The Tournament of Books is one of my favorite awards. It’s creative pairing of sixteen books against each other, the comical banter between the commentators and the insightful words of the judges makes for a exceptional two weeks of literary fun. And if you haven’t read all the finalists, these are some great recommendations.

The Morning News, on online literary publication has put on the Tournament of Books every year since 2005. With Powell’s Books of Portland Oregon and Field Notes as sponsors, the tournament identifies “16 of the most celebrated and highly touted novels of the year, seed[s] them in a March Madness-type bracket, conscript[s] them into a ‘Battle Royal of Literary Excellence,’ …and present[s] the author of the winning book a live rooster.” Literary figures, mostly eminent, some fringe, each name winners in the head-to-head matchups – and majority rules. For added excitement, a “zombie round” is introduced near the end of the tournament, in which two defeated books, determined by the online votes of ordinary readers, get a second chance. In honor of a favorite character in contemporary literature, David Sedaris’s brother, aka “The Rooster”, the winning author receives a live chicken. Discounted copies of all the contenders are for sale at Powell’s.

Here are the contenders for this year’s Tournament of Books:

For more information about the award, its judges, and to keep up all on the action, check out the official Tournament of Books site.

You can find this list in:
All 16 contenders and the winners of the Tournament of Books for the last five years can be found on page 125 of Read, Remember, Recommend: A Reading Journal for Book Lovers.

Each month, I highlight one book award and one notable list from my journal series, Read, Remember, Recommend. This month, I am giving away Let the Great World Spin, by Colum McCann – the 2009 National Book Award winner, so I thought February would be the perfect month to highlight the National Book Award.

The National Book Awards, including the Award for Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Young People’s Literature, are given annually in November to American authors for books published the prior year. The purpose of these awards, created in 1950 by a group of publishers, is “to enhance the public’s awareness of exceptional books… and to increase
the popularity of reading in general.” The mission of the National Book Foundation is “to celebrate the best of American literature, to expand its audience, and to enhance the cultural value of good writing in America.” Award categories have varied over the years, but now include nonfiction, poetry, and young people’s literature. For each genre, an independent five-judge panel selects the winner. Each winner receives a bronze sculpture and $10,000. In certain years, two awards were given in fiction, sometimes to honor publications in both hardcover and paperback. More information for both awards can be found at National Book Foundation.

National Book Award for Fiction
The 2009 Fiction winner: Let the Great World Spin, by Column McCann Colum McCann’s acceptance speech (as well as speeches from all finalists) can be seen here: NBA Speeches.
The 2009 National Book Award Fiction Award finalists:
American Salvage, by Bonnie Jo Campbell In Other Rooms, Other Wonders, byDaniyal Mueenuddin Lark and Termite, Jayne Anne Phillips Far North, by Marcel Theroux
National Book Award for Young People’s Literature
The 2009 Young People’s Literature winner: Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose.
The 2009 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature finalists:
Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith, by Deborah Heiligman Stitches, by David Small Lips Touch: Three Times, by Laini Taylor Jumped, by Rita Williams-Garcia
You can find these lists in:
The complete National Book Award winners for Fiction as well as the finalists from 1990 can be found on page 19 of Read, Remember, Recommend: A Reading Journal for Book Lovers. The National Book Award for Poetry can be found on page 26.
The complete list of National Book Award winners for Young People’s Literature can be found on page 11 of Read, Remember, Recommend for Teens: A Reading Journal for Book Lovers.