This is your annual reminder about the Morning New's Tournament of Books sponsored by Field Notes because it is the perfect mix of fun and useful.
Click here to see the completed tourney.
Every year I repost my explanations as to why it is such a valuable and unique RA resource. This is not your average book award and not only because it is a battle between the books as judged by other writers using a bracket system. With ToB we also get the most diverse list of “best books” you will see anywhere, both diverse in authorship and genre.
And because it happens in March each year, but the books are from 2021, there are a lot of titles that are already off the holds shelf. So it's a current "best list" option of a wide range of best books, many of which are on the shelf.
With ToB you not only learn about great books and why they are wonderful, but you also learn about the judges themselves, also a very diverse group of people throughout the publishing industry. Each “battle” has a full write up which gets to the heart of the two books’ appeal and structure. These essays give us valuable information on who would like the book and why. Readalikes are also often mentioned.
Oh and the comments. The readers who follow along religiously and have entire discussions about each pairing of books for pages and pages are THE BEST. Following just the comments is like reading a novel itself. There is even a running commentary on the battle itself by the tournament organizers.
And don’t forget the back list. 17 previous years of backlist tourneys to be exact. Each with their own full bank of the above mentioned information and more! Every single page of ToB has the links to every past year [bottom right].
Oh and the comments. The readers who follow along religiously and have entire discussions about each pairing of books for pages and pages are THE BEST. Following just the comments is like reading a novel itself. There is even a running commentary on the battle itself by the tournament organizers.
And don’t forget the back list. 17 previous years of backlist tourneys to be exact. Each with their own full bank of the above mentioned information and more! Every single page of ToB has the links to every past year [bottom right].
In terms of actively using the ToB to help readers, you can stage the tournament at your library online through your social media by reposting to their daily battles. The graphics are all there to make an engaging post. All you have to do is add the link. You can even ask patrons to vote and then see if your results are the same. Post both results and have your own online tournament. This will drive interest in your collection and for titles that are not in high demand right now.
But also, and this is a super fun way to grab patrons' attention as they return to our buildings, you can make a daily display following the action. You can post pictures of the covers for that day and fill a display with ToB titles going back to 2005. You can also allow people to vote in person, but honestly, keeping track of your library's winners is easier online.
Finally, ToB has become my go-to resource for "literary fiction." Why? Because the ToB takes the idea of "literary" titles, titles worthy of being deemed as worth your time [which I hate, but it is a thing], and gives it a wide berth. I especially love using the backlist titles for book discussions.
Whether you actively use the ToB to stage a tourney at your library or you just use it as a resource or passive display idea, it is an event not to miss.
Click here for every ToB post on RA for All over the years.
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