Likewise, we’re proud to have published this judgment—it’s also one of our favorite pieces of writing from this year. Thank you, @emilyhughes.bsky.social!

Depeche Mode performing “See You” with roosters feels very on brand for us www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR7f...

ToB followers: Molly Templeton is available for work, should you have an endeavor that needs her expertise! As evidence, her outstanding 2025 judgment → www.tournamentofbooks.com/2025/james-v...

It’s here! The shortlist for the 2026 Tournament of Books, presented by @fieldnotesbrand.bsky.social (We’ll also need your vote by midnight ET on Dec. 18 for which book you think should get a second shot at the 2026 Rooster!) www.tournamentofbooks.com/the-2026-sho...

time moves us ever closer to the next #tournamentofbooks and now we can be impatient for the shortlist

The long list has landed. Get ready for the 2026 Tournament of Books, presented by @fieldnotesbrand.bsky.social, with the 70 most Rooster-worthy novels of the year! www.tournamentofbooks.com/the-year-in-...

It’s the final match at the Horror Popup! www.tournamentofbooks.com/the-2025-hor...

Certified bangers, every one

The Zombie Round is now “live” at the Horror Popup www.tournamentofbooks.com/the-2025-hor...

We’re now halfway through our first-ever Horror Popup. Today → the semifinals www.tournamentofbooks.com/the-2025-hor...

Today at our weeklong Horror Popup: the quarterfinals! www.tournamentofbooks.com/the-2025-hor...

The opening round at our weeklong Horror Popup is today, so make sure you get in your votes/comments/upvotes by midnight ET tonight! www.tournamentofbooks.com/the-2025-hor...

If you’re as excited about next month’s horror popup as we are, you’ll want to jump on this StoryGraph, courtesy of @mrsthrift.bsky.social! app.thestorygraph.com/reading_chal...

READRUM ~Coming Oct. 27~

READRUM ~Coming Oct. 27~

It’s the final match at the summer bracket! www.tournamentofbooks.com/the-2025-sum...

The Zombie Rounds ends today. Tomorrow: our summer final! www.tournamentofbooks.com/the-2025-sum...

The Zombie Round begins at the summer bracket! “Creation Lake,” our Zombie poll top vote-getter, returns to face “The Safekeep,” which has been flattening the competition so far. And this time, upvotes become percentage points, so anything could happen www.tournamentofbooks.com/the-2025-sum...

It's the final week at the summer bracket! Today, the semifinals wrap; tomorrow, the Zombie Round begins www.tournamentofbooks.com/the-2025-sum...

The semifinals begin at the summer bracket! www.tournamentofbooks.com/the-2025-sum...

The quarterfinals wrap at the summer bracket! www.tournamentofbooks.com/the-2025-sum...

On to the second half of this summer’s quarterfinals! www.tournamentofbooks.com/the-2025-sum...

The quarterfinals continue today at the summer bracket → www.tournamentofbooks.com/the-2025-sum...

The quarterfinals begin at the summer bracket! www.tournamentofbooks.com/the-2025-sum...

The opening round draws to a close at the summer bracket! www.tournamentofbooks.com/the-2025-sum...

Over at the summer bracket, it’s the final week of our opening round! www.tournamentofbooks.com/the-2025-sum...

Now live at the summer bracket → www.tournamentofbooks.com/the-2025-sum...

Here we go, on to the second half of the opening round! www.tournamentofbooks.com/the-2025-sum...

Our first-ever summer bracket continues with “Real Americans” and “Wandering Stars.” www.tournamentofbooks.com/the-2025-sum...

Week two begins at the summer bracket! www.tournamentofbooks.com/the-2025-sum...

With one match down, the opening round continues at the summer bracket → www.tournamentofbooks.com/the-2025-sum...

Get ready to vote and discuss (though not necessarily in that order). The summer bracket is now open! www.tournamentofbooks.com/the-2025-sum...

👏 👏 👏

Match pairings to follow next week, but in the meantime here are the books that will be entering our first-ever summer bracket: “Absolution” by Jeff VanderMeer “The City and Its Uncertain Walls” by Haruki Murakami “Creation Lake” by Rachel Kushner “Good Material” by Dolly Alderton (1/3)

Bracket-based discussions with a twist, coming this summer www.tournamentofbooks.com/welcome-to-t...

Well deserved, but believe it or not, James is only Percival Everett's 4th best novel according to my entirely subjective, definitive ranking of his books that I've read. biblioracle.substack.com/p/the-defini...

Man, this is a pretty fucking gross move from Amazon, huh? Good on @bookshop.org for not mincing words, though:

Y’all, the ebook of The Book of Love is on sale for $1.99 right now.

soooo pleased with this outcome, though it would be hard to be displeased when both finalists are among the best novels published last year (both were in my personal top 10!) 📚💙

this year's @tournamentofbooks.com final is a goddamn nailbiter: www.tournamentofbooks.com/2025/champio...

It’s the championship at the 2025 Tournament of Books, presented by @fieldnotesbrand.bsky.social! Today, all the judges convene to decide which of this year’s finalists—“Martyr!” by Kaveh Akbar or “James” by Percival Everett—wins this year’s Rooster. www.tournamentofbooks.com/2025/champio...

❤️

“I want to believe that immersion isn’t the same thing as escape—and still I’ve had a hard time reading books how I used to.” Mary Turfah closes the Zombie Round at the 2025 Tournament of Books, presented by @fieldnotesbrand.bsky.social! www.tournamentofbooks.com/2025/zombie-...

“I have had zero engagement with the BIG LITERARY BOOKS of 2024. If there had been hype—well, I missed it.” Ivy Pochoda kicks off the Zombie Round at the 2025 Tournament of Books, presented by @fieldnotesbrand.bsky.social! www.tournamentofbooks.com/2025/zombie-...

“Both [books] hit my trash-meets-highbrow mix of tastes with near algorithmic precision.” Sammy Loren wields the gavel at the 2025 Tournament of Books, presented by @fieldnotesbrand.bsky.social—and with today’s decision, the Zombies emerge! www.tournamentofbooks.com/2025/the-ext...

This judgement is why I love the tournament of books. In the comparing and contrasting and mulling over, there is magic. Thank you Judge @emilyhughes.bsky.social

“Maybe the ideal way to read these books *is* side by side—a compendium.” It’s a battle of the heavyweights today at the 2025 Tournament of Books, presented by @fieldnotesbrand.bsky.social, as @aditikhorana.bsky.social decides between “James” and “Martyr!” www.tournamentofbooks.com/2025/james-v...

my @tournamentofbooks.com judgment is live!! I'm particularly proud of this piece of writing so please give it a look if you're inclined: www.tournamentofbooks.com/2025/liars-v...

The quarterfinals conclude at the 2025 Tournament of Books, presented by @fieldnotesbrand.bsky.social, as @emilyhughes.bsky.social decides between “Liars” and “Margo’s Got Money Troubles” www.tournamentofbooks.com/2025/liars-v...

I wrote about Percival Everett's James and Rita Bullwinkel's Headshot for @tournamentofbooks.com. www.tournamentofbooks.com/2025/james-v...