07 January 2014

The Morning News Tournament of Books X: Let's Go Rooster, Let's Go

Good to know I didn't spend my entire winter vacation checking for this to go live, for nothing! The shortlist has been revealed and here we go:

  • Daniel Alarcón, AT NIGHT WE WALK IN CIRCLES
  • Eleanor Catton, THE LUMINARIES
  • Mia Couto, THE TUNER OF SILENCES
  • Elizabeth Gilbert, THE SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS
  • Mohsin Hamid, HOW TO GET FILTHY RICH IN RISING ASIA
  • Herman Koch, THE DINNER
  • Jhumpa Lahiri, THE LOWLAND
  • Kiese Laymon, LONG DIVISION
  • James McBride, THE GOOD LORD BIRD
  • Scott McClanahan, HILL WILLIAM
  • Philipp Meyer, THE SON
  • Ruth Ozeki, A TALE FOR THE TIME BEING
  • Rainbow Rowell, ELEANOR & PARK
  • Donna Tartt, THE GOLDFINCH
  • Hanya Yanagihara, THE PEOPLE IN THE TREES
  • either Kate Atkinson's LIFE AFTER LIFE or Fiona Maazel's WOKE UP LONELY

Notable judges include authors Jami Attenberg, Roxane Gay and last year's finalist John Green, Tumblr litmaven Rachel Fershleiser, Mountain Goats impresario John Darnielle, Wormbook #1 Platonic Crush John Freeman and columnist and publisher Lizzie Skurnick.

I am going to try to read as many of these as I can again this year, for I am foolish. The tournament starts in mid-March, TBD. How do you feel? Any early favorites?

5 comments:

Marjorie said...

Once again I have read zero of the Rooster contenders this year! I want to at least read the Gilbert soon--ladies doing old-school natural history are a big draw for me.

Ellen said...

My mom lent it to me but I haven't gotten around to it. Seeing it here makes me want to read it more, though!

jess thrift said...

i have only read 2 of the finalists. whatever, i have started past years further in the hole. it's a little discouraging.

i am stoked about the judges panel. Sarah Schulman!!

Ellen said...

I have only read one of Sarah Schulman's books but I cheer her inclusion, generally.

You and I are tied actually for number of books read so far -- and you were pretty busy this past year! It seems like most of my big fiction picks from last year (eg NIGHT FILM, THE INTERESTINGS, AMERICANAH) didn't make it, but I coulda guessed THE GOLDFINCH would be on there. Oh well! Off we go.

jess thrift said...

luminaries, goldfinch, good lord bird were all obvious (i read none of them). i guessed the dinner as the translation and i read E&P for fun. i guessed people in the trees, life after life, tale for the time being and lowland, but i didn't get around to any of them.

i did have a busy year. it's still hella busy. i have no idea what i will actually get through before the madness starts, but it's a good time anyway.