Tournament of Books discussion

This is a bit much, isn't it? I think I'll challenge this one, though. 16 books in 42+ days should be doable and would be good training for attaining Completionist status for the 2026 ToB shortlist.

I was thinking the same thing! I’m also trying to work through the Booker long list and the National Book Awards long list. What’s 16 more?!

It's a fun idea, but I think it will mainly just work for those who have already read a majority of these books. Since classics rarely work for me, I've only read two on the list (Mexican Gothic and Ring Shout). Goodreads is telling me I've also read The Haunting of Hill House, but I didn't give it a rating (which I almost never do), so I'm not sure what happened there.

If anyone has a strong recommendation for a favorite on this list (ideally one of the more contemporary options I can read on audio), I'll add it to my list. But otherwise, I won't have much to contribute to this.

It's not an exciting list. I've read seven (strongly disliked two of those) and have little interest in the rest.

The book I would actively vote against: I Am Legend and Other Stories - that character is a sexist jerk and I don't understand why this book is considered a classic.

The book I truly loved: The Talented Mr. Ripley - but I never considered that to be "horror" - it's more like crime & psychological thriller.

I'm not sure if they really thought this through, a tournament that's meant to finish in one week should not have books that are 400, 500, even 800+ pages long.

I figure they are thinking that, if horror is your go-to genre, then you’ve likely already read many/most of these. Most of them are quite old.

The Terror is certainly going to be the one I'll probably save for the end because it's so long, but the others seem manageable.

I haven't read any of these books myself and usually don't read horror, so this seems like a good list to really explore the genre.

Here are all the page counts for reference:

Carmilla - 108 pages
Dracula - 488 pages
The Exorcist - 385 pages
Frankenstein - 260 pages
The Haunting of Hill House - 182 pages
I am Legend - 162 pages
The King in Yellow - 224 pages
Let the Right One In - 513 pages
Mexican Gothic - 320 pages
Ring Shout - 185 pages
Rosemary's Baby - 308 pages
The Shining - 497 pages
The Silence of the Lambs - 421 pages
The Talented Mr. Ripley - 271 pages
The Terror - 835 pages
The Woman in Black - 138 pages

I was a horror nut back in high school and college, but lost interest at some point. Mexican Gothic is on my list, though, so I may read it. I read all the classics on the list, but it's been so long that I don't remember the finer points.

I'm a John Ajvide Lindqvist fan, sort of, so I'd recommend Let the Right One In. I've certainly read Dracula, The Haunting of Hill House, The Silence of the Lambs, and Rosemary's Baby; I also read Mexican Gothic but was not a big fan and have never read anything else she's written because I didn't like it. My current list is so long that I don't think I'll participate -- but who knows?

This is a really fun idea! But once again, I'll be waiting eagerly until the main tournament arrives to participate.

I love Frankenstein and the whole story of how it even came to be. While I haven't read Rosemary's Baby, it's one of my all time favorite movies.

I've read a few of the books, but only one recently enough to not need to reread beforehand. Horror's not my genre, so I'll follow along, but I've got piles of books here I'd rather read.

That said, I will use this as a reason to read Ring Shout.

I really wish they would do a ROMANCE tournament.

I already read a lot of what people have begun to call "literary horror" and I enjoy it very much (Stephen Graham Jones, Brian Evenson, Laird Hunt are among my faves) and I feel fairly aware of who is working in that genre.

But the romance genre is a vast unknown territory to me, even though it's the biggest market by far for avid readers, I'm told. I'd love to know who is considered a "literary romance author" and I'd love guidance about what I'm supposed to be reading by having somebody pick out 16 books to begin with.

Lark wrote: "I really wish they would do a ROMANCE tournament.

I already read a lot of what people have begun to call "literary horror" and I enjoy it very much (Stephen Graham Jones, ..."



Are you asking for recommendations? I am not qualified to determine what is "literary" and what is not, and I have no idea what 16 books would be on a ToB bracket, but here are some I've read recently that I thought were five stars. These run the gamut from classic literary to historical to YA graphic novel. I'm not going to bother mentioning Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer because for some reason that's who everyone always mentions, and I don't actually like either author all that much, they are just okay. (DuMaurier does make my cut, however). To qualify, part of the main plot has to involve a love story, and they have to have some sort of happy ending (I fudge that a bit here), in no particular order:


Swordheart - fantasy romance with an older heroine and older hero. (He's A LOT older, he's been living inside a sword)

Vampires of El Norte - set in northern Mexico / sourthern Texas back when the border was in dispute and USA kept invading to grab more territory. Also, there's a very creepy vampire, not the sexy sort of Dracula type. This story is heavy on the angst, the couple were in love as teens but then forced apart for reasons that they both misunderstood.

The Rom-Commers - a contemporary rom-com in which the couple both feel they aren't really worthy or capable of love (this is a common theme in contemporary romances)

Lunar New Year Love Story - really sweet YA graphic novel

Funny Story - another contemporary rom-com, I felt like I had to include Emily Henry, and this is my favorite from her.

Normal People - we all know this one, right? I felt like I had to include Sally Rooney.

The Devil Comes Courting - a historical romance by one of the huge historical authors, the plot is predictable because you know they'll end up together, of course, but I learned A LOT about translated Chinese characters to telegraph symbols, a subject I never really thought about before. Also a subplot about white missionaries basically stealing Chinese babies from their families.

Jamaica Inn - I wasn't sure if I should list this one or Frenchman's Creek, they are both a slow burn romance set in the Cornish past.

Last Night at the Telegraph Club - this YA historical sapphic romance is becoming a modern classic, already.

The Price of Salt - one of the first lesbian romances to actually give the couple a happy ending. And I love Highsmith, so I had to include this here.

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir - another classic I think everyone's probably heard of, but not many have read. It was so sweet!

Their Eyes Were Watching God - not usually categorized as a romance, but her love for Teacake is a central theme. It's not exactly a HEA so I'm not really sure if it qualifies as a "romance"

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall - not all the Bronte novels are romances (Wuthering Heights certainly is NOT!) but this one is.

The Favorites - this is a Wuthering Heights retelling that keeps all the angst and anger but also makes it a romance.

The Summer Wives - historical romance set on a small island off the coast of Long Island

The Haunting of Maddy Clare - a historical ghost story with a romance subplot.

Thanks, Nadine! Some of these I've read and haven't considered "romance" and some I've never heard of--I'll look forward to diving in.

Last Night at the Telegraph Club is pretty good!

OMG yes The Price of Salt. Carol (move based on it) is one of my all time faves.

Alison wrote: "I've read a few of the books, but only one recently enough to not need to reread beforehand. Horror's not my genre, so I'll follow along, but I've got piles of books here I'd rather read.

That sa..."

Ring Shout is wonderful! It's my favorite book on the list so far along with Rosemary's Baby. It kind of reminds me of Lone Women by Victor Lavalle in its writing and the Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke Studio Ghibli movies in certain aspects of the plot.

Well I haven't quite finished all of them (The Terror is just way too long), but I've read enough of all the books to have a strong opinion about each of them. Here are my general rankings pretty much in order from favorite to least favorite:

4-5 stars:
The Haunting of Hill House
Frankenstein
Rosemary's Baby
Ring Shout
Mexican Gothic
The Talented Mister Ripley
Let the Right One In
The Exorcist
I Am Legend

3 stars:
The Silence of the Lambs
Dracula
The Shining
The Terror
Carmilla

1-2 stars:
The Woman in Black
The King in Yellow

I hope that "The RoOoOoOster" wins as the name of this contest!

NYT just did Stephen Graham Jones’ The Buffalo Hunter Hunter for their book club. Made me interested and I’m not even a horror fan.