Three more rounds of the Tournament of Books have come and gone, and not without some serious, serious upset. We’re now done with Opening Round, which means that as of tomorrow, bookseller picks will be awarded two points for winning picks.
Here’s where we stand:
Round #6
Swamplandia! by Karen Russell versus The Cat’s Table by Michael Ondaatje
Both bookseller favorites around here. Both highly recommended. What did judge Haven Kimmel choose?
Winner:
Yet again, we have a ToB judge pointing out how very, very different the two books are from one another: “The two novels I was to consider for this round, Karen Russell’s Swamplandia! and Michael Ondaatje’s The Cat’s Table, are so disparate in both style and tone that as I was reading the latter I couldn’t imagine a contest that would include both. I might as well claim I just won an argument with a 15th century Yemeni goat-herder.”
Two thirds of us went with Swamplandia! One point each for Raul, Kester, Elizabeth, Hoyt #1, Julie, Robyn, Clint and Mandy.
Round #7
The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides v. Green Girl by Kate Zambreno
Judged by Edith Zimmerman
As with The Tiger’s Wife, virtually all of us read The Marriage Plot. Eugenides swung through here on tour, we had a massive event, got to know the vest (just kidding, he wasn’t wearing a vest that night), and I have an awesome picture of him meeting my boyfriend’s mother. We have a personal connection with this novel, in other words (and, to be honest, varying opinions on what it ultimately says and whether or not we agree with it.)
Winner:
Zimmerman didn’t care for either novel (you ought to read her take on The Marriage Plot), but ultimately went with the Eugenides offering because, “…it was a livelier read, Eugenides seems to have more fun writing, and it allowed me to participate in Marriage Plot-themed conversations/debates.”
Score one point for EVERYONE!!!
Round #8
The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach v. Open City by Teju Cole
Judged by Jay Caspian Kang
This is where the upset happens. The Art of Fielding was one of our top sellers this holiday season. Tops! Everyone wanted this book, including my mom (and she got a copy, because that’s one of the perks of giving birth to a bookseller – every birthday and holiday turns literary.) And so there are a whole lot of WTF??!! looks on our faces today because:
Winner:
Kang admits he wanted to like The Art of Fielding, but, “…Harbach’s descriptions of Westish College never rose to the muscular pitch of DeLillo’s College-on-the-Hill or Pencey Prep,” and that, “…the story of a slight, weak-hitting shortstop who learned everything he knew about the game from a book called The Art of Fielding by a mystical wizard named Aparicio Rodriguez that felt dated and a bit out-of-touch.”
He enjoyed Open City for its likeness to the work of W. G. Sebald, and to be sure, it does come across in his review as an intriguing read.
Two of us chose Open City. So, one point each to Trevor and Clint. Congratulations, guys.
Okay, so bookseller standing at the end of Opening Rounds:
Robyn – 6
Elizabeth – 6
Julie – 6
Hoyt #1 – 6
Clint – 6
Kester – 5
Raul – 5
Trevor – 5
Hoyt #2 – 4
Michael – 4
Mandy – 4
Jenn S. – 3
Tomorrow kicks off the Quarterfinals. Lightning Rods v. The Sense of an Ending. Here we go!
BookPeople 