Funky Turkeys

Funky Turkeys | Benjamin Zephaniah

Okay, there we go! Which book are you rooting for in the #LitsyToB24 finals and should take away the Turkey 🦃? Bring it on below! We can‘t wait to see your votes!!

Megabooks, squirrelbrain

BarbaraBB @Chelsea.Poole @Well-ReadNeck @cariashley @KarenUK @merelybookish @Kitta @Kristy_K @MicheleinPhilly @Leniverse @Readerann @CatLass007 @Larkken @fredthemoose 11mo

BarbaraBB @Jas16 @Bookpearl @Bookwormjillk @AmyG @Deblovestoread @kwmg40 @sarahbarnes @Hooked_on_books @Suet624 @BkClubCare @Decalino @Ruthiella @Karisimo 11mo

BkClubCare My vote 🗳️ goes to

Idlewild

11mo

See All 31 Comments

kwmg40 I did like Idlewild a lot but my vote goes to

All the Sinners Bleed: A Novel

11mo

fredthemoose I‘m a there a poll or are we voting@on comments? 11mo

fredthemoose Also, thank you, @BarbaraBB @squirrelbrain and @Megabooks for running the #LitsyToB24! This has been fun! But now I‘m having trouble deciding what to read without having a list to work through! 11mo

AmyG All the Sinners Bleed 11mo

sarahbarnes A vote for

Idlewild

11mo

Decalino All the Sinners Bleed 11mo

BarbaraBB @fredthemoose In the comments please! 11mo

BarbaraBB My vote goes to

Idlewild

11mo

squirrelbrain @fredthemoose - not long until #camplitsy! In the meantime, how about joining those of us who are reading the #womensprize list(s)?! And no poll this time, just put your choice in the comments. 11mo

squirrelbrain My vote goes to

Idlewild

11mo

Suet624 Sinners has an unfair advantage in my mind because I never found time to read Idlewild. But I have really liked all of Cosby's work so I'm going for All the Sinners. 11mo

Bookwormjillk This was fun, thanks hosts. I vote for

All the Sinners Bleed: A Novel

11mo

MicheleinPhilly

All the Sinners Bleed: A Novel

11mo

Megabooks While I enjoyed both my vote is

Idlewild

11mo

Ruthiella I liked ATSB but I loved and will vote for

Idlewild

11mo

Deblovestoread I liked Idlewild but my vote goes to

All the Sinners Bleed: A Novel

11mo

Deblovestoread Also, I want to say a huge thank you to @Megabooks @squirrelbrain and @BarbaraBB for giving us the Litsy Tournament of Books. With so many having a meh response to the real TOB you stepped in and gave us a yay! response. Appreciate you three and all you do! 11mo

squirrelbrain Aw, that‘s so kind of you to say @Deblovestoread - we love hosting! ❤️ 11mo

fredthemoose Ooof—tough choice. These are such different books, and my preference isn‘t strong, but I‘m going with

All the Sinners Bleed: A Novel

11mo

Megabooks @fredthemoose @Deblovestoread you‘re so welcome!! As Helen said, we enjoy hosting! 11mo

Chelsea.Poole Hmm…I could go either way here, as I enjoyed both. Very different books! I‘ll say Idlewild, as it seems more of an under the radar pick 😊 11mo

Bookpearl Cosby still has my vote! 11mo

Hooked_on_books I liked both of these, but barely remember the Cosby even though I love him. And Idlewild was one of my best reads of 2023, so it gets my vote!

Idlewild

11mo

Jas16 Enjoyed both but did like one more

All the Sinners Bleed: A Novel

11mo

merelybookish Abstaining since I haven't read either one. 🙈 11mo

Kristy_K

All the Sinners Bleed: A Novel

11mo

Readerann I haven‘t read either (abstaining from the vote), but just got ATSB from the library so am really looking forward to it! I‘ve enjoyed reading all your comments even if I only got to a few of the books. 📚😙 11mo

BarbaraBB I am closing the vote now, thank you all 🙏 11mo

61 likes31 comments

Well-ReadNeck

Funky Turkeys | Benjamin Zephaniah

Update on my #LitsyToB24 reading. Only 3 to go!

nelsonmatt890 I like to connect with you and read, lol. 2w

37 likes1 comment

Chelsea.Poole

Funky Turkeys | Benjamin Zephaniah

#LitsyToB24 upcoming titles. I just started Mobility on audio. I have The Rachel Incident checked out but may listen to Vintage Contemporaries on #hoopla first because it‘s an #NYC setting and we are headed there on Tuesday! I‘m trying Awad again and hopeful even though Bunny wasn‘t for me. #ShareYourStack

Megabooks

Megabooks How exciting! Enjoy NYC! 🗽 VC is a very New York novel, so I think it‘s a great choice to listen to get in the mood. @BarbaraBB just wrote the funniest review of Rouge. Personally, I like Awad doing Awad, but I get she might be marmite. 1y

Chelsea.Poole @Megabooks I read @BarbaraBB ‘s review and I loved it 😆 I thought I was the only human who just couldn‘t “Bunny”. Apparently not! I‘m hopeful to try again with her though. Sometimes authors hit different with different books for me. 1y

BarbaraBB Thanks @Megabooks 💕! I hope of course you‘ll love Rouge, Chelsea! I loved Rachel and Mobility! Enjoy NYC! 1y

squirrelbrain Ooh I‘m jealous you‘re going to NYC! VC is perfect for your trip though! I just finished Route and didn‘t love it -sorry! 😬 (I didn‘t like Bunny either) 1y

59 likes4 comments

Megabooks

Funky Turkeys | Benjamin Zephaniah

Invitation to #LitsyToB24 folks to #ShareYourStack of longlist and shortlist titles!

Heaven & Earth I tried on audio earlier this year and hibernated it, but hopefully I‘ll enjoy print more. I plan on brushing up on 1984 with the graphic adaptation before I tackle Julia on audio. I have not decided how to read Let Us Descend. Is the audio good?

I‘m deep into Prospectors on audio and enjoying it. Hoping to get to Boys Weekend soon, too!

squirrelbrain, BarbaraBB

Megabooks @jas16 @AmyG @kwmg40 @imperfectcj @Rebelreader @Deblovestoread @Sarahbarnes @Micheleinphilly @Hooked_on_books @suet624 @decalino @BkClubCare @Addison_Reads @Ruthiella @Flaneurette @jess @Yuki_Onna @Karisimo 1y

Megabooks @Chelsea.Poole @larkken @Well-readNeck @batsy @cariashley @catheyb @Readerann @Liz_m @fredthemoose @jlhammar @KarenUK @leniverse @jhod @TheBookHippie @JulesG @julieclair @kimberlone @meshell1313 1y

Megabooks @JenReadsAlot @Caroline2 @CBee @MittenGirlPeach @Caryl @JamieArc @merelybookish @peaKnit @Kristy_K @rmaclean4 @Gissy @CatLass007 @kitta @LaraReads @DGRachel @Bookwormjillk 1y

See All 41 Comments

Tamra I did the same with Heaven & Earth. I think I have to try it in print. 1y

Karisimo I didn‘t like this in print either 🤷🏻‍♀️

The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store

Bookwormjillk I probably won‘t have a stack until January. Giving up on December already 🤣 Good idea to refresh on 1984 though. 1y

squirrelbrain @Megabooks @Tamra - I too hibernated Heaven and Earth on audio. I hope that we like the print copy better @Karisimo 😬 1y

squirrelbrain I‘ve got Sinners on my Kindle, and I‘m going to start Rachel next week on audio as I have a couple of long drives for work. I‘m waiting for a copy of Happiness Falls from the library in early Jan and then I just have Same Bed and Mobility to go. Oh and I‘m halfway through Rouge. (edited) 1y

Tamra @squirrelbrain it must be the audio because every time I turn around I‘m reading or hearing glowing praise. 🤞🏾 1y

Tamra @Karisimo hmmmm, well there goes my audio theory. 😆 1y

squirrelbrain That‘s what I thought too @tamra but now I‘m not so sure @Karisimo 🤨 1y

BkClubCare @squirrelbrain - I listened and enjoyed Rachel. 😊 1y

BkClubCare Hmmm - I am 20% in on Heaven & Earth and it is going well. I only listen when I am driving around but I am enjoying. 1y

Megabooks @Tamra @Karisimo @squirrelbrain I‘m kind of surprised Heaven is getting so much end of year praise. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I hope it works for me better in print because I‘m trying to be a completist. 😂 1y

Megabooks @Bookwormjillk I probably should‘ve waited to buy some of these until I had Christmas gift cards, but I‘m not using the library this month, so I treated myself! My daily reading is way down this month though!! 1y

Megabooks @squirrelbrain you‘re really well set up! Excited for your reviews! 1y

Megabooks @BkClubCare that‘s great! It‘s interesting how books work for some and not others. (edited) 1y

TheBookHippie @Bookwormjillk solidarity!!!! SAME 1y

BarbaraBB I am almost finished with Rouge and not enjoying it very much. Next will be Idlewild. I have a two weeks holiday to look forward to in which I hope to read Hello Beautiful and Same Bed Different Dreams 🤞🏽. From the longlist I have this one waiting for me:

Snow Road Station: A Novel

squirrelbrain Oh good @BkClubCare - two potentially crappy work days with long drives to and fro so I‘m looking forward to something good to listen to. I also have about an hour left of The Auburn Conference on audio too. 1y

BkClubCare @squirrelbrain oh good! I have heard Conference is a good audio. 1y

Ruthiella Great plan of attack! I‘m also going to re-read 1984 before I pick up Julia. Luckily it‘s short! I‘m very glad we didn‘t pick the Bachelder book, because I would have been VERY tempted to read Moby Dick first. 😜 1y

Megabooks @TheBookHippie holidays can be brutal on reading, but I hope you had a good Hanukkah! 1y

Megabooks @BarbaraBB Snow Road is not on my list to read, but perhaps you‘ll put it there! 🤔 the ending of idlewild blew me away. I think you picked two excellent books to take on vacation!! 1y

TheBookHippie @Megabooks we did, it was very very special this year and I still smell like oil 🕎🤍💙😂 1y

Megabooks @squirrelbrain @BkClubCare I downloaded Auburn from Audible plus and should probably get to it before they take it off. I‘m really jonesing for NF though so I just started this 18 hr(!!) book on audio.

The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism

Megabooks @TheBookHippie 😁🕎🫶🏻 1y

Megabooks @Ruthiella I did not read MD before Dayswork and it was just okay. You‘re right that it probably would have been more enjoyable if I had more interest in Melville! 1y

BarbaraBB @Megabooks That is so good to know about Idlewild. Looking forward to it! 1y

squirrelbrain Ooh I saw that book from @AmyG ‘s review, Meg, and it sounds fabulous! 1y

AmyG @squirrelbrain What review of mine? 1y

squirrelbrain This one @AmyG - not on ToB of course, but one that Meg says she is listening to now.

The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism

AmyG @squirrelbrain Ahhhh. It‘s an excellent book. 1y

Megabooks @AmyG @squirrelbrain I had it on hold at the library, but I knew I wanted to get to it before the end of the year after @christine ‘s review! 1y

Hooked_on_books I‘m also planning to read 1984 before Julia. I‘m going to start listening to The Prospectors from the longlist on audio today and I should be done with The Birthday Party in print today or tomorrow. It‘s really good! And I think I‘ll listen to SBDD next weekend. 1y

Suet624 Currently reading heaven and earth grocery store. Trying to find Idlewild at my various libraries. 1y

Megabooks @Hooked_on_books the prospectors was great on audio! The narrator for the historical timeline was particularly good. I‘m interested to know what you think of conniving Alice! 1y

Megabooks @Hooked_on_books also v curious as audio reviews roll in on SBDD because I doubt it would‘ve worked for me on audio. Too many fine details for how I listen, but we all read differently here!! 1y

Megabooks @Suet624 I hope you‘re able to find idlewild. It‘s stuck in my head. It wasn‘t one I loved, but it made me think. 1y

Suet624 @Megabooks makes me want to find it even more. 😀 1y

Megabooks @Ruthiella I‘m also very curious what those of us who reread 1984 will think of it as adults. I don‘t remember it well, so I definitely think a reread is in order! Plus I‘m a sucker for graphic adaptations. 1y

69 likes41 comments

squirrelbrain

Funky Turkeys | Benjamin Zephaniah

We thought you‘d like a bit more info on our Turkey list!

Our top 16 got between 11 & 20 votes each. The next 5, shown at the top of the pic, got between 8 & 10 votes each. Any there that you‘ve read or plan to read anyway? There were a further 10 books that received 7 votes each.

And as for our *actual* turkeys-those on the bottom of the pic received either 1 vote or no votes at all. 😢

Interesting to compare with the *real* ToB!

#litsyToB24

Megabooks, BarbaraBB

squirrelbrain And you‘ll note I‘ve used the UK cover of Brainwyrms instead of the US one. 🤣 You‘re welcome! 🤣 1y

squirrelbrain @jas16 @Bookwormjillk @AmyG @kwmg40 @imperfectcj @Rebelreader @Deblovestoread @Sarahbarnes @Micheleinphilly @Hooked_on_books @suet624 @decalino
@BkClubCare @Addison_Reads 1y

squirrelbrain @Ruthiella @Flaneurette @jess @Yuki_Onna @Karisimo @Chelsea.Poole @larkken @Well-readNeck @batsy @cariashley @catheyb @Readerann @Liz_m @fredthemoose @jlhammar @KarenUK 1y

See All 34 Comments

squirrelbrain @TheBookHippie @JulesG @julieclair @kimberlone @meshell1313 @JenReadsAlot @Caroline2 @CBee @MittenGirlPeach @Caryl @JamieArc @merelybookish @peaKnit @Kristy_K @rmaclean4 1y

squirrelbrain @Gissy @Leniverse @CatLass007 @jhod @Kitta 1y

TheBookHippie I read the top row 😅 I only liked Blackout…🤷🏻‍♀️ 1y

Megabooks @TheBookHippie same, but I only liked Birnam Wood! Library was okay, but the other two didn‘t work as well. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 1y

Megabooks This post is dedicated to Helen, who braved Brainwyrms so we didn‘t have to! 🫡🤭🫶🏻 1y

Leniverse Aw, shame I missed the voting. I would have voted for Lone Women. And I would like to read Blackout. No interest in the bottom 5 though 😂 1y

ImperfectCJ Birnam Wood and Lone Women were on my TBR already, and I'm interested in all of the top row. There are a couple from the bottom row that interested me initially, but the reviews from Littens pushed them down the priority list for me. 1y

JamieArc @Megabooks 😂😂 1y

fredthemoose Blackouts is on my TBR. I‘ve heard great things about Chain Gang but have held back because the premise sketches me out. But am Wood is on the periphery of my TBR. Do whatever you want with all of that! 1y

Bookwormjillk Lone Women is on my TBR but when I listened to the first few minutes this summer I ended up bailing. I want to try though. I thought Birnam Wood was ok when we read it this summer. 1y

squirrelbrain @TheBookHippie - I read all of the top row. Well, almost, I bailed on Chain-Gang but I don‘t think it worked on audio. 1y

squirrelbrain @Leniverse @ImperfectCJ @Bookwormjillk -I too tried Lone Women in the summer but hibernated it about 20% in. I finished it a couple of weeks ago - liked it but it‘s not going to trouble my 2023 favourites list. 1y

squirrelbrain @Megabooks - it‘s my own fault for being a #completerfinisher! 🤣 1y

squirrelbrain @fredthemoose - I loved Birnam Wood, wasn‘t sure about Blackouts (a bit too ‘clever‘ for me 🤨) and hibernated Chain Gang. 1y

Deblovestoread Lone Women is on my shelf so I‘ll get to it eventually and I‘m giving What You Are Looking For to my dad for Christmas unread so will also read in the future. Loved Chain Gang and Birnam Wood. Might pick up Blackout at some point. 1y

squirrelbrain @Leniverse aawww I have a lovely copy of Brainwyrms I can send to you, but if you‘re not interested… 🤷‍♀️ 1y

Ruthiella Maybe the TOB was looking for a complaint heavy tournament this year! 😂 1y

Caroline2 I bailed on Chain gang 😂 but looking forward to reading Lone Woman. (It‘s currently sitting on my kindle) 👍 1y

Leniverse @squirrelbrain Thanks but no thanks 😅 I even have trouble looking at the title, and I really don't want the cover to exist in my home. Although the UK cover isn't a patch on the US one for nightmare material. 1y

jlhammar Very interesting. Thanks for sharing! So Cold People actually got some votes? 1y

Megabooks @jlhammar yes! 😱 just 2 if I remember correctly. 1y

BarbaraBB Super interesting list! I have no wish whatsoever to read the bottom five. Of the upper five I read three. I was underwhelmed by Lone Woman and Library and I LOVED Birnam Wood but didn‘t vote for it because we already discussed it during #CampLitsy23 🤷🏻‍♀️ 1y

Larkken Very interesting! I‘ve already read some of the almosts, so maybe completing it that can be my version of the longlist 😆 1y

squirrelbrain @Megabooks @jlhammar - yes, that‘s right; it received 2 votes! 1y

Hooked_on_books I‘ve actually read all 5 of the nearly there ones. Chain-gang is not only a best of the year for me but a best of all time book, so seeing the negative response to it here makes me glad it didn‘t make our tourney. I think it‘s so remarkable and I really don‘t want to see people bashing it. I also apparently liked Lone Women far more than others here—I thought it was great! And Helen, you know that Brainwyrms vote was yours. 😉 1y

squirrelbrain Brainwyrms got no votes at all @Hooked_on_books - my work here is done! I‘m going to try Chain-Gang again, but in print rather than audio. Waiting for a digital copy from the library. 1y

AmyG I read Birnam Wood and I own Lone Woman but haven‘t read it yet. I just couldn‘t “get into” Chain Gang. 1y

Addison_Reads I've read all of these except Blackouts and Independence Square. @Hooked_on_books I thought Chain-Gang was great, so you're not alone there. I also really liked Lone Woman. All the others were lackluster for me. 1y

Karisimo Chain gang and lone women are on my TBR list 1y

youneverarrived Thank you for the Christmas card Helen 😘 the book trust donation is a lovely idea! It‘s inspired me to do the same for Alfie‘s teachers as I‘m sure they‘ll get lots of gifts and will hopefully appreciate this just as much. 1y

squirrelbrain Aw, that‘s so nice Katie @youneverarrived - I‘m sure they‘ll love it! 🥰 1y

68 likes34 comments

LitsyEvents

Funky Turkeys | Benjamin Zephaniah

Repost for @BarbaraBB @Megabooks @squirrelbrain

Instead of the #ToB24 we present #LitsyToB24!

We‘ll use the longlist from the real tournament, but you will decide which 16 books go into the brackets. We‘ll provide more info about how judging and awarding the Turkey will work soon. For now, if you want to join us, use this Google doc link to choose the books you‘d like to enter the tournament by 11 December! https://forms.gle/uKQCk4G5XU7qhErx8

LitsyEvents Original post https://litsy.com/p/aW1hYm9nVGpQ 1y

BarbaraBB Thank you for sharing! Welcome to join! 1y

Megabooks Thank you!! 🫶🏻 1y

Readerann I may not get to many of these, but couldn‘t resist joining in the fun! I concur with not being excited about the shortlist this year. 1y

37 likes4 comments

Megabooks

Funky Turkeys | Benjamin Zephaniah

Since many of us are dissatisfied with the “real” #tob24 shortlist, your #CampLitsy counselors present #LitsyToB24! We‘ll use the longlist from the real tournament, but you will decide which 16 books go into the brackets. We‘ll provide more info about how judging and awarding the Turkey will work soon. For now, use this Google doc link to choose the books you‘d like to enter the tournament by 11 December! https://forms.gle/uKQCk4G5XU7qhErx8

squirrelbrain, BarbaraBB

Megabooks Thank you for the inspiration @Ruthiella ! One of us will be tagging people interested in previous ToB incarnations shortly, but as always, please let us know if you‘d like to be added to or removed from the tag list! 1y

Ruthiella 🦃 instead of 🐓 ? I love it! Thanks so much to you and @squirrelbrain and @BarbaraBB for organizing! 1y

Bookwormjillk YAY 1y

See All 28 Comments

squirrelbrain @Flaneurette @BkClubCare @Hooked_on_books @Jas16 @cariashley @Well-ReadNeck @MicheleinPhilly @Larkken @Suet624 @Deblovestoread @merelybookish @batsy 1y

squirrelbrain @Readerann @Chelsea.Poole @rmaclean4 @kwmg40 @ruthiella @RebelReader @jlhammar @Addison_Reads @sarahbarnes @ImperfectCJ 1y

squirrelbrain I hope you all realise I‘ll be voting for Brainwyrms! 🤣 1y

Megabooks @squirrelbrain lolololol noooooo!! 1y

Megabooks @Ruthiella Helen came up with that because the folks who picked the real shortlist picked a bunch of turkeys! 😂😂 (edited) 1y

Jas16 Very fun! 1y

kwmg40 Thank you for setting this up! I love the Turkey. 1y

Chelsea.Poole Thanks for organizing! 🦃 1y

jlhammar The Turkey 😆 - love it! This is an awesome idea! Just voted. I went for the 16 I haven't yet read that I'd most like to try. Can't wait to see what we end up with! 1y

MicheleinPhilly HALLELUJAH!!! 1y

Deblovestoread You all rock! Thanks so much for organizing. Yay books! Yay Litsy! 🦃. @Megabooks @BarbaraBB @squirrelbrain (edited) 1y

sarahbarnes Yay, the Turkey! 🦃 Thank you! 1y

Suet624 You all are the best. 1y

Hooked_on_books Hooray! So glad we‘re going this route considering their…interesting…longlist! 1y

Addison_Reads Woohoo! I'm off to vote. 1y

BkClubCare Wowza 🤩🌟🤗 1y

BkClubCare Okay, I selected ✅🦃🤷🏻‍♀️😉👏🎉 1y

cariashley Yay!!!! 1y

Ruthiella I voted! ✔️ 1y

Jess Can I be added to the party? Thanks! Just voted. 1y

BarbaraBB Just voted too for the books I want to read and some translated I already read but I think deserve a place on the list to balance out all English novels. Can‘t wait for the results! @squirrelbrain (edited) 1y

squirrelbrain Of course @jess - we‘ll add you to the tag list! Welcome! 1y

Well-ReadNeck Yaaaaaasssssss! 🦃🦃🦃🦃 1y

Avanders I love this! 1y

Megabooks @Avanders would you like to be added to the tag list? 😁🦃 1y

59 likes28 comments

TrishB

Funky Turkeys | Benjamin Zephaniah

Sorry not book related - just won this 😁 3/4 of us are vege and the other one doesn‘t like turkey! Going to see if there‘s anyway I can donate to food bank/charity once I get the email.

IamIamIam Congrats! I'm sure someone will be quite thankful. I received a free turkey last year from a local supermarket for spending over a certain amount in a month. I ended up donating it to our school's food drive. 😁 4y

sprainedbrain Oh how cool that you‘re going to donate it! 4y

LeahBergen 😂😂 I love this! 4y

See All 8 Comments

squirrelbrain What a turkey of a prize! (See what I did there?!) Love that you‘re donating it though. 😘 4y

Caroline2 So funny!!! 😆 lovely idea to donate it tho. 4y

MaureenMc 2020 strikes again! Kudos to you for donating it. 😊 4y

Megabooks That will be a welcome donation! Congratulations! 4y

Tanisha_A 🤭 4y

77 likes8 comments

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