Comments on: Jim McCarthy talks The Tournament of Books

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By: Kanani

Kanani — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 20:48:00 +0000

Oh…. and I for one am glad Oprah gave John Steinbeck a boost. Did you know that at my library they don’t have a complete collection of his works?

This is an outrage given that the library is in California, and he is one of the state’s most important writers.

By: Kanani

Kanani — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 19:17:00 +0000

Okay, Jim.
I'm one of the few who read Cormac McCarthy like a person taking cod liver oil. Sure, it was good for me, I could observe tight prose, original use of language, a way to convey emotion through emotion, but I always found every book of his one hell of a tough slog.

But you know what? I loved The Road. In fact I reviewed it on my my site. And this was in spite of what Oprah thought. And I have to admit, even I'm impressed she's getting him on in a rare interview. Even Charlie Rose couldn't do that.

But let's get to this other issue. Your guilt.

You're no longer in parochial school, there's no danger in going to limbo or hell if you don't like a book. You don't have to.

For instance, I haven't been able to finish a single book by Don DeLillo. Reason? None. Guilt? None. I quit being pummeled by ivory tower agents long ago.

So if I want to curl up with... oh...let's see....Thomas Farber or Chester Aarons I do. If I want to take a plane ride with John Grisham, I do. And if I want to watch a rerun of a tape with Antonio Banderas, I do that too.

Power on, babe. Press that tuxedo for the next ceremony.

By: ED Lindquist

ED Lindquist — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 02:34:00 +0000

I’m inclined to support literary awards. Competition is an excellent motivation to excel, as many of the others have said. Especially in the case of authors, there is also the publicity to consider. It’s the nature of the profession to require readers and exposing that audience to the competition not only lets them see an entertaining show, but pick up a few interesting name (both books and writers).
It is nice to have that bit of praise in front of you when you’re having a bad day or to have that rainbow to chase. The gold at the end may be an overblown story or purely mythical, but it’s about the journey, they all say. And I agree.

By: Ryan Field

Ryan Field — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 13:09:00 +0000

ALL award competitions, from the Oscar to the high school gym are based on politics with underlying reasons (whose turn is it this year, is often what it comes down to in the end). They are fun in a general sense, but should never be taken seriously when it comes to subjective taste in reading, viewing, or cheerleading. It’s called playing the game, no matter what profession is involved.

By: Impy

Impy — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 06:51:00 +0000

I find competition of any sort to be largely meaningless. An award given because a work has been judged subjectively against a set of objective standards and proven a good execution of whatever the judges are looking for is one thing, but a competition to judge one book against another is just silly. How can something so terribly subjective as an individual reader’s response to a book (as a reader, not as a publishing professional) be even remotely broad enough to be good grounds for judgement?

As for everyone liking something… well, masses of people are not generally known for their great talent for discernment, so I wouldn’t worry about holding a different opinion, even if you couldn’t explain why you held it. I’d be more worried if you couldn’t say why you agreed.

By: mary.whitsell@virgin.net

mary.whitsell@virgin.net — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 11:12:00 +0000

I haven't read The Road yet, but I cannot say that I find the description compelling. I generally read books others are raving about three or four years after all the hoopla has died down. I still haven't read the DaVinci Code, nor have I read Leaving Las Vegas. This is partly because I am involved in other things, and partly because I too am reluctant to rave over works that have already received universal acclaim.

Nice to hear that someone else didn't like Lost in Translation, though. As a former part-time Japanese-English translator and 17-year resident of Japan, I couldn't wait to see this. When I finally went to see it, I could hardly concentrate what with all the yawning and snoring that was going on around me.

By: Judy Schneider

Judy Schneider — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 11:11:00 +0000

Regardless of how we feel about THE ROAD or about Oprah, we should all be happy she’s promoting current books again. (John Steinbeck didn’t need her help.) She has the power to transform mall-shoppers into bookstore-browsers and that can’t be a bad thing for any of us!

By: Sam

Sam — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 07:52:00 +0000

I read Slaughterhouse Five at least once a year, and find something new every time.

By: Victoria Laurie

Victoria Laurie — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 15:45:00 +0000

I LOVE the idea of an tournament of books awards show! Jim – I had no idea this was even out there – what a fantastic idea! I mean, as a nation we’re clearly obsessed with competitions these days, and the ones with audience participation are the most popular – almost every show on the teli indicates people are hungry to compare styles and personalities, (and all books have personalities) and crown a champion.

What a fantastic way to get people involved! To encourage them to switch off the teli and go read a book so that they can then express an opinion! Who cares who wins – it’s not really about that. It’s about audience participation – did you like the book? No? Why are you the rebel? (And I soooo love that you are, Jim!)

What I also love is how clear your voice is in this entry – one of the things that I really admire about you is how accessible you are – and have been since the first time I met you. That quality always comes through in your posts – and if you weren’t already my agent, I’d be doing cartwheels at the next writer’s conference to get your attention! Great idea for a post and really well written, my friend.

Hugs,
Victoria