up Olga Dies Dreaming for my Jan BOTM pick! I'll have to check it out (post TOB shortlist.... I might be a completionist this year!

lark wrote: "Lauren wrote: "Hats off to you, and I hope you are celebrating. :)..."

Thanks, Lauren! I'm happily flabbergasted."

what a wonderful (and wonderfully phrased) state of being! :)

Amy wrote: "what a wonderful (and wonderfully phrased) state of being! :)
"

Thanks, Amy. I think the correct literary etiquette is to say: "I'm honored," at least that's what the other authors on the list are saying about how they feel about it over on twitter, but whenever I think about me, saying that, I burst out in hysterical laughter.