Tournament of Books discussion

Space to discuss the 2024 TOB contender Dayswork, by Chris Bachelder and Jennifer Habel.

I'm halfway through this one and I'm really liking it. I find the format annoying, because I fail to see the problem with joining sentences together into paragraphs, but the contents of this book are lovely.

Loved this. Now I have to attempt to read Moby Dick. Again.

This one is my favorite so far. Just lovely.

I loved this book. It has inspired me to think about thinking about reading Moby Dick. It hardly feels like a novel, tbh, and it felt like it was written by one person, in my mind it was Jennifer Habel. I wondered how Chris Bachelder got top billing and found this interview with them both: https://observer.com/2023/09/dayswork...

Relevant passage:
Jennifer: We would sit at the kitchen table and write each sentence together. I typed, but we sat next to each other and composed out loud. I’d say what about this, and he’d say what about that, and we’d collaborate on the actual sentence. It was a fascinating process.

While that doesn't really answer my question, this was 100% collaborative (I presume), maybe they went alphabetical? Or maybe he's more famous? I certainly didn't know he was married to a poet, but maybe people that read poetry didn't know she was married to a novelist.

Bob wrote: "I loved this book. It has inspired me to think about thinking about reading Moby Dick. It hardly feels like a novel, tbh, and it felt like it was written by one person, in my mind it was Jennifer H..."

I have thought a lot about that, too. Thanks for the link, I'll read that.

I'm fascinated that all yall loved this book so much! I found it quite boring, with very little interest in exploring the life of Melleville and his wife, or the narrator's pandemic life. I get that it's about bigger themes, but I couldn't get into the themes if I didn't care about the characters.

Feels like Optic Nerve, which a lot of people loved but I couldn't get into.

For me it's got that creative non-fiction vibe that includes lots of anecdotes that weave with the larger narrative. Luis Sagasti's books have that same feeling, as does When We Cease to Understand the World or In Memory of Memory. I'd put this book on the same booklist as those.

Bretnie wrote: "I'm fascinated that all yall loved this book so much! I found it quite boring, with very little interest in exploring the life of Melleville and his wife, or the narrator's pandemic life. I get tha..."

I didn't love it, either, and that disappointed me, because going into it I was so certain that I would! (For example, "When We Cease to Understand the World", cited by Bob as being in a similar vein to this, was one of my favorite reads the year it was published.)

I need more "story", I guess, than this gave me.

I am about halfway through and think I'm done with this one, unless someone can tell me that the book changes in some way. I don't hate it, but I feel I have gained enough information about Melville (who I'm not particularly interested in) and the little tidbits about pandemic life. I guess I'm saying I feel like I "get" the book, even only being half done. It makes me wonder how much more I'd like it if the main subject was an author I was more interested in (like Shakespeare or DFW *drink!*)

Trish wrote: "I am about halfway through and think I'm done with this one, unless someone can tell me that the book changes in some way. I don't hate it, but I feel I have gained enough information about Melvill..."

It does foray into other relationships with a single-minded writer, like Elizabeth Hardwick and Robert Lowell, but if the topic doesn't interest you, you probably won't change your mind.

I found this book "interesting." What was the purpose of writing it in this odd structure? I was interested in the historical part and also the current day part, but the structure just threw "stops" in my way. Like @Risa, I need more story.

I think the key to enjoying this book is to read it slowly, just a few pages a day. You'll want more the next day instead of tiring of its format.

Bob wrote: "I loved this book. It has inspired me to think about thinking about reading Moby Dick. It hardly feels like a novel, tbh, and it felt like it was written by one person, in my mind it was Jennifer H..."

Same! Thanks for the link. I've been listing Jennifer's name first when I mention it. It feels more right than alphabetical.

I’m so-so on this one. I love Moby Dick, and I think that novel is on the shortlist of greatest American novels, so I was interested to learn more about Melville (and ultimately disappointed in him with some of what I learned). That said, this “novel” gave me very little to get emotionally engaged with. It felt sterile and precious at the same time, which is an odd combination.

I’ve recently read Zadie Smith’s The Fraud, and I think that novel handled the life of a disappointed writer in a much more satisfying way (though I had other complaints about that book).

Gwendolyn wrote: "I’m so-so on this one. I love Moby Dick, and I think that novel is on the shortlist of greatest American novels, so I was interested to learn more about Melville (and ultimately disappointed in him..."

This encapsulates all of my reactions as well, Gwendolyn. Thank you!

I love this book! Love it! It’s exactly the kind of book I come to the ToB for. I never would’ve picked it up of my own choosing.
It was charming and funny. All the stuff about Melville was highly interesting to me. Even more engrossing, though, is the whole, kind of, Cult of Melville that exists out there. How do you get to that point? I’ve never wanted to know more about, say, (thinks of random 5 star book) John Williams, for example. But I am intrigued. I may even read Moby Dick, at the very least one sentence a day on X.

I'm annoyed this book took the place of pretty much anything else which I'm sure I would have enjoyed more.

Dammit, this is just making me want to read Moby-Dick for the 4th time.

Also the number of TOB darlings getting shouted out in this book makes me laugh

I enjoyed this one, particularly the places that talked about Elizabeth Hardwick and the whole idea of loving a creative but difficult individual. Did anyone remember that Bachelder had another book, The Throwback Special, in the ToB, around 2018? Both are kind of sweet, lightweight and quirky.

Jan wrote: "I enjoyed this one, particularly the places that talked about Elizabeth Hardwick and the whole idea of loving a creative but difficult individual. Did anyone remember that Bachelder had another boo..."

Oh, yes, I remember the Throwback Special. I liked that one. It was unusual but touching.

Throwback Special is one of those I've always meant to read. There's a lot of love for it on here.

I was trying to think of other books from the TOB that kind of have this fragmented style and the closest I could think of was No One is Talking About This from a few years back. I know there are closer analogues but can't think of any off the top of my head.

I found it similar to Optic Nerve, a TOB book. ON wasn’t as fragmented but it was chapters with both appreciation of works of art and the artists’ lives and alongside that what was happening in the narrator’s life. I love them both.

Kyle wrote: "Throwback Special is one of those I've always meant to read. There's a lot of love for it on here."

It's not like =Dayswork=, but I think it is a terrific (if odd) book.

I was trying to think of other books from the TOB that kind of have this fragmented style..."

Jenny Offill

Tim wrote: "Kyle wrote: "Throwback Special is one of those I've always meant to read. There's a lot of love for it on here."

It's not like =Dayswork=, but I think it is a terrific (if odd) book.

I was tryin..."

Also Assembly (which is a fantastic quick read if you haven’t tried it already.)

I think Cold People definitely has this one beat. This was a snooze-fest of a book.

Reading it just made me want to read a proper biography on Herman Melville rather than this bizarre random listing of facts not written in any meaningful order.

It's also not much of a novel, with no meaningful narrative to tie the Melville trivia in any direction.

I'd rather the authors just write this as a collection of short story memoirs with clear beginnings and ends. The writing style is fine and intriguing, but there is no plot, so it feels wasted.

Oh, duh, I remember what the style of this reminded me of: Same Bed Different Dreams, which was on the longlist. And which I liked a lot more.

(Don't get me wrong, I didn't dislike it - I thought it was perfectly OK. Which, unfortunately, is my opinion of most of the books I've read this year.)

Well, now, that comparison makes me a little less excited to read “Same Bed ….”, especially because it’s longer than this. I thought this was good at mood-setting but then it didn’t go anywhere. I certainly didn’t hate it, but the ToB has taught me that, unless I am reading a poem or a short story, I do need at least a bit of plot to keep me engaged. I’d contrast this with “Blackouts”, which I’d also classify as a “mood” piece, but had just enough story to keep me in it. And it worked much better for me.

Ann Patchett features “Dayswork” in her Friday video today. It’s lovely. And I love the book.

Bryn wrote: "Ann Patchett features “Dayswork” in her Friday video today. It’s lovely. And I love the book."

Hey, Bryn, you got a link to that video?

It’s on Parnassus Books account either Facebook or Instagram.

I love that bookstore and those videos. I look forward to it every week — a balm in a chaotic world.

My parents live in Nashville and every month I go through and tell them which authors and events they need to check out. Will have to search out this video too!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3ajeB...