The 2011 Tournament of Books

Book lovers, start your reading! The Morning News has recently announced the contenders for this year's Tournament of Books. Now in it's seventh year, this event (presented by Field Notes and sponsored by Powell's Books) pits some of the past year's best books against each other in a bracket-style showdown. Some of this year's judges include popular fiction author Jennifer Weiner, Time assistant managing editor Radhika Jones and The Walkmen lead singer Hamilton Leithauser. You also have a chance to alter the course of events through the "Zombie Round" - where the two most popular books among readers that were earlier eliminated get a second chance to take down the semi-finalists. The winning book is crowned "The Rooster" aka "The Champion Book of the Year." The contest starts on Monday, March 7th, but the titles are announced early to give readers a chance to savor each book before the battle begins. Take a look at this year's nominees and get ready to cheer on your favorite in the 2011 Tournament of Books!

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
Nox by Anne Carson
Bad Marie by Marcy Dermansky
Room by Emma Donoghue
A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
Lord of Misrule by Jaimy Gordon
Bloodroot by Amy Greene
Next by James Hynes
The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson
Skippy Dies by Paul Murray
Model Home by Eric Puchner
So Much for That by Lionel Shriver
Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart
Kapitoil by Teddy Wayne
Savages by Don Winslow

January 2011's Must-Reads

Kick off the new year with some fantastic new books! This month's selections include a coming-of-age story with a dash of magic, an engaging new detective series set in South Africa, an enthralling treatment of the 1920 Wall Street bombing, a Shakespeare-quoting, lively trio of homeward-bound sisters and the poignant stories of military wives. If January is any indication, 2011 is sure to bring outstanding books for all!

Among Others by Jo Walton (Jan. 18th) - "World Fantasy Award-winner Walton (Tooth and Claw) turns the magical boarding school story inside out in this compelling coming-of-age tale...this outstanding...tale draws its strength from a solid foundation of sense-of-wonder and what-if." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

The October Killings by Wessel Ebersohn (Jan. 18th) - "South African author Ebersohn kicks off a promising new series pairing psychologist Yudel Gordon...with Abigail Bukula, chief director of South Africa's justice department, who can more than hold her own with the brilliantly eccentric Gordon...The complexities of South Africa a decade after the end of white rule help fuel a compelling plot that builds to several dramatic climaxes." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Death Instinct by Jed Rubenfeld (Jan. 20th) - "The 1920 bombing of Wall Street, the most deadly act of terrorism in the United States until the Oklahoma blast of 1995, provides the framework for Rubenfeld's excellent follow-up to The Interpretation of Murder...Rubenfeld deftly wends his way through the shifting landscape with a historian's factual touch and a storyteller's eye for the dramatic and telling." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown (Jan. 20th) - "The Weird Sisters in Eleanor Brown's delightful debut could have been weirder, considering their upbringing...With lively dialogue and witty collective narration, the sisters' untangling of their identities and relationships feels honest and wise, and the questions they raise about how we carry our childhood roles into our adult lives will resonate with all readers, especially those with their own weird sisters." - Amazon.com Review (Amazon Best Books of the Month, January 2011)

You Know When the Men Are Gone by Siobhan Fallon (Jan. 20th) - "The crucial role of military wives becomes clear in Fallon's powerful, resonant debut collection, where women are linked by absence and a pervading fear that they'll become war widows...Fallon writes with both grit and grace: her depiction of military life is enlivened by telling details, from the early morning sound of boots stomping down the stairs to the large sign that tallies automobile fatalities of troops returned from Iraq. Significant both as war stories and love stories, this collection certifies Fallon as an indisputable talent." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)