2016 Tournament of Books

teresakayep: A good family saga with a lot of elements I appreciated, especially regarding the way the siblings related to each other. But the haint story didn't quite hand together, and the family was maybe a little too large. (On a different day, I could switch this was The Whites, but it's flaws are bothering me more today.)

teresakayep: This is good, solid storytelling, very moving.

teresakayep: This has grown on me more and more as time has passed. I especially loved the way the myth built up at the beginning is undercut by the true story at the end.

teresakayep: I gave up on this one. The young voice and limited perspective seemed realistic, and I appreciated what the author was trying to do. But there's a reason we don't generally read books by 10-year-olds.

teresakayep: I don't have any major objections to this, but I also didn't see any reason to love it. Could tie with Teeth and Bats.

teresakayep: It's a solid piece of crime fiction, well-written, with no major flaws or annoyances.

teresakayep: MY NEMESIS! The plot is just ridiculous. Some of my agitation is at the near-universal early praise when I disliked it so much right out of the gate. I can see why some would find it moving, but I don't get the extreme heapings of praise it got and found it a relief this fall when more critical views surfaced. I might have hated the Irving more if I finished it, but he didn't manipulate me into wanting to finish even when I was miserable reading it. I could see right away to put it down.

teresakayep: In a different mood, I might have liked this more, but the narrator got on my nerves, and the section titles felt like a gimmick. There are some funny parts. (Tied with Sympathizer and Bats.)

teresakayep: So much fun! I have a tin ear for satire, but this made me laugh and laugh.

teresakayep: I loved the look of this (of course), and I appreciated the way the design is integral to the story. I also liked the way it all comes together in the end and just leaves the paradox there. But holy moly, there are some boring sections, especially in the travel journals, which I resorted to skimming. And the action in the "future" section ceased to make sense. (Could tie with Teeth and Sympathizer.)

teresakayep: I could only manage three chapters. Everything about it got on my nerves. It's not ranked last because maybe something in it wouldn't get on my nerves if I read more of it.