Booktube Video: The Tournament of Books by The Morning News

Hooray! It’s time again for the Tournament of Books, a competition put on by The Morning News. Here’s the gist:

Each year, the folks at The Morning News put together a long list of the best books. At the beginning of the next year, they narrow it down to a shortlist, then pit those books against one another, March-madness-style.

It’s like a cutthroat competition for book-lovers. Here are some notable (meaning, I actually read them) books from this year’s competition:

Tournament of Books – titles mentioned:
Note: click each title for my full reviews.

The Italian Teacher by Tom Rachman

Boy lives in his artist father’s imposing shadow. Was his story a tragedy or triumph? Here’s what I can say with certainty: it is an excellent book.

Milkman by Anna Burns

Set in Ireland during The Troubles, every word drips with meaning about gender, religion, and societal expectations. Sadly, I DNFed this one.

Census by Jesse Ball

At first, I was unimpressed with this quiet book about a terminally ill census-taker and his developmentally delayed son. But it’s grown on me. A lot.

So Lucky by Nicola Griffith

This book is a somewhat autobiographical, but fictionalized account of Mara, a woman who is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. And she’s pisssssssed.

Washington Black by Esi Edugyan

I’m a little more than halfway through this book, but it’s so captivating. Wash is a slave in Barbados who catches the attention of Titch, a white man who wants to free him.

And with no further ado, here is my Tournament of Books bracket! I already got it wrong on The Italian Teacher. I’m pretty surprised to see that my picks for the final two are Census and There, There. Ultimately, I predict There, There to take it all. We’ll see how it goes!

Check out my previous ToB booktube videos:
+   2018 Tournament of Books video
+   2018 ToB long list chat
+   2017 Tournament of Books rundown
+   2017 ToB book recommendations

Music credit: YouTube