March Tournament. . . Of Books!

That's right, it's the time of year when officeworkers everywhere are filling out their brackets, wondering if Cormac McCarthy's The Road has what it takes to beat Pynchons Against The Day or if a Cinderella story, like Colson Whitehead's Apex Hides the Hurt can go all the way.

Yup, The Morning News is hosting its annual Tournament of Books!

Grab your bracket (pdf file) here.

I think it'll hit at least one judge who will be put off by it.

I'm not sure why, but I think Absurdistan or The Echo Maker will win.

uh, books? not for me. that's why i have the internet.



edit: pride of baghdad? awesome.

eat it, eggheads!




(thinks: hopefully she does not notice that the only book i recognized was a graphic novel)

I don't get it. Books can't play basketball.

I dunno, the new Pynchon is taller than a lot of college point guards.

I love books! Guess I don't love 'em as much as you kids though.

There seem to be other people in this version of the thread.

I've head good things about The Road and I've been meaning to pick up Anansi Boys. The Pynchon is actually on my nightstand now. I haven't actually read any of the books in the field yet. I've been catching up on other reading.

That's from last year. For the life of me, I can't remember which one won.

And its back in 2008!!

Nominees
Run by Ann Patchett
On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan
Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson
Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris
Petropolis by Anya Ulinich
Ovenman by Jeff Parker
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
You Don't Love Me Yet by Jonathan Lethem
New England White by Stephen L. Carter
Remainder by Tom McCarthy
The Shadow Catcher by Marianne Wiggins
The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño
Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name by Vendela Vida
Shining at the Bottom of the Sea by Stephen Marche
What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman
An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England by Brock Clarke

I'm picking Junot Diaz and Denis Johnson as the frontrunners.

Last three winners: David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas, Ali Smith's The Accidental, and Cormac McCarthy's The Road

Link here
I'm sure all the readers here will be psyched! Both of them!!

If you're interested in any of the books, the wonderful people at Powell's Books are discounting all of the titles 30%

And, the even-more-wonderful people at Coudal Partners are holding a "Gambling" contest. Place 10$ on your pick, and they'll pick a couple people who get it right to win a really cool prize (a collection of art from their store). Best of all, all the money goes to First Book, a nonprofit organization with a single mission: to give children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books.

I don't know who'll win, but if I could choose it would be Roberto Bolaño.

My first triple post!

Lemonkid and Flux know what's up. Reading is Fun-n-mental!

I've only heard of the ones by Junot Diaz and Vendela Vida, and I haven't read either, though I was tempted by "Let the Northern Lights..." by the title alone. So I'll go for that one to be the winner, in an almost entirely shallow and uninformed way.

She's one of the few folks 'round the parts I'd trust with a book recommendation.

I remember once a time of mutual awestruckness we once had in the Powell's rare book room.

I'll put a vote in for Denis Johnson, although I have not read his book yet.

Am I the only one that felt that The Road had a tacked on ending?

^^you are the only one.

Tree of Smoke, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, and The Savage Detectives are on the way. Now I just need to finish Vineland and Supplement to Bougainville's Voyage before they get here.

This thread makes me feel like a horrible reader.

I'm just gonna ask the fuckin' obvious question.

Are any of those books any good?

This is a REAL spoiler, so please don't click unless you have read The Road.

Wow, this thread makes me feel semi-literate.