UPDATE : IT HAS STARTED!Do yourself a favour and check it out :
http://www.themorningnews.org/tob/
The 2012 TOURNAMENT OF BOOKS is almost here!
http://www.themorningnews.org/article/here-comes-the-rooster
This is a wonderful annual event that run by The Morning News that pits 16 books against each other. Kickoff is the 7th of March
So far, of the 16 in the tournament, I have only read :
Swamplandia! ~ Karen Russell
The Tiger's Wife ~ Tea Obreht
The Sense Of An Ending ~ Julian Barnes
The Cat's Table ~ Michael Ondaatje
State Of Wonder ~ Ann Patchett
The Sisters Brothers ~ Patrick deWitt
The Marriage Plot ~ Jeffrey Eugenides
Salvage The Bones ~ Jesmyn Ward
... so will concentrate on the reading list for the next few weeks. Alphie is currently reading IQ84).
Of those read, my favourite would be Salvage The Bones, followed by The Sense Of An Ending.
This is the link to the 2011 Tournament (and from there you can check out the results of previous years).
http://www.themorningnews.org/tob/
UPDATE :
Finished 1Q84 ... it took weeks!
I haven't read all books in the draw but here's my selection:
My pick in italics. Winner in bold
ROUND 1
Sense of An Ending V The Devil All The Time
Lightning Rod V Salvage The Bones (my pick for overall winner !!! shows what I know!!!)
1Q84 V The Last Brother
The Stranger's Child V The Tigers Wife
State of Wonder V The Sisters Brothers (didn't like either!)
Swamplandia! V The Cat's Table
The Marriage Plot V Green Girl
The Art of Fielding V Open City
ROUND 2
Sense Of An Ending V Lightning Rods
1Q84 V The Tiger's Wife
The Sisters Brothers V Swamplandia!
The Marriage Plot V Open CityROUND 3
Lightning Rods V 1Q84
The Sisters Brothers V Open City
ROUND 4
Lightning Rods V The Sisters Brothers (zombie choice)
Open City V The Art of Fielding (zombie choice)
ROUND 5
The Sisters Brothers V Open City
So there you go ... either "there's no accounting for taste" or "what would you know?".
The Sisters Brothers was knocked out in an earlier round by Open City but got a second chance as a Zombie selection and then won convincingly.
Not my cup of tea.LONG LOVE THE ROOSTER
Already eagerly awaiting next year's tournament
