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#TOB23
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Megabooks
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More books I finished before Christmas! #catchup

I was not a fan of last year‘s #tob23 choice The Book of Goose, but I wanted to give Li another shot. I‘m glad I did because I was quite impressed by these stories, many of which appeared in The New Yorker. (I love New Yorker collections because the stories are such a consistent length!) Based on this, I think I just hit the wrong book first, so I‘m interested in her backlist now. Any recs?

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RebelReader
May Day | F. Scott Fitzgerald
This post contains spoilers
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Here is my list for May. I bailed on Sea of Tranquility during the #Tob23, but my IRL book group picked it of course so now I need to revisit it. 😝
Happy reading everyone!

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 12mo
9 likes1 comment
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Larkken
Olga Dies Dreaming | Xochitl Gonzalez
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Pickpick

I really liked the voice of Olga in this book, and I thought the portrayal of a mom “without the mothering gene” was really valuable, and something that rings true. I liked hearing about how the Acevedo siblings‘ came to grips with their heritage, whether it wanted them or not.
(Yep, still working my way through #tob23! 😉😅💀)

Anyone else a bit surprised by the Olga casting for the Hulu show? I mean, I love Aubrey Plaza, but…

Ruthiella Aubrey‘s father is Puerto Rican and she speaks Spanish. I think that might have played in to it. 12mo
Larkken @Ruthiella that‘s fair, and I do appreciate that she is doing something personal to her roots! Just not who I pictured. 12mo
24 likes2 comments
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rmaclean4
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Pickpick
Librarybelle I have this on my to read list - heard lots of good things about it! 12mo
britt_brooke Loved this one so much!! 12mo
34 likes2 comments
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BarbaraBB
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Wow, the Goose has taken the Rooster in the #ToB23!
In our #LitsyToB23 we‘ve had another close call for our winner. But in the end, Tomorrow x3 won against The Rabbit Hutch and is our winner! I think we can all agree that it‘s a worthy winner🥇

Thank you all for joining!! I hope to see you all back when we go camping again this summer! @Megabooks @squirrelbrain and I will get back to you next month for your nominations for #CampLitsy 🏕️ 🔥 📚

rmaclean4 I'm so glad Goose won. My favorite read of the list. 13mo
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Cinfhen Not the outcome I expected or wanted in either tournament but still worthy winners 🏅can‘t wait until #CampLitsy 👙 13mo
merelybookish Thrilled about Goose. Sad about Rabbit but I did not read Tx3 so maybe I'd like it if I read it. 13mo
Deblovestoread This has been a fun reading journey regardless of the outcome. A weird, eclectic bunch of books! Thank you for all your work a poll master. Looking forward to camp 🏕️ 13mo
Megabooks Disappointed about Goose, but not surprised. I didn‘t like Klara last year either. 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️ very excited for Tomorrow and beyond happy to be returning as a camp counselor! 13mo
jlhammar Yay Goose! That makes me very happy. I'm a little sad about Rabbit not winning ours (thought I might end up with my dream Goose & Rabbit win!), but okay with Tomorrow being the Litsy champ. Thanks so much, Barbara, for hosting and look forward to #CampLitsy! 13mo
Ruthiella I never would have thought Goose would win the tournament! You gotta love the unpredictable nature of it all! 😆 Tx3 wasn‘t my favorite , but I‘m happy to see it our winner. I know it really connected with the majority of voting Littens , which is awesome. 13mo
cariashley I‘m just happy Babel didn‘t win the official tournament 😝 I missed voting yesterday but feel a little relieved because I‘m really on the fence with these two! Probably would have picked Rabbit Hutch, but am happy with our result! Thanks so much for your tireless work organizing @BarbaraBB !! 13mo
batsy Goose is an interesting winner! 13mo
Jas16 It has been an interesting journey and I am really glad I participated this year even with all of the heartache! Thank you so much for all the hard work you put into this Barbara! 13mo
Suet624 Thank you so much, Barbara. Like @Ruthiella I never thought Goose would win. I haven't changed my opinion very much about the book - so-so - but I remember more of it than I do Tx3, so I guess that means something. Truly a surprise. i think now that it's won the Tourney I may have to put some more thought into what made this book so special to the judges. 13mo
Larkken Thanks so much for hosting! This was very enjoyable 🥰 worthy winners indeed 13mo
Readerann As always, this was so much fun! Thanks again, Barbara. 🤗 Guess I‘ll have to read Goose now. I‘m happy I had at least read OUR two finalists. 😁 13mo
Hooked_on_books Wow, I was so sure Babel was going to win! (And so glad it didn‘t.) I look forward to reading the judgement. And I thought we‘d pick Rabbit! My prognosticating skills are obviously broken. 😂 Thanks for hosting a great tourney and all the work you put into this. I can‘t wait for next year! 13mo
BkClubCare Such fun! Thanks again @BarbaraBB! 🐓 📚 ❤️ 🎉 13mo
merelybookish Yes, forgot to say thank you earlier @BarbaraBB Appreciate you running this and being so on the ball! 13mo
kwmg40 The outcomes weren't quite what I expected this year, but it was a lot of fun to follow both the official tournament and our own Litsy version. Thank you so much @BarbaraBB for hosting! (edited) 13mo
Chelsea.Poole I agree! So surprised Goose took the win. But I think it‘s a worthy choice! Thank you so much for doing all this work!! Soooo excited for camp! 🏕️ 📕 13mo
squirrelbrain I‘m surprised too that Goose won, but not surprised about our winner! Thanks for hosting again, Barbara! Looking forward to #camplitsy soon. 13mo
sarahbarnes I‘m very surprised and pleased that Goose won the Rooster! Rabbit was my first choice but a worthy winner I think. And maybe someday I‘ll finally read T3. Thanks so much for hosting - it was so fun! 13mo
59 likes22 comments
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BarbaraBB
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We are approaching the final match of the #ToB23 (Goose vs Babel) and of the #LitsyToB23. I love that we‘re ending with two different books again. In our tournament it is Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow against The Rabbit Hutch.

For the final time I‘m asking you to vote. Please vote for your winner in the comments below!

Megabooks Tomorrow x3!!! 13mo
Megabooks But I enjoyed both. 👍🏻 13mo
BarbaraBB My own vote is for 13mo
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Cinfhen I‘m voting for Rabbit 🫀🐰Thanks for hosting, Barbara❤️ 13mo
squirrelbrain Gosh, this is difficult! I liked both and can‘t even remember which I put above the other in my final list. I think, for its quirkiness I‘ll go with 13mo
Suet624 Tomorrow x3 13mo
Hooked_on_books I vote for Tomorrow! 🎮 13mo
Deblovestoread I went back to Storygraph and what I rated these two when I read them. The Rabbit Hutch had .25 stars more than Tomorrow so my vote his to Rabbit. 13mo
Ruthiella The Rabbit Hutch! 🐇🐇🐇 13mo
Readerann This was a tough choice because neither was my favorite. I‘m going with Tomorrow. 13mo
Larkken Tomorrow x3 👍🏻 13mo
batsy I haven't read both so will abstain from the vote 🙈 But based on the description alone, I think I might be partial to Rabbit... Interesting to see how it ends! 13mo
Addison_Reads I also loved Rabbit, but Tx3 is my pick. 13mo
kwmg40 This is a tough one, as I liked both books, but I'll go with Tomorrow! 13mo
Well-ReadNeck Such a good m 13mo
Well-ReadNeck Whoops! Hit send by accident … anyway … a great matchup and so much to love about Rabbit Hutch, but Tomorrow stuck with me and gets my vote. 13mo
Well-ReadNeck Also, I‘m MUCH more excited by our final than the official one. 😝 13mo
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BarbaraBB
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Wow, in the #ToB23 Babel makes a comeback as a zombie and beats Sea of Tranquility!! What a surprise!
Babel is our Zombie too but with Rabbit Hutch as its opponent. Our votes were clear though: Rabbit is out second finalist!

Ruthiella How appropriate for the year of the rabbit! 🐇 13mo
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Cinfhen Yay Babel! What a stunning upset in the official tournament 🙌🏻 I don‘t mind Rabbit but I much preferred Babel. Such an exciting tournament this turned out to be 😊😍 13mo
Cinfhen So it‘s Rabbit vs Tomorrow in our tournament and Babel vs Goose in the official? 13mo
jlhammar Wow, today‘s judgement was a surprise! Fun to have a zombie in the final match, but I so hope Goose gets the win. Happy Rabbit still has a chance of winning ours. I greatly enjoyed Tomorrow though so I‘m okay if that ends up victorious. Can‘t believe it‘s almost over! March flew by. 13mo
BarbaraBB @Cinfhen Yes! I‘ll post about it! 13mo
squirrelbrain Ooh interesting! 🤔 13mo
Hooked_on_books I‘m not happy with the judge‘s ultimate choice, but I did appreciate her thoughtful judgment (unlike yesterday‘s garbage). And as soon as I saw this rematch coming, I suspected this would happen. I‘m so disheartened at the love for this book that heavily advocates violence as an answer. Violence should never be an answer. It‘s very upsetting. 13mo
Larkken Interesting!!! Honestly, these two were my favorites overall, so I guess I should just be excited by the shake up🤷🏻‍♀️ 13mo
cariashley Am behind but so disappointed in the official TOB! 😫 13mo
51 likes11 comments
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BarbaraBB
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Wow, a judge and his kid who don‘t care for Sam and Sadie of Tomorrow x3! The result is The Goose marches on, on its way to become a Rooster?!

In our Zombie round, Tomorrow x3 does win however. With a difference of three Zombie votes it beats Dinosaurs.

So one animal wins, another loses.
I can‘t wait to so see where the rest of both the #ToB23 and the #LitsyToB23 will take us 🐓

merelybookish Wow, I am thrilled and shocked that Goose is doing so well! And loved that essay/judgement.❤️ 13mo
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Jas16 Today is not my day in either version of the tournament. 13mo
jlhammar Really enjoyed reading the judgement today. So happy to see Goose make it to the final match. Also glad Tomorrow lives on in our tournament. 13mo
Cinfhen Im sad to see Dino out and actually a bit surprised 😅 pretty shocked to see Goose advance but I‘m happy with the decision ❤️ 13mo
BkClubCare Ouch - I thought the TTT criticism a bit harsh. I admit, I liked TTT more right after I read it than now with time gone by. So conflicted today. But always fun to think about why I love books 📚❤️ 13mo
squirrelbrain I did feel a bit that he was abdicating responsibility for his decision. 🤔 13mo
Hooked_on_books I would like to slap today‘s judge. What an asshole! And keeping T3 away from his kid just because he himself didn‘t like it? How‘s that different from book banning? After all he thought Fabienne was great and his kid (rightly) indicated that she‘s awful! This judgment was so gross. I would have been fine with our choice either way, though I do prefer T3 personally. 13mo
batsy I loved reading the judgment. It's great when judges can just come out and say that the find a book or its concept inane or derivative. I also like that it made me re-think my reaction to Goose; I gave it a so-so because the ending made me think "Why bother?" But now I just feel compelled to read it again at some point. Happy to see Goose advance. 13mo
sarahbarnes I was very excited to see Goose move forward! I thought the judgment was really creative - you sometimes look at things in the world and think, is this worthy of them (your kid) and I feel like that‘s the sentiment the judge was trying to capture. 13mo
52 likes11 comments
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BarbaraBB
Sea of Tranquility: A Novel | Emily St. John Mandel
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This was a close call! Before the start of our #LitsyToB 6 people voted for Sea as their favorite, 5 chose Rabbit. Now these 2 met and it is surprising that Rabbit is the winner, meeting Babel in the zombie round!

It feels like today‘s judge in the #ToB23 also had a hard time choosing between the two but her final arguments really resonate with me. Sea advances!

Please fill in the next form today: https://forms.gle/WJnU7sxgDgq6wH2a8 ‼️

jlhammar Voted! Thanks. The judge definitely had a difficult choice today. I'm a bit heartbroken to see Rabbit eliminated from the official tournament, but at least it lost to a good one. 13mo
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BarbaraBB @jlhammar I feel the same. And I am glad the judge made such a nuanced decision 13mo
Ruthiella I‘m also sad to see Rabbit go. I like SoT but will soon forget it, I think. Rabbit was for me the stronger entry and and impressive debut. 13mo
Cinfhen Just voted😁while I didn‘t love SoT it is a worthy contender for the rooster ❤️🐔 13mo
Jas16 Voted. I was happy to see SoT move on in the tournament although I liked Rabbit Hutch. For me Rabbit had bursts of brilliance and then moments that didn‘t work quite as well. I though SoT was a more consistent read. But I am frequently in the minority when it comes to TOB. 13mo
Larkken The plot (and the differences between the official tournament vs ours) grow thicker! I have to admit I'm enjoying this even more than I thought I would. Lots of good bookish thoughts and conversations here! 13mo
sarahbarnes I agree that it was a great and impossible judgment today. I love Mandel, and I am also so sad to see Rabbit lose. 13mo
Readerann So sad to see Sea (😁) go here! Like many of you, I appreciated the thoughtful judgment in the real ToB. I‘d never really thought about the criteria of judgment being so important to the process. 13mo
BarbaraBB @Larkken I am glad you‘re enjoying it! I am happy you‘ve joined us! 13mo
BkClubCare 🐇 🐰!! I am glad to see RH here (and glad that SoT wins “there.” More love for more books? DONE. Updated to say my vote is in now. (edited) 13mo
kwmg40 Voted, and looking forward to the final matchups! 13mo
Hooked_on_books Another thoughtful judgment today, which I enjoyed reading. And even though the commentary got off track with discussing short stories in the publishing world, it was super interesting. I‘m not thrilled for the upcoming rematch in the official TOB. I‘d rather see a new matchup. 13mo
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BarbaraBB
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In the #ToB23 The Book of Goose was up against Notes on your sudden disappearance, in ours against Tomorrow x3.

The Goose wins in the ToB, based on the thought of the judge (and maybe we all) having their own Fabienne. In the #LitsyToB23 however, a majority voted for Tomorrow. Maybe we feel more connected to Sam and Sadie than Agnès and Fabienne.

Anyhow, Tomorrow advances in our tournament. Later today I‘ll share our zombies. Stay tuned!

Suet624 I appreciate how much the judge identified with one over the other, specifically because she and maybe many of us have/had a Fabienne in our lives. 13mo
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merelybookish I'm happy Goose is still alive in one tournament. It's kind of fun when a judge doesn't even attempt to be measured but just absolutely prefers one book to the other. No hemming and hawing. It was refreshing. (Saying all that as someone who agrees with him. I would no doubt feel differently if I was rooting for Notes.) 13mo
jlhammar Hurrah for Goose! I really enjoyed Tomorrow so okay with it advancing in our version. Maybe Goose will end up against Tomorrow in the official tournament‘s zombie round? 13mo
Ruthiella I‘m glad to see Goose advance in the real TOB. I love the unpredictable nature of it! What makes our tournament interesting to me is that it is more predictable since I have access to most Littens‘ opinions in advance. So not surprised to see Tx3 advance here. 😀 13mo
sarahbarnes Very excited to see Goose move forward in the real TOB. I‘m still to this day on a library hold list for Tx3 and haven‘t wanted to read it badly enough to buy it, so I will have to remain in suspense as to how I feel about it for now. 😁 13mo
BarbaraBB @Ruthiella That is true! Tomorrow was a super close call though within our tournament. And I hope our zombies can spice things up a bit 😉 13mo
Hooked_on_books Today‘s judgment was really heartfelt and just goes to show how much each matchup of this tournament relies on the taste/life experience of just one person. Which ultimately makes it a bit arbitrary in a way a panel would not be. I appreciated reading it even though their choice was clear from the start. And hooray for T3 in our tourney! 13mo
BkClubCare @merelybookish - No, no; I was rooting for Notes, wasn‘t a fan of Goose but the judgement was beautiful. 13mo
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