Tag: alena saunders
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2025 Tournament of Books: James vs. Martyr! (again)
OK, there’s not much point rehashing what I said the last time these two faced off. I still think James is the better book. My judgment on the judgment This is a vote by all the judges, and since last year I did a handy little table, I figured I’d repeat that again this year. I…
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2025 Tournament of Books: The History of Sound vs. The Extinction of Irena Rey
Another quarterfinals match-up where it’s books I’ve picked to advance, sparing me the trip to the alternate universe. This time it’s The History of Sound vs The Extinction of Irena Rey. This is perhaps the toughest match-up for me to pick a winner on. Both books are excellent and flawed in their own ways. It’s almost a…
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2025 Tournament of Books: Colored Television vs. The Extinction of Irena Rey
Today’s pair of novels is another wildly disparate pairing. Danzy Senna’s Colored Television is a realist portrayal of a novelist and low-ranking academic tempted into television writing, albeit on spec with a producer of dubious motivation. The sole bit of surrealism is when Senna and her family move into a retirement home towards the end of…