Litsy

Another unsurprising win in the first real bracket. In the #ToB as well as our #LitsyToB25. James it is.
The Book Censor was voted for by Meg, Holly, Jill & Kristy. Holly has been a big promotor of it on Litsy, she and Kristy even think it should win the tournament!
For now chances seem small, although the zombies can be surprising. James is this year‘s favorite for 5 of us: Shawna, Tammy, Katherine, Leslie and Cari. They‘re having a good day!

BarbaraBB @Bookwormjillk @Suet624 @cariashley
@soscha @AmyG @squirrelbrain @butterfinger @kspenmoll @lesliereadsalot 2d

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

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

See All 27 Comments

Hooked_on_books Unsurprising. And I can‘t really be disappointed, since PE is fantastic. But I do so love Book Censor! 2d

Bookwormjillk I‘m not surprised either. I liked James so I don‘t think this is a bad outcome but since it seems like it has won everything already this year I voted for Book Censor to advance. I like an underdog. 2d

Jas16 I would honestly not mind seeing James win the tournament. I love that book and PE so much. 2d

ImperfectCJ This is one I waffled on. I love James, but like @Bookwormjillk , it's already gotten so much love, I kind of wanted to vote for Book Censor. I ended up going with James, but I almost wish it hadn't been in the shortlist at all so that other titles had more of a chance. 2d

ImperfectCJ Case in point: I just found out that James won the Golden Poppy Award, too: https://caminobks.shelf-awareness.com/golden-poppy-awards-2024 2d

sarahbarnes Yay!! ♥️ 2d

Jas16 @ImperfectCJ I hear what you are saying and I think that is why I did not vote for it to win the overall tournament. But I also didn‘t love Book Censor the way everyone else seemed to. 2d

Deblovestoread I enjoyed Book Censor, such a unique story. I still voted for James because it will stay with me longer and PE is a master story teller. 2d

BkClubCare @Jas16 - I appreciate The Book Censor more than “enjoy”; I felt a remove from it, a distance that I couldn‘t pinpoint but to me, it hit the head but not much of my heart. 2d

squirrelbrain Like you @jas16 I didn‘t love Book Censor as much as everyone else, although I did like it. Although I voted for James I agree with you @ImperfectCJ - it may have been better for James not to be in the tournament at all. 2d

ChaoticMissAdventures I was sad it was up against Book Censor, I think James should win all of the things, but I also enjoyed Book Censor and thought it should be against something bad so it could get further along! 2d

ImperfectCJ @squirrelbrain @Jas16 I definitely think James is the "better" book (it's stuck with me more, that's for sure), but in the ToB it feels a little like if Meryl Streep were up for a community theater award. That's a more extreme example than the reality, but it gets the idea across. 2d

Well-ReadNeck Loved reading this judgment. I feel much the same and echoed here that James is such a touted book, I almost want to root against but then I just loved it and all of its nuances. 2d

BarbaraBB I love Percival Everett but James not so much. I preferred the concept of The Book Censor but in the end the story fell a bit short so I was very hesitant in the end and chose James. 2d

Lesliereadsalot I knew nothing about James when I started reading it, even with all its hype and awards. I was shocked how drawn in I was, how powerful that book felt to me. Glad to see others agreed! Will have to read the Book Censor now, so many loved it. 2d

AmyG Well, I now have to read The Book Censor. I did love James. 2d

Megabooks It was so tight between these two. It was the only round I had to put some thought into. 2d

Butterfinger I never thought about the accolades that James already received till @ImperfectCJ mentioned it. That makes so much sense. I voted based on my reactions to the books. I will definitely keep this in mind for future tournaments. 2d

GatheringBooks I honestly don‘t remember which one i voted for. Like @ImperfectCJ I wanted to give other titles more love seeing how lauded James is. Yet, I also agree with @BkClubCare abt the detachment of Book Censor. I felt that the Kuwaiti author could have used more culture-specific elements rather than make it a generic dystopian universe. Reviewed it here: https://wp.me/pDlzr-r3x 1d

GatheringBooks I may have voted for Book Censor as a zombie title knowing it will not win against James. Cannot remember anymore though, lols. 1d

BarbaraBB @Lesliereadsalot @AmyG It‘s worth reading! Although I agree with @GatheringBooks that it could have used more Kuwaiti elements. 1d

BarbaraBB @Megabooks Most of the rounds were very easy indeed. The quarter finals will be more difficult, fortunately! 1d

Megabooks @BarbaraBB or unfortunately!! We‘ll definitely see some good books lose. 😕 1d

BarbaraBB @Megabooks That‘s true. Next round will be hard! 16h

62 likes27 comments

BarbaraBB

The Wedding People: A Novel | Alison Espach

#LitsyToB25 We have started and it won‘t come as a surprise that The Wedding People is our winner in the play-in round. There has been so much love for this book on Litsy!
Not in the real #ToB though, where Liars wins!
Among us Liars got only 4 votes (by Charity, Chelsea, Helen and Kristy) and is definitely out: it has no zombie votes.
All Fours got 4 votes too (by Sarah, Sue, AnneCecilie and Barbara), but will it be enough? We‘ll soon find out!

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

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

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

See All 38 Comments

GatheringBooks I am so thrilled this novel won! I super enjoyed it! 3d

BarbaraBB @GatheringBooks Me too, I unexpectedly liked it much more than I thought I would. I liked Liars too but All Fours was my favorite. I am sorry these three good ones had to end up in the play-in round. And I can certainly live with The Wedding People continuing in our tournament! 3d

BkClubCare I am thrilled it is ToB time! And quite happy that WeddingPeeps will continue here. I am also just fine with Liars moving on. I just enjoy all of it! 3d

BarbaraBB @BkClubCare I think we couldn‘t go wrong today. I liked all three of them! 3d

kwmg40 I‘m happy that Wedding People will be moving on but not disappointed that Liars is progressing in the real tournament. I liked both books. 3d

Bookwormjillk I haven't read Wedding People or Liars but they both sounds good! I'll have to prioritize Wedding People. 3d

Jas16 I was surprised by how much I liked Wedding People too. I am so happy to see it advancing in our tournament. 3d

ChaoticMissAdventures Yay! I liked All 4s also but Wedding really surprised me with the complexity of it all. I tried the first few pages of Liars then got distracted and I had to return it to the library with all the love for it I will have to try again 3d

Hooked_on_books Thank goodness AF didn‘t progress in the official tourney! (And may it not rise again.) I liked both WP and L and can understand the judge‘s rationale for choosing Liars. It‘s a gut punch of a book. I‘m glad we picked WP—it‘s delightful, complex, and charming. 3d

AmyG Same as a few others. I was so surprised by how much I loved The Wedding People. 3d

Deblovestoread I, too, didn‘t expect to love WP as much as I did. Still need to read Liars. So happy to have TOB to start my day! 3d

BarbaraBB @Hooked_on_books Do you want to talk a bit more about All Fours 😂?! 3d

BarbaraBB @Deblovestoread Yes me too! It‘s a nice distraction other news! 3d

sarahbarnes Happy to see WP win this - a really lovely book. 3d

GatheringBooks Found liars to be relentlessly depressing, and self-deprecating which is sometimes good - but only to a certain point. I am glad there is a redemptive quality to it in the end. I am with @BarbaraBB about all fours. I truly enjoyed its unapologetic perimenopausal vibes. 3d

ImperfectCJ I'm cool with Wedding People moving ahead on our ToB, especially since my beloved Liars made it in the "official" tournament. :-) Maybe it's weird to cheer for a depressing book, but to that I say, "Yay!" So excited that we're in ToB time again! 3d

cariashley Happy and not surprised about WP winning here, and not surprised about it not advancing in the official tournament. I have to read the full judgment but wondering if it was seen as too contemporary/not literary enough. I loved it so much more than I expected! 3d

BarbaraBB @ImperfectCJ I‘m also all for a depressing read and I did like Liars for that reason but I was a bit annoyed by the main characters: he is horrible but she almost encourages him to be. 3d

BarbaraBB @cariashley I wouldn‘t call it literature either but it was such an entertaining and engaging read!! 3d

Megabooks All three books were picks for me, but TWP was definitely my fave. Loved our CL discussion of All Fours, though! 3d

Megabooks @GatheringBooks I endeavor to be unapologetically perimenopausal every day!!! 😂😂👍🏻 3d

Lesliereadsalot Lots of comments here already! The Wedding People is the type of book that makes everyone feel good just by reading it. A fun story, realistic people who speak the way real people speak, and an uplifting ending. Not too deep, but highly entertaining. Liars, on the other hand, so depressing and realistic that I could only shake my head while reading it. Hard to forget either of these two books. 3d

BarbaraBB @Megabooks @GatheringBooks A good expression 💪🏽 3d

BarbaraBB @Megabooks I loved that discussion too but it seems so long ago. All Fours and James too have lost their momentum imo 3d

Hooked_on_books @BarbaraBB NO! 3d

squirrelbrain I agree with both of you @imperfectcj and @cariashley - I loved Wedding People and was torn between voting for that or Liars. I eventually chose Liars - only because I felt it was more of a ToB book. But we get the best of both worlds by having our own tournament too! 3d

Butterfinger This is my first year participating. For next year, I will know to read the play-ins first. Wedding People is the only one I have read, and that just the first quarter. 3d

Well-ReadNeck I thought the judge‘s narrative was interesting, but I‘m in no way convinced. I thought TWP was surprising and I much preferred it to the others. Liars would have been my last choice of the three. So interesting to see other opinions 3d

Gissy I forgot to vote but I only finished 4 books: my favorite was Martyr. I didn‘t love Wedding Peope🤷🏽‍♀️ (edited) 2d

BarbaraBB @Gissy We‘ll miss you! 2d

BarbaraBB @Well-ReadNeck I wasn‘t that convinced either although I did like Liars. But I love the different opinions during the #ToB! (edited) 2d

Gissy @BarbaraBB I will continue reading the books listed because I bought some of them and there are others I‘m so interested based on the comments. I also read The Extinction of Irena Rey, Margo‘s got Money Trouble😳😬and Orbit which I liked. But these first months have been so busy that I have to slow down my reading pace😩and I‘m already a slow reader😔 2d

Suet624 I remember that while reading Wedding People I kept commenting to myself, “Wow, I wasn‘t expecting this!” It was so much better than I was expecting it to be. 2d

CarolynM Glad to see The Wedding People go through in the Litsy tournament and even more glad to see All Fours missing out in both😆 I haven‘t read Liars but I‘m going to now. 2d

BarbaraBB @CarolynM 😂😂 1d

67 likes38 comments

BarbaraBB

Time of the Child | Niall Williams

#WeeklyForecast 10/25

I am completely absorbed by Wild Dark Shore. I am reading it slowly because I don‘t want it to end. It‘s so good again!
The tagged is my choice for #FoodAndLit 🇮🇪 and Help Wanted is from the #ToB longlist. Road Ends I am mixing audio with print.
In the mean time I am waiting for the ordered #InternationalBooker longlisted books, for the #WP #fiction longlist and for the start of the #LitsyToB25.

Living the life 😜💕

AmyG I am so excited to get it. I want to save it for my July vacation but I doubt it will make it. 🤣 7d

BarbaraBB @AmyG It‘s not possible I‘m afraid. Every page is again so good. Nature everywhere, great characters… so far it lives up to my extremely high expectations! 7d

squirrelbrain I‘m jealous you got Wild Dark Shore already! 7d

BarbaraBB Rightly so 😉 didn‘t you preorder it? @squirrelbrain (edited) 7d

66 likes1 stack add4 comments

LitsyEvents

The Tournament | Matthew Reilly

repost for @BarbaraBB:

Just one week until the #ToB starts! Here‘s a reminder to those who expressed interest in playing along in our #LitsyToB25 and haven‘t filled in the form yet. If you still want to join (you don‘t have to have read all the books!), please vote for your winners in the opening round. Also, vote for 2 zombies: https://forms.gle/jKTvVdCaRPVy16RL7

You can vote until March 6: you‘ll get a copy in your inbox (check junkmail!)

BarbaraBB Thank you 🙏 1w

26 likes1 comment

BkClubCare

Untitled | Untitled

Thank you @DebinHawaii for promoting this initiative and to so many for participating- these posts give me joy 🤩

1. My poem-a-day project continues 🤗
2. Choc Cherry Hazelnut Tart for Feb 20 🍒 🥧 Day!
3. Should Copper be a #ToB2025 mascot 🐶❤️📚❓
4. One fun distraction at work was to rank the #ToB titles.
5. I set a New Year goal to frame/hang artwork; finally began that project. Took advantage of sales at JoAnn Fabric.
#5JoysFriday

kspenmoll Tart & poems! ❤️ (edited) 2w

TheBookHippie Love all of this! 2w

dabbe #3? YES! 🩶💚🩶 2w

See All 7 Comments

BkClubCare @kspenmoll - always! 😄 2w

BkClubCare @TheBookHippie - aw thx, joys back at ya 2w

BkClubCare @dabbe - process is in motion 🐾 2w

DebinHawaii Lovely joys! 💛💛💛 That tart looks amazing! 🍒🍫❤️ 2w

39 likes7 comments

kwmg40

Martyr!: A novel | Kaveh Akbar

pick

This is among my favourites of the #ToB25 books I've read so far. The writing is beautiful, there were interesting and unexpected twists, and I spent some time mulling over the ending. Looking forward to the #LitsyToB discussion.

#gottacatchemall (Emolga: yellow cover) @PuddleJumper

Butterfinger I started it today. I think it will also be one of my favorites. 3w

BarbaraBB I liked this one too and think it stands out on the #ToB shortlist. 3w

squirrelbrain I agree with @BarbaraBB ! 3w

Suet624 I liked this one so much. 3w

60 likes4 stack adds4 comments

sarahbarnes

Orbital | Samantha Harvey

pick

Given the mixed reviews here, I liked this better than I expected to. I think Harvey used the premise of the astronauts on their mission to capture well feelings of powerlessness and insignificance in the face of enormous forces, and feelings at times of the pointlessness of it all. And yet, we continue to believe in the purpose of our lives in spite of it all - it‘s what makes us human. Not the kind of book I look for on the #TOB shortlist tho.

youneverarrived Great review! 3w

BarbaraBB I feel the same about Strout. I‘d like to have her characters in my real life! 3w

Cathythoughts Great review ❤️ I loved that the characters were human too. 3w

40 likes3 comments

ChaoticMissAdventures

Women's Prize For Nonfiction | Women\'s Prize For Nonfiction

It has only been a couple of days since the announcement but have your read any yet? In the process? Waiting for any to come in via bookshop or library?

Which are you most excited to get to?

I read Fish Don't Exist before the list dropped, and have picked up Private Revolutions to get started next.

#WPNF25

Hooked_on_books, Jas16, Suet624, squirrelbrain, BarbaraBB, ImperfectCJ, fredthemoose, AllDebooks

ChaoticMissAdventures @AnneCecilie I am terrible at tagging, let me know if you want to be tagged or untagged! We have so little time before the fiction list drops! 3w

TheKidUpstairs I'm listening to A Thousand Threads, it's so good! 3w

fredthemoose I‘m trying to get through some more #ToB25 books in the next couple of weeks but these are up next! 3w

See All 20 Comments

squirrelbrain I picked 3 up from the library on Friday, with another 4 now ready to collect on Monday. 🤦‍♀️ I‘ve read one of those (Peepshow) and nearly finished Sister in Law. I also listened to Autocracy Inc, which is short, and started Neneh on audio too. Loving them all so far! 3w

ChaoticMissAdventures @TheKidUpstairs yay! I was realizing who she was yesterday and listening to her music again. This one is in transit to me from the library, but we have had 2 days of snow and my city shuts down the second it sees a flake, so not sure when it will get to me lol 3w

squirrelbrain I listened to a couple of hours of A Thousand Threads @TheKidUpstairs - it‘s SO good! 3w

ChaoticMissAdventures @squirrelbrain you are crushing it! I am behind... trying to finish some other things before really diving in. but hoping to get going this next week. 3w

TheKidUpstairs @squirrelbrain right?! Glad you're loving it, too. Her voice is so lovely, I could listen to her read anything! Of you haven't yet, you should look up her mother's art, it's so beautiful and joyfully colourful 3w

Suet624 Sadly, I haven‘t read any of them. I‘m also trying to commit myself to not go to the library or buy new books until I get some off my shelf. I‘m quite sure I‘ll break this commitment but for now that‘s where I‘m at. 3w

TheKidUpstairs @ChaoticMissAdventures I only knew Buffalo Stance going in, but it's such a good book, very accessible to fans and non-fans alike. 3w

ChaoticMissAdventures @Suet624 I feel ya! I am overwhelmed. But overwhelmed with books is not always a bad thing! trying to pepper some in but also read things that have been lingering around here too.
3w

Suet624 I completely agree with you and I 100% know that I will eventually start searching for the books on this list. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I just have hundreds of books that are glaring at me and I want to free up some space. 3w

squirrelbrain @Suet624 @ChaoticMissAdventures - I‘m a bit overwhelmed too. I *really* wasn‘t going to read this list as I‘m still reading #ToB and trying to keep up with my ARCs. Goodness knows what will happen when the fiction list comes out - I may explode! 🤪 3w

squirrelbrain I‘ll check it out! @TheKidUpstairs 3w

Jas16 I think I am going to have to wait for the fiction list. Much like @Suet624 I am having a hard time staying reasonably on top of all of the books I have on my shelves. I am enjoying everyone‘s reviews so much though 3w

AnneCecilie Please tag me. And I‘ve started Raising Hare, a book I had been eyeing before the Longlist so that was the final Paul to buy it 3w

ChaoticMissAdventures @AnneCecilie I am interested in everyone's reviews of Raising Hare. I am scared it is going to be really sad and I am not sure I can handle it! 3w

Hooked_on_books I‘m in the same spot as before. Already read Fish and am currently reading PR. I already had the Nagle on audio and picked up the audios of the Castor and Wistrich from Libro but haven‘t started them yet. 3w

Chelsea.Poole I‘ve read 3 now. My next read from the list will be Private Revolutions. Just finished this and I‘m sad/mad/ready to give it to everyone to read:

By the Fire We Carry: The Generations-Long Fight for Justice on Native Land

TheKidUpstairs And I just got an email that Private Revolutions, What the Wild Sea Can Be, and Story of a Heart area all waiting for me. And I've got a copy of What Fish Don't Exist that I'm just starting. And I said I wasn't going to read the long list 🤣🤣🤣 3w

34 likes20 comments

Bookwormjillk

The Book Censor's Library | Bothayna Al-Essa

pick

A short book in translation about book censorship. It gets a pick from me, but I‘m glad it was short because it‘s all just been a lot lately.

I guess if all I‘m up for is books about cats solving mysteries I shouldn‘t be reading #TOB short list titles 😂

On to George!

squirrelbrain I hope George doesn‘t annoy you too much! 😬 1mo

Butterfinger @squirrelbrain I hope she is not married to a George like I am. I wanted to throw my book at his head every time he acted like my husband. I stayed mad while reading that book. 1mo

squirrelbrain I hope so too! 😬 @Butterfinger 1mo

74 likes3 comments

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