Tournament of Books 2018

Morning News Tournament of Books
Rooster Award for best fiction
14th edition
sponsored by Field Notes and Powell's
details | daily
Each weekday in March, starting March 7, 2018, two of the books below will be read and considered by one of our judges (also listed below). One book from the “match” will be chosen to advance, with the judge required to explain in detail how he or she came to their decision. Then the judge’s decision is evaluated first by our official commentators, then by you, the Rooster fan, wherein you politely and respectfully describe how your heart was broken and your mind inflamed by such erroneous arrogance. And the next day we do it all over again.

I am always excited to see the announcement of the shortlist for this annual tournament. So far, I read one last year and some are already in my tbr pile. Per usual, I plan to read as many as I can before the March event.

The Shortlist:

The Animators
by Kayla Rae Whitaker
-Contemporary, Art, Women's Fiction
Amazon | Goodreads | my review | rating: 5

The Book of Joan
by Lidia Yuknavitch
-Dystopia
Amazon | Goodreads | my review: DNF

Dear Cyborgs
by Eugene Lim
-SciFi
Amazon | Goodreads | my review | rating: 3

The End of Eddy
by Édouard Louis
- LGBTQ, France
Amazon | Goodreads | my review | rating: 5

Exit West
by Mohsin Hamid
-Literary
Amazon | Goodreads | my review | rating: 4

Fever Dream
by Samanta Schweblin
-Horror, Thriller
Amazon | Goodreads | my review | rating: 3

Goodbye, Vitamin
by Rachel Khong
-Humor, Women's Fiction
Amazon | Goodreads | my review | my rating: 4

Idaho
by Emily Ruskovich
-Mystery
Amazon | Goodreads | my review | rating: 4

The Idiot
by Elif Batuman
-Historical, Coming of Age, Women's Fiction
Amazon | Goodreads | my review | rating: 4

Lincoln in the Bardo
by George Saunders
-Literary, Historical
Amazon | Goodreads | my review | rating: 4

Lucky Boy
by Shanthi Sekaran
-Women's Fiction
Amazon | Goodreads | my review: tba

Manhattan Beach
by Jennifer Egan
-Historical
Amazon | Goodreads | my review | rating: 4

Pachinko
by Min Jin Lee
-Historical, Japan, Korea
Amazon | Goodreads | my review: tba

Savage Theories
by Pola Oloixarac
-Humor, Spain
Amazon | Goodreads | my review: DNF

Sing, Unburied, Sing
by Jesmyn Ward
-Literary, African American
Amazon | Goodreads | my review: tba

So Much Blue
by Percival Everett
-Humor
Amazon | Goodreads | my review: DNF

Stephen Florida
by Gabe Habash
-Literary, Coming of Age, Sports (wrestling)
Amazon | Goodreads | my review | rating: 5

White Tears
by Hari Kunzru
-Literary
Amazon | Goodreads | my review | rating: 4

STATS

CHAMPIONSHIP:
WINNER: Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin

ZOMBIE ROUND:
Round 2: Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
Round 1: Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin

SEMIFINALS:
Round 2: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Round 1: Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin

QUARTERFINALS:
Round 4: Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
Round 3: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Round 2: Dear Cyborgs by Eugene Lim
Round 1: Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin

OPENING ROUND:
Round 8: Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong
Round 7: Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
Round 6: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Round 5: Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
Round 4: The End of Eddy by Édouard Louis
Round 3: Dear Cyborgs by Eugene Lim
Round 2: The Idiot by Elif Batuman
Round 1: Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin