2020 Long List!

It's here! The long list for the 2020 Tournament of Books has been announced!

https://themorningnews.org/article/the-year-in-fiction-2019

Thoughts?

And the books are (First Half):

Mostly Dead Things by Kristen Arnett

All This Could Be Yours by Jami Attenberg

Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

Exhalation by Ted Chiang

King of Joy by Richard Chiem

In at the Deep End by Kate Davies

A Girl Returned by Donatella Di Pietrantonio

Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellmann

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo

Optic Nerve by Maria Gainza

A Cosmology of Monsters by Shaun Hamill

Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James

Death is Hard Work by Khalid Khalifah

Last of Her Name by Mimi Lok

The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo

Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli

Let's Tell This Story Properly by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi

Honey in the Carcase by Josip Novakovich

Inland by Tea Obreht

Mary Toft: Or the Rabbit Queen by Dexter Palmer

Black Light: Stories by Kimberly King Parsons

Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips

The Night Swimmers by Peter Rock

Blood & Sugar by Laura Shepherd-Robinson

Normal People by Sally Rooney

The Old Drift by Namwall Serpell

Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout

Bangkok Wakes to Rain by Pitchaya Sudbanthad

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

Home Remedies by Xuan Juliana Wang

Lot: Stories by Bryan Washington

Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson

Golden State by Ben H. Winters

Well, as you know, I’m really happy to see Olive, Again on the list since that may be my favorite book of the year so far.

I’m interested in A Cosmology of Monsters even though it is totally outside my typical reading because I attended a panel that the author was on at Bouchercon. Kicking myself for not buying the book now.

Interested in a couple of others like When All Is Said so hope they make the short list so I have an extra excuse to read it.

The only book I've read from the list is The Testaments. I liked it very much and I'm a huge fan of Atwood, but I'm not sure I want to see it on the ToB shortlist.

I'm currently reading Lost Children Archive, which automatically gets a spot on the ToB, as it had won the summer competition. It seems to be a worthy book, but so far, I'm just liking it and not loving it. I'm only halfway through, so that might change.

One book I'm excited about is Exhalation, a collection of stories by Ted Chiang. I was impressed by some of his earlier short fiction. One of his stories was the basis for the film Arrival.

Ok, here's the rest of the list, for the sake of convenience, since the link to the actual list is posted in the first message.

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

Someone Will Love You in All Your Damaged Glory by Raphael Bob-Waksberg

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha

Riots I Have Known by Ryan Chapman

Trust Exercise by Susan Choi

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Overthrow by Caleb Crain

Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn

Very Nice by Marcy Dermansky

Trump Sky Alpha by Mark Doten

Sabrina & Corina by Kali Fajardo-Anstine

Tears of the Trufflepig by Fernando A. Flores

What is Missing by Michael Frank

When All is Said by Anne Griffin

The Parisian by Isabella Hammad

Rules for Visiting by Jessica Francis Kane

The Other Americans by Laila Lalami

The Unpassing by Chia-Chia Lin

Same Same by Peter Mendelsund

Saudade by Suneeta Peres da Costa

We Cast a Shadow by Maurice Carlos Ruffin

A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum

Say Say Say by Lila Savage

Pigs by Johanna Stoberock

Oval by Elvia Wilk

Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson

The Remainder by Alia Trabucco Zerán

I've read thirteen of these books, but I'm confident that, once again, I will guess wrong in choosing which books from the long list before the short list is released in late December.

A lot of short story collections this time round.

^ Which is why I've read more of the long list than usual. Interesting stuff, and a few that are sitting on my shelves...

Here's hoping for at least one or two short story collections in the short list! I've had Exhalation and Sabrina and Corina near the top of my TBR pile for awhile.

Otherwise, I'm doing better than usual by the long list. Just finished When All Is Said and The Need. Both exceeded expectations. I found The Other Americans just okay and The Testaments was fun. Currently listening to All This Could Be Yours.

I'm so hoping Trust Exercise makes the short list even though it lost out in the summer TOB. I don't follow the summer TOB in real time and there's so much to discuss in that book. Maybe the National Book Award will push it in?

I'm hoping Trust Exercise makes it in too, zhejw. They did make a point of saying that books that didn't win the summer reading challenge are still fully eligible for the ToB and the National Book Award winner is often included.

I've read 14 of the long list and am reading two more now. The short list should be released next week.

I really loved Sabrina and Corina, for what that's worth.