Litsy

The Wedding People: A Novel | Alison Espach

Today we had another obvious winner: The Wedding People. It is remarkable popular on Litsy and it's the #LitsyToB25 favorite of Myra, Care & Theresa. However, many will be sad to see Margo go (Chelsea & Carolyn's favorite book).
Fortunately, Margo advances in the #ToB25 where it knocked-out Liars.

🚨It is time to vote for the Semi Finals! 🚨Please fill in the form today as the tournament continues tomorrow! https://forms.gle/crtE6SZcqVW1fkid9

BarbaraBB @Bookwormjillk @Suet624 @cariashley @Soscha @AmyG @squirrelbrain @Butterfinger @kspenmoll @Lesliereadsalot 4h

BarbaraBB @Hooked_on_Books @ImperfectCJ @ChaoticMissAdventures @kwmg40 @GatheringBooks @Deblovestoread @Jas16 @BkClubCare @sarahbarnes 4h

BarbaraBB @CarolynM @Kristy_K @Chelsea.Poole @Megabooks @AnneCecilie @fredthemoose @Well-ReadNeck 4h

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Bookwormjillk It says I need access to vote 4h

BarbaraBB @Bookwormjillk I changed the settings and the url above. Does it work now? 4h

Bookwormjillk @BarbaraBB yes, thank you! 4h

Suet624 Both books surprised me. I went in assuming they would be fluff and they weren't. Sorry to say goodbye to Margo but happy for Wedding People. 4h

AmyG Awesome. I loved this book. I bailed on Margo. 4h

ImperfectCJ I like both, but I'm sad to see Margo go. The official decision today was interesting to read. Sometimes I get to the end and have no idea which the judge will pick, but Judge Hughes was not subtle in her preference between Margo and Liars. I think there's more going on in Liars than she gives it credit for, but I get where she's coming from. 3h

Jas16 I am happy with both of today‘s outcomes but would not have been overly upset if either of them went the other way. 3h

cariashley Both are great in their ways, but I just loved Wedding People so much so am happy it continues to advance here. I thought for sure Liars would win this round in the regular tournament and I‘d be annoyed, so am pleased! As noted in the official commentary, Liars was a massive metaphor and those kinds of books always leave me cold. 2h

Lesliereadsalot I liked both of these books, but Wedding People got my vote for how surprisingly good it turned out to be. 2h

CoffeeAndABook Ha!!! I‘ve just recently read & absolutely enjoyed both books. But Wedding People just knocks any book out of the park, it just does 😁 2h

GatheringBooks Yay! Just voted! Will get to Margo soonest but Wedding People really captured my heart. 1h

Well-ReadNeck This was maybe the hardest decision for me so far. I would highly recommend both of these. 1h

Hooked_on_books This was my hardest vote of this round because I really liked both books. I would have been happy for either to win. I was sure Liars would prevail in the official tourney, as I think it‘s the better book, so I‘m curious to read the judgement and see how the judge got there. 1h

BarbaraBB @CoffeeAndABook So many people loved it! It now goes on to our semi finals! 16m

BarbaraBB Like many I was surprised by The Wedding People and while I liked Margo too it didn‘t make such an impression. 15m

BarbaraBB @cariashley I had no idea it was a metaphor. So interesting! 14m

34 likes19 comments

BarbaraBB

The History of Sound: Stories | Ben Shattuck

I am in shock that the today‘s #ToB25 judge favored Irena above The History of Sound…. Fortunately it is today's winner, in #LitsyToB25. It was up against Colored Television, Traceys favorite book on the shortlist. Unfortunately 6 votes for the book weren't enough against the very popular History of Sound. We'll be back after the weekend, with one more Quarter Final, directly followed by the Semi Finals, so be prepared to vote again on monday!

BarbaraBB @Bookwormjillk @Suet624 @cariashley @Soscha @AmyG @squirrelbrain @Butterfinger @kspenmoll @lesliereadsalot 3d

BarbaraBB @Hooked_on_Books @ImperfectCJ @ChaoticMissAdventures @kwmg40 @GatheringBooks @Deblovestoread @Jas16 @BkClubCare @sarahbarnes 3d

BarbaraBB @CarolynM @Kristy_K @Chelsea.Poole @Megabooks @AnneCecilie @fredthemoose @Well-ReadNeck 3d

See All 14 Comments

sarahbarnes That is shocking. I really loved History of Sound. 3d

Suet624 That really is shocking news. I guess that‘s what the TOB is all about but History of Sound was soooo good. And yay for our LitsyTOB voting result. 3d

BarbaraBB @Suet624 @sarahbarnes It can very well be a zombie in the #ToB25! And sometimes zombies do win the tournament 🤞🏽 3d

Suet624 @BarbaraBB Good point 3d

Bookwormjillk I was shocked too! 3d

ImperfectCJ I loved reading today's decision, and while I'd still likely pick Sound over Irena, the judge explained his reasoning well. And I love this from the commentary: "...but I remember so much of the book because I felt I had to be constantly on guard. Imagine if we read, say, the news or social media posts that way." It seems like a survival mechanism to approach almost everything in life these days as though the narrator might be unreliable. 3d

Hooked_on_books I haven‘t read the judgement yet, but I‘m not surprised. Yesterday when they said who the judge is and that he‘s a translator, I figured he‘d pick Irena. I loved HOS and am happy to see it progress for us, though CT really worked for me and was my pick today, so I‘m really sad to say goodbye to it. 3d

cariashley @Hooked_on_books yup it was obvious where it was going to end up as soon as I read his bio at the top! 3d

BkClubCare @sarahbarnes - I just yesterday started a reread/listen of THoS, I really thought it would beat Irina. That‘s ok, it‘s the fun of the ToB! 3d

Jas16 Not a day that either Tournament went the way I would have preferred. I really liked History of Sound but it is not a book I will reflect on the way I do with Colored Television 3d

kwmg40 Like everyone else, I'm shocked by the ToB judgement but glad that THoS is continuing with our tournament. 2d

64 likes2 stack adds14 comments

BarbaraBB

Beautyland: A Novel | Marie-Helene Bertino

This is interesting. In today‘s bracket Martyr! beats Beautyland in the #ToB25 while in the #LitsyToB25 Beautyland advances. The book is this year's favorite for five of us, while Martyr! is just two people's favorite: Sue and Anne Cecilie‘s Zombies are approaching quickly so we'll soon know if Martyr! wil be able to return from the grave!

BarbaraBB @Bookwormjillk @Suet624 @cariashley @Soscha @AmyG @squirrelbrain @Butterfinger @kspenmoll @lesliereadsalot 4d

BarbaraBB @Hooked_on_Books @ImperfectCJ @ChaoticMissAdventures @kwmg40 @GatheringBooks @Deblovestoread @Jas16 @BkClubCare @sarahbarnes 4d

BarbaraBB @CarolynM @Kristy_K @Chelsea.Poole @Megabooks @AnneCecilie @fredthemoose @Well-ReadNeck 4d

See All 14 Comments

Suet624 Yeah, I actually didn‘t imagine Martyr would advance on our litsyTOB. I liked both books and I just always like to give props to Martyr whenever I can. 😊 4d

Bookwormjillk I haven't read Martyr yet, but I loved Beautyland so much it would be hard to top. At least when one advances in our bracket and one advances in the TOB everyone can be happy. 4d

Deblovestoread I fully intend to read Martyr one day and always feel a bit guilty voting for a book when I haven‘t read the other. I did love Beautyland. 4d

BkClubCare Happy happy! 👏 4d

Hooked_on_books I am baffled by the TOB judge today. So much time spent on explaining her criteria (that needed some serious editing), only to discount the book I found far more surprising! I don‘t get it. Martyr‘s MC is a classic addict and therefore highly predictable and the whole premise of Beautyland is wholly unique. I‘m just boggled. I think we made the better choice. 4d

squirrelbrain I did like Martyr!, but it wasn‘t an ‘enjoyable‘ read, so I voted for Beautyland. I‘m glad Martyr! made it through as well though. 4d

ImperfectCJ @Hooked_on_books The decision today was definitely confusing. There was very little about why the judge actually picked Martyr over Beautyland, and while I agree that the scene she describes is excellent, it comes at the very beginning of the novel and we don't get many more of those moments. I like Martyr and find the writing beautiful, but I agree that Beautyland was the more surprising book and the one that got to me more. 4d

Jas16 It was an interesting judgement today. I think I love Beautyland so much in part of how surprising it was to me. So glad it is moving on in our tournament and hoping it returns as a zombie in the other tournament. 4d

cariashley I was really scratching my head about the whole “surprising” angle. Genuinely wasn‘t sure which one she thought was vs wasn‘t and it was weird that she was so binary about it. Made me think I was missing something with both books. I liked Martyr! more, for what it‘s worth! (edited) 4d

Lesliereadsalot Beautyland was so imaginative and well written and kept me wondering where it was going. I love those things in a book! 4d

BarbaraBB @cariashley I totally agree, in fact I was underwhelmed by Beautyland. 3d

58 likes14 comments

BarbaraBB

James: A Novel | Percival Everett

Our first #LitsyToB25 quarter final is James against The Book of Love. A nobrainer. Even though not everyone has voted yet: it is 17 votes for James against 0 for TBoL.
In the #ToB25 James was up to Headschot and there too, it came out as a winner loud and clear.
Tomorrow will be more exciting I suppose. In both tournaments it is Martyr! against Beautyland. If you haven't voted yet please do so: https://forms.gle/wLZ3vkQuYwU77wom6

BarbaraBB @bkclubcare @chelsea.poole @gatheringbooks @AmyG @kspenmoll @kristy_k @sarahbarnes @soscha @CarolynM (edited) 5d

BarbaraBB @Bookwormjillk @Suet624 @cariashley @squirrelbrain @Butterfinger @lesliereadsalot @Megabooks @AnneCecilie 5d

BarbaraBB @Hooked_on_Books @ImperfectCJ @ChaoticMissAdventures @kwmg40 @Deblovestoread @Jas16 @fredthemoose @Well-ReadNeck 5d

See All 13 Comments

Megabooks I enjoyed book of love, and James isn‘t my favorite Everett, but James is brilliant. (edited) 5d

cariashley I‘m still only halfway through Book of Love and I‘m enjoying it, but it had no shot against James. Neither did Headshot! 5d

BkClubCare I just voted! 🗳️ and yeah, James. The GOAT of the tourney. I thought the audiobook of Headshot was excellent and definitely recommend that way to go. And I am super glad that I read The Book of Love 💕 5d

Hooked_on_books I liked BOL so much more than I expected to, but it was in no way better than James. This was an easy choice for me. 5d

squirrelbrain Exactly what Holly @Hooked_on_books said! ☺️ 5d

AnneCecilie I DNFed Book do Love so this was an easy choice 5d

Well-ReadNeck I keep coming back to the first Judge‘s thoughts about James being too highly touted to root for, but too undeniably good to not choose. 5d

BarbaraBB @AnneCecilie Neither did I and yet I was still tempted to vote for it to keep James from winning. I agree with @Well-ReadNeck and the first judge! 5d

GatheringBooks Yikes! I only saw this quarter finals google forms now! Super late to the party. 3d

BarbaraBB @GatheringBooks No problem! And there‘s another form on Monday! 3d

57 likes13 comments

BarbaraBB

Margo's Got Money Troubles: A Novel | Rufi Thorpe

#LitsyToB25 We mostly were in agreement again. Jill, Katherine and Myra voted for Someone Like us but couldn‘t prevent Margot winning with a large majority. Chelsea and Carolyn are even rooting for Margo to win this year‘s tournament! In the #ToB25 too Margo in the end stole the heart of the judge.
So we‘re all set for the Quarterfinals, starting tomorrow!

🚨 Please vote today for your favorites:
https://forms.gle/wLZ3vkQuYwU77wom6 🚨

BarbaraBB @Bookwormjillk @Suet624 @cariashley @Soscha @AmyG @squirrelbrain @Butterfinger @kspenmoll @lesliereadsalot 6d

BarbaraBB @Hooked_on_Books @ImperfectCJ @ChaoticMissAdventures @kwmg40 @GatheringBooks @Deblovestoread @Jas16 @BkClubCare @sarahbarnes 6d

BarbaraBB @CarolynM @Kristy_K @Chelsea.Poole @Megabooks @AnneCecilie @fredthemoose @Well-ReadNeck 6d

See All 24 Comments

BarbaraBB @kwmg40 Hi Paulina, I think the link didn‘t work so I changed it. Should be fine now? 6d

kwmg40 The link works now, and I‘ve voted, thanks! 6d

fredthemoose Ugh—a head to head between two of my favorites!! 6d

kwmg40 Happy to see Margo move on in both competitions, but tough that it‘s now up against Wedding People in ours. 6d

Bookwormjillk I liked Margo a lot but it was kind of a James thing where I wanted a lesser known book to advance. 6d

BarbaraBB @Bookwormjillk I feel that way too especially about James! 6d

ImperfectCJ I'm happy to see Margo advance, but Someone Like Us has stuck with me to the point that I would have been happy to see it move forward, too. The Storygraph reminded me that I read (and liked) this book by Mengestu back in 2010. I didn't remember it by the title, but the synopsis brought back the vibe and a fair amount of the plot for me.

The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears

ChaoticMissAdventures Yay!! I love Margo, I have recommended this book too many people. 6d

sarahbarnes Margo has my heart! 💜 6d

Megabooks Rufi Thorpe‘s last three books have been huge winners for me. I‘m so happy she‘s getting well deserved wider acclaim for this one!! 6d

Suet624 @Megabooks I totally agree 6d

cariashley I really loved this judgment today. I‘ve been feeling self conscious that I haven‘t been enjoying “literary” fiction lately and the judge just nailed so much of why - I want to be made to feel, not just think, at this point in my life! 6d

Hooked_on_books Hooray for Margo! I enjoyed this book so much more than I expected to. 6d

Bookwormjillk @BarbaraBB I really liked Margo and James but if they end up in the final I‘ll be disappointed 6d

Daisey I‘m going to have to add this to my TBR. I‘ve seen so many positive reviews. 6d

CarolynM I read so few of the books, I don‘t think my vote is worth very much. But I did like Margo. 5d

BarbaraBB @CarolynM Your vote can make all the difference! Both books are popular among us! 4d

BarbaraBB @cariashley That is so true. In my life and in this world! 4d

BarbaraBB @Daisey It‘s good. And fun! 4d

BarbaraBB @Bookwormjillk Margo I could live with. Has Thorpe had much recognition for this book? 4d

Bookwormjillk @BarbaraBB no awards I don‘t think but I‘ve seen it around a lot. 4d

60 likes24 comments

BarbaraBB

The Wedding People: A Novel | Alison Espach

Thanks to @Bookwormjillk George got a vote, the rest of us, without knowing which book it would be, all voted for the winner of the Play In round. Three strong containers and yes, many of us despised George. So we‘ll see The Wedding People again in the next round of the #LitsyToB25. George leaves our tournament because he didn't get any Zombie votes.
In the #ToB25 too the play-in winner advances, which means Liars in their case!

⬇️read further⬇️

BarbaraBB 🚨 Tomorrow is the last match in the Opening Round. With the results of that bracket I‘ll share a link to a new GoogleForm so you can vote for your favorites in the Quarter Finals. Please check in tomorrow and do vote because the next day the Quarter Finals will already start! 🚨 (edited) 1w

BarbaraBB @CarolynM @Kristy_K @Chelsea.Poole @Megabooks @AnneCecilie @fredthemoose @Well-ReadNeck 1w

BarbaraBB @Hooked_on_Books @ImperfectCJ @ChaoticMissAdventures @kwmg40 @GatheringBooks @Deblovestoread @Jas16 @BkClubCare @sarahbarnes 1w

See All 19 Comments

BarbaraBB @Bookwormjillk @Suet624 @cariashley @Soscha @AmyG @squirrelbrain @Butterfinger @kspenmoll @lesliereadsalot 1w

Lesliereadsalot Way to go Wedding People!! 1w

ChaoticMissAdventures So happy! I see enough Georges in real life, I don't need to be mad about them here 😂 1w

ImperfectCJ I'm happy with both results. In the official ToB decision, I worried that the judge was going to side with George because he related to the characters more, and I was pleasantly surprised by what felt like a pivot. Although I like B of G, I like Wedding People (and Liars) more. I also enjoyed the commentary about the purpose of reading fiction. 1w

Suet624 I'm delighted with the result. 1w

Bookwormjillk Haha it‘s for the best for all the reasons listed here. Still haven‘t read The Wedding People yet though. 1w

Jas16 I ended up skipping George after all the Litsy reviews and am so happy I did. 1w

Deblovestoread Like @Jas16 the reviews put me off George but I loved The Wedding People. 1w

Megabooks So happy with the results in both tournaments!!! Steph (reviewsbylola on insta) loved the book of George, and I‘m like…did we read the same book? Yeah, not a fan!!! 1w

Hooked_on_books Good riddance to George! I‘m very happy to see both play in books knock him out in their respective places. 1w

GatheringBooks Yay for wedding people! I super enjoyed it! 1w

GatheringBooks @Jas16 same! I skipped george too since it seemed to be universally hated by litsy folks. :) (edited) 1w

Well-ReadNeck Yay, Litsy! In the actual ToB, I was rooting for both books to lose, so, natch I was disappointed. Was interested in the judgment especially since the judge is male. I may have leaned the same way, although both of those books made my blood boil, but I think my preference may be generational comfort (I‘m gen X) 1w

AmyG Great choice! Loved this books so much. 7d

sarahbarnes Yay! I skipped George because it sounded insufferable. But I loved WP! 😀 7d

CarolynM Good choices in both tournaments 🙂 6d

60 likes1 stack add19 comments

BarbaraBB

Colored Television | Danzy Senna

#LitsyToB25 Our winner is Colored Television with 75% of the votes. That means Irena Rey still got quite a few votes among us.

In the #ToB25 Irena continues. This doesn‘t surprise me. It‘s a typical ToB book and I liked the judgment. Personally I am happy with this outcome because I liked it better than CT. What do you think?

BarbaraBB @Bookwormjillk @Suet624 @cariashley @Soscha @AmyG @squirrelbrain @Butterfinger @kspenmoll @lesliereadsalot 1w

BarbaraBB @Hooked_on_Books @ImperfectCJ @ChaoticMissAdventures @kwmg40 @GatheringBooks @Deblovestoread @Jas16 @BkClubCare @sarahbarnes 1w

BarbaraBB @CarolynM @Kristy_K @Chelsea.Poole @Megabooks @AnneCecilie @fredthemoose @Well-ReadNeck 1w

See All 16 Comments

ImperfectCJ I liked Colored Television better, but Irena Rey has actually grown on me since I finished it (it surprises me how often I think about it), so the different decisions in the two ToBs is a great outcome, from my perspective. 1w

Lesliereadsalot Two more that I missed! Darn! 1w

TheBookHippie Finally I‘m almost 100 percent. I could go either way here. 1w

Hooked_on_books I thought Irena was a fascinating book, but trying a little too hard to be madcap. CT, on the other hand, was one of my top fiction reads last year, so this was an easy choice for me. Boo on today‘s judge and may CT rise again! 1w

AmyG I started CT, am enjoying it, but haven‘t finished it. 1w

squirrelbrain It doesn‘t surprise me that Irena made it through the real #ToB. I agree with you, Barbara - it‘s most definitely a ToB book. 1w

kwmg40 I'm happy with both decisions. When I voted for CT, I had just started Irena and didn't have high hopes. I'm most of the way through Irena now and it has grown on me. 1w

Well-ReadNeck I voted for CT and am thrilled that we picked it. The judge today just reads very differently from me and I was not convinced by her rationale in the least. But, I‘m a fan of a plot and I just felt like Irena was trying too hard. And, by the end I just did not care at all. Totally agree that it‘s a ToB sort of book, tho 1w

Butterfinger I really liked Irena Rey. The quirkiness was one of the reasons I liked it. It was a hybrid of ALL genres. It surprised me how much I liked it. I have not read Colored Television, yet. 1w

BarbaraBB @ImperfectCJ Me too! I wonder why? And I have forgotten all about CT! (edited) 1w

Megabooks Irena Rey was my worst book of last year, so yeah, I‘m happy for CT to continue! 1w

Jas16 Loved CT so happy to see it advance with us. 1w

Suet624 I‘m reading and enjoying CT so far. 1w

66 likes16 comments

BarbaraBB

The History of Sound: Stories | Ben Shattuck

Another convincing winner today in the #ToB25 as well as the #LitsyToB25. Orbital didn‘t stand a chance against The History of Sound, which is this year‘s favorite for many of us. Only Amy and Soscha voted for Orbital and so we see the winner of the #BookerPrize24 leave our tournament!

BarbaraBB @Bookwormjillk @Suet624 @cariashley @Soscha @AmyG @squirrelbrain @Butterfinger @kspenmoll @lesliereadsalot 2w

BarbaraBB @Hooked_on_Books @ImperfectCJ @ChaoticMissAdventures @kwmg40 @GatheringBooks @Deblovestoread @Jas16 @BkClubCare @sarahbarnes 2w

BarbaraBB @CarolynM @Kristy_K @Chelsea.Poole @Megabooks @AnneCecilie @fredthemoose @Well-ReadNeck 2w

See All 19 Comments

Bookwormjillk So glad my to favorites advanced (History of Sound and Beautyland). 2w

sarahbarnes Yay! Very happy to see this one move forward. 🌊 2w

kwmg40 Yay! I loved The History of Sound. One of my favourites this year. 2w

Hooked_on_books I liked both of these, but HOS was so gorgeous there was just no question. Glad to see it move on! 2w

Deblovestoread I really liked Orbital but it is rare for me to be enthralled with short stories so HOS got my vote. Glad to see it move on. 2w

ChaoticMissAdventures I am still waiting for History from the library, but I was not impressed with Orbital, was really surprised when it won the Booker. 2w

AmyG Ha…I only voted for Orbital as I didn‘t read The History of Sound. 😬 (bumping it up on my ereader) 2w

GatheringBooks I get how literary Orbital was but it only made me realize how much I would loathe being an astronaut - more than me being enamored by all the lyrical paean to the galaxy, plus the thinly-veiled exoticizing of the fisherman in the storm-lashed island where my mother was born just didn‘t sit well with me. HoD, on the other hand, was subtle, sparse, yet packs a punch nonetheless. I am glad it won. 2w

BarbaraBB @GatheringBooks I felt the same about Orbital and yes @AmyG you should bump HoS up, it is totally your kind of book! 2w

AnneCecilie @AmyG We use different strategies. I voted for The History of Sound because I saw a lot of great things about it and I bailed on Orbital 2w

Jas16 @Deblovestoread Totally agree. 2w

Megabooks HofS is a 5⭐️ short story collection for me and I am stingy AF!! Highly recommend if you‘re reading this thread and haven‘t tried it yet!! 2w

Lesliereadsalot Ok…The History of Sound is now on my radar! 2w

Well-ReadNeck I honestly thought Orbital might win here because of the buzz it‘s gotten, but (warning:Hot Take Incoming) I thought it was soooooooooo boring. 2w

BarbaraBB @Well-ReadNeck As boring as their lives in space I think but I totally agree. And I too was thinking it might have won in the ToB 2w

Suet624 I‘m a very happy camper so far. History of Sound is phenomenal. 2w

56 likes3 stack adds19 comments

BarbaraBB

Beautyland: A Novel | Marie-Helene Bertino

#LitsyToB25 We are in sync again with #ToB25 and we were almost unanimous on this prompt. Great Expectations was only voted for by Katherine and AnneCecilie.
So Beautyland is the big winner.
It‘s this year‘s favorite of Jen, Jill, Amy and Debra and I remember that Charity has discussed the book somewhere too? So let us know what you think of this outcome!

BarbaraBB @Bookwormjillk @Suet624 @cariashley @Soscha @AmyG @squirrelbrain @Butterfinger @kspenmoll @lesliereadsalot 2w

BarbaraBB @Hooked_on_Books @ImperfectCJ @ChaoticMissAdventures @kwmg40 @GatheringBooks @Deblovestoread @Jas16 @BkClubCare @sarahbarnes 2w

BarbaraBB @CarolynM @Kristy_K @Chelsea.Poole @Megabooks @AnneCecilie @fredthemoose @Well-ReadNeck 2w

See All 17 Comments

Lesliereadsalot Beautyland was so imaginative. I loved the story and am glad it won 🏆 2w

AnneCecilie Well, bailed on Beautyland so I couldn‘t vote for that now could I 😊 2w

Suet624 Again, I‘m so happy! 2w

ImperfectCJ I loved Beautyland! I loved it so much that I bought a copy for my elder child for Christmas (and am trying not to feel grouchy that they have been focusing on college rather than reading the book I got them). I enjoyed reading the commentary on the judgment over at ToB. They really hit what I found lacking in Great Expectations. 2w

BkClubCare I very much enjoyed Beautyland and am glad I purchased for a possible reread. I audiobooked GE and ended up listening at 2x speed just to get through it which might be worse than just DNFing. I do have fond memories of the puzzle I was working on while listening 🤩 2w

ChaoticMissAdventures I still need to read beautyland I have a copy and am super excited to tackle it, glad it won as Great Expectations was a bit of a let down I didn't hate it as much as others but did find it lackluster. 2w

Bookwormjillk Love, love, loved it. Yay! 2w

Hooked_on_books This was an easy choice for me. GE was disappointing and Beautyland was lovely. I‘m glad to see it go this way. 2w

Megabooks Awesome!! One of my favorite books from last year!! 2w

AmyG Yay! 🎉 This is my favorite of all of them. (edited) 2w

Well-ReadNeck Love the result. The judge‘s narrative was surprising to me. Focused heavily on the alienation of the main characters, which was A THEME of both, but not as primary for me as it was for her. 2w

Jas16 I loved this book and would have been so sad had it not moved forward. 2w

squirrelbrain Hooray! I‘m glad it won in both tournaments! 2w

BarbaraBB I am the odd one out. I voted for it but I was not so enthusiastic about Beautyland as most of you are. 2w

68 likes1 stack add17 comments

BarbaraBB

Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar

#LitsyToB25 Martyr! is our winner today. Only Tracy, Holly and Theresa voted for Rejection. Short stories and the tournament aren‘t always a good match.
And we do agree with the #ToB25 judgment today so in both tournaments we‘ll see Martyr! continue.

BarbaraBB @Bookwormjillk @Suet624 @cariashley @Soscha @AmyG @squirrelbrain @Butterfinger @kspenmoll @lesliereadsalot 2w

BarbaraBB @Hooked_on_Books @ImperfectCJ @ChaoticMissAdventures @kwmg40 @GatheringBooks @Deblovestoread @Jas16 @BkClubCare @sarahbarnes 2w

BarbaraBB @CarolynM @Kristy_K @Chelsea.Poole @Megabooks @AnneCecilie @fredthemoose @Well-ReadNeck 2w

See All 20 Comments

Chelsea.Poole I really, really enjoyed Rejection…and I‘m normally not into short stories. But Martyr took hold of me in a much more intense way, so I had to vote for it! 2w

Suet624 I‘m so happy!! 2w

Bookwormjillk Another set I didn‘t get to, but Matyr! is high on my list since @Butterfinger ‘s glowing review. 2w

BarbaraBB @Chelsea.Poole I remember that you liked it so much. Too bad it met Martyr! that soon in the tournament 2w

Lesliereadsalot Now I have to get to Martyr!! 2w

Well-ReadNeck I may need to re-read Martyr! it might hit different at a different time, but I just thought it was 👍🏼, not really 🤯Rejection made me feel sooooooo uncomfortable in all the best ways. I did listen on audio which I think may have enhanced it for me since tone is so important to that one. Voted the other way, but not disappointed here. 2w

Well-ReadNeck For those of you who may not have made it that far, the final story in Rejection ties it all together in the absolutely best (and funniest) way 2w

Megabooks I love short stories, but I was not a fan of rejection. Glad to see Martyr move on! 2w

fredthemoose Ugh—I didn‘t necessarily love Rejection, but Martyr! was my least favorite of this year‘s list. Just did not like or care about the MC at all. 😝 Glad others liked it more. (edited) 2w

ChaoticMissAdventures I liked both of these, hate it when that happens, but I loved Martyr! the writing was so sharp about addiction. Glad to see it move on. 2w

Hooked_on_books I‘m unsurprised given the accolades Martyr has earned. Like @fredthemoose , I struggled with the MC. I also didn‘t like the big reveal of who the female artist was. For me it was a bit silly. And I thought Rejection was great in a disturbing way. I feel like the author had a good time writing it and that came through. 2w

Butterfinger Martyr was my favorite. I thought it was very relatable. It brought to light things that I never learned. 2w

Jas16 I could not even finish Rejection so Martyr easily got my vote. 2w

sarahbarnes I still want to read Martyr at some point! 2w

GatheringBooks I voted for Martyr which is keeping me up for several nights now - I knew 100 pages in that this was my choice. 2w

kwmg40 I'd read the first story in Rejection and never got back to it. I really liked Martyr! so it was an easy decision for me. 2w

cariashley Pleased with this outcome! 2w

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