Saturday, January 19, 2019

The 2019 Tournament of Books

The Rooster crows anew! Yes, it is that time of year again my book friends! Time for the 2019 Tournament of Books. 

 More information can be found on The Morning News website: but in short the Tournament is an on-line book prize using bracket eliminations to pit two books against each other and where the judgments are transparent since they are posted publicly.  The short list was announced very early in December 2018 which gave readers like me a chance to get their library holds in so as to get some quality reading done over the Christmas/New Year break. I didn't make quite as much headway as I had hoped over that period, mostly because I was trying to finish reading Les Misérables and Buddenbrooks before I tackled anything new. 

 At the time of publication of the short list I had already read three of the books, I managed to read four more over the break and have since completed another four. Below is the shortlist with my current tally:

Title
Author
READ?
Call Me Zebra
Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi

Census
Jesse Ball
YES
The Dictionary of Animal Languages
Heidi Sopinka

The Golden State
Lydia Kiesling
YES
The House of Broken Angels
Luis Alberto Urrea
YES
The Italian Teacher
Tom Rachman
YES
The Mars Room
Rachel Kushner
YES
Milkman
Anna Burns
YES
My Sister the Serial Killer
Oyinkan Braithwaite
YES
The Overstory
Richard Powers

The Parking Lot Attendant
Nafkote Tamirat
YES
So Lucky
Nicola Griffith

There, There
Tommy Orange
YES
Warlight
Michael Ondaatje
YES
Washington Black
Esi Edugyan
YES
America Is Not the Heart
Elaine Castillo

Speak No Evil
Uzodinma Iweala

A Terrible Country
Keith Gessen

The Tournament doesn't start until March so I fee pretty confident that I will be able to complete the short list by then. So far, from what I've read I've enjoyed The Mars Room, Milkman and The Golden State the most.  In particular, I am really glad to have read Milkman since it also won the 2018 Man-Booker prize. I liked it a lot more than I though I would. 

Have any of you read any of the shortlisted books or would you like to? Do you follow the Tournament too?  Let me know! 😃
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15 comments:

  1. Kathy's CornerJanuary 20, 2019 at 6:22 AM

    Hi Ruthiella, Congratulations on reading so many of the books on the 2019 Tournament of Books Challenge. Ashamed to say I haven't heard of many of these authors but curiousvto check them out and Milkman may be the place to start. I'll try to find it at the library.

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    1. RuthiellaJanuary 20, 2019 at 7:13 PM

      Thanks for the comment Kathy! Milkman was challenging but I am glad I read it!

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  2. RobJanuary 20, 2019 at 2:05 PM

    I've never taken part in this, but always excited to see what comes up on the list. Congratulations on the great start!

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    1. RuthiellaJanuary 20, 2019 at 7:14 PM

      Thanks for the comment Rob! The mix of books is always interesting I find. Always an interesting mix of the known and unknown.

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  3. jenclairJanuary 21, 2019 at 7:14 AM

    You've made an impressive beginning! Eager to read your reviews as the tournament progresses. :)

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    1. RuthiellaJanuary 21, 2019 at 1:17 PM

      Thanks for the comment jenclair! I probably won't review on the blog - just on goodreads but I think I will do a wrap up and show the winning book in March.

      Delete
  4. JaneGSJanuary 23, 2019 at 6:38 PM

    I haven't read any Tournament books yet, and have been wondering what to focus on. I like your list of what you've read and liked. I will use that as my guide!

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    1. RuthiellaJanuary 23, 2019 at 8:11 PM

      Thanks for the comment Jane! If I could make a suggestion, I think you might enjoy Washington Black. It is historical fiction, adventure. :D

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    2. JaneGSFebruary 3, 2019 at 4:21 PM

      thanks for the recommendation—I have The Italian Teacher and The Overstory in my queue, but will also add Washington Black.

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  5. CarolFebruary 2, 2019 at 1:13 AM

    I haven't heard of any of them, let alone read them. You've been busy by the looks of things :)

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    1. RuthiellaFebruary 2, 2019 at 5:15 PM

      Thanks for the comment Carol! Reading for the Tournament of Books is a little like work trying to get them read by March but still fun at the same time!

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  6. AnonymousFebruary 10, 2019 at 6:24 AM

    I'm back into slow slumpland this week. Not making much progress. Work weighs heavy on my mind and I can't focus on anything. - Care aka BkClubCare

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    1. RuthiellaFebruary 11, 2019 at 10:31 AM

      Bummer Care! I hate it when I have to take my work home with me mentally! Hope you get over your slump soon!

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  7. LoryMarch 28, 2019 at 5:54 PM

    I am so not up to date on current fiction, but I have heard of Washington Black and it sounds like I'd enjoy it.

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    1. RuthiellaMarch 29, 2019 at 2:56 PM

      Thanks for the comment Lory! The Tournament of Books helps me keep my finger on the pulse of current releases. Washington Black was a doozy of an adventure story but also with lots of undercurrents to think about. :D

      Delete

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