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#ToB2018
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Well-ReadNeck
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#BookHaul

The last Hamid for me from his backlist and a book brought to my attention by this year‘s Tournament of Books #BookHaul #TOB2018

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Lola
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My annual visit to Field Notes HQ to pick up this year‘s Tournament of Books Rooster notebooks. #TOB2018

saresmoore Neat! 6y
55 likes1 comment
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Flaneurette
The Idiot | Elif Batuman
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Giving this book another attempt because of #tob2018. My first try resulted in a bail because I find 20 something‘s search for identity tiresome at this stage of my life, but I am interested in the non-romance aspect as I am REALLY tired of girl gets boy lives happily ever after trope. Also have to admit to some sour grapes on my part because I didn‘t get to go to an ivy and still bitter about it. #kindle #libby

saresmoore I relate to everything you said in this post, especially the last part. I think that‘s why I didn‘t ever read this. 6y
Notafraidofwords @saresmoore y‘all. I‘m reading it currently. About 100 pages in. I have no idea how to feel about it yet. But, I work in academia and this is so true to life it‘s scary. 6y
saresmoore @Notafraidofwords I think I‘ll take that as an endorsement? 6y
Notafraidofwords @saresmoore yes, I‘m scared to recommend it and that you‘ll throw it at my head if you hate it lol 6y
31 likes4 comments
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Lola
Exit West: A Novel | Mohsin Hamid
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Results are in for this matchup and the zombies are revealed.... happy that I‘ve read three of the Final Four with the as yet unread book owned and in my TBR. https://themorningnews.org/tob/2018/pachinko-v-exit-west.php #TOB #TOB18 #TOB2018 #morningnews #Tournamentofbooks

AceOnRoam I can't understand this years tournament at all lol 6y
Reviewsbylola I loved the one that won and hated the other so I‘m happy. 😁😁😁 6y
Lola @Reviewsbylola The one that won today is the one I haven‘t read. I adored the other so am not thrilled with this decision. But my fave lives to see another day!!!! ❤️❤️❤️ 6y
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Lola @AceOnRoam Agreed!!! 🤨 6y
BarbaraBB You‘ll love Pachinko too. The only book I was not a fan of is LitB. So i am hoping for Pachinko there! 6y
Ruthiella I am now rooting for Pachinko! (edited) 6y
BkClubCare Honestly, I want to read FD and LitB again but I do NOT want to read Pachinko again. So. Hmmmm I think I might be cheering for Lincoln. Huh 6y
45 likes7 comments
review
mklong
Idaho | Emily Ruskovich
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Pickpick

A deeply moving and beautifully written account of an unimaginable tragedy. The story is told in fragments that differ in time and point of view, and it is through these fragments that we piece together the whole story. Excellent way to end my #TOB2018 reading! I'm done ya'll! I had two bails (both out of the competition now) but otherwise I read all the shortlisted books. Can't wait to see who wins!

BarbaraBB I feel so sorry it didn‘t win today. How about you? 6y
mklong @BarbaraBB I‘m okay with it. I have more respect artistically for Idaho, but I enjoyed Goodbye, Vitamin more. It‘s a head v. heart situation. I‘m mostly sad at the news that White Tears won‘t be back for the Zombie Round, but pleasantly surprised that Stephen Florida is still in the running! 6y
BarbaraBB I so hope Lincoln won‘t come back in the Zombie Round. I preferred all other books above Lincoln - even though I liked it when I read it. 6y
mklong Same here. I think I got caught up in the hype for it, but looking back on it, it feels very overworked and just doesn‘t hold up. I think we‘re stuck with it though. The only one I could see bumping it for a zombie spot would be Sing Unburied and even that would probably only knock out Stephen Florida. 6y
71 likes4 comments
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mklong
End of Eddy | Edouard Louis
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Pickpick

A visceral description of the fear and violence of the childhood of an impoverished, gay boy in rural France. This is poverty on a scale most of us are fortunate enough to not even be able to imagine, and yet Eddy's family still manages to find some even less fortunate to criticize in order to mask the shame they feel about their own circumstances. Because these descriptions are so searingly clear, this was a difficult read, but worth the effort.

mklong Another one where I am in just in time for #TOB2018. The judges seem to be rewarding authors who take risks and challenge the reader and since Lucky Boy takes no risks and is the opposite of challenging, I'll be shocked if Eddy gets bounced. 6y
batsy Great review. I've been putting off reading this because it seems like it'll be a difficult read but I really want to. And I agree with you about #ToB2018 rewarding authors who take risks. So pleased about Dear Cyborgs but still bummed about White Tears 🙂 6y
mklong @batsy Thanks! It is mercifully short. I couldn‘t have handled much more. And yeah, I was sad about White Tears too! I thought with Lincoln in the Bardo out, it had an easy path to the final. Wrong. At least it lost to a good book though. If Book of Joan ousts Sing Unburied Sing, I‘m planning a protest march! 6y
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BarbaraBB Great review. I hope it‘ll win today and agree with your thoughts: the more daring authors seem to win this year! 6y
BarbaraBB About Book of Joan and Sing Unburied Sing: I haven‘t read neither. Should I? 6y
mklong @BarbaraBB Sing Unburied was easily my favorite book of last year, so I highly recommend that one. I found Book of Joan to be a big sloppy mess, so I‘d skip it if I were you. 6y
BarbaraBB Thanks. I have been postponing Sing because ghosts and puke don‘t appeal but you have convinced me 😀 6y
merelybookish I assume Sing Unburied, Sing has to win tomorrow. I haven't read Book of Joan but haven't seen anyone who likes it. 6y
mklong @merelybookish I haven‘t seen anyone who likes Book of Joan either. With the other unexpected results, even when I didn‘t agree, I could respect the logic. I can‘t imagine a justification for BOJ advancing. 6y
Redheadrambles Ghosh it has to be Sing surely ? I also haven‘t read Book of Joan but also don‘t see many supporters of it. I liked Sing very much but not as much as my two lost books which I shall stop grieving for eventually..... 6y
AceOnRoam Agree this book was a very good, but glad it was short. Poor eddy... 6y
55 likes1 stack add11 comments
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Readerann
Fever Dream | Samanta Schweblin
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Pickpick

It took me a while to figure out what I thought was going on, as I went into this book completely cold (just trying to read as many of the #ToB books as possible). It ended up passing my “unique, but not TOO strange” test. #tournamentofbooks #ToB2018

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mklong
Lucky Boy | Shanthi Sekaran
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Bailedbailed

I very rarely bail, especially on books that I own, but there is just nothing new or remarkable here at all. There are too many good books out there to waste time on one that has already been written a hundred times. How on earth did this make the #TOB2018 shortlist?

susanw I asked that question about a few on the short list. - Dear Cyborg for instance. I didn‘t even try this one. 6y
mklong @susanw This and Book of Joan were my only total duds. I actually liked Dear Cyborgs in a weird way. (edited) 6y
55 likes2 comments
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Well-ReadNeck
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Loving this year‘s Tournament of Books so far!!! #TOB2018 #TOB #TOB18

Here‘s tomorrow‘s matchup. Will they keep on keeping on with the shakeups?

I‘m betting on it. And, although I think the cover is a yawn, my pick is Dear Cyborgs.

mklong That‘s my pick too! 6y
ClairesReads I hope it‘s Dear Cyborgs/ I haven‘t read it but found Manhattan Beach very....average I guess 6y
Well-ReadNeck @ClairesReads Ditto all that!! 6y
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Reggie I haven‘t read Manhattan Beach but I LOVED Dear Cyborgs!!!! Go Eugene Lim!!! 6y
merelybookish Dear Cyborgs FTW! 6y
batsy So rooting for Dear Cyborgs! Thanks to @Reggie 's wonderful review I got to it sooner rather than later. 6y
thebluestocking You totally called it. I didn‘t love either book, but I enjoyed MB more. 6y
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