Watch Books Duke it Out!
So, did you get around to reading all the hyped books of 2007? Then We Came to the End, Run, On Chesil Beach? No. Don't worry. I won't tell. My reading list is often far behind the popular tide. I have a hard time reading what everyone is reading. It's pure and simple snobbery. And I have a real problem reading anything tagged with Oprah's big gold "O" though I did read The Road after the Oprah seal of approval had been affixed to it (and how mad was I to discover the stupid sticker with her name on it peels right off? Pretty mad, given that I didn't discover that until after I'd finished reading it). I hate reading books adapted for film that then use the movie's image for the front cover. Yes, I apparently live in fear of being labeled a Philistine.
Now that we've covered why I'm behind the curve, let's discuss how to amend it. Powell's Tournament of Books. Powell's applies the much beloved NCAA basketball competition system (bracketed teams) to books. They select some bookish judges, give them two books, and make them pick which book was better. The reviews are great because often the judges explain not only why they liked said book better but maybe what prejudices they had going in, or how they view genre. It's a delicious bite-sized review system I wish I saw more of, frankly. And fun! Did I mention fun?
The idea of two books paired off in a fight to the...um...win is excellent. The execution has thus far been terrific. It's most fun when a book not expected to do well rises through the ranks in a series of surprise wins. Last year Kate Atkinson's One Good Turn got a lot further than I expected, in part because it was pitted against such heavy (weight and weight-wise) candidates. If I recall, one of the judges last year confessed she didn't finish reading one of her books. Awesome!
Following the Tournament of Books always helps me decide which of last year's literary darlings I want to read. In their first tournament Cloud Atlas emerged as the winner and it's one of my favorite books. So check it out. Today's match pits The Shadow Catcher against An Arsonist's Guides to Writers' Homes in New England. Can you predict the winner?